Running on coffee...

It was strong coffee for me this morning...

I hope you're all having a great Monday.

Last week I was struck down by a nasty bug, and was at home feeling sorry for myself, but now I'm a lot better and back at work, still feeling a bit tired, so running mainly on strong coffee (which my fellow Finns at the Finn-Guild office have on tap).

I do need to be on top form, because this is going to be a busy week, not least because on Saturday at Finn-Guild we'll be hosting some brave souls who are going to attend our Intensive Finnish Course in Camden. On Sunday (16th November) I'll be the Indie Authors Fair at the Chorleywood Litfest. More details about the Festival here.

Today I'm also over at the Alliance of Independent Authors Self-published Advice blog talking about writing and second careers. You can read my post here. Do leave a comment, whether you agree with me or not. I love a good discussion.

Have a great week, and wish me luck with the Litfest!

Find me in June issue of the Scan Magazine!

I'm delighted to let you know that I'm the blogger of the month in June's issue of the Scan Magazine! The magazine approached me a while back, but because of the challenges of my new post at Finn-Guild, the piece was pushed back a few months.  I'm so pleased the article is finally up and it looks so good.

Unfortunately you need to subscribe to Scan Magazine to read the piece, but if you're in London, you can often find copies of this monthly magazine about all things Nordic, at many Scandi shops, or naturally at Finn-Guild offices in Camden. 

Scan Magazine

The price for 12 issues is:

• £40.00 (United Kingdom)
• £75.00 (Rest of Europe)

Win a FREE copy of Coffee and Vodka!

I am delighted to tell you that I am in the Author Spotlight over at a lovely book review blog called, Jaffa Reads Too. I talk about the writing of Coffee and Vodka, and about what inspires me (apart from coffee!) and I even proffer some advice for aspiring writers.

 What's more, there's even a giveaway of a FREE copy of Coffee and Vodka!

So hop over to Jaffa Reads Too and enter the competition! There's only 6 days left...

 

Radio silence and a poorly back

It's been a while since I posted something but it isn't that I've forgotten about you all.

No, it's my back once again.... Yes, I know it's getting a little boring now, but bear with me, normal blogging service will soon be resumed. (I am seeing a wonderful osteopath).

However, to make matters worse, yesterday I also managed to stub my little toe. Not quite sure how it happened but it involved a Marimekko bag, an overflowing bedroom floor and a manoeuvre trying to do something quickly while also trying to avoid any sudden movement of the back. (Before you ask, no alcohol had been consumed while making this manoeuvre). My little toe got caught in the strap and buckle of the bag and although at first I though nothing of it, the pain in the toe became more insistent, and inspecting it, I noticed I'd acquired a nasty purple left little toe twice the size of its counterpart on my right leg.

So, now my lovely readers, I am sitting here with my toe wrapped up and my left leg up on a chair, trying to work on my laptop while keeping my spirits up. (What is happening to me???)

But there is some good news: while writing is difficult in these conditions (and on painkillers), I am able get on with formatting The Englishman ready for publication in paperback. This, fortunately, is a task that requires a little less concentration than writing. Wish me luck because this little piggy won't be going to market otherwise!

A poorly toe to go with the poorly back.

A-Z Blogging Challenge: E is for The Englishman and F is for Freebies

My theme: Writing and the Business of Writing

Free Books

Many people when they hear that I am putting my e-books on a free promotion look at me puzzlingly, ' Really?'

Why, they ask, after spending up to two years writing, editing and formatting a book, do I want to give it away free? When as I mentioned in my Creativity versus Cash post, even us writers need to eat?

There are many reasons.

Firstly, the more people read your words the better. As with the blog (which after all is the same: ie giving your work away free) the more readers you have, the bigger your writer platform. And a big platform means more book sales, eventually.

Or so the theory goes.

Here's what my experiences have been so far.

The Englishman

I've just finished a second free promotion of my e-book, The Englishman, and once again had a good response. It's exciting; I love getting new readers, the more people read my story, the better.

The Englishman - as those of you who've followed my blog for some time know - became a book after I started telling the story of my life here on my blog. The first draft of the book was fairly quick - it took about 6 months to write. At the end of it, however, what I had was just a set of blog posts, not a novel. The editing process took best part of eighteen months. I really struggled with the format. Should I keep it as a memoir, even though the story had already veered into the fiction side? Or should I take it into a fully fledged novel? What I first produced, about a year ago now, was a first person hybrid, which I sent to a few of my biggest fans (including Liberty London Girl and Mrs Trefusis). All were influential people in their fields, so I thought their advice would be invaluable. I knew I was lucky to have such people taking an interest in my writing.

All the good advice pointed in one direction - to make the blog posts into a 'Will they, won't they' love story, ie a traditional novel. So I changed the point of view (more on POV, my pet love/hate in the P post of this challenge) from first person to third person, and added about 20,000 words. After a few more final edits, it was time to send it to a professional editor, and in August 2012 I eventually let The Englishman loose on the world.

When the novel came out, the first sales figures where very promising. I also had several incredibly fabulous reviews, and many of my blogging friends hosted me and the book on their websites. The Englishman was featured on The N10 Show and the book was even recommended as a good read on the Alliance of Independent Writers web site. Accolade indeed!

But by October sales had started to flag a little, so I decided that, to keep up interest in the book, the best thing would be to make The Englishman free for a period. And I have to say the results were staggering. Overnight, during the first 24 hours of the promotion, over 600 copies were downloaded. During the whole promotion I 'sold' over 1,000 copies. That, I've been told is not a bad figure for a first novel in any genre or format.

But, and this is a big but against giving your books away free.

After The Englishman's success, I decided to publish my other two books, Coffee and Vodka and The Red King of Helsinki also as e-books, and at the same time, do another free promotion for the backlist novel. But now the free promo is over, some of my readers are asking me when (not if) the other two will be free…

This is very flattering, it is truly wonderful for a writer who has struggled for years to have any readers at all, to be asked when your work will be available.

But at the same time I wonder if I've created a reader expectation that all of my work will forever be free? Have I completely destroyed any hope of ever making money (read: breaking even) with my writing?

I do hope not, because as I mentioned before, I too need to eat.

Author exits stage right.

A-Z Blogging Challenge 2013

Having just had a long discussion on Twitter and on Jane Friedman's excellent site about whether writers should blog or not, I have done the almost opposite of what the post by L L Barkat recommends.

I've only signed up to the blogging A-Z Challenge. A blog post on a theme per day on each and every letter of the alphabet during the month of April.

See, I just can't help myself. I saw a post about this fun challenge on Karen G's blog and before I knew what I was doing, I'd signed up.

I think I need help….is there an AA meeting for bloggers I could attend?

Like mother like daughter...

Daughter, who's featured on this blog a few times before, has now become a blogger in her own right. (It feels very strange, I can tell you!)

Using her pen name, Shmonn, she writes about film, her great passion (while mine is theatre…apple not so far from the tree..) in a very fresh and modern way. Although I may be a little biased, I think she's funny and very talented.

Go and see how the second generation of bloggers do it on Music from the Motion Picture by Shmonn.

What would I do without my wonderful blogger friends?

Since my book, The Englishman has been out, I've been approached by several of my blogging friends asking if I'd like to write a guest post about the book. I cannot tell you how it warms my heart to have such wonderful bunch of people wanting to spread the news about The Englishman!

The lovely Tania Hershman (below) published an interview with me last week and this week Expat Mum and Wildernesschic asked me to appear on their blogs. Please go and visit these wonderful sites, because as well as having me there (!), they are generally excellent bloggers.

PS. The Englishman can now also be found on iBooks.

It's Been a Year....

When I started my blog a year ago I had a difficult decision to make: To be anonymous or to write under my own name.

Being anonymous you could write everything in your mind, perhaps helping those in similar situations, without ever offending anyone. You could write about your innermost thoughts, without becoming a figure of ridicule, or pity.

As a writer trying to break into the industry, you could use a blog to invent a whole new back story of your own life, and then carry it on, in the vein of Bridget Jones' Diary. Or you could write your own controversial story, like the Diary of a Call Girl. Sadly, my professional life hasn't been spent in that area. Anyway I felt both of these genres have been done to death. And if you were very successful at some point you'd have to 'come out'. Keeping a secret in the public eye is a notoriously difficult thing to manage.

On the other hand who cares? If all you want is fame and fortune what does it matter how it happens? Discuss.

To be honest, a year ago, I didn't really think too deeply about the matter. I just wanted to write a blog because I actually like writing under no pressure. I wanted to write about what it's like to come and live in the UK from a country no-one has heard of, or at least hadn't when I moved here. I didn't consider writing a Bridget Jones' type story at all. I didn't think I'd write anything 'creative' on this blog. If anything, I thought I'd join the blogosphere to learn more about writing, the publishing industry and agents. I didn't expect I'd make so many friends online, nor that I would start writing the story of my life here. As you may imagine, writing about matters so close to my heart hasn't always been easy. However, I know I've been as truthful as you can be after 25 odd years, and I know I've been honest to myself.

Of course there have been times when I've regretted the decision to write under my own name. There were times I would've given my right arm to write candidly about someone close to me, or about a problem which will remain nameless but which has plagued me for six months now. Or just write a humorous piece about people I know or work with, without repercussions. There were times when I did write something untoward and paid dearly for it. Sometimes I've even considered starting a separate blog just to vent my anger, frustration or delight without limits. Perhaps one day I will, or have already done so. The beauty (or the ugliness) of the online world is no-one knows.

But a year on, I'm glad I'm here, under my own steam as it were. I'm glad I have readers who enjoy my story. New friends who drop in and make cooing noises when I'm miserable, laugh when I'm trying to be funny, sigh when I'm happy. Even tell me if my haircut is OK or not.

So here's a big thank you to you all. Couldn't do it without you.

February is a good month

I've noticed over the years I've made several positive decisions in the month of February.

As I went to my Pilates class at the local gym today (mainly to warm up as the heating is still not on in the house) they told me my annual membership would run out in a week's time. I remember the good feeling I had when, this time last year, I handed over the cash to the friendly girl at the desk promising myself 3-4 weekly session in the gym, Pilates and Yoga, even considering doing some circuit training. You've guessed it, things didn't quite work out that way. I've struggled to get to the gym once every week, but I've kept myself fitter this year than for a little while.

In this positive frame of mind I also agreed to start running The Babington House Book Club a year ago in February. This venture has had its ups and downs, and I'm still in two minds whether it's worth carrying on, but on the other hand I've had the pleasure of reading and discussing some wonderful books with some very interesting people over the year. I've made a few friends and even though some of the books incurred heated debates, I wholeheartedly recommend every one of them:

The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig

A Florentine Death by Michele Giuttari

The Master Bedroom by the wonderfully inspiring writer and teacher, Tessa Hadley

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

The Road Home by Rose Tremain

Heart Burn by Nora Ephron

Another great decision I made this time last year (the 17th of February 2008 to be precise) was to start a blog. I was already on Facebook, mainly to communicate with friends and Son, and I'd been reading Liberty London Girl among other blogs, but just in the capacity of a 'lurker'. I didn't dare to comment on anything, nor become a follower. Looking back at that time seems so strange. To be an active member of the blogsphere is now one of the most natural and rewarding things in my life. Of course from blogging I went onto Twitter and my on-line life was complete.

So what is it about February that makes us - or me at least - feel so positive? Is it because at last the days are getting longer (though not warmer yet), is it because there are so many things to look forward to in this month? In Britain there's Pancake Day and half-term holiday.

But in Finland the short month of February is filled with noteworthy dates.

Instead of Pancake Day we have Laskias Tiistai, or Sledging Day (Shrove Tuesday). This is traditionally spent hurtling down the longest and steepest hill in the neighbourhood on a sledge and eating sweet buns filled with whipped cream.

In early February there's a day celebrating the life of Runeberg, the Finnish national poet who penned the words to our National Anthem, Maamme Suomi. In the vein of how Finns celebrate anything or anybody, there's a cake, or pastry, named after him. These little sweet cakes are only sold around the Runeberg Day so I usually miss having a taste. This year, however, on Books From Finland site, which I regularly visit to get updates on what's going on in Finnish Literature, they published a recipe. I'll definitely try it out even though the day has now passed.

Furthermore on 28th February Finns celebrate the Finnish Culture Day, Kalevalan Päivä.

Then everywhere in the western world it seems, there's Valentine's Day. If anything, a bit of romance surely will get the positive energies flowing through one's body? Husband and I don't usually go out, but try to have a romantic meal at home, and definitely give each other at least a card. If you, however, go for gifts and are unsure of what to buy the male love of your life this year, the wonderful Mrs Trefusis posted a wholly comprehensive list on her blog earlier this month. Go and admire her impeccable taste.

When I was still living in Finland we didn't celebrate Valentine's Day at all. I remember vividly a few months after I'd met the Englishman in February 1981 I got a card from him with the puzzling message, 'Be Mine...' and a question mark under it with a small letter 'x'. I recognised the handwriting so knew it was from him but couldn't for the life of me understand why he didn't say so. And what was the little 'x' all about? Of course I now know how very romantic that was.

Nowadays in Finland Valentine's Day is celebrated as Friendship Day, very much in the vein of the Americans. There's a humorous description of Valentine's Day in the US from a British viewpoint on Expat Mum. But I'm still finding it strange to get cards or messages from my friends and relatives in Finland. To me Valentine's is just for lovers. Call me old-fashioned.

Whatever it is, romance, culture or the memory of sledging in the snow, I do feel different in February. Perhaps it's the efforts Husband and I traditionally make in January to be without the Devil's Juice, although in past few years we've only managed to drink less, not be wholly abstinent. Perhaps it's the lack of alcohol that makes me feel better in February? I'm not sure, and I'm not prepared to repeat January's efforts all through the year, even though I know I really should. I love good wine too much. Besides, positive and over-productive Helena Halme year around would drive my family around the bend. There is a danger I may also start to annoy myself, or even burn out. And we couldn't have that now, could we? I say this while starting to warm up a bottle of Rioja (stored in the Siberian climate that is the lobby) in front of the fire, ready for this evening's well deserved tipple. Misguided?

Readers and followers unite

I get many comments from friends and acquaintances about my blog. They enjoy it and often send me an email, facebook message, even text to let me know. Which is really, really nice and great. But....it would be really, really even nicer if those who do like the stuff I post would take just that little bit of time to follow my blog.

Someone in the blogosphere said blogging is like sex - it's no fun on your own. This depends on your age and sex, of course, but as you can probably tell from my picture I am neither male nor a prepubescent one.