I like even numbers and for some reason, three twos feels good. Don’t ask me why I have that feeling – I’m not into lucky numbers. My writing life feels great right now, stories are flowing naturally and I am over 30 chapters into my new book.
Because my life is not easy to regulate I write when I can, but generally my stories get created after 2pm. Mornings are for marketing, chores and business stuff. Afternoon hours are reserved for ideas and story-time whenever possible.
Short stories suit my style but this latest work is gradually becoming a novel, albeit by accident. I never set out to write a novel. But then, I rarely set out with a plan. It’s only recently I found the term ‘pantser’ and it sums me up perfectly. I am the type of creator who flies by the seat of my pants when it comes to writing. Characters arrive as if they are walking into a room in my head. When I start a story, I rarely know how it is going to end. This suits me well because I know that if I get surprises, my readers will too.
It’s nearly a year since I published The Isolation Sex Stories. I’ve really enjoyed seeing reader reactions and hearing which stories became favourites. Interestingly, different people had different favourites, often surprising me.
My new book still observes the human condition in lighthearted ways but its much longer and with many more characters. I won’t say too much just yet but hopefully my readers will be amused again and enjoy meeting not just new characters but some of their animals too. I haven’t written about animals before but it is proving to be entertaining. I will keep you updated with progress.
As well as writing, I am busy creating new notebooks and journals using my photography skills so please be sure to check out MyriadLifeBooks – a site for both readers and writers.
I have set myself a publication date in March – so far I am on target… I will keep you updated. There is a lot to achieve by then including editing and illustrations so please wish me luck!
Check out my social media profiles here, it’s always good to interact…
Norfolk UK is my home, I live in Norwich by the River Wensum where everyday there is something different to see and learn.
I feel a big affinity with the river as I grew up in Cambridge, another great river city. My childhood and teens involved many walks along the Cam where we would watch 'The Bumps,' raft races and as we grew older we enjoyed adventures on our punting pub crawls.
Growing up in a multi cultural university city definitely influenced my reading choices, I am a big fan of Japanese fiction, love French literature and enjoy Shakespeare. As a young teen I entertained myself with Jilly Cooper and Dick Francis and then became quite obsessed with Henri Charriere's Papillon. At school all I cared about was English, Art and French, in that exact order. When I finished with school I went to live and work in Greece for a wonderful year before returning to study English Literature and Sociology. At this point I read more classics like the Wyf of Bath, Wuthering Heights and Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man plus poets such as Wilfred Owen.
My first UK full time job was with Heffer's Paperbacks where I devoured several books at a time, excited by the fact I could borrow what I liked. Bizarrely for me I remember reading The Zurich Axioms, I have no interest in the stock markets but it had me gripped. I can't remember why I picked it up but I have never forgotten it. Heffers introduced me to so many authors, via their books and sometimes in person. It was here I learned about all the genres, it fascinated me that science fiction and horror were so popular, I tried reading it all.
Aside from writing letters, it didn't really ever occur to me to write anything myself for many years as I worked my way through a variety of interesting and varied jobs. Then on a visit to the London Aquarium I became struck by an idea so powerful I sat down and wrote my first novel. It went nowhere as really I wrote it because I wanted to. I wrote another novel and again, didn't have the persistance or determination to take it further, I simply enjoyed the process of writing and my characters.
Then years later another idea struck me and during a severe bout of Pleurisy where I couldn't do anything physical for months, I wrote the Eight of Swords and The Putsi. This time I published them as ebooks and they became pretty popular. When I fully recovered, I had to concentrate on my business and looking after my mother who has various health issues and the writing went adrift again for many years until 2020 when the Coronavirus pandemic hit the world.
March 2020 I moved to my apartment alongside the Wensum to live alone for the first time ever. During the first lockdown I began to write a diary and then the idea for a new set of short stories came to me and in February 2021 they will be published. The Covid-19 Pandemic is not simply a scary virus, it is a historical time and here we are trying to live through it. To many it will feel like a punishment but to me as a writer, in some ways, it came as a gift.
Please stay as safe and as well as you can. I hope to entertain you with my stories as we all try to get through this together, even though we are apart.
Petra
View all posts by Petra Kidd
Petra Kidd Writes... 