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| Paulie |
'Paulie's Web distils the tragedies, comedies and
ironies of women's lives not just behind bars but out in society. In her first few days out of prison Paulie
Smith relishes her freedom but struggles to adapt to the scary realities of
life 'on the out'. She reflects on her life in prison and the four very
different women whom she first met in the white prison van.
There's Queenie, the old bag- lady who sees
giants and angels, Maritza who disguises her pain with an ultra-conventional
life, and drug addict Lilah, the spoiled apple of her mother's eye. Then there
is the tragedy of the abused Christine - the one with the real scars, inside
and out..
The touching stories of these women, past and present,
merge together as Paulie - free now
after six years - goes looking for her
significant friends, who have now been
'on the out' for some years and are -
Paulie hopes - making a good thing of their lives...'
It seems a time for beginnings and endings.
My novel about
women emerging from prison has been very popular on Kindle. However there are
so many people even now who will only read a novel between covers. And why
not? I am a good advocate for Kindle bur I do understand the point of view.
So, earlier this year embarked on creating a newly revised
and
newly edited version of Paulie’s Web using the much improved Createspace
process. I found being my own creative editor an intense and enjoyable creative process. I had put it on Kindle myself but this process was different again and this is why:
I've been used to handing over my precious novel(s) to an
editor with a department of bodies to do the further work. I was careful that
in this process my writer-self presented my editor self with the most perfect
manuscript possible. Writing and editing are two distinctly different skills.
I am used to asking myself how my novel works in manuscript.
Does the narrative flow? Are the characters authentic? Do they develop within
the arc of the novel? Is the prose exciting, engaging?
So now I find I have become my own creative editor. Almost for the first time - I have been taking
on the mind-set of an editor – asking myself how will it be read? Who will
read it.? How will a reader see this
book as an object? How will it feel
in their hands? How will each page
look to an eager reader? That is not just the prose content on the page but how will the whitespace work? How important is the impact of the
cover?
The process was very intense, detailed work but because I
care passionately about Paulie’s Web it was a labour of love. It certainly worked for me. It has been amazing to see this new paperback-copy of the book emerge from the process. One unexpected bonus
for me was that, after creating this new enhanced paperback version online, Createspace offered
to translate it and download this new revised version as a new Kindle version at the click of a
button. At no cost.
Proof copies of the book version arrived days later. (So
exciting! Much faster than the conventional process.) It looks good. My new editorial ideas seem to have presented Paulie in her very best coat.
You can judge for yourself.
Paulie's Web will be the launched on 16th October at Bishop Auckland Town Hall.Click here for more details, an invitations and the press release (on the tab above also.
American buyers – and I know there are some great US readers who track the blog - might be pleased to know they can
obtain Paulie’s Web in book form and on Kindle, on Amazon and other platforms.
We hope you like the book and perhaps we may see you at the launch. I hope in reading this novel you may understand the plight of women in prison everywhere,
.
