What I Do When I’m Not Writing By Author Kirsty Ferry

This week, Kirsty Ferry, who writes for Choc Lit and is just about to release It Started With a Wedding (22 February 2022) returns to my blog to tell us what she gets up to when she’s not writing.

Over to Kirsty …

Like most other writers, I have a day job, so that takes up three days a week. Fortunately, I love my job at a local Uni and work with a brilliant little team; so, it might take time away from writing, but, contrary to popular belief, most writers are not millionaires and I won’t be ‘giving up the day job’ any time soon, despite people asking me that on a regular basis!

When I’m not at work, I love to spend time with my friends and family, and take my little old Yorkie, Robbie, for walks. He’s almost 13 and a rescue dog we’ve had for 6 years. We’ve trained him very well. His favourite walks are the ones that end in a coffee shop…funny that! He was and is my little co-worker, as I worked all through lockdown, like many other people, and I worked from home. He lies beside me when I work, and even now, as I’m typing this, he’s under the table snoring his head off.

In the summer I love to be out in the garden, but I’m writing this in January and the garden looks a bit sorry for itself. I’m hopeful that it won’t be too long before I can crack on in there again, but it isn’t pleasant in the winter. I’d much rather hibernate with a jigsaw (I’m currently doing a Pride and Prejudice one which is particularly tricky, despite being only 252 pieces big).

I’m also really enjoying my art again. I failed my exam at school and have promised myself I’d resit at some point, and this September I got the opportunity to enrol to do my NCFE Level 2 in Art and Design, with Gateshead Council Learning Skills, which is equivalent to a GCSE. We’re mainly focusing on watercolours but throwing a bit of mixed media in there as well. I’m absolutely loving it. To me, it’s two and a half hours every week where I’m in a classroom and ‘have’ to do art. Win win! I also have a very nice carry case I use to take my stuff with me to class, which my husband bought me –  and it’s filled to the gunnels with lovely things.

If you’ve read my books, you’ll know I do have a soft spot for art and artists. I usually make my characters be good at that sort of stuff because I’m better at writing than drawing and painting  – but I am getting better. I also have a soft spot for Watercolour Challenge on television, and the book I have coming out in the summer is based a little bit on that. I called the competition in the book Watercolour Wonders – and after I’d submitted the book and joined my class, I realised their nickname was Watercolour Wonders! I haven’t yet confessed to them that I write books, and certainly haven’t told them I used their name in a book before I knew it was their name…tra la la!

I’m currently writing a new book, but decided that as I was finding it difficult to sit my bum down at my laptop and focus, I’d try writing it by hand in a notebook first. However, my handwriting is pretty illegible, even though I’m using a nice fountain pen with a variety of different coloured cartridges, and to be honest I’m still not focusing well on it. I know it’ll get there at some point, but I’m not sure when. It’s picked up a character from It Started with a Wedding, and I don’t know whether I’m struggling with the story because it feels as if Schubert should be in it, or whether it’s because it’s not really sorted out in my mind yet if it wants to be contemporary or timeslip. If it’s timeslip I need to change the point of view. If it’s contemporary, I’m fine with it the way it is. But not a lot has happened yet, so one of the things I’m doing when I’m currently not writing, is considering what I should be writing, when I get my bum into gear to sit down properly to write…!

All of the above, of course, leaves very little time in my schedule for things like the gym, or jogging, or otherwise working on being skinny and attractive…. Oh well. Time for the next coffee shop, anyway. And maybe a cake…. Tra la la.

About Kirsty Ferry

Kirsty Ferry is from the North East of England and lives there with her husband and son. She won the English Heritage/Belsay Hall National Creative Writing competition in 2009 and has had articles and short stories published in various magazines. Her work also appears in several anthologies, incorporating such diverse themes as vampires, crime, angels and more.

Kirsty loves writing ghostly mysteries and interweaving fact and fiction. The research is almost as much fun as writing the book itself, and if she can add a wonderful setting and a dollop of history, that’s even better.

Her day job involves sharing a building with an eclectic collection of ghosts, which can often prove rather interesting.

For more information on Kirsty visit:

www.twitter.com/kirsty_ferry

https://www.facebook.com/kirsty.ferry.author/

www.rosethornpress.co.uk

About It Started With a Wedding

It’s one thing to be asked to plan your sister’s wedding; it’s quite another when your sister is Nessa McCreadie …

Alfie McCreadie wants his twin sister Nessa to have the best wedding ever, but he’s not happy at being roped in as wedding planner – especially as, unbelievably, his main assistant seems to be Nessa’s cat, Schubert. Anyway, Alfie is a scientist. He might know his protons from his neutrons, but what does he know about weddings?

It’s Nessa who points him in the direction of Bea’s Garden, just outside Edinburgh, where he’s tasked with picking a “very-relevant-bouquet”. It’s there he meets Fae Brimham, who might be prettier than any bouquet bloom but doesn’t seem impressed by Alfie’s sensible, scientific side.

But when Nessa and Schubert are involved, surprises are bound to happen and, despite less-than-perfect first impressions, perhaps something new and beautiful can still blossom for Alfie and Fae …

Buying links can be found at: Kirsty Ferry (choc-lit.com)

Thank you for joining me this week, Kirsty and have a great publication day! I love your art and look forward to seeing more. Mx

Thank you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Summer at Lucerne Lodge published as an eBook, paperback and audio download too – Amazon Check on my Choc Lit author page for other purchasing options here 

Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.

Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.

Christmas at Borteen Bay is available as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.

The Truth Lies Buried is available from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also as a paperback and audiobook.

The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms –Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.