Joan Fallon - Blog

Maybe you can judge a book by its cover.

24/8/2016

For some time now I've been considering how to improve my book covers - I have nine books published, two more in the pipe-line and a sequel to write. At first I designed the covers myself using a simple graphics app called Pixel Maker. It was fine and some of them turned out as I had hoped, but there were others that didn't quite gel. And this was reflected in their sales. An eye-catching cover is one of the ways you can attract prospective readers to your books—the others usually require a lot of input from other people but the design of the cover is something you can control.
So I decided to buy covers off the internet, ready made so that all you have to do is insert the text that you want. They looked very professional but they were not always exactly what was required. A good cover first attracts the eye and then drops hints about the story. Bought covers can be eye-catching but they don't necessarily tell you what the story is about. The two covers below were bought off the internet.

This month I decided to take the plunge and approach a professional book cover designer. I wrote to a few I found on the internet and in the end asked Rachel Lawston of Lawston Designs to help me. Her input has been great and extends way beyond just producing the cover - she also provides marketing material and plenty of free advice. The cover on the left is the one I designed using Pixel Maker and the one on the right is designed by Rachel Lawston. I leave you to decide which one tempts you more.

Review from Historical Novels Society

7/5/2016

REVIEW OF EYE OF THE FALCON

HISTORICAL NOVELS SOCIETY MAY 2016

Joan Fallon is an author I have had the great pleasure of reading before, and once again I wasn’t disappointed. The Eye of the Falcon is set in Muslim Spain at the end of the tenth century and is the second in a series of novels, although it can be read as a stand-alone.
Following the death of his father, the eleven-year-old Khalifa is left to rule the rich and vast domain of al-Andalus. However, a ruthless regent and a scheming mother seek to take control in the name of the young caliph, and the break-down of a historic and powerful dynasty begins.
Based around real events, this book magically and effectively brings a story rich in intrigue, to life. Using evocative language Joan Fallon provides the reader with the sounds, smells and visuals of a lifestyle long since lost in history. The characters come across as varied and lifelike and the story was easy to follow but gripping enough to make me want to keep going chapter after chapter.
My only complaint is that I felt the ending was a little weak. Perhaps this is because there is another in the saga to follow? More of a cliff-hanger would perhaps entice readers onward? Although disappointing I still thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.
Another thumbs up for Joan Fallon.

Book signing

2/5/2016

My new novel is out and selling well. Published by S&H Publishing and released last month, I am delighted with the cover and the support I have received from my publishers. I've been so used to doing everything myself, it's wonderful having someone else that you can turn to for advice and clarification. Self-publishing is fine and has a number of advantages over traditional publishing, but it is just you, on your own, making all the decisions and doing all the work. I like working in a team, and even though this team is widely spread around the world, it's amazing how close you can feel when you have emails, conference calls, Skype and a plethora of other electronic communication systems.

Palette of Secrets is the story of Nancy Miller, an internationally famous artist, who is approaching her eightieth birthday and has been persuaded to write her memoirs. She employs a young Spanish woman, Ana, to help her but soon realises that it was not a good idea. Ana is pleasant, kind and very thorough. Too thorough. She asks too many personal questions. Why does she need to know about Nancy's husband? Nancy is worried that her secrets, hidden for so long, are now about to be revealed.

For those of you who live in the south of Spain, I will be signing copies of the book (and others) on Friday 20th May at 11.00 at the Sabinillas English Bookshop in St Luis de Sabinillas (near Estepona). Hope to see you there.

Otherwise you can find both paperback copies and ebooks on Amazon.co.uk and for those of you who live in the US, direct from S&H Publishing.

To launch or not to launch

7/4/2016

I never thought it worth bothering with a book launch--that always seemed to me to be for famous authors, Ian McEwan or William Boyd, not Joan Fallon. But when my latest book, Palette of Secrets, was published, the publisher suggested having a launch. Now, living in Spain, as I do, there are not many English language bookshops--the usual place to launch a book--so, after a lot of thought, I decided to hold it in a local restaurant, close to the sea, and with plenty of space. It worked out better than I could have expected. A good crowd of people came along, some old friends and some, hopefully, new friends, some who had read my books and others who were interested in reading them, but all people who enjoyed a good book. The local press turned up and took some photographs. The food, a selection of excellent tapas--tortilla with broad beans, spring rolls, salmon mousse and much more--was delicious and, as it was lunchtime, people felt free to have a glass of wine or two to accompany it. It was relaxed and informal. I made a short introduction half way through and then a good friend read an extract from my book. It was a family effort - my daughter took photographs and my husband was in charge of selling books. I just had a good time!
So now I just want to say thank you to everyone who came along for making it such a success.

Palette of Secrets is available in paperback and as an ebook from Amazon and direct from S&H Publishing.

NOW ALL THAT REMAINS IS TO SELL SOME BOOKS

3/4/2016

My latest novel is finished, edited, proofread, and edited again and proofread again, and again until I feel I know the words by heart. The cover is completed, the ARC reviews are done, the publisher is happy and now all that remains is the big day - TODAY it goes live. It is also my husband's birthday, so we are doubly celebrating. And next week we will have an official launch.
The story, of an ageing artist, takes a good look at what it feels like to grow old, when your body no longer does what you want it to but your mind says that nothing has changed. The heroine, Nancy Miller is successful but reclusive and it turns out that there is a reason for her reclusiveness. There are things in her past that she wants to keep hidden. When she finds herself agreeing to write her memoirs, with the aid of a young woman called Ana, she realises that there is a danger that her secrets will be revealed and that could mean disaster for her and her reputation. Worse still what will her family will think about her past actions?
When I write, especially when I am creating my characters, I can visualise them. I often start with someone I know, or have seen frequently and use them as a base or template for my character. I can hear how they speak, their tone of voice, maybe the way they walk or the things that they might say. By the end of the process that character has metamorphosed into someone unique, my own creation. That is what happened with Nancy. I would recognise her if I met her in the street. Sharp-tongued, funny, sometimes completely lucid, others forgetful, she is someone struggling to come to terms with her advancing years. I'm sure Maggie Smith could play her role excellently.

Available in paperback and as an ebook from Amazon and S&H Publishing

Poignant and perceptive
A ghost writer oversteps her brief and a successful artist’s carefully constructed world unravels. This is a poignant, sometimes disturbing and sad read brought to life by the very real portrayal of an elderly woman re-living the past, and failing to see why she should be looking forward to what is left of her life. Readers who enjoy Fallon’s gently paced, perceptive prose will find much to think about in this novel. (JG Harlond THE CHOSEN MAN)

A chance meeting

7/3/2016

The idea for my latest novel, Palette of Secrets originated from a chance meeting with an elderly woman who wanted me to help her write her memoirs. I visited her a few times but in the end felt that she'd be better served by someone who lived closer to her and had more time to spare - so no more came of it. Then sometime later, when I was toying with the idea of writing a novel that dealt with domestic violence, I remembered that chance meeting. I decided to make the main character of my new novel an old woman writing her memoirs, and as she relives her past she is haunted by what happened to her as a young woman.

As I developed the characters, the old woman, Nancy Miller, began to come alive. She is a famous artist, someone who is well known for her work but nobody knows anything about her life. She is almost eighty and tottering on the edge of Alzheimer's, crotchety and paranoiac, but devoted to her only son. As she begins work on her memoirs, with the aid of a young woman called Ana, she soon realises that there are questions that she does not want to answer and information that she doesn't want revealed. What had happened to her husband? Who was the father of her son? Why had she moved to Spain, leaving family and friends behind in England? Was the secret hidden in her paintings? All these questions and more plague Ana, who is determined to write a faithful record of the artist's life. Piece by piece she doggedly reconstructs Nancy's past but when she finally believes that she has discovered what Nancy's secrets are, she doesn't know what to do with the information. Should she include it in the book? If she does she runs the risk of destroying Nancy's reputation and upsetting her family.

This story was first self-published under the title of M is for Memories but after a few months it was withdrawn because I was approached by the independent publishers, S&H Publishing Inc, who loved the story and the characters. They are subsequently publishing it under its new title, Palette of Secrets.

S&H Publishing are an international company based in Virginia, USA and so, for me, it's very exciting to think that my books will reach a new, wider audience in America and elsewhere in the world.

Palette of Secrets will be available on 2nd April 2016 in paperback and as an ebook, from Amazon and directly from S&H Publishing.

Gibraltar - a refuge in the Spanish Civil War

27/2/2016

Casemates Square

Nowadays many people think of Gibraltar as an ex-colonial rock at the extreme south-east of the Spanish mainland, a pro-British enclave constantly at war with Spain and the place to go to buy cheap fags and alcohol. But there is much more to Gibraltar and its people than that. Since ancient times it has been a strategically placed fortress.

For centuries Gibraltar was known as one of the Pillars of Hercules, guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean, from a Greek myth about the labours of Hercules.

It was also the landing place for the Moorish invasion of 711 AD, and took its name from the Arabic words Jabal Tarik, meaning the Mountain of Tarik, the general who led the invasion.

During World War II, the garrison was strengthened and it became a Royal Navy base. Most of the civilians were evacuated to Britain, Morocco and Madeira for the duration of the war.

Anyone who has visited Gibraltar will know that one of the on-going issues between the Spanish and British governments is about whether Gibraltar is Spanish or a British
Overseas Territory. In a referendum in 1967 and again in 2002 the people of Gibraltar voted to retain their links with Britain, which date back to the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, when Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in perpetuity. It has been under British rule ever since - until 2006, that is, when the Gibraltar government began to govern its own affairs.

A reminder of its colonial past

2016 is the 80th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War. It was July 1936 when the Spanish troops stationed in La Linea, the border town adjacent to Gibraltar, received the order to fight - their motive to overthrow the democratically elected government. The troops responded quickly and ruthlessly to their new orders. Those who resisted were shot or forced to flee across the border into Gibraltar to safety.
Over a thousand people, Spanish nationals and Gibraltarians who lived in La Linea, crossed the border that night. Given little official aid, they were helped by the local people who took them into their homes and set up soup kitchens to help feed the influx of refugees.
Gibraltar's official stance on the civil war, in line with Britain, was that of a neutral observer, although it was known that the colonial authorities gave aid to the Spanish rebels in an unofficial capacity.

A typical side street

Today Gibraltar is a bustling place, the destination of many tourists and a stop-over for cruise liners. Its narrow cobbled streets, spectacular views and cosmopolitan community give it another-world quality. Neither British nor Spanish, the people speak both languages with ease and don't be surprised to find yourself talking to someone with a strong Liverpudlian or Scottish accent, who has never even visited the UK.

If you are interested in learning more about Gibraltar and the impact that the Spanish Civil War had on the garrison, call in to the Gibraltar Bookshop where they have a large collection of books about their small country.

What the Spanish Civil War meant to Gibraltar

22/2/2016

2016 is the 80th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War. To commemorate the event, the people of Gibraltar are holding an exhibition about the war in Casemates Square all this week. The theme of the exhibition is the Civil War and its impact on Gibraltar and its people.

As part of that exhibition I have been invited by the Gibraltar Bookshop to put on a display of my books and meet the public.

My novel Spanish Lavender is set in Málaga in 1937, just a few months into the war and is about a young English woman who flees to Almería, along with thousands of other frightened people trying to get to safety behind the Republican lines. Her parents want her to accompany them to Gibraltar where they will be shipped home to England and safety, but she refuses to leave and prefers to take her chances in the besieged city.

When I interviewed women for my book Daughters of Spain, some of the older women had been alive during the Civil War and their first hand stories of what it was like at the time are fascinating to read.

The third book, The House on the Beach deals with the aftermath of the war, a difficult period for a lot of people for many years. It shows how numerous people still lived in fear of their pasts being discovered, even though the country was supposed to be at peace and how many had to flee to other countries in order to escape prison or death.

An Unknown Woman is a novel for the modern woman

9/2/2016

AN UNKNOWN WOMAN by Jane Davis is an intriguing story of a middle-aged woman who is no longer sure what she wants out of life. A tragic fire destroys her home and, although neither she nor her partner are hurt, the loss of all her possessions affects her so badly that she cannot behave logically. It is as if all that she was as a person has gone up in smoke with the house. She feels so empty that she cannot think about how to proceed, so she goes back to stay with her parents. Instead of regaining her equilibrium, she makes a chance discovery which upsets her even more and causes her to re-examine her relationship with her parents and also with her partner of fifteen years. This is a psychological story about someone who doesn't know which way to turn because wherever she looks the stability that she took for granted has been destroyed. A fascinating read.

If only I could write like her

6/2/2016

I've just finished reading THE ELEMENT OF WATER by Stevie Davies. What a wonderful writer she is. Poetical, descriptive but still able to move the story forward at a good pace and keep the reader's interest all the way through. The story is about two young German people who meet after the war, at a British school in Germany. Gradually they and the reader discover about their fathers' past - one a Nazi officer and the other a German soldier who witnessed the atrocities that happened but was powerless to do anything about them.
Davies' skill lies in bringing the characters to life and invoking in the reader mixed feelings of sympathy, horror, loathing, anger and understanding. Nothing is in black and white. Yet it is not a depressing read. There is hope in the ending, through the attitudes and beliefs of the younger generation. Written with a number of flashbacks to the war itself, the novel gives a clear picture of what occupied Germany was like in the years immediately after World War II. Well worth reading, if only for Davies' delightful prose.