Soliloquy

Book launch of Geranium Woman in Paris Hazel Manuel is a UK born novelist whose writing follows a career in education, first as a teacher/lecturer and after as a business leader within the education sector. Hazel now lives and writes full-time in Paris. The Geranium Woman, published by Cinnamon Press is Hazel’s latest novel and is a rare and timely glimpse into boardroom politics as seen through female eyes. Issues of gender, personal autonomy, and corporate responsibility are all explored with a deft yet nuanced touch in this ambitious and thought-provoking tale. The Geranium Woman has been launched in India and Paris and will be launched in the UK at Zestfestin June. Details may be found here: http://thezestlife.co.uk/zest-fest-top-line/ What inspired you to write The Geranium Woman? The Geranium Woman has been an absorbing and exciting project for me. Before moving to Paris, I worked in the corporate world, sitting on Boards of Directors for many year

I am hardly ever lost for words but a blank screen is another thing. Face it as you would a friend. Just chat for a while. Scribble. And soon thoughts will flow.  Having finished the first draft of my second novel, a psychological thriller, No Missed Call I was for a while stuck in a literary limbo. What next? Should I send it to a professional for feedback or plunge right in with editing? The standard advice is to put the manuscript away for a few months and then attempt editing thereby giving your brain a chance to gain objective distance. But as I needed to polish the opening pages for a course application I decided to jump right into the editing phase. So far so good. While the story is fresh in my mind, I find myself catching errors, inconsistencies, gaps in the plot and sentences that are clunky and need rewriting. My pet hate used to be editing, enjoying the first fling with the characters and abandoning them in their barely clad personalities. But now, I am actuall