Today, I’ve got novelist and poet Brenda Hawkey on the blog, telling us all about her writing space. We’ve got the lovely Alfie too! Always happy to have doggy company – and he’s just gorgeous!
Hello Georgia and thank you for inviting me onto your blog to talk about my writing space. I call it a “space” because I don’t have a study I can call my own, just half of a room where I am claiming squatter’s rights.
I wrote my first book, Old Sins Long Shadows, in secret using an old temperamental laptop balanced precariously on my knees. When Ind’Tale Magazine nominated it for a RONA award, I felt I had earned the right for a quiet space to call my own where I could write. Our study was already in use, but fortunately my son’s empty bedroom beckoned. I hastily bought a cheap, flat packed desk, a new laptop and moved myself in.
My next book, The Gossamer Trail, was written more openly and published the following year. At present I’m editing my third book and planning my fourth, however, as you can see from the photo, I keep my space quite organised. I have a notice board above my desk where I pin my novel’s timeline and storyline. I like to plan a novel before I start writing it so I can keep an eye on pacing and ensure each chapter is necessary and successfully moves the story forward. However, although I use a plan, the plan is flexible, as I often find myself adding notes in pen to the plotline when things spring to mind.
I also pin a character profile onto the board, which includes pictures of models and actors who I feel resemble the hero, heroine and antagonist in my novel. The pictures make the writing process easier as it ensures the character’s appearance remains fixed throughout the book. Of course, having a picture of a dark, handsome man pinned to the board makes the writing experience all the more enjoyable!
To the left of the laptop is a pile of research I have done for my fourth book. To the right of the laptop are some scribbled notes I have made during the editing of my third book. The stripy book is for ideas that I may use for future books.
The coaster on the table has a picture of a King Charles Cavalier on it. It was given to me by my family in memory of my darling dog, Charlie, who died several years ago. Charlie lives on in Old Sins, Long Shadows in the guise of Lady Brockenshaw’s beloved pet. More often than not, I have a forgotten mug of coffee on the coaster. My present dog, Alfie, is my constant companion now and is usually lying at my feet dreaming about chasing rabbits.
One day, I hope to have a study I can call my own, with a large desk, lots of book shelves and natural light cascading through a gothic inspired window. However, for now, I will have to make do with the space I have. At least my ideal hero is always watching over me while I write…even if he is 2 dimensional and pinned to the notice board by a drawing pin through the top of his head.
It looks very organized!
Here’s a little about our featured writer:
Cornish born author, B.D.Hawkey, is an Indie poet and writer of historical romances. Although twice nominated for the Rone Best Indie Small Published Book Award in America, and short-listed for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romantic Fiction in England, she would like nothing better than to see one of her books in someone’s supermarket trolley next to a can of beans. She loves chocolate, period dramas and frothy cappuccinos and preferably she would like to enjoy them all at once. You can visit her at:
And here’s an introduction to Brenda’s books. Don’t you love the covers?
Old Sins Long Shadows
In 1868 a young woman starts a journey of self discovery and love. Yet there are those who wish her harm. Old sins cast long shadows which risk destroying her, the people she cares about and her capacity to love again.
Abandoned by her father and rejected by her mother, financial difficulties and a desire to win back her mother’s love forces Janey to enter service where she quickly rises through the ranks. Upon her arrival to the elegant Cornish Country Estate, she successfully secures a position of a lady’s maid for the wealthy and powerful Brockenshaw family. An exchange of letters between Lady Brockenshaw and her son ignites Janey’s interest, but Janey’s feelings for this mysterious and charming gentleman soon change her life forever.
You can find out more here:
In 1861 Beth Jago appears to have the idyllic life – she has a trade to earn a living and a cottage of her own in the beautiful River Valley. When Beth starts receiving threatening letters demanding that she leaves the only place where she has been happy, she is determined to stay.
When a stranger enters her home, Beth defends it with a pan, but in doing so robs the man of his memory. Brought together by unknown circumstances, she reluctantly offers him her help until he recovers. Yet can she trust the man with no name and no past that now lives beneath her roof or is he as dangerous as his nightmares suggest?
As the threats worsen, it is not only her home she risks losing. Her reputation and her heart are affected by the handsome man’s presence, but unknown to her, someone else is watching her…
More links here:
Thanks for sharing, Brenda. I hope you achieve all your dreams.