A Modern Life: A Cover Story

I have some writing news. My novel, The Changing Room, has been edited, re-drafted and is finally under submission. I’m very pleased with my story and hope that readers, men as well as women, will find it entertaining as well as uplifting. That said, I know it will be difficult to find an agent or publisher that is prepared to endorse a novel with strong comic elements. To this extent, if I haven’t received any interest over the next couple of months I plan to self-publish in the new year. I believe, that given the opportunity, people would read more fiction with humour in it and, even though humour is subjective, I have yet to meet anyone who prefers crying to laughing.

In the meantime, in December I’m publishing a collection of short stories called A Modern Life. Many of the stories have been trialled on my blog and elsewhere on the internet. However, it also contains two previously unpublished stories which reflect the more serious side of my writing – a story about homosexuality and marriage and one about greed and big business. The title of the collection takes its name from the lead story, A Modern Life. This theme runs throughout the collection and reflects my overall writing style. I am very much a contemporary writer who enjoys experimenting with style and genre and writing serious drama as well as silly slapstick. Hopefully, A Modern Life, will give you a taster of what’s in store in The Changing Room.

The cover to my short story collection has been designed by Andrew Brown of Design for Writers. Andrew has designed many covers for both published for both traditional and self-published titles and I am delighted with the cover he’s produced. Andrew has a very professional approach to his work. As part of the design process, I completed an in-depth questionnaire covering topics ranging from my opinions on covers already on the market to the ideas I had conceived for my cover – and everything else in-between. My objective was to produce a cover with a fresh, contemporary feel that complimented the title and would appeal to both men and women. I also wanted a cover that reflected my eclectic range of stories. I believe Andrew has delivered the perfect cover.

A Modern Life will be available in December, initially on the Amazon Kindle device and later on other e-readers. It will contain thirteen stories and, most probably, the opening chapter of The Changing Room. Later this week, I will be giving a glimpse inside one of my new stories, White Lies, and next week I will be publishing an excerpt from The Changing Room which I will be reading at the story slam at the Luton literary festival this coming Friday.

Cover by Andrew Brown of Design for Writers

“I would not change a single word.”

Hilary Johnson literary
critique agency on the short story A Modern Life.

‘No Returns’ reads more
like a prose poem, full of exquisite turns of phrase.This is a desperate
woman’s life in miniature, full of
sexually poignant poetry and glimpses of everyday strangeness. A worthy winner.”
Ray Robinson, author of Forgetting Zoe
and Electricity on the short story No Returns.

“Readwave are enormously pleased to publish Jane Turley’s chilling but poignant story The Princess and the Thief, and we’re even more delighted to bring this story across the world through our Worldreader programme.”

Rob Tucker, Readwave.

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Martin Lower says:

31 October 2013 at 6:20 PM

Congratulations, Jane. I'm afraid I don't own a Kindle or any other e-book thingy, but if I'm able to download it for an iPad, then I will.

The cover's great, but if you want to appeal to more men, it's easy. Breasts on the cover does it every time…

Reply
Jane Turley says:

31 October 2013 at 7:12 PM

I think you can get a Kindle app for Ipad, Martin. But I'm not sure if that is linked to getting a Kindle device! I haven't investigated the other e-readers yet – just slowly but surely moving in the direction of publication!

Men and breasts! Pah! I think I've catered a little bit for them in some of my silly saucy stories though, Martin:) I'm glad you like the cover – I'm very pleased with it. If I self publish The Changing Room I need to think very carefully about that cover too- whilst I would say the book is definitely aimed at the women's market I think (hope) men would like it too – so I need something a little saucy for the cover to counteract the femininity of the title. Breasts may feature!

Reply
Martin Lower says:

1 November 2013 at 10:51 PM

Thanks Jane, I've found the Kindle app so now I'm ready to go!

Reply
Jane Turley says:

1 November 2013 at 11:06 PM

oh that's good to know! I will now be able to accept no excuses from friends and relatives who say they haven't got a Kindle and I know they've got an ipad!

It will be sometime in December; I will let you know in due course.White Lies is the last story I am tweaking and then it will go to the proof reader:)

Reply