A review: Without Alice by DJ Kirkby

Who doesn’t love a secret?

In DJ Kirkby’s book, Without Alice, Stephen has a secret. “One so important that it feels as if it will tear you in two.”

Without Alice opens with a tantalizing prologue of three couples in three southern cities/towns in July 1977. All of them are in the process of pregnancy, labour or early motherhood. There's a strong sense of the fatalistic about the prologue: that the conception and birth of these offspring to these couples will set in motion the chain of events that would make Without Alice.

Part One begins with Jennie, one of the offspring from the prologue who is in the throes of her own labour. DJ’s birth scenes are graphic but they paint a realistic picture (in my experience) of the range of emotions that come with having a first baby. We are dropped right into the minutiae of Jennie's thoughts: the fearfulness mixed with the joy. A birth - even when it's happened - is a great way to put characters under stress and show how they each deal with the tensions it brings. As readers we see the dynamics and the underlying issues between Stephen and Jennie where the characters themselves can’t or won’t see.  DJ weaves the present, full of tension and anxiety, with flashbacks to allow us to experience the whole story. 

But what, I wanted to know, about Alice?

She’s Stephen’s secret so you have to be patient. Part two begins to explain…

My favourite scene in Without Alice is the picnic scene. I felt I was there at the picnic in the local park with these mums and our children. I’ve said here before that I like realism in a novel and just as I thought things couldn’t be resolved, out of nowhere DJ moves the story on another leap. I can’t tell you anything else about the picnic scene for fear of spoilers but you know what? You’ll just have to read it.

Without Alice is DJ’s debut novel and it’s being published this October but you can obtain a book already via her publishers, Punked Books. DJ’s website is here. There’s a fascinating interview here on Casdok’s blog with DJ Kirkby. And if you like a laugh you have to visit DJ’s blog for the Wordless Wednesday photographs: they are priceless. 

Call yourself a writer?

DJ tagged for this meme. I am off on a writing course all day today at the Neilson Hays Library, so this is a perfect post for today.

1. Which words do you use too much in your writing?
Words which dictate meticulous detail of the physical movement of my characters. I think I’m a frustrated film director.

2. Which words do you consider overused in stuff you read?
The ones that should have been edited out.

3. What's your favourite piece of writing by you?
Anything that makes me laugh because then I feel terribly clever.

4. Which blog post do you wish you had written?
Anything that makes me laugh because I am very envious of people that can consistantly write funny.

5. Regrets. Do you have a few? Is there anything you wish you hadn't written?
Nope: it’s waste of energy (but so is worrying and I do plenty of that.) I would be sad to think I’d written something that might have hurt someone.

6. How has your writing made a difference? What do you consider your most important piece of writing?
I am surprised at how it alters my mood for the better. I suppose the most important piece is the piece I’m doing here and now (whenever that is.)

7. Name three favourite words
I’ve done this before in a meme on TeaStains, so I had to go looking for it. According to that meme my favourite words are: ‘Bollocks,’ ‘vituperative’ and ‘elderly.’ I also like ‘presbyopic’ and ‘discombobulated.’

8. ....And three words you're not so keen on.
Uhm, I can’t think of any though my BF, The High Priestess of Punk-chew-ation loathes the word ‘moist.’ If you talk to her about moist belly buttons, she’ll really freak out.

9. Do you have a writing mentor, role model or inspiration?
I’ve just finished the six sessions with my mentor through The Literary Consultancy and have the industry day and the ms read to go. Also the friends I’ve made through the Novel Racers have been a huge inspiration and support.

10.What's your writing ambition?
To write entertaining stories well.

I am passing this on to YOU. Please take it if you like it. I'm going to be late for the library...

What's in a name?

Firstly, I’m very over-excited that my caption ‘won’ DJ’s Wordless Wednesday. I’ll skate over the fact that we were all winners. I can’t turn on the funny. It is the skill I’m most envious of in other people, particularly writers.

DJ’s award leads me onto wondering if anyone knows if Blogger will let me have a ‘page’ where all my blog awards are… that I can link from the sidebar? I’m very proud of every award I’ve had but on one of my rare tidy ups I had to remove them from the sidebar as it all got so cluttered. I have them sitting in a folder ready to display… but I can’t work out how to do it.

I think it might be time to don my apron, a headscarf and reach for the furniture polish for another TeaStains tidy up. My blogroll is out of date; if you have a big, showy offy widescreen, then my tea stain won’t reach all the way across it. It’s not just spring cleaning needed here…

My blog started two and a half years ago when I could hardly admit to myself, let alone out loud, that I wanted to write. It took a further eighteen months before I was writing seriously. So the blog is all a bit untidy and I suppose it needs to develop. It needs to go from a scared woman in Thailand trying to admit to herself she wants to write to a (slightly) more confident person who wants to write the best book she can.

As for publishing…I really don’t know. But, if that’s what I want, I need to start thinking about TeaStains maturing.

I started life here as JJ to avoid there being two Jens/Jennies in the Novel Racers (Spiral). And of course I wanted the anonymity too … Then I started to write my book and I learned things about publishing – such as having a platform – I became JJ Beattie because I felt if, eventually, I want to seek publication, the time I’ve spent at TeaStains will be the beginning of that. So in my big tidy up, should I remain as JJ Beattie or should I become me? Jenny Beattie?

Oh dear. I don't know and I really hate housework.

Creative Blog Award

Lovely DJ Kirkby gave me an award a week or so ago. I didn’t get around to displaying it; so here it is. In return I must list seven things that I love and pass the award onto seven creative bloggers that I admire.

So, seven things, huh? I am going to exclude people from my list otherwise it would be a list of seven people or groups of people which mightn’t be very interesting. Should I exclude tea? And books? You all know I love them… Maybe, maybe… here’s an idea: my criteria shall be things I haven’t already told you I love…

So, drumroll please, in no particular order…

1. Cats
2. Custard Creams
3. The Sea
4. Gin
5. Sunday lunch esp Roast Lamb and mint sauce
6. Photoshop
7. Lavender

Now I am supposed to pass the award on to seven creative bloggers that I admire but because I can’t do anything I’m told to do… There are five blogs that I go to… usually as a lurker… for the quality of their photos. I go and sigh a lot and wish I could take pics half as good. *Sigh* I don't know if any of them really 'do' blog awards, but at least they'll know I appreciate them even if I don't make comments on their sites.

The first site is Kingsdowner. I found this blog when I was looking for visuals of the Kent countryside for research for my novel. I might have grown up in the countryside but I’m a bit of a thicky when it comes to plants and creatures. Kingsdowner is an expert. I’ve never commented there because I’m so in awe.

The second site is Nomadic Tendencies. I think Ange found me first and I spotted her on my stat details… She’s an Aussie living in Thailand; she posts a picture a day on a Thai theme. Ange has a lovely eye for composition and a first rate eye for colour.

The third choice, some of you may already know, Uphilldowndale. I can’t remember how I found this blog. She lives in a truly gorgeous part of England and her photos are spectacular. Do go and have a look.

Fourthly, Yesbut’s pictures I found when googling ‘nude in a scarf’ for this post. The picture was so much better than mine: *sigh* I have made an assumption that Yesbut is female but I could be wrong. Update: Oh deary, deary me. I am wrong; Yesbut is a man, a most manly male man. Big apologies Yesbut. Tee hee: you were most gracious about your sex change, and I DO live in Thailand...

Finally, and fifth, is our Spiral Jen at Inspiral Daze. Living not far from where my book is set, her pictures are mostly of the natural environment: pulled right out at a landscape or right up close to the zoomed in landscape of a flower or leaf.