Reading A Novel (un roman) In French…

I’m currently reading a novel in French, having immersed myself in the language for the past six weeks.  During my school days, I studied French grammar and basic vocabulary, but I only recently got the  hang of conversational French, in particular the use of past perfect (passé composé). 

The novel – Moka by Tatiana de Rosnay –  tells the story from the first person perspective of Justine, who receives an unexpected phone call informing her that her son has had a road accident.  Although I still have lots more to read, I would imagine that Justine’s search for the truth behind the accident leads to a surprising, maybe shocking, discovery.

Admittedly, I wouldn’t normally read the English version of a novel in that genre, preferring crime thrillers or gritty teen/Young Adult, but I felt the novel would give me a chance to widen my experience of the French language.  

So far, I’ve found the flow of words easy to follow.  I like the immediacy, the sense that a reader can understand complete sentences in a different language, even if they don’t recognise particular words.  Also, I hope to sense and experience the world from the perspective of the principal character, without language being a barrier.

As you can probably imagine, I’m pretty keen on the French language…plus, I love to read, play piano on a serious level, and write my own stuff.  Fiction.  Gritty.  Crime. 

Meanwhile, I’ve put my latest working novel (the third) aside for a bit, having just received a professional critique, but my debut Secrets (adult thriller) and second novel EggHead (teen/Young Adult), are available on Amazon.  Check out the reviews.

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Bout Of Writer’s Block

Have got writer’s block at present, so nothing to blog about.  Back soon.

Local Newspaper, Local Author Interview

Twelve months have passed and I’ve appeared in The Archer again, the local East Finchley and Muswell Hill newspaper.  You can find the original article here.

A teenager’s search

Muswell Hill crime writer Lawrence Estrey has published a second novel, this time delving into the dark and desperate
world of a teenage boy searching for the fatherwho abandoned him.

Last summer, Lawrence (pictured right) self-published his first book Secrets, an adult psychological thriller. The new novel, called EggHead, is targeted at a young adult audience. Lawrence said: “I completed EggHead in about nine months and found that my previous experience with my debut novel helped when it came to
structure and planning.

“However, I found  the writing process draining at times, particularly when it came to depicting the bleak and lonely coastal surroundings that make up some of the setting, and I would sometimes consider abandoning
the story.”

Again self-published, EggHead is available on Amazon and Lawrence is already planning to release another novel for young adults.

 

Meanwhile, my debut novel Secrets by Lawrence Estrey is available from Amazon in paperback and e-book. 

Check out the reviews for Secrets.

Newspaper article on author.

Local musician publishes crime thriller

EggHead by Lawrence Estrey: Questions And Answers

Photos In The Sun

Recently, I’ve neglected my interest in photography, concentrating instead on writing and other interests.   At the weekend, though, I got to walk a dog – a big Spaniel, of all things –  and I had a go at taking photos in Cherry Tree Wood, North London.  The sunlight, along with the intense humidity, didn’t help really, but I managed to find about three or four suitable images and I worked on these in the photo editing software, GIMP. 

As usual, I’ve included a black and white image.  I have a keen interest in black and white photography and use a method that involves working on the original image in grayscale and adjusting the Levels, Contrast and Brightness.

 

Offline For A Few Days, Summer

Hi, I’m offline for a few days.  The summer heat is intense and the weather an astonishing contrast to the freezing start to the year.  I’ve finished the third draft of my current novel in progress, Silent, and am waiting to hear back.