Alison Bacon
Download my writing c.v. (PDF file 285 kb)
The story so far
I was born and brought up in Fife and graduated from St. Andrews University. Since then I’ve lived, worked and brought up a family in the West Country where I still have a part-time job in a local university. The rest of my time is spent writing, blogging and playing golf.
Around the turn of the century I started to dabble with poems and short stories, but it wasn’t until a visit to France in 2003 that I finally had an idea for the novel that became A New History of Love and penned (or pencilled) the opening scenes during the ferry crossing home. Luckily I had already met Sarah Duncan, a local writer, and five years on, the practical guidance she provided in her ‘How to Write a Novel’ class has never been bettered.
When I finally finished the first novel, (Love Me Tender as it then was) I was thrilled when the judges from A&C Black gave it the thumbs up in their first novel competition. Since then I’ve completed the first draft of a new novel, had fun running a commercial golf blog and enjoyed some modest success with short stories.
In writing fiction I seem to be torn between ‘writing what I know’ and striking out into unfamiliar territory. This probably explains why my first novel begins in a university library but soon veers off to a sixteenth century map of love, and my second, although set in my home town, relies for its central character on an even greater leap of the imagination. My third novel, based on historical characters, promises to be a new and absorbing challenge. The research is both enjoyable and daunting, but the purpose remains the same – find the basis of a good story, explore the characters, knock it into shape then hone it to perfection.
Sounds simple? Watch this space!
Thanks again for visiting. Please leave your comments here or on the blog.
Alison
July 2009
