Blog Entries
I’m Heather Belleguelle of Behest Fiction Editing. Welcome to my blog! I hope the posts I write will give you some handy tips, information, and ideas to help you on your writing journey.
As a British editor working with authors from both sides of the pond and having spent a year living in Canada myself, I’m very aware of the differences that exist between British and North American life and culture. My hope is that if you aren’t so familiar with all things British, I’ll be able to pass on some tips to help you ensure your British characters and settings are as authentic as possible and that I’ll also be able to introduce you to beautiful Britain.
If you have any questions or subjects you’d like me to consider covering, please drop an email to heather@behest-editing.com or send me a message via the contact form on this website.
- Adrenaline
Many of the books I edit are crime fiction of some variety, and invariably, the sleuth or agent ends up in a perilous situation at some point during the story. Often this causes their “adrenaline” to kick in. When I read the word in a 1920s’ mystery, I wondered if the term had actually been Continue reading...Category: Time Travel Tuesday - Alnwick Castle
On the edge of the town of Alnwick, England’s second-most northerly town, situated in Northumberland, England’s most northerly county, a beautiful castle can be found. It’s been the home of the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland, since 1309, although its history dates from Norman times. (Handy dates and historical facts come from the castle’s Continue reading...Category: Beautiful Britain - Be My GuestI was engrossed in an 1840s’ period drama, and my language detectors suddenly kicked into gear when one of the characters said “be my guest”. To me, the phrase sounded too modern for the time, and on looking into it, I found that it was. “Be my guest”, meaning “You’re welcome (to something); do as Continue reading...Category: Time Travel Tuesday
- Choosing First Names for Your British Characters: Part 1
“Ruby, Duchess of Mitford, floated into the ballroom on the arm of her handsome new husband, thrilled that she was—at last—the hostess of an evening of lavish entertainment that the Regent himself would attend.” In our previous post about British names, we discussed how to go about choosing surnames for your characters. Now it’s time Continue reading...Category: All Things British - Whisky or Whiskey?
Water of life. That’s what the Irish Gaelic uisce beatha and Scottish Gaelic uisge Beatha mean, and it’s from these terms that we get the English word whisk(e)y. This distilled spirit has been produced for hundreds of years and is a popular drink, but a question I’ve come across more than once is which is Continue reading...Category: Divided by a Common Language - Choosing Surnames for Your British Characters
Brilliant! Ingenious, twisty-turny plot – check. Original, inviting setting – check. Compelling, intriguing characters – check. What next? Ah, those characters need names. Should it be Johnson or Johansen, Bowen or Bouvier? When you’re writing a book set in your home nation, particularly if it’s contemporary fiction, naming your characters shouldn’t present too many challenges. Continue reading...Category: All Things British