FIONA COMPTON - FIONA'S FICTION

Fiona Compton is a pen name for my fiction writing. I have published 5 fiction books on Lulu.com. All these books - paperbacks and e-books - may be seen at: FIONA'S STORE - FICTION WITH A MUSICAL THEME

I Can't Forget You was my first novel, originally published in 2010.

Pearl Harris wrote the following review:

Aug 21, 2010

Once I started reading Fiona Compton's romantic novel, I could not put it down. I soon became involved in the emotions and events of the main characters' lives. Derek Bailey attracts females and trouble wherever he goes, due to his charisma and talent. How the women in his life deal with subsequent events must touch a chord in the heart of every female reader who has ever fallen prey to the charms of a philanderer. The writing style is flowing and the dialogue authentic. Place descriptions set the scene firmly in 20th-century Britain. I particularly enjoyed the Scottish dialect (the author having been born in Scotland, this too is genuine!)and the descriptions of daily life in London. This is no run-of-the-mill romantic novel. Due to the author's musical knowledge, "I can't forget you" has a depth and authenticity lacking in most novels of this genre. You will not want to put this book down before discovering what the final outcome of the hero's romantic entanglements is to be. 

At the same time, I published a collection of short stories - The Song is Ended and Other Stories. 

Here are two of the reviews:

By mjpotenza
Any fan of short stories will enjoy this selection of entertaining tales by Fiona Compton. The author presents women's viewpoints, emotions, and experiences accurately and uniquely. The women characters are interesting, complex, and sympathetic (the men are mostly cads). One wonders how much is autobiographical. The writing is descriptive and precise. The style flows nicely, making for easy and pleasant reading. The Wedding Singer, Miss Stratton Disappears, and The Sunset Gleams, to name a few, all have the right combination of humour and sadness. In short, these well written stories are very enjoyable.

By Pearl Harris
10-Sep-2011
Each short story in this collection is refreshingly different and will touch a chord in the heart of most female readers. All the characters are masterfully and realistically portrayed. Many of the incidents depicted are those which affect all women at various times in their lives and with which the reader can readily empathise. Some bring a chuckle and a feeling of optimism, others a feeling of sadness. All left a lasting impression on me. Fiona Compton’s voice is a charming mix, evidence of her Scottish, South African and musical roots. These stories particularly appeal to me as an expatriate South African, as many of them richly evoke the South African lifestyle. However, all are timeless in their own right and certainly worth reading by both women and men, whatever their nationality.

I have published two novels in the Malcolm Craig series.The first novel in the series is called Just the Echo of a Sigh
It was published at the end of 2013.

The second novel in this series about Malcolm Craig is called Faint Harmony

I published my third book in the Malcolm Craig series towards the end of August. It is called Love Set to Music 

Read more about my books at:   Fiona's Store

I have created a "like" page on Facebook at: Fiona Compton

Fiona Compton - April 2015

MALCOLM CRAIG SERIES - Volumes 1 & 2 in one book; Volumes 3 & 4 in one book

I have decided to publish volumes 1 and 2 in one book. The book is available as a paper back print and epub. The whole thing can be read as a novel complete in itself. Both novels concern the life and career of famous British tenor. Malcolm Craig, his successful career in Britain, and his three marriages. Read more about all my books at: Fiona Compton's books.

Dec 22, 2015

I was glad to see these two volumes combined in one book as they could be read as a complete book without reading volumes 3 and 4. Fiona Compton has made no secret of the fact that all 4 volumes in the Malcolm Craig series are combinations of Roman a clef and biographical/autobiographical novels. The first two novels are based on her own research about Malcolm Craig and Marina Dunbar in the years of their illustrious lives and theatrical careers until 1956 before she met them, although parts of these books are pure fiction, while other parts are largely true.

She has succeeded in creating the atmosphere of the early part of the twentieth century, World War Two and the immediate post war years as they relate to Malcolm and Marina's lives and careers. I recommend this interesting double novel featuring the lively lives and careers of Fiona Compton's fictional heroes - Malcolm and Marina.

Jean Collen

The last two novels in the Malcolm Craig series combined in one book:
The last two novels in the Malcolm Craig series combined in one book.

Review:
 Once again, volumes 3 and 4 of the Malcolm Craig series can be read as one novel. Most of it is set in South Africa to where Malcolm Craig and Marina Dunbar move in 1956 after problems with the British Inland Revenue. Their lives take a new direction in a new country. Their marriage is no happier than it was for many years in the UK, and Kate Kyle (the fictional name for Fiona Compton herself) now writes her Roman a Clef/autobiographical novel largely from her own experience, although there are still many fictional elements in the story.

 In many ways, the idea of Kate and Malcolm having an affair when she is in her late teens, and Malcolm is married, and 42 years older than her, might seem like a shocking state of affairs. The story held my interest and the conclusion to the saga is satisfactory (depending on your point of view) although it is possible that Fiona Compton used her imagination rather than fact to reach this conclusion.

 I found Love Set to Music most interesting. Neither Kate Kyle nor Malcolm Craig are covered in glory and some might consider their spring/winter relationship unseemly even over fifty years later. They obviously felt deeply for one another and Malcolm Craig's wife, Marina Dunbar, was not without blame. I sincerely hope that the final novel will reach a satisfactory conclusion otherwise the emotion generated by the affair which changed the life of Kate Kyle/Fiona Compton radically without bringing her lasting happiness would have been a meaningless waste of time.

 The final novel in the Malcolm Craig series, A Song for You and Me, held my interest even more than the three earlier books as this final novel reaches a conclusion to the tale. Like the Christmas Special which concluded the long-running Downton Abbey, the end of Fiona Compton's novel reaches a satisfactory resolution although the finale of the Malcolm Craig series is merely implied, rather than described in graphic detail. One is left to imagine what happens to Malcolm, Kate, and Marina in the years that follow.

 Somehow I doubt whether the conclusion of this series of novels is the way the tale ended in reality, but perhaps that is why Fiona Compton chose to present it as a work of fiction rather than fact.

Jean Collen

Both books are available as paperbacks and as epubs. Have a look at Fiona's Store - Fiction with a musical theme

 All the cover photos in the series are by Errol Collen.

Fiona Compton. 14 January 2016.

THE MALCOLM CRAIG SERIES - ROMAN à CLEF/ BIOGRAPHICAL-AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVELl

The Malcolm Craig Series - Roman à clef, biographical-autobiographical novel

 Fiona's Store

5 December 2015 at 14:10

The Malcolm Craig series of 4 novels is a mixture of a Roman à clef, and a biographical-autobiographical novel.

Such a novel is described as a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction.
A few examples of such novels include:

• Glenarvon (1816) by Lady Caroline Lamb chronicles her affair with Lord Byron (thinly disguised as the title character).
  

• Queenie (1985) by Michael Korda, nephew of Alexander Korda and the actress Merle Oberon. In the novel, Queenie Kelley, a girl of Indian and Irish descent, is based on Oberon, who went to great lengths to disguise her mixed-race background.

•  Ann Veronica (1909) by H. G. Wells is based in the real relationship between H. G. Wells and Amber Reeves
•  
  
• The Moon and Sixpence (1919) by W. Somerset Maugham follows the life of Paul Gauguin, especially his time in Tahiti
  

•  
• Sons and Lovers (1911) by D.H Lawrence must surely be considered a novel in this form.
•  

Writers have chosen to write this form of novel or play for various reasons including satire, controversial topics, turning the tale the way the author would have liked it to have gone, or writing about oneself or others without disclosing the names of the real people involved. As a novel is supposed to be fiction rather than fact, elements of fiction and fact can intermingle in a way that would be unacceptable in a work of non-fiction where the reader assumes that the writer has done proper research into the subject of the biography and that facts could be substantiated.

The four novels in the Malcolm Craig series are broadly based on fact, but many incidents are purely products of my imagination and do not pretend to be the truth. The last two books, in particular, are largely based on my own private experiences which I have recreated as fiction thanks to my memory, contemporary diaries, and a fair share of imagination.

Using this form gave me the opportunity  to write about people I knew very well indeed and who had a profound and lasting influence on my life. The first two novels are based on my knowledge and research into their lives before I met them; the last two novels are based on my relationship with them. Needless to say, the character of Kate Kyle is based on me in the final two books.

While I treasure my association with Malcolm Craig and Marina Dunbar, telling the story truthfully in its entirety would be a mere recitation of events as they occurred.  Because this series is fiction overlaid with fact, the very last part of the last volume is pure fiction -  the way I would have liked the story to end, rather than the way it did.

The four volumes in The Malcolm Craig series are available in print and as an epub ebook at:  Fiona's Store - Fiction with a Musical Theme



Fiona Compton

A SONG FOR YOU AND ME - Final novel in the Malcolm Craig Series.

I completed writing A Song For You and Me during the NaNoWriMo month of November 2015.This is the final novel in the Malcolm Craig series. It is available as a paperback print and an Epub.

Paperback: A Song for You and Me

Epub: A Song for You and Me

Reviews:

Pearl Harris is a highly-qualified writer, editor, proofreader and translator.

                  

Jan 14, 2016

I have finished reading the final novel in the Malcolm Craig series and it held my interest even more than the three earlier books, as the final novel eventually reaches a conclusion to the saga. 

Like the Christmas Special which concluded the long-running Downton Abbey, the end of Fiona Compton's novel reaches a satisfactory resolution.The finale of the Malcolm Craig series is merely implied, rather than described in graphic detail,  and one is left to imagine what happens to Malcolm, Kate, and Marina in the years that follow. 

Somehow I doubt whether the end of the series is the way the tale ended in reality, but perhaps that is why Fiona Compton chose to present it as a work of fiction rather than fact. 

Jean Collen            

A random sample from the book: 

Marina

I was rather surprised when Steve Baxter phoned to ask me if I would be a guest on his radio programme in a few day’s time. Considering how devoted he was to Helen and how studiously he had avoided me since our affair and our ill-fated holiday together the year before, I was amazed that Helen had allowed him to ask me to do such an interview.

 “Do you think that is a good idea, considering our history, Steve?” I asked.

 “I know it might be rather uncomfortable for us, Marina, but this isn’t my idea. My boss was quite insistent about it and I could hardly refuse without causing unpleasantness. Please, Marina – we’re both professionals. I’m sure we can handle this without any discomfort, can’t we? You might bring in one of Malcolm’s recordings to play on the programme. There wouldn’t be any doubt that you are both committed to your marriage, just as I am committed to my marriage with Helen. After all, the programme only lasts for fifteen minutes.”

“I had better ask Malcolm first, Steve. He might not approve. I’ll phone you tonight after I’ve spoken to him.”

As I expected, Malcolm didn’t care one way or the other whether I did the interview or not.

 “It’s entirely up to you, Marina,” he said coldly. “I still think it’s a shame that you didn’t run off with Steve Baxter when you had the chance. We might all be feeling much happier by now if you had.”

 “By all, I suppose you are including Katie,” I replied. “Why do you have to be so mean to me all the time, Malcolm?”

“I’m not being mean, just stating the exact truth. Go and do the interview with him. You don’t need my permission to do that or any other damned thing you please.”

“So you wouldn’t care if I decided to have an affair with someone else?” I asked.

“Why should I? Have you someone else in mind?”

“You might be surprised to hear that I do have someone in mind, someone who treats me far better than you do.”

“Well go ahead and enjoy yourself. See if I care.”

He marched out of the room leaving me feeling quite miserable, but angry at the same time. I picked up the telephone. It was Helen who answered in obsequious tones, “The Baxter residence,” she simpered.

“Is Steve there?” I asked without any preliminary greeting.

“Who shall I say is calling?” she asked – as though she didn’t know!

“Marina Dunbar,” I replied coldly. “I would have thought you might have recognised my voice, Helen.”

She didn’t answer but I heard her calling Steve in thin tones. “Phone for you, darling...”

 “Malcolm has agreed that I can do the interview,” I told him. “What time do you want me at the studios?”

Surprisingly the interview went better than I expected it to. We chatted about this and that and ended the interview with Malcolm’s recording of One Day When We were Young. “Thank you, darling,” I said in sugary tones when it finished. I was surprised at how I could put on such an act when I was feeling entirely fed up with my unsatisfactory life.

The only person who was cheering me up these days was our singing pupil, Brandon Black, who thought the world of me and was willing to do anything possible to please me. In a way he reminded me of Harry, although there was no question of going to bed with him at this stage. I was twelve years older than him, and although I knew he thought the world of me for the moment it was better to be good friends without the complications a sexual relationship usually brings.

I returned to the studio immediately after the broadcast. Malcolm was having a rest before the next pupil arrived. There was a faint smell of perfume in the air over-riding the usual smell of his stale cigarette tobacco.

“Did you listen to my broadcast?” I asked.

“Yes! Very well done,” he said absently.

Who was in the studio while I was away?” I asked sharply.

“Nobody. What makes you think there was someone here? I had a sandwich and then I had a bit of a rest and listened to your interview.”

I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. The next pupil was due any moment and I didn’t want to upset myself by asking if Kate had been in to see him because she knew I would be at the radio studios and had taken any opportunity to be with him. I let it go, but my suspicions remained.

The book is published as a paperback and an epub. Read more about it at: Fiona's Store - Fiction with a Musical Theme.

Fiona Compton 
28 November 2015