Hello, and thank you for visiting my site. I hope that you'll return often and always find something of interest about my world and what inspires me to pick up a pen. (This is a figure of speech, unfortunately. My handwriting is terrible!) Here's what I've been up to recently...
Friends reunited!
One of the joys of Swanwick is making new friends and catching up with old ones.
Not many go as far back as Geoff and I, who last met in 1972. It was great to see him again.
Today was definitely one for basking in the sunshine and I really envied Julia’s hat. She gave us another stunning performance at Buskers’ Night, which included many other talented Swanwickers. As one who can neither play nor sing to any remotely acceptable level, I was content to sit back and enjoy it all.
11 August, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!
Yes, folks, I really have got the T-shirt! Today was the day to don it and do my short course entitled ‘Focus on Fillers’. I’d been dreading the technology going wrong but, with some help from a couple of obliging fellow Swanwickers, the Power Point presentation in the morning ran smoothly. The afternoon was given over to a workshop where people could come up with their own ideas and discuss where they might submit them. The room was full for both sessions and there was a lot of laughter, so I hope that everyone enjoyed the course as much as I did.
Afterwards, I was very happy to relax and become a consumer again. Prolific short story writer Della Galton was a sure fire winner as the evening speaker.
10 August, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story
Swanwick 2015 continued
What could be a better start to the day than a meditation session by the lake before breakfast. If my alarm clock hadn’t failed to go off, I might even have made it.
As it was, I had the usual hearty breakfast and then went to the first part of John Lamont’s ‘Succeed on Purpose’ course, which was very inspiring. It was serious stuff, but John could make the driest subject entertaining and I’m already looking forward to Part 2.
Before and after lunch, I attended travel writing sessions by Roy Devereux. Unfortunately, due to technical issues, the second part had to be cut short. Not only was that disappointing, but it means that my fingers will be permanently crossed until it’s time for my own course tomorrow, which will be taking place in the same room!
The Swanwick Facebook group got together during the tea break to discuss the way ahead. Watch this space!
The evening speaker was Mario Reading, who gave us a lot of information about his own successes and failures, the latter being greatly overshadowed by the former. His Anti-Christ trilogy – The Nostradamus Prophecy, The Mayan Codex and The Third Anti-Christ – for example, has sold more than a million copies in 38 countries! Mario, very unenthusiastic about the rise in self publishing, stressed the importance of literary agents in general and, in particular, their expertise in selling foreign rights.
9 August, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story
Swanwick 2015
Here I am again for my 10th consecutive stay at the Writers’ Summer School and the grounds of The Hayes Conference Centre are looking as glorious as ever. One very welcome innovation is a free hot drinks machine in the bar. (Regular doses of caffeine are definitely needed to keep most of us on our toes.) Soon the lawn will be filling up with writers from all over the UK and beyond, chattering away nineteen to the dozen and trying to balance cups of tea and plates of cake. It’s always a joy to catch up with old friends – in my case with one VERY old friend, last seen in the flesh in 1972 – and make new ones. As a veteran Swanwicker, I’m now sporting not only a yellow badge but also a pink one to show that I’m an ‘Ambassador’ and particularly approachable if problems arise. Not only that, I’ll be a table host for White Badgers (newbies) at the first evening meal to spare them the worry of wondering where and with whom to sit.
Many of them, like myself, will be staying in comfortable en suite rooms in Lakeside and will enjoy a stroll round the lake or a quiet read on one of the handy benches.
The speaker this evening is crime writer Alex Gray and I’m sure the Main Conference Hall will be packed to hear what she has to say.
8 August, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story
Let the celebration of ‘Shadows of the Past’ begin!
Here are the promised timings. (See earlier postings for more details).
Saturday 22nd August at home in Ripon: 5 p.m. onwards on a ‘drop in, stay as long as you like and drop out’ basis.
Saturday 29th August at Richard’s place in York: 2-5 p.m.
If you’ve never visited either of us before and need directions, please let me know.
3 August, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story
Update on ‘Shadows of the Past’
My first novel is now available in print or electronic version from Amazon and the dates for the official launches – think ‘celebration’ rather than anything too formal – have been set. There will be music, there will be refreshments and there may even be readings! Needless to say, signed copies will also be available.
Please make a note of these dates: Saturday 22nd August at my home in Ripon; Saturday 29th August at my son’s place in York. Details of timings will follow and an email to me will ensure directions for anyone who needs them.
With my annual stay at The Writers’ Summer School (Swanwick) to enjoy beforehand, I couldn’t be more excited at the moment. (Stifles mad cries of ‘Yippee’ for fear of scaring the cats.)
28 July, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story
‘Shadows of the Past’ is finally here!
I unveiled the final proof copy at the summer social of the NSG (York Writers’ Novelists’ Support Group) last week and hope to publish details of my book launches very soon. In the meantime, here’s the cover to be going on with. I hope you all like it. It’s a shame that people buying the eBook will only see the front, because every item in the line up is of significance to the story. Thanks again to those of you generous enough to entrust me with some of your precious items.
26 July, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story
Novelists’ Support Group Summer Social
This evening of good food and good conversation was held at Grays Court in York. Thank you very much, Linda, for arranging it. I’m sure that Steve, Sarah, Sally, Joanna, Nick, Amy, Paul, John and Richard enjoyed it as much as I did.
The proof copy of my novel Shadows of the Past had arrived just in time to be passed round. A page inside is dedicated to fellow writers, including several of those present, who have been kind enough to read and comment on the final draft. In particular, I cannot thank my son enough for designing the cover, doing the lay out and putting the whole thing together.
23 July, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story
A day I’ve been dreaming about for 12 years!
The proof copy of my novel Shadows of the Past has arrived and I’m setting about the task of checking it through. Despite hours of careful editing – and not only by me – I’ll be very surprised if a few mistakes aren’t still to be found.
However, this is the culmination of a dream. Friends who’ve been following this saga over the last few years know that it was inspired by a very strange holiday I had in France as a teenager and is to some extent autobiographical.
There is something of me in the first narrator and even more in the second, although I can’t cook as well as she does! Her story is central to the plot and the young Frenchman who becomes her saviour bears more than a passing resemblance to the one to whom the book is dedicated.
Watch this space!
17 July, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story
My article in ‘Down Your Way’ magazine
‘Down Your Way’ is a cheerful little magazine, much loved by Yorkshire people still living in our great county and cherished by exiles all over the world. It has included many of my articles over the years and the bottom right hand corner of the cover gives a clue to the subject of the latest one.
Being a Saturday girl in ‘Woolies’, Woolworth’s Briggate store in Leeds in my case, was my first taste of paid work and quite a culture shock. My immediate boss ruled her department with a rod of iron and was far less forgiving of mistakes than any of my teachers. I was also in terror for the first few weeks of my colleagues, who had all left school at fifteen and were far more sophisticated and worldly wise than I was. Being at the bottom of the pecking order was a new experience.
The first draft of the article was almost a stream of consciousness piece, but I had to tone it down to avoid giving offence or even being sued! Suffice it to say, that I could have said a great deal more about the goings on than made it into print.
27 June, 2015 - There are 2 comments on this story
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