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...
Workhouse Orphan on Zoom
Look what I just found in the archives! During the dismal lockdown year of 2020, when unmasked contact with other humans was restricted to a tiny bubble, I delivered my first (and so far only) author talk on Zoom. Hosted by Canadian author and publisher Edwin Rydberg, it took place on 16th September. Edwin knew exactly which questions to ask to get me talking and the discussion was to form part of his Indie Book Showcase.
18 May, 2025 - Make the first comment on this story
Judging a book by its cover!
Following discussions with several fellow writers and readers, I decided to give the omnibus edition of my short stories a new cover. (For comparison purposes, you can see the previous one by scrolling down to the photo of me selling my books last Sunday.)
The front is from my best selling collection, a mixture of grim and not quite so grim tales. They include Too Much Blood on the Axminster, which was awarded first place by the late M C Beaton (Hamish Macbeth, Agatha Raisin) in a competition connected with the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. My prize was a whole weekend pass to the event at the Old Swan in Harrogate, where I met some of my idols in the crime writing world.
The back features my two other collections, which are very different in nature. Had We But World Enough spans very different themes, from sex trafficking and illegal immigration to an aspiring novelist fulfilling her dream of settling in Key West and a young English couple experiencing their first Christmas in Australia.
The ‘twist in the tale’ stories in Swings & Roundabouts cover the widest range of topics, including a new slant on the Loch Ness Monster myth, an Asian shopkeeper’s cat foiling a racist attack and the unvarnished opinion of Johannes Vermeer’s wife and daughter about the setups for his paintings.
16 May, 2025 - Make the first comment on this story
Promoting Yorkshire Authors arrives in Ripon
At my suggestion, PYA made enquiries at the Claro Lounge and got the go ahead for a book fair on Sunday, 11th May. It was a warm, sunny day, perfect for the V E Day commemorations and the installation of Ripon’s new mayor. Situated next to the Town Hall, the Lounge offered a good view of the proceedings taking place outside, so we didn’t miss out.
With seven titles to display, I was allocated half a table and very much enjoyed talking to everyone who came by.
A free copy of its prequel ‘Foreshadowing’ was on offer to anyone who bought ‘Shadows of the Past’. One purchaser was a young soldier from the Royal Engineers who had just taken part in the parade from the Market Place to the Cathedral. He told me that he was particularly interested in the history of WW2, so I hope he will enjoy it.
PYA has booked another event at the Claro Lounge for Sunday, 30th November.
12 May, 2025 - Make the first comment on this story
A successful launch
The open mic night at the Claro Lounge to launch ‘This Hear This Now’, an Anthology of Ripon Poets, was very well attended.
It includes two of my poems and I chose to read ‘Elegy Written in Ripon Market Place’ (with apologies to Thomas Gray). Much as I love our little cathedral city, not everyone respects its ‘ancient charms’ and this is my reproach to litter louts.
By the way, the lighting affected the shot and seems to have added something odd to the hand holding the book. It isn’t really like that!
25 April, 2025 - Make the first comment on this story
Anthology Launch
This labour of love is a great showcase for local writers, myself included, and we’re hoping for a good turnout.
10 April, 2025 - Make the first comment on this story
From Austria with love!
Write-On! Ripon was in the middle of our usual Tuesday afternoon meeting this week when a surprise contribution arrived from a member currently enjoying a winter sports holiday in Austria. She’s having a great time and, of course, we had to send a photo straight back to her.
20 February, 2025 - Make the first comment on this story
A good start to 2025
Happy New Year, everyone!
It is always a pleasure to speak to audiences large or small, whether about one of my books specifically or my writing/life in general.
My first booking in 2025 was with a Ripon u3a group. In the time allotted to me, I packed in as much information as I could about my experiences as a TV/film ‘extra’. There was, of course, a great deal more that I could have said, much of it contained in My ‘Extra’ Life. As with most of my other books, I carry a small stock for people who request a signed copy. (Otherwise, it is available from Amazon as either a paperback or a download.)
Networking is of huge importance to writers and I am pleased to say that a lady in the audience requested that I give the same talk later this year to another group with which she is connected.
There is no better place to make connections that the Writers’ Summer School in Swanwick and I’m looking forward enormously to my annual stay there in August.
It should coincide with the publication by SpellBound of my new book, which centres on the summer my friend Rosie and I ‘rode the Dog’ across the USA. More details to follow. Watch this space!
25 January, 2025 - Make the first comment on this story
Red kites fly again!
Only a very occasional poet, I was very pleased to find this in the BBC Wildlife magazine.
Eccup reservoir is very close to North Yorkshire’s Harewood House, where there is a feeding station for these magnificent birds. The Emmerdale village is also in the grounds, so I had many opportunities to observe them during my years as a television ‘extra’. They disrupted filming on more than one occasion, notably on the day when some helium balloons were launched to celebrate a character’s birthday and the birds attacked them.
Please go to the Stories and Poems section of this website if you’d like to read ‘Red Kites’.
13 December, 2024 - Make the first comment on this story
Ripon Poetry Festival
Ripon Writers’ Group and Write-On! Ripon were both well represented at the open mic, which we co-hosted this year at the Arts Hub on Allhallowgate. It was good to see some new faces as well as many of the regular participants and hear a wide variety of poetic styles and subject matter.
Having attended the launch of this year’s children’s anthology – I was very pleased to have been one of the judges for the 12-18 category – I met fellow Swanwickers Penny Blackburn and Susanna Lewis in the bar. In the photo, kindly taken for us by Tony Lewis, we’re all brandishing copies of the main Festival anthology in which we each have a poem. Actually Penny has two and Susanna has the added kudos of coming second in the annual competition. Well done, ladies!
We took to the stage in turn to read our poems to an appreciative audience composed of other contributors to the anthology and their guests. As ever, there was a great variety of poetic styles and themes and it was a very enjoyable evening.
22 September, 2024 - Make the first comment on this story
Wonderful news!
I’m delighted to announce that SpellBound Books Ltd. has offered to publish my memoir of the summer I spent as a camp counselor and ‘riding the Dog’ across the USA. The Dog – or rather Dogs in question were, of course, Greyhound buses, which offered amazing value to young and cash-strapped overseas visitors.
The link is with Facebook, so may not work for everyone. If you’re struggling, please let me know in the comments and I’ll endeavour to send you the details by a different route. https://www.facebook.com/maggie.cobbett/posts/pfbid0cVfGUVuKw9rVkMRwwnKz2LvPufqQNAYxPP8rMYjumyWe1adKRychwBMCTxF6HuG3l?notif_id=1718893755043029¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif
20 June, 2024 - Make the first comment on this story
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