tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29102209506344672982024-03-11T09:39:23.290+00:00Gill's BlogGill's blog: all about the writer's life Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.comBlogger855125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-17559614818402402412024-03-11T09:37:00.004+00:002024-03-11T09:37:50.655+00:00Food in my Peace Child Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLTe5Cnyar04AZtpkKoYBYaBkowdAbnOY4DqT2PmissAOkrDdekJudwsAeLETN9iUR154vskYHUs61iuGl92Wj-gTxq8WjgN9NVqW6bJ9aIrzxidOQ-lPD6EAy8vkby5HpclkWSfS2PTX71Z2QO2dsfUadM9sZ5zQkNNrqg3M363UfCR2Q-aTBxeNY-s/s640/meals-337073_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="640" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLTe5Cnyar04AZtpkKoYBYaBkowdAbnOY4DqT2PmissAOkrDdekJudwsAeLETN9iUR154vskYHUs61iuGl92Wj-gTxq8WjgN9NVqW6bJ9aIrzxidOQ-lPD6EAy8vkby5HpclkWSfS2PTX71Z2QO2dsfUadM9sZ5zQkNNrqg3M363UfCR2Q-aTBxeNY-s/s320/meals-337073_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Before I started writing the Peace Child books I spent many
months thinking about the world I was creating. And as ever, once I started writing
I found there were other things I needed to think about</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Food of course is important and I needed to work out how the
people in this world obtain it. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The first story begins on our own planet Earth, now called
Terrestra. The planet is surrounded by a poison cloud and all inhabitants have
to live underground. Vegetation still exists on the surface and as the poison cloud
lifts things return to normal. Terrestrans have been able to grow crops
underground and so much of this is food as we know it though fusion has become
even more common: there are Zones not nations on Terrestra. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Humans still prepare food, if they want to, and certainly humans
oversee huge commercial kitchens. However, even the poorest home has a house
droid that helps to prepare meals. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Zandra, where Peace Child Kaleem spends a lot of his time,
food production is more difficult and agriculture is tricky. Again, humans
still prepare food, but it often can just be dialled up and appears in a
special drawer in the kitchen. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alcoholic drinks on Terrestra are all based on different flavours
of what they call nectar whereas on Zandra they have a kind of beer called
frega. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Coffee and tea as we know it still exist but on Zandra there
is also a drink known as chufa. It is made from a ground up nut and is creamy in
texture and a little bitter in taste. It is a strong stimulant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Terrestrans have now colonised many planets and have met
some other races. So the variety of foods is impressive. Seven-year-old Erik, Kaleem’s
son in my work in progress, demands a puna bird omelette. This meat is very strong-tasting
and he really can’t digest it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it’s
one of Kaleem’s favourites Erik really wants to eat it. Contrast this with his friend,
Raquella, the daughter to the president of the Purple Pirates, delighting in being
offered a portion of meat balls with pasta and tomato sauce. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Purple Pirates are nomadic. Their home planet has died and
they are continuously travelling through space. They have learnt to grow all
that they need on their space craft. But the vehicles are beginning to fail so
they force their way on to Zandra. They have chosen this planet because the people
there are so skilled in producing crops. Can the Zandrians learn from them? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Clementines become important in books four, five and six. A family
that become successful in farming them set up an order that has had influence throughout
the universe. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Food doesn’t dominate in my series but it is there and we
have to remember that all of the characters need nourishment even if we don’t make
that part of the story. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And even though some of these items may sound quite exotic,
I’m still really writing about what I know. Yes, the “what if” questions is
there. I find the answer by relating what is happening here to my own experience.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-59963266687976103362024-03-10T15:37:00.003+00:002024-03-10T21:06:44.552+00:00Yvonne Walus tells us about her latest book <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRpnDiRGLBKPCxbS0FQdvJ5b97IUqWTfS5PGw_NgYUOOe_YnayrTrzlQFuk5EhEQD6i1tCjoPdO5LG0dWv8QCS6k9H52Dmg2e2G4mccamxgJpPoWoTgRm1AMacNSVoA6-xLXPtV8mtqAquXlae3cXOx-w2vKWRJrFbPEO4W6wzGopYfHgjAh26EDzaBQ/s1500/81QUJaFquyL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="986" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRpnDiRGLBKPCxbS0FQdvJ5b97IUqWTfS5PGw_NgYUOOe_YnayrTrzlQFuk5EhEQD6i1tCjoPdO5LG0dWv8QCS6k9H52Dmg2e2G4mccamxgJpPoWoTgRm1AMacNSVoA6-xLXPtV8mtqAquXlae3cXOx-w2vKWRJrFbPEO4W6wzGopYfHgjAh26EDzaBQ/s320/81QUJaFquyL._SL1500_.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Tell me about your book.</b></p>
<div>A: Hello Gill, thank you so much for featuring me on my blog. My name is
Yvonne Walus (<em><span style="color: teal; font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><a href="http://www.yvonnewalus.com/" target="_blank">www.yvonnewalus.com</a>), </span></em>and my latest book is a
domestic suspense thriller, <i>The Wrong Girl</i>, published by Sands Press in March
2024.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>Q: <b>Tell us about your research for this book.</b></div>
<div>A: Hmm, let's see. The book is set in a fictional boarding school north of
Auckland, New Zealand, not too far away from where I live, so that part was
easy. One of the protagonists is a teenager, and I spent quite a bit of time
convincing my two children and their friends to talk to me about their issues -
that was the tricky part. I have a small subplot about growing cannabis, and
research, dear readers, I performed using the omniscient Google. Fun fact: did
you know that while some cannabis leaves have more fingers than others, it's
actually the flower part of the plant that people smoke? Finally, a huge shout
out to the New Zealand Police who were kind enough to talk to me about
hierarchies, uniforms and police vehicles - Andrew Fabish, you're a star!</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>Q: <b>What inspired you to write this?</b></div>
<div>A: I had a few goals when writing this book. First of all, I was intrigued
by the idea of a school that does things the old-fashioned way in today's world:
no Chat GPT, no Internet, no smart phones. Also, with so much discussion around
gender identity, it felt important to explore what it meant for a teenager
trying to make sense of all the labels and the pressure to adopt a label.
Finally, as with all my books, I wanted to write about strong women in a world
that is still shaped by masculine values.</div>
<div><br />Q: <b>What's next?</b></div>
<div>A: I'm busy writing the next book in the series, also featuring police
detective Zero Zimmerman, and also set in beautiful Aotearoa New Zealand. My
readers tell me that reading my books is the next best thing to flying over and
experiencing the country in person. </div>
<div><br />Q: <b>How can we get a copy of the book?</b></div>
<div>A: I'll be honoured if you consider adding "The Wrong Girl" to your reading
list! <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Girl-Yvonne-Eve-Walus/dp/1990066305/" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Girl-Yvonne-Eve-Walus/dp/1990066305/</a>
or <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wrong-girl-yvonne-eve-walus/1143667531" target="_blank">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wrong-girl-yvonne-eve-walus/1143667531</a>.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>Q: <b>Do you have any early book reviews that you can share with us?</b></div>
<div>A: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>“Set at an exclusive New Zealand boarding school, THE WRONG GIRL by Yvonne
Eve Walus takes readers deep into a world where nothing is as it seems, and
everyone has something to hide. Walus’s fascinating setting, twisty plot, and
complicated characters make this book a must-read.” – Karen Dionne, author of
the #1 international bestseller THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER and THE WICKED
SISTER<br />
</li><li>"Yvonne Walus’s latest thriller is a clever, fast-paced story about
identity, temptation, and deceit. The Wrong Girl has everything: a great plot, a
colourful cast of characters, an intriguing setting. A real page-turner." ~ Rose
Carlyle, author of international bestseller "The girl in the mirror"
</li><li>"Intricately plotted and well-written, THE WRONG GIRL is a fascinating take
on a world where appearances can be deceiving, everyone is up to something, and
only Constable Zero Zimmerman, in the middle of a messy mix of her own personal
problems, can sort out what's true." ~ Ellen Baker, author of "Keeping the
house", "I gave my heart to know this" and "The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson"</li></ul><b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3v6Yc0J">Find on you local Amazon </a></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note, this is an affiliate link and a small
portion of what you pay may go to Bridge House publishing. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span></div>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-46520079806441742342024-03-07T10:29:00.005+00:002024-03-07T10:29:57.697+00:00News 7 March 2024 <p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Holidays? </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-0ZqP3jUE9agraQQIPoiKQrWqvbwcSBeZ7mL6vbeeIwpYOfwbtLkoJ0loIIDW4rhr0hXOW1yXtX3bJyCQ1lnp1bgLb6tUC3trXyNeM1eqNI2-JvRSDTlQW67qZA4umsiO0AdyZXZpfBqF7b00nDuBmgfBB9IR70jYLuSByjOArTbx2XiiuH8zhAlqGs/s640/dylan-thomas-2541797_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-0ZqP3jUE9agraQQIPoiKQrWqvbwcSBeZ7mL6vbeeIwpYOfwbtLkoJ0loIIDW4rhr0hXOW1yXtX3bJyCQ1lnp1bgLb6tUC3trXyNeM1eqNI2-JvRSDTlQW67qZA4umsiO0AdyZXZpfBqF7b00nDuBmgfBB9IR70jYLuSByjOArTbx2XiiuH8zhAlqGs/s320/dylan-thomas-2541797_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><br /></span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Martin and I have
just come back from a few days in South Wales, from Laugharne or Talacharn if
you wish to be precise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What an
inspiring place for a writer. And isn’t this in fact Milkwood or Under
Milkwood? Very close to where we stayed you can see the boat house where Dylan
Thomas lived and the view from his writing shed. From our apartment at the
Dylan Coastal Resort you become mesmerised by watching the tide go in and out
of the estuary.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">We’ve been there
several times and nearly always had an adventure there: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 48pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">It
snowed heavily enough a couple of times to keep us on the site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 48pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">We
took the park and ride bus into Carmarthen one time and were stranded there
when the return bus didn’t turn up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 48pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">One
year our lodge was flooded on our last night there</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 48pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there was the year of the broken arm and
a four night stay in Carmarthen hospital. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">This time it was relatively quiet but the trip home was just one
traffic jam after another. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Holidays are different now from how they used to be before I gave up
the day job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still go out and visit interesting
places. We spend a lot more time together. We have a few nice meals. I read more
and ignore more emails. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">It used to be the time when I dreamed about being a writer. These days
I don’t dream but I still find time for writing on holiday. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The change is still good but seriously I could do without the hassle of
the journey and the packing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 12pt;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">We came back to a very cold house and our hot water stopped working for
a short while. Touch wood – it’s sorted out now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Writing news</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6MrCTJR2uIQLRScp8OlmGHJmPTfeJpibmgACnZz1cLJlydgVTU9APQXoPglLAQclKmNtIBiN9KKVuydUQkSvymDqcKQcUaIeRLndwBJsz8ZHGX0WJnAFdBSmBQAVkV3b6mOv7np7O-99hAbEZD9iDGXORby_akNMuj0VwSIXC2-tjPxl3OsZDtQiqJs/s600/The%20House%20of%20Clementine%20Medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6MrCTJR2uIQLRScp8OlmGHJmPTfeJpibmgACnZz1cLJlydgVTU9APQXoPglLAQclKmNtIBiN9KKVuydUQkSvymDqcKQcUaIeRLndwBJsz8ZHGX0WJnAFdBSmBQAVkV3b6mOv7np7O-99hAbEZD9iDGXORby_akNMuj0VwSIXC2-tjPxl3OsZDtQiqJs/s320/The%20House%20of%20Clementine%20Medium.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m still working on edits of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peace Child 6</i>. I’ve just finished looking at whether cause and
effect are interacting correctly. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">I’m now offering <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girl in a Smart Uniform </i>on Kofi: pay what you like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will find it here: <a href="https://ko-fi.com/s/29884efcb0">https://ko-fi.com/s/29884efcb0</a> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">My review of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Animal Farm </i>at the Octagon Bolton is on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talking about My Generation <a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-animal-farm-the-octagon-theatre-bolton/">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-animal-farm-the-octagon-theatre-bolton/</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Two of my stories have been accepted for
publication this month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can read about
one of them here. <a href="https://www.irelandwritingretreat.com/post/finalists-and-winners-of-change">https://www.irelandwritingretreat.com/post/finalists-and-winners-of-change</a></span></span>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was really bizarre with ‘The Old Boots’. At<span class="x193iq5w"> first I couldn't remember which story this was. Then I couldn't
find it in my submissions list. Yet I'm normally fastidious in keeping records.
Four bizarre things had happened:</span><br />
<span class="x193iq5w">1. I'd miss-filed it as a short story instead of as a
piece of flash fiction. </span><br />
<span class="x193iq5w">2. I'd changed the title but not the file-name.</span><br />
<span class="x193iq5w">3. I'd only filed it once instead of twice (memory stick
and hard drive); it was only on the hard drive but I'd only looked on the
memory stick at first. </span><br />
<span class="x193iq5w">4. I'd made no record of where I'd sent it. </span><br />
<span class="x193iq5w">So, so out of character! Well I've found it now and
corrected all of the record-keeping mistakes. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="x193iq5w">I think we had a power cut at the time that this was
submitted. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="x193iq5w">I actually thought at first it was a
story I’ve called ‘The Rescue’ which starts off with young John putting on his
boots. Ironically, that is the second one that was accepted just this week!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">You can hear me talking about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The House of Clementine, </i>Peace Child 4,
which is out any moment now, on Hannah’s Bookshelf: <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/Hannahs_Bookshelf/hannahs-bookshelf-with-special-guests-isabelle-byrne-and-gill-james-02032024/">https://www.mixcloud.com/Hannahs_Bookshelf/hannahs-bookshelf-with-special-guests-isabelle-byrne-and-gill-james-02032024/</a></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Actually, the e-book is out already: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Clementine-Peace-Child-Book-ebook/dp/B0CV7ZJKLM">https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Clementine-Peace-Child-Book-ebook/dp/B0CV7ZJKLM</a>
Naturally I’ll be very grateful for any reviews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<h3><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">On My Blog</span></span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This
moth I’ve talked about some of the things I like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can read about my choice in movies:</span><span lang="X-NONE"> <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/02/movie-fun-five-movies-ive-enjoyed.html">Movie
Fun – five movies I’ve enjoyed</a></span><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">and in books: </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/02/i-love-books.html">I Love Books</a>
</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It’s all to do with story,
isn’t it? </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"> The Young Person’s Library</h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8op9pbctjr-VxuK4ksr1QJSXnYRxGronsir6ZMbLk-P6cRIBFYW3LZo31u2qU5ifySgNYLvoUA77M2Y25kSVlX-7Lah3u9akbiZJpy5Iz08KEB5H5Ce5zW7g2Tdz7HLKP590N9VpYUlbfbCusxUBZ_GVbOXboxcV4r5vep43uhusJU1haWS6fKIQI-mM/s1500/810vroii06L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1175" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8op9pbctjr-VxuK4ksr1QJSXnYRxGronsir6ZMbLk-P6cRIBFYW3LZo31u2qU5ifySgNYLvoUA77M2Y25kSVlX-7Lah3u9akbiZJpy5Iz08KEB5H5Ce5zW7g2Tdz7HLKP590N9VpYUlbfbCusxUBZ_GVbOXboxcV4r5vep43uhusJU1haWS6fKIQI-mM/s320/810vroii06L._SL1500_.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In
the library this month</span><span lang="X-NONE">: <a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/2024/02/dim-sum-palace-by-x-fang.html">Dim
Sum Palace by X. Fang</a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> . </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This
is a picture book that will make you hungry. </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You may notice the library looking a little bare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the book information is still there,
but the pictures have gone and so have the links to Amazon. I’m gradually
restoring all of this but it will take a while. I do use an Amazon affiliate
link, so if you click through I sometimes get a few pence out of what you
pay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slightly less goes to Amazon.
Amazon has changed the way it displays those links. Many people are very upset
about this. It’s creating a lot of extra work and for some people losing them
income. I’m taking my time in repairing the entries. And of course, there is a
Kofi button so you can always shout me the price of a cup of coffee if you
appreciate the work I’m doing there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE">Recommended read </span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2xRKBVnSdSX_5xy0jpYktD4nF2qj0QOmEVFtLOdVb4rmQn1lvyayc_jDLg_yet8NgK2OcYVT74I1Cfd_MLpfXMaDHy2C5dyzs_uiFJLJGsEN2BOKCW1ijGr6PLeoSOCO7XBibwWZ4FT-kkDc-KFoeQ6Y5eJRHuosCGxC0ZuQZg5l7hPEdzLRdkLv944/s218/91pQKO97DtL._AC_UY218_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="148" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2xRKBVnSdSX_5xy0jpYktD4nF2qj0QOmEVFtLOdVb4rmQn1lvyayc_jDLg_yet8NgK2OcYVT74I1Cfd_MLpfXMaDHy2C5dyzs_uiFJLJGsEN2BOKCW1ijGr6PLeoSOCO7XBibwWZ4FT-kkDc-KFoeQ6Y5eJRHuosCGxC0ZuQZg5l7hPEdzLRdkLv944/s1600/91pQKO97DtL._AC_UY218_.jpg" width="148" /></a></div><br /><span lang="X-NONE"><br /></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">The month I’m recommending <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jessamine</i> by Shani Strurthers.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jessamin loses her husband in a tragic accident for which
she blames herself. Will she ever come to terms with his death? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">James stays with her and they still talk to each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jessamin moves to Scotland to escape the hustle
and bustle of Brighton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wants to
live in peace and enjoy still being with James. However, life takes over. She
becomes part of the community and helps an old man and his son deal with their
own ghosts. Can she deal with her own? Are the ghosts real or are they in the minds
of the haunted? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jessamine </i>is
a story of the supernatural and that is what Shani Struther specialises in. I
first got to know Struthers’ work when we were both published by Crooked Cat.
Out of loyalty to my publisher I bought all of the books that appealed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However I bought this one because another of
her books had delighted me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find out
more <a href="https://gillsrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/2024/03/jessamine-by-shani-strurthers.html">here</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h2><span lang="X-NONE">Sample pages </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal">This replaces my previous giveaways. If you like what you’re
reading you can click through and find out ways of buying the book. However,
I’m still happy to give you a free copy if you’re strapped for cash and / or
you’re willing to review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just contact
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This month I’m offering <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Clara’s
Story</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV63x40zorPOhGQHvXv8dCrZM28CAztXQv_oxGoF6-ebdpqAysSkCEsrdWWo_gpOnr1t8uh23H7TPFuNjR5SZK8rhfr0x4BOzfDz_Z3Kdzg0ATMe_Q4jAAp0XcPBynXV4jdoBQRi8C-Dgo0wCYkmZbaxD5KkfOSzRkjGpKqCKO391ZwEMA_UZvZN5LOlw/s600/Clara's_Story_Medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV63x40zorPOhGQHvXv8dCrZM28CAztXQv_oxGoF6-ebdpqAysSkCEsrdWWo_gpOnr1t8uh23H7TPFuNjR5SZK8rhfr0x4BOzfDz_Z3Kdzg0ATMe_Q4jAAp0XcPBynXV4jdoBQRi8C-Dgo0wCYkmZbaxD5KkfOSzRkjGpKqCKO391ZwEMA_UZvZN5LOlw/s320/Clara's_Story_Medium.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i><p></p>
<h3><a name="_Toc391058742"><span lang="X-NONE">8 October 1918, Berlin: The end
of a phase</span></a><span lang="X-NONE"> </span></h3>
<p class="Novel1stParagraph">Clara shuddered. It was one of those strange
uncontrollable little movements. Her mother used to say it meant someone was
walking over your grave. What did that mean, actually though? They were walking
over where you were going to be buried? How would you know now? It was nonsense
really but she had no better or even any other explanation for it. It wasn’t as
if it was cold in the kitchen: the Kackelofen was lit and the sun was streaming
through the window. </p>
<p class="NovelBody">She put the rest of yesterday’s birthday cake away. Ernst
had insisted she should celebrate her birthday despite his illness. She’d baked
one of her special cheesecakes but nobody had had much appetite for it. It
would keep a few days, she guessed. Perhaps when he was feeling better they
would all appreciate it more. </p>
<p class="NovelBody"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She looked at the
clock. He should have called for his tea by now. It was half an hour past the
normal time. She’d looked in on him earlier. He’d been sound asleep. Doctor Friedrich
had said it was good to let him sleep. Perhaps she should go and look in on him
again. </p>
<p class="NovelBody"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://gillssamplesundays.blogspot.com/2024/03/claras-story.html">Read
more</a> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Schellberg Project </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">The posts may be helpful for teachers who are familiar with
the Schellberg stories or who are teaching about the Holocaust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may also be interesting for other readers
of historical fiction.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">I’ve added a
couple of posts this month. </span></p>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I
discuss some modern day problems that echo what happened in that era in</span><span lang="X-NONE"> <a href="https://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/2024/02/pogroms-asylum-seekers-happiness-seekers.html">Pogroms,
asylum seekers, happiness seekers</a> </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Did George Orwell</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">actually predict the Holocaust?
See my discussion</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">: </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/2024/02/stalin-animal-farm-george-orwell-and.html">Stalin,
Animal Farm, George Orwell and the Holocaust</a> </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="X-NONE"></span></h3>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Some notes about my newsletters and
blogs</span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">They do overlap a little but here is a summary of what they
all do. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bridge House Authors </i></b>For all those published by Bridge House, CaféLit,
Chapeltown or The Red Telephone or interested in being published by us. General
news about the imprints. News for writers. Links to book performance. Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cDHFU1">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bridgetown<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Café Bookshop </i></b>where
you can buy my books and books published by Bridge House Publishing, CafeLit,
Chapeltown Books and The Red Telephone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Visit us <a href="http://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapeltown Books </i></b>News about our books. Sign up <a href="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/lists/designer/?id=423577">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>News about the project and CaféLit –
for the consumer rather than for the producer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/dq-Ab">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s News: </i></b>News about my writing, The Schellberg Project, School
Visits and Events. Book recommendations and giveaways. Find it <a href="http://eepurl.com/dfWRE">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pushing Boundaries, Flying Higher </i></b>News about conferences and
workshops to do with the young adult novel. (infrequent postings) Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/bZEFh9">here</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Telephone Books</i></b> News about our books and our authors. Sign
up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cmpICr">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Publisher’s Perspective </i></b>Here I and some other editors blog as
a publisher. Access this <a href="https://apublishersperspective.blogspot.com/">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>Listings and reviews of creative cafés.
See them <a href="http://www.creativecafeproject.org/">her</a>e.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CaféLit Stories </i></b>Find these <a href="https://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/">here</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill James Writer </i></b>All about writing and about my books. View
this <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/">here.</a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Recommended Reads </i></b>Find information <a href="https://gillsrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/">here</a> about books that
have taken me out of my editor’s head and a reminder of the ones I’ve
highlighted in this newsletter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Sample Fiction </i></b>Read some of my fiction <a href="https://gillssamplesundays.blogspot.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The House on Schellberg Street </i></b>All about my Schellberg project.
Read it <a href="http://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing Teacher </i></b>All about teaching creative writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some creative writing exercises. Access this <a href="https://creative-writingteacher.blogspot.com/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also invite other writers to provide
prompts and work for critique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Books Books Books </i></b>Weekly offers on our books and news of new
books. Find them <a href="https://www.scribblersbooksbooksbooks.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The Young Person’s Library</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>children’s
book catalogue. Access it <a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/">here.</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Fair Submissions </span></i></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find
it <a href="https://www.fairsubmissions.co.uk/">here.</a> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Opportunities for writers </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">are added several times a day. Roughly once a
month I send it out to a list. If you would like to be on that list, sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/doFkD">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Happy reading and
writing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-24347778374646626982024-02-18T20:55:00.004+00:002024-02-18T20:55:54.594+00:00I Love Books<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOSC7fBs4EXujYclQDp-bJDoR82D_zvCAMYL5XJAVS5BmOoc1DdixjHeLxX65uQZRX_b5DsvMsAlJ5gUVdo2ykfSpUbp8yC5yy_5_FUV-V_QS-2c56rHLWmBd4pok0z0NOmBGISrTlp8f-P-U1IcaNRWt9Snf25UZWUHCDzNQ3hkCKFtsMwhzY9nKY10/s2160/2020a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2160" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOSC7fBs4EXujYclQDp-bJDoR82D_zvCAMYL5XJAVS5BmOoc1DdixjHeLxX65uQZRX_b5DsvMsAlJ5gUVdo2ykfSpUbp8yC5yy_5_FUV-V_QS-2c56rHLWmBd4pok0z0NOmBGISrTlp8f-P-U1IcaNRWt9Snf25UZWUHCDzNQ3hkCKFtsMwhzY9nKY10/s320/2020a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Of course I do. I became a writer because I love reading. I
always have a book on the go and I read even more when I’m on holiday. I’ve
signed up for the Good Reads challenge and I’m three books ahead. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you may already know I keep another blog about books I
recommend. Each month I nominate the book I’ve enjoyed the most as my
recommended read. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ask me today what’s the best book ever and I’ll say one
thing; I’ll probably say something totally different another day. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, I thought I might try and analyse which sort of books I’ve
enjoyed reading and try and work out why. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I read a lot of children’s book, but I particularly enjoy
reading ones written for young adults and teen and for fairly fluent readers at
the top end of primary school. I used to be a high school teaches so I guess
that makes sense of the teen and YA books, and of course I’ve written a few for
them. I like owning picture books because they usually look so gorgeous and are
often so tactile. Having an MA in Writing for Children and being a member of
SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and CWIG (Children’s
Writers and Illustrators Group – within the Society of Authors) means I’ve become
quite knowledgeable about children’s books. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I enjoy historical novels, especially those set around World
War II. Again, I write about that period and I’m not afraid to address the
Holocaust. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some classic appeal to me, and two years ago on holiday I
read a lot of John Steinbeck. I also like Charles Dickens. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m a member of a reading group and this means I often read some
newish releases, most of which I enjoy. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve always been a fan of Maeve Binchy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were fortunate enough to holiday in her home
village one year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could live there and
write, I’m sure. Binchy is neither literary nor genre. Her stories are usually about
women but they’re not quite the sort of story you see in women’s magazines.
Will I ever be as well received as she is? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m also quite keen on Margaret Attwood. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I quite like memoir as long at the person who is writing is interesting
enough. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m not too know-it-all; I still enjoy reading books on
writers’ craft. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I like to support my writing friends and people I’ve published.
Generally, if they let me know about a publication I’ll buy it and read it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some thrillers and detective stories are fine. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m a real sucker for a good Christmas story and will even
read Chick-lit for this season. However, I can’t take too much Chick-lit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m interested as well in book about physics – as long as
they’re easy enough to understand. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ll dip into the Booker short list though sometimes I’ve found
them a little demanding. Then again, even though I enjoy a really relaxing book
I also like to be challenged. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Philosophy appeals as well – I like to be invited to think. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I like writing and reading about near futures. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Occasionally I read in other languages- French, German or
Spanish. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Take a look at my Recommended Reads <a href="https://gillsrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">https://gillsrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/</span></span></a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-19424147111686536852024-02-06T10:25:00.003+00:002024-02-06T10:25:37.456+00:00News 6 February 2024<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKp-dAbYcmLi2z-YQDbt67bdv2j5LbNhqOmVu7FS-ZnM5qOKbaTTq1qjL31PkSdEGGK87hyphenhyphenBNxjZFHqxDRkCm3r8tNTg4WnyXtuu4Wh4x9uzQwm5esRUGO4PZq4TXOXkl7w3Mvy6rvNJP_4BchVSm7lllJ2BxeshPI0xig1MNqjpyV2DbLlyxRUmRccNo/s640/pen-4969580_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKp-dAbYcmLi2z-YQDbt67bdv2j5LbNhqOmVu7FS-ZnM5qOKbaTTq1qjL31PkSdEGGK87hyphenhyphenBNxjZFHqxDRkCm3r8tNTg4WnyXtuu4Wh4x9uzQwm5esRUGO4PZq4TXOXkl7w3Mvy6rvNJP_4BchVSm7lllJ2BxeshPI0xig1MNqjpyV2DbLlyxRUmRccNo/s320/pen-4969580_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p></p><h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Coming up </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talking about My Generation </i>team met
yesterday and I now find myself with a heap of interesting writing projects: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">One
about each of my U3A groups: French, German Spanish and of course, Creative
Writing. These well be personal glances but will also give practical
information about how to get involved. They will also offer ideas for other
people’s groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">An
account about my choir. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Some
more guided creative writing exercises about interesting local places</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Working
with another reporter on an article on future-proofing your home and life:
lasting power of attorney, stair lifts, choosing a care home, knowing how to
finance getting old<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- not as depressing
as you may think: knowledge is power. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Then I
also have to look forward to my final Schellberg novel, my final Peace Child
novel and a three part family saga. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">And
all of the short stories, blog posts and newsletters like this of course. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">It’s good to be busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Writing news</span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m getting though the edits on with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peace Child 6</i>. I’ve just finished looking at whether the characters
are rounded and consistent. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My article on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talking
about My Generation</i>: <a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/hackers-and-identify-theft-how-common-is-it/">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/hackers-and-identify-theft-how-common-is-it/</a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>This is about what happens when
hackers get into<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>big organisations<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>and access our personal details. I
include several case studies, two of which have impacted on me: The British
Library and Capita that administers my university pension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"></span></p>
<h3><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve also written a review of a super play
that we saw at our local Whitefield Garrick: <a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-be-my-baby-at-the-whitefield-garrick/">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-be-my-baby-at-the-whitefield-garrick/</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The play is set in 1964 and is very much
of that time. It was first produced in 1998. </span></span></h3>
<h3><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">My story <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://medium.com/@gilljames/the-magic-of-light-and-shadow-8deb05f91a51">The
Magic of<b><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></b>Light and Shadow</a></i></span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></i></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is now available on Medium. It is a folk /
fairy tale with an element of the grass being greener on the other side. </span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">You can now set
your own price for my first collection of short stories, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Daily Bread,</i> on Kofi: <a href="https://ko-fi.com/s/2a1eb7c6d3">https://ko-fi.com/s/2a1eb7c6d3</a></span>
<span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></span></span></h3>
<h3><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On My Blog</span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">Please enjoy my interview with Georgina Wright who tells us
about her new book. See what she says <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/georgina-wright-tells-me-about-her.html">here.</a>
If this has piqued your interest you might be tempted to join our Zoom event on
22 February 7 pm where Georgina talks some more about the book and the issues
it raises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is the invite:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/navaselva-an-evening-with-georgina-wright-tickets-804907218157">https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/navaselva-an-evening-with-georgina-wright-tickets-804907218157</a>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What is the best advice you have ever been given about
writing? Here is mine: <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/the-best-writing-tip-ive-ever-received.html">https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/the-best-writing-tip-ive-ever-received.html</a>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And what do you enjoy about the writing life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is my list: <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/these-are-my-favourite-things-about.html">https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/these-are-my-favourite-things-about.html</a>
</p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE">The Young Person’s Library </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">Again, no new books added this month I’m afraid and I’m
afraid a whole heap of work created on this site now because of the
inexplicable actions of Amazon. Even so, I must get back to reading more
children’s books again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE">Recommended read </span></h3><h3><span lang="X-NONE"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUAyQ1ZfQp-beb-7Uqmo7TJ8X7VUQHqImV-H11hUXc9FGt8KAn6MdPR7oUi5IP7_zbzErX92646ntelitDWfD9-R6-r2MnbQXaPLNIJJSIkNXAc8broxFFL4hJ9gK16oD4TyAI2M2JldrM1w1ak8zDcW5le0sr80I-Vc9mDnoWl1M6et9JXUWDH1QxH8/s1500/Porcelain%20maker_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="974" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUAyQ1ZfQp-beb-7Uqmo7TJ8X7VUQHqImV-H11hUXc9FGt8KAn6MdPR7oUi5IP7_zbzErX92646ntelitDWfD9-R6-r2MnbQXaPLNIJJSIkNXAc8broxFFL4hJ9gK16oD4TyAI2M2JldrM1w1ak8zDcW5le0sr80I-Vc9mDnoWl1M6et9JXUWDH1QxH8/s320/Porcelain%20maker_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /> </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So,
this month I’m recommending</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://amzn.to/42r7uRr">The Porcelain
Maker of Dachau </a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Note, this is an affiliate link and a small portion of what you pay may
go to Bridge House publishing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></h3>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Two stories intertwine: that of the romance between Jewish architect Max
and ‘degenerate’ artist Bettina and that of her daughter Clara who after her
mother’s death seeks to find out more about her father. </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">We know that Clara
and Bettina survive so our question is not what happened but how did they manage
that? Why did they come to England?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
did they get there? Who is Erza? How does this avant-garde artist reconcile herself
to the Nazi era? How does Max, an architect, become a porcelain maker? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The text isn’t
perfect. In the opening chapters I found some odd expression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure if it continued. If it did I
stopped noticing. I was soon absorbed in the plot. There is also some odd
formatting in some text in italics. I suspect this may be an Amazon rather than
a publisher or author problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Sarah Freethy is
an author I shall certainly read again. She keeps us guessing about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Porcelain maker of Dachau.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></h3>
<h2><span lang="X-NONE">Sample pages </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal">This replaces my previous giveaways. If you like what you’re
reading you can click through and find out ways of buying the book. However,
I’m still happy to give you a free copy if you’re strapped for cash and / or
you’re willing to review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just contact
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This month I’m offering <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">So
Now You’re Published, What Next? </i>This is my manual for newly published
writers. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQRd4v3B-zO7Pv4HuaEOjfQKTS5GtdgS8f57wU7l2kWPmRuQGYo-SA-u-sfbhgUUWJAXYG0_qcjjIo3dSmA58reLjDbBApay2ctzwS1vMRLK5-2EScctcLuQl6QSjotDV7fArJhM7ZQRo58IANsPwnNizYcie1QfsZWcg3SqL0E5BTefAPNBw4UXUlUQ/s600/Marketing%20For%20Indies%20Medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="388" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQRd4v3B-zO7Pv4HuaEOjfQKTS5GtdgS8f57wU7l2kWPmRuQGYo-SA-u-sfbhgUUWJAXYG0_qcjjIo3dSmA58reLjDbBApay2ctzwS1vMRLK5-2EScctcLuQl6QSjotDV7fArJhM7ZQRo58IANsPwnNizYcie1QfsZWcg3SqL0E5BTefAPNBw4UXUlUQ/s320/Marketing%20For%20Indies%20Medium.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I</span><span lang="X-NONE">ntroduction</span></h3>
<p class="firstparagraph">At a recent meeting of the Society of Authors Joanne
Harris told how, when her first book was published, she asked the publishers if
there was a marketing budget. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">"We
might run to a book of second class stamps," was the reply. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">So,
she made her own posters and hawked them around local libraries and bookshops.
She seems to have succeeded. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">Chances
are if you're published by the small press your publisher won't have a lot of
time and certainly won't have much budget to promote your book. In fact,
though, if you're published by one of the Big Five, they'll hardly have any
more time or money though they may have a little more influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the habits and routines described here are
good to get into anyway. It should all become easy and should not detract from
the main task in hand: becoming a great writer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://gillssamplesundays.blogspot.com/p/so-now-youre-published-what-next.html">Read
more here</a> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Schellberg Project </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">The posts may be helpful for teachers who are familiar with
the Schellberg stories or who are teaching about the Holocaust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may also be interesting for other readers
of historical fiction.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">I’ve added a
couple of posts this month. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">One book review: </span></p>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/2024/01/max-hermann-maierin-uns-verwoben-tief.html">Max
Hermann Maier:In uns verwoben, tief and wunderbar –Erinnerungen an Deutschland</a>
</span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This is a rather dry text but nevertheless interesting and all the more
so because Maier, who fled Nazi Germany in 1938, knew some people that we know.
</span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/2024/01/the-nazi-attitude-to-art.html">The
Nazi Attitude to Art</a></span><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">looks briefly at ‘degenerate’ art and what the Nazis regarded as good
art,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>how art was stolen<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the influence and decline of the Bauhaus.
Naturally this only scratches the surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span lang="X-NONE"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="X-NONE"></span></h3>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Some notes about my newsletters and
blogs</span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">They do overlap a little but here is a summary of what they
all do. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bridge House Authors </i></b>For all those published by Bridge House, CaféLit,
Chapeltown or The Red Telephone or interested in being published by us. General
news about the imprints. News for writers. Links to book performance. Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cDHFU1">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bridgetown<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Café Bookshop </i></b>where
you can buy my books and books published by Bridge House Publishing, CafeLit,
Chapeltown Books and The Red Telephone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Visit us <a href="http://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapeltown Books </i></b>News about our books. Sign up <a href="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/lists/designer/?id=423577">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>News about the project and CaféLit –
for the consumer rather than for the producer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/dq-Ab">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s News: </i></b>News about my writing, The Schellberg Project, School
Visits and Events. Book recommendations and giveaways. Find it <a href="http://eepurl.com/dfWRE">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pushing Boundaries, Flying Higher </i></b>News about conferences and
workshops to do with the young adult novel. (infrequent postings) Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/bZEFh9">here</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Telephone Books</i></b> News about our books and our authors. Sign
up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cmpICr">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Publisher’s Perspective </i></b>Here I and some other editors blog as
a publisher. Access this <a href="https://apublishersperspective.blogspot.com/">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>Listings and reviews of creative
cafés. See them <a href="http://www.creativecafeproject.org/">her</a>e.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CaféLit Stories </i></b>Find these <a href="https://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/">here</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill James Writer </i></b>All about writing and about my books. View
this <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/">here.</a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Recommended Reads </i></b>Find information <a href="https://gillsrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/">here</a> about books that
have taken me out of my editor’s head and a reminder of the ones I’ve
highlighted in this newsletter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Sample Fiction </i></b>Read some of my fiction <a href="https://gillssamplesundays.blogspot.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The House on Schellberg Street </i></b>All about my Schellberg project.
Read it <a href="http://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing Teacher </i></b>All about teaching creative writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some creative writing exercises. Access this <a href="https://creative-writingteacher.blogspot.com/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also invite other writers to provide
prompts and work for critique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Books Books Books </i></b>Weekly offers on our books and news of new
books. Find them <a href="https://www.scribblersbooksbooksbooks.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The Young Person’s Library</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>children’s
book catalogue. Access it <a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/">here.</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Fair Submissions </span></i></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find
it <a href="https://www.fairsubmissions.co.uk/">here.</a> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Opportunities for writers </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">are added several times a day. Roughly once a
month I send it out to a list. If you would like to be on that list, sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/doFkD">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Happy reading and
writing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-91515631867647286242024-02-04T12:27:00.002+00:002024-02-04T12:27:32.377+00:00Movie Fun – five movies I’ve enjoyed <p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPFqV4cw9ckGiA1xZai-XBfCmV0DlaMwEXm6oegLM_zadftC041Ldqet8dGEHw6YqjKmQ9kbX_lpf2iD7vVjKemezAVALxGoMq9Q_X0Kr8N3azwUP3n1cdrT6lZwszc9RUd0yMqrna6DLUVEE-Kwm0HwBD4ooj3mOlHGaeK0EqbRl9BEh2jliYVYlj_E/s640/cinema-2502213_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPFqV4cw9ckGiA1xZai-XBfCmV0DlaMwEXm6oegLM_zadftC041Ldqet8dGEHw6YqjKmQ9kbX_lpf2iD7vVjKemezAVALxGoMq9Q_X0Kr8N3azwUP3n1cdrT6lZwszc9RUd0yMqrna6DLUVEE-Kwm0HwBD4ooj3mOlHGaeK0EqbRl9BEh2jliYVYlj_E/s320/cinema-2502213_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I’m not saying these are my favourite five movies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually don’t like trying to name favourites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I wrote this blog post tomorrow I’d probably
say something completely different. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the whole, I enjoy films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are a form of story that you can digest quite quickly but also that
you can focus on for an hour or two and that is relaxing. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I very much enjoyed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_Thief_(film)"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">The Book Thief</span></span></a> .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>I loved the book. Unusually I also found
the film very good. Films can often be a disappointment. Not so with this one.
I’ve also seen this on stage as a musical and unbelievably, perhaps, that was
also very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can read my review
of it <a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-the-book-thief-at-the-bolton-octagon/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">here.</span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Back in the 1980s if there was nothing to watch on TV my
husband and I would always go back to a couple movies we’d recorded on a
Betamax video recorder. One was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh,_God!_(film)"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Oh God</span></span></a> </i>starring John Denver as a supermarket
manager, Jerry Landers, who gets invited to meet God Himself. God is played by
George Burns. There are lots of funny moments. God admits that he didn’t get
the pip right in the avocado. Lander is invited to the thirteenth floor in a
building that only has twelve floors. If God exists I rather hope He is like
the one George Burns portrays. In fact, I think I’ve always thought of Him as
being that way. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The other film we often turned to was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tootsie"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Tootsie</span></span></a>. </i>Dustin Hoffman plays the lead in this.
Michael Dorsey is having difficulty getting acting works, so he disguises himself
as a woman to pursue one particular role. He gets the part! He soon learns that
living as a woman isn’t easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This film
offers an interesting study of a man finding out what it is like being a woman.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Complications occur as his girlfriend’s father
falls in love with the character he has created. And he is offered a further
contract. Naturally, we all know Hoffman is a brilliant actor. He does well
here. And this is a very thought-provoking story line. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I thoroughly enjoyed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everybody%27s_Talking_About_Jamie_(film)"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Everybody’s<span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">
Talking About Jaimie</span></span></span></a></i> . Oddly it’s a musical and
I’m not so keen on musicals and thought that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book Thief </i>at the Octagon was the exception. However, the music
in this seems to fit so naturally. I became interested in this story – it is
based on a true story – when I saw a documentary about it. Jaimie is trans and
wants to go to the school prom in a dress. His mum totally accepts him and
loves him the way he is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His dad totally
rejects him. He does get to go to the ball – dressed the way she wants. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Part of my enjoyment came from seeing it on the big screen
in a small cinema. We were still partly under lockdown rules. Nine of us watched
it in a cinema room that hold thirty. This was at <a href="https://homemcr.org/"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Home<span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">,</span></span></span></a>
Manchester.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lovely atmosphere
at this cultural centre. There’s something very relaxing about seeing a film in
a cinema. As long as you and the others have remembered to switch off your
phones, and as long as not too many people wander around or eat popcorn noisily,
you can concentrate fully on the film, which is perhaps more difficult if you watch
at home. The scenes between the musical acts are of a working class life
familiar to me. It; defiantly a feel-good movie but offers us much to think about.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And then there is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Electric_Grandmother"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;"><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">The Electric Grandmother</span></span></a>
</i>. This was made in 1982 and is based on a story written in 1969. The
electric grandmother is a little like Mary Poppins or Nanny McPhee. Except of course
that this grandmother is an android.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is indeed a film for children. I stumbled across it when I was a
teacher and used to have the TV on in the background in the school holidays
when I was doing any sort of boring admin work. Way ahead of its time? It shows
mainly the positive aspects of artificial intelligence.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’d gladly watch any of these films again. They tell great stories.
I’m very privileged to be able to count watching films and reading stories as
work. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-72998710315172260932024-01-21T15:20:00.001+00:002024-02-02T17:49:25.401+00:00These are my favourite things about being a writer<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1yJ01MqbmDfT9Ezbokw0rNv5BW6o_YoCQLvVDcNalvWJIz6NbPCvNVHhivznxTgif-10ZenHwY1-W6e_qBJ3oW6TMprjWGPSHQ3tR94oCSUEF5Rgp2zdg11uu_KhnTJYroEV2m6wL8rUeHc7FQJgQtlp_hu__u8K06u6ktbs6YwWuIYZirxCAt7n-V4/s640/face-993545_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1yJ01MqbmDfT9Ezbokw0rNv5BW6o_YoCQLvVDcNalvWJIz6NbPCvNVHhivznxTgif-10ZenHwY1-W6e_qBJ3oW6TMprjWGPSHQ3tR94oCSUEF5Rgp2zdg11uu_KhnTJYroEV2m6wL8rUeHc7FQJgQtlp_hu__u8K06u6ktbs6YwWuIYZirxCAt7n-V4/s320/face-993545_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p></p><h2></h2>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Being totally absorbed in
the world I am creating </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Getting all sorts of ideas
from the wackiest of places and at the most unexpected times:</li><ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="a"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2;">At the bus stop</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2;">Whilst cooking</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2;">When I’m stuck in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>traffic jam</li></ol><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Reading a book, watching
TV or visiting the theatre or cinema counting as work because they feed my
understanding of story</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Having lots and lots of friends
in the writing world</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Seeing a book come out in
the world</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Being part of a world that
includes book festivals, author events and lovely, lovely books</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Getting that odd acceptance
letter/ email.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Sometimes somebody saying something
nice about my writing.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Not having to go out in
the rain snow or heat wave in order to get to work </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;">Being able to do anything
I want to – run a café, live in Spain, be rich – simply by writing about
it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li></ol>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-89379784758707125232024-01-16T08:34:00.000+00:002024-01-16T08:34:42.912+00:00The best writing tip I’ve ever received<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><h1><strong><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></strong></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20N3HfxuM81XZMiC24iEfy9aiMzqcCUCT2rXhLwSI1Cjp1snypI4CmFaTCWiidJFM2E49xbAHEnhJKBd4cqrSKV808zhrPOZMb_J1wVP4tX6Ja-IqWitupD29AyZvSY2YStAh_HC2Ck5Xa62teLV-bbTEODH1FhaDatxW6-TY_aWrlnyBbTkJxXlUXcg/s640/man-1424877_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="640" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20N3HfxuM81XZMiC24iEfy9aiMzqcCUCT2rXhLwSI1Cjp1snypI4CmFaTCWiidJFM2E49xbAHEnhJKBd4cqrSKV808zhrPOZMb_J1wVP4tX6Ja-IqWitupD29AyZvSY2YStAh_HC2Ck5Xa62teLV-bbTEODH1FhaDatxW6-TY_aWrlnyBbTkJxXlUXcg/s320/man-1424877_640.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing is mainly re-writing, don’t they say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rejection after rejection, comments from
people in my two critique groups and feedback form my creative writing tutors
soon convinced me that one draft isn’t enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In fact several drafts aren’t enough. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So I soon devised my own checklist and now I do around
about fourteen edits of my longer works, looking at one aspect of them at a time.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For the penultimate edit I read my work out loud. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Reading work aloud has several benefits: </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 53.2pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You notice typos, missing words and repeated
words more easily because you are reading the text more slowly. You read what is
actually there, rather than what you think should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 53.2pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You become more aware of the length of
sentences, paragraphs and chapters. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 53.2pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You establish the rhythm of the piece –
or lack of it – and can decide more easily if and where it needs to change. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 53.2pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can more easily check whether in any
dialogue characters are actually speaking the way they would. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 53.2pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can more easily spot an awkward turn
of phrase or sentences that actually don’t make sense. In part this is again
because you are reading the work more slowly. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In addition you can test whether you are showing
rather than telling: do the actions described take roughly the same amount of
time to read as they would to do? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Why the penultimate edit and not sooner or indeed
not the final edit? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Basically you’ve done everything else now; you’ve
checked the structure, you’ve established that there <br />are no plot holes, you’ve
checked for cause and effect and consistency amongst your characters, you’ve
removed clichés and purple prose and you’ve probably killed off a few darlings.
Now it’s time to establish that the text still works. The final edit is about
presentation. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Don’t be tempted to “do voices”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can add meaning that isn’t there in the
words alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A member of my MA group was
so good at reading out work she could make anything sound brilliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end that wasn’t really all that
helpful. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This can be quite demanding when you’re editing a
100,000+ word novel. Never mind. The cat is generally up for it and you worry
if she walks away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s thirsty work,
reading your text out loud. But the pauses for the odd gulp of water are also
helpful. They give you the opportunity to consider how to fix anything that isn’t
working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend to use a stage whisper.
That still works. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A novelist
friend of mine came to talk to my students about her work and to read from her recently
published novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a few seconds she
paused. She was half way down the first page of the section she was reading.
She laughed. “I’ve just realised,” she said. “I always tell my own students
never to do that.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This could of course
have been partly because reading out loud is anyway a different process from
reading in your head and texts may need to be slightly different for these two diverse
purposes. It can be that the writer had moved on - we are all quite
self-critical even after our work is published and has had good reviews, or it
could be proof that we abandon rather than finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later, though, she confessed to me. “That
will teach me to not bother reading my work out loud. It’s really essential,
isn’t it?” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was my MA tutor who first gave me that tip and I
can confirm that it has made the biggest difference to the quality of my writing.
Thank goodness for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-38008167432256113342024-01-15T15:15:00.002+00:002024-02-02T17:56:43.391+00:00Georgina Wright tells me about her recently released book, Navaselva, The Call of the Wild Valley <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Cs-wB6X576Ij9Z2GGxbDulpHkwIG-ZnSQ98hQbYyllAz5jDmGTJtH3eWVaeDPZQh3Su9wLbPbJDvov6rzUBAzeiGSEZJ60kBCzanWMETtwUvDTK-JDmKvwX25sPqZf-3IWa1e8x-s5isMI7xY5a2xYsusljNvh4USG2vB6gcqNfeBqPk_MQR6JH74wY/s1431/image0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="998" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Cs-wB6X576Ij9Z2GGxbDulpHkwIG-ZnSQ98hQbYyllAz5jDmGTJtH3eWVaeDPZQh3Su9wLbPbJDvov6rzUBAzeiGSEZJ60kBCzanWMETtwUvDTK-JDmKvwX25sPqZf-3IWa1e8x-s5isMI7xY5a2xYsusljNvh4USG2vB6gcqNfeBqPk_MQR6JH74wY/s320/image0.jpeg" width="223" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">So, why did you decide that this book was for a young adult
reader? Or did you write for that reader on purpose? </span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">When the first lines and chapter about the weasel came into my
mind, I knew that the writing could not be an animal story for primary age
children to read themselves but one that would hopefully appeal to an able and
older readership with an emphasis on exploring the challenges facing our
natural world. I wanted an authentic voice for nature and to reach out to as
many readers as possible. There are many books for adults which focus on dogs
and cats so why not wild animals? I was happy with a 10 to 100yrs age range but
the publishing market seems to frown on this. I also thought it might be a book
parents and teachers can read aloud and discuss so that differing abilities and
maturities can be included. I have spent a long time teaching secondary age
students, so these experiences shaped my writing too but not on purpose.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I was more driven to write the book that was
inspiring me than consider as I had to do later the publishing industry.
Feedback finally led me to introducing the human narrative and the themes I
explore suit an age and maturity where there can be a reflection about
adolescence, becoming a young adult and the realities we face in the 21<sup>st</sup>
century.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">At the time I began Navaselva, there was little mention of nature
in crisis or the Friday school strikes. I wanted a different approach to
documentary or factual nature writing and I also wanted to challenge myself to
write a novel. In some ways the novel wrote itself as the journey of the animal
characters took flight. Navaselva has a mix of factual, ecological background
and an attempt at empathy through identification with fictional characters. The
language and style I loved experimenting with has a basis in my love of poetry,
expressing different perspectives and lyrical so that the beauty of nature can
be described.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XyzhCc55dqIz56McN34kzEnPU690akrSL-GRNL6En92N7w28szNMIsUJLF4qCz5S2RpdkuQwlYFGZS0bYiEPSw_TiMSY3wXKfHxi9S5S7Isz6r5LmuJxevxTTKCw3uTR7Gng8vknNCsE12ksbQQGhJh4ap1VmrHvqfWVSqxO9OHl3mA7dJVruZbhVBM/s3264/P1160766.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XyzhCc55dqIz56McN34kzEnPU690akrSL-GRNL6En92N7w28szNMIsUJLF4qCz5S2RpdkuQwlYFGZS0bYiEPSw_TiMSY3wXKfHxi9S5S7Isz6r5LmuJxevxTTKCw3uTR7Gng8vknNCsE12ksbQQGhJh4ap1VmrHvqfWVSqxO9OHl3mA7dJVruZbhVBM/s320/P1160766.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Tell us a little about Navaselva. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Navaselva is an imagined wild valley, a sanctuary for a wide range
of biodiversity of the animal and plant kingdom. It has a magical or mystical
quality as there is deep communication between the different species and a
telling of stories to help all to adapt and survive. At Navaselva, when the
messenger birds arrive from Africa in the Spring there is a call for the
Meetings of the Many. I decided on this concept as a way to give nature with
its many different species a voice. Maybe this is the allegory insight into
ways of cooperation and coexistence between all species.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Navaselva is based on my experiences of living in a ‘not so wild’
valley in southern Spain. There is rich biodiversity in these regions but I
also became aware of how much was at risk. My nature blog
navasolanature.wordpress.com has reflected on my own personal nature journey
living there and I try and write at least every month. </span><a href="https://navasolanature.wordpress.com/2023/12/30/a-review-of-my-2023-in-posts-and-books/"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">https://navasolanature.wordpress.com/2023/12/30/a-review-of-my-2023-in-posts-and-books/</span></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDF9eZA1X-dssoDLgjTpLMExiOsvBILoj8T6sfAJzm3Ub-ruMj_59-V96WjjALuepy6S8byumSAoETFze7Zji675HDrkAXuVXbhAG-eF60JohyYdz27AH7-fZDWwuAeo9wSEiXXaB8uVW0jL23w9xWOAg_rQhHBJYcmnbacQ5VKYJLlHkNXWDnxDqDUY/s3264/P1120012.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDF9eZA1X-dssoDLgjTpLMExiOsvBILoj8T6sfAJzm3Ub-ruMj_59-V96WjjALuepy6S8byumSAoETFze7Zji675HDrkAXuVXbhAG-eF60JohyYdz27AH7-fZDWwuAeo9wSEiXXaB8uVW0jL23w9xWOAg_rQhHBJYcmnbacQ5VKYJLlHkNXWDnxDqDUY/s320/P1120012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">How easy – or hard – was it to get into the point of view of the
animals? </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">When I was teaching, I had a series of lessons planned on
narrative voice within an ’Animals and Nature’ project. We used examples from Black Beauty
for first person and White Fang for third person. Students
were then able to research some wild animals of their own choice and use the
factual information as a base for some story writing. In many ways this is how
I researched the animals and characters I was planning to use in Navaselva. I
thoroughly enjoyed the knowledge I gained from this too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then had to decide on third person. I went for omniscient narrator first but with some more feedback and a
desire to not have such a detached approach I tried to be closely within the
mind of each of the main characters but not ‘head hop’!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gave rise to alternative chapters. This
latter technique means there are three different narrative strands in Part One
and Two which does add to complexity but I could not lose any of the strands
now and all interlinked so much.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">One thing I really did not want was ‘talking animals’ or
anthropomorphise/humanise them too much. I consider the animal world to have
consciousness, feelings, awareness. We sense our pets have feelings and there
must be a sense of belonging either to place, offspring, group. So, I felt I
could allow for some degree of emotional responses, even perhaps the guilt the
weasel has about his role in the fate of the last Navaselva turtle dove. For
all of us as animals our sense of purpose must be to find the best ways to
adapt and survive.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">It was difficult to try and work out how to make the animal world
with all its senses that are beyond our understanding accessible to readers.
How many smells can there be? And what stories do the smells tell? I avoided
aspects of this but tried to keep a multi-sensory element.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">However, I did try and create descriptions of ordinary objects in
our world into ways birds might see the world. From an RSPB article it was
suggested birds might see our houses as rocks and so I extended this and
thought of ways to explain certain other features. At times this might create a
puzzle which I hope does become clearer as the reader continues.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJsjP8VgFCZy1FzR13k1h3DRI1M50RfyvlcyAbKVin5OaDxaYAXG679VqtA5jhAIhta_TUFz-3Bc-pD1bl38mqcjxpV9s8doXyRZaX5QCzI9caeg1PqAB9CW326jvK7Qv1BhkjGVab0kXztNKxrfEd4CQRBPbcdTR5ZodN4FrPQ6hPqcJQ2tTS0ZEPm4/s1067/IMG_2700.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJsjP8VgFCZy1FzR13k1h3DRI1M50RfyvlcyAbKVin5OaDxaYAXG679VqtA5jhAIhta_TUFz-3Bc-pD1bl38mqcjxpV9s8doXyRZaX5QCzI9caeg1PqAB9CW326jvK7Qv1BhkjGVab0kXztNKxrfEd4CQRBPbcdTR5ZodN4FrPQ6hPqcJQ2tTS0ZEPm4/s320/IMG_2700.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I know you blog about the concerns raised in the book and of
course, we’ve serialised it. What sort of reaction have you had to this? </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I have had some very positive comments and thoughtful response
both on the Bridge House taster blog in May and from followers on my own blog
who also started reading the instalments. All mainly adults who liked the
themes and use of language. One did comment that they would have liked more
dialogue between the animals.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><a href="https://navasolanature.wordpress.com/2023/07/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">July | 2023 | NavasolaNature (wordpress.com)</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Lato","sans-serif"" style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 12pt;">Most interesting and enjoyable Georgina, I am looking forward to
part 2. It’s a theme I have been meditating on a lot recently: everything is alive
and we are all related. Denzil’s Nature Challenge</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><a href="https://denzilnature.com/2023/02/22/nature-photo-challenge-1/comment-page-1/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Introducing the Nature Photo Challenge – Denzil Nature</span></a></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.25in 0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Lato","sans-serif"" style="color: #2b2b2b;">I’ve just finished the first chapter and I was totally
transported to Andalusia and the wonder of the natural world. Your writing is
magical, lyrical and at times wistful. The story flows seamlessly and it is
inspired to use a human narrator as well as those of the animal kingdom. Jay Ro
is a terrific character and you’ve quickly captured her thoughts, emotions,
inner turmoil – and through her introduced the landscape and area perfectly. I
loved the section of the weasel; a strong sense of personality comes through as
well as introducing the dichotomy of what used to be and what is now! </span><a href="http://annikaperry.wordpress.com/"><b><span style="background: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: "inherit","serif"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Annika
Perry</span></b></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><span style="background: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: "inherit","serif"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></b></span><a href="https://annikaperry.com/about-me/">ABOUT ME – Annika Perry</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto;"><a href="https://harvestinghecate.wordpress.com/"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #2288bb; font-size: 12pt;">Andrea
Stephenson</span></b></a><a href="http://www.navaselvathecallofthewildvalley.com/2023/05/episode-4.html?showComment=1687118488783#c1334547917661737801"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #2288bb; font-size: 12pt;">June
18, 2023 at 9:01 PM</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; mso-vertical-align-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">Still enjoying reading this Georgina. It reads like an old folk
tale, with resonant language and lyrical imagery. I fully believe in the
animals and their thoughts. When I was a teenager, I was passionate about
animal rights and I think this would speak to any teen who has a love of
animals.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Have you held any interesting events around the book or do you
have any planned? </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">A friend once involved in publishing invited family and friends to
a Manchester based launch in December where I did some readings and had some
interesting discussions about nature and creating the animal characters. I
realised that my book gives opportunities to have conversations about the
nature crisis and seemed to encourage people to explore and support nature in
their own areas.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I hope to have some events in libraries and schools. Perhaps I can
even venture into some of the places in my book like the Wildlife and Wetlands
Centres. We may even try a Zoom launch while I am still in the place in Spain
that inspired Navaselva.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Tell us a little about the process of writing this book. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">The book or first chapter began as a short story which I sent off
to a Dutch group with a name ‘The Parliament of All Things. I had created the
concept of the Meetings of the Many to give a voice to as many species plant
and animal as possible through their reports and story-telling when the
Messenger birds arrive from Africa. This is the mythical/folk tale element of
the book but allows for me to return to the importance of interdependence and
well -functioning ecosystems and establish a purpose for the journey of the
weasel.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">The next key element was the journey and plot and involved
exploring some of the wilder places in western Europe but also the not so wild
ones but where it is important for us to adopt a nature friendly approach to
farm land and green spaces within our cities. Some of the places visited are
ones I know well such as along the Thames in London, the WWT wetlands, Kew
Gardens and Minet Country Park. Others are the mountainous places in the north
of Spain where there are still wolves and bears and forests in France with a
wide range of birds.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I made a decision to include a human narrator after some
discussions on my opening chapters with an American editor. I was then
fortunate to find Debz Hobbs Wyatt whose background was in ecology and creative
writing. The aim then was to halve the animal character’s journey, create
chapters about Jay Ro, a young woman of about 20 and her family and friends
that link into the narrative of the wild animal journey. This allowed for the
book to have a more specific target audience of young adults and be about 80.000
words. So, I already have a sequel which follows up on the first novel and
explores more of the north west of the UK and Europe with a possible return to
Navaselva. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Cs-wB6X576Ij9Z2GGxbDulpHkwIG-ZnSQ98hQbYyllAz5jDmGTJtH3eWVaeDPZQh3Su9wLbPbJDvov6rzUBAzeiGSEZJ60kBCzanWMETtwUvDTK-JDmKvwX25sPqZf-3IWa1e8x-s5isMI7xY5a2xYsusljNvh4USG2vB6gcqNfeBqPk_MQR6JH74wY/s1431/image0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="998" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Cs-wB6X576Ij9Z2GGxbDulpHkwIG-ZnSQ98hQbYyllAz5jDmGTJtH3eWVaeDPZQh3Su9wLbPbJDvov6rzUBAzeiGSEZJ60kBCzanWMETtwUvDTK-JDmKvwX25sPqZf-3IWa1e8x-s5isMI7xY5a2xYsusljNvh4USG2vB6gcqNfeBqPk_MQR6JH74wY/s320/image0.jpeg" width="223" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Have you any more projects planned? </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I am hoping to review the sequel in the light of the first book
now being in print and add some finishing touches and possibly updates as both
novels do have a basis in contemporary realities and there are more insights
and research into the intelligence of different species e.g. octopuses. (A new
fiction published by Bloomsbury has an octopus point of view within the main
plot.) My sequel does venture out into the ocean and I will check how this still
reads as I have been involved in a Green Party research group into Marine and
Coastal issues. In the longer term I could then continue with my ideas of two
more books based on the Navaselva concept but exploring the East and the New
World. The Navaselva Quartet would be an exploration of wild animal characters,
places and issues around the globe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I have some short stories for younger children in my mind as my
grandchildren are very young and I have some written based on wild species at
Navaselva which appear briefly in the novel – the genet and the two tailed
pasha butterfly and the story of Ossie, the ocellated lizard.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I venture into poetry often for fun and without the seriousness of
aiming for publication but I might try to create a nature poetry anthology with
others. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I have notes/fragments of observations from my ten years in the
Sierra Aracena and so could write a part memoir with nature writing and
exploration of different practices that help create inner peace such as TM and
Quaker meetings involving experiences of deep meditation and silence. Dealing
with renovating and rebuilding a house in Spain in a Natural Park, no mains
electricity, water, Spanish builders and bureaucracy, has all been a challenge
that has needed some degree of resilience and humour. However, I also think I
have found great joy in exploring more and more of the world of nature outside,
and this has given me a sense of wonder and purpose to support ways for this
biodiversity to be protected and restored. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">I hope my characters’ voices can be read widely, listened to,
enjoyed and help us understand how to protect wild nature.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHgXnA5ofY8_pN4YywVgmj6wGOU2gS1PlK2g8DVOtDDdz7mCGzW5IK1IYB-yISz_g9jPlaVvLnF0VaTLTvnFw-qLysCpsdg-N-KtANBHyB051wUUtPFbQB4B-flNIE5tRgtrJ42v0BreqbDe3srQ0u6jJbRoyNUV79NiSvXYqh6sysDv0gH5OWe4M308/s600/Call%20of%20the%20Wild%20Valley%20Medium.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHgXnA5ofY8_pN4YywVgmj6wGOU2gS1PlK2g8DVOtDDdz7mCGzW5IK1IYB-yISz_g9jPlaVvLnF0VaTLTvnFw-qLysCpsdg-N-KtANBHyB051wUUtPFbQB4B-flNIE5tRgtrJ42v0BreqbDe3srQ0u6jJbRoyNUV79NiSvXYqh6sysDv0gH5OWe4M308/s320/Call%20of%20the%20Wild%20Valley%20Medium.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/2023/11/navaselva-call-of-wild-valley-by.html"> Find your copy here </a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 5pt 0in 5pt 0.25in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Care to join us on 22 February 2024 when we Georgina tells us more about the book, her writing process and where she will discuss some of the issues raised: <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/navaselva-an-evening-with-georgina-wright-tickets-804907218157">https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/navaselva-an-evening-with-georgina-wright-tickets-804907218157</a> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-56225368956708408152024-01-02T14:54:00.002+00:002024-01-02T14:54:18.679+00:00News 2 January 2024 <p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Book-shaped swimming pool, anyone? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3><h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBXjNCYSOTXtGLbyhFqRIEXCsmHhWxq2jLsYdRPg4qBcLxdiKueIk9ZS4esBLcW8dWLPRqLoD0I3qCvmy08mAtsLv_1KxdfiG5HoNjNY4JIBY0Z67c4TSKPAd0vttZVDy6McLRPgZUQ3AzIud1gJ7jnvUpV-sMiQmL1rPETcMqSxeDV2Eo6mUY2m6uIQ/s640/woman-5631257_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="640" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBXjNCYSOTXtGLbyhFqRIEXCsmHhWxq2jLsYdRPg4qBcLxdiKueIk9ZS4esBLcW8dWLPRqLoD0I3qCvmy08mAtsLv_1KxdfiG5HoNjNY4JIBY0Z67c4TSKPAd0vttZVDy6McLRPgZUQ3AzIud1gJ7jnvUpV-sMiQmL1rPETcMqSxeDV2Eo6mUY2m6uIQ/s320/woman-5631257_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yes, it’s that time of year again when we look back on what’s
happened in the old year and make our plans for the new one. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I recently asked the members of my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scribblers </i>Facebook group about what success as a writer looked like
for them and so I thought I really should have a go at answering my own
question.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I used to visit schools I was sometimes asked whether I
was rich or famous. I would sometimes glibly reply: “Well, have you heard of
me?” and I might have occasionally thought, would I be making visits like this
if I was rich. Maybe I would have. I enjoyed school visits. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t make them anymore because I’m no
longer really writing for young people. Not that young, anyway. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is that joke about would success as a writer mean that
you earned enough to be able to afford a book-shaped swimming pool at your
home? Well, I would quite like my own swimming pool ….</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, I have managed to get to the stage where I can justify
sending a fair amount of the day on my writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I write quite well, and I believe I’m continuing to improve, though my
writing may not always have commercial appeal and I may not always push myself enough
to make myself all that visible. I’m retired from the day job and live on the state
pension, my teaching pension and a pension from eleven years in a job where I
was basically paid to be a writer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
quite content with my material existence. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I might like a little more attention to my work, but not to
me. However, I have to be pleased that my daughter’s friend has really enjoyed
the second book in the Peace Child series and she hasn’t read a book since she was
in Year 8 at school – she’s in her mid-thirties now. Add that to the student in
the isolation room who wanted to read more of my book rather than the Harry
Potter one she had brought with her and the young boy who hated reading but
made a point of buying my books when I visited his school. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, am I going to do anything and differently this year? Not
really, though I am going to carry on with something I started mid-way through
2023. I alternate writing days with working on my publishing and marketing
activities but on Wednesdays I do none of these things. Wednesdays are for some
routine admin tasks but also for working on the bigger picture. So, I might
tidy up my sock drawer or do any admin for my U3A groups but also look at a
more effective way of administering royalties or making various adverts work
better. I absolutely forbid myself to do routine writing or publishing work on
Wednesdays. Every week thereby becomes a bit like a year end. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It may not suit everyone to use one day of the week this way
but it is probably quite important to pencil in some “down” time both for tidying
up and expansion. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I wonder whether it will eventually lead to that book-shaped
swimming pool. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Writing news</span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m pottering on with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peace
Child 6</i>. I’m now half way through looking at whether the content and length
is right for the target reader – which at the moment I’m defining as the older
young adult. </p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I have a couple of reviews on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talking
about My Generation</i>: </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/around-the-world-in-80-days-at-the-octagon-theatre-bolton">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/around-the-world-in-80-days-at-the-octagon-theatre-bolton</a>
/ </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">and</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-little-women-at-home-manchester/">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-little-women-at-home-manchester/</a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></span></h3>
<h3><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Both plays offer interesting takes on
well-known stories. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></span></h3>
<h3><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On My Blog</span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve written a short article about artificial intelligence: <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/12/ai-embrace-it-or-fear-it.html">https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/12/ai-embrace-it-or-fear-it.html</a>
This seems to be a very important topic at the moment and one which fascinates
me personally. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve also supplied a quiz. Some of you may already have seen
it. <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/12/writing-trivia-new-years-eve-quiz-for.html">https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/12/writing-trivia-new-years-eve-quiz-for.html</a>
I supply the answers at: <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/answers-to-quiz.html">https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/answers-to-quiz.html</a>
</p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE">The Young Person’s Library </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">No new books added this month I’m afraid but I’m hoping January
will be very different. </p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE">Recommended read </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So,
this month I’m recommending</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3tGFf4j">The
Storyteller of Casablanca <span style="font-style: normal;">by Fiona Valpy</span></a></i></span></h3>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The lives of two young women in Casablanca intertwine though they lived seventy
years apart. </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Zoe finds Josie’s
diary when she tries to fix a loose floorboard in her daughter’s bedroom. She becomes
fascinated by the young girl’s account of fleeing Paris in 1941 because her
mother was Jewish. Zoe too has her problems and she and Tom are trying to make
a life in Morocco as they flee their old life and its troubles. There are still
refugees in Casablanca and Zoe finds that helping them takes her away from her own
problems. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">What has become of
Josie and will Zoe and Tom succeed in establishing a fulfilling life? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Fiona Valpy keeps
us guessing in this delightful story worthy of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Storyteller of Casablanca</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></h3>
<h2><span lang="X-NONE">Sample pages </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal">This replaces my previous giveaways. If you like what you’re
reading you can click through and find out ways of buying the book. However, I’m
still happy to give you a free copy if you’re strapped for cash and / or you’re
willing to review. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just contact me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Note</span></i><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">: these are usually files to be downloaded to a Kindle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally there are PDFs.</span><span class="Heading1Char"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> <span lang="X-NONE"></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This month I’m offering <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">January
Stones</i> my first flash fiction collection. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h1><span lang="X-NONE">Introduction </span></h1>
<p class="FirstParagraph">These stories were written one a day throughout January
2013. They were originally published on a blog called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s January Stones. </i>In fact, they were published in reverse
order. The first one you read here, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When
Physics Got Sick </i>was the last one to be written and originally published on
31 January 2016.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sometimes the stories would come right at the beginning of
the day. Sometimes they would take a while longer. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Do they have a theme? Not really, though the idea of
‘stones’ is one of turning them over slowly on the beach until we find the
right one. It’s not a bad time of year, anyway, right at the beginning in
January, as the New Year starts and the days slowly become longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There was no strict word count. Each story is as long as it
needs to be. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In any case, each on stayed with me until it felt finished.
It had to be finished though, by midnight of that day. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As I’ve put this volume together, I’ve edited them again.
This just goes to show how we’ve never actually finished editing. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Quite possibly if I ever perform any of these pieces for
you, I’ll edit them again before I read them out loud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h1><span lang="X-NONE">When physics got sick</span></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The Scientist
carefully took the shards of glass out of the cupboard, dropped them in the
sink, and watched underwhelmed as the tumbler formed itself. It seemed natural,
as if it had happened a thousand times before. Yet his constantly questioning
mind wondered whether this, this first occurrence of something quite
extraordinary, marked the beginning of the end as the second law of
thermodynamics was breaking down.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">As he filled the
tumbler with water he became aware that at the same time as being in his
kitchen he was also upstairs and at the other side of the universe, so clearly
Planck’s Constant had suddenly become somewhat bigger.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Later,
examining the internal structure of protons, he found that they were indeed
made of cream cheese and constantly mumbled nonsensical German so the label
“quark” was actually extremely apt. Yet there was a paradox because surely the
cream cheese itself was made of atoms, and they, in turn, of protons.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">And yet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">There was no
problem for Newton. Apples still fell merrily on the heads of those foolish
enough to sit under apple-trees in the autumn. The big nuclear reactor in the
sky still reacted. His home planet appeared to be carrying on its Maypole dance
around its star and keeping up its complex ceilidh with the rest of the universe.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The Scientist
paused for a moment and pondered. Perhaps the Humanities people were right
after all. Every physicist knew that all of these laws did not work all of the
time. Everything was relative anyway – Einstein had shown this. There could be
a god, then. Or maybe the Matrix was not so far-fetched. It might even be the
philosophers who had got it right – that life is but an illusion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="Bio"><span lang="EN-US">Scientific advice by Doctor Martin James who
identified two subatomic particles, some ten years or so before the World Wide
Web was born at CERN, thereby gobsmacking his children’s science teachers. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<h1><span lang="X-NONE">Weather Behaving Badly</span></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal">They talked about El Niño and La Niña. So we had quite a few
years of proper summer unfortunately accompanied by drought. Then we had several
years of miserable weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They talked
of Global Warming and then renamed it Climate Change because the Warming was
actually making it cooler for the posh people. But we hadn’t seen anything yet.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They made a film about a new ice age arriving suddenly. It
seemed melodramatic. Then came Katrina and the film seemed more reasonable.
After Sandy it began to look tame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The stream winds started moving in the wrong direction. We
got snow on snow followed by rain on rain and floods, followed by temperatures
going up overnight. Two feet of snow fell and disappeared within twenty-four
hours. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yet, one morning soon after, there was thick ice on the
windscreen and cars sliding round the S bend though the temperature gauge said
it was six degrees Celsius. Later, after the sun had shone all day and the
gauge now said seven, there was, once more, ice on the car. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What’s going on?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Like to read more? Find it here: <a href="https://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/2021/06/january-stones.html">https://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/2021/06/january-stones.html</a>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Schellberg Project </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">The posts may be helpful for teachers who are familiar with
the Schellberg stories or who are teaching about the Holocaust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may also be interesting for other readers
of historical fiction.</p>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve
added a cou</span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">p</span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">le of new po</span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">s</span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">ts this month. One is
about Alissa Oldenburg’s excellent novel about a Holocaust survivor (?). You
will understand the question mark if you read the book. Read the full review
her</span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">e</span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">:</span><span lang="X-NONE"> <a href="https://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/2023/12/when-glass-breaks-by-allissa-oldenberg.html">When
Glass Breaks by Allissa Oldenberg</a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h3>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve also included a short article about Nicholas Winton, in anticipation
of the new film about his life. Read that here </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/2023/12/one-life-nicholas-winton.html">One
Life – Nicholas Winton</a></span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="X-NONE"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-ansi-language: X-NONE;"></span></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Some notes about my newsletters and
blogs</span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">They do overlap a little but here is a summary of what they
all do. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bridge House Authors </i></b>For all those published by Bridge House, CaféLit,
Chapeltown or The Red Telephone or interested in being published by us. General
news about the imprints. News for writers. Links to book performance. Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cDHFU1">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bridgetown<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Café Bookshop </i></b>where
you can buy my books and books published by Bridge House Publishing, CafeLit,
Chapeltown Books and The Red Telephone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Visit us <a href="http://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapeltown Books </i></b>News about our books. Sign up <a href="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/lists/designer/?id=423577">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>News about the project and CaféLit –
for the consumer rather than for the producer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/dq-Ab">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s News: </i></b>News about my writing, The Schellberg Project, School
Visits and Events. Book recommendations and giveaways. Find it <a href="http://eepurl.com/dfWRE">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pushing Boundaries, Flying Higher </i></b>News about conferences and
workshops to do with the young adult novel. (infrequent postings) Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/bZEFh9">here</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Telephone Books</i></b> News about our books and our authors. Sign
up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cmpICr">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Publisher’s Perspective </i></b>Here I and some other editors blog as
a publisher. Access this <a href="https://apublishersperspective.blogspot.com/">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>Listings and reviews of creative
cafés. See them <a href="http://www.creativecafeproject.org/">her</a>e.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CaféLit Stories </i></b>Find these <a href="https://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/">here</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill James Writer </i></b>All about writing and about my books. View
this <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/">here.</a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Recommended Reads </i></b>Find information <a href="https://gillsrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/">here</a> about books that
have taken me out of my editor’s head and a reminder of the ones I’ve
highlighted in this newsletter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Sample Fiction </i></b>Read some of my fiction <a href="https://gillssamplesundays.blogspot.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The House on Schellberg Street </i></b>All about my Schellberg project.
Read it <a href="http://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing Teacher </i></b>All about teaching creative writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some creative writing exercises. Access this <a href="https://creative-writingteacher.blogspot.com/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also invite other writers to provide
prompts and work for critique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Books Books Books </i></b>Weekly offers on our books and news of new
books. Find them <a href="https://www.scribblersbooksbooksbooks.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The Young Person’s Library</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>children’s
book catalogue. Access it <a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/">here.</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Fair Submissions </span></i></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find
it <a href="https://www.fairsubmissions.co.uk/">here.</a> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Opportunities for writers </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">are added several times a day. Roughly once a
month I send it out to a list. If you would like to be on that list, sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/doFkD">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Happy reading and
writing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-65919184615656054972024-01-01T00:00:00.001+00:002024-01-01T00:00:00.142+00:00Answers to quiz<p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Mrs Beeton – her publisher
husband needed some books to experiment with and then she got the bug
about writing cookery books. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Louisa May Alcott – after twenty years or
so she finally wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Little Women, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>which is partly autobiographical </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Charles Dickens <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- he had quite a writing routine and a
good long walk every day was part of it. Despite this fitness regime sadly
he died at the age of fifty-eight from a brain haemorrhage</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Dylan Thomas – you can visit
his home as Laugharne. Be sure to also see his writing shed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Sophie Hannah - she writes
what she terms “continuation novels” about such characters as Hercule
Poirot. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Lee Child - further
adventures of his famous character Jack Reacher, former American military policemen
are now written by his brother. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Janet and Allan Ahlberg
have produced many delightful books together. Sadly, Janet died of breast
cancer in 1994. Daughter Jessica has worked on some projects with her father.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Molière <i>Le Malade Imaginaire</i>
(<a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Imaginary-Invalid"><i><span style="color: blue;">The Imaginary Invalid</span></i></a>), about a
hypochondriac who fears death and doctors, was performed in 1673 and was
Molière’s last work. During the fourth performance of the play, on
February 17, Molière collapsed onstage and was carried back to his house
in the Rue de Richelieu to die.</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">German, French, Spanish
have the same word for “story” and for “history”. There may be others. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">“Novel” of course means ‘new’
and this was a new form of story-telling. Prose fiction as we now know it
was very different from the story in poetic or dramatic form. Prose stories
before the novel were “told”, usually spoken, rather than “shown”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">John Steinbeck like many
writers had his strong habits. One of his was writing in pencil. That he
got through sixty some days perhaps shows how prolific he was. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Four ghosts appear to
Scrooge. Arguably though all of the other characters he was shown were
also a type of ghost. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">The royalties from J M Barrie’s
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peter Pan</i> go to Great Ormond
Street Children’s Hospital. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">This opening line comes from
Kenneth Grahame’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wind in the
Willows</i> which feature anthropomorphic characters and the notorious
Toad of Toad Hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The animals have
a lot of adventures and just as they think they are returning to a safe
home they find that the problems they had overcome were still awaiting
them at home. This is a common trope. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Stephen King, that well-known
writer of horror stories, lived though his open horror story when he was very
badly injured after being hit by a van in 1999. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Isaac Asimov wrote this
story. In it there is a robotic code that we may well need to adopt to
keep AI in check. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">The Mouse Trap is the
longest-running production. There are older plays but none of them have runs
as long as this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you see it
you must not tell anyone who did it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Kafka wrote many bizarre
and somewhat disturbing stories. Perhaps he decided they were so alarming
that shouldn’t be offered to the public. Fortunately his friend Max Brod
thought otherwise and published his work. Whatever you opinion of his work
it will certainly make you stop and reflect. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Balzac was the archetypal
poos writer living in a garret. He kept himself alive by drinking lots of
cold coffee. </li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">Shakespeare really wanted
to be an actor. We all know he became a brilliant writer and also an
astute business man. He did not give up easily. And he survived the
pandemic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li></ol>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-9135997082102410342023-12-31T15:50:00.005+00:002024-01-02T14:56:59.330+00:00Writing Trivia A New Year’s Eve quiz for you.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhFqyCkdk3Hw9QKIaJqyPMDn59wkP3LzrdTKNbJ14D2Lu0C3wEfhJ4XcL1EWNuxoHrSoHAdMdQ272tYEgWWb1Mv7p7VP5-Ph3iZMURstY1JvFfPH0bX0ZVqzVNyYXgv0YiTLHyXi51QACImu-rUE8_Fb9oktPh1NS9fLfLfR_Dn6oQvCXe0SWD0VzNq8/s640/brainstorm-4222728_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="640" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhFqyCkdk3Hw9QKIaJqyPMDn59wkP3LzrdTKNbJ14D2Lu0C3wEfhJ4XcL1EWNuxoHrSoHAdMdQ272tYEgWWb1Mv7p7VP5-Ph3iZMURstY1JvFfPH0bX0ZVqzVNyYXgv0YiTLHyXi51QACImu-rUE8_Fb9oktPh1NS9fLfLfR_Dn6oQvCXe0SWD0VzNq8/s320/brainstorm-4222728_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Who started writing cookery books in order to give her
husband something to publish?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Which writer finally learnt to write what she knew and
then invested the hard-earned money from this in the railways, thereby becoming
very rich?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of her well-known
characters is also a woman who writes. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Which writer walked up to fifteen miles a day?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Which hard-up writer was gifted a boat-house to live
in?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Who is writing further Agatha Christie style books at
the behest of the Agatha Christie estate?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Which crime writer has passed on his most well-known
character to his brother?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Which husband and wife team produced amazing picture
books for children, including one about well-known fairly-tale characters and a
postman?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Which writer died after collapsing on stage playing a
character in one of his own plays? Doubly ironic, as it was a play about medicine.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Can you name a language in which the word “story” and “history”
are the same word? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Why
“novel”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does this word come about? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Which
writer used up to sixty pencils a day? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Christmas
Carol</i> how many ghosts visit Scrooge? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The
royalties from which children’s book support a children’s hospital? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Which
novel opens with the line, “The Mole had been working very hard all the morning
spring cleaning his house”? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Which
writer of horror stories was involved in an unexpected road accident while out
walking in 1999?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>What
is the name of the author who wrote the short story “I, Robot” which was also
made into a movie?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>What
is the title of the longest-running play ever written?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Whose
novels were published after his death, even though he had asked for his work to
be destroyed? We now use an adjective from his name to describe the bizarre and
uncanny. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Which
French writer lived mainly on coffee? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Which
writer was the son of a beer-taster and glove-maker, survived a pandemic and
really wanted to be an actor? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 3pt;">Answers <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2024/01/answers-to-quiz.html">here. </a><br /></p>
<br /><br />Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-57733493443659990982023-12-14T10:24:00.005+00:002023-12-14T10:24:59.986+00:00AI - embrace it or fear it? <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_y4aFPnJtPV5v584sQqvFVJIu_gbjJlzdkpDp76lbzYIFPVpuLRsBkjPak6z6BobS9AXwf5BaDujrMkJP9B0W3SXy8f1Sn81poJmkBtacyhvtasWwrjbcvbk91fcIiS7y4OHoNyhZVexmVd7L2zLSKNR8mc1GjH_mOMkxVH883_p4jncf1TO4D4fWDTqE/s640/robot-507811_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="640" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_y4aFPnJtPV5v584sQqvFVJIu_gbjJlzdkpDp76lbzYIFPVpuLRsBkjPak6z6BobS9AXwf5BaDujrMkJP9B0W3SXy8f1Sn81poJmkBtacyhvtasWwrjbcvbk91fcIiS7y4OHoNyhZVexmVd7L2zLSKNR8mc1GjH_mOMkxVH883_p4jncf1TO4D4fWDTqE/s320/robot-507811_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">It seems odd to me that we fear it yet we inverted it. We could
pull the plug, couldn’t we, and surely it ought to be in our control? Yet we
let it continue because we sense it could be used and should be used for good. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m reminded of my initial reaction to Google translate.
I’ve worked for over twenty-five years in teaching modern languages and speak
French, German and Spanish reasonably fluently. As a secondary school teacher I
might have been horrified if someone had used Google translate to prepare work.
Yet I find myself doing that from time to time for my French, German and Spanish
U3A conversation groups. One colleague who runs a French group and a German group
has recently joined our Spanish group. He uses Google translate all the time. There
are a couple of tricks here; you must know enough to know when the translator has
made a howler. But anyway it introduces you to new vocabulary quickly. It is in
the end another way of learning. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Can AI do the same for our writing? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I recently asked Chat GPT to put something together on the
advantages and disadvantages of self—publishing. I was creating some Tip Sheets
for my creative writing students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each subject
should be covered in no more than two pages of A4. So, I asked for about 300
words in bullet points. It obliged. I rejected a couple of its arguments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I added in a couple of extra ones of my own. I
rewrote most of it so that it more resembled the style of the other tip sheets.
It didn’t really tell me anything I don’t already know. Not much anyway. It in effect
helped me to gather and marshal my thoughts. . </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before Chat GPT came along I might have done a Google
search. Or similar. After all, Google is your friend. Except sometimes it leads
you up the garden path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, as with
Google translate, you have to know how to recognize the fake and clumsy. We are
used to that now, aren’t we? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I read an article yesterday in an academic journal about how
one professor encouraged his students to produce their essays using AI. The
trick it seems is to make the essays the type that requires original and
critical thinking. I remember being encouraged to set up open-ended projects so
that each student’s work would be unique. This helped in the war again plagiarism.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Similarly therefore one can use AI to collect and collate
the data. How to interpret and apply it remains a human activity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I guessing I’m tapping into the Zeitgeist a little at the
moment. My latest SF YA novel includes a piece of AI that is becoming more and more
sentient but still knows it has to serve humans. And I am becoming a little
concerned that we are enslaving AI. I’m only half glad to see that local authorities
are beginning to use robots to sort out the recycling. What if they rebel? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></p>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-49866396062078567592023-12-07T09:41:00.009+00:002023-12-07T09:41:53.722+00:00Newsletter November 2023 <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlMPKuekq-q6bTWi5Oxsu2Imq_S3jvAKlLhH3b_Z8RJMzkPuXyS5wvqhVSEoZXxLo19lSLVRpA8wcRHX8JLsgfTuPH-0-pUjSoiVPJFv2eAxEpGcryh6XxCgOXp6yfjnC9egpW7iS9N0wyAqAL_1gjjiYKoGP4PLm9Kk5Zn9gOVyMEI43mL4hO_qUE14/s640/notebooks-569121_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlMPKuekq-q6bTWi5Oxsu2Imq_S3jvAKlLhH3b_Z8RJMzkPuXyS5wvqhVSEoZXxLo19lSLVRpA8wcRHX8JLsgfTuPH-0-pUjSoiVPJFv2eAxEpGcryh6XxCgOXp6yfjnC9egpW7iS9N0wyAqAL_1gjjiYKoGP4PLm9Kk5Zn9gOVyMEI43mL4hO_qUE14/s320/notebooks-569121_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span lang="X-NONE"></span></h1>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Writerly activities </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Sometimes I feel
so privileged to be a writer and therefore to be allowed to indulge in several
activities that aren’t exactly writing but might be described as “writing
related”. There have been two this week: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">I attended a
meeting of the Manchester City of Literature partners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we’re very proud that Bridge House is a
partner. Take a look at the other partners here: <a href="https://www.manchestercityofliterature.com/about/partners/">https://www.manchestercityofliterature.com/about/partners/</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And have a look at what the City of
Literature does. Even more exciting was to find that one of my former students
from the University of Salford now works for them. Another former student was
representing one of the other partners. Our meeting involved some brainstorming
about the year’s literary calendar in Manchester. We also talked about the aims
and objectives of the organisation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
was followed by a social event where I was able to network and made a lot of
useful contacts. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">We <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/">Talking About My Generarion</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>reporters were invited to a show case of
some younger reporters’ work: <a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/stretford-storytellers-project-exhibit-reveals-hopes-and-ideas-for-the-town/">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/stretford-storytellers-project-exhibit-reveals-hopes-and-ideas-for-the-town/</a>
It’s probably also the first time I’ve been to Stretford, so new experiences
all round. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">I also love going
to the theatres and have two visits planned next week. I’m going to the Bolton
Octagon to see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://octagonbolton.co.uk/whats-on">Around the World in Eighty Days</a></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Home to see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://homemcr.org/production/little-women/">Little Women</a>
</i>This helps satisfy my continuous need for story. And I can convince myself
it’s work; it helps my understanding of how plots work. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt; text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt; text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Writing news</span></h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span><img class="entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2" height="174" src="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/thumbnail_murder-by-misadventure_orig-1068x580.jpg" title="thumbnail_murder-by-misadventure_orig" width="320" /></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">I’m pottering on with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peace
Child 6</i>. I’m now just finished the fourth draft which looks at the
logistics of time with the novel; no two year pregnancies and enough time / space
for characters to eat and sleep. I also had to work on the transition between
two chapters where it wasn’t clear how much time had passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend to have cliff hangers at the end of
chapters in this novel, so picking up the story again is important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I continue to write for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Talking About My Generation. </i>I have written a review of a play at
our local Whitefield Garrick, <a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-murder-by-misadventure-at-the-whitefield-garrick">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-murder-by-misadventure-at-the-whitefield-garrick</a>
and I’ve taken a look at the new episodes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Neighbours: </i></span></span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/neighbours-reboot-a-new-chapter/"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/neighbours-reboot-a-new-chapter/</span></a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve also supplied a few ideas about mincemeat: </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/three-tricks-with-mincemeat/">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/three-tricks-with-mincemeat/</a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">I may have mentioned
last time that I’m having a go at poetry? Yes that continues, but I’m still on ‘A’
in Alison Chisolm’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3N67H60">The Poet’s A-Z</a> </i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Another book has
appeared in my Kofi-shop. You can now buy <a href="https://ko-fi.com/s/e9bf114add">140 x 140</a> there. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">If you would like
to know more about the Creative Writing Tip Sheets I mentioned recently, you
may like to watch this video: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWht4eNtjfc">Creative Writing Tip Sheets</a>
</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On My Blog</span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This
month I’ve talked to several people who have appeared in our <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3sQRKKn">Gifted</a>
</i>anthology. Read all about them here:</span><span lang="X-NONE"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/11/hidayat-adams-talks-about-his.html">Hidayat
Adams</a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/11/linda-flynn-gifted-contributor-talks.html">Linda
Flynn</a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/11/short-simple-from-adjie-on-gifted.html">Adjie<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Henderson</span></a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/11/paula-readman-talks-to-me-today-about.html">Paula
Readman</a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/11/seamus-norris-talks-to-me-but-his.html">Seamus
Norris</a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/11/ellen-sullivan-chats-to-me-about-gifted.html">Ellen
Sullivan</a>,</span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/11/allison-symes-talks-to-me-today-about.html">Allison
Symes</a></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Their account make
interesting reading.</span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="X-NONE">The Young Person’s Library </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve
added just </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">two books </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">this month</span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, both are teen<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>/ YA. </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/2023/11/totally-deceased-by-sue-h-cunningham.html">Totally
Deceased by Sue<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>H Cunningham</a>, </span></i><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">a
humorous murder mystery where a young heart transplant patient and the ghost of
the girl whose heart she has received investigate who murdered the latter and
why. </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/2023/12/happiness-seeker-by-jennifer-burkinshaw.html">Happiness
Seeker<span style="font-style: normal;"> by Jennifer Burkinshaw</span></a></span></i><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">is totally different though
may appeal to the same reader. It all takes place at Grange-over-Sands, which
can be dangerous enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peer pressure
and modern slavery make it even more perilous for the young people involved.
This is a well-written novel with a strong sense of place and well-developed
characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="X-NONE"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="X-NONE">Recommended read </span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="X-NONE"> </span></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Happiness-Seeker-Jennifer-Burkinshaw/dp/1786456141?crid=14A0CAD3TJMYZ&keywords=happiness+seeker+jennifer+burkinshaw&qid=1701941915&sprefix=Happiness+seeker%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-1&linkCode=li3&tag=bridgehousela-21&linkId=71a1a61a110a8aa69ab97f1f8188387b&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1786456141&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bridgehousela-21&language=en_GB" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bridgehousela-21&language=en_GB&l=li3&o=2&a=1786456141" style="border: medium; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So,
this month I’m recommending</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/2023/12/happiness-seeker-by-jennifer-burkinshaw.html">Happiness
Seeker<span style="font-style: normal;"> by Jennifer Burkinshaw</span></a></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></i></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Yes, again I’ve
chosen a text for younger readers again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I could hardly put this one down. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Allie is at Grange-Over-Sands on a school trip. The
very place is beautiful and dangerous at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">There are other delights and dangers too. Allie is
irritated by the relationship developing between her best friend and her
nemesis. Then she becomes romantically involved with the mysterious Mareno. He
is threatened not just from the shifting sands and strong currents. Allie’s
attempt to put this right is doomed to failure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When her greatest enemy attempts to right a wrong, four lives are put in
danger. There are deaths and near misses. This text tackles some modern but
also age old problem: migration and modern slavery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Happiness</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seeker </i>is
beautifully narrated by the very talented Jennifer Burkinshaw. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Giveaway </span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-Dn7haANRfNJbsz-LUpFr6hMnehziJ1EIvVn6S94NcMkS1OiFXQkU3fpxwRX7BkDs0A8ZcZt6sb81zriy237Y_25sjHkVeIwZHhHPuWDc9Z448jBSd3zMYJHUqIC0_aq4oy9zT-qp5dFznNoGogp5vdvtsm1KB2TUIBfJ6C0-WROp55L2WU27_2vmBU/s572/18frontcoverTHoSS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-Dn7haANRfNJbsz-LUpFr6hMnehziJ1EIvVn6S94NcMkS1OiFXQkU3fpxwRX7BkDs0A8ZcZt6sb81zriy237Y_25sjHkVeIwZHhHPuWDc9Z448jBSd3zMYJHUqIC0_aq4oy9zT-qp5dFznNoGogp5vdvtsm1KB2TUIBfJ6C0-WROp55L2WU27_2vmBU/s320/18frontcoverTHoSS.jpg" width="178" /></a></div><br /> </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Note</span></i><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">: these are usually mobi-files to be downloaded to a Kindle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally there are PDFs.</span><span class="Heading1Char"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> <span lang="X-NONE"></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">This month I’m offering <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
House on Schellberg Street</i>, the first in my Schellberg cycle. <span class="Heading1Char"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="X-NONE"></span></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Renate Edler loves to visit her
grandmother in the house on Schellberg Street. She often meets up with her
friend Hani Gödde who lives nearby. This year, though, it is not to be. Just a
few weeks after a night when synagogues are burned and businesses owned by Jews
are looted, Renate finds out a terrible secret about her family.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br />
At a time when the world is at war and the horrors of the Holocaust are slowly
becoming apparent, Renate has to leave behind her home and her friends, and
become somebody she never thought she could be.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br />
The house on Schellberg Street needs to stay strong. Will it and those who work
in it be strong enough? Will Renate ever feel at home again? And what of those
left behind?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Heading1Char"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Grab it <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>here: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/c5k72h7y2731t9wz51f6y/h?rlkey=edyj63vvzj2hisql0u1jpm02v&dl=0">https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/c5k72h7y2731t9wz51f6y/h?rlkey=edyj63vvzj2hisql0u1jpm02v&dl=0</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may have to copy and paste the link.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">And please, please, please leave a review, perhaps on
Amazon, Good Reads and / or Story Graph, when you’ve finished. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Note: Normally my
books and the books supplied by the imprints I manage sell for anything from
£0.99 to £10.99.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most on Kindle are
about £2.99 and the average price for paperback is £8.00. Writers have to make
a living. But I’m offering these free samples so that you can try before you
buy. </span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Schellberg Project </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">The posts may be helpful for teachers who are familiar with
the Schellberg stories or who are teaching about the Holocaust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may also be interesting for other readers
of historical fiction.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">I’ve not added nay
new material this month, but there are over 370 posts and 30 pages of extra
information, so it is worth a browse?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Take a look at <a href="https://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/">The
House on Schellberg Street</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-ansi-language: X-NONE;"></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Some notes about my newsletters and
blogs</span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">They do overlap a little but here is a summary of what they
all do. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bridge House Authors </i></b>For all those published by Bridge House, CaféLit,
Chapeltown or The Red Telephone or interested in being published by us. General
news about the imprints. News for writers. Links to book performance. Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cDHFU1">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bridgetown<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Café Bookshop </i></b>where
you can buy my books and books published by Bridge House Publishing, CafeLit,
Chapeltown Books and The Red Telephone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Visit us <a href="http://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapeltown Books </i></b>News about our books. Sign up <a href="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/lists/designer/?id=423577">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>News about the project and CaféLit –
for the consumer rather than for the producer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/dq-Ab">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s News: </i></b>News about my writing, The Schellberg Project, School
Visits and Events. Book recommendations and giveaways. Find it <a href="http://eepurl.com/dfWRE">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pushing Boundaries, Flying Higher </i></b>News about conferences and
workshops to do with the young adult novel. (infrequent postings) Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/bZEFh9">here</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Telephone Books</i></b> News about our books and our authors. Sign
up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cmpICr">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Publisher’s Perspective </i></b>Here I and some other editors blog as
a publisher. Access this <a href="https://apublishersperspective.blogspot.com/">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>Listings and reviews of creative
cafés. See them <a href="http://www.creativecafeproject.org/">her</a>e.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CaféLit Stories </i></b>Find these <a href="https://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/">here</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill James Writer </i></b>All about writing and about my books. View
this <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/">here.</a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Recommended Reads </i></b>Find information <a href="https://gillsrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/">here</a> about books that
have taken me out of my editor’s head and a reminder of the ones I’ve
highlighted in this newsletter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Sample Fiction </i></b>Read some of my fiction <a href="https://gillssamplesundays.blogspot.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The House on Schellberg Street </i></b>All about my Schellberg project.
Read it <a href="http://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing Teacher </i></b>All about teaching creative writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some creative writing exercises. Access this <a href="https://creative-writingteacher.blogspot.com/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also invite other writers to provide
prompts and work for critique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Books Books Books </i></b>Weekly offers on our books and news of new
books. Find them <a href="https://www.scribblersbooksbooksbooks.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The Young Person’s Library</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>children’s
book catalogue. Access it <a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/">here.</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Fair Submissions </span></i></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find
it <a href="https://www.fairsubmissions.co.uk/">here.</a> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Opportunities for writers </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">are added several times a day. Roughly once a
month I send it out to a list. If you would like to be on that list, sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/doFkD">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Happy reading and
writing. </span></p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-54250091801522253262023-11-24T17:21:00.005+00:002023-11-24T17:22:53.646+00:00Ellen Sullivan chats to me about Gifted <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcv7jxWU4c23lcI0PkUHvuIptwJcfk6WgC1q-A-5nc2tMUjjMWslBQgowuZeOXK7-VUnxB-VNh8_hyfimPefD3N29Mp2eQ3_1Q_JthVTjQxUy9ytIBMkDFTiWWIYsmX-mwRNeYQvGq81NdL55uaWbU5-Rf2CrqbxVuBtMNTk5n-dxgh95xtpdCrzM7ifA/s2532/!cid_9B3B640E-6648-4CDD-B33F-4CD7A7688F6A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2511" data-original-width="2532" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcv7jxWU4c23lcI0PkUHvuIptwJcfk6WgC1q-A-5nc2tMUjjMWslBQgowuZeOXK7-VUnxB-VNh8_hyfimPefD3N29Mp2eQ3_1Q_JthVTjQxUy9ytIBMkDFTiWWIYsmX-mwRNeYQvGq81NdL55uaWbU5-Rf2CrqbxVuBtMNTk5n-dxgh95xtpdCrzM7ifA/s320/!cid_9B3B640E-6648-4CDD-B33F-4CD7A7688F6A.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<p></p><div><b> </b></div><div><b>How did you interpret the them for this anthology? </b> <br /></div><div>I believe there are times when you receive something you think you don’t want,
but it turns out to be a gift and that’s what occurs in my story.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><b>How did you find out about our call for submissions? </b> <br /></div><div>I found your call for submissions when it was featured on Duotrope which
I use regularly to manage my submissions.</div><div> </div><div><b>What are the merits for you of the short story form? </b> <br /></div>
<div></div>
<div>The short story form allows me to dive deeply into a moment in a life to
explore how small changes come about in the often intractable thing we call our
self. Of course, there are times when my exploration doesn’t reveal any change.
That’s also interesting to me as a chance to discover what truly is at the core
of a person.</div><div> </div>
<div><b>Tell us a little about you as a writer</b></div>
<div>My first short story was published in 2008. Since then I’ve had about a
dozen stories published along with a chapter in a co-written book. I began
writing plays about fifteen years ago and I've had numerous short plays in
festivals across the country and in Canada. </div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><b>Do you have any more forthcoming publications or events</b> <br /></div><div>My next publication is scheduled to come out in 2024, a short story,
Mother Love, which has been selected to appear in the literary journal Big
Muddy.</div><div> </div><div> Find out more about Ellen at: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ellendavissullivan">https://www.facebook.com/ellendavissullivan</a> </div><p>
</p><p></p><p><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=bridgehousela-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B0CKXYG3CV&asins=B0CKXYG3CV&linkId=3c4f995ebcd3256df97bc390090646eb&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></p>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-29175486527787256642023-11-22T12:03:00.003+00:002023-11-22T12:03:58.959+00:00Seamus Norris talks to me about his contribution to the Gifted anthology <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyP9Omw225HK9kwfE6vD3_98wY4mlV0247VTMODaZFU3-P7KH9yPllJtT7XzaTLw1V84-X79-r_793EnA9qNC7GJYYQtNfultzknIBJzQoEoW0gbx8Js4De0YmoYV7GUinr3ULzVTFmpITgLMHTxllkLkOm1YqZU_PReITAwyg5KqWXMEgQ3Y4DEH4zQo/s2016/Seamus%20Norris%20Gifted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyP9Omw225HK9kwfE6vD3_98wY4mlV0247VTMODaZFU3-P7KH9yPllJtT7XzaTLw1V84-X79-r_793EnA9qNC7GJYYQtNfultzknIBJzQoEoW0gbx8Js4De0YmoYV7GUinr3ULzVTFmpITgLMHTxllkLkOm1YqZU_PReITAwyg5KqWXMEgQ3Y4DEH4zQo/s320/Seamus%20Norris%20Gifted.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><b>How did you interpreter the word "gifted"? </b><br />The gift or Talent a person has or
had.<div><br /></div><div><b>How did you find out abut the call for submissions? </b><br />Online search for opportunities to
publish.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What do you like about short stories? </b></div><div>You can tell the stories you want in
a short form which make the stories accessible to more
readers.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Tell us abut your journey as a writer </b><br />
<p class="MsoNormal">I became interested in writing from an early
age, after I got a present of a copybook from an Aunt. I was about 9 years
of age. I started to write my first novel. It was a Western with a working title
of “The United Family”. I wrote several chapters in very bad pencil handwriting
(Thank God for Keyboards). The novel is as yet unfinished. I still have the
copybook! My interest in writing, particularly fiction was encouraged by my
English secondary teacher in Carrick-On-Suir Vocational School, who left my
imagination to its own devices.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><o:p> </o:p>After secondary school, the writing bug
dried up until I joined Piltown Macra Na Feirme in 1987. After watching the club
perform in the county one-act drama competition, I decided to become a
playwright because although I thought the actors were great, I thought the
script was awful and dated. My first play was a farce called <i>When The Cats
Away, Everybody Plays</i> which was performed in the following years drama
competition, even getting to the county final. I directed and cast it myself.
From there, I wrote several one act plays and sketches. Several more of which
were performed by Piltown Macra Na Feirme. I won best director and best actor
awards as I took to the stage myself. I advanced to full length plays and then
short stories. Then I started writing poetry, mainly for the poetry competition
at Ireland’s oldest agricultural show, the Iverk Show in
Piltown. </p><p class="MsoListParagraph"><o:p> </o:p>In the 90’s, I also started writing for
newspapers such as the Kilkenny People and Kilkenny Standard provincial
newspaper which was an opportunity to write more factual content and tackle more
serious local items. I was never afraid to write the truth. Some articles were
published in national newspapers. </p><p class="MsoListParagraph">Next up was song lyrics. One of my songs
reached the final of the Glinsk Song Contest in 1999. </p><p class="MsoListParagraph">Then to my first novel called <i>Quest For
Justice.</i> It has everything from romance to violence and action, to intrigue to
science fiction and is predominantly Irish based. It is still unpublished. I
have since written another crime Novella called “Jamie” and started another
novel call the “The Underdog” aimed at younger adults. </p><p class="MsoListParagraph">During COVID, I wrote a short play called
the “Power Of Love” which was streamed online by Barnstorm Theatre Arts in
Kilkenny as part of their Love in Lockdown project and can be viewed on YouTube.
When all restrictions were lifted it was performed live. I have built up a
decent portfolio across many formats which is available to view on my website
<a href="http://www.snorris.ie">www.snorris.ie</a> and I do intend to return more often to the keyboard in the
future. Many ideas in my head that need to get out! Still the goal is to get as
many of writings published or performed. My stories come from my exciting and
vivid imagination, mainly revolving around Sport, Westerns, Romance and Crime or
are Irish themed, based on dramatised versions of his own life experiences. The
stories range from drama to comedy. My motto is Dreams and Ambitions Have no
Limit!</p><p class="MsoListParagraph"><b>Is there anything else in the pipeline? </b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph">Nothing planned but plenty of hope that more
submissions will capture the eye and the imagination. <i>Gifted</i> should certainly
help there. Thanks to all at Bridge House.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Author Website
- <a href="http://www.snorris.ie/">www.snorris.ie</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Facebook
- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/seamusdnorris">https://www.facebook.com/seamusdnorris</a>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Twitter
- @seamusdnorris<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Instagram
- <a href="https://www.instagram.com/seamusdnorris/?hl=en">https://www.instagram.com/seamusdnorris/?hl=en</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>
<iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=bridgehousela-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon®ion=GB&placement=B0CKXYG3CV&asins=B0CKXYG3CV&linkId=4e551a1d9f938adff1d0ef3dd6e26cba&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-78893656231165868032023-11-16T17:23:00.000+00:002023-11-16T17:23:25.205+00:00Allison Symes talks to me today about her involvement in our Gifted anthology <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_z-1_phiiJYXk62Y5ftwMGiCavzNL3Bwp6IX1sz2k8OvypIYGW1hmylfdP2YXAa9UKoAiALhjg-F3xatDWw0wXLYhQDWMbmZNv5qA9suh1-wFedcnVo-zeXUuVpGxwfJG4mwmXBGfkfGnIFd-JbvPOEA17NMvKbBFNi4tPaGbHKKo-f9tD5bxy3f3Bs/s1200/GIFTED%20-%20IMAGE%20TO%20GO%20WITH%20BLOG%20POST%20FOR%20GILL%20JAMES.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_z-1_phiiJYXk62Y5ftwMGiCavzNL3Bwp6IX1sz2k8OvypIYGW1hmylfdP2YXAa9UKoAiALhjg-F3xatDWw0wXLYhQDWMbmZNv5qA9suh1-wFedcnVo-zeXUuVpGxwfJG4mwmXBGfkfGnIFd-JbvPOEA17NMvKbBFNi4tPaGbHKKo-f9tD5bxy3f3Bs/s320/GIFTED%20-%20IMAGE%20TO%20GO%20WITH%20BLOG%20POST%20FOR%20GILL%20JAMES.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">How did you interpret the word “Gifted”?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I took the
meaning to be talented. That in turn led me to wonder about having a story
about a character who has talent but is also horribly accident prone. It is
clear she needs to find her true calling and without doing too much damage in
the meantime. Her boss’s assistant is petrified of what my character can do but
the boss finds uses for it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">My
character is indeed gifted but not in the way she, or those closest to her,
anticipated. The nice thing was this lent itself nicely to a humorous tale,
which I always love writing. I love open themes like "gifted" because you can
take something like this in so many different directions. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">How did you find out about our call for
submission?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">By
attending the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bridge House Publishing </i>celebration
event in London last year where the theme was announced. I then looked out for
the submission date via the website. Having said that, knowing what the theme
was so early did mean I could get drafting something earlier. I always
appreciate things like that. Gave me more time to polish my draft up too before
I had something ready to submit.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">What are the merits for you of the short story
form?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Short
stories are wonderful forms in their own right. They capture moments. They give
the pay-off so much more quickly than a novel can. They tell tales which, at
best, would be a scene in a longer work and, just as likely, would not make it
into a book at all. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I enjoy
writing a mixture of flash fiction (1000 words or fewer) and short stories
(1001 words plus). I like being able to write different genres in these forms.
I’ve written humorous tales, crime ones, ghostly types, and have loved being
able to “play” with writing in the first person and the third in the shorter
form. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">It’s always
a joy submitting stories (and even a bigger one when they’re accepted). I love
the challenge of continually coming up with interesting characters and
situations. Keeps me on my writing toes!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Tell us a little about you as a writer?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">As well as
writing flash fiction/short stories, I blog regularly. I write weekly<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for online magazine,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Chandler’s Ford Today</i>, often on topics of interest to writers, and
I often interview authors too. I blog for<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Authors Electric </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">More than
Writers</i>, the blog spot for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Association
of Christian Writers</i>. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I write for
and am part of the editorial team for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writers’
Narrative</i>, which is written by writers for writers.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I also run
flash fiction and editing workshops. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I was one
of the winners of the Waterloo Arts Festival Writing Competition three years in
a row. I was impressed with how the fifteen winners each year came up with such
different stories when we were all writing to the same theme and word count. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I have had
my flash stories broadcast on<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> North
Manchester FM</i> on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Minutes
Santa </i>show hosted by Hannah Kate and often have 100-word stories published
on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friday Flash Fiction. </i></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Do you have any more forthcoming publications
or events?</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I have
submitted my third flash fiction collection to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapeltown Books </i>and am happily drafting a fourth. I am taking part
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flash NANO </i>again where, for the
month of November, I am given thirty prompts, one a day, to respond to - am
finding this fun and challenging as I did last year. I also love the whole idea
of having thirty new stories to edit and polish after November! You are also
encouraged to post on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Facebook </i>page
associated with this how you are doing and, if you wish, excerpts of your drafts.
Great way to interact with other writers.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Am looking
forward to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bridge House Publishing </i>celebration
event in London in December. I hope to be back at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick </i>next year. In 2023 I ran a
workshop there and am hoping to get to do that again. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Author Bio</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Allison
Symes, who loves reading and writing quirky fiction, is published by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapeltown Books, CafeLit, </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bridge House Publishing</i>. Her flash
fiction collections, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tripping The Flash
Fantastic</i> and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> From Light to Dark and
Back Again </i>are out in Kindle and paperback. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Website: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://https/allisonsymescollectedworks.com/">https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com/
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-weight: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Books: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://author.to/AllisonSymesAuthorCent">http://author.to/AllisonSymesAuthorCent<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-weight: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">YouTube:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="http://https/www.youtube.com/@allisonsymes" style="font-size: 10pt;"><b><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">https://www.youtube.com/@allisonsymes</span></b></a><a href="http://https/www.youtube.com/@allisonsymes"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span allow-forms="" allow-modals="" allow-popups="" allow-same-origin="" allow-scripts="" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=bridgehousela-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B0CKXYG3CV&asins=B0CKXYG3CV&linkId=b35f265dc9210fdc3b57ac82c50753f9&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></span></b></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><br /></p><o:p></o:p>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=bridgehousela-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B0CKXYG3CV&asins=B0CKXYG3CV&linkId=b35f265dc9210fdc3b57ac82c50753f9&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-33184769458088648342023-11-10T20:25:00.005+00:002023-11-10T20:26:33.976+00:00Linda Flynn, Gifted contributor, talks about her writing. <p>
</p><div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEZrb2t70_ztoTuXpuK8AwtSit6fx8c0lvyDVqlgzbTakXoWY4qLhfb_WwDp7Y2UeGzyBkwUIxWhhVUf0cZyorc0ug1oshRS9olwsoT-PdC7nCDSnspA9khwGfROpgDSsYOFir6FuG_VITPlSNZpcFpq2mqQ-8zJEFEC-lkjpTZvXv3W2-H7H6_LnWjo/s320/Linda%20Flynn%20Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="320" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEZrb2t70_ztoTuXpuK8AwtSit6fx8c0lvyDVqlgzbTakXoWY4qLhfb_WwDp7Y2UeGzyBkwUIxWhhVUf0cZyorc0ug1oshRS9olwsoT-PdC7nCDSnspA9khwGfROpgDSsYOFir6FuG_VITPlSNZpcFpq2mqQ-8zJEFEC-lkjpTZvXv3W2-H7H6_LnWjo/s1600/Linda%20Flynn%20Photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> </span></div><div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I interpreted the title Gifted as being talented, but I decided to subvert it and
take more of a Noir approach.</span></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For many years now I have
looked for the Bridge House challenge in January, and although I don't
immediately decide to enter the competition, the title will often play in the
back of my mind until I write it.</span></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Short stories are exciting to
write as you can play around with so many structures and forms. Their
compactness can also make them very memorable to read.</span></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm currently working on a YA
fantasy book. I intended to write it many years ago, but work commitments made
it difficult to complete. Now that I'm writing from home, the ideas have
developed further and I am enjoying the process.</span></div>
<div class="elementToProof" style="color: black; font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="elementToProof"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I've
had 33 short stories accepted and been published in 30 books. Amongst the most
recent releases have been an anthology, I Knew it in the Bath and two children's
books: Santa's Supersonic Sleigh and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Together-Linda-Flynn/dp/1910542938?crid=1O1TBVT8PQ9I0&keywords=Playing+Together+Linda+Flynn&qid=1693901858&sprefix=playing+together+linda+flynn,aps,65&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=bridgehousela-21&linkId=0f23e836af381947cfefa6484a110893&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl">Playing Together.</a></span></div><div class="elementToProof"><br /></div><div class="elementToProof"><br /></div>
<div class="elementToProof"><br /></div>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-77290149680167232562023-11-09T17:43:00.005+00:002023-11-09T17:56:57.207+00:00Short and simple from Adjie on Gifted <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGg-l7KSuYWXWPKRwq7FzcQUZwtvJLF_4Uafpn1zdOYIyGsQmC8PgbZw4Xd3UDMBQdbTd7r8eC0xiir1H5di8RYR3wNNrAv-BqHd_UUbbfklescC7H6gpB7fKWb04UmD2gplXH-5_GAixTijrsxcCddmGgYx8YnC7A8qxSFcqu7PdwL2rAMxahZoPp0eE/s2592/20231109_091210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGg-l7KSuYWXWPKRwq7FzcQUZwtvJLF_4Uafpn1zdOYIyGsQmC8PgbZw4Xd3UDMBQdbTd7r8eC0xiir1H5di8RYR3wNNrAv-BqHd_UUbbfklescC7H6gpB7fKWb04UmD2gplXH-5_GAixTijrsxcCddmGgYx8YnC7A8qxSFcqu7PdwL2rAMxahZoPp0eE/s320/20231109_091210.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>How did you interpret the word “Gifted”? </b></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">I didn't
interpret it </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>How did you find out about our call for
submission? </b> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Duotrope</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>What are the merits for you of the short story
form? </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">It's just more fun</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Tell us a little about you as a writer? </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Totally
undisciplined</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Do you have any more forthcoming publications or
events? </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Some short stories</span><br />
<div><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br /><br /></span></span></div></div>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-3866755022573230532023-11-08T16:22:00.003+00:002023-11-08T16:22:18.196+00:00Paula Readman talks to me today about her involvement with our Gifted project<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRb2jSZ6i1Q1mJirU1NgvtsT-tGdbkgNdwc52MrmO_fZDXiul-HgDpfx_vLgGfTD2XvNp2VQmTclx9FuC3IYCZjn4bMBD_MDNLwqm2W0R6FcWC5zSnABYxk-t0qrwFMhHwOdP5D9drsvYAlVF-yARutYmVGXFf1TU7EPKd9khKP3BSGVHcnOML5KVSJs8/s1640/Just%20a%20packet%20of%20Seeds%20picture.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRb2jSZ6i1Q1mJirU1NgvtsT-tGdbkgNdwc52MrmO_fZDXiul-HgDpfx_vLgGfTD2XvNp2VQmTclx9FuC3IYCZjn4bMBD_MDNLwqm2W0R6FcWC5zSnABYxk-t0qrwFMhHwOdP5D9drsvYAlVF-yARutYmVGXFf1TU7EPKd9khKP3BSGVHcnOML5KVSJs8/s320/Just%20a%20packet%20of%20Seeds%20picture.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b>How did you interpret the word
“Gifted”?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I thought about a small gift, something unexpected when I
started writing my story, ‘Just a Packet of Seeds’. As the saying goes; from
little acorns, mighty oaks do grow. Sometimes the smallest gifts give the
greatest pleasure and from these come the best memories. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b>How did you find out about our
call for submission?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">I’ve been writing for Bridge House
Publishing for many years now, so I always check out their web pages to keep
up-to-date with their submission. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b>What are the merits for you of
the short story form?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">Short stories were the best way for
me to learn how to write to be published. It can be tough tackling a novel
first, which can sometimes be soul-destroying. However, writing short fiction
can help you master the basic skills you need for writing your first novel. By
writing to a word limit, you can learn how to choose your words wisely, keep
your sentences concise, and understand the importance of editing and working on
a deadline. Submitting your short fiction can help you develop a thicker skin to
deal with rejection. The upside with all the rejected stories is that you have a
back catalogue of short stories. A quick re-edit and then you can submit somewhere else. I
learned quite quickly that no stories go to waste. You can revisit them as many
times as necessary until a spark of inspiration helps you create a story that
finally finds a home.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b>Tell us a little about you as a
writer.</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">I embarked on my writing journey
twenty-five years ago when I was thirty-nine. It was a personal challenge to get
something published before my fortieth birthday. Despite being poorly educated
due to dyslexia, which left me embarrassed about my awful handwriting and weak
spelling, I was determined to learn the basics of grammar and punctuation, and
also to understand how the publishing industry works. This gave me an insight
into what publishers were looking for when submitting my work.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">Since I was a single mother working
full-time to support my young son, and myself I had limited funds and time.
Attending writing courses was not an option for me. Instead, I taught myself
from 'how to write' books I found in charity shops, on eBay, and books borrowed from
the library.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">My effort paid off in 2010 when
English Heritage published my first short story. Since then, I have published
over a hundred short stories and six books. Although it has been a long journey,
I am proud of what I have achieved so far.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b>Do you have any more forthcoming
publications or events?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;">My latest book is a novella
published by Demain Publishing called <i>Never Reaching The End</i>. It tells a tale
about a young couple buying a house. It seems some houses don’t let go of their
past. I have two short stories published one in <b>CafeLit, </b>the second in
<b>Gifted</b>. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b>Blog: <a href="https://colourswordspaper.blog/">https://colourswordspaper.blog/</a></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b>Twitter: Paula R C Readman
@Darkfantasy13</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><b>Amazon Author’s Page:</b>
<b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paula-R-C-Readman">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paula-R-C-Readman</a> </b></p>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-77433601922855164272023-11-07T20:38:00.004+00:002023-11-07T20:38:49.359+00:00Hidayat Adams talks about his involvement with our anthology Gifted <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMvlPlWYgpYPW5NZoSOodFQB754pyauusE-qYqcdqtvPYUmJ7NYh4mwn_53o7JH-XgXv3IOEcKOh8rOrEubwIbGoMlbgekYk-6gQMBskEP7yja3WSQE5U7ZB9-1RhXpTfR53g5RafqpEhf_8tnsbaLDSRpDnj1JJAnX1eC4bX4gKkflHN7biaU8UWDDU/s2819/H1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2819" data-original-width="2178" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMvlPlWYgpYPW5NZoSOodFQB754pyauusE-qYqcdqtvPYUmJ7NYh4mwn_53o7JH-XgXv3IOEcKOh8rOrEubwIbGoMlbgekYk-6gQMBskEP7yja3WSQE5U7ZB9-1RhXpTfR53g5RafqpEhf_8tnsbaLDSRpDnj1JJAnX1eC4bX4gKkflHN7biaU8UWDDU/s320/H1.jpeg" width="247" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLgnGueK6ebgDdoqS983hgdlTWo7-alzcJJd8sfeRzfyiBQqOI8Uow-MiADC2KNkEUAshiMDEskar_hbuvzBLf9JH67gcrvimjG_wUqlI9_ZbAT9Fr7Vip7iWLa6ddoPHvslzdwbe515TGmtx7EWWrP4BCs1KXwVxXca3uyBmyJA7LcY0BP16Z243QnQ/s1738/H2jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1738" data-original-width="1349" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLgnGueK6ebgDdoqS983hgdlTWo7-alzcJJd8sfeRzfyiBQqOI8Uow-MiADC2KNkEUAshiMDEskar_hbuvzBLf9JH67gcrvimjG_wUqlI9_ZbAT9Fr7Vip7iWLa6ddoPHvslzdwbe515TGmtx7EWWrP4BCs1KXwVxXca3uyBmyJA7LcY0BP16Z243QnQ/s320/H2jpg.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I interpreted the word "gifted" in three ways in my story entitled "The Sealed
Heart". (a) The story looked at a gifted or very talented surgeon. (b) It looked
at how a patient returns the doctor's empathy as a gift by reminding him why he
became a doctor in the first place. (c) The third gift was the doctor's wife
falling pregnant and the child being the gift to both of them.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"> </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I found out about your call for submissions
on Facebook. I belong to a group that updates members about writing
competitions, and that's where I saw the announcement for the competition. I can
tell you that I was extremely excited about the idea, but it took me quite a
while before I felt I had the right kind of story. It was influenced mostly by
my own experience at the time, as I was in and out of hospital for kidney and
kidney stone treatments. It thus felt natural to set my story in a hospital and
have the main character be a doctor. I based the character on my surgeon who was
treating me.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I love the short story form because I can't
seem to write anything longer than 6000 words. My fantasy novel wrote itself, as
the story flowed effortlessly, but although I've started writing part two, it's
just too much effort. The short story allows me to create a full story with
interesting characters, and then move on to another story. I don't have to keep
track of who's who, or who said what or what happened as I would have to do with
a novel. I also love the fact that I can choose to have all loose ends tied up
neatly, or present the reader with an open ending for them to figure it out.
Additionally, I can experiment with a variety of genres from horror to comedy to
romance to fantasy to science-fiction...</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I am an English Academic Support lecturer
at the College of Cape Town. I'm a self-published author of one fantasy novel
and four short stories anthologies. I am a loner by nature, but I'm not
anti-social. I just prefer my own company and being indoors. Aside from writing
short stories, I also write poetry. I've had one of my poems published in a
local poetry magazine, and three other poems have been selected by an online
magazine to be posted on their site during November and December. I'm a bachelor
for life, I love to bake (my speciality is a lemon meringue tart) and I am
generous to a fault.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I am currently working on three novels,
each at various stages of development. I've written the first four chapters of
Part Two of my fantasy series; I've nearly finished a supernatural thriller
which I started writing last year this time, and I started a new fantasy novel
at the beginning of October. Unfortunately, all these projects have stalled, but
I hope with the upcoming December holidays, I will be able to carry on with them
and even finish one or two.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">My website is <a href="http://www.hidayatscorner.co.za" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.hidayatscorner.co.za</a></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I have a Facebook page called Hidayat's Corner
as well as a Facebook Profile for Hidayat Adams.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I have three books on <a href="http://www.inkitt.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.inkitt.com</a> that are free to read.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">Some of my poems can be found on <a href="http://www.poetrysoup.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.poetrysoup.com</a> <br /></div>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-15109302148080808022023-11-02T20:05:00.002+00:002023-11-07T15:22:35.682+00:00News 2 November <p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><h3><span lang="X-NONE">A</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">n obsession
with story</span></h3><h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44VzysasMmF6v3X3uWx37tKN9JLhxA5q_tY8LEKzR7OWBULIsI_OvFp1vG6SAsFrBooMSM9Oa6Wom-Weq4VAzg_FCYHHdimHs06AcVumPJogQTmclq7EMxTxlFi1iKsICUO0g5QEWEYEnbqDPRbIGKcE2PGxr8XcSusMEvb4Ok5j7u3oYJD86lGgTg8s/s640/book-794978_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44VzysasMmF6v3X3uWx37tKN9JLhxA5q_tY8LEKzR7OWBULIsI_OvFp1vG6SAsFrBooMSM9Oa6Wom-Weq4VAzg_FCYHHdimHs06AcVumPJogQTmclq7EMxTxlFi1iKsICUO0g5QEWEYEnbqDPRbIGKcE2PGxr8XcSusMEvb4Ok5j7u3oYJD86lGgTg8s/s320/book-794978_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve enjoyed a lot of theatre recently. You’ll probably notice
that from the number of reviews I’ve written. I was also fortunate to attend a writing
workshop run by Stockroom Theatre group who have a residency at the Bolton Octagon
to work on The Battle of Bamber Bridge. You can read all about Stockroom here <a href="https://www.stockroom.co.uk/">https://www.stockroom.co.uk/</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The thrust of the discussion was about the creation and use
of historical fiction. You may already know I have my own very concrete ideas
about that. Why was it that a pub <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">may</i>
have put up a sign saying “Blacks only”? That is considered to be a bit of an
urban myth. Stockroom has not been able to substantiate it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But certainly in 1943 the black GIs, who were
not allowed to mix with their white colleagues, were made welcome at Bamber Bridge.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was interesting to compare notes about the writing
process when you’re dealing with historical fiction. I still firmly believe that
fiction can uncover more truth than a list of selected verifiable facts. It
shows instead of telling. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We did intros. That was an epiphany moment for me. I realised
I love anything that involves story: novel, short stories, theatre, film and
TV. Even gossip at the pub. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 100.5pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Writing news</span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m pottering on with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peace
Child 6</i>. I’m now just finished the third draft which has meant adding a little
more to one or two scenes and checking for consistency. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9K9I7fqV8lZHPzUf_CmZ3F1ogVJ5Aru8w3MtfWnXD59z9ES9O5KnUTCSerChLKti58OfugszN9_u0e9zXWH4FFXvXKg7wZq864RlpvvCnPhiME_5o3_OeYTexZDOP-ClaWv_2F__kLDpHhACCUbITb7DRdQ472Yv1qrkMAp84ciKPsIEI_5cycidBJs/s320/Creative%20Writing%20Tip%20Sheets.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="213" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9K9I7fqV8lZHPzUf_CmZ3F1ogVJ5Aru8w3MtfWnXD59z9ES9O5KnUTCSerChLKti58OfugszN9_u0e9zXWH4FFXvXKg7wZq864RlpvvCnPhiME_5o3_OeYTexZDOP-ClaWv_2F__kLDpHhACCUbITb7DRdQ472Yv1qrkMAp84ciKPsIEI_5cycidBJs/s1600/Creative%20Writing%20Tip%20Sheets.png" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve now completed my set of Tip Sheets for creative writing
teachers to use with new writers. New writers will also be able to use them on
their own. I’ve created fifty-seven in total. I’ve covered amongst other
topics, character, story structure, poetic forms, turning your work into gifts,
a submission strategy and some notes about formatting scripts. They are all
Word documents so teachers can customise them and students can add notes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have a look here: <a href="https://ko-fi.com/s/bcb3b9bd3c">https://ko-fi.com/s/bcb3b9bd3c</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been quite busy in many ways:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve written a review of a play directed and translated form
Hungarian by a former colleague: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 338.1pt;"><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-the-bat-at-the-new-adelphi-studio-salford">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-the-bat-at-the-new-adelphi-studio-salford</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 338.1pt;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">My
husband and I attended </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">an hilarious </span>production of a Jeeves
and Wooster Play. See my review here: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/jeeves-wooster-in-perfect-nonsense-at-the-octagon-bolton">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/jeeves-wooster-in-perfect-nonsense-at-the-octagon-bolton</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 338.1pt;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The Royal </span>Exchange’s</span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">’ production </span>of Great<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Expectations </i>was quite controversial; it was set on the Indian
sub-continent as partition was threatened. However, it did work beautifully, I thought.
See my review here: </span><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/great-expectations-at-the-royal-exchange-theatre-manchester">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/great-expectations-at-the-royal-exchange-theatre-manchester</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 338.1pt;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">Some of
my choir friends and I also enjoyed a fabulous amateur production of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sweeney Todd. </i>It was very engaging: </span><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/review-sweeney-todd-the-demon-barber-of-fleet-street</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">It was so good that we forgot we were watching some other </span>members</span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> of our choir. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 338.1pt;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Also in </span>O</span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">ctober</span> a colleague and I made a film of one of the
self-led walks in Bury<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: </b></span><a href="https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/bury-self-led-walk-summerseat-valley/">https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/bury-self-led-walk-summerseat-valley/</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 338.1pt;"><span class="MsoHyperlink">I’m continuing
to offer workshops, talks and critiques.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Take a look here: </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/gilljames12122/commissions%20">https://ko-fi.com/gilljames12122/commissions
</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"></span></p>
<h3><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"> </span></span></span></h3>
<h3><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On My Blog</span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve had on the blog a couple of the writers from the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/2023/09/lancashire-authors-of-today-2023.html">Lancashire
Authors of Today 2023</a></i> </b>anthology on my blog. Look at what <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/10/david-lythgoe-talks-to-me-today-about.html"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">David Lythgoe</b> </a>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/10/micjale-higgins-tlaks-to-me-today-abut.html">Michael
Higgins</a></b> have to say. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I
also reflect on some of my </span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">all-too-often occurring </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">mistakes</span><span lang="X-NONE">: <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/2023/10/some-irritating-repeated-mistakes.html">Some
irritating repeated mistakes</a> </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE">The Young Person’s Library </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve
added just one book this month</span><span lang="X-NONE">: <a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/2023/10/leila-and-blue-fox-by-kiran-millwood.html">Leila
and the Blue Fox by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston</a> </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This is a beautifully illustrated
book for fluent readers and as last month it is a children’s book that I am
making my monthly recommendation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So,
see the next section for more details. </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE">Recommended read </span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So,
this month I’m recommending</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">: </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://amzn.to/3QIwQGq">Leila and the Blue Fox by Kiran
Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston</a> </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The stories of refugee Leila and
blue fox Miso intertwine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Both travel a long way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leila flees from Syria to live in London and
then travels on to the Arctic to join her mother who is documenting the fox’s journey.
Miso’s story is based on a true one: Anna the fox walked over 2000 miles in seventy-six
days. Both Leila and Miso are seeking something. Will they find it? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Kiran Millwood Hargraves’s text is touching and Tom de Freston’s illustrations
are delightful. I read the hardback version of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Leila and the Blue Fox. </i>This would make a delightful Christmas
present for a child. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Giveaway </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Note</span></i><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">: these are usually mobi-files to be downloaded to a Kindle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally there are PDFs.</span><span class="Heading1Char"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> <span lang="X-NONE"></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This month I’m offering <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Veiled
Dreams, </i>a <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">YA</span><span class="Heading1Char"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></i></span><span class="Heading1Char"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">fantasy romance. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Feisty fifteen-year-old Christina’s parents don’t like her
biker boyfriend. They think he’s too old and his hair is too long. She doesn’t
like her epilepsy but has to deal with it. An accident leaves her in a coma for
several weeks. Whilst in the coma she visits another world where she starts to
understand her own awakening sexuality and her illness. She also becomes more
tolerant of other people, in particular of those who wear a hijab or burka. But
Jan is still waiting for her at home and her new world is getting more real by
the minute. Problems abound and she feels alone. She is still in love with Jan,
but can she still reach him? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This will be a hard copy and you need to message me with
contact details in order to get it. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is still plenty of free stuff in my dropbox <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p>Grab it <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>here: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/c5k72h7y2731t9wz51f6y/h?rlkey=edyj63vvzj2hisql0u1jpm02v&dl=0">https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/c5k72h7y2731t9wz51f6y/h?rlkey=edyj63vvzj2hisql0u1jpm02v&dl=0</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may have to copy and paste the link.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And please, please, please leave a review, perhaps on
Amazon, Good Reads and / or Story Graph, when you’ve finished. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Note: Normally my
books and the books supplied by the imprints I manage sell for anything from
£0.99 to £10.99.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most on Kindle are
about £2.99 and the average price for paperback is £8.00. Writers have to make
a living. But I’m offering these free samples so that you can try before you
buy. </span></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></h3>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The Schellberg Project </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">The posts may be helpful for teachers who are familiar with
the Schellberg stories or who are teaching about the Holocaust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may also be interesting for other readers
of historical fiction.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sometimes I also write about what might be useful to other
writers. </p>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This
month I’ve written about the Stolpersteine, the small copper covered concrete
cubes embedded in the pavement in front of the houses of Holocaust victims.</span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><span lang="X-NONE"><a href="https://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/2023/10/stolpersteine.html">Stolpersteine</a>
</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></h3>
<h3><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve
also written about why we have war</span><span lang="X-NONE">: <a href="https://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/2023/10/the-case-for-war-or-not.html">The
Case for War – or not</a> </span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="X-NONE" style="mso-ansi-language: X-NONE;"></span></p>
<h3><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Some notes about my newsletters and
blogs</span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal">They do overlap a little but here is a summary of what they
all do. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bridge House Authors </i></b>For all those published by Bridge House, CaféLit,
Chapeltown or The Red Telephone or interested in being published by us. General
news about the imprints. News for writers. Links to book performance. Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cDHFU1">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bridgetown<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Café Bookshop </i></b>where
you can buy my books and books published by Bridge House Publishing, CafeLit,
Chapeltown Books and The Red Telephone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Visit us <a href="http://www.thebridgetowncafebooksshop.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapeltown Books </i></b>News about our books. Sign up <a href="https://us2.admin.mailchimp.com/lists/designer/?id=423577">here.</a> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>News about the project and CaféLit –
for the consumer rather than for the producer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/dq-Ab">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s News: </i></b>News about my writing, The Schellberg Project, School
Visits and Events. Book recommendations and giveaways. Find it <a href="http://eepurl.com/dfWRE">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pushing Boundaries, Flying Higher </i></b>News about conferences and
workshops to do with the young adult novel. (infrequent postings) Sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/bZEFh9">here</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Telephone Books</i></b> News about our books and our authors. Sign
up <a href="http://eepurl.com/cmpICr">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Publisher’s Perspective </i></b>Here I and some other editors blog as
a publisher. Access this <a href="https://apublishersperspective.blogspot.com/">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Creative Café Project </i></b>Listings and reviews of creative
cafés. See them <a href="http://www.creativecafeproject.org/">her</a>e.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CaféLit Stories </i></b>Find these <a href="https://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/">here</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill James Writer </i></b>All about writing and about my books. View
this <a href="https://www.gilljameswriter.com/">here.</a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Recommended Reads </i></b>Find information <a href="https://gillsrecommendedreads.blogspot.com/">here</a> about books that
have taken me out of my editor’s head and a reminder of the ones I’ve
highlighted in this newsletter. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gill’s Sample Fiction </i></b>Read some of my fiction <a href="https://gillssamplesundays.blogspot.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The House on Schellberg Street </i></b>All about my Schellberg project.
Read it <a href="http://www.thehouseonschellbergstreet.com/">here.</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing Teacher </i></b>All about teaching creative writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some creative writing exercises. Access this <a href="https://creative-writingteacher.blogspot.com/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also invite other writers to provide
prompts and work for critique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Books Books Books </i></b>Weekly offers on our books and news of new
books. Find them <a href="https://www.scribblersbooksbooksbooks.co.uk/">here.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The Young Person’s Library</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">The<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>children’s
book catalogue. Access it <a href="https://www.theyoungpersonslibrary.co.uk/">here.</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Fair Submissions </span></i></b><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find
it <a href="https://www.fairsubmissions.co.uk/">here.</a> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></span></p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Opportunities for writers </span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">are added several times a day. Roughly once a
month I send it out to a list. If you would like to be on that list, sign up <a href="http://eepurl.com/doFkD">here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></h3>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">Happy reading and
writing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"> </span></p>
Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-69015535942931634942023-10-19T12:46:00.002+01:002023-10-19T12:46:37.864+01:00Some irritating repeated mistakes <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rSIkIr2B7nMIV48zzYtdfAJwZMjmlNilbUgww7GAdkrx7VFsTLpifxJkfFJldTd4rpJdKvtsEu1pL0KP5hWyznV4R55say5-gIb9U9Y0XyHw0FOK1aX-CAWMyDPBMUOaaWr045CDOebxZ06sYrezzgT_3R69jD3vI1w4t-oERMKNoEo6G3RPGfkWNr8/s642/Irritating.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="642" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8rSIkIr2B7nMIV48zzYtdfAJwZMjmlNilbUgww7GAdkrx7VFsTLpifxJkfFJldTd4rpJdKvtsEu1pL0KP5hWyznV4R55say5-gIb9U9Y0XyHw0FOK1aX-CAWMyDPBMUOaaWr045CDOebxZ06sYrezzgT_3R69jD3vI1w4t-oERMKNoEo6G3RPGfkWNr8/w640-h160/Irritating.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I’ve done this so often I can’t believe it. I work on a text
and make it pretty perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m talking
here about something quite short – maybe an article for the online magazine I
work for or even some technical document about a course I’m building. So, I
write the email to the person I’m writing for and attach the document<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- except I attach it in this form rather<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>than the perfected one I have on screen
because I’ve forgotten to save it first. So it looks like the above, rather
than what you’re reading now. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Similar to this and even more irritating is that
occasionally when I go to save a document “as” my computer changes the name of
the document to something that I’ve already got in my folder. Well, it’ not just
my computes; I have this habit of hovering my mouse over the file list. If I’m
not careful I give it the okay to replace the file. I did that twice this
morning and have now had to create new files from scratch. Fortunately they
were relatively short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And thank
goodness that as well as saving everything in two different places we back our
work up to a remote server at least once a week .In this case it was quicker to
rewrite, though, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>than go through the
rigmarole of downloading.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And then there’s my mouse. It mainly works very well, but
one of the buttons is sticking so I keep doing things twice – opening emails,
opening web pages, inserting lines into spread sheets. And it often immediately
undoes what I’ve just done, for example changing the layout on my Blogger site,
confirming that I meant to upload, or even closing a document. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Oh the joys of being a writer! Still, I guess these are
trivial really compared what might be happening in an office, a classroom or on
the shop floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-13059036034870060882023-10-17T13:44:00.005+01:002023-10-17T13:45:08.560+01:00Michael Higgins talks to me today about his contributions to the latest LAA Anthology <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lancashire-Writers-Today-2023-Multiple/dp/B0CJ495T5Q?crid=2NY6FANTU1C0B&keywords=lancashire+writers+of+today+2023&qid=1697546554&sprefix=%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1&linkCode=li2&tag=bridgehousela-21&linkId=4099f52c59748a2686c938dd3f91df74&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_il" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0CJ495T5Q&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=GB&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=bridgehousela-21&language=en_GB" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bridgehousela-21&language=en_GB&l=li2&o=2&a=B0CJ495T5Q" style="border: medium; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></div>
<p>
</p><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"> </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"> </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">'The Morris Dancers' Farewell' is about the Royton Morris Dancers, led by Jimmy
Cheetham, dancing out of Royton on a Saturday Morning in 1900. The little boy
centre dancer is Mark Irwin and his sisters await his return in the lamplight. It was a man's dance but a woman's artistic touch.story was told by Mark's sister Alice many years later. Alice was a grand old lady in her eighties when she told it . All the Irwin sisters helped to boil shirts, sashes, ribbons
and stockings for the dancers and dressed them in the street before they danced
off. </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"> </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">'The Hour Ahead' echoes a visit to my friends James and Jill in Toronto and remarks on time and
distance a comforting hour. </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"> </div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I have a third piece in dialect prose which makes fun
of the minefield of dialect spelling and pronunciation.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I write history - I edit the <i>Royton Local
Society Newsletter</i> and write articles on local history and grander historical
themes for other outlets. I write on literature from Old English to modern. I
review books from time to time. </div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I decided to enter the LAA competition because I
like writing and had not entered the competition before as I have not been a
member long. The other side of the coin is that I have to size myself up to
entering them. </div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I have entered few other competitions before, though I have won
a couple of awards in various categories for dialect societies.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I had heard of the LAA through general
reading and already knew the LAA president through dialect and folk
events.</div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><br /></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr">I am currently writing a history of the Royton Morris
Dancers. I am compiling a collection of poetry.</div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" scrolling="no" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=bridgehousela-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B0CJ495T5Q&asins=B0CJ495T5Q&linkId=fb84cb844e99939a978639d34482feca&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2910220950634467298.post-18906896266608794012023-10-16T17:19:00.003+01:002023-10-16T17:19:57.143+01:00David Lythgoe talks to me today about his work in the antholgy: Lancashire Writers of Today 2023 <div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjW1OaWoMmxdZg91F7RhSUXu5EIh_1VT5cXr_L-ODPc-P6HVrDey0_bGYxrEPJO28dQxpkeobEJHEbMdyvjb4tWErLf9rH8_YUMqyhaE0r_YV0RtOubUkZuROjDjrch0FpTAvHrO-841xTnmp26ccg9V6F2ouF0xZTlhGyZ2TqFcOvN_PlssRyL3NpY0/s2592/IMG_3546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjW1OaWoMmxdZg91F7RhSUXu5EIh_1VT5cXr_L-ODPc-P6HVrDey0_bGYxrEPJO28dQxpkeobEJHEbMdyvjb4tWErLf9rH8_YUMqyhaE0r_YV0RtOubUkZuROjDjrch0FpTAvHrO-841xTnmp26ccg9V6F2ouF0xZTlhGyZ2TqFcOvN_PlssRyL3NpY0/s320/IMG_3546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> </span></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: small;">I entered five poems for the 2023
competitions, of which two, <i>Asteroid </i>and <i>Anonymous</i>, were placed
first and second for the Pomfret Cup, and three, <i>Elegy For a Hermit, Lockdown
Safety Glass </i>and <i>Torbreck </i>were placed first, second and third for
the Batty Cup. I usually write poetry and my preferred typeface is Calibri. I
like to enter poetry competitions to test my competence which I think (and hope)
is still developing after 30 years of writing. My urge to concentrate on poetry
rather than prose was very much influenced when I won a nationwide competition
in 2003 to write a poem on the theme of 'Discovery' associated with the renaming
of the Swan Hellenic Ship 'Minerva'. The competition was adjudicated by the then
Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and my wife and I were invited to attend the
re-naming ceremony in the Pool of London where my winning poem was read by Dame
Judi Dench. I joined the LAA in 2016 having previously been unaware of its
existence, even though I was born a true Lancastrian in Wigan 86 years
ago. </span></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: small;">My current writing project is to
publish a fourth collection of poems. I've already written about ninety, but I
know that some need to be revised. There's no going back once your words have
appeared in print. </span></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: small;">The photo was taken on the summit
of Suilven, a Scottish mountain. which I climbed at the age of 83, and the
book<i>, A Distillation of Hills </i>was published last year by Chapeltown
Books. Although fundamentally an autobiography based on some of my selected
walks and climbs, it also contains some of my poetry. </span></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNuisdoiuSEy9UYCXdlIuamj0tLGFuZpRlrmMc4ZNqzng9cwQOuahM2NfWTQK75YGqOzORFC4Kp93kt80PpsxoA1b-6XybG2VfJZcn8oUR8Ikad9y0bXJ7GC41MeJbcKqXqbwEr4lI4iNCS8oB39OC4HliTVadYQeXyRv8QBw1f2OWVPCviWt8eWbOH0/s320/IMG_0484.JPG" width="320" /></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div data-setdir="false" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /></span></div><p></p>
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Gill Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13907328485580011762noreply@blogger.com0