tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52872548610417097292024-02-20T09:13:43.958-08:00Wanna Be A Writerwannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.comBlogger311125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-66940649896374146152023-06-11T08:46:00.002-07:002023-06-11T08:46:21.765-07:00Things They Never Said - First Week in the Big Bad World<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w6o6d7YvGX3-LTlg4StyLK8paDnMXakDEVa9_K55edYRAbg8zYQgujovlSP1gmruhxtIcbOqnOywmxFdUczog8RKOaLcPK9G0ony30CNwCzM2RIUwp1eiB5G46Sw-6obAjrWo1lyt6nTjzrdOg9ujmTBIe1s3nq4ZAMwLHwOJL5pw2Y-huMsXq7H2w/s1080/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w6o6d7YvGX3-LTlg4StyLK8paDnMXakDEVa9_K55edYRAbg8zYQgujovlSP1gmruhxtIcbOqnOywmxFdUczog8RKOaLcPK9G0ony30CNwCzM2RIUwp1eiB5G46Sw-6obAjrWo1lyt6nTjzrdOg9ujmTBIe1s3nq4ZAMwLHwOJL5pw2Y-huMsXq7H2w/s320/5.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Well, my debut novel Things They Never Said has been out in the real world for nearly a week now and I'm pleased to say that it seems to be doing well. Yesterday it even managed to make it into the Kindle Contemporary Romance top 100, although by the time I found out, it had already been knocked off its spot.</p><p>I've had some wonderful reviews too, so thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post. </p><p>Some which stand out are:</p><p><i>"Entertaining with great characters"</i></p><p><i>"Good storyline and it deals really well with themes of love and loss"</i></p><p><i>"A lovely heartfelt read"</i></p><p><i>"A page turner at its very best that will pull your emotions in every direction"</i></p><p>But I think my favourite has to be:</p><p><i>'A great read with unexpected turns and revelations - this story will make you smile, exasperated and cry."</i></p><p>I always think that if a book makes you cry then its done its job, and I'm over the moon that the words I have written have inspired these reviews. I really do think that letting your book into the outside world is very like watching a child move away from home. I'm just glad that my first book baby is surviving! Its available on <a href="https://amzn.to/3oVpCUo">Amazon Kindle</a> (currently at 99p) audible and paperback.</p><p>This week I was also hosted on someone else's blog for the very first time. The lovely Anni Rose, invited me on to her blog and asked me some very interesting and thought provoking questions. You can read the post <a href="https://anniroseauthor.co.uk/2023/06/08/linda-middleton-things-they-never-said/">here</a> Thanks so much Anni for hosting me.</p><p>So all in all its been a very exciting week, and I can't wait to see what comes next. </p><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-23140685546399091912023-06-06T03:15:00.000-07:002023-06-06T03:15:34.139-07:00Today's The Day!<p> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yey! Finally, it’s arrived! Today is the publication day for my debut novel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdwaxbjL6FuSGtnB-i9hTgbL4cHN834yoOEVFJxeWgMjnxKS8LHEzjY4N-ygqgoIlmcVPaY0lLAxQ-SBs39hP1Lx8pB5668Uxf7aNTp3MB1DKrtrJUuueCTsqrSvUL74u5P0XHJKV3tLb_g9ZK-_OyiEXTYd6eIh1LpwmWCbwI1LYPCcnMNqVnkWLVQ/s1080/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdwaxbjL6FuSGtnB-i9hTgbL4cHN834yoOEVFJxeWgMjnxKS8LHEzjY4N-ygqgoIlmcVPaY0lLAxQ-SBs39hP1Lx8pB5668Uxf7aNTp3MB1DKrtrJUuueCTsqrSvUL74u5P0XHJKV3tLb_g9ZK-_OyiEXTYd6eIh1LpwmWCbwI1LYPCcnMNqVnkWLVQ/s320/1.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">I’ve been writing for many years now as long term readers of this blog will know, and although I’ve had some success with short stories, that elusive book deal has always been, well, elusive.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">When I sent Things They Never Said to Choc Lit, I felt as though it was my last chance. I’d decided that if Choc Lit didn’t want it, then I would publish it myself. I had faith in my book and I was determined to see it published one way or another.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">But to my delight, Choc Lit offered me a 3 book deal and the time in between has been a roller-coaster ride. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">First came the edits which initially scared the heebie-jeebies out of me. The extent of work required was staggering especially as it was suggested that a suitable turnaround time would be two weeks. At the time I was due to go on holiday in two weeks’ time, and what with work and family commitments, I wondered if I would be able to do it time. But I did and as I worked through the edits I felt I was making it into a much better book.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Two more rounds of edits, each one easier than the last and the book was finally finished. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">The next excitement was receiving the book cover which I was delighted with. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">The book became available on Amazon on pre-order and I began to grow increasingly nervous as people I know said they couldn’t wait to read it. Was it any good? Would they enjoy it?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">And then last Friday I received the audio files for the audible version. I downloaded them and with both eagerness and trepidation began to listen. I couldn’t believe my ears. The actress had brought my book completely to life. For the first time the characters who had been living in my head for some many years sounded like real people. And as I listened, I realised that all that time spent editing had been well worth the work. I won’t deny I shed a tear or two then.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE00bXDLlzs3zp4qUn9idFjYlSsHe0MSB3uDZnvwQeJFfrz37DevjzEeoJ0BYB_h_sdr2OCotaPiHFfSYcTV0vY6V4MkoHNgcapQ5kGUvRrEABH7LH46iiKkwotAOTCaOcbXXtSC6PcqGYYj_5Tai60zZ_TGuY_OyHUqY7erspPVyC-qyJpr7SxohJtw/s1080/6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE00bXDLlzs3zp4qUn9idFjYlSsHe0MSB3uDZnvwQeJFfrz37DevjzEeoJ0BYB_h_sdr2OCotaPiHFfSYcTV0vY6V4MkoHNgcapQ5kGUvRrEABH7LH46iiKkwotAOTCaOcbXXtSC6PcqGYYj_5Tai60zZ_TGuY_OyHUqY7erspPVyC-qyJpr7SxohJtw/s320/6.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Yesterday I received this.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz6w3f36ygUkjBx3RwH5p5HYH35f4rKxL1JNQ-4Wyht1DLkwUA908JvtX3jsUbML3PJMlC116Hv5bop-xij7w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><o:p><br /></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">And today is publication day. It's a moment I've bee waiting for, for years. I can't believe it's actually happening.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Things They Never Said is available on <a href="https://odajoz.clicks.mlsend.com/te/cl/eyJ2Ijoie1wiYVwiOjI4Mzc4MCxcImxcIjo5MDIxNTkyMzc1Mzk0NTA0NixcInJcIjo5MDIxNTkyNjM0Mjg3ODQ1Nn0iLCJzIjoiMmQ3N2FhNDA0YWM3OTdmZSJ9" target="_blank">Amazon </a>on Kindle, Audible and paperback. At the moment it's on offer on Kindle at an introductory price of 99 pence,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-34074112299509634172023-03-05T10:24:00.002-08:002023-03-05T10:24:53.883-08:00The Geek Within Me<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">If you are a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which challenges authors to write 50,000 words in the month of November.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">During November many people use the online forum and local events where people congregate to write in sprints to spur them on. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">When I first took the challenge having a full time job and young children, I didn’t really have the time to indulge in the social aspect of the challenge though, I just concentrated on the word count.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">In order to achieve the 50,000 words at the end of the month you have to achieve a daily word count of around 1,700 words. It was this target that I worked towards, knowing that if I did the words every day I would be assured of reaching the end target. If I got behind I would then be playing catch-up so it made me write, consistently.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">What I loved most of all was uploading the word count on the progress chart. Seeing my achievement in graphic form was incredibly encouraging especially if I had over achieved the daily amount.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I haven’t done NaNoWriMo for the last few years, mainly because during November I’ve been concentrating on editing, but I have really missed it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">At the moment I’m in the middle of writing Book 2. For a long time I’ve been at the 50,000 word mark. I haven’t been able to move forward on this because I’ve had massive plot problems and I’ve had to go back and cut a lot of text. Spending time working out not only what needs to be cut but also what needs to been done to drive the plot and the characters forward has taken up a lot of my time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Doing this, though, gave me a sense of purpose and finally I could see the way forward. I’m aiming for at least 80,000 words so that’s another 30,000 to go and I decided that I wanted to achieve this by the end of March. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsY6xvcwoVKavjl0v3EeiaRhbaLVRlkl-9PstSBM3M30CO9ZnPm7AvM-JoEsR51KE9ZUY_8I_MQuQbvB4wJxHbPVaw-HqAxeq5BvcXDls5n_c4zsfK5S_5BASv0FkQNTKYuaG8tFjJjrlXa3oibK9Ulp8KTxifH9AvasU1UjYmJCXaphFpvqeE5vXcQ/s1440/Screen%20Shot%202023-03-05%20at%2018.07.01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVsY6xvcwoVKavjl0v3EeiaRhbaLVRlkl-9PstSBM3M30CO9ZnPm7AvM-JoEsR51KE9ZUY_8I_MQuQbvB4wJxHbPVaw-HqAxeq5BvcXDls5n_c4zsfK5S_5BASv0FkQNTKYuaG8tFjJjrlXa3oibK9Ulp8KTxifH9AvasU1UjYmJCXaphFpvqeE5vXcQ/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-03-05%20at%2018.07.01.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">And that’s when the breakthrough came. I was skimming through some old writing magazines when I came across a recommendation for ‘Pacemaker’. Part of the website is free. (You can pay for an upgrade for all the bells and whistles). But to chart your progress and add in a daily word count, you can utilise the free version of this.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I set up my project with the word count I wanted to achieve in the time I wanted to achieve it and, hey presto, I had my own personal NaNoWriMo in February.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">On the first day, after a hard day at work, I didn’t really feel like writing, but the thought of needing to update my progress on the app pushed me on. And there you go, my inner geek was ignited. The need to watch that target being achieved, and often over achieved is really spurring me on. I love it when I go over and the amount of words I need to write daily, decreases. I've missed a few days here and there, but not many as I don't want to see the white spaces between the green progress bar.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">And, if I carry on like this, I know I will have an 80,000 word completed draft by the end of the month.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">What spurs you on?<o:p></o:p></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-30845144852178064382023-02-01T02:55:00.000-08:002023-02-01T02:55:37.812-08:00Finally - It Happened to Me!<p>If you are long term readers of this blog, you will know that for many, many years, I have been trying to become a published author.</p><p>I've had a lot of rejections along the way but for some strange reason (insanity maybe?) I refused to give up. </p><p>I have been thinking and learning about self-publishing for a long time because I'd decided that if no one wanted to publish me then I would do it myself. </p><p>But something inside me wouldn't give up the dream.</p><p>I'd been working on what I will call here, for now, Book 1, for a very long time. In fact in a very different format it was one of the first longer pieces of work I ever wrote. Over the years, I worked to improve it (in fact I wouldn't recognise it now from the original). I came across the rejection letter from Mills and Boon from that very first attempt, and I have to say I whole-heartedly agree with them. </p><p>Book 1 has been through 2 critiques through the RNA's New Writers Scheme, and my online writer friends have also been kind enough to comment on it on numerous occasions.</p><p>After finally getting Book 1 to be the best I thought it could be I decided to submit it to Choc Lit.</p><p>And, I'm delighted to say that <a href="https://twitter.com/ChocLituk/status/1620723638088466432?s=20&t=nI1Ukg0042UBbYkKa1GJ8g">this is the result</a></p><p>To say I'm chuffed to bits is the understatement of the year.</p><p>I'm so looking forward to working with the Choc Lit team who seem a very friendly bunch.</p><p>The other Choc Lit authors seem lovely too, and I've already have lots of encouragement from them.</p><p>So, now the hard work really begins, but I'm looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into it and can't wait for the day when I can say I'm a published novelist.</p><p>Its been a long time coming!</p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-60061624263566158772023-01-21T02:00:00.000-08:002023-01-21T02:00:12.236-08:00My Top Crime Authors of 2022<p><span style="font-family: times;">Like most writers I do love a good read. Last year I read 55 books which I think is pretty good going.<span> </span>I write romance and I read a lot of romance but I do like a good bit of crime too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Here are my favourite crime authors of the books I read in 2022.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Biba Pearce</b></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GDjiKEFs9JrMEaV5QX3jD7hLYyVWhJZUy1Xq56mG1FRt1r00W0UGZyDfMgeEHF6fdWXR5ljoLhv-pKT4stGW4a1e7IoOiqd0gzl9dBbV5mDuDYLE-fRIilyvEjpsE6xm6fWgCADoablhCmNulthJEdXdEJf0UY_n3-2jJP_659896lkgE8oDaJvcPw/s533/Biba%20Pearce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="450" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GDjiKEFs9JrMEaV5QX3jD7hLYyVWhJZUy1Xq56mG1FRt1r00W0UGZyDfMgeEHF6fdWXR5ljoLhv-pKT4stGW4a1e7IoOiqd0gzl9dBbV5mDuDYLE-fRIilyvEjpsE6xm6fWgCADoablhCmNulthJEdXdEJf0UY_n3-2jJP_659896lkgE8oDaJvcPw/w201-h239/Biba%20Pearce.jpg" width="201" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">This is a crime series based on a detective Rob Miller. I read the first three novels last year, which began with the Thames Path Killer. In each novel the detective has to track down a serial killer and the novel concentrates on both the detection of the crime and the personal life of Rob Miller. I have thoroughly enjoyed each novel and actively look to when she publishes the next novel.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">This year I read books 4 and 5 in the series which were:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia53VJpn-_qkljbXuJqD8pdEvTRThux6q3zH30y8FZprxDBpRhlNmYr0wBhPuMmBuAtuxNjbnVcvKT2fGUXjB_OeXtqhKv5eNXrwHnyg7W0X0Jq9ZeN6OrnPxsN8Q7pNSG78lz9EignPD-dNaGjAfdHz9JD1Tbhds1lkPd88SMRAho89XdLVgzHnquFQ/s218/The%20South%20Bank%20Murders.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia53VJpn-_qkljbXuJqD8pdEvTRThux6q3zH30y8FZprxDBpRhlNmYr0wBhPuMmBuAtuxNjbnVcvKT2fGUXjB_OeXtqhKv5eNXrwHnyg7W0X0Jq9ZeN6OrnPxsN8Q7pNSG78lz9EignPD-dNaGjAfdHz9JD1Tbhds1lkPd88SMRAho89XdLVgzHnquFQ/s1600/The%20South%20Bank%20Murders.jpg" width="218" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyfpBBQL8ok0nJw0pd4zyKHob9KWAnDzgW_x4uk1Pun7rhKG3qpA7edvsn98dfirr9zKEvjjXI4NZqLSsoULZKpcUOSx3T_X3TC_4lFDTni9ZEP8D5TlsraorXyOdeouqZ-NVAHhaXUH4CmRZe35uCU540L2Xue62uH-eiaLvcKDGvT3KSePWouRjpg/s218/The%20Soho%20Killer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="218" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyfpBBQL8ok0nJw0pd4zyKHob9KWAnDzgW_x4uk1Pun7rhKG3qpA7edvsn98dfirr9zKEvjjXI4NZqLSsoULZKpcUOSx3T_X3TC_4lFDTni9ZEP8D5TlsraorXyOdeouqZ-NVAHhaXUH4CmRZe35uCU540L2Xue62uH-eiaLvcKDGvT3KSePWouRjpg/s1600/The%20Soho%20Killer.jpg" width="218" /></a></div></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">These were both page turning books, and I look forward to reading the next one.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b>Lynda La Plante</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizloHO6c4FOdxhRdM_dfjoWQn81CkwKK0Tvr57OUpg440PFxpif078GTEq1pGLThNn8c88AKzLtny1IH5TEazQYABpmBRRB48EV7uIPxWJhgWd7WubNgE_kgacyc3UtTTGnNgiLlG7VKxEzU-hDHIooLBzny0M6qlEvkTY7cPXoKn2CaOXrEeRSIS2Lg/s92/Lynda%20La%20Plante.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="92" data-original-width="92" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizloHO6c4FOdxhRdM_dfjoWQn81CkwKK0Tvr57OUpg440PFxpif078GTEq1pGLThNn8c88AKzLtny1IH5TEazQYABpmBRRB48EV7uIPxWJhgWd7WubNgE_kgacyc3UtTTGnNgiLlG7VKxEzU-hDHIooLBzny0M6qlEvkTY7cPXoKn2CaOXrEeRSIS2Lg/w142-h142/Lynda%20La%20Plante.jpg" width="142" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I’ve loved the many TV series written by Lynda La Plante but this year I started to read her books which I absolutely love.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">I started with the Widows series reading the three books: Widows, She’s Out and Widow’s Revenge.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Rr2pAkZulXsNHMxnDgA32jtIhO6eYmM3UAHShSHKpYj3v4ZdsrifUckV92OrXXu6CUGRSSjjMGwEhf7MzUSDMfU2giCvyKqs0dUFhHFRTcBg50MAj0k6q9ntBSNVSb9YBX5wV7J6w6uqHyryYfcdtl0kQ5qSpxiPzR03y-R8flR2zu9PRdwl7QL1CA/s218/Widows.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="142" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Rr2pAkZulXsNHMxnDgA32jtIhO6eYmM3UAHShSHKpYj3v4ZdsrifUckV92OrXXu6CUGRSSjjMGwEhf7MzUSDMfU2giCvyKqs0dUFhHFRTcBg50MAj0k6q9ntBSNVSb9YBX5wV7J6w6uqHyryYfcdtl0kQ5qSpxiPzR03y-R8flR2zu9PRdwl7QL1CA/s1600/Widows.jpg" width="142" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8pWKD1q61ygTl_SrUqcSSDShw6usPW6ChFZcu5zyHJPNXPWchS0RwNQSjev5hpVFXg1tuUUVmQ48XVP75GjdBhQXMh0q27Q3X0HXSCk7Z_j27t286_yYcvHMFw-nl_EziEpTCxX2lAVQz7_3BnfYDMeXNRTi3wFHft5-20fN_fEx6RGPh4XPZHZnAg/s218/She's%20Out.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="143" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8pWKD1q61ygTl_SrUqcSSDShw6usPW6ChFZcu5zyHJPNXPWchS0RwNQSjev5hpVFXg1tuUUVmQ48XVP75GjdBhQXMh0q27Q3X0HXSCk7Z_j27t286_yYcvHMFw-nl_EziEpTCxX2lAVQz7_3BnfYDMeXNRTi3wFHft5-20fN_fEx6RGPh4XPZHZnAg/s1600/She's%20Out.jpg" width="143" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEB_k42F6WKVSUXivha0iQimmlFhTrPr6MtA_zRwFfwOqNXN6LFmy__1Wyyeg33sRLNhX7ZTqY7FTn7_k24C0bDUK2QkljqcRALzEkdxOrI7eCf8oHjRmw2kUxbiFaodmr25E0fFakm4BDpQOFiEQib0NypzZGz4e6kFMoCNZncxpHOtaCpX-LZZlcQ/s1250/Widows%20Revenge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="819" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpEB_k42F6WKVSUXivha0iQimmlFhTrPr6MtA_zRwFfwOqNXN6LFmy__1Wyyeg33sRLNhX7ZTqY7FTn7_k24C0bDUK2QkljqcRALzEkdxOrI7eCf8oHjRmw2kUxbiFaodmr25E0fFakm4BDpQOFiEQib0NypzZGz4e6kFMoCNZncxpHOtaCpX-LZZlcQ/w142-h217/Widows%20Revenge.jpg" width="142" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: times;">And then I moved on the series which follows on from this featuring Detective Jack War, the series starts with Buried which re-investigates the robbery which was committed in Widows revenge.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYGBiutxlHmQzJWiudo0OpM8THi5TXnAOFHKGzTMVFS0AyE0MKOA8yK3oOnWEM34dExkaPqQvapvUOnAVYi8FPT1vWGjO3MBs2FMuSNB9045b0nLLgWtc0G5-OizpoCDoTGAFREHCWQ4c527GiihSaXK9uWJOz0fBiwW-UNOdW8X3d5EWzd5nwIp_Gg/s218/Buried.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="142" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYGBiutxlHmQzJWiudo0OpM8THi5TXnAOFHKGzTMVFS0AyE0MKOA8yK3oOnWEM34dExkaPqQvapvUOnAVYi8FPT1vWGjO3MBs2FMuSNB9045b0nLLgWtc0G5-OizpoCDoTGAFREHCWQ4c527GiihSaXK9uWJOz0fBiwW-UNOdW8X3d5EWzd5nwIp_Gg/s1600/Buried.jpg" width="142" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Then I went back in time to Detective Jane Tennison. I loved the Prime Suspect series on TV and reading about Jane Tennison from the beginning of her career has provided me with many happy reading hours.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FHVD8ODN370I2_SSOgxJSVp8o-YjRrdCocY7-YD3FDlyU351dWmuTNYUOY-m-B_IFNhce75vyARq_BreBdckLsw6JP1eYLPHHyzOPAVcA6_O4lGdJ-ZySgLwOV_EBQ27jQRD9cEYDIM5Kdev2BzrvHtr4hf6gmDeaz_1PsgBwHypmDdllC-nRoO-LA/s500/Tennison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FHVD8ODN370I2_SSOgxJSVp8o-YjRrdCocY7-YD3FDlyU351dWmuTNYUOY-m-B_IFNhce75vyARq_BreBdckLsw6JP1eYLPHHyzOPAVcA6_O4lGdJ-ZySgLwOV_EBQ27jQRD9cEYDIM5Kdev2BzrvHtr4hf6gmDeaz_1PsgBwHypmDdllC-nRoO-LA/w115-h174/Tennison.jpg" width="115" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><b> <br /></b></p>Who were your favourite authors in 2022?<br /><br />wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-33053653839949964222023-01-04T02:24:00.000-08:002023-01-04T02:24:09.846-08:00Thoughts on 2022<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At this time of year, I always to take a moment to reviews the highs and lows of the year, and to assess what I’ve actually achieved over the year.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I must say I’m glad to see the back of 2022, as it’s not been an easy one. But then when is life ever easy these days? It started badly, attending the funeral of my youngest son’s friend on my son’s 18</span><sup style="font-family: Calibri;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Calibri;">birthday. Two other more elderly friends died and I spent a lot of time supporting the bereaved at the beginning of the year.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I was looking forward to February as I had planned a weekend in London with my husband for his birthday. Unfortunately, a hurricane stopped all train travel and we had to postpone at the last minute. We did get to go in March though, and the weather was so much nicer so perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismFLKQuUruEQEmHP7FxiWfjl06-ZM84JFxWXEEO43eP2ZUNJFDpfFcWVMNTtJvbinX1Okrc-V1h9v-BhuOLH1ZTij0ye2tOamTRoWv6H00tRlA71AGQmrK7q1pCOk7eFsucaxt3FjlcYMu_8IijM7t9f_DdZJQq-ohqdMqKbHaog5Z-aDnObbCdEJyQ/s4032/IMG_0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismFLKQuUruEQEmHP7FxiWfjl06-ZM84JFxWXEEO43eP2ZUNJFDpfFcWVMNTtJvbinX1Okrc-V1h9v-BhuOLH1ZTij0ye2tOamTRoWv6H00tRlA71AGQmrK7q1pCOk7eFsucaxt3FjlcYMu_8IijM7t9f_DdZJQq-ohqdMqKbHaog5Z-aDnObbCdEJyQ/s320/IMG_0048.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fhSA5FGQhvfPVttPPD-9J6y1NteO7CAvL165aLowVdqFwHK7lPDJqe1f3_TBOWIqTMlrFWIE7Ahg3MkvzZsQKUaZEZIDNSkZ_r112RDtvwqHoLEBaxEJVcd4nrzYsWpPCPmXP1y1hWlf7KaeCa_lnxpmlmVnv-w_1cr0gD8ZmKMhoILn3XaOS5B6Zg/s4032/IMG_0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3fhSA5FGQhvfPVttPPD-9J6y1NteO7CAvL165aLowVdqFwHK7lPDJqe1f3_TBOWIqTMlrFWIE7Ahg3MkvzZsQKUaZEZIDNSkZ_r112RDtvwqHoLEBaxEJVcd4nrzYsWpPCPmXP1y1hWlf7KaeCa_lnxpmlmVnv-w_1cr0gD8ZmKMhoILn3XaOS5B6Zg/s320/IMG_0066.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj49b-9eDo4AVdwCNldLDkotlRXrdr0Xr1rcuiUmEPUW1_tggcuKq8izcX8GdhvWuFUNPxPizhtuYQBxwnI2tm1HQ8VQwwO_5cxW88sIyu1IJ0z9SfP6WW_puuE1PumkCBHcAShtwRpY9aSmJH-655BnSm0ez3firvMRryCtdasPUJSQI1ZoXZ87NOTw/s4032/IMG_0091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj49b-9eDo4AVdwCNldLDkotlRXrdr0Xr1rcuiUmEPUW1_tggcuKq8izcX8GdhvWuFUNPxPizhtuYQBxwnI2tm1HQ8VQwwO_5cxW88sIyu1IJ0z9SfP6WW_puuE1PumkCBHcAShtwRpY9aSmJH-655BnSm0ez3firvMRryCtdasPUJSQI1ZoXZ87NOTw/s320/IMG_0091.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">In February my eldest son left home to join the army. I was sad to see my first born fly the nest. I wasn’t one hundred percent behind his decision but it’s what he wanted to do so I supported him. Ten weeks later he was back home after having decided it wasn’t for him after all. I’m glad he tried it though and made that decision himself. He’s since found himself a good job and seems much happier so that’s something to be grateful for. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">In April we were supposed to be going to Ireland to visit my husband’s relatives but after two years of dodging the bullet, we both got COVID. I’d been worried about catching the virus as the medication I take for my Psoriatic Arthritis means I have low immunity. Thankfully the vaccinations protected me and the illness wasn’t as bad as I had feared. We finally got to Ireland in May.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_gFEdvlWrG9oz9Ij2AUN5HMKB-K4IBh6hT0eTBHpYusOfWyP3eN2O5WY82pOwkVs81isQEIm_mcHLN9AUc6iQAeUhhA-Lz9Y-nV0OyYYKQdzbtlun1kLOXQmGDQ1lDce7_w24qS7sapUnqIdp_X_oDJwu6NqEBhx0zYkB9RvjIvaw33VrAyOHEGmtw/s4032/IMG_0129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_gFEdvlWrG9oz9Ij2AUN5HMKB-K4IBh6hT0eTBHpYusOfWyP3eN2O5WY82pOwkVs81isQEIm_mcHLN9AUc6iQAeUhhA-Lz9Y-nV0OyYYKQdzbtlun1kLOXQmGDQ1lDce7_w24qS7sapUnqIdp_X_oDJwu6NqEBhx0zYkB9RvjIvaw33VrAyOHEGmtw/s320/IMG_0129.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><o:p> </o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhW8hl0Ue4aRyZuqQGJeSXcTiEmGrM2oO2DkEQEZ3FINFNCNmtOSzUcGuOasdEACBw6-fawZId50mI69LLKHfQoYtbyq6HGyDrtxza97w5HfLLXV09oAlL-xEjYrITT0VUHLDnF4xYC8CImiFMGYLlYFw_HEkqCtehbVFxqvo9gaWCLOCENunfP48q0w/s4032/IMG_0141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhW8hl0Ue4aRyZuqQGJeSXcTiEmGrM2oO2DkEQEZ3FINFNCNmtOSzUcGuOasdEACBw6-fawZId50mI69LLKHfQoYtbyq6HGyDrtxza97w5HfLLXV09oAlL-xEjYrITT0VUHLDnF4xYC8CImiFMGYLlYFw_HEkqCtehbVFxqvo9gaWCLOCENunfP48q0w/s320/IMG_0141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><o:p><br /></o:p><p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfFuduunhorwYJqxwkH90ZfbLyZef7RgIFO1Kow-DSlPJxwExVJMTsRWDR9dv27z-Gu5SCu3eEkFKBuxWZCDSO_bKuDnBorb_Z8Fbul-HkPuZ5gLgHyddRlUVfoSa9bNSVrmGNsJ9BfnShaUztrXyb3gXARB8nhmd379UCG2Dq9WfOWDLiDLMds7jeg/s4032/IMG_0130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfFuduunhorwYJqxwkH90ZfbLyZef7RgIFO1Kow-DSlPJxwExVJMTsRWDR9dv27z-Gu5SCu3eEkFKBuxWZCDSO_bKuDnBorb_Z8Fbul-HkPuZ5gLgHyddRlUVfoSa9bNSVrmGNsJ9BfnShaUztrXyb3gXARB8nhmd379UCG2Dq9WfOWDLiDLMds7jeg/s320/IMG_0130.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">The first half of the year was tricky for my youngest son. I spent a lot of time helping him learn to drive and supporting him through three driving tests. When he did pass I spent several months biting my nails whenever he went out int he car. And then were the A-Level exams which were also stressful. He's now at university studying history.He was really looking forward to going but has ended up more homesick than he expected, but I'm hoping in settle in more next term. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">On the plus side my husband and I had two happy holidays in Spain at our apartment, so the year has had its up-sides too.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cnuj7uYepjicTlvyCdCRa_KNmMMLoolekJWEujoIpv400VXiZh_REZTkoI8DyewTro4Z2VuQBVxiQBZgsMogdBXAhQ0zs3P7MaTW5T_aO5_Xn0Ti3IsrXQND76knJ2KI7RnyttEpZj5QWdAi2yKLBkcqLQMGLsPUf-2ReYd9VM_DmkkainzqBy1ZkQ/s4032/IMG_0247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cnuj7uYepjicTlvyCdCRa_KNmMMLoolekJWEujoIpv400VXiZh_REZTkoI8DyewTro4Z2VuQBVxiQBZgsMogdBXAhQ0zs3P7MaTW5T_aO5_Xn0Ti3IsrXQND76knJ2KI7RnyttEpZj5QWdAi2yKLBkcqLQMGLsPUf-2ReYd9VM_DmkkainzqBy1ZkQ/s320/IMG_0247.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvsSJvoIWce1fBdLiOIjQ-YDs2ZXwqiGRkUTg9etofiNKEgI1cTY_rqc33-Xb_zPVNON0PO_cLrYqyPbpGBGUm_7csuHB-sK_3qOGEV-rinaz-JFCHKrtwdi9ZUOjKx7TlJzcihvLc2X5BGYKE94xhyoL79PRzlRa0diCU3DVyJOivUSgB2xk5eb3xw/s4032/IMG_0202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvsSJvoIWce1fBdLiOIjQ-YDs2ZXwqiGRkUTg9etofiNKEgI1cTY_rqc33-Xb_zPVNON0PO_cLrYqyPbpGBGUm_7csuHB-sK_3qOGEV-rinaz-JFCHKrtwdi9ZUOjKx7TlJzcihvLc2X5BGYKE94xhyoL79PRzlRa0diCU3DVyJOivUSgB2xk5eb3xw/s320/IMG_0202.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /></div><o:p> </o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">And through all this I have been trying to keep my writing going. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">In 2022 I completed Book 1 sent it to several agents, either heard nothing or got rejected, edited it again and sent it to the publisher, ChocLit. Its currently going through assessment via their reader panel, the result of which I’m hoping to hear from soon. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I’ve been learning as much as I can about self-publishing. If Book 1 doesn’t get taken up by ChocLit I’m going to bite the bullet and publish it myself. I’ve spent many years submitting things and either getting rejected or being ignored so maybe it’s time to take control of my writing destiny.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I’ve done some serious editing and redrafting of Book 2. This came into being during NaNoWriMo so was a very rough 50,000 words. I got more or less to the end of this, deleting and creating so that it was 70,000 words, then I got a bit depressed because it still wasn’t quite working. So, I went back to square one, did a lot more plotting and planning and am halfway through the process of re-writing. Hopefully by the end of this draft I will have much deeper characterisation and a sound structure and my next edit will be more a case of fine tuning.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I’ve dipped my toe into the world of Twitter and done some extensive research on how to develop my own website. I’ve also been reviewing and editing some short stories as I have decided to self-publish a couple of short story anthologies as a way to introduce myself into the world of independent publishing. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">After a slow start to the writing year, I’ve ended on a positive note and am fully motivated to make sure that 2023 will be the year I finally get published (one way or another).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">What were your best bits of 2022 and what are you looking forward to in 2023?</p><br />wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-40894134276994229152023-01-01T05:29:00.000-08:002023-01-01T05:29:06.564-08:00Happy New Year!!<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGy6j6GqObzTMBfVv8QusypzJ0h9r28-rTlk23RBN9xe1id532YmeAYa4tAI9eawMc4v_wMe8SvSgEBXlZy2awarrGkmySBysZHh1_We3Z2MzKv9B02AjdK1DhkWCu5uJoCTK6amZCPPdaqwyOfXJwI2ekiykEANmuGu5_aMG6MLlW0PNCWM9WaZOng/s166/Unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="118" data-original-width="166" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGy6j6GqObzTMBfVv8QusypzJ0h9r28-rTlk23RBN9xe1id532YmeAYa4tAI9eawMc4v_wMe8SvSgEBXlZy2awarrGkmySBysZHh1_We3Z2MzKv9B02AjdK1DhkWCu5uJoCTK6amZCPPdaqwyOfXJwI2ekiykEANmuGu5_aMG6MLlW0PNCWM9WaZOng/w198-h140/Unknown.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Well, it’s here, 2023. It’s hard to believe that another year is over and we’re already into the next one.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year and weren’t too bogged down with this nasty cold / flu bug which seems to be everywhere. My eldest son was the first to by laid low, then my husband got it just before Christmas and is still coughing and spluttering. My youngest son caught it from him and has been suffering quite badly with it. I, however, have managed to escape it so far. There, I’ve just jinxed myself, I’ll probably catch it now I’m due back at work.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Christmas – well it takes so much preparation and then it’s over in a flash. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, we did. We spent it with my husband’s family – twenty of us. We all chipped in with the cooking but hat’s off to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for hosting it all. We had a great time but I was glad we had nothing planned for Boxing Day so we could all recover. There was another party on the Tuesday for a belated 21<sup>st</sup>. And then my mum came to stay with us for a few days. It was lovely to spend some proper time with her, especially at this time of year.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Amidst all the celebrations, there is also a sadness to this time of year for me. Five years ago, just before Christmas my mother-in-law passed away. The following day, whilst my mum was undergoing knee replacement surgery, my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and passed away ten days later on 30<sup>th </sup>January. This is him on my wedding day.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQMTY1mfXRx50UqCx38s5k62vGKuRPxvWxjd_H-Kb4V7-Elav_uDwnDrQztbRQEMvj-xk6H_lQml-jhakClW-qJq627ccX5giZrc3FzTBI3DnSrhl-dh78WlSG9daZtpdNI1l59LNefTMtqpqAv-1g9i1xUWCIG7VQztG9fHmiNe3sOGNeyCNM6MZbA/s2505/Photo%20Roy%20Mayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2505" data-original-width="2503" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQMTY1mfXRx50UqCx38s5k62vGKuRPxvWxjd_H-Kb4V7-Elav_uDwnDrQztbRQEMvj-xk6H_lQml-jhakClW-qJq627ccX5giZrc3FzTBI3DnSrhl-dh78WlSG9daZtpdNI1l59LNefTMtqpqAv-1g9i1xUWCIG7VQztG9fHmiNe3sOGNeyCNM6MZbA/w295-h295/Photo%20Roy%20Mayer.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><o:p> </o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I still miss him so much and am sad that he’s not here to see what lovely young people all his grandchildren have become. I try to look on the positive side though, that he is not really lost to us, but is forever with us in our hearts. It makes me cherish my mum even more though, and I am eternally grateful that she is still very much in our lives.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">It’s not been a great year for a lot of people, and I’ve had some incredible stressful periods throughout the months, but I have ended the year feeling positive and particularly motivated for my writing in the year ahead. Life is what you make it after all, and I’m going to do my best to make 2023 a thoroughly productive writing year.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Wishing you all the very best for 2023!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></p><br />wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-33233815139877021842022-12-19T11:30:00.000-08:002022-12-19T11:30:24.061-08:00Book Review – Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">As well as writing I’ve been doing a lot of reading recently. But not reading just for pleasure, I’ve been trying to read like a writer and analyse the structure of books, how character is portrayed and how the character arcs are developed throughout the story.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">Mostly I’ve been reading romance novels as that’s the genre I write in but I also recently re-read Harriet Tyce’s Blood Orange.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00eKj200pf7Rknm3g7CKuLPZjs9BLqFvUQ3kd7Jd31UxQT5DjgzikZPCe6y9zeMiHXkIukGbDIvsUeD36yAT2S1En3Q5Bym2tBW2CGoDYT64oNg2Qmfyc1355en_17c5DHBQHCz7YCkMi98FuR-i5rdRPAOkAPLfmqG-WY7f31-NdqDlQPAdyYPwyhA/s500/Blog%202%20Image%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00eKj200pf7Rknm3g7CKuLPZjs9BLqFvUQ3kd7Jd31UxQT5DjgzikZPCe6y9zeMiHXkIukGbDIvsUeD36yAT2S1En3Q5Bym2tBW2CGoDYT64oNg2Qmfyc1355en_17c5DHBQHCz7YCkMi98FuR-i5rdRPAOkAPLfmqG-WY7f31-NdqDlQPAdyYPwyhA/s320/Blog%202%20Image%201.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">I found this a compelling read but what fascinated me most was that I enjoyed it despite the fact that I didn’t find any of the characters likeable, especially at the beginning. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">Alison is a barrister who is gaining success and has just been given her first murder case. She lives with her husband and her young daughter. Her husband is the primary carer for their child.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">All is not good in their marriage, lots of passive aggressive comments coming from him but maybe he has cause because after work she goes out and gets so drunk she falls asleep in her chambers. She’s also having sex with another man. Nothing affectionate about it, just rather aggressive sex at the end of the night. She keeps telling herself that she must stop drinking and having sex with him but she can’t seem to stop herself. She’s on a downward spiral. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">I found neither the husband or the lover at all appealing and while I did feel some sympathy for Alison, the fact that she kept degrading herself with her lover had me shouting at my Kindle screen in frustration.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">Her redeeming qualities are her love for her daughter and the fact that she is really good at her job.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">And yet, despite my lack of empathy I kept turning the pages and by the end of the novel was completely on Alison’s side. How Tyce made me empathetic to such a flawed character is nothing short of genius. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">There were so many twists and turns in this novel that kept me intrigued as to what would happen next. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and will probably read it again at some point in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">What books have you been reading recently?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-36990926758961326582022-12-14T10:23:00.002-08:002022-12-14T10:23:17.272-08:00It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas<p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Well, the weather is certainly Christmassy enough at the moment, whether or not it will last until the big day is debatable though! I don’t mind snow at Christmas, its only when I have to get to work or other places that I find it annoying, if not sometimes scary. Not a bit fan of defrosting the car either, but it can certainly look pretty, especially when the sun's shining as it was this morning.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFo9MC27cX6qvCfPubfmdy5LYP8ndHU9ukW5ZVvBUpjQ-fZGKGAAdjl0jNxa3uQgFR6jcbdL7MZIQPQiwti_W18-e9ElDSEmhxNyn0--n_rMmxReVKNzyu4WG5IFn0vEHLsYgVoFA_ui8BjkhQQVKLHDmAYzRGPG9xy7o6zzExmLEKbeFv411nEuM5Q/s4032/IMG_0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFo9MC27cX6qvCfPubfmdy5LYP8ndHU9ukW5ZVvBUpjQ-fZGKGAAdjl0jNxa3uQgFR6jcbdL7MZIQPQiwti_W18-e9ElDSEmhxNyn0--n_rMmxReVKNzyu4WG5IFn0vEHLsYgVoFA_ui8BjkhQQVKLHDmAYzRGPG9xy7o6zzExmLEKbeFv411nEuM5Q/s320/IMG_0286.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">As anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows, I can be a bit of a grump about Christmas, especially as five years ago I lost my father suddenly during the festive period.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">But this year, in an effort not to be a Christmas humbug, I’m doing my very best to embrace the season of goodwill.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">A few weekends ago I wrote my Christmas cards whilst watching Love Actually and I even managed a mince pie.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgwfo3D9ioIMDBUVEyAoNmMNjbPgSh7sj40A9n3CvjcQ_UbzMOxdBOaN1RLUdHxu62ARZnRwSRNW9CHpT7vLbX7Q6qwP4O-ukDzeg4KOxWRqx-V95O54h_1owatwYZS-N3N-ixXjFJbunL_J0KDXKX4AkYmV5-oWG3igknMLQqVZxMabIb9_NwHGKiQ/s276/Blog%201%20Image%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="276" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgwfo3D9ioIMDBUVEyAoNmMNjbPgSh7sj40A9n3CvjcQ_UbzMOxdBOaN1RLUdHxu62ARZnRwSRNW9CHpT7vLbX7Q6qwP4O-ukDzeg4KOxWRqx-V95O54h_1owatwYZS-N3N-ixXjFJbunL_J0KDXKX4AkYmV5-oWG3igknMLQqVZxMabIb9_NwHGKiQ/s1600/Blog%201%20Image%201.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><p></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0CFqFMfBYMS3X7sGCPS1ujW8uRvm77vOpMXbcRKD60mbKuAtgfC-T5m_sO3MTHuN1yI9G4a5Lmhcr6oIjI9JF9ntnDlim4-4lZZFxFKzSxKmWFYK7MHYs63sqKs2yY2MknKp_U4ODNumXBY-_BwxUUnPgJ_VNkh-ApJGgAMAzIh4kHxDqsnjpKSPWw/s225/Blog%201%20Image%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0CFqFMfBYMS3X7sGCPS1ujW8uRvm77vOpMXbcRKD60mbKuAtgfC-T5m_sO3MTHuN1yI9G4a5Lmhcr6oIjI9JF9ntnDlim4-4lZZFxFKzSxKmWFYK7MHYs63sqKs2yY2MknKp_U4ODNumXBY-_BwxUUnPgJ_VNkh-ApJGgAMAzIh4kHxDqsnjpKSPWw/s1600/Blog%201%20Image%202.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">And once the present buying is out of the way (nearly there!) I’ll be able to embrace the season fully, especially as for the first time since I had my own home, I won’t be the one cooking Christmas dinner.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">But I won’t forget to spare a thought for those who are less fortunate than myself and of course, make some charitable donations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14pt;">Are you looking forward to Christmas?<o:p></o:p></span></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-22485033219212134812022-11-30T10:02:00.004-08:002022-11-30T10:02:41.783-08:00It's Strictly Time!<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I must admit I do enjoy watching Strictly – it’s something to look forward to on the long autumn / winter nights in the run up to Christmas.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAeNtATfwrDXeX3EiQ-iNhUF5fhGpz9VI_jIGuu9U6FqK-9dMwCMZ4fnyUH0lEoQSgW2ZGFyb40moT3WCynVdauAU8h2mPThHHp19d7nPzKR2y_oCKjoBvfCqH2L25kUtsqnsCEzGGE2HuOSlgZzOdLRQAtLnzoSiEmOYVkM5kXJHGqb9EEa5kAYM0g/s232/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="130" data-original-width="232" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAeNtATfwrDXeX3EiQ-iNhUF5fhGpz9VI_jIGuu9U6FqK-9dMwCMZ4fnyUH0lEoQSgW2ZGFyb40moT3WCynVdauAU8h2mPThHHp19d7nPzKR2y_oCKjoBvfCqH2L25kUtsqnsCEzGGE2HuOSlgZzOdLRQAtLnzoSiEmOYVkM5kXJHGqb9EEa5kAYM0g/s1600/images.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I love the learning curve that the celebrities go on in their quest to learn to dance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">It’s a more intense version of the path to becoming a writer, although most of us writers learn our craft on the side-lines rather than in the glare of the public eye. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">The other similarity to writing is that the dancers have to learn to listen to the feedback of the judges in order to progress.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">One of the things I like about Strictly, compared with other similar programmes, is that I feel the judges are not being intentionally nasty in their feedback, they have a genuine desire to show the dancers how they can improve, to progress through to the next stage. But sometimes the way feedback is received is down to the delivery.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Craig is viewed as the nasty judge because he always marks lower than the other judges and because he is super critical. But I think part of the audience’s reaction to him is because he always starts off with the bad points before praising anything that is good. I received advice a long time ago that feedback should be like a sandwich: start with something good, put the meaty feedback in the middle and then finish on something good too. I have been part of several readers groups and given feedback to other writers and the process has helped me to develop my own writing as it helps me to focus on both what does and doesn’t work. It would never be my wish to demoralise any writer, but I also think there’s no point in simply praising what is good and ignoring what can be improved upon. And so the sandwich method has enabled me to deliver what I will always hope to be constructive criticism. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">It can be crushing to receive harsh feedback, especially when you have put your heart and soul into something. As writers, we know how demoralising that can be, but we also know that constructive criticism is what makes us better writers. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Reading feedback for the first time can be daunting, but from personal experience I find that if I put it aside for a few days, when I come to re-read it, I can connect with it more rationally. I’ve always found that constructive criticism often rings true and highlights issues that I have known were there but which I haven’t been able to fully acknowledge.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Similarly, if deep down the feedback doesn’t sit right with you, then you can make your own decision to disregard it. If you are a true writer, you will think carefully about the feedback you receive and take on board the parts of it that you know will help you develop as a writer and produce an improved piece of work.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">So as we are coming towards the end of Strictly for another year, we can sit back, relax and enjoy watching how much the dancers have improved over the series.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And when its finished, well, then it will be Christmas.</span> </p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-53056948390823181202022-10-28T05:43:00.006-07:002022-10-28T05:43:51.492-07:00Catching Up<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5G8wKAOj9NueVIWfgxVwPyJRkTtIn7f78B4VF0MlUW2xyKeUQeIn-c2sJC28FbqA7AYpBWzBHq1UeVjUIhyLq4eXqgHOsqvE9STnMWwf2vewPUrM1ZgIwnYafPV-qrDwalNpeUb3TKKWFINsjUqiyD5M-UJT1DqlHCNe9wdGxokt-XgJZnZNZzQxKig/s187/Elephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="187" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5G8wKAOj9NueVIWfgxVwPyJRkTtIn7f78B4VF0MlUW2xyKeUQeIn-c2sJC28FbqA7AYpBWzBHq1UeVjUIhyLq4eXqgHOsqvE9STnMWwf2vewPUrM1ZgIwnYafPV-qrDwalNpeUb3TKKWFINsjUqiyD5M-UJT1DqlHCNe9wdGxokt-XgJZnZNZzQxKig/w240-h164/Elephant.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I haven't posted for a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. In fact, life has been a bit of roller coaster ride - as ever.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In February of this year, my eldest son left home to join the army. It wasn't something I was particularly comfortable with, considering the current unrest in the world, but you have to let them make their own way in the world don't you?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Ten weeks later he was back at home after having decided that army life was not for him. But at least he tried and got it out of his system, and to be fair to him, he soon sorted himself out with work and has now found himself a job close to home which he seems to be enjoying.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We've also had the highs and lows of A Levels this year, very stressful at times (understatement!) for both my youngest son and myself. He's now studying history at the University of Huddersfield. It's taking a while for him to settle in but I hope he'll find his feet soon. He's coming home for reading week in November so I'm looking forward to seeing him then.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So what with all the comings and goings, I've found it difficult to establish a writing routine. I'm notoriously bad at putting my writing before the family and household tasks, and this is something I'm determined to become better at. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As I mentioned in a previous blog, I've been working on a romance novel which has previously been through the RNA New Writers' Scheme. I finally got it to a place I was happy with and submitted it to various agents, with no success. I'd always had the thought that my novel would be suited to Choc Lit - a dedicated publisher of romance, so I took the bull by the horns and sent it off in early September. The selection process takes several months, so to take my mind off the outcome, I've been working on redrafting a novel which I started to write during NaNoWriMo a few years ago. I set myself a target of writing 500 words a day on days I was working and 1,000 words a day when I wasn't doing the day job. It was a target I found I was able to sustain and I was enjoying the process until I ran out of plot. I literally don't know where I'm going with this book so I need to go back to the beginning and do some serious plotting and restructuring.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">To take a break from this and hopefully gain some perspective in the interim, Ive been editing some short stories which have been languishing on my hard drive. I'm aiming to develop these into short story anthologies which I will self-publish. At the same time, I'm working on developing my own author website. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As ever I'm trying to do a lot, and do it all at once, and I often get the dreaded feeling of overwhelm. But I'm determined to keep going. To help me along the way, I ask the question:</p><p style="text-align: center;">"How do you eat an elephant?'</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The answer of which is:</p><p style="text-align: center;">"One bite at at time."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Not that I would want to eat an elephant, but you get my drift. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">How do you cope when there seems to be more to do than time to do it in?</p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-67408779251635750722022-06-26T01:31:00.000-07:002022-06-26T01:31:13.362-07:00On My Holidays<p> </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/AVvXsEjNvJVW2u2JD8ODfjH6g_OhRgP3S3W02IBwYXSUAvsaB_DOoUAJqrMWiW91Ni_x8Ky-FcOuk7Nc3hwy6BPcJsVLRTQpW8IqBm0AEUuybqsJO2HrnnREQ5drtkzo1quzCR_aExZdX4NBJA0JpHS5TcHZtqtRXnXPWl77sc-CEjZ8xa_zfIhMpJzFNTvnSg/s320/IMG_0166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvJVW2u2JD8ODfjH6g_OhRgP3S3W02IBwYXSUAvsaB_DOoUAJqrMWiW91Ni_x8Ky-FcOuk7Nc3hwy6BPcJsVLRTQpW8IqBm0AEUuybqsJO2HrnnREQ5drtkzo1quzCR_aExZdX4NBJA0JpHS5TcHZtqtRXnXPWl77sc-CEjZ8xa_zfIhMpJzFNTvnSg/s1600/IMG_0166.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBKRpwYnFga42rLOuKxIqR-IGI76P4GrYKNeg7C-MR4Be3vqpvUzFWIu6Epfkv2bhYldmkiJ1kwoyvheW7W8XfJyG5YFykSIWkoaQYjeyB810snVKKXE1m4tHPVoJ8YnjTGLmx3xLZrWn60WyjpusDvhqUZid6OmqtDoNvMzuQu2lTLeSDFJ7CjO9dw/s320/IMG_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBKRpwYnFga42rLOuKxIqR-IGI76P4GrYKNeg7C-MR4Be3vqpvUzFWIu6Epfkv2bhYldmkiJ1kwoyvheW7W8XfJyG5YFykSIWkoaQYjeyB810snVKKXE1m4tHPVoJ8YnjTGLmx3xLZrWn60WyjpusDvhqUZid6OmqtDoNvMzuQu2lTLeSDFJ7CjO9dw/s1600/IMG_0176.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Currently enjoying the view from our apartment in Spain, getting some much needed R&R. We've left the 20 year old and 18 year old back in the UK so I'm trying not to think what the state of the house will be like when we get home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOzuiLbFZ7ntx1pn70A7vHGT_Nef7wzWZX7hus8pN1ISmXMNZw1j5iyvda7vX2LdpKZoJxVy9I-9w4xWQDlGyh6UB49HciVIPWkJsw-vjvcl4A3t99xguCSxqoDrycx-lHCSOEhZSiOfM4pxIPxE2Ab26iL7vZh3rorlO8_zeeuKZxc-JapTuaxSrtw/s320/IMG_0169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOzuiLbFZ7ntx1pn70A7vHGT_Nef7wzWZX7hus8pN1ISmXMNZw1j5iyvda7vX2LdpKZoJxVy9I-9w4xWQDlGyh6UB49HciVIPWkJsw-vjvcl4A3t99xguCSxqoDrycx-lHCSOEhZSiOfM4pxIPxE2Ab26iL7vZh3rorlO8_zeeuKZxc-JapTuaxSrtw/s1600/IMG_0169.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I am using the time to catch up on some writing although its so hot here that the pen often slips from my fingers and my writing is terrible, but at least I'm trying to get something down on paper. (Don't you just feel sorry for me?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Also catching up on reading, both fiction and non-fiction. I've recently read Romancing The Beat by Gwen Hayes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkIb3nulGU-1BAjm9jilOzZYUvQXDHRd_bYxeU_YOec45yU77w2V1iaQ1Eiwwe_6XHCMCycLKPxIg_GVONVExNx2Xkua1dTG7nDJm49lvzlEwFvOUqfBKxQ_V0gb_G2GhEurLTVRTArZKHLDbLL3nS7fv4DqegBe4a2YwCLHFEzJb_cG0rQApJMuaxw/s500/51zHD6P5-hL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkIb3nulGU-1BAjm9jilOzZYUvQXDHRd_bYxeU_YOec45yU77w2V1iaQ1Eiwwe_6XHCMCycLKPxIg_GVONVExNx2Xkua1dTG7nDJm49lvzlEwFvOUqfBKxQ_V0gb_G2GhEurLTVRTArZKHLDbLL3nS7fv4DqegBe4a2YwCLHFEzJb_cG0rQApJMuaxw/s320/51zHD6P5-hL.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Its quite a short book but an excellent tool for helping you plot the structure of your novel, or for checking that your structure is on track during the editing phase. I'm definitely going to be using her advice for my next novel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Now all I have to do is concentrate on my tan and hope that I can actually fly home as I'm travelling with Ryan Air on one of the days their cabin crew are on strike. If not, then I guess I'll just have to stay here!</div><br /><p></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-43235855613345377872022-06-08T08:00:00.002-07:002022-06-08T08:00:35.457-07:00How Do You Want To Be Published?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrO88w93WUWIV4RSSKYbtyt74EITp5PuorBKd01dPe-s2DNsRU_bNSJwTw67Z7QYIxdToKL6kPc1HL2oLC-sdPf760JXs8qKGxpWiX1wuoGhREV5jZ1lD5mvQRI5dIBqndm0pv_-2FVlenf1GDddDOMcWsqIFhOiOeufjO7znVvGGMMZiNaMgnYUTQ8A/s612/istockphoto-1238623549-612x612.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="612" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrO88w93WUWIV4RSSKYbtyt74EITp5PuorBKd01dPe-s2DNsRU_bNSJwTw67Z7QYIxdToKL6kPc1HL2oLC-sdPf760JXs8qKGxpWiX1wuoGhREV5jZ1lD5mvQRI5dIBqndm0pv_-2FVlenf1GDddDOMcWsqIFhOiOeufjO7znVvGGMMZiNaMgnYUTQ8A/s320/istockphoto-1238623549-612x612.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">I’ve been writing for a long time now with limited success. As a working mum, bringing up a young family, its always been hard for me to find the time to write consistently and most of my writing has been in fits and starts.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">During this time, I’ve had several short stories published in women’s magazines, but so far have had little luck with sending longer pieces of work to agents. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">With the demise of the short story market I have lost a little bit of my love for writing short stories and so am concentrating now on writing romance novels. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">In the past I’ve been a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and have received feedback on a couple of my novels through the New Writer’s Scheme. This year I’ve been working on one of those novels previously submitted and dare I say it, I think now it’s in much better shape. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">It’s always been my dream to be traditionally published – it’s the ultimate validation that you are indeed a writer and that your writing is worth paying good money for, but recently my thoughts have turned towards self-publishing. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">Self-published books haven’t always received good press. The ability to easily upload and publish a piece of writing meant that anyone could become a published author regardless of the quality of that work. This has led to a poor reception for self-published authors. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">But following my research I think the tide is turning. What has struck me more than anything is that self-publishing doesn’t have to be – and shouldn’t be – second rate. In fact, I think it would be impossible to make a living from your writing if you didn’t consistently produce professionally written and edited work. There is of course much to learn and that’s what I’ve been trying to do through online courses, and the increasing number of podcasts which are available to listen to, and the thought of being in control of my own destiny is certainly appealing. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">With my youngest about to head off to university in September, finally the time might be right to devote more time to my writing and building a business out of one the things I love doing the most is certainly appealing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start;">What are your thoughts on traditional versus self-publishing? <o:p></o:p></p></div><p><br /> </p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-55645866059626755452022-01-04T11:50:00.000-08:002022-01-04T11:50:40.552-08:00Another Year Over<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3RIGLBamzTqgySeMRCsD_eDbUgfxocHMKEs9afO6F7bJkhNj-oIEJxxivgL4UJngFxvSlXlXGeh76V3UjlOcwYSzq87qB05M2meFhFngA-M7HTc_ZrxRJEqZH5t9meJaKspFMvKOzWuPDwhI8ENN18XJXQerFVLwvbqDtXNLn83EXKEDIjKLw0me8mA=s1519" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1519" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3RIGLBamzTqgySeMRCsD_eDbUgfxocHMKEs9afO6F7bJkhNj-oIEJxxivgL4UJngFxvSlXlXGeh76V3UjlOcwYSzq87qB05M2meFhFngA-M7HTc_ZrxRJEqZH5t9meJaKspFMvKOzWuPDwhI8ENN18XJXQerFVLwvbqDtXNLn83EXKEDIjKLw0me8mA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Well, thank goodness for that – 2021 is officially
over. Covid has put so many pressures on everyone and we’re still not out of the
woods. In fact, the number of people I know who have contacted the virus
recently has spiralled. Thankfully the symptoms don’t seem to be as aggressive
as previous strains, but you never know how its going to affect you.</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis and need to take
immune suppressants to control the disease, I have to be very careful about the
contact I have with people. So far I’ve been lucky and have managed to steer
clear, but now it feels inevitable that at some point everyone of us will test
positive. We can only hope that because of the vaccination process, that for
the majority, it becomes nothing more serious than a really bad cold. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve always use the period between Christmas and New
Year to review my writing goals from the previous January and set new ones for
the year ahead, and I try to start the new year fully enthusiastic for my
writing life. Usually I manage to achieve all my goals until roughly
mid-February, and then I go off on a tangent. Although I only had one short
story published last year, I did do a lot of work and I have a couple of big
projects which are nearing completion. Hopefully these will bear fruit during
2022.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As ever my goals for losing weight, eating more
healthily and exercising more fall by the wayside before the year is very old,
but I will set them again for this year and hope that I can put some strategies
in place to finally meet them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During 2021 I fell out of love with short story
writing, not because I don’t enjoy writing them anymore, but because I’m
struggling to know what to do with them. The short story market has seriously
diminished over recent years, especially as some magazines have closed the
submission process to writers who haven’t been published by them previously.
I’m sure this is because they are inundated with submissions and that shifting
through the slush pile it too labour intensive, but it is saddening for those
of us who are struggling to get our feet on the rungs of the ladder.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Lockdown has exacerbated the problem and sometimes it
has felt as though submitting short stories is like posting them into a black
hole. So I was delighted when Yours Fiction accepted one of my stories – The
Floods of Change - for publication. And I was even more delighted to see it in
print in the November 2021 edition, and even get a strapline on the front cover.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was also delighted see a new magazine on the market,
Seven Days, but disappointed by the news that even in such a short time it has
proved not to be viable. It has seriously made me want to take a more direct
control of my writing life, and over the last few months I have been doing some
research into self-publishing. This is something I will be looking into in
greater detail during 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I hope that you are all feeling enthusiastic for your
writing life and the beginning of this new year, and most of all that you stay
healthy and happy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-67685595290050152692021-08-27T05:55:00.005-07:002021-08-27T05:55:53.660-07:00A Fetish for Stationery<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All year I’ve been a very good girl and have resisted the urge to buy stationery – my not so secret addiction. In an effort to de-clutter I’ve been using old notebooks and work diaries for my writing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I do have a particular thing about notebooks – all those lovely blank pages on which to imprint my handwriting. There’s something rather romantic about writing longhand into a special notebook; something about the connection between mind and hand. Although I am a touch typist and writing straight to my laptop would be so much more efficient, I always prefer this old fashioned method. Maybe it’s because it’s slower so that it allows the words on the page to be more considered which appeals to me. Or the fact that you can write anywhere with pen and paper (not that there have been many places to go for the last eighteen months). No need for power, charging cables or wi-fi to distract you. All you have to do is pick up pen and paper and you can carry yourself away into the world you’re creating. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">So when I do go into any shop that sells stationery, my first point of call is the section that sells notebooks. And for the whole year (when we’ve not been in lockdown of course) I’ve shoved my hands firmly into my pockets and walked away. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">But last week I fell off the wagon. In an effort to get organised I’d decided that I needed some new files and then I saw these and all my willpower deserted me.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lFJLEcenHEIID9Mryg5eItssV6piJZ5A-PwXg9s1bbtDbiGDGJ_-Ui9YbljnKw8FHXXj7hww6ulm43yXWnpZ_L-Ye5thpER7tAbDPME4gyJBh77QVLAr0NAJOuAO9mIjSZAPnr4WK4yC/s2048/IMG_2951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lFJLEcenHEIID9Mryg5eItssV6piJZ5A-PwXg9s1bbtDbiGDGJ_-Ui9YbljnKw8FHXXj7hww6ulm43yXWnpZ_L-Ye5thpER7tAbDPME4gyJBh77QVLAr0NAJOuAO9mIjSZAPnr4WK4yC/s320/IMG_2951.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Do all writers have a fetish for stationery or is it just me? And how do you prefer to write? Longhand or straight to screen?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-52489891697027396652021-03-31T10:04:00.000-07:002021-03-31T10:04:40.784-07:00Covid and My Work In Progress<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCz7uhmiQmpiSUnOWHWhEi_GeeWmIjMR5k-tVzWkHNwHCl8seRPLkWQqb4uiet2KG5owAIiKzhaOeB6i0s72If_SUTPIAcb5oI3kcNXuat1NIYBcIEelNaAScEpC4fu61C2y3cOE597UR/s225/Confused+emoji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCz7uhmiQmpiSUnOWHWhEi_GeeWmIjMR5k-tVzWkHNwHCl8seRPLkWQqb4uiet2KG5owAIiKzhaOeB6i0s72If_SUTPIAcb5oI3kcNXuat1NIYBcIEelNaAScEpC4fu61C2y3cOE597UR/s0/Confused+emoji.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;">Despite still being in lockdown, 2021 seems to be rushing along at a breakneck speed. I can’t believe that this weekend the clocks went forward and the nights are lighter. (Let’s hope the weather continues to improve).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve been working hard on my writing so far this year and one of my goals was to get one of my long standing works in progress to a stage where I can submit it to agents. But I’ve realised there’s a major snag in my plot – and it’s all thanks to Covid – the gift that keeps on giving.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">My work is a contemporary novel based around a professional woman who is desperately trying to balance her marriage, being a mother to young children and her career. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">My heroine is the breadwinner of the family as her husband has recently become a full-time student to retrain. On her return to work from maternity leave after having her second child, she finds that her lovely boss has been replaced with the boss from hell. He’s a bully and seems intent on pushing her out of her job, something she absolutely cannot allow to happen. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And here’s my dilemma. On her return to work she asks if she can be allowed to work flexibly so that some of her hours can be worked from home. Of course her boss flatly refuses believing that working from home is a euphemism for watching daytime TV. Now that Covid has put paid to that kind of attitude, the premise that she wouldn’t be allowed to work from home is redundant. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">So now I’m a bit stumped about what to do to fix this. Covid has changed our way of life so much that the dilemma is how do we reflect this in our writing? Do we set our stories before 2020 at the risk of them being automatically outdated, do we ignore the impact Covid has had on our lives or do we try to imagine a life post Covid where we hope that life will return to something that resembles the life we used to know? Bearing in mind the length of time it takes to get anything published, I’m tempted to move it forward to a life post Covid, keeping it similar to how we used to live but adding in the change in people’s perceptions. In doing this I can only hope that I get it right. Or at least close to it so that a further edit isn’t too onerous. So now another major edit is needed. Thanks Covid.<o:p></o:p></span></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-19276512130983328872021-03-22T09:00:00.001-07:002021-03-25T03:28:18.930-07:0021 Years Today<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYNZm3FyOhuBAY9K3ZOW861XaUsN7p9WHoJV8XNpme_e5cQRXRJin2epTJjt9afw8T_tIImlUitEdpD7Pqmr04F1Tvu5H7T5arBFDK6Qx4IHwum3v4M3-zHiEUGqh6uCGDD98oVEzvqGe/s461/6b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="461" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYNZm3FyOhuBAY9K3ZOW861XaUsN7p9WHoJV8XNpme_e5cQRXRJin2epTJjt9afw8T_tIImlUitEdpD7Pqmr04F1Tvu5H7T5arBFDK6Qx4IHwum3v4M3-zHiEUGqh6uCGDD98oVEzvqGe/s320/6b.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <span style="text-align: left;">Today is my 21st wedding anniversary. I can't believe I've been married so long!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Like any marriage, we've had our ups and downs and life hasn't always been easy, but thankfully the hard times have brought us even closer together and we are still very much happily married.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This is our second wedding anniversary in lockdown, so a takeaway meal and not having to cook will be the biggest part of our celebration! But hopefully these strange times will all be over soon and we will all be able to go out and celebrate everything we've missed in the last year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We also missed celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary but by some kind of strange premonition we went all out for our 19th and spent a lovely weekend in London. We'd done the same for our 10th anniversary and were looking to repeat it for our 20th, but after my illness I decided that life was short and we wouldn't wait for the next year. So spooky!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Although only March I remember having a mini spring heatwave in the run up to our big day. We were married in Chester Town Hall, had our photographs taken in the gardens of Chester Cathedral and then travelled round Chester in an open topped vintage car to the Guildhall where we celebrated until the early hours of the morning with all our family and friends. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9bhzDpplqDHZrWU8WzqHtiTRnzIfEa-ZAI6bH9NlLWL1xByqB6wGvqZ-I8sSZULqXUTmD8Gr6VLKRxJiOmxj2qcv4onqeEA949dnFHiirLJHmVnMHLzJkccydG8rq5t0xMOiF8UpLieJ/s477/6e.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="477" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9bhzDpplqDHZrWU8WzqHtiTRnzIfEa-ZAI6bH9NlLWL1xByqB6wGvqZ-I8sSZULqXUTmD8Gr6VLKRxJiOmxj2qcv4onqeEA949dnFHiirLJHmVnMHLzJkccydG8rq5t0xMOiF8UpLieJ/s320/6e.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So today I'm feeling very grateful for my lovely husband, my two boys and all the family and friends who make my life so special.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-5306250324769875702021-03-01T11:19:00.000-08:002021-03-01T11:19:47.036-08:00Book Review - Shiver – Allie Reynolds<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZR7jsbfi0OkbF3E58NyUqjcBLL8R_dUZthmqf1cIxBAWN15iPIHxos53_7JuPAVUtjz78G_w6y8fTNmF3vWwWweAwVexxvS7G-XodYMpz9S-VTDM_YJgHYmZYvVDoBE22NjD4y-MnNUlo/s499/41cehldDtKL._SX327_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZR7jsbfi0OkbF3E58NyUqjcBLL8R_dUZthmqf1cIxBAWN15iPIHxos53_7JuPAVUtjz78G_w6y8fTNmF3vWwWweAwVexxvS7G-XodYMpz9S-VTDM_YJgHYmZYvVDoBE22NjD4y-MnNUlo/s320/41cehldDtKL._SX327_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before I review this book I’ll come clean. I 'met' Allie several years ago through an online writing group, writing short stories for womags.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">The group grew to be very large and we drifted off to a smaller groups. The group I stayed in touch with, and am still part of today, currently has five members including myself.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Finding the right writers’ group is not an easy task. I have been to a couple of physical groups but never found other writers who were on the same wavelength as myself and my writing until I met these girls. Over the years we have come to know each other really well and provide constructive criticism and support. I know that I wouldn’t have had the stories published that I have without their help and advice. It’s just a pity that we can’t meet up in the flesh as geographically we are just too far apart, especially as Allie lives in Australia. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Allie has recently had her first novel, Shiver, published in hardback and on Kindle. Right from the beginning of her submission to agents, Allie has had brilliant success, with several agents wanting to represent her, followed by a bidding war by publishers. The book has sold internationally and she even has an option on a film. Not bad for a first novel!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">And it is deservedly so. I’ve just finished reading the complete novel and I have to say that I couldn’t put it down. I’m not just saying that because I know her. If I didn’t like the book, I would just keep my mouth shut.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Shiver is set in French resort of Le Roche, where five friends are invited back for a reunion, ten years after they were last there. They were all competitive snowboarders competing in the ‘half pipe’ which seems to me to a be a truly dangerous sport and something I would never have the guts to attempt. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">There is tension from the beginning as no one knows who has sent the invitations and there is also an atmosphere of mistrust as the last time they were together, one of their friends, Saskia, went missing, presumed to have become buried in one of the treacherous crevices which form on the mountain. No one really knows how much each person was involved in Saskia’s disappearance.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">An “icebreaker” game turns sinister and then they realise that they are trapped in the out of season ski lodge. Everyone begins to doubt the other as they try to work out who has trapped them here and why?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">The story alternates between the past and the present as we gradually learn that each of the friends has secrets they would rather keep hidden. The tension never lets up as we are drip fed information and try to solve the mystery as we read.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Allie was former competitive snowboarder herself and she uses this to bring the atmosphere of both the setting and the sport alive. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">If you like page turning thrillers, I would definitely give this book a go.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Well done Allie, and good luck with next book. Can’t wait to read it.<br /><o:p></o:p></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-52097582532923187292021-02-17T10:05:00.002-08:002021-02-17T10:05:15.792-08:00It's Been Three Years<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJE7eup83Cof6EjGO2bvtzhR6C_lmPd6zSFdngASuJe-p3jYSrVUDk_T830ZVuDHnYywJiuEJ6jwC0aPF151gz_NVqyZDPR2fdciP7AqCCAN1eqh5l9JlH5ZoNNIZOLEl3pjiYCmPG4xQG/s1024/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fe3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJE7eup83Cof6EjGO2bvtzhR6C_lmPd6zSFdngASuJe-p3jYSrVUDk_T830ZVuDHnYywJiuEJ6jwC0aPF151gz_NVqyZDPR2fdciP7AqCCAN1eqh5l9JlH5ZoNNIZOLEl3pjiYCmPG4xQG/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fe3.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span> </span>Three years ago today I suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage, more commonly known as a brain haemorrhage. It came completely without warning and for nearly twenty-four hours I didn’t even realise what had happened to me. It felt like the worst headache I’d ever experienced and being a previous migraine sufferer, extreme headaches were something I was familiar with. I took painkillers and went to bed, little realising that this was the absolute worst thing I could do. I was told later I should have called the emergency services straight away. But who dials 999 when they have a headache? <o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was a Saturday evening and I was going out with my husband to celebrate his birthday which would be on the following Monday. I was feeling tired but didn’t want to disappoint him. We went to our local pub and had booked a table at our favourite Italian restaurant. As we were walking across the road from the pub I felt a sharp, sudden cramp in the back of my neck. Mike asked me what was wrong but I brushed him off and continued on towards the car. As I got into the car I felt a splitting pain across the top of my skull as though I’d been hit over the head with a hammer. Apparently these are classic symptoms of a brain haemorrhage but I was completely unaware.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m sure everyone has seen the adverts to spot the symptoms of a stroke, telling them to act FAST. A brain haemorrhage, is also a form of stroke but who would know how to spot one? Only fifty percent of people who suffer from a subarachnoid haemorrhage survive long enough to reach hospital and of those who do, there’s a high risk of dying within the first three weeks or of becoming permanently disabled. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I, though, tried to continue with my evening, even though my husband tried to persuade me to go home. Eventually I had to admit defeat and drove home. Can you believe it? I actually drove home. I hadn’t had anything to drink and it was only a headache after all. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The next morning, when I was lucky enough to wake up, the pain was worse, my neck was stiff and the light hurt my eyes. I began to think along the lines of menigitis and phoned 111. They sent a paramedic and then an ambulance and it wasn’t long before I was being blue lighted to hospital. A CT scan revealed that I’d had a brain haemorrhage and from there I was blue-lighted to The Walton Centre, which is a specialist neurological centre in Liverpool.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The next day, a further CT revealed that I had suffered from a ruptured aneurysm.An aneurysm is a blister which forms on a blood vessel leading to the brain. If it is weakened in any way the blister can burst and the blood which is pumped from the heart to the brain bleeds out, potentially causing death. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Aneurysms can develop in anyone at any age but are more common in people, especially women, over the age of forty. I was forty-nine. I realised I could have had this unexploded bomb in my head since birth. The aneurysm in itself isn’t dangerous, it’s only when it ruptures that causes the problems. No one really knows why an aneurysm might suddenly burst: high blood pressure, physical exertion, stress. The doctors told me that they wanted to operate. Small metal coils would be inserted into the pocket of the blister to seal it and prevent any more blood from escaping. After that, only time would tell. I was stunned and couldn't believe that I was about to have brain surgery. This was on the Monday, the day of my husband's birthday. My phone had run out of charge so I couldn't even let him know. What a conversation that would have been. 'Hi Darling, happy birthday, by the way, they're just going to operate on my brain.'</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> They explained that the surgery wouldn’t take place through my skull. Instead a catheter would be inserted into my groin up to my brain and the coils would be guided by ultrasound. Isn’t that amazing? I remembered being relieved that I wouldn’t have my head drilled open. </span><span style="text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Obviously the operation was a success and I spent the night being monitored in intensive care, where my poor husband spent his birthday evening. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Ten days later I was back at home, but it took me months, if not years to fully recover. In those years I suffered from severe fatigue, memory loss, brain fog and loss of confidence. A form of PTSD kicked in and I couldn’t get rid of the thought that I might have either died or being left permanently disabled and had mild panic attacks whenever I saw blue lights on an ambulance.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: 1cm;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">But recover I did, and have now written a memoir about my experience. It took me a while to be able to get my thoughts down on paper and NaNoWriMo helped me by giving me a deadline. I’m now at a stage where I am submitting to agents whilst further polishing the rest of my manuscript. Feedback so far is that it is good read and well written but no bites so far. Perhaps it’s completely the wrong time to be trying to get a book like this published but I’m very aware of the passage of time and will continue with my efforts. After enough tries, if I can’t get either an agent or a publisher, my aim is to get my manuscript professionally critiqued and then self-publish. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">More than anything, I’m now just glad to have survived. I was one of the lucky ones, thanks to the NHS and the fact that I lived close to a specialist centre who knew exactly what to do and how to do it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s been a long road, but I want to let people know that symptoms of a brain haemorrhage should be taken seriously and should be acted on straight away. Also, that although recovery can take a long time, it is possible. You just need to persevere.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Take care everyone.</span></p></div>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-57836613391924175802021-02-13T08:31:00.001-08:002021-02-13T08:31:28.837-08:00Goals and Hibernation<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3svfeL9xGpuIT8-_mIn0kbntn3CBohXjE_KaXkk00jQaG2NuoQbTC2rH3YRTtEnE_9VmaHp_-Pu44DR5xAZ47Y4mWWmdTdT3a3hIVkiQQNO5zy-LXVbnjDJ2xhpN2tIMtfB_fnW11hu-Z/s1024/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3svfeL9xGpuIT8-_mIn0kbntn3CBohXjE_KaXkk00jQaG2NuoQbTC2rH3YRTtEnE_9VmaHp_-Pu44DR5xAZ47Y4mWWmdTdT3a3hIVkiQQNO5zy-LXVbnjDJ2xhpN2tIMtfB_fnW11hu-Z/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fde.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">January was good month for me writing-wise helped by the fact that my social calendar isn’t exactly bursting at the seams at the moment and the cold weather always makes me want to hibernate.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the new year, I set myself my goals for the twelve months ahead, as I do every year. I’ve realised that it’s not enough just to set these goals but that I also need to make a plan of how I’m going to achieve them, otherwise, the time drifts and I before I know it, it’s the end of the year and my goals have slipped through my fingers.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeYFU80aI8_XH0PS256eHbIHAJUryEYVUYhYFtSHM9An0LqLQAngfcWgd8eufEv_KMzcotJxX9rKkrYwetKT4fpW0Va3Yxzt6t6qpswSOHxOWZJ7DoFpOXvclSvsiKYgSFNjnZoTqqvRr/s1024/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fdb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeYFU80aI8_XH0PS256eHbIHAJUryEYVUYhYFtSHM9An0LqLQAngfcWgd8eufEv_KMzcotJxX9rKkrYwetKT4fpW0Va3Yxzt6t6qpswSOHxOWZJ7DoFpOXvclSvsiKYgSFNjnZoTqqvRr/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fdb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">So I wrote down everything I wanted to achieve this year and then I broke them down into smaller sections. I read somewhere about breaking tasks down into seasons. In reality this is the same as quarterly but somehow the idea of working with the seasons seems much more romantic. Also it means that I can plan everything that needs little or no input with the outside world into the winter months. (That’s assuming we ever get out of lockdown!)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMzBhe5YbW7AEyp0OWyGWRvTGr2T7MDXehunQTx0GZJbbLV7LpbyHecdYdMX8G437XLakFsHnGHG4tjYsRIVHeyM-S7Ct7KKgUzk7MQEaEOTmQ0Hp8l-QoEQZnrwhyjTolhXjHwXI8EcL/s1024/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMzBhe5YbW7AEyp0OWyGWRvTGr2T7MDXehunQTx0GZJbbLV7LpbyHecdYdMX8G437XLakFsHnGHG4tjYsRIVHeyM-S7Ct7KKgUzk7MQEaEOTmQ0Hp8l-QoEQZnrwhyjTolhXjHwXI8EcL/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fe2.jpg" /><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I then broke down the seasons into months and so I have a set list for each month. It might sound a bit rigid but it’s the only way for me to keep on track.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I’m pleased to say that I manged to achieve all my goals in January and even had some time left over for extra reading and “fun” writing so this has spurred me on.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">January is always an easy month to achieve goals set at the new year, its keeping it up for the next eleven months that’s hard. But I remain determined!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">In the spirit of aligning with the seasons I've also been venturing outside (when it's not too cold as I'm very nesh.) I've taken some photos which I've posted here. One of my goals is to improve my photography skills - well you have to start somewhere.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqNYA2Rq8SRuGvqyfUiaqdbxH2Ap39bbW9bnJMB26wCb3Z1_ixAyg_u-0TnA-zeskVaIR7oIFXWB5xxKtOVKiKAResVGidWCvVRlj1icWgNzUbHzqrf8CgKlWvqzKYSZnpjV4PHHtZCJPu/s1024/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fe1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqNYA2Rq8SRuGvqyfUiaqdbxH2Ap39bbW9bnJMB26wCb3Z1_ixAyg_u-0TnA-zeskVaIR7oIFXWB5xxKtOVKiKAResVGidWCvVRlj1icWgNzUbHzqrf8CgKlWvqzKYSZnpjV4PHHtZCJPu/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fe1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">How are you doing with those new year resolutions?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-69535816979141049252021-01-27T12:01:00.001-08:002021-01-27T12:01:48.498-08:00Reading During Lockdown<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_DR4qKKXyFsNj9scyu3918BCjYyVQfyXh80wlxQzf__4p8UYx-OuouS0LkpvN7DzkIC2olImuK0uak6iiXn88ZRhZvX9sx-HUw_z9s1vU3OXQ_9WZ9KDhCbHYZD5MVkn2ggf_Mf2RiO5/s1024/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fd6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_DR4qKKXyFsNj9scyu3918BCjYyVQfyXh80wlxQzf__4p8UYx-OuouS0LkpvN7DzkIC2olImuK0uak6iiXn88ZRhZvX9sx-HUw_z9s1vU3OXQ_9WZ9KDhCbHYZD5MVkn2ggf_Mf2RiO5/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_fd6.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I’m just wondering if the kind of books you read changed during lockdown? I think mine did.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">For Christmas I received the book, Just My Luck by Adele Parks, which was a book I very much wanted to read after listening to Adele Parks’ interview on the Richard and Judy Podcast.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">However, when I did sit down, looking forward to a satisfying read, I’m afraid I was disappointed. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Adele Parks and the book was well written, as to be expected, but I actually found the subject matter to be quite uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">The story centres around three couples who have known each other since their children, now teenagers, were born. They were part of a syndicate, buying a Lottery ticket using the same numbers each week, and gathering at each other’s houses on a Saturday night to see if they had won.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">However, the week before the story begins the friends fell out and two couples dropped out of the syndicate. The woman who had always been responsible for buying the tickets, though, bought a ticket the following week, using the same numbers. And of course, this week, the numbers came up and the winning ticket was worth £18 million.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Naturally, after all the years they had invested in the syndicate, the other two couples felt that they were entitled to a share of the winnings, but the husband of the winning ticket, in particular, felt that they were not entitled to anything and a Lottery investigation ensued. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">So, what made me feel uncomfortable when reading this book was how winning that kind of money changed people’s personalities and broke down relationships – more than just the three couples involved. I’m sure that’s exactly what Adele meant to convey but I found that I didn’t like reading about such greed and the lengths people were prepared to go to, to get what they wanted and felt they deserved. I did read to the end of the book although I had to admit that I turned the last page over with a sense of relief.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">My reaction made me think about the types of books I’ve been finding enjoyable recently and it was only then I realised that during lockdown I have been seeking out books and authors to make myself feel happy, rather than books that present a challenge. I’ve even revisited books I’ve previously read and enjoyed to be certain of a happy outcome during such uncertain times.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Don’t get me wrong, I have read a few thrillers and particularly enjoyed Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce, Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell and The End of Her by Shari Lapena but on the whole I’ve tended to favour more feel good books by authors such as Lucy Diamond, Debbie Johnson, Fiona Gibson, Cathy Bramley, Veronica Henry, Erica James and Karen Swan. That’s not to say the characters in these books don’t experience hardship or emotional trauma, it’s just that I know that it’s all going to come good in the end.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I did read some new authors and enjoyed The Flatshare and The Swithc by Beth O’Leary and In Five Years by Rebecca Searle, but overall I’ve felt that I needed to find comfort in my reading matter.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">What about you? What have you been reading over the last year and have your tastes changed during lockdown?</p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-10803723482065736162021-01-21T08:37:00.001-08:002021-01-21T08:37:38.406-08:00Its Life Jim But Not As We Know It<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZuAoL4Dci_acS70QILs6BIS5T0AOz0R7MnNk_Z1nBde8r0yVx-wBJSXd-sx3xnerrwbNFZ8b0ujqX8LszvRcq-2qG7YfpLADHnLUk_LVm-k1-ThvjYaGOZ1BFaEjWmU6wlTjRx2lDvOo/s612/istockphoto-1283027754-612x612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZuAoL4Dci_acS70QILs6BIS5T0AOz0R7MnNk_Z1nBde8r0yVx-wBJSXd-sx3xnerrwbNFZ8b0ujqX8LszvRcq-2qG7YfpLADHnLUk_LVm-k1-ThvjYaGOZ1BFaEjWmU6wlTjRx2lDvOo/s320/istockphoto-1283027754-612x612.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First of all, a belated happy New Year to everyone, and let’s hope that it does turn out to be a happier year than the one we’ve just left behind. Although as we’re back in lockdown again, it hasn’t exactly got off to a promising start.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Don’t get me wrong, this new lockdown is certainly necessary, it just seems such a shame that nine months on, and despite the fact that we now have a vaccine, we don’t seem to be much further forward than we were last March.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">2020 was a difficult year for all of us and whilst we can hope that things will be very different in the not too distant future, we still have many challenges ahead of us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I’ve never been a fan of the dark winter months at the beginning of the year and usually wish I could hibernate. So trying to see some positives to this awful situation, lockdown is probably the nearest I’ll ever get to that.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Since March I have largely been working from home and whilst it took some adjustment at first – especially with a house full of people – I have, just about, got used to it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Since July I had been going into the office one day a week on a rota basis so that everyone’s not in at once and that we can maintain socially distancing. Going to the office is a welcome break from the mundanity of working from home, but the thought of working in the office the whole time seems a very strange concept. I’m sure I’ll adapt though when / if the time comes again.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">These are certainly scary times where nothing is certain and fear lurks outside our doors. All we can do is try not to fear the uncertainty too much and concentrate on the things that we can control.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">So, at the start of 2021 I’m concentrating on being grateful for the things I do have – namely my family, a job and a home. I have a certain degree of financial security and in these uncertain times that is something that can only be a blessing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">The plan is to use these winter months of hibernation as a means for me to concentrate on my writing. I’ve set my goals, and given myself timescales for each month, and now all I just have to do it stick to it. I’m doing OK so far, I just need to make sure that I keep it up once January is over. Wish me luck!<o:p></o:p></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-4994009685990249522020-12-09T11:40:00.000-08:002020-12-09T11:40:10.458-08:00A Momentous Day<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63mOgEc1n9BA8YM5Hr5nsfvnRAWgcgbjfekSV3ykaXuqD8fDIc3gm1ZL9qxAohQMCDo8_EJty26vIQ_lwp9wjk4IJNE-jnxwX0PiDg3P_kza1fvAK5Gsjy0e9gTeREKhwFM20pUVpVwaS/s423/Merry+Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="119" data-original-width="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63mOgEc1n9BA8YM5Hr5nsfvnRAWgcgbjfekSV3ykaXuqD8fDIc3gm1ZL9qxAohQMCDo8_EJty26vIQ_lwp9wjk4IJNE-jnxwX0PiDg3P_kza1fvAK5Gsjy0e9gTeREKhwFM20pUVpVwaS/s320/Merry+Christmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday was a momentous day as the first COVID vaccines were administered to the elderly of our nation. Once more we need to be thankful for our NHS service which has the capacity not only to deliver these vaccines but also to do so without charge. We have a lot to be thankful for, not least that thanks to research, it has been developed in the first place. At last there looks like might be an end to the uncertainty and never ending fear of COVID even if it’s not until well into next year.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Across the world people are set to experience one of the loneliest Christmases in living memory. My heart goes out to anyone who lives alone and I am extremely grateful for the fact that my own widowed mother currently lives with my youngest brother so even if we can’t go and see her she will not be alone.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I currently live with my husband and two sons so I won’t be alone this Christmas either but celebration with the wider family is definitely looking doubtful at the moment. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">I’m very behind on my Christmas preparations this year and am struggling to develop any enthusiasm for the festivities. I’m not particularly fond of online shopping for presents. Unless it’s something specific, I’d rather see before I buy when it comes to presents for other people and prefer the inspiration of an actual shop rather than searching through random websites.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmctj2Zlw4op_EO4Df88g1Zt9odBKOj91Abndnui0WeDMB6jFzqWRYr4byEYgAr3zVwYlNgHY1Wp3kuLMR0h7v249wbG1gLfDjHtBXSBvasubPlurdTOEhQTsGsvwgUFOUnuH2XFRiMz5v/s276/Baubles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmctj2Zlw4op_EO4Df88g1Zt9odBKOj91Abndnui0WeDMB6jFzqWRYr4byEYgAr3zVwYlNgHY1Wp3kuLMR0h7v249wbG1gLfDjHtBXSBvasubPlurdTOEhQTsGsvwgUFOUnuH2XFRiMz5v/s0/Baubles.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">So I delayed the majority of my Christmas shopping until after this second lockdown. And then last weekend disaster struck. Towards the end of last week my husband’s foot swelled up for no apparent reason. On Saturday I took him to A&E where he spent most of the day being tested for a blood clot because he has a heart condition. The result was that they thought it was an infection and he was sent home with antibiotics, and because he was told not to put any weight on his foot for at least a week, a Zimmer frame. Four days later and things haven’t improved much and due to his mobility he can’t do very much for himself. He doesn’t feel ill in himself, which is a good thing, but he’s getting very bored and frustrated as he’s used to being active and it’s hard to see him so incapacitated. </span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">As if that wasn’t enough, on Monday my youngest son was sent home from school as he had been in contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID and now has to self-isolate for the next fourteen days. He’s not worried for himself but for me and his dad as we are both in a vulnerable category. So far he has no symptoms but if he does test positive later this week we’re all going to be in isolation over</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjgxRJ5J-MRYyBmP03AcUdtl2EMXsQ-vthtMhtvi787Z1jqEpbZnrVKYEqY0Kfn-EKpxJbqa_ZRmhg0rQiMgwuo660xhjURdzl265PyL_sQQGODVlT50-Uel6vklHh7FW2-1wtWvDscOi/s225/Christmas+Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjgxRJ5J-MRYyBmP03AcUdtl2EMXsQ-vthtMhtvi787Z1jqEpbZnrVKYEqY0Kfn-EKpxJbqa_ZRmhg0rQiMgwuo660xhjURdzl265PyL_sQQGODVlT50-Uel6vklHh7FW2-1wtWvDscOi/s0/Christmas+Tree.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Christmas. Perhaps this is a first world problem but if I don’t get my finger out and soon, if we do have to go into isolation then Christmas won’t be delivered and as a woman I will feel like I have failed my family. </span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Fingers crossed he doesn’t develop any symptoms and that we don’t either otherwise it’s going to be a very zoom Christmas. At least we have the internet and a lot to be thankful for. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times;">Hope you all stay happy and healthy during the “festive” period!</span><br /></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-64574237695063989142020-11-17T10:26:00.000-08:002020-11-17T10:26:27.780-08:00Life Is Like A Butterfly<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBxWYd5rVL-oencn_F8qab_yHzuHP8du65O8qw4IfC-n8nPZQjLS1Vu3_2dr5TBiP8uzz4ob4Oi3nMoEHyuPhIcZXc32yOo3KuvUyXOQ9G595h85UYVfKkTMm12gjn84-THiDrFMXkCyH/s230/Butterfly+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="219" data-original-width="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBxWYd5rVL-oencn_F8qab_yHzuHP8du65O8qw4IfC-n8nPZQjLS1Vu3_2dr5TBiP8uzz4ob4Oi3nMoEHyuPhIcZXc32yOo3KuvUyXOQ9G595h85UYVfKkTMm12gjn84-THiDrFMXkCyH/s0/Butterfly+Image.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The past few years have been very up and down for me and what with bereavement and ill health, mostly it’s been more down than up.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">At the beginning of this year I really felt that the dawn of a new decade was going to be a fresh start. Well, COVID certainly put paid to that for me as well as the rest of the world.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">It’s strange to think how the world has changed this year – who would have thought back in January that wearing face masks would become the norm?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">In many ways life for me hasn’t stopped since COVID. I’ve worked all the way through it and at first working from home was a bit of a transition – especially with everyone in the house at the same time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">But you have to try and look on the bright side and the lack of a social life has certainly benefitted my writing and I’ve tried to carve out a little bit of time each day (even if its not much) to write.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">I’m a bit of a butterfly in my writing, flitting from one project to another, so this year I decided to change my tactics and focus on one project at a time. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">You may recall that in February 2018 I suffered from an unexpected brain haemorrhage and ended up having surgery at The Walton Centre in Liverpool. I’m so grateful to the staff for saving my life, and I think that during this crisis the NHS staff have certainly been recognised for the fantastic job they do.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">But it did take me a long time to recover and for a while I had to put my writing on hold. The whole experience was completely out of my comfort zone and I decided that I would write a memoir about it. I’ve always kept a journal so on days when I couldn’t manage anything more creative at least I had an outlet and it also helped to keep me sane.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">So when NaNoWriMo came around last year I decided to go for it and by the end of the month I had completed a very rough first draft.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">This year I’ve spent a lot of time editing it and managed to get to the point where I was ready to submit it to an agent. Unfortunately, when the first agent came back to me she told me that it wasn’t right for her. But on the plus side, she did say that it was well written so that gave me something to hope for.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">I dusted myself off and have since sent my manuscript out to five more agents. How I selected them is another story and now while I’m waiting for them to get back tome, I’m carrying on polishing the rest, just in case I get asked to submit a full manuscript. I’m also thinking about my next project.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">Wish me luck.<o:p></o:p></p>wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287254861041709729.post-35941992143601965692020-05-11T13:27:00.002-07:002020-05-14T01:44:51.094-07:00The Merrie Month of May<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6YXbhHeJZl0twjRF5fWmrbd4uY7bFONFxfJiftRZTq4H646psac3JfGaXNXTv8rZEfGZ7t_xODtlduvkglb-M9an2PU2dmUHsb-VJB5F2ym5BgX5zgiO8KMPYFzx-C5bQIFT0Bxz8N61/s1600/April+09+786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6YXbhHeJZl0twjRF5fWmrbd4uY7bFONFxfJiftRZTq4H646psac3JfGaXNXTv8rZEfGZ7t_xODtlduvkglb-M9an2PU2dmUHsb-VJB5F2ym5BgX5zgiO8KMPYFzx-C5bQIFT0Bxz8N61/s320/April+09+786.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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May has always been one of my favourite months of the year, not least because my birthday falls in the middle of it. But to me its when the country properly comes alive after winter.<br />
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From March onwards things start to change, trees and borders bloom with colour and the weather gets warmer and the nights lighter.<br />
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But by May it often feels like the beginning of summer and we can celebrate the joy of being outside without having to wrap up against the cold (not always of course because we do live in England).<br />
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This year we are of course much more restricted but having a bout of good weather does ease the isolation and I'm eternally grateful that we do have a garden and are so much more fortunate than those who don't.<br />
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Sadly this May I won't be celebrating my birthday with my extended family or by going out for a meal, but I will make sure that I will find some quiet way to celebrate - we do still have a lot to be grateful for.<br />
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wannabe a writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06692361757891220849noreply@blogger.com0