P p p p pick up a penguin .....

No, not the chocolate biscuit, something far more fulfilling and longer lasting.  This book....

Available from WHSmiths, Waterstones, Amazon etc
Richard & Judy Bookclub Pick 2020
Published by Transworld Publishers Ltd.

Hazel Prior has done it again.  I couldn't put this book down and it left me with a great need to own a fluffy baby penguin, so I ordered a toy one to bring me comfort (see below - you know I love teddies etc, he's soooooo soft). It will give me a lasting memory of the Antartic, global warming and nature in decline.

Everyone needs a Granny in their life right?  I haven't had one for most of my adult life but 'adopted' one or two older people over the years, sadly most are now gone.  One remains and is VERY much like Veronica in this book.  She would do exactly as this character has done by having one last adventure and using her money to good cause.

The story was both heartwarming and joyous intertwined with awkward moments and hard decisions.  The Antartic comes to life and I was right there in the midst of the penguin colony with Veronica and the scientists.  I really didn't want the book to end but couldn't help turning the pages to see what happened next.  

Patrick/Pip the orphaned penguin was adorable.  I was happy to know from the 'acknowledgements' that Hazel had researched at the Living Coasts centre in Torquay which I visited myself a few years ago, but sad to learn that it has now closed down and I wonder at where all the animals have been rehomed.

Our planet needs the David Attenborough's amongst us, not just to watch his programmes of how our planet has changed and what is becoming of our world, but it also needs activists and generous people to donate money where they can to keep the animal kingdom from extinction.

Away with the Penguins addresses this in a beautiful story of  hard lives, relationships and how money does not make us happy but can help a troubled world.  It will make you smile and ponder your own life and love of nature.

Five star review on Goodreads and Amazon.  

My (Eco friendly made) Pip saying hi from my writing room.

Harps, a Pheasant and Exmoor's natural beauty

      

You may wonder what anyone could write about these three subjects which seem very much unrelated.  But I know a fellow Swanwick Summer School writer who has done the most excellent of jobs combining the three into a fabulous novel.  Her characters of Dan and Ellie you will love, Clive, Rhoda and Jo you may not, harps and pheasants may not hold much of a interest until you have a heightened awareness and if you have not visited Exmoor you surely will want to after reading ...

Hazel Prior is a freelance Harpist.  The harp is an instrument that isn't high profile but sounds divine.  I've heard her play.  Her two novels were on my 'TBR' (to be read) list and winning a competition on Twitter I was thrilled to receive a copy which I dipped into immediately and enthusiastically.  I read nine chapters straight off.

Ellie is an Exmoor Housewife, her husband Clive likes her at home but out on a walk one day she comes across the Harp Barn where Dan makes harps and gets great pleasure from being outdoors in nature.  They become friends and he gives her a harp to learn to play, which doesn't go down well with Clive.  

Dan leads a simplistic life and thinks he is made differently from most people.  He likes counting and making sandwiches apart from making exquisite harps in his workshop.  One day out walking he saves a pheasant from being shot but in doing so is injured himself.  He gives the pheasant a safe haven and Ellie helps Dan with his wound dressings.

This book has secrets and lies, happiness in the soul, friendship, hate, destruction from rage, true, pure love and an awakening for the reader of understanding difference.

I gobbled it up like the pheasant and his feed, my heartstrings were plucked like the F cord of a harp, my mind was educated and I felt as if I had been through some trauma and then rewarded with a nice big creamy cake (or a plum jam sandwich).

Highly recommended read, 5 star review on Goodreads.  

Hazel's website is www.hazeltheharpist.co.uk.  Please do take a minute to look her up and listen to her recordings of playing the harp or excerpts of her stories. 

Ellie and The Harp Maker is published by hbright@penquinrandomhouse.co.uk.  available at all good bookshops. 

Look out for this too.....

If you use Twitter her handle is @HazelPriorBooks.

 

The Family Gift

 

This book is utter brilliance.  It takes all the 'shit happens' in Freya's life and magnifies it.  

It starts with boxing up belongings and moving house - an exercise that immediately resonates with me.  Freya has been married 10 years, is 42, very tall and unhappy with herself.  Having moved house and unpacked the boxes this book soon shows us 'life is not perfect'.  She tends to her children's needs for the internet and television but the reader soon is introduced to 'Mildred' - the voice in her head who gives her lots of negative thoughts that she has to fight off.  She has a fear or two and as I read I was worried Freya was heading for a nervous breakdown.

This story is about a large family, working parents, moving house, harbouring fears, keeping a lot of spinning plates in the air and living life in the fast lane.  If this resonates with you, you will love it as Freya blindly tries to be superwoman, which many people sandwiched between growing children and elderly parents try to be, with some success to others but failing themselves. 

I like the way the author takes another view of well known, well meaning sayings ie. 'when life gives you lemons, make lemonade' and 'dance like nobody's watching.'  Cathy Kelly certainly knows how to make her reader laugh and think deeply.  She portrays our 'masks' as Freya puts on a brave face to her teenage daughter and hides her fears, but how not being real can go pear shaped.

Freya's internal voice gives her truths and reality.  We so often say we are 'fine' when actually we carry a lot of worries, and the larger the family the more concerns we have.  Freya's family is large and has many worries that keep her awake at night as well as a pressurized job.  She juggles so many plates in the air and as the reader I felt her harbouring a fear and that something was going to have to give.  It's an intense read.  You will worry that a car crash is about to happen.

It was good to be affirmed that others 'talk to themselves in their heads'.  Self talk can be annoying - a battle - or it can have a positive affect on mental health if one learns to silence or tame it.  It is a subject not very often brought out into the open.

Freya eventually gives in to attending a support group where she talks it all out in the safety of being with others where their lives have been shattered by events too.  Realisation of changing from hiding the 'not coping' to using it in a different way - slowing down, caring for others, smelling the roses and cooking to heal - all dawn on her as being her 'real self' and that hiding stuff equals hurting; being open and honest leads to healing.

The book is a keeper, a reminder that life is too short and precious to bear pain, grudges and negative outlooks.  Five stars is not enough.  It exceeds excellence.  Go read it now.....

Meet the Author - Erin Green

 

As it was a New Year it seemed an appropriate title and a good follow on theme from my previous read.  I was soon on my imaginary holiday in the lovely harbour town of Brixham enjoying a solo holiday with Benjamina, Emma and Ruth.  I like books that are written in the first person and this one is broken up with the character’s name within each chapter so you know whose viewpoint you are reading.  For anyone who likes a 'girls' weekend away or a holiday with a difference, this is a delight.

 

The 3 ladies soon make friends and start to pursue hobbies in order to make the most of their time away.  They find happiness in these activities and new adventures open up being away from their normal commitments and concerns.

 

Some of their new beginnings also have endings, some are traumatic, sad, funny but all are life changing.  Will they remain friends and keep in touch, will they return to Brixham?  Will Benni (Benjamina) and Ziggy be reunited in love?  A page turner for sure.

 

I loved it.  Well done Erin Green *****

 

Read how Erin enjoys her writing:

 

Q – Which was your favourite character to write and why?

A – My favourite character is Benni due to her honesty and difficulties in life. In real life, I seem to have met many Benni’s in various sectors of our society. Women who dearly wish to follow a dream, master a specific skill or venture to pastures new but daren’t for fear of what others might think or simply a lack of self-confidence in their own ability. Benni puts herself down before anyone else has the chance to – which is really sad as she has a huge heart and much love to give. She talks herself into booking a ‘solos’ holiday in Brixham knowing that she must step out of her comfort-zone and begin participating in life rather than shying away.

Q – Have you ever been out to sea catching fish (I loved Benni’s trip and I’d be ill like she was) or horse-riding?

A – I have sailed on numerous boats, but have never been sea fishing though, I’d love the opportunity! As a child, I went horse riding whilst on holiday in Wales, the pony was called Rocky which indicates how long ago that was! My last occasion on horseback was a decade ago when I had a riding lesson at a local riding stables in Amington, Tamworth. The lesson was purely for research for a book I was writing back then which I later scraped, but the research notes and experience of the riding lesson came in useful for ‘New Beginnings At Rose Cottage’. I did ‘help’ to muck-out a stable for research purposes whilst writing Benni’s story; I’m a firm believer in author’s gaining as much experience as possible when writing a specific plot-line.

Q – What is your favourite ice cream flavour (not necessarily in the book)?

A – Mint chocolate chip. My choice has never changed since I was a child. I had a lot of fun researching the unusual ice cream flavours and even more fun actually blending and tasting them!

Reply - Wow, I'm impressed, I'm not very adventurous with tasting new foods, especially ice cream.

Q – Is Rose Cottage based on a place you have stayed in?

A – The idea for ‘New Beginnings At Rose Cottage’ actually came to me whilst holidaying in Brixham and staying at Rose cottage. I arrived on the Saturday and by the Tuesday, as we drove to the local town of Totnes, I noted details relating to my three ladies: Benni, Ruth and Emma into my mobile phone. My muse was captured by the sights and sounds of the surrounding scenery. On the Thursday evening, I sat in the rear garden and wrote the synopsis - thankfully, my editor and agent loved the premise straight away.

I’ve received emails from readers who have holidayed in Brixham and gone in search of the cottage only to follow some of my characters’ routes through the town, sightseeing or to the local pub. Which is a thrill for any author to know that readers have gained a further enjoyment and insight having read the book.

Q – If you could go on holiday this year (Pandemic/Covid19 allowing!!) where would you go?

A – I would happily go back to Brixham for a two-week break. I’d start my day like Benni visiting the fish market, possibly indulge in a champagne breakfast and spend the day walking around taking in the stunning scenery. At midday and at eight o’clock on the evening, I would listen out for the church bells playing ‘Abide with me’ – which was a particular delight given that I’m a bell ringer (when Covid19 allows).

Q – what are you writing at the moment?

A – Until the 27^th January 2021, I’ll be editing next year’s Christmas book, which is part two of a series set in Shetland. I always wanted to visit Shetland as a child, so booked a holiday for Easter 2019. I was there a couple of days when my muse took over and I began making notes. Experience told me, I’d be writing about the beautiful scenery in no time! The first book, ‘From Shetland, With Love’ is published in May 2021 with the sequel, ‘From Shetland, With Love At Christmas’ being published in September 2021, both are available for pre-order via Amazon.

My true delight as an author is writing rather than editing so, on New Year’s Day, I began writing a new book, almost a secret one, which allows me to indulge my love of writing whilst polishing the Christmas book.

Reply : Thank you for your time, hope we can meet again soon and good luck with your new books. 

 

Meet the Author - Lin Treadgold, Goodbye Henrietta Street

Goodbye Henrietta Street is a romance novel with interesting issues. It is set in the 1970s when there were no mobile phones or internet. This island story represents all the peace and quiet of a desert island—a great read during the lockdown. The islands are among the best in the world. Scilly has to be seen to be believed that you are still in the UK. There are palm trees and white beaches and excellent seafood. Each day is a new experience, There’s one drawback, you must book well in advance. The population is over two thousand people, and the number of houses for visitors are limited. The new helicopter is now running, and it is hoped you can fly by plane from Newquay, once the crisis is over. The ferry sails in the Spring and Summer.

My review:

Pippa, having lost a son, takes 3 weeks out of an awkward marriage to visit the Isle of Scilly from her home in Whitby. She meets Sven, a handsome Norwegian birdwatcher tour guide who shows her around Hugh Town and further afield.  Her best friends back home have their own marital problems as a secret affair comes to light.  Phone calls to her own husband brings little comfort although he receives news of a windfall and meets his biological family, but by this time Pippa is well smitten with the life-style and Sven, and is dreading going home.

 The ending is full of tension – will Pippa leave Henrietta Street or not?  Sven takes a trip to the mainland after complications with his ex-girlfriend.  Will she leave behind the gravestone of her son to pursue a new job prospect in Scilly?

 I loved this story, a five-star recommended read ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Interview with Lin:

Do you live in Whitby? If so, for how long?

I was born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, 20 miles from Whitby. Whitby is a historical town and popular holiday destination; Henrietta Street does exist. I walked down the famous 199 steps from the Abbey, and when I reached the bottom, I saw the street’s name. It seemed right to use that name for the book, even my character’s house exists along that street, but the reader has to go there and guess which one could be hers.

How many times have you been to the Scilly Isles?

I first discovered Scilly in 1969 on a day trip from Penzance. I was so taken with the place, I returned for two weeks’ holiday the following year. Scilly is lovely, and at my latest count, I have visited fifteen times. I have booked for September 2021 hoping that the Covid situation on the mainland will change. Many people have told me they remember the book’s landmarks or wish to go there on holiday. Scilly is somewhat dependent on tourism, and so my book has often influenced tourists to visit.

There are some serious life issues in your book – death, 3 lots of relationships gone wrong etc.  How did it make you feel writing these scenes?

As this was my first novel, I became emotional when writing it, but now I see things differently. I was keen to get the story written and through the editing process. However, I think a novelist has to have deep feelings for the reader to feel the same way.

Are you a birdwatcher/Twitcher?

Oh yes, most certainly. Nature has always been a part of me, and now that I live in Devon on the banks on the River Taw I need that peace and quiet to help me write. I watch dippers and kingfishers. I recently saw a goosander on the river.  I volunteered on a nature reserve when I lived in Holland and with the RSPB in the UK.

How long did it take you to write/get published?

From the beginning, I think it was about ten years. Like most new writers, I dipped in and out of ideas for a novel, wrote them down and never really thought about being a ‘famous writer’. I think if it wasn’t for joining the Romantic Novelists’ Association, I probably wouldn’t have got this far. They are a great bunch of like-minded people with lots of interesting ideas. I think if I’d done this earlier, I would have been published a lot sooner.

What previous experience in writing do you have, i.e. courses, career etc.?

I’ve always enjoyed writing since school. However, I studied a creative writing course whilst I was a driving instructor. I then became an instructor trainer and wrote my own training courses. I retired in 2001, after 25 years of teaching when I followed my husband and his job to The Netherlands.  After realising my skills as a teacher were transferable, I am now assisting new writers in moving ideas for a novel into something real and achievable. I can provide positive encouragement for them to become successful novelists. My time is on Zoom or email with the student, helping them understand the skills needed to make it all work.

The Viking was a stunning character – is he based on a real person/s?

Sven, (The Viking) is purely fictional. However, I’m aware that everyone loves Sven. Many of my readers have complimented me on this character. He’s caring, he loves nature, and he’s adorable. I suppose the idea of every woman’s dream man. Where I found him, I have no idea. He came to me one day in a flash of inspiration. I love him too.

What are you working on next?

I am now on my fourth book, The Trail to Freedom with my third one in the submission stage. It’s a WWII story based on letters my father wrote from a prison camp in Italy. Book No. 4 is a modern sequel with a working title of Sulmona, The Forgotten Years. My second book, The Tanglewood Affair, is set in the 1980s, a family romance saga, based on witchcraft and deceit.

Do you have any advice for would-be authors?

Get help as much as you can if you want to write a book. Ideas can always be turned into something exciting, and if you run it by someone who knows how to write and is published, it can save you a lot of heartbreak. I like to give confidence to the new writer. My role is not to tell someone their writing isn’t good enough or to judge how they write. It’s all about goal setting and learning techniques to make ideas work. I allow the writer to think for themselves and help them improve what they already have. My advice is not to struggle alone, get help, and your confidence will shine through.

Links for further information: https://itslinhere.wordpress.com

Twitter: @itslinhere

Publisher: www.silverwood_books.co.uk

 

A New Beginning

 A new beginning by Sue Flint©

 

The tiny bulb stretches.

The dark, deep down days were about to birth a new beginning;

The earth worm slithers past not noticing.

Slowly, so slowly her shoots extend

Reaching for light above the soil

Its hard work, but once begun

The bulb cannot stop the process of change.

 

Comfort of known existence changes to fear

Of the unknown world it is heading for.

Green stems break the icy cold surface

Its tips soaking up the light.

 

The stretching continues, air and freedom excites

Little roots go deeper, leaves pushing upwards with joy.

Day follows night and night follows day,

The soil warms and the bulb pushes out a stem

And then, a bud, and finally its energy is burst –

A white bell shaped petal opens up, delicate and beautiful;

Sparkling against the brown and green around it.

 

It shakes a little and blooms to its full capacity;

“A snowdrop,” the little girl shouts beckoning her mother

To draw alongside her.

Yes, my love, its telling us Spring is on its way,” she replies.

 

Writing for Wellbeing

with Leonie Martin.  A zoom group monthly writing group based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Uk but, as with any zoom, participants can be from anywhere in the world.  This month's meeting welcomed a lady from Singapore and whilst she looked sunny and cool, the UK participants were in winter woolies.  

Leonie is an author, freelance writer and facilitator of writing workshops, living with MS.  She guides the group into writing just a sentence at first and offering participants to read it out aloud to the group if we want to.  She is a natural encourager and we feel safe and more confident about writing in her care.  Next may be a 3 minute exercise writing about a picture relating to the topic of the month, this month was 'Beginnings'.  Again we read out our work and receive feedback from Leonie.  If it is particularly good others in the group may clap or write a comment in the chatbox.  The third and fourth exercises in this two hour group zoom is a five minute write, followed again by a sharing of our work.  It is lovely listening to other peoples interpretation of the same picture.

Leonie uses 'screen share' to show the group beautiful 'prompts' to aid our scribbles.  Here's two pictures and my stories that came from nowhere, such is inspiration!

No matter where I stood I could not find the coloney of penquins that I had filmed five years ago.  My heart was beating so fast that I thought it would burst within my chest.  I wasn't dressed for the ice today, I was being picked up by helicopter and transported back to concrete towns and busy offices.  

I pleaded to get just a glimpse; "I know their numbers have declined, but please God let them not have been wiped out."

Just as I heard the helicopter overhead, its blades whirring and the air around me stirring, a black and white head appears before me, then a body, then a jump and a waddle followed by another and another and another.  My heart leaps for joy as the helicopter lands behind me on firm ice.  Time to go home.

©SueFlint

The inscription on the back of the pocket watch told me it had been presented to Bill Middleton for 50 years service at M.C.H.  I 'googled' the name and workplace initials and gained a list so long it seemed an impossible task to find its owner.  'Perhaps I should just hand it in at the local police station?'

I decided to send a brief email to the first 20 Bill Middleton's and that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship with a local hero.  His son, by the same name, invited me to visit as his dad had just turned 90.  I spent days with him chatting about his work at M.C.H., his heroic act and how he lost his watch.

A few years later I was moved to tears to receive the watch in his will.

©Sue Flint

Feedback included the thought that I could continue to make this into a short story, readers/listeners wanting to know what the heroic act was.  

Hope you enjoyed my tit-bits of writing?  Comments are always welcome here or on Twitter @tweetsue13

One August Night

 

I have awaited this sequel to The Island for a very long time - it's been 15 years!  Having supported the Leprosy Mission charity for 40 years, The Island gave me a visualisation of the colony on Spinalonga, off the greek island of Crete.  Victoria Hislop is a favourite author of both myself and my husband - he has read all the books in between The Island and this one, so, newly published I felt it an ideal Christmas present - we don't read many hardback books, preferring paperbacks and receiving this newly published edition was a temptation too far.  I secretly read it first handling it with great care.  Shhh don't tell him....

Anna, having gone into depression after the birth of her baby girl, Sofia, began to recover when her husband arranges the christening and asks his cousin to be the Godfather.  She puts on a red dress and her affair with her sister's fiance continues.  The reader suspects he, Manolis, may be the child's father.  Her sister, Maria, has been away on Spinalonga in the Leprosy colony.  News is increasing that there is now a cure and people are being sent home.  Anna fears for her relationship with Manolis, she doesn't want to lose her lover.

A tragedy befalls the family whereby Anna's husband is imprisoned and her lover flees to mainland Greece.  Maria marries her doctor and they take Sophia in, raising the child as their own.  Manolis and Maria then become the main characters and the story unfolds with thrilling and graphically told events.

It is so exquisitly written, plain and simple to understand and follow; it's gripping.  The intermingled, intriguing relationships leads the reader to rush to the end.  I think it's the best book I have read all year. 

Sometimes hubby reads the last page before he gets to the end. I KNOW! Sacriledge.  However, if anyone else has this habit it will NOT give you an idea of what goes on between the beginning and end.  The end, however, does leave you wanting more.  Will a grown up Sofia trace her roots?  Will Manolis marry?  Will he ever return to Crete or mainland Greece?  What becomes of Maria?

Perhaps readers will not have much knowledge of Leprosy and think it is assigned only to biblical times.  Or perhaps they have some recollection of Princess Diana visiting such patients in the 1990's.  A cure for this dreadful, disfiguring disease was found in 1957 but it is still contracted in third world countries today.  It has been around since early 1900's.  Imagine 50+ years of Covid19!!  How fortunate we are that a vaccine has been made against the world-wide disease.  It doesn't mean Covid19 will disappear and neither has Leprosy.  I hope one day both will be irradicated.

The island of Spinalonga would be a place to visit now as an historic site, much like the war museums and underground hospital on Jersey.  Perhaps I should visit it when we are out of this pandemic; when flights and holidaying become safe again.  I know that this precious book will grace our bookshelves and be a favourite of both mine and my husband's (I will tell him I have read it when the time is right!)  There are not many books we would both read and Victoria Hislop is the only author that has inspired us both.

 

Reflections of 2020

There are SPECIAL MOMENTS in every year and as this crazy/sad/awful/surprising year of 2020 comes to an end I reflect here on moments that stand out for me. 

However, firstly I acknowledge the fact that the Virus, Covid19, has dominated the news, destroyed businesses, lives (66,000+ in the UK to date), relationships etc. I truely hope it has also taught us all lessons in kindness, endurance, what really matters and globally, I hope the environment and our way of living will be changed for the better. It highlighted our mental health, our NHS and keyworkers, our need to wash hands frequently, wear face masks and keep social distance. Being in the 'vulnerable' category I have never 'stayed home' so much but totally thankful I have a nice one, a garden and places to walk to. I am thankful too that I have a laptop and i-phone, have had on-line shopping delivered and partaken in many a Zoom meeting, Facebook live events, FaceTime calls and other platforms to keep in touch with family, friends and people in the world of writing/publishing. The blues didn't hit me until this month of December when the dark, dank days leading up to an unusual Christmas drained me of energy, happy hormones and excitement about the end being in sight with a vaccine on the way. Thankfully it only lasted a weekend and I remembered my mantra of: THIS TOO WILL PASS .

So now for the good news, my special moments, in this year that will go down in history.  Before the word 'Pandemic' reached our ears I took a winter break back in February to the Highlands of Scotland where I was fortunate to see wild deer at the foothills of snowy mountains and, due to Storm Dennis I led a Writing Group in the hotel where we were kept inside for safety.  This tale was later printed in the People's Friend magazine and I felt so proud of my courage to step up and amuse residents on a dismal day.

In March, just before things became worse, I was in Bournemouth having won tickets to the Russian Ballet.  It was a fabulous show and although tense about attending such a large gathering as the news was stepping up a pace, I enjoyed the time away from home in a B&B, eating meals out and taking a taxi to the pavillion and being engrossed in the ballet.  

Also in March I visited Chesterfiled to see a friend and saw this famous spiral spired church.

So then we were all into LOCKDOWN LAND and I spent time in the garden, planting and growing vegetables, creating window displays for cheering passersby and neighbours, celebrating VE day on the driveway and Thursday nights clapping the the staff of the NHS.  So proud of my nephew:

Wasn't May and the summer wonderful?  Sunshine, actual FRESH air (no pollution), appreciation of nature and a little respite before lockdown restrictions/tiers came into force again.  Hubby and I did manage a weekend away in the remote Derbyshire village of Castleton where we had some lovely country walks and an outside coffee stop.

As the year drew on I felt I was adapting well.  I took pleasure in the garden far more than ever and grew vegetables for the first time in over 30 years.  The cherry tomato plants produced so much; peas, potatoes, lettuce, raddishes and herbs were experiemental too.  The flowers bloomed giving colour and joy as well.

Bird watching was another joy - we had a regular robin visiting and numerous other varieties, but what an absolute treat that a pair of great tits used the bird box on my cabin to nest and raise their young which we anxiously awaited to see how many fledged.  There were five in all but sadly the last one didn't make it onto the nearby fence and perished overnight.

My biggest special moment was when one baby tit flew into the open door of my cabin and allowed me to rescue him, hold him in my hands for a short while before freeing him to fly again.  Not sure I've ever had that priveledge in my life before.  

Another special moment was my great-niece's first birthday.  Thankfully we were able to have a small family gathering to celebrate but no hugs were shared (something I've missed dreadfully). 

There have been many special moments of meeting friends outdoors, walking, chatting, finding a bench and sitting apart with a flask and cake.  Being outdoors and walking has helped keep me positive and this tree hug was for all the people I love.  Tyson the Bengal cat came to stay to keep us company for a few weeks and he wanted to be part of my window display!  Doorstep visits have been appreciated but so unnatural not to ask people in, especially our lovely daughter.

We made the big decision to put our home of nearly 30 years on the market but to date we have been disappointed with very little response.  However, we are in no hurry so I guess the timing is not right just yet.  Another highlight of this year was that I, at last, received my pension and bus pass.  I join the Senior Citizens rank not feeling as though this is real, but having waited six years for my pension it is very welcome.  

My other passtimes have been card crafting, knitting, reading novels and writing. Those who follow me on Twitter (@tweetsue13) or Facebook (Sue Flint, Author) will know that as I write this blog my manuscript is out for appraisal and novel 2 has been harder to be disciplined about.  However many zooms have been extremely helpful and hopefully I will spring back into writing action again very soon.  Here's my knitted snowmen - I managed a small amount of the 1,000+ that the local church wanted to spread cheer in the Parish of Wigginton; and just a few of all the Christmas cards I made.   

 

Sadly we lost the son of our dear friends, to that other dreadful disease - Cancer.  John was such a big hearted young man, aged 41, who was an inspiration to all who knew him.  Funerals this year have been so different from the 'norm' and John had made arrangements for his own way of people 'saying goodbye' which was close family celebrating his life on a nearby beach.  We paid our own respects by

planting trees through the woodlandstrust.org.uk in his memory.

And now as the year comes to an end we have news of the first vaccinations against Covid19 being administered here in the UK giving us all hope that next year will see the relief of Lockdowns, Tiers and closed venues of enjoyment.  I guess it will take us all sometime to feel 'safe' again but this at least is a step in the right direction.

Special moments are there in every day, every month, every year if we but notice them.  I hope you have many stored in your memory bank and that you draw on them whenever life throws a curve ball.  Thank you for reading my blog, comments can be made below or on Twitter @tweetsue13 or email: sueflint13@hotmail.com. 

May your Christmas and New Year celebrations be safe and wishing you all the best for 2021.

                           

 

 

  

Guaranteed to get you singing....

How lovely to be transported from a dismal year to the beautiful scenery of the Swiss mountains and villages.  Let it Snow by Sue Moorcroft will certainly delight you and get you feeling seasonal. 

❆❆❆

Lily learns that her mums both had baby girls by different methods which leads her on a quest to meet up with biological half-brothers.  In a temporary bar job in Middledip she ponders on whether she will ever tell her boss Tubb they are related.  There is much conflict between her sister, her mums and her own heart too.  

She has a trip to Switzerland with her other job for the Food, Lifestyle and Health show and arranges to take the Middletones choir with her to help promotional work.  Singing well known British carols will attract attention to her stall.

❆❆❆ 

Isaac, having broken up with his girlfriend Hayley, moves into the flat above the pub and soon finds Lily attractive.  An accident to Lily's hand prevents her from driving the mini bus of excited members of the Middletones, so Isaac steps in to save the day.  Doggo the dalmation joins the trip too.  However, a tragedy with his ex has him dashing back to the UK just as he and Lily are finding love.  Will they hook up back in the UK or was it to be a holiday romance? Will Lily's brothers accept her into the fold?  Will she manage driving back with her injured hand?  There is a lot of tension, drama, health issues and family relationships to keep you turning the pages.

The trip to Switzerland has it all - snow ❅, lights🎄, expensive gifts🎁, romance, work, play and singing 🎸.  It is Christmas in text, fueling the imagination and reminding us of better times.  I don't think I'll ever hear Michael Buble singing 'Let it Snow' without thinking of this book and its contents.  

❆❆❆

Well done Sue Moorcroft, five star reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.  Looking forward to reading this years' Christmas novel - Christmas Wishes. 

 

Who doesn't love a toy panda?

 Pandemonium

By Gail Aldwin

I was asked by the author to review her book and it was a priviledge to do.  I think it will make an ideal Christmas or Birthday present - this beautifully illustrated book is aimed at children between the ages of 2 – 7 years.

The adorable purple Panda will warm hearts as each page captures a scene even without the words.  An adult reader can point out other elements to the growing child – where is Peta, what else is in the picture, who else is in the picture, what are they doing, what colour is Peta the Panda?  Conversations the story evokes can be interesting and encourage the child’s imagination to build more into the story.  It will be one they remember when they are older.

 Early readers will enjoy the bold lettered short sentences.  There are new words to learn the meaning of – Pandemonium and haberdashery – explanations again encouraging conversations between the child and reader.  Also an opportunity to tell young readers about breaking big words down into syllables to make reading and spelling easier – the cover is a good ‘showing’ example.

 As the book progresses Peta’s purple is disguised to make her look like the other Panda’s but her peers mock her which makes her unhappy.  Lessons on how to deal with unhelpful comments from friends at school could take place from this page and how Mama Panda rescues Peta by undoing the disguise, freeing her and encouraging Peta to be herself.  Conversation about love could be had here and how being accepted as we are makes us happy.

 I love the messages –

• It’s ok to be different
• It’s ok to have fun
• It encourages and affirms
• Love and acceptance help us be true to ourselves

 It is also sweet and cute.  It will appeal to lively children and make quiet children laugh at Peta’s antics.  Ideal for girls or boys, schools, parents, grandparents, childminders, nursery nurses, etc etc.

Five star rating.  Well done Author Gail Aldwin and Illustrator Fiona Zechmeister.

Available from www.victoriapress.com and https://www.waterstones.com/book/pandemonium/gailaldwin/fiona-zechmeister/9781999369675  pre-order now, publication December 2020.

Other reviews can be found on https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55315976-pandemonium

You can follow the author on Twitter @gailaldwin or Facebook: Gail Aldwin, Writer

 

A Year to Remember?

                                       

 Pandemic.  Covid19.  Masks.  Washing hands.  Social Distance.  Death rates.  Covid Cases.                        Prime  Minister's announcements.  Lockdown.  Job losses.  Economic Crisis.  Stay Home.                         Cheer for the NHS.    Food banks.  Captain Tom.  Fundraising.  Regional lockdowns.                                 Black lives matter.  Herd  immunity.   Schools & University returns.  Social bubbles.                                    Pubs close early.  Elderly.  Virus carriers.    Mental Health matters.  Sanitizer.

These words and phrases are just some of the things that have been in my brain, and probably everyone else's thoughts, since about February this year.  2020 will be written in the history books of the future.  As a compulsive writer I started a new notebook in March and wrote in it each day thinking this event was too big to cope with.  Writing my thoughts down has long been a way of  safeguarding my mental health - once its on paper it's out of my head and therefore I can get on with the day.  I have now begun a second notebook as the situation has continued far longer and devastatingly than I could imagine.  But adapting to a new way of being, I turned days into opportunities to rest, read, write and walk.  My four favourite pastimes.

Zoom's, Skype and FaceTime have become a 'norm'.  Ordering food and any other needs on-line I am now adept at.  You may have thought that as a writer I would have by now become a published author.  I have not been idle, everyday new challenges abound and both novel 1 and 2 have been attended to.  I have also had on-line workshops to attend.  Here's my progress report -

• I had a letter printed in The People's Friend Magazine and a book review published in the SWWJ journal.  Yay.
• I have read and reviewed lots of books on this blog site, Goodreads and Amazon.
• Novel 1 - I had a very good meeting with Laura Williams, Literary Agent via Blue Pencil Agency zoom conference.  Having sent Novel 1 to several publishers/agents over previous years, this zoom inspired me to revamp my synopsis and covering letter which, together with the first 50 pages, has gone off to her for her consideration to accompanying me onto publication.  
• Novel 2 - that fact that I've sent Novel 1 off to several publishers/agents and received rejection letters has not put me off.  However the time it takes to do each submission delays me getting on with Novel 2.  Each submission is unique.  Each covering letter, synopsis and manuscript has a unique requirement from the publisher/agent.  So many words, include this, single/double spaced manuscript, first three chapters, first 5,000 words, first 50 pages etc. etc.  So work on Novel 2 gets delayed.  However, I can report I am back on it and up to 40,000 words.  Ideas are scribbled on notepaper and although I pencil in times to be in my garden cabin to write, other things creep in and now I am having to limit my zoom workshops as, as useful as they are, they are a distraction to ACTUALLY writing.

Here's some of the zoom meetings I have attended:

•     Tamworth Writers - weekly
•     Writing for Wellbeing - monthly
•     Facebook Live & Tamworth Bookclub - meet the author events
•     Society of Author events
•     Society of Women Writers & Journalists events
•     Writing West Midlands events
•     Writers & Artists events
•     Swanwick Writers Summer School events
•     Birmingham, Derby & Bristol Literary Festival events

The advantage of Zoom meetings is not having to travel to venues!  But of course the downside is that you don't meet people in person and I'm quite a sociable person.

My next blog will be about the walks I have done during this year - A Year to Remember.  But in the meantime here are two 'pause for thought' pictures:

   

THE BEACH HUT

I so L O V E  beach huts.  My bathroom is 'beach hut' themed with white towels that are embroidered with navy and red beach hugs, a Snug Rug mat with light blue beach huts on it and a variety of seaside ornament decorate the window sill including a mini row of beach huts.  I even have mini beach huts and light house on sand around the base of a fuchsia bush in my garden.  I have taken many photographs of places I have visited that have beach huts - favorites would be Holkham beach, Norfolk and Bournemouth.

Somewhere in my brain is a very distant memory of a beach hut on Looe beach, Cornwall.  We used to go there as a family when I was a child.  We would meet up with Aunty Olive, Uncle Bing and cousin John; my paternal grandparents and sometimes my father's cousin Roy and his family or his brother Jack and my cousins Christine and Ann.  I have black and white photos of us eating ice creams on the beach.  We would all sit in deckchairs in the same place each visit which was in front of a beach hut (who it belonged to I can't recall) where we children were sent to change into or out of our swimming costume although I do remember trying to do this with mother's help behind a large towel on the beach which was embarrassing and sandy.  I guess my love of the shape of beach huts: the wood and the colours came from this early life experience.

Before the Pandemic of Covid-19 struck I attended a book event where someone criticized books with beach huts on the front cover and I was incensed by the comments.  Not usually brave to reply, I found myself defending such books, speaking up and saying how some of us like these type of books.  The critic's voice rankled for months afterwards so when I saw Veronica Henry's novel I gladly bought it knowing I would not be feasting my eyes on a beach or row of beach huts this year.  The virus spreading has put paid to any holidays in 2020 as the message 'Stay Safe, Stay Home' rings out.

So I dip into fantasy land and on the pages of this book am instantly transported to a place that reminds me of Branksome Chine.  This little book promises a big heart as I am soon introduced to Everdene Sands, North Devon and the owner of a beach hut that has been in the family for 50 years.  It quickly became a torrid affair between a young innocent typist and an acclaimed author.  Passion and innocence clashed and the author's manuscript and Jane disappears for 50 years

Soon I was reading about Harborne and Hagley - familiar places having been born in Birmingham.  However the book progresses with different tales in different beach huts - an affair, a one-off fling, a marriage, two children, financial commitments and status, property and a beach hut.  

I loved going to the nearby pub - The Ship Aground - and wondering if Jane would connect with her first love - the author.  It captivated me to the end and it was hard to put down; the ending uplifted the soul.

I so enjoyed it and wanted to stay by the seaside a while longer so I purchased another by Veronica Henry - 

For those of you who, like me, love the beach and especially beach huts, I can't recommend these books highly enough.  They are a sublime escape from the reality of this Annus Horribilis year, where days are sunny and carefree, where the waves in the sea are inviting and the friendships and relationships work through issues to find happiness.

5 star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.