tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43842144087329537012024-03-18T07:18:17.321+00:00Hornsea WritersProfessional authors of fiction and writers of non-fiction from Yorkshire, England.Linda Acasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096791092366530129noreply@blogger.comBlogger338125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-12866967490799277522024-02-23T11:00:00.032+00:002024-02-23T11:00:00.144+00:00Extracts From The Writing Of Stuart Aken<h3 style="text-align: left;">Exploring The
World Of Artificial Intelligence</h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYYCRJPFbb8untWnmv4XTZbzEu4WfTiIUD2I14yq4GhGhGP2eri7tTMlLpJR5PhwLaMGct8RfRMBhCypwt5sELlfjSqKug-C2Wop78hlmu6pTQyDJLYctedszQK-fVrUdIC-yHtvGNy8w0NUVYlVnn0AaUAi1Jd6iXdWh35HQNcJW1q82sw4yQhi4NN8u/s2929/Methuselah%20ebook%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2929" data-original-width="2010" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYYCRJPFbb8untWnmv4XTZbzEu4WfTiIUD2I14yq4GhGhGP2eri7tTMlLpJR5PhwLaMGct8RfRMBhCypwt5sELlfjSqKug-C2Wop78hlmu6pTQyDJLYctedszQK-fVrUdIC-yHtvGNy8w0NUVYlVnn0AaUAi1Jd6iXdWh35HQNcJW1q82sw4yQhi4NN8u/s320/Methuselah%20ebook%20cover.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stuart Aken
started to delve into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) in the early
2010s when he began work on a novella, <i><a href="https://getbook.at/TheMethuselahStrain" target="_blank">The Methuselah Strain</a></i>, which featured androids designed to pleasure their owners in any way the humans
wished. Realising that these androids could never be convincing substitutes for
human companionship without an emotional aspect, Stuart considered the
consequences.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">‘Once emotion
was a requirement,’ he notes, ‘self-awareness naturally followed. These artificial
servants were built for profit. Their self-awareness and emotional capacity
would be paramount to their owner’s experience and such qualities would quickly
become sophisticated.’ <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">In <i><a href="https://getbook.at/TheMethuselahStrain" target="_blank">The Methuselah Strain</a></i>, one of these androids is abandoned for a human partner, and
then taken on by another android. The story explores how self-aware and
emotionally intelligent androids react to this experience, and how it colours
their views of the human beings who share what is now their world.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Methuselah
Strain was published in 2015. In a later trilogy, <a href="https://getbook.at/GenerationMars" target="_blank">Generation Mars</a>, Stuart takes the ideas developed in <i><a href="https://getbook.at/TheMethuselahStrain" target="_blank">The Methuselah Strain</a></i> and puts them in the
context of the colonisation of Mars, following catastrophic climate change that
has made Earth almost uninhabitable. In terms of AI, Stuart says, ‘Early in my
research, it became clear that AI would be an essential component of the
automated systems needed to establish a place on the Red planet where humans
would be able to live in some sort of comfort.’<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Although the AI in <a href="https://getbook.at/GenerationMars" target="_blank">Generation Mars</a> has been developed with very different aims from the AI in <i><a href="https://getbook.at/TheMethuselahStrain" target="_blank">The Methuselah Strain</a>, </i>this story, too, explores the consequences of building entities with self-awareness and intelligence.</p>
<h4 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><br /></h4><h4 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">9 Short Extracts From
The Methuselah Strain</h4><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">In the heart of
town, Randal sprawled on his bed next to LoCon in the TipTop NonStop Hip-Hop
Pop’n’Shop Mall. Oblivious of the dawn, he dreamed recurrent fantasies of human
female companionship; all that life now seemed to hold for him as a Sexual.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">In an ancient
stone barn, preserved as a picturesque relic overlooking town, the Prime
Renegade stirred at sudden silence as rain ceased hammering the roof. Her
movement rustled the dry straw of yet another temporary bed. Pulling her stolen
fun-fur coat close about her, she considered the coming day and hoped, without
expectation, it might bring some release from loneliness.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">Randal woke for
the second time, in his customary sweat, and covered it with a disposable
t-shirt he’d worn for three weeks. It mattered not that it stunk and was
tattered and torn beyond its intended daily life: no other human being had
visited the Mall for years.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">Life as Mall
Manager seemed pointless, and demeaning.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">‘But she ain’t
real; can’t be. That Prime Renegade’s just a bogeyman, lurking out there
threatening civilization. I mean, nobody really believes in her; especially not
looking like that. It’s a horing rumour, put about by CenCon to make us think
they’re horing wonderful.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">At Sports
Emporium he stopped the trolley and viewed Hengst’s 2224 Olympic Gold one
hundred metre sprint: 8.7962 seconds from start line breach to finish laser.
He’d watched it a thousand times. The last Olympic sprint run by real men, and
there was no doubt these men were real.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">Luce knew Repoz
held everything known to man but it was no place to find the type of man she
wanted. Her ability to bypass security made such a hunt simple. But a
technophobe or a natural wouldn’t make the use of technology that would leave
the traces she needed. Once she’d identified the actual presence of humans in
certain geographic locations, a physical quest was the only answer.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">So, she crossed
to the east, found the landing point for the Atlantic Seabridge, and walked,
transtrolled and hopped freight monorails right across the ocean. Misnamed
Greenland, she’d discovered, was mostly barren rock and more or less deserted.
The remnants of the great glaciers now causing no more than a slow flow of grey
river water. Iceland had no ice but plenty of volcanic activity and hot springs
to bathe in with frisky natives.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">Caution slowed
Luce as she left the tree-lined lane. Without the vagabond cover of her old
coat, she was aware of her vibrant femininity and felt vulnerable, in spite of
her bodyguard. Though she hated labels, she knew she’d be marked by all and
sundry as a Sexual. Earlier attempts to alter her appearance had made no
difference and she no longer bothered trying to hide her appeal. That the
Intellectual tag wasn’t so readily attached, in spite of her extraordinary
mental abilities, sometimes peeved her. But she understood she presented a rare
combination.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">‘I want to be
loved! And you, Monster, for all your muscular good looks, boundless energy and
deliciously sensitive touch, can’t love me. Love, Monster, causes tears and
laughter at the holodrome or theatre, when there’s anyone there; blocks throats
with lumps, makes hearts race, inspires poetry in books. When did I last curl
up with a good book?’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">‘Does anybody
live here? Anybody at all?’ Her call echoed from lifeless buildings, mocking
her as it returned splintered and unanswered from a thousand gleaming surfaces.
Ahead, stood the glittering crystal and chrome icosahedron of the Mall, perched
on its seven hexagonal pillars of glass. The reference was not lost on her and
she smiled at memories of the ancient comedy.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">***</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Learn more
about Stuart and his writing <a href="https://www.hornseawriters.com/2021/08/stuart-aken-prolific-writer-who-wont-be.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-88611906858995360912024-01-26T11:00:00.001+00:002024-01-26T11:00:00.133+00:00Extracts From The Writing Of Madeleine McDonald<h3 style="text-align: left;">Experimenting With Different Angles</h3><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8jM7RZyMJwiw2KNIHaYrwbE8bCuIegtT5jCqJvwvqBdXjpqWd7kCcEoSZHe08fahX8duYeHaCAIP-PjALzoXibAYIKYMkjle-C1AIU8dMn_Du7czlRK_2hOXGD2sVOZXN13q61HZWzvwisHJVeqgB-QN4WxxaZRS_PSE7mdh9IurF14lvxLrnBpNXpLW/s1920/anika-huizinga-RmzR87vTiYw-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8jM7RZyMJwiw2KNIHaYrwbE8bCuIegtT5jCqJvwvqBdXjpqWd7kCcEoSZHe08fahX8duYeHaCAIP-PjALzoXibAYIKYMkjle-C1AIU8dMn_Du7czlRK_2hOXGD2sVOZXN13q61HZWzvwisHJVeqgB-QN4WxxaZRS_PSE7mdh9IurF14lvxLrnBpNXpLW/s320/anika-huizinga-RmzR87vTiYw-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@iam_anih?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Anika Huizinga</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/selective-focus-photography-of-woman-holding-clear-glass-ball-RmzR87vTiYw?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Unsplash</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Author Madeleine McDonald is a novelist but is better known for her short pieces, both fiction and non-fiction. The example below shows her taking an idea and expressing it using two different forms, a 50-word story and a tanka.</div><br />Madeleine says, “Very short stories simply have to meet a word count, whereas a tanka must be shoehorned into a non-rhyming formal pattern of five lines with 5,7,5,7,7 syllables respectively. Sometimes I just cannot make a particular word fit into the required number of syllables and still 'sound' right, and I have to find an alternative.” She notes in passing that, “The Japanese have other, arcane rules which Western authors ignore.” <br /><br /><u>The 50-word story </u><br />‘Come with me,’ he says, ‘to the islands of the west, golden in splendour.’ A number 9 bus looms out of the London murk. As we board, hand in hand, an aura of dejection and wet coats envelops us. Who cares, when mythical lands of adventure stand on the horizon? <br /><br /><u><a href=" https://medium.com/tanka-town/heading-for-paradise-03abed166275?sk=da79575251a285dcd689d658d1b0b01a" target="_blank">The tanka</a></u><br />Come with me, he said<br /> To the islands of the west<br /> Golden in splendour<br /> A number 9 bus arrived<br />All adventures start somewhere...<div><br /></div><div><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiK32ZcrsgbtIJl-vp4lDndSb9V5KzI4UDpOfJuWALl9-lYP33Y-qPgKE9tdKENSQcO3gJW7YJKPSKG3ruQiuQKwetkwJuehhXVTYIzaXLAXKPDndhHnrMT5Meo_LkTsGSvP7BmKnzgdSqLQIEjJxkq95KglnbYP3UJxsgWCkNmfPeFnSQJNehKPvCdS85/s2400/trust-tru-katsande-wDJrBpl-q3Q-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiK32ZcrsgbtIJl-vp4lDndSb9V5KzI4UDpOfJuWALl9-lYP33Y-qPgKE9tdKENSQcO3gJW7YJKPSKG3ruQiuQKwetkwJuehhXVTYIzaXLAXKPDndhHnrMT5Meo_LkTsGSvP7BmKnzgdSqLQIEjJxkq95KglnbYP3UJxsgWCkNmfPeFnSQJNehKPvCdS85/s320/trust-tru-katsande-wDJrBpl-q3Q-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@iamtru?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Trust "Tru" Katsande</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/person-doing-wall-graffiti-wDJrBpl-q3Q?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Unsplash</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Madeleine also writes poetry although she notes that “Poetry is not my forte. I prefer short fiction.” She says of her prizewinning poem <i>Hidden in Plain Sight</i>, “Although I have written articles on modern slavery, I hoped the message would have more of an impact as a poem. I wrote it because the comfortable Western world ignores the realities of modern slavery. Out of sight is out of mind, just as sugar plantation slavery was 200 years ago.”<div><br /></div><div><br /><u>Hidden in Plain Sight </u><br />We do not want to see, hear or know.<br /> To preserve our ignorance, we allow shifting<br /> sands to settle over brutal truths.<br /> Day by day, hour by hour, we unlearn<br /> inconvenient facts; we lock them into a vault in<br /> our minds.<br /> 50 million people are held in slavery or<br /> servitude in our interconnected modern world.<br /> The facts are there, recorded in stark newsprint<br /> or on fleeting digital screens.<br /> We turn away. It is not our children who choke<br /> on dust, or whose fingers bleed. It is not our<br /> children who sleep under workbenches and<br /> see no daylight.<br /> We turn away, unwilling to acknowledge the<br /> human price of our modern comforts. It is<br /> easier to focus our outrage on the slaveries of<br /> yesteryear.<br /> A hundred years hence, once our denial has<br /> acquired the patina of history, our<br /> grandchildren’s grandchildren, appalled, will<br /> ask, ‘Why did you not act?’<br /> Hand on heart, we will say, "But we did not know." <br /><br />Links to Madeleine’s novels and several of her many published shorter works can be found in <a href="https://www.hornseawriters.com/2021/02/madeleine-mcdonald-plundering-life-for.html">this profile</a>. <br /><br /><br /> </div></div></div>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-60302270441460498122023-12-22T07:00:00.001+00:002023-12-22T07:00:00.130+00:00Wishing Our Readers Festive Cheer!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpeuuFfXETyqLvs68q9suCPd7nXmh0IY6oHZkkeGiPgSDBdx5soZeLWmAlznz1v_D1wWe8vZ4db62YWkt_adGjLk3upfibeB_M7DlhCONCpFP3ophzL1vyVSvJgiKw4iCGwjsfMTEEMn-u_a_ONVzB-MmdH_Hnr-1jZ4nzjo8JJoZ_i7nByIOpEXP1SI/s1280/Pixabay%20merry-christmas-4637374_1280%20by%20Speedy%20McVroom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1280" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpeuuFfXETyqLvs68q9suCPd7nXmh0IY6oHZkkeGiPgSDBdx5soZeLWmAlznz1v_D1wWe8vZ4db62YWkt_adGjLk3upfibeB_M7DlhCONCpFP3ophzL1vyVSvJgiKw4iCGwjsfMTEEMn-u_a_ONVzB-MmdH_Hnr-1jZ4nzjo8JJoZ_i7nByIOpEXP1SI/w640-h374/Pixabay%20merry-christmas-4637374_1280%20by%20Speedy%20McVroom.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image by Speedy McVroom via Pixabay<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Members of Hornsea Writers raise a glass to you, our Readers, who make
all our efforts worthwhile.<br /><br />We wish you personal happiness,
the contentment of a good book and, most importantly, the best of health
as we move into the New Year.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Life is for living – so enjoy!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="font-family: Pattaya;"><i><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Merry Christmas</span></span></b></i></span></span></span></p><p> </p>Linda Acasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096791092366530129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-44631478894362739712023-12-01T11:51:00.001+00:002023-12-01T11:51:00.129+00:00Hornsea Writers At The Massive Autumn Book Launch Event: Madeleine McDonald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xRih9v4lls2W3D11KuCiDPYV37PVlPJGvq0_WHUNSBwRaRpdId60Ro1nkVZh9a7JM8EkuO_-8UdlVcXvyfNeW2aZTmABTzlD1Mq9cAQx0Z02JF84hufa0NEhOS8iN-5LZFz8nNzDPyflDLwGX2k5iaVAqLjIfhxdOu4_V86m3XMgL25VMwVAL2XBcs_5/s2383/Kaleidoscope%20e-cover%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2383" data-original-width="1589" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xRih9v4lls2W3D11KuCiDPYV37PVlPJGvq0_WHUNSBwRaRpdId60Ro1nkVZh9a7JM8EkuO_-8UdlVcXvyfNeW2aZTmABTzlD1Mq9cAQx0Z02JF84hufa0NEhOS8iN-5LZFz8nNzDPyflDLwGX2k5iaVAqLjIfhxdOu4_V86m3XMgL25VMwVAL2XBcs_5/s320/Kaleidoscope%20e-cover%202.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Hornsea writer, Madeleine McDonald, a prolific short story writer was shortlisted in Fantastic Books Publishing’s <a href="https://www.fantasticbooksstore.com/competitions/competition-anthologies-and-winners-circle/flash-fiction-charity-competition" target="_blank">flash fiction competition</a> and her story appears in their latest anthology, <a href="https://mybook.to/KaleidoscopeFlashFic" target="_blank">Kaleidoscope</a>, that was launched at the <a href="https://www.fantasticbooksstore.com/m-a-b-l-e/mable-2023-schedule-2" target="_blank">Massive Autumn Book Launch Event</a> (MABLE).</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jMFTNBjrIq8" width="320" youtube-src-id="jMFTNBjrIq8"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="9fba"><br /></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-41591521954496660182023-11-24T11:00:00.001+00:002023-11-24T11:00:00.135+00:00Hornsea Writers At The Massive Autumn Book Launch Event: Penny Grubb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e1JdSB2Wsr8e08kuT_4Cu337gKrLUWU-y3Su4Xhil_lWsLjBB0iL3ODyA3ccqH1QsxgdPTE4TDbqbuQV1cFtoRBAYWSSc5bt3kKiahcUvo3TscgpzMIBiWodwaah7Kgj5G2YE6S_HhWveEuv7BjyMqn6-xCqFF0dWdw7UUImV9O39O6mICMDoGiky44e/s2560/Kot%20-%20Death%20by%20Column%20Inches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e1JdSB2Wsr8e08kuT_4Cu337gKrLUWU-y3Su4Xhil_lWsLjBB0iL3ODyA3ccqH1QsxgdPTE4TDbqbuQV1cFtoRBAYWSSc5bt3kKiahcUvo3TscgpzMIBiWodwaah7Kgj5G2YE6S_HhWveEuv7BjyMqn6-xCqFF0dWdw7UUImV9O39O6mICMDoGiky44e/s320/Kot%20-%20Death%20by%20Column%20Inches.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">.</span></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9fba">Hornsea writer, Penny Grubb, launched her new novel, <i><a href="https://mybook.to/DeathByColumnInches" target="_blank">Death By Column Inches</a></i>, at Fantastic Books Publishing’s <a href="https://www.fantasticbooksstore.com/m-a-b-l-e/mable-2023-schedule-2" target="_blank">Massive Autumn Book Launch Event</a> (MABLE).</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9fba">The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed a pseudonym. Penny says, “This book was first conceived before any of my private investigator series had seen the light of day. It’s very different and I was advised not to use the same name.”</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4946">The story of the book and its long journey from initial idea to launch is outlined in its launch video.</p><p class="graf graf--p" name="4946"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C8sNxIf7Ppg" width="320" youtube-src-id="C8sNxIf7Ppg"></iframe></div><br /><p class="graf graf--p" name="4946"><br /></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="ac06"><br /></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-77820182603965168402023-11-07T11:23:00.003+00:002023-11-07T11:23:37.386+00:00Hornsea Writers At The Massive Autumn Book Launch Event: Stuart Aken<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37vduiWtmxyig5DcxpzmEeRY_m-Ba_QX_fy9urpH1W3znuZYW50F8DoK4zkbl-GlFASSDqRgHpkAr3YHPE4aWb4Z_vtHIBQVgn0PonouZBTAGINL-9al3_vkD8wg2GUBtxFdUWeSPYeUD6sWD4byGsgHrtPDZNKdwq3YuJFrvjMmWlLWSP_3dEn4GCxlM/s2360/COVER%20Aken%20An%20Excess%20Of.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2360" data-original-width="1573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37vduiWtmxyig5DcxpzmEeRY_m-Ba_QX_fy9urpH1W3znuZYW50F8DoK4zkbl-GlFASSDqRgHpkAr3YHPE4aWb4Z_vtHIBQVgn0PonouZBTAGINL-9al3_vkD8wg2GUBtxFdUWeSPYeUD6sWD4byGsgHrtPDZNKdwq3YuJFrvjMmWlLWSP_3dEn4GCxlM/s320/COVER%20Aken%20An%20Excess%20Of.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p></p><h3 class="graf graf--h3" name="7f4c"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Hornsea writer, Stuart Aken, was featured more than once at <a href="https://www.fantasticbooksstore.com/m-a-b-l-e/mable-2023-schedule-2" target="_blank">Fantastic Books Publishing’s Massive Autumn Book Launch Event</a> (MABLE).</span></span></h3><p class="graf graf--p" name="9fba"><span style="font-size: medium;">He appeared in an Eco-Thrillers Spotlight where 4 of his books were highlighted — <em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><a href="https://getbook.at/AnExcessOf " target="_blank">An Excess Of…</a></em> and his <em class="markup--em markup--p-em"><a href="https://getbook.at/GenerationMars " target="_blank">Generation Mars</a></em> trilogy. In the spotlight video he can be seen chatting to fellow author, Linda Nicklin, whose novel, <a href="https://getbook.at/StormGirl " target="_blank">Storm Girl</a>, set in Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, is also featured.</span></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="9fba"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="6e24"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wQQTKuDZquw" width="320" youtube-src-id="wQQTKuDZquw"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1fd8"><span style="font-size: medium;">Later in the event, Stuart’s fantasy trilogy, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07HPH3GXD" target="_blank">A Seared Sky</a>, was featured, along with fantasy series <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07GRL5TZ7" target="_blank">End Of Empire</a> by Alex Janaway and <a href="https://getbook.at/TheBridgeAndTheButterflies" target="_blank">The Filey Chronicles</a> by Janet Blackwell.</span></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1fd8"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1fd8"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BUxeJmWkWIQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="BUxeJmWkWIQ"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Don't be too quick to think that the participants were all seasoned recording artists who sailed through without a glitch. The video editor occasionally slipped in some entertaining outtake sections.</span><p></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1fd8"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="graf graf--p" name="1fd8"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="graf graf--p graf--empty" name="f53e"><br /></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-81397238601316721442023-09-22T06:00:00.001+01:002023-09-22T06:00:00.162+01:00"Crime and Punishment in Tudor England". How I made the jump from fiction to non-fiction<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYt7Q_X5FTZhSubFjO3E2-j7Nd8DGDW7gn0vsKOsdGOsIDEL2yTUQdoUmqnQTaKMCuIS9J4lAXcr0EngPtUbqp-XqzlgLocg7UsZwu87vUYLwAyK_gc--siKIyIFHEMP-j7t_uvxnZGFrNwOFlVISLtSmOPBx6j4dAlEdblfFN8iH9xQA5awoYWNmwKgSS/s499/IMG_0749.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYt7Q_X5FTZhSubFjO3E2-j7Nd8DGDW7gn0vsKOsdGOsIDEL2yTUQdoUmqnQTaKMCuIS9J4lAXcr0EngPtUbqp-XqzlgLocg7UsZwu87vUYLwAyK_gc--siKIyIFHEMP-j7t_uvxnZGFrNwOFlVISLtSmOPBx6j4dAlEdblfFN8iH9xQA5awoYWNmwKgSS/s320/IMG_0749.jpeg" width="215" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 14.2pt;"> At last, some three weeks later than scheduled, my first non-fiction commission is in the world and available for purchase.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">I have always enjoyed history, but this was the history we never learned in school. In fact, it turns out the history we were taught in school was eons away from the stark reality of life for ordinary—and extraordinary—people who lived in the Tudor era.<o:p></o:p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;">I learned things that surprised me, sickened me, but also things that made me laugh. The experience of researching and writing such a book proved a steep learning curve. One I wanted to keep climbing. So, it will come as no surprise that I have signed contracts for two more books for Pen and Sword, the first of which is proving just as fascinating to research as the Tudor one.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"> For more details on the adventures of getting a book published, you can read my blog here:<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> <span face="Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.52); font-size: 14px;">https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com/2023/09/schemes-mice-and-men.html</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><i>Crime and Punishment in Tudor England: From Alchemists to Zealots</i> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;">You can find it here: <a href="https://bit.ly/3PLEM93" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;">https://bit.ly/3PLEM93</a> and here: <span style="color: #dca10d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://mybook.to/Bt34P5">https://mybook.to/Bt34P5</a></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="color: #4472c4;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">You can read more about April Taylor here:</span></b></p><p style="color: #dca10d; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #3d00ff;"><b> </b><a href="https://twitter.com/authAprilTaylor"><span style="color: #dca10d;"><b>Twitter</b></span></a><b> </b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/April-Taylor/e/B0090N6E3U/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1"><span style="color: #dca10d;"><b>Amazon UK</b></span></a><b> </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/April-Taylor/e/B0090N6E3U/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1453034792&sr=1-3"><span style="color: #dca10d;"><b>Amazon USA</b></span></a></span><span style="color: #3d00ff; text-decoration: underline;"><b> </b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/britwriterapriltaylor"><span style="color: #dca10d;"><b>Facebook</b></span></a></span></span></p>April Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09323616899009501244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-2908639823419390262023-09-15T09:34:00.005+01:002023-09-15T12:46:46.240+01:00Hornsea Writer. Karen Wolfe, On Writing<p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCbqvIqmVw5mFYrUU45hgr2ZbGycbqpf6fA-eOz8KbjPCeUvYvvWfjyOF4dpDFHwmxI0vzjJSaFJmWJy9t7oOqVeZQSYZxtbFU1z1_ldVM2t6xIcT4D4NhoUgqaIQSnv-Cr227ORU8a61ATH8ulOKl1y5ZAq-5r8-KHSPTLjVWkauuOBOwQmmrNgSqOwo/s293/Karen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="220" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCbqvIqmVw5mFYrUU45hgr2ZbGycbqpf6fA-eOz8KbjPCeUvYvvWfjyOF4dpDFHwmxI0vzjJSaFJmWJy9t7oOqVeZQSYZxtbFU1z1_ldVM2t6xIcT4D4NhoUgqaIQSnv-Cr227ORU8a61ATH8ulOKl1y5ZAq-5r8-KHSPTLjVWkauuOBOwQmmrNgSqOwo/s1600/Karen.jpg" width="220" /></a></b></div><b><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Give me a three-part summary of what you
will be doing, writing-wise, in the coming year.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Writing</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Re-writing!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Creating new from old<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Tell me more…</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I have two novels on the go, both needing
reconstruction and some re-writing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The first, ‘Dogdays’, is the final book in the Georgie
Crane, dog-whisperer trilogy. I would classify the series as ‘Comi-crime’ with
a few hard edges and a multitude of dogs. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The second work-in-progress is ‘Blackrigg’ a Gothic
comic fantasy, with fairies (!) set
amidst the dark, satanic mills. This one has broken out of its novella cage and
growed like Topsy when I wasn’t looking, hence the fine-tuning…possibly a
spanner might come in handy!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Tell me about a writing-related event from
last year:</b><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">2022 marked the 10<sup>th</sup> anniversary of our
local paper, the Hornsea Community News. Since issue 1, I have written a
monthly column about dogs, their behaviour, training and ancestry, covering
every aspect from the hilarious to the heart-rending, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">That’s 120 articles, just waiting to be assimilated
into a book (provisionally titled: ‘This is your pack-leader speaking.’) Reader
feedback tells me there’s a ready market for dogology, so I’m hoping the seeds
of last year’s anniversary will yield a decent literary harvest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Learn
more: <o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Please
visit my <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Karen-Wolfe/author/B003ZFLMOK" target="_blank">Amazon author page</a>.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Covers
for the first two Granny Beamish comic fantasies</span></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></u></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><u><br /></u></div><u><br /><br /><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/AVvXsEiYKiEtSMG4zxX076GEjjRCqXGsVZ-M5KvJczGO31tu9FOKPP04HaNFhhQUHIJvOBsIXe5OuP6VOdFXY8QcQ2npsgopZW7QbVSvALKGuH0xH8sja5TGqgghpNGaLYNhXW7xXjMw0rI0AjdBD218D52or1VbOWBNNpm0fh6SlOyrmgC5P3LlKe7rvWWXyvh0/s240/Seers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKiEtSMG4zxX076GEjjRCqXGsVZ-M5KvJczGO31tu9FOKPP04HaNFhhQUHIJvOBsIXe5OuP6VOdFXY8QcQ2npsgopZW7QbVSvALKGuH0xH8sja5TGqgghpNGaLYNhXW7xXjMw0rI0AjdBD218D52or1VbOWBNNpm0fh6SlOyrmgC5P3LlKe7rvWWXyvh0/s1600/Seers.jpg" width="160" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHweh27a4J6LBavXk8XHLRZDWKh7oYoKjG7HEb3ElUHHY8OQgjoSnooF6P_968VQLWRs7QOYAM0qaM7Onl4m6dHzxncMK2M9vVsG5Eg4o0TWcBUNXn1rOlM7glTt7Mt39U_fBS7qOEp-IXb52s85g9aia7l1uFQgD4eCraIXqsY6yOU4vONZIY6mafMbkB/s240/Seers%20Moon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHweh27a4J6LBavXk8XHLRZDWKh7oYoKjG7HEb3ElUHHY8OQgjoSnooF6P_968VQLWRs7QOYAM0qaM7Onl4m6dHzxncMK2M9vVsG5Eg4o0TWcBUNXn1rOlM7glTt7Mt39U_fBS7qOEp-IXb52s85g9aia7l1uFQgD4eCraIXqsY6yOU4vONZIY6mafMbkB/s1600/Seers%20Moon.jpg" width="160" /></a></div></div><br /></u><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Covers
for the first two Georgie Crane novels, plus number three, coming in 2024<o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></u></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Learn more about Karen Wolfe</b> <a href="https://www.hornseawriters.com/2021/10/karen-wolfe-writer-with-lifelong.html">here</a>.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-73569884494522255492023-09-01T07:30:00.023+01:002023-09-01T09:23:46.570+01:00Mindspace<p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 10.5pt;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />“A woman must have money and a room of her own
if she is to write fiction.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
</span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">―</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span class="authorortitle"><b><span face=""Lato",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;">Virginia Woolf,</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span face=""Lato",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></b></span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1315615"><b><span face=""Lato",sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;">A Room of One's Own</span></b></a></blockquote><p><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's a well known quote, however room in one’s head is also vital,
regardless of your gender. </span></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Life is ensuring that many writers are struggling to find
time to write. This won’t be news to our regular readers, and it’s not special to
our part of the English east coast. The ongoing impacts of COVID combined with pressures of the cost of living,
caring, (grand)children, all the usual house work, and the neverending mental
load of personal health issues, don’t help the process of writing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwH-lG0JdUwKT7R_bnZyALklkbgJpDGL-uGX46LgoRSwYXZng7SVdRjMcZB8gdV5DFXX2SuUCRNSnKUOu--IPxnWP7xTSz2HAuZQJsh7FyacfcYDWrncNw_A-WfLIkTVDSFAAqWK_9lY1I9CNUHfhpkgVzwe6wSnH7ZhwnDuB7TYoXdcEXT_px2oPSkY/s3999/IMG_20230525_085555.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spring day view from a meeting at Hornsea Writers. It includes a flag pole with Union Jack, a bowling green and flowers." border="0" data-original-height="3999" data-original-width="2495" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwH-lG0JdUwKT7R_bnZyALklkbgJpDGL-uGX46LgoRSwYXZng7SVdRjMcZB8gdV5DFXX2SuUCRNSnKUOu--IPxnWP7xTSz2HAuZQJsh7FyacfcYDWrncNw_A-WfLIkTVDSFAAqWK_9lY1I9CNUHfhpkgVzwe6wSnH7ZhwnDuB7TYoXdcEXT_px2oPSkY/w200-h320/IMG_20230525_085555.jpg" title="View from a Hornsea Writers" width="200" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">That’s not to say Hornsea Writers haven’t been busy. Joy is
working away at her next installment of her Reighton Chronicles, Madeline’s
stories continue to flow, Stuart has launched his next novel. Avril has signed with
Pen and Sword. Linda released Forever House, and Karen, Penny and Shellie have
their own projects that will see the light of day much sooner after this summer’s development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each week Hornsea Writers meets to critique work written
during the week. It's more than a support group. The intention is to improve,
practice and develop. Whether or not an individual author has something to
share, it's worth the time to go. Authors write in different markets, so
there’s always something to learn. Post COVID lockdown saw the regular writing
group move from Wednesday evenings to Monday afternoons.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">However, this wasn’t enough. Secretly conspiring between
themselves to ensure that their own ambitions and projects continued, Hornsea
Writers carved out time for themselves by meeting a second time every week.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It wasn't just a simple matter of turning up. Each writer
had to identify what it was that was getting in the way and make sure that that
did not come with them on ‘Trial Run Thursday’. With sunny views, a pen,
notepad, and a bottle of water to keep them company, and maybe <i>someone</i>
brought tea. The combined focus and support prevented individual writers wandering
down research rabbit holes, and stay on plot. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuwdrWq9xsQuRkGlkmSmLuU1qieLXQSXQTQUuk28-1ksd045S5kyFMw-thScRzmd1waxjvaJulTatI0Ps7bnwY-PbUfi-b2qAuQqbAS8mHfIaqxEYJ-Oan89Et-DHOcagv4wmy2iENMiLGOvZdpKwdNR6UK776HWYaKr1S_vbA1V_onQIkD2wuoSECww/s4000/IMG20230525095202.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Picture of a flask, pencil case and notebook. Background is of a bowling green in late spring." border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuwdrWq9xsQuRkGlkmSmLuU1qieLXQSXQTQUuk28-1ksd045S5kyFMw-thScRzmd1waxjvaJulTatI0Ps7bnwY-PbUfi-b2qAuQqbAS8mHfIaqxEYJ-Oan89Et-DHOcagv4wmy2iENMiLGOvZdpKwdNR6UK776HWYaKr1S_vbA1V_onQIkD2wuoSECww/w320-h240/IMG20230525095202.jpg" title="Vital writing tools: Pen, paper, and TEA!" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Thursdays in summer Hornsea Writers now hold an in-person
writing sprint. Spirited away from phones, emails, distracting loved ones,
demands of housework, and anything else that disrupts committing words to page. The trial was a
success. The first meeting saw short stories, blog posts and articles drafted
out. Several months later those drafts are working their way through slush piles. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As it has developed, the time is used to plan and see the directions of our writing careers.It's an imporant part of finding words, finding direction and keeping focus. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Isn't it amazing what you can do when you're allowed (or, importantly<u><b><i> allow yourself</i></b></u>) the space to focus.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Shellie Horst is the author of several </i></span></span></span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>science fiction and fantasy </i></span></span></span>short stories and also reviews for SFFWorld & The British Science FIction Association. Her story, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Distaff-Science-Fiction-Anthology-authors/dp/1074955005/" target="_blank">My Little Mecha</a> was longlisted for the BSFA Award as has her cover art for <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Distaff-Science-Fiction-Anthology-authors/dp/1074955005/" target="_blank">Distaff</a>. You can follow her on your prefered social media, </i></span></span></span><i><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/Q9uwRxQcPj" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" role="link" style="color: #1d9bf0;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">linktr.ee/shelliehorst</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> or on her website: <a href="https://shelliehorst.com">https://shelliehorst.com</a></span></i> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p></p>Shellie Horsthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04993946231797283261noreply@blogger.com0Hornsea, UK53.9104 -0.17395325.600166163821157 -35.330203 82.220633836178848 34.982297tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-28731266782501762212023-08-25T11:00:00.000+01:002023-08-25T11:00:00.143+01:00Hornsea Writer, Joy Gelsthorpe, On Writing<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwALWUISjZjRQhXZKGab845N33CU3HI3jOU-qILzkSccVafNhU7A0p59c8uSSYpS418YhrFFteDYzCrTcOOJCJf8jwbIX4f0p0LIpzsDiuu_iQXwQcu8gtCgA2TQBLQ6B_yrNJeg56o1aqlC8WolmSF8Da86QTyVpaiOsJVnSIfEFX2jXfi2SMWZBtYw/s527/Joy%20pic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="385" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwALWUISjZjRQhXZKGab845N33CU3HI3jOU-qILzkSccVafNhU7A0p59c8uSSYpS418YhrFFteDYzCrTcOOJCJf8jwbIX4f0p0LIpzsDiuu_iQXwQcu8gtCgA2TQBLQ6B_yrNJeg56o1aqlC8WolmSF8Da86QTyVpaiOsJVnSIfEFX2jXfi2SMWZBtYw/s320/Joy%20pic.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Book Nook</span></div> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Give me a 3-word summary
of what you will be doing, writing-wise, in the coming year<o:p></o:p></b></p><div style="text-align: left;">Publishing<br />Promoting<br />Writing</div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Tell me more<o:p></o:p></b></p><div style="text-align: left;">Bonfires and Brandy has been beta read/copy-edited by a local historian as well as two other<br />authors, so the manuscript is now with the publisher and should be out in mid-summer. It is<br />my fourth novel in the series about the Jordan farming family in Reighton in the early 1700s.<br />This latest book is no sanitised version of life; it shows a village left in a moral vacuum.<br />Without a resident vicar, young men are hell-bent on sport, gambling and mischief. Women,<br />children and animals face the brunt, but there is hope for the future. A boy’s personal tragedy<br />alters his life and, alongside cruelty, there is the redeeming feature of a boy learning to be a<br />shepherd. Boys will be boys and they can change, but can the men do the same?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Apart from Wray’s Stationers in Filey, few bookshops will stock local authors, so I’ve done</div><div>my usual tour of shops-cum-post offices in the area. This has led to a couple of successful</div><div>outlets. Since Hornsea Museum and the gift shop at Hornsea Mere sell my books, other</div><div>museums and tourist sites will be my next venture. I live in hope.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just recently, a bookshop opened in Bridlington Old Town (The Book Nook, 44, High Street)</div><div>It not only stocks my books but also advertises them in the window display. Yey!</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'll be attending Hornsea's Town House Fair on Newbegin on Saturday, 26th August to sign and sell copies of the new book.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0HyY70g7jXhKU1X7CLR6_cbq-kwMFH_zxpjAXRalmJmMSj2TLLqn2pEeHqxqOI1wvo2A5pAuKKzWd0tEoQFhQvKk5lG0dndrPQoSpLbFzxWkPyQlv3bRDmOAaF5nbe-LJXUNzE6ymXiFZs-bA3qM2KFTUOqsFwKOMHIjO-YwbBtTJ3gaYABwA77mtkmS/s1211/COVERFORPUBLICITY%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="790" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0HyY70g7jXhKU1X7CLR6_cbq-kwMFH_zxpjAXRalmJmMSj2TLLqn2pEeHqxqOI1wvo2A5pAuKKzWd0tEoQFhQvKk5lG0dndrPQoSpLbFzxWkPyQlv3bRDmOAaF5nbe-LJXUNzE6ymXiFZs-bA3qM2KFTUOqsFwKOMHIjO-YwbBtTJ3gaYABwA77mtkmS/s320/COVERFORPUBLICITY%20(2).jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div>Craft Fairs are another option. I’ll be at The Driffield Steam Fair this year to sell and sign</div><div>books – the weekend of 12th to 13th August.</div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Tell me about a
writing-related event from last year<o:p></o:p></b></p><div style="text-align: left;">Last year I attended the first Filey Literature Festival since Covid. Other local authors also<br />displayed and signed their books at The Evron Centre. Luckily, I’d bought a card reader so I<br />could offer a deal on the books so far in the series. Sales were good and I was glad I’d bought<br />bags that were just the right size for three books. Now I need to buck up my ideas on signing,<br />and remember to ask how people spell their names…</div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Learn more about Joy <a href="https://www.hornseawriters.com/2021/11/joy-stonehouse-investigating-family.html">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></b></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-25363020533588640352023-07-28T15:55:00.001+01:002023-07-28T15:55:00.145+01:00Blink and You Missed It<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMW_bx565iJcp4XrLcHeLtwAKX_L0mL1SaHyHr_KBa4oTmf7gL8LOUZAuIYMlE6Q_cl97k6wCOQAIO3_p_xybNdOdRs5yqvs5aoWaFRN8KhxKUZXfC_CRAFX7hhiUB6yii5Vj3KpzSZRZmOCEbZNze3blfeG_1PIe3GaFZOV0iI5kG0TiD97Bbx3P/s800/50-give-or-take-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMW_bx565iJcp4XrLcHeLtwAKX_L0mL1SaHyHr_KBa4oTmf7gL8LOUZAuIYMlE6Q_cl97k6wCOQAIO3_p_xybNdOdRs5yqvs5aoWaFRN8KhxKUZXfC_CRAFX7hhiUB6yii5Vj3KpzSZRZmOCEbZNze3blfeG_1PIe3GaFZOV0iI5kG0TiD97Bbx3P/s320/50-give-or-take-2.png" width="288" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">I have always enjoyed the challenge of telling a complete story within the discipline of a tight world count. It's up to readers to join the dots and complete what is left unsaid. This week Vine Leaves Press published my story below in their
long-running 50-word micro-fiction series.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 1pt 4pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;">The Old Dog </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0cm;">His uncle left everything
to charity and he inherited the cantankerous dog. It was old, with a weeping
eye. He paid the vet’s bills and gave it food but no love. They lived in mute,
reproachful companionship until the dog died and the man mourned a life of
failed relationships.</p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Not only are the stories short, they are also short-lived. One a
day online. Then it vanishes, replaced by the next offering. A smorgasbord of light-hearted,
sombre, wise or witty stories. Yet come the end of the year, they will re-appear in anthology form. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the meantime, fans of bite-sized fiction can sign up for their daily dose at <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/vineleavespress">https://www.subscribepage.com/vineleavespress</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Madeleine McDonald</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><br /><p></p>Madeleine McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11414953342029303620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-87085916780852875422023-07-14T07:00:00.172+01:002023-07-14T08:34:48.213+01:00Half-Price Ebooks!<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1200" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66OaWY7tSASVfoPE2yARXUqBdsNqPqEjd2maJb0TnW8WejiLp-m0fllzSOdR0-vtthciZJ9-MXDmhMlYkwZ2CaNwJ1wYkLgBvN8ccy9nmRCCIeiRJylzZ_GgqcdoHlAtRnDVo25SbpLZFf1l_pdbUQ3brQphg903JmUDA8oIouj-ZkaEURCiE449Ekk8/w570-h306/promo_twfb.png" width="570" /> </p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Not all authors sell their ebooks direct via the many e-retail outlets available as it can be a lot of work keeping tabs on individual outlets. </span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Linda Acaster uses the distributor Smashwords/Draft2Digital to gain access to Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Scribd. It works well, as Smashwords offers ePub format as well as mobi format for a Kindle.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>And Smashwords runs a twice-annual Sale</b> 😃 </span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Until the end of July, Linda's titles via Smashwords are available half price - yes, 50% discount added at checkout. What could be easier? <b><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lindaacaster" target="_blank">Do have a look</a></b>. </span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thinking
about writing your own fiction? Linda's <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85788" target="_blank"><b>Writer's Guide</b></a> does what it
says on its cover - no waffle, ten full stories explained: </span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Reading A Writer's Mind: Exploring Short Fiction - First Thought to Finished Story</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRh4SR4xloJLh_b9s7ln_mG0gY_JkjZqGge7VafD8PvDWPzAbsyfzxEgo_fhqTZbo9LJfdKhHAxlrlhMzKaHuBr-nCfTPnpQYSlts2gghn315veG7nZMuJMcxLoj9ZcLBL_OEaUbcI0HVXx8BjoSoRKBB4Popp3A3mfiFhpeODxKe1TYFFxrPZJWZUr3E/s1024/RWMind-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRh4SR4xloJLh_b9s7ln_mG0gY_JkjZqGge7VafD8PvDWPzAbsyfzxEgo_fhqTZbo9LJfdKhHAxlrlhMzKaHuBr-nCfTPnpQYSlts2gghn315veG7nZMuJMcxLoj9ZcLBL_OEaUbcI0HVXx8BjoSoRKBB4Popp3A3mfiFhpeODxKe1TYFFxrPZJWZUr3E/w418-h210/RWMind-2.jpg" width="418" /></a></span></div><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For readers who enjoy a quick shiver as the daylight fades, there's a choice of three <b><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lindaacaster" target="_blank">Chillers</a></b>:</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1M44L3NX5bx93xoGZYPfwHGAT3HK2WbiqxEM1hKFSRwrk2tsLGTGjiTRXwmgKAuQThPeoK-KFKI6VDSynYXUpi0R-C5Ge-wtLzwAZcJUZcxfJwTnNwgph096yQCWj6gsfcN2yGTmlEzWPZCjs9JZCmcQkM6k4Kb0RFz9jIqzoTgI5IhW2AIBns7LLAI/s995/Ebk%20bkmatter%20Chillers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="995" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1M44L3NX5bx93xoGZYPfwHGAT3HK2WbiqxEM1hKFSRwrk2tsLGTGjiTRXwmgKAuQThPeoK-KFKI6VDSynYXUpi0R-C5Ge-wtLzwAZcJUZcxfJwTnNwgph096yQCWj6gsfcN2yGTmlEzWPZCjs9JZCmcQkM6k4Kb0RFz9jIqzoTgI5IhW2AIBns7LLAI/w439-h215/Ebk%20bkmatter%20Chillers.jpg" width="439" /></a></b></span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Want to lose yourself in longer reads? The time-spanning <i><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lindaacaster" target="_blank"><b>Torc of Moonlight</b></a> </i>trilogy of a modern-day water goddess, takes you on a journey through Celtic Hull, Roman York, and Medieval Durham. History is mere inches beneath our feet. And it never truly dies.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCaWj2wXPjmDz0kUIk0o77JMm7MwImvaOQSVoSc4Sv6uWq20N8naAhvvlJD65WBYoTw739l8QEj9PuQ-NWxmFrr5Y396Cy3Tvy5xZ-NjAHalFB13WdaECaGDWjI_NvJcFJwdB5ogt8kl0YYYU4dfgm_AzWgTAmQk3qeDGawAynC-_mlwE5jkBKDZHCk0/s450/Ebk%20bkmatter%20tril%20450x227.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="450" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCaWj2wXPjmDz0kUIk0o77JMm7MwImvaOQSVoSc4Sv6uWq20N8naAhvvlJD65WBYoTw739l8QEj9PuQ-NWxmFrr5Y396Cy3Tvy5xZ-NjAHalFB13WdaECaGDWjI_NvJcFJwdB5ogt8kl0YYYU4dfgm_AzWgTAmQk3qeDGawAynC-_mlwE5jkBKDZHCk0/w454-h230/Ebk%20bkmatter%20tril%20450x227.jpg" width="454" /> </a></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Available as a <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/759091" target="_blank"><b>single trilogy</b></a> or individual ebooks.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Enjoy your reading! </span><br /></p></div>Linda Acasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096791092366530129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-14171826195394775392023-06-30T11:00:00.007+01:002023-06-30T11:00:00.134+01:00Hornsea Writer, Stuart Aken, On Writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVMdqnbttdvsRBA4xC7LY0Gckbf0NCdCa6U5FYXHORXZ6fAs4Z1qOacxrTOkZd_Nwtl3yRpA145LLC1QOMl2UJJrixNkNfKvihTjWr-dkwSwZZgopxH5C9MkZvsqvp8qMR3LAALl9pYI_lybPaZBEduM-AbKZa0XeysE7aH-_JDGWqvdSL0_LQw26qQ/s3000/Ribbed%20Steel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="3000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVMdqnbttdvsRBA4xC7LY0Gckbf0NCdCa6U5FYXHORXZ6fAs4Z1qOacxrTOkZd_Nwtl3yRpA145LLC1QOMl2UJJrixNkNfKvihTjWr-dkwSwZZgopxH5C9MkZvsqvp8qMR3LAALl9pYI_lybPaZBEduM-AbKZa0XeysE7aH-_JDGWqvdSL0_LQw26qQ/s320/Ribbed%20Steel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Give me a 3-word summary of what you will be doing, writing-wise, in the coming year.</b></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Creating new fiction.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><b>Tell me more</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;">Currently, the envisaged novel is forming within my skull, as the idea forms into something that may become publishable. As a pantster, I never plot. My created characters are people I come to know and love, mostly. Once those relationships have matured, I set the players in a location relevant to the story and allow them to determine the route they will take to arrive at my predetermined destination. I know what themes I want to explore. I carry in my grey matter the fragile scaffolding on which the story will be built. But all my writing, regardless of what else the story says, is about relationships. And the way I deal with those is by wearing my characters’ skins, moving in their shoes, encountering their doubts, fears, and hopes, and attempting their ambitions.<br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The new novel is partly inspired by <a href="https://stuartaken.net/2021/11/06/self-by-yann-martel-bookreview/" target="_blank">Yann Martel’s extraordinary work</a>, ‘Self’. For now, I’ll say no more on that.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><b>Tell me about a writing-related event from last year</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;">Resting from the all-consuming demands of imagined scenarios, I spent last year writing for Medium. Eighteen stories in total, on a variety of topics from dogs through taxes and beaches, to walks in foreign climes encouraged me to share my thoughts. Most of these are accompanied by photographs I’ve taken (I was once a full time professional photographer, and now continue the art in a semi-professional way.) You’ll find one piece that illustrates my two creative loves <a href="https://medium.com/@stuartaken/encountered-art-dbf14277ae9d" target="_blank">here</a>. There will be more short articles this year. You’ll find them <a href="https://medium.com/@stuartaken/list/my-stories-are-here-4c4929bfa25d" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><br />Writing the odd factual piece is useful for an author of fiction, as it increases the writer’s knowledge of the real world, which can then inform whatever stories are subsequently written. Not all fiction is reliant on research, but by far the vast majority is. We spend a great deal of time discovering facts to lend validity and truth to the products of our imagination. Last year, I spent a good deal of time resting my creative drive and encouraging the restorative effects of enjoyment of life. I also read a lot of factual books, including some basic research for the next novel. That task will continue this year, even as I begin to write the new book. It’s an ongoing process for most of us. Without deep research from the author, many works of fiction would fail to convince the average reader of their veracity.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><b>Learn more about Stuart <a href="https://www.hornseawriters.com/2021/08/stuart-aken-prolific-writer-who-wont-be.html">here</a>.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0cm;"><b><br /></b></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-45666353704309401372023-06-09T07:00:00.038+01:002023-06-09T07:00:00.137+01:00How a lifetime interest in the Tudors led to a fantasy series<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8gJku5Dbloe1gR4pDfFTuUtlv7g1FEIgaK3dX9sB1mI-NpoWVMo0sh4Vm4aAOV5cqY0F2-SjrMgPGWrLRovqHnJEW0UWMqbtKXv1U3C_a73TrsBx3xxPsR_kJzSh4DXkmEhXN4dr05CZupAS-xaBeCIclI5gVHeujrvlH_G7AEv_lfH-qtr_vHGaRQ/s2560/Luke%20Ballard%20Cover%20Redo%20New%20Font%20Idea.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8gJku5Dbloe1gR4pDfFTuUtlv7g1FEIgaK3dX9sB1mI-NpoWVMo0sh4Vm4aAOV5cqY0F2-SjrMgPGWrLRovqHnJEW0UWMqbtKXv1U3C_a73TrsBx3xxPsR_kJzSh4DXkmEhXN4dr05CZupAS-xaBeCIclI5gVHeujrvlH_G7AEv_lfH-qtr_vHGaRQ/s320/Luke%20Ballard%20Cover%20Redo%20New%20Font%20Idea.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">When I was 14, I read Margaret Campbell Barnes’ “Murder Most Foul” about Anne Boleyn. I became so fascinated about her, I then read anything our village library had about her - not much - and ravaged the school library, too. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">W</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">hen I was in my early 20s, my parents went to Warwick Castle, where Holbein’s pencil drawing of Anne was on display. My father was not given to flights of fancy, but said ‘That looks like our April’. When I got married and had an ‘Anne Boleyn beaded head-dress', then saw the photos, the pencil sketch did look a bit like me. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So it was no surprise that years later, I decided to write a historical fantasy crime novel, set in a world where Anne was not executed but carried her 1534 pregnancy to term. I then decided to go the whole hog and put a bit of magic in it, and Luke Ballard, elemancer, was born. It wasn’t until I visited Hampton Court Palace - on my wish list for over 30 years - that Luke found his home in the Outer Green apothecary shop.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The amount of intrigue flying around the court in the last days of Henry VIII’s life was the perfect setting for what would become the first book in the series. Needless to say, Anne Boleyn plays an important part in the plot. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Thus, “Dangers of Destiny” was born.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">You can find out more about it here on my blog: <a href="https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com/">https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com</a> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i> </i></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>Dangers of Destiny</i> is f<span style="font-style: normal;">ree to read on Kindle Unlimited, or £3.99 from Amazon. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-style: normal;"><br />You can find it here: </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://mybook.to/aEYs">https://mybook.to/aEYs</a></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><span>You can read more about April Taylor here:</span></b></span></p><p style="color: #dca10d; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="color: #3d00ff;"><b> </b><a href="https://twitter.com/authAprilTaylor"><span style="color: #dca10d;"><b>Twitter</b></span></a><b> </b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/April-Taylor/e/B0090N6E3U/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1"><span style="color: #dca10d;"><b>Amazon UK</b></span></a><b> </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/April-Taylor/e/B0090N6E3U/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1453034792&sr=1-3"><span style="color: #dca10d;"><b>Amazon USA</b></span></a></span><span style="color: #3d00ff; text-decoration: underline;"><b> </b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/retriever470/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0"><span style="color: #dca10d;"><b>YouTube</b></span></a></span></span></p>April Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09323616899009501244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-21595552589684904462023-05-26T11:00:00.003+01:002023-05-26T13:44:06.486+01:00Hornsea Writer, Linda Acaster, On Writing<p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwnLDpGgUJTNe3al0XhGtfFFU89UZUmBF2AqBTCJF_jhYL9gM-1NHrAZ_TeYAZ1XqSei1kQ-y18GbdXAhGGJFwURTylFuxTmK9nYuwfqaLAMgkEq8Lfy75ibIqyG-50BUFv6_UgMgV9RzRzkNFHZOlO1iG1JwY8mDV8ChF_VKmI6NgUO43bL8yifZig/s644/Promo-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="644" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwnLDpGgUJTNe3al0XhGtfFFU89UZUmBF2AqBTCJF_jhYL9gM-1NHrAZ_TeYAZ1XqSei1kQ-y18GbdXAhGGJFwURTylFuxTmK9nYuwfqaLAMgkEq8Lfy75ibIqyG-50BUFv6_UgMgV9RzRzkNFHZOlO1iG1JwY8mDV8ChF_VKmI6NgUO43bL8yifZig/w383-h189/Promo-1.jpg" width="383" /></a></b></div><b><br /><span face=""Arial","sans-serif""></span></b><p></p><p><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"">Give me a 3-word summary
of what you will be doing, writing-wise, in the coming year.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"">Pivoting my focus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"">Tell me more:</span></b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"">For years I’ve been a writer of novels which needed a
great amount of research and planning. While they’ve brought me much
satisfaction, they are definitely a long haul job. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"">By chance I came upon novellas, dipping my toe into the
Chiller genre with <i><a href="https://viewBook.at/SofBMann" target="_blank">Scent of the Böggel-Mann</a></i> and <i><a href=" https://viewBook.at/Paintings" target="_blank">The Paintings</a>, </i>and
found the length better suits the demands of my current lifestyle.<i> </i>I’ve
a couple of Historical novellas to finish, and I’m looking for a subject and
genre I’d enjoy carrying into a series.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"">I’m also concentrating more time on content-writing for
Medium, a digital platform which hosts a multitude of niche publications. The
aim is to launch a couple of my own. Through years of research and
novel-writing, <a href="https://linda-acaster.medium.com/deep-into-newgrange-passage-tomb-in-irelands-valley-of-the-kings-d29c193aec63?sk=0f0c97782bf7934ba319f23b338f6076" target="_blank">I’ve a wealth of information to share</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"">Tell me about a writing-related
event from last year</span></b><span face=""Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"">I created my first decent ebook cover for the
Psychological Mystery <i><a href="https://mybook.to/ForeverHouse" target="_blank">The Forever House</a></i>, launched during early summer,
but overlooked the “bleeds” necessary for a paperback edition – LOL! After an
initial horrified shriek, I turned to YouTube to immerse myself in a crash
course on photo-manipulation, and realised I enjoyed the challenge. The
attention to detail is very reminiscent of that needed when writing fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"">Learn more about Linda <a href="https://www.hornseawriters.com/2021/04/linda-acaster-award-winning-novelist.html">here</a>.</span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif""><br /></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 10pt;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif""><br /></span></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-75817827064136594392023-04-28T11:00:00.002+01:002023-04-28T11:00:00.287+01:00Hornsea Writer, Madeleine McDonald, On Writing<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfpiR37wcefiVnbbaG8jDMn0nPwtpvJb0EXCP_frJy3U2TnCTr2wTVHv_Okylg4tVtn-qYqWJSwaKuFDOK4AlOwpBfQO8vUX3LsWRCpF2tHnE2kRfwb7W4uThx5_1uJ9ond8LbWtAOvMQ9pnK4k-JK4nHrjC8O-nxS5rxXrl9w3Vux4KR3EbitmklJg/s500/MM%20pic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfpiR37wcefiVnbbaG8jDMn0nPwtpvJb0EXCP_frJy3U2TnCTr2wTVHv_Okylg4tVtn-qYqWJSwaKuFDOK4AlOwpBfQO8vUX3LsWRCpF2tHnE2kRfwb7W4uThx5_1uJ9ond8LbWtAOvMQ9pnK4k-JK4nHrjC8O-nxS5rxXrl9w3Vux4KR3EbitmklJg/s320/MM%20pic.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b><p><b><br /></b></p>Give me a 3-word
summary of what you will be doing, writing-wise, in the coming year.</b><p></p><p style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">Anything and everything.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Tell me more:<o:p></o:p></b></p><p style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">In 2022 my aim was to submit something somewhere once a week to
competitions or anthologies that either paid a cash prize or rewarded authors
indirectly by publishing under an ISBN number. Alas, online magazines that fill
their pages by asking authors to work for no pay are mushrooming, and are to be
avoided like the plague.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">I am grateful to those generous writers who donate their time
and effort to spread the word among fellow scribes by posting lists of
worthwhile opportunities on the Internet.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">In terms of success, in 2022, I had three short stories, and two
non-fiction pieces published. 2023 has started well, with the publication of
one poem and two cosy crime shorts.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;">A new departure for me was selecting and introducing stories for
The Best of Cafe Lit 11. All the authors published on the CafeLit website are
good writers, and selecting only a few took careful thought.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="362" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups" src="https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B0B6QKLMVV&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_MZ94PVGCG9WCWYR94SHK&tag=scriptsisters-21" style="max-width: 100%;" type="text/html" width="212"></iframe> </span></p><p style="background: white;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Tell me about a
writing-related event from last year<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The success I relished the most was to win <a href="https://www.press53.com/53word-story-contest" target="_blank">Press 53's monthly competition</a> to tell a story in 53 words exactly, after submitting to them for years. Their contest is great fun and I shall carry on trying.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Learn more about Madeleine <a href="https://www.hornseawriters.com/2021/02/madeleine-mcdonald-plundering-life-for.html">here</a>.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-17945441115748053732023-04-14T06:00:00.054+01:002023-04-14T06:00:00.162+01:00Forthcoming publication: Crime and Punishment in Tudor England<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj410tXpWsII0vZAGzo3E7nM4ku3bJSm-9TOuVsL7e2SZ_0-UbKMBHcIH1ycRE_XthCzsdJZVoMbyddYzU7rhquS9IqLMoEUynjoZv8snT4LRYVk8w8EoD3oSUk3FDR13qYR6wl1FJ3nqh0ZFN-YTq1eVFQmKl9ivXxOQYVn8Nbsv4r1os03-LIGXJL6Q/s2560/C&P%20for%20promo.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: 18.9333px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1721" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj410tXpWsII0vZAGzo3E7nM4ku3bJSm-9TOuVsL7e2SZ_0-UbKMBHcIH1ycRE_XthCzsdJZVoMbyddYzU7rhquS9IqLMoEUynjoZv8snT4LRYVk8w8EoD3oSUk3FDR13qYR6wl1FJ3nqh0ZFN-YTq1eVFQmKl9ivXxOQYVn8Nbsv4r1os03-LIGXJL6Q/w270-h419/C&P%20for%20promo.jpeg" width="270" /></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><b>Crime and Punishment in Tudor England: From Alchemists to Zealots</b></span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"> tells the story of the enactment of law and its penalties from Henry VII to Elizabeth I. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;">The sixteenth century was remarkable in many ways. In England, it was the century of the Tudor Dynasty. It heralded the Reformation, William Shakespeare, the first appearance of bottled beer in London pubs, Sir Francis Drake, and the Renaissance. Oh, and the Spanish Armadas―all five of them! Yes, five armadas and all failures. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 14.2pt;">It was a watershed century for crime and punishment. Henry VII’s paranoia about the loyalty of the nobility led to military-trained vagrants causing mayhem and murder. Henry VIII’s Reformation meant executions of those refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy. State-controlled religion―summed up through the five reigns as Roman Catholic; Anglo-Catholic; Protestant; Roman Catholic, and Sort of Protestant but I don’t mind so long as you swear the Oath of Supremacy―became an increasingly complex, not to say confusing, issue for ordinary people.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 14.2pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 14.2pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><o:p> </o:p>Although primary sources are rare and sometimes incomplete, the life of criminals and the punishments meted out to them still fascinates. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;">Read about:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 125%; margin-left: 50.2pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;">John Daniell and how he tried to blackmail the Earl of Essex.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%; margin-left: 50.2pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;">The Stafford insurrection of 1486, the first serious opposition to the new king.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%; margin-left: 50.2pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;">The activities of con-man extraordinaire, Gregory Wisdom, and many more. </span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 125%; margin-left: 50.2pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"> </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;">Crime and punishment didn’t start with the Tudors and this book summarises judicial practices built on tradition from the Roman occupation. It covers often gory details―what happens to the body when it is beheaded, burned, boiled, or hanged?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;">Arranged in alphabetical order of crimes, it recounts tales of blackmail, infanticide, kidnapping, heresy, and sumptuary laws. Told with occasional low-key humour, the book also includes Tavern Talk, snippets of quirky information. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"> <o:p> </o:p>Dip into it at your pleasure.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-size: medium; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><i>Crime and Punishment in Tudor England</i> is available from all outlets for pre-order now. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">Publication date 30</span><sup style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">th</sup><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;">August 2023.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px;"><b style="font-family: georgia;">You can read more about April Taylor here:</b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 20px; margin-left: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18.3333px;">
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</style>April Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09323616899009501244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-73407387208100081862023-03-31T11:00:00.005+01:002023-03-31T11:00:00.170+01:00Hornsea Writer, April Taylor, On Writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxjmD-R8GTCGjahQkol_LsKZg-SLkjCG2mpsKcymywmC9OI-t7HdZZRs84ajirNX3yXxShPVN7OZRoGJ9BD3qVHvfOIBb3GPk9uu_LziIxrv-lnBeNqYNHTCeS9C3dWLoLa_L9QVNwpvTcT2RHKD2_TQ4VEOrWnhk0e1fXOljEQok63rPPcEOuM_E_Q/s2560/Luke%20Ballard%20Cover%20Redo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxjmD-R8GTCGjahQkol_LsKZg-SLkjCG2mpsKcymywmC9OI-t7HdZZRs84ajirNX3yXxShPVN7OZRoGJ9BD3qVHvfOIBb3GPk9uu_LziIxrv-lnBeNqYNHTCeS9C3dWLoLa_L9QVNwpvTcT2RHKD2_TQ4VEOrWnhk0e1fXOljEQok63rPPcEOuM_E_Q/s320/Luke%20Ballard%20Cover%20Redo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Give me a 3-word summary of what you will be doing,
writing-wise, in the coming year.</b><o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;">Reissues. New series. Non-fiction<o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Tell me more</b><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><b><i>Dangers of Destiny</i></b> – the
all-new first book in the Tudor alternate-history-crime series, formerly
published by Harlequin, will be published by March 2023. The other books in the
series will be edited and re-issued throughout the year. <o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 14.2pt;">Series title will be <i>The Luke
Ballard Chronicles.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><u>New
series – current working title: <i>The Guisborough Guardian</i>. <o:p></o:p></u></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;">The
theme for the series is: <i>Darkness cannot claim what the light refuses to
surrender.</i><o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><b><i>Catalogue of Evil</i></b>
is the first in the series. An historical crime novel set in 1971. The action
centres around the market town of Guisborough in North Yorkshire. A series of
young adult girls have been abducted and killed in a ritualistic manner.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;">When one of her library assistants becomes a victim,
librarian Octavia Otterburn and her friend, historian Jeffrey Thompson set out
to solve the murders. It is only as they delve deeper they discover the true magnitude
of the problems—and dangers— they face. <o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"> <o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><b><i>Triumph of the Heart</i></b>
is a romantic suspense novel set in the 15<sup>th</sup> century Wars of the
Roses. The theme is <i>becoming who you are, despite all opposition, is the
true beginning of happiness.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;">Dependent upon acceptance, a non-fiction for Pen &
Sword. The subject is under discussion.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 125%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><b>Tell me about a writing-related event from last year</b><o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;">I wrote my first commission for Pen & Sword Publishing. <i>Crime
and Punishment in Tudor England</i> will be published in July 2023. This
was a completely new departure for me and stemmed from the Tudor
alternate-history-crime books published by Harlequin under the series title <i>The
Tudor Enigma.</i><o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;">The book was very intense, but, as a librarian, I loved all
the research, but, not unnaturally, found some of the details distressing. While
I have made every effort to back up the facts—with over 400 endnotes (that was
fun!)—the writing remains informative but with low-key humour. It can be read
in sequence or dipped into. There are also snippets of interesting information
at the end of each section called <i>Tavern Talk.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 14.2pt;">It has been received very positively by my editor and the
dust-jacket, which will be revealed in due course, is stunning.<o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 125%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 14.2pt;">
</p><div style="line-height: 125%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><span face="Calibri, "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 14.2pt;"> </span></div><div style="line-height: 125%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><p style="line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 0px;">Learn more about April <a href="https://www.hornseawriters.com/2021/03/april-taylor-affinity-for-music-and-ill.html">here</a>.</p><p style="line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 0px;"><o:p></o:p></p><p style="line-height: 20px; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-indent: 14.2pt;"><br /></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-88311272752517149922023-02-24T11:00:00.007+00:002023-02-24T11:00:00.171+00:00Hornsea Writer, Penny Grubb, On Writing<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwbS037m3CYt0UlfK_Ap4ycbLKgRJQEJxeb25QvCvUkHrH1wHEm_feXshsxBIYRvclaJ07_B8PuyUYAhR3Yl8HzN3lOaFFwsYUdewgql8136HnWv4MV-JwGxDI6qFL3dz_v-8dcvEm1t9xeC7u7G8aMTGVkoFzaLhGijaHewMwghLrIRdQU6IQYwEGQ/s2048/book-863418.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwbS037m3CYt0UlfK_Ap4ycbLKgRJQEJxeb25QvCvUkHrH1wHEm_feXshsxBIYRvclaJ07_B8PuyUYAhR3Yl8HzN3lOaFFwsYUdewgql8136HnWv4MV-JwGxDI6qFL3dz_v-8dcvEm1t9xeC7u7G8aMTGVkoFzaLhGijaHewMwghLrIRdQU6IQYwEGQ/w320-h200/book-863418.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Image:
<a href="https://pixabay.com/users/mysticsartdesign-322497/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=863418">Mystic
Art Design</a>, <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=863418">Pixabay</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>Give me a 3-word
summary of what you will be doing, writing-wise, in the coming year.</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Editing, writing, blogging.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Tell me more:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">EDITING: I’m editing for a publisher. I’m a second editor on
books that are being prepared for publication later in the year. The big
plus is that it pushes me into reading books I wouldn’t otherwise look at. If I
were an initial reader, rather than 2nd editor, that big plus could be an
equally big minus, as I might get stuck with badly written books that were a
chore to wade through. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">However, these are books that have already been approved and
gone through initial edits from good editors. They might not be titles that I
would have picked up off a shelf, but they are, by definition, good reads. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m currently editing an epic fantasy, a contemporary
relationships story, and a historical romance. Not that I edit 3 at a time, but
they overlap or I would miss my deadlines. I would never have chosen these 3
books to take on a trip with me, and yet if I had, I would not have been
disappointed. Although I occasionally fall into the wrong fictional world and
confuse myself over why a character in a WW2 drama is not using magic powers, I
have become totally engaged in all 3 books. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These initial three have set a high bar for books still in
the pipeline. I have hedgehog adventures, folk tales, and space adventures yet
to come. Can’t wait!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">WRITING: I completed a novel at the start of the year. It’s
a crime story set in the 1990s. I’m hoping it’s at the final polish stage, but
you know how it is, when you get too close to a book, you no longer see the
flaws, the ambiguities, the plot holes. Several people are reading the
manuscript for me and I’m leaving it well alone for a few months. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, I hope to get started on a new novel. I’m
nurturing an idea for a new installment in my <a href="https://getbook.at/FallingIntoCrime" target="_blank">Private Investigator series</a>. I’m also dabbling with a “slightly sci-fi” but given that “slightly sci-fi”
isn’t a recognised genre, I might have difficulty placing it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">BLOGGING: I blog about life, the universe, and everything as
the mood takes me. This is an article about <a href="https://medium.com/the-haven/why-my-spouse-and-i-no-longer-have-the-handbag-debate-1d27b7d51248?sk=f30f1d7ab7e1ee1fe016eb2cbe487a01" target="_blank">handbags as a cause of marital strife</a>. This one is about <a href="https://medium.com/pennys-dinos/high-winds-and-a-threat-of-taking-flight-9dcd1f270e5a?sk=11f06fbc1245623675fcf775e123deef" target="_blank">my flock of dinosaurs</a>. And this looks into <a href="https://medium.com/illumination/trapped-inside-a-novel-can-it-happen-for-real-c6b57ebfdb66?sk=9b46280a81de1f497eb5d3fd15e52c04" target="_blank">the oddities of writing life</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Tell me about a
writing-related event from last year<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My children’s book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Horse-Same-Colour-Melodie-Trudeaux-ebook/dp/B09NZJ311F" target="_blank">Horse of the Same Colour</a>, written as
Melodie Trudeaux, was launched in the autumn. The book is a sequel to <a href="https://getbook.at/HorseofaDifferentColour" target="_blank">Horse of a Different Colour</a>. The launch video features the first chapter from each book.
<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TwrsJt8pyoU" width="320" youtube-src-id="TwrsJt8pyoU"></iframe></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Learn more about
Penny <a href="https://www.hornseawriters.com/2021/07/penny-grubb-multi-layered-career-but.html">here</a>.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Penny Grubbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10321603664734033057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-82906100211235690732023-02-10T00:30:00.010+00:002023-02-10T00:30:00.186+00:00Valentine's Romance Promotion!<p style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnFc4Mbufsxo45q9i0GqeDdfgk_va1KNf9NSRU9p01M_ZRZgPfrQDNKFSTreTf-SLuXAjlhHOugU_aIvwcn9I8jZRhRoQmO3apsIedASYzW2jgacKV5kKkj1_T9uvtppVYXoQ1XuyjfHTOEgrI3DVPm93ZaqBR2Doste2USnSi6_UDUtBcYM19o3y/s900/HRoms-2B%20blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="900" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnFc4Mbufsxo45q9i0GqeDdfgk_va1KNf9NSRU9p01M_ZRZgPfrQDNKFSTreTf-SLuXAjlhHOugU_aIvwcn9I8jZRhRoQmO3apsIedASYzW2jgacKV5kKkj1_T9uvtppVYXoQ1XuyjfHTOEgrI3DVPm93ZaqBR2Doste2USnSi6_UDUtBcYM19o3y/w400-h334/HRoms-2B%20blue.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">For the love of Romance, from 10th until 15th there are stepped price promotions via Amazon UK and Amazon USA on Historicals by Linda Acaster. <br /><br /><a href="https://viewBook.at/BSMountains" target="_blank"><i><b>Beneath The Shining Mountains</b></i></a> is set in the region now known as Wyoming and Montana in the USA; the date the early 1800s. For the Apsaroke people, the place is Apsaroke lands; the time, the good years between the coming of the horse and the arrival of land-hungry settlers. Game was plentiful; the creeks ran clear. A man could prove his worth by his military exploits – and a woman, if she wanted, could ensnare herself her chosen husband. But why would a man with so many lovers want to take a wife?<br /><br />Native American daily life on the northern Plains has enthralled Linda since childhood —obviously too many Westerns watched on television — and over the years she collected a substantial reference library on what she discovered was both an ever-expanding subject and a fascinating way of life. <br /><br />A chance meeting with like-minded individuals led to pow-wows in the UK, which is when her research morphed into what is now considered ‘experimental archaeology’. Beneath The Shining Mountains blossomed from this.<br /><br />“..<i>.loved learning about their customs and rich culture...</i>”<br /><br /><a href="https://viewBook.at/HostageOfHeart" target="_blank"><b><i><br />Hostage of the Heart</i></b></a> is set very much in Britain, on the Welsh Marches, during the autumn of 1066 when the destiny of both Wales and England hung in the balance because of outside forces.<br /><br />With the northern militia hurrying to York in support of the new king, Rhodri ap Hywel, prince of the Welsh, sweeps out of the forest to reclaim by force stolen lands, taking the Saxon Lady Dena as a battle hostage. But who is the more barbaric, a man who protects his people by the strength of his sword-arm, or Dena’s kinsfolk who swear fealty to a canon of falsehoods and refuse to pay her ransom?<br /><br />“.<i>..a historical that really grips the reader with lots of twists and turns...</i>”<br /><br /><br />The novels are clean Romantic Suspense, and between them have over 90 review ratings. Promotional prices start at 99p / 99c today rising back to full price on Wednesday evening. Grab them while you can, and snuggle down with a Valentine’s read of <i>Romance and Adventure</i>! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Global Links:<span> </span><a href="https://viewBook.at/BSMountains" target="_blank"><b>Beneath The Shining Mountains</b></a><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><a href="https://viewBook.at/HostageOfHeart" target="_blank"><b>Hostage of the Heart</b></a></p>Linda Acasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096791092366530129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-57877104234195449642023-01-30T15:58:00.001+00:002023-01-30T15:58:54.901+00:00Crime and Punishment<p>I enjoy writing what I think of as short cosy crime mysteries. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChLFOtHTRxIoWYx-bNsjEiC8w24z9fcnkGPaRiY-5Lfu_wXmhm0N46fdMNmmGEwaSHjVC86dc3njKKY-FfVchOpOjf-WEiEYplgq0BO5Dy13sf_imCcOWcVpZ_nHvibIeJLIE918cEws4QeEyDID4gYztce2DGWmpLTmtuXcRVUp-8x-0s9y3CoLc/s218/Crimeucopia%20back%20Porc%20h.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="145" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChLFOtHTRxIoWYx-bNsjEiC8w24z9fcnkGPaRiY-5Lfu_wXmhm0N46fdMNmmGEwaSHjVC86dc3njKKY-FfVchOpOjf-WEiEYplgq0BO5Dy13sf_imCcOWcVpZ_nHvibIeJLIE918cEws4QeEyDID4gYztce2DGWmpLTmtuXcRVUp-8x-0s9y3CoLc/s1600/Crimeucopia%20back%20Porc%20h.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Murder or mayhem remain implausible, and that implausibility allows them to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be entertaining. There is plenty of domestic detail, crimes happen offstage with no grisly details, and the police rarely make an appearance. All this can be wrapped up satisfactorily in short story form.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusERr4SWJfgB5UQ2sRJSu8PkMHJZgC3Lg7T1s1MGugI3N438S5JjlT-PvtOq-x_fpoUf7FsTjkxFVNdrQh0jX9qgeHXrm20BvrieksMgf5Qu50gr5ohMewd9CTLbYmAZs4gB8Co55XL9D6n6NExRcouGxCn-osLNfRV2It4vdUC3ctLoTnvzZNdTw/s218/crimeucopia%20right%20back.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="154" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusERr4SWJfgB5UQ2sRJSu8PkMHJZgC3Lg7T1s1MGugI3N438S5JjlT-PvtOq-x_fpoUf7FsTjkxFVNdrQh0jX9qgeHXrm20BvrieksMgf5Qu50gr5ohMewd9CTLbYmAZs4gB8Co55XL9D6n6NExRcouGxCn-osLNfRV2It4vdUC3ctLoTnvzZNdTw/s1600/crimeucopia%20right%20back.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What I have realised, looking back, is that all my victims
somehow deserved their fate. There is the over-zealous council official, the supercilious
husband forever putting his wife down, the Indian mother-in-law plotting to
poison her half-English daughter-in-law, the high-flying executive who pushes
her colleague to suicide, the love rat who destroys his girlfriend’s self-esteem,
the money-grabbing antiques dealer, and – crème de la crime – the woman who poisons the dog alongside her intended victim.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Let the punishment fit the crime.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiRJW1uS9GnXwFbQnbgCa2mtvt3gDL1sMORrQrrzdPxf3emJ77zvHW_LCsYtoEEir5cbvgyjYC9hEt0FWV2Ydqj-4rVcmx-Fv5waiMIxmQKVwpQ0y7mW88uz1kePIiWy6LnyZz4KLY1odFrJEqX0WitENSbA--XVwIrqoNpXh8Av83gGteBvIvEZ2/s218/crimeucopia%20ladythrillers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="132" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiRJW1uS9GnXwFbQnbgCa2mtvt3gDL1sMORrQrrzdPxf3emJ77zvHW_LCsYtoEEir5cbvgyjYC9hEt0FWV2Ydqj-4rVcmx-Fv5waiMIxmQKVwpQ0y7mW88uz1kePIiWy6LnyZz4KLY1odFrJEqX0WitENSbA--XVwIrqoNpXh8Av83gGteBvIvEZ2/s1600/crimeucopia%20ladythrillers.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The ever entertaining Crimeucopia anthologies offer something for everyone and are published in ebook and paperback by Murderous Ink Press and available on Amazon, for example</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crimeucopia-Well-Right-Back-After/dp/1909498424/">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crimeucopia-Well-Right-Back-After/dp/1909498424/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Madeleine McDonald<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Madeleine McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11414953342029303620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-24945615569408417652023-01-01T15:52:00.005+00:002023-01-01T17:26:14.292+00:002023 - The Year To Kick Back And Relaaax<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGshvrY8xsx4pGo1DVltlhW3ZZbYmzLnvZtInC0hg6WHhBURe27PqxFRHi1GwwjyEpWS_3EYiC2OrzlM-T71FfSzzJauXNVmgf5d9sQz1C0jctm8-MhaJGtpQ6hEToFJLVuu8a5M4p1Z4QViikqulAmJWr-zfULOcelJ1fnL61HsMRwSgVZ9ltFoAm/s1000/HW%20Banner%201000x500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="1000" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGshvrY8xsx4pGo1DVltlhW3ZZbYmzLnvZtInC0hg6WHhBURe27PqxFRHi1GwwjyEpWS_3EYiC2OrzlM-T71FfSzzJauXNVmgf5d9sQz1C0jctm8-MhaJGtpQ6hEToFJLVuu8a5M4p1Z4QViikqulAmJWr-zfULOcelJ1fnL61HsMRwSgVZ9ltFoAm/w400-h226/HW%20Banner%201000x500.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Hello and welcome to a new day, a new month, a new year: 2023!!<br /><br />Members of Hornsea Writers trust you enjoyed your Christmas feasting – food, drink, and reading books. <br /><br />Fiction is what we offer, escape portals into other worlds to make your own, to ease your way through the absurdities of real life. And we have plenty to offer.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8DvbWTFApIxBlXKTYd8mNy6lHLaFmdT1H5Ur14VeAOmQ8Q72G_k3rYcCprokA8O4Cmz6gqy59-xnmUU6NRP-5qi7OQ2ocpaVW8qypAZPv5oSF03MxytJgcdsla4Qbj3CK6xSy3ePRt3VQ7FR084yvU4PcumXxUbLxH1NFslallhBLhytM3JCWbTs/s2048/Horse%20of%20the%20Same%20Colour.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8DvbWTFApIxBlXKTYd8mNy6lHLaFmdT1H5Ur14VeAOmQ8Q72G_k3rYcCprokA8O4Cmz6gqy59-xnmUU6NRP-5qi7OQ2ocpaVW8qypAZPv5oSF03MxytJgcdsla4Qbj3CK6xSy3ePRt3VQ7FR084yvU4PcumXxUbLxH1NFslallhBLhytM3JCWbTs/w133-h200/Horse%20of%20the%20Same%20Colour.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Do you believe in unicorns? </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Evidently Penny Grubb does, or at least Melodie Trudeaux, her alter ego who keeps her humorous Young Teen fiction separate from her seriously adult Crime novels. <a href="https://getbook.at/HorseofaDifferentColour " target="_blank"><i><b>Horse of the Same Colour</b></i></a> is the sequel to <b><i>Horse of a Different Colour</i></b>, with Megan and Amy finding more trouble with horses… and otherworldly beasts.</span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Paperback, Ebook, Kindle Unlimited</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aDh9IIiFL._SY346_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="217" height="212" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aDh9IIiFL._SY346_.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Linda Acaster moved from Contemporary Fantasy to Contemporary Mystery for <a href="Https://mybook.to/ForeverHouse" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="https://mybook.to/ForeverHouse" target="_blank"><b>The Forever House</b></a></i>. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After the death of her husband, Caroline Haynes is doing her best to carry on renovating their house. But with her son and his family only available on video calls, she has too much time to think. Does anyone ever know what layers of wallpaper might reveal? Or layers of life?<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paperback, Ebook, Kindle Unlimited</span><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JJJOcKEfL._SY346_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="244" height="201" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JJJOcKEfL._SY346_.jpg" width="134" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Very hot off the press comes <a href="https://mybook.to/RRGsWE " target="_blank"><i><b>Who Wants To Live Forever?</b></i></a> April Taylor’s final novel in the Georgia Pattison Mystery series. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Georgia may at last have agreed to marry her beloved Sir Edward Broome, but an unknown man calling halt mid-service is just the beginning of Gerogia’s problems in this multi-layered story of intrigue and corruption.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ebook, Kindle Unlimited </span> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Other members have not been slothful. Many are writing fiction and non-fiction shorts for a variety of print and digital imprints, with Shellie Horst’s <i>Whitebridge Heroes</i> gaining an Honorable Mention in the prestigious “Writers of the Future” competition. <br /><br />Madeleine McDonald’s <i>Enchantment in Morocco</i> has a new cover, and she won an award from Press 53 for a flash fiction tale. Joy Stonehouse is putting the finishing touches to the fourth in her faction series set in 18th century Reighton, Yorkshire. Stuart Aken, author of <i>An Excess of…</i> and an SF trilogy set on Mars, has penned a contemporary Christmas short available to read on his <a href="https://stuartaken.net/2022/12/22/a-seasonal-short-story-for-you-enjoy/" target="_blank"><b>website</b></a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the non-fiction front, Karen Whitchurch continues to entertain and inform with her monthly newspaper column on living with dogs.<br /><br />Enjoy!</span></span></p>Linda Acasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096791092366530129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-83761535267516241712022-12-21T09:43:00.001+00:002022-12-21T10:00:41.355+00:00The Last Georgia Pattison Mystery and harp seals...<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Fledging a book is quite a process. Not just the
enjoyable creating the story bit, but the sometimes less than enjoyable
editing. Then more editing. And just another edit, until the author is sick and
tired of seeing/reading/hearing about the wretched book.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeS2GgyLvexTuXdwL6yfK-MvKW77Z3xuYJldKOToKILtG_0XESjujvqxXn1heTKQR55NsLZ1ggwpwmyEilbzr3F9zJJ_jP6Uz7YXZ2v2iojgsX1xOx0awl405JBbz_qASo8kLcDPHUsiTP3vU2rEYhAHBHsM0WU88K60W-cnpH3nIE3SdjG5h6YhOteQ/s2481/Who%20Wants%20to%20live%20For%20Ever%20initial%20cover%20pic.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2481" data-original-width="1749" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeS2GgyLvexTuXdwL6yfK-MvKW77Z3xuYJldKOToKILtG_0XESjujvqxXn1heTKQR55NsLZ1ggwpwmyEilbzr3F9zJJ_jP6Uz7YXZ2v2iojgsX1xOx0awl405JBbz_qASo8kLcDPHUsiTP3vU2rEYhAHBHsM0WU88K60W-cnpH3nIE3SdjG5h6YhOteQ/s320/Who%20Wants%20to%20live%20For%20Ever%20initial%20cover%20pic.jpg" width="226" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I decided it was time to send my first serial
detective, early-music soprano, Georgia Pattison, on her final adventure. Why?
Because new writing avenues beckon. 2023 is already planned and there isn’t
room for our intrepid heroine. There may come a time when I fancy bringing her
out into the cold light of day again.</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">In </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Who Wants To Live Forever</i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">, Georgia gets
what is possibly the biggest shock of her life. It leaves her conflicted enough
to put everything good in her life on the line in order to find this particular
killer. And she believes that all her past experience in helping DCI Hamilton
find killers, has led up to this one case. It is the one she cannot walk away
from.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">If you would like to read more about why some authors are like harp seals, you can find my blog here:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.52)" face="Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com/2022/12/why-are-some-authors-like-harp-seals.html">https://authorapriltaylor.blogspot.com/2022/12/why-are-some-authors-like-harp-seals.html</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you would like to buy the book, you will find it here: </span><a href="https://mybook.to/RRGsWE"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://mybook.to/RRGsWE</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">And if you would like to find out more about April Taylor:</p><p class="MsoNormal">You can find me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/britwriterapriltaylor">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/authAprilTaylor">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/April-Taylor/e/B0090N6E3U?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1640762352&sr=8-1">Amazon UK</a> </p>April Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09323616899009501244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-79896895594168669442022-12-09T07:00:00.044+00:002022-12-09T07:00:00.178+00:0053 Words, No More, No Less<div><h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxnNzdtB8QW06cgV8THtBlAD2VCJR0pjwmxKsljI1gLLisK02EdNiq3slGltojiKetHJ0dQ1IekqkZ1dgSt0CD4I3bx9AilZuUABWk5tPAi5Bj9X3M551QVDkC7AYP5oIYx3UOpZ0r0tyeg0ie78Ef028ResroCzdfTJ1NmhWT78UDjMbv5B9q_pq8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxnNzdtB8QW06cgV8THtBlAD2VCJR0pjwmxKsljI1gLLisK02EdNiq3slGltojiKetHJ0dQ1IekqkZ1dgSt0CD4I3bx9AilZuUABWk5tPAi5Bj9X3M551QVDkC7AYP5oIYx3UOpZ0r0tyeg0ie78Ef028ResroCzdfTJ1NmhWT78UDjMbv5B9q_pq8=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Winston, the Press 53 mascot</span></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The small indie publishing house Press 53 runs a monthly writing competition, offering a different
prompt each month and inviting short stories of exactly 53 words. I often enter
the competition, for the fun of devising a new story within the word limit.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is the first time I have won, with a retelling of the
Philemon and Baucis legend. I’m convinced it would have been the husband who
jumped in and asked the gods that the couple might die at the same time. Trust a man to go for
the grand gesture. Whereas the wife would have asked for something more
practical. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0eBroiu9LdlMu7WFdjuBtjUk81gqFl9lCED4CJw7hbGpeSImN15n_kzDvmXr_EuQGNhjN_ImfCYmlwLEFkg4pLWTh6oARqyZHmNyxpXHdFYr4NmamDQq3pWp0e8Nfg4doyep6fU84UhtReKmSp_Lc8slWx55eG96TioRWR8AG4_r4rSjhidIKSL-g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh0eBroiu9LdlMu7WFdjuBtjUk81gqFl9lCED4CJw7hbGpeSImN15n_kzDvmXr_EuQGNhjN_ImfCYmlwLEFkg4pLWTh6oARqyZHmNyxpXHdFYr4NmamDQq3pWp0e8Nfg4doyep6fU84UhtReKmSp_Lc8slWx55eG96TioRWR8AG4_r4rSjhidIKSL-g=w556-h370" width="556" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; white-space: nowrap;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #111111;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@david113?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s;">David Tip</a><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #111111;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/entwined-trees?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s;">Unsplash</a></span></div></span><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can read my story <a href="https://www.press53.com/53word-story-contest">here</a>.</span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Madeleine McDonald enjoys the challenge of writing flash fiction. Her short stories have been broadcast on BBC Radio and published in various anthologies. Her novels include the contemporaries <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00EFYQL8M" target="_blank"><b><i>Enchantment in Morocco</i></b></a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08D9PM7XJ" target="_blank"><b><i>The Rescued Heart</i></b></a>, and the historical <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B2S8NPL2" target="_blank"><b><i>A Shackled Inheritance</i></b></a></span><i>.</i></p></div></div>Madeleine McDonaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11414953342029303620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4384214408732953701.post-23345229475573511232022-09-09T06:30:00.004+01:002022-10-09T23:18:05.334+01:00The mystery of the missing Mystery – Out now! The paperback of THE FOREVER HOUSE<div><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIuz_2jtrRdCG9Ov0HiQS4CZfwCK5h1OFUj-KkP0IG6kHRG0QNXQjZTcr1obs_g7ZSikTkGTkiRCSe_GAUKzZpq_-9gU2S5xmT5hmtTg8_vCPcdSNXhAkcJ4lRNZzumHeJqL_PZTgFtXN3UwGPaC243qCrpgQuwbVzahdHEik6Q-fSo6iGJNCxKxs/s1500/IMG_2759%20cropped%201500x1146@100dpi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1500" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIuz_2jtrRdCG9Ov0HiQS4CZfwCK5h1OFUj-KkP0IG6kHRG0QNXQjZTcr1obs_g7ZSikTkGTkiRCSe_GAUKzZpq_-9gU2S5xmT5hmtTg8_vCPcdSNXhAkcJ4lRNZzumHeJqL_PZTgFtXN3UwGPaC243qCrpgQuwbVzahdHEik6Q-fSo6iGJNCxKxs/w640-h488/IMG_2759%20cropped%201500x1146@100dpi.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mybook.to/ForeverHouse" target="_blank">Global Link</a> to <i>The Forever House </i>in paperback & ebook, and free to read with Kindle Unlimited</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The paperback of <b><i>The Forever House</i></b> is finally live. It is a psychological suspense novel, </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> “.<i>..a gripping mystery full of twists and turns…” </i><br /><br /> Caroline Haynes and her husband are serial house renovators, never enjoying the fruits of their labours, always selling on their completed properties to start afresh on a new project. <i>The Forever House</i> was built in the early 1920s, and was to be their final project, their true home. <br /><br /> But life happens, and things don’t quite go according to plan. While scraping away wallpaper in a bedroom, Carrie uncovers a poignant message from the past. Yet, the more she thinks about it, the darker the connotations become. Family members believe she’s making something out of nothing. Carrie believes otherwise and determines to discover the truth of it. But who is there to ask, except the house itself? She starts with the Deeds, if she can find them. <br /><br /><blockquote> <span style="font-family: georgia;">...Reading the inked imprints of a manual typewriter was like going back in time: the conveyance between the builder and the first buyer, the landowner and the builder, the faded copperplate handwriting of a previous land conveyance, <i>J. Tunstall, Esq, Farmer</i>. The names of vendors and purchasers were all present, just as they would be on the deeds to this house. So where were the deeds to this house? </span></blockquote><br /> As anyone who has bought a property in the UK will know, the Deed of Title is kept electronically by the Land Registry – there is no need of the historic documents marking its journey through time. When we bought our 1950s house, our solicitor asked us, almost as an afterthought, if we wanted the historic conveyances, otherwise they would be destroyed. <br /><br /> <i>Destroyed?!</i> Apart from my intake of breath being heard in the next town, I couldn’t get my hands on them fast enough. And I was right to claim them. The depth of information they hold is fascinating. <br /><br /> When Carrie Haynes is gifted information about <i>The Forever House</i>, more questions are generated than answered – some causing echoes closer to home, and far closer to the present. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://mybook.to/ForeverHouse" target="_blank"><b>The Forever House</b></a> is now available as an ebook to purchase, is free to read within a Kindle Unlimited subscription, and finally to read in good old, dependable, paperback. <br /><br /> Enjoy your reading - Linda Acaster<br /></div>Linda Acasterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096791092366530129noreply@blogger.com0