At the weekend, I listened to Jeremy Thompson, Managing Director of Troubador Publishing, talking to @PaulTeagueUK about the 7th Self Publishing Conference to be held in Leicester on Saturday 27 April. As usual Jeremy was easy to listen to, informative and enthusiastic. I first heard about Troubador’s self publishing company, Matador, two or three years … Continue reading The Start of the Journey towards Publication
At a recent gathering of friends, someone announced she was having a book published in 2019. During questions re content and date of publication, it emerged the book was a memoir. I volunteered that I, too, was having a memoir published in the coming year but that mine was a self-publishing project. All discussion stopped … Continue reading New Year, A New Project
The old year ends on a high note. My memoir is finally on it's way to the printers and it's possible the book might be available earlier in 2019 than we expected. Which means I should head on over to my Troubador/Matador website to see what I should be posting there. Just one seasonal thought. … Continue reading Christmas 2018
I have a letter printed in the Forum section of the current edition of the magazine Mslexia, a publication for writers and the writing world - of women. This is the second time I've had a letter published in Mslexia but, this time, it is the first time my forthcoming memoir, to be published in … Continue reading Getting Professional
The monthly writers magazine Mslexia has a regular column called 'X,s (celebrity's name) Bedside Table.' My bedside table is an old wooden table I painted a blue-grey. It has two surfaces, the top and a shelf near to the floor. The permanent features are a lamp with shade, a travelling alarm clock - I never … Continue reading My Bedside Table
I'm applying to renew my UK Passport and also need a tourist visa for Russia. This is going to take several months and I might have to use the services of an agency for the visa. This is not the first time I've needed a Russian Visa, so I'm hoping it'll be straightforward. But first … Continue reading UK Passports, Certificates of Birth and Adoption
It's Advent and we're all thinking of what we can either give or receive for Christmas Presents. These below will not necessarily make good presents to give or receive as anyone with a secret history of a baby given away or being adopted or of adopting a child might prefer her memories to remain private. … Continue reading Books
Following stories on social media, I have discovered how desperate so many women and men are to trace their birth mothers, and how women, who ‘gave away’ their baby in adoption, long to contact their child now they are adult. Reading their words, has made me re-consider the whole practice of, what was, if not … Continue reading Adoption Matters
In 1942 Winston Churchill said, ‘Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end…’ Which is just a flashy way to say that today is the beginning of the end of our Masterclass on the Short Story at Unthank School. This coming week will be our last. It has … Continue reading Reading Short Stories
I am over half-way through a writing course on the short story with @UnthankSchool. I'm enjoying it and facing new challenges. Which is good. Later, I intend to make a list of all the new things I have learned or read, the advice the tutor has given us and his recommendations for improving our writing. … Continue reading Writing Short Stories
