It’s less than a week until I’ll be running a workshop at the Bournemouth Writing Festival. I’ll be sharing my experience of winning a publication contract with Bloodhound Books after entering a pitch competition for The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell. The workshop will include tips and hints for anyone wishing to develop skills in online pitching of a manuscript. The event is a new one on the Dorset writing scene and the programme has grown considerable since the inaugural year in 2023. I’m pleased to be delivering on Sunday 28 April 2024 alongside writing friends Paula Harmon and Alice Fowler. Do check out the full programme!
Highlights from three weeks in Cyprus
History
Cyprus has one of the oldest recorded histories in the world including many episodes of invasion and settlement. It was claimed by Alexander the Great in the fourth century and then came under Roman possession. In 1191, Richard the Lionheart took control while on crusade. He later sold the island to Lusignans who ruled for 300 years. It then fell under the Ottomans until the British arrived in 1878. Shown below (from top left clockwise) are some of the historical places I enjoyed most. The Cyprus Museum in South Nicosia (Lefkosia) boasts this semicircle of terracotta figures from the seventh century BC showing tall warrriors at the back reducing in size down to tiny demon-servants and snakes. We enjoyed a few hours at the ancient city of Salamis which had all the trappings of a Roman settlement including a colonnaded Palaestra (middle). The ruins of the medieval abbey at Bellapais were very evocative (much more so than the now dilapidated house where Lawrence Durrell wrote about life on the island in Bitter Lemons of Cyprus). Poor Hippolytos looks embarrassed while reading the love letter from his stepmother Phaedra in this wonderful mosaic at Pafos.
Food and drink
The Cypriot diet is somewhat determined by whether you’re in the north or the south of the island. In the north it’s possible to get slightly bitter black Turkish tea, whereas in the south you can easily order a pot of Earl Grey. The photos show a seafood platter served in Polis, a feta and dill scone taken in the garden of a north Nicosia bookshop, a cake from a patisserie in Famagusta, a market stall supporting the Mediterranean diet, an Turkish coffee served with a glass of water, Ottoman sherbet (and under the middle pot were two cubes of Turkish delight).
How much can I squeeze into 2024?
I thought 2023 was eventful but this year is turning out to be even more so. I’m delighted to share the news that my daughter and her husband are expecting a son in May. When our first grandchild arrives, we’ve been asked us to block out a month to help. This feels like an incredible privilege and we look forward to spending time with the family in Keynsham. Meanwhile, we have a 3-week backpacking holiday in Cyprus, a fortnight in Edinburgh and my mum’s 90th birthday to celebrate in April.
Me and Izzy on a recent trip to the Cotswolds.
David is in the process of clearing his aunt’s flat ready to sell it and fund her care home place. Fortunately, she’s very happy in the care home and it’s a joy to visit her and listen to her positive response to aging with good physical health, family around her and the excellent meals provided. We will be spending more time in Exmouth over the summer to finish work on the flat.
Read the rest of this entry »Travel and other distractions
It’s been weeks since my last blog post and my only excuse is that I’ve been travelling again. I was fortunate to deliver input at the Mani Lit Fest in Greece where the wonderful historical fiction author Carol McGrath was my host. Don’t miss out on her latest title The Stolen Crown, a fascinating story from medieval history featuring the Empress Matilda – and only 99p for a kindle at the moment. Below is a photo of me preparing to deliver a workshop about writing a successful pitch for entry into online pitch parties and in this way attract the interest of agents and publishers. I also delivered a talk about research relating to The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell. Thanks to everyone who has read the novel and a big bonus thank you to everyone who has rated and/or reviewed the book.
David and I had a splendid time in the Mani. For me, the highlights included taking part in a yoga session by the sea (with fabulous author Deborah Swift for company) and an amazing sunset along the coast.
We returned to one of my favourite places called Gerolimenas (you can read about my first visit here) and managed a couple of walks – one involved scaling a mountain and the other was a cliff top walk. Here’s a photo of the beautiful harbour of Gerolimenas which was a thriving place in the 1870s when it supplied over 7000 quails a month to diners in Paris.
Read the rest of this entry »Who gives ⭐ reviews?
One of the joys of writing a commercial novel is reaching a wider audience. The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell hit the Amazon top 100 bestselling titles in women’s psychological fiction and thus my book was introduced to many new readers.
In the 10 weeks since release, The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell has notched up 140 ratings on Amazon including many positive words and one ⭐ review. Here it is:
I have to admit, this review did take the wind out of my sails and it made me wonder if some reviewers enjoy being nasty. I read out of my comfort zone much of the time and can always find something to admire in the work. At the risk of seeming to stalk Bakewell Tart, I did check out her other ⭐ book reviews and noticed similar wording used in a review for an author who had secured over 3,000 favourable ratings. It did make me question her judgement and whether Fruitcake might be a better name.
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