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.
If you look into the distance behind the harbour, you can see a village in the hills. The second photo was taken from the village and you can just about see three Mani towers on top of a mountain. That was where our first circular walk took us. The path is along old donkey tracks which aren’t well marked – or that’s our excuse for getting lost! We visited two almost deserted villages and then followed a zig-zag path – quite a challenge for someone who is prone to tripping (and David who’s afraid of heights).
Our next stop was Momenvasia which took all day to reach by bus (including a four-hour wait in Sparta). The rocky island is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Its fortified town can only be seen from the sea and comes as a delightful surprise. Buildings on the lower and upper town are topped by a citadel. The island has a long history including Byzantine and Venetian administrations.
We returned to Dorset at the end of October so that I could join a celebration of scriptwriting at Dorchester Arts Centre. I performed in an excerpt from a full-length screenplay which was written in collaboration with four others. I also dramatised the opening pages of The Secret Life Of Carolyn Russell and presented this as a monologue. Here I am introducing the piece at Tom Brown’s pub.
Now the colder weather is definitely upon us, I’m knuckling down to the task of revising my latest manuscript. I’ve also taken up a new pursuit – singing! I joined a beginners’ online class at the City Lit (there’s another class starting in January 2024 if anyone’s interested) but the programme of songs is proving something of a challenge so I’ve also signed up for one-to-one tuition. I wonder whether singing will become my new glorious obsession. What do you think?
the writer is a lonely hunter 
I’m expecting a song next time we zoom or meet!
You’re on… but it’ll have to be the first verse and chorus only of Killing Me Softly.