tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52683330791155620932024-03-05T03:12:54.076-08:00The Write Stuff !
Share your writing here for feedback from readers and The Walsham Writers' Group.
We'll post short story/book recommendations, writing links and inspiration-if we have any!
I'm always keen to know what you think, I do rant so feel free to leave comments below and disagree with my rant if you dare!
You can find more information about us by Googling Walsham Writers' Group.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-69933531033074555622013-05-01T11:02:00.000-07:002013-05-01T11:06:34.430-07:00Hello, Goodbye and Drinking Stella On Trains<br />
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<span class="s1"><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hellos, Goodbyes, and Drinking Stella on Trains</span></u></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 1:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I expressed a preference: a front facing seat, beside a window, with a table and a socket.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I did.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I distinctly remember clicking on these options. Yes, I do. I was sober and awake. And, yet, here I am about to squeeze into an aisle seat, facing backwards with a pull-down Formica table that could easily be mistaken for a sticky postage stamp. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I apologetically sit beside a ginger veil of hair which cleverly works as a force field for a sensitive teenager. I know this emotion, this sensitivity. I recognise my teenage self as he frantically finishes a sentence in his red and black brocaded notebook. As I sit I manage to catch part of his story before he slides the words inside his coat. It reads, ‘I said goodbye’.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ponder this. I ponder the sadness often attached to the final, short yet loaded word; I consider the regularity in which it is used and the differing emotions linked to its delivery. Our lives are, after all, a series of these goodbyes. Each day we bid a farewell to yesterday, to something, maybe to someone, and I wonder if the disposal of the word would make life a kinder place…If, though, we were to say adieu to goodbye, I consider what would become of hello. Would the word be thus redundant? If so, what would then become of reunion and reunite,if we had no need of goodbyes?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I debate this until it is time to say goodbye to my pale writer, my silent companion. I desperately want to tell him that I’m a closet writer too. But it is a dirty, shameful secret, so I keep it to myself and hurl my bags to the exit and my connecting train. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With false hope - I am generally an optimist - I rub flesh with scowling commuters and make a bee line for my next reserved seat. I am facing my past once more, but this time, thankfully, beside a window. With yet another miniscule tray reclaimed from a 1970s jumble sale, I manage to balance my laptop and angle my books whilst wedging my bags one on top of the other. I am trying to plan the week ahead, but my contortion skills are not what they used to be. My happiness in sitting alone is short lived. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I say goodbye to solitude and hello to Stella Man. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I am thankful for his politeness. He apologises for the overwhelming stench of beer. I smile but would prefer he apologise for his cheap after-shave, his lack of teeth and his vinegary foot odour. As my books topple, and I make to rescue them, my hand brushes his leg and I apologise for the second time today. He smiles and I wonder if he would mind me using the gap between his teeth as a wedge for my books. He attempts to draw me into a conversation regarding alcohol and hunger, but I say I prefer wine. He turns back to his beer. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I see a woman leaning on the carriage door. She is reading silently to herself, though she mouths every word. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I watch another woman. Her hair pulled back so far that her eyes have become decidedly feline. She thinks she is safe from prying eyes - like the nose-pickers who wait at traffic lights, they feel somehow invisible to others and continue as if in the privacy of their own bathrooms. I watch this woman as she uses a pink hand-mirror and traces her fingertips around her face. Gently pulling her skin tight and then releasing it, she is pondering crows-feet. I know this emotion, this fear of time passing. I feel it too. She begins to pluck her eyebrows. Despite the jolts and stumbles of the train she keeps her eyes. I’m sure the lob-sided eyebrows will soon grow back.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I manage to avoid eye-contact with Stella Man for the rest of the journey but as I make ready for my exit he offers to carry my bags. They are heavy, and heavy bags - along with door holding, giving up a coat and paying for dinner - are exempt from any feministic beliefs I hold. However, I fear the consequence of accepting his offer. I hastily decline, say goodbye, and hide in the putridly sweet toilet until my final connection arrives. Parting is not such sweet sorrow, and I am thankful for the word goodbye; it is soon followed by two welcoming hellos.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 2:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am awake early and head for the cemetery. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Although I have said goodbye I seek the repetition. I slip words into the soil: things you always meant to say but somehow you missed the ticking of the clock. For a while I wander amongst the headstones and am momentarily confused. They face away from the church. I look up and see the fields beyond and agree it is a prettier view. I begin to look for an old friend, but he is lost somewhere in an expanding mass of others. I apologise for the intrusion as I trip between the stones. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Though eager to be heading home – I am desperate to say hello to my husband and children - I rush around the village to chat and say several goodbyes’ to other loved ones. As I say goodbye to my Danish mother-in-law I am reminded that Goodbye in Danish is ‘Hej Hej’ (pronounced Hi, Hi) and I leave content with the thought that if we adopt this one phrase as our own we may rarely need to use ‘goodbye’ again. Goodbye could become an exclusive, rarely uttered, word used only to indicate a desired distance; a word reserved for those that drink stella on trains. </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com18Europe51.835777520452481 029.174039520452482 -41.308594 74.497515520452481 41.308594tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-59765310227022360172013-04-06T05:57:00.000-07:002013-04-06T05:57:34.144-07:00Homosexual Zombies, Spanking Werewolves and the Question of Taboo
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear reader, </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This month I have questions for you to ponder; questions that arose during a recent meeting. I’d love to hear your views and may sometimes, just occasionally, use controversial examples simply to spark a debate and cause a reaction!! My aim is not offend but get you thinking, so please let me hear your views on the following questions:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Are novels written from the point of view (POV) of a protagonist who drastically transgresses social boundaries acceptable, indeed enjoyable?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. And, is there therefore a story that shouldn’t be told because its transgressions?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The former question arose after one of our members wrote a story in which the central character is a rapist. We were invited to feel sympathy for him as we follow his story, but this issue raised several debates. Clearly the subject alone is an uncomfortable topic and because we are invited to sympathise with this man the issue becomes all the more contentious. Let’s consider this further…</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we read a piece of fiction, in-order to keep us going to the end, we look for a fragment of familiarity, a link between the character’s story and our own predicaments/experiences. A ‘hook’ must be formed if we are to give a dam about the conclusion of the story. Take the rapists tale for example. From his perspective his immoral, sadistic situation is explicable and therefore acceptable <b>because</b> of the treatment he has suffered at the hands of his own parents, but can we commit to caring for him because of this? Who would look for an element of similarity in his position and our own, and why would you want to? If we can’t care can we continue to read a story written from his perspective?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let us consider another foul character: Grenouille in <i>Perfume</i>. This man, a rank, immoral, repugnant figure born from hate, raised with loathing, possesses a divine skill; he is able to manipulate emotion and turn the hate of others into love through his fine blending of scents. He is a murderer who commits heinous crimes in an attempt to the bottle a heavenly scent. On reading the novel I experienced such negative feelings towards this foul creature that I couldn’t complete the book – Why, I asked a friend, would I want to relate to him in any way? And, if I cannot relate to him, if I don’t care about him one tiny microbe, why would I follow his story?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What IS bizarre about this discussion however, is that I <b>could</b> watch the film, also titled <i>Perfume.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is of course a great difference between watching a film and reading a book. Our imagination must work for us as we translate/interpret the words on the page into the pictures in our minds and the emotions form within us; a book needs us to care for a central character, to care about the story being given to us; the characters must give us a reason to turn the page. If we make the decision to continue, and that central character is immoral, we may begin to feel complicit with the character’s actions. Viewing a film, however, takes our imagination away from us and it becomes a more sociable experience; the film is portrayed through the director’s point of view. It is a shared compliance. Many films raise uncomfortable issues, this is a given, it is the POV conveyed that IS the issue. I can think of several controversial films that feature immoral, sadistic and evil central protagonists. We can watch the story of these social deviants but we may never choose to read a book in which the main POV is that of the social deviant because we need to care about a protagonist in some way.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take the following films for example: These are a small sample of films that raise controversial issues and have immoral/sadistic/evil central protagonists. In some cases they are considered unwatchable, but on the whole many find them acceptable food for their eyes:</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Clockwork Orange</i> (Graphic rape and violence – I will never watch this, ever. The poster is enough to make me hide under the duvet) </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Terrorist </i>(A wonderful Indian film which manipulates emotions from the start and we DO care for the central character despite the controversial subject matter) </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Blow</i> (Romanticised drug dealing)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We need to talk about Kevin</i> (I ‘half-read’ the novel as it was uncomfortable reading. The disconnection that existed between mother and child filled me with fear and upset my maternal feelings)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Badlands, Natural Born Killers</i> (Matricide/Patricide- In my opinion NBK is brutality over substance)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Compliance</i> (Only viewed an hour go – extremely uncomfortable viewing that raises questions regarding authority and obedience – no-body would want to read a book written from the sadistic prank callers POV, trust me!)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We may watch these films willingly, but then we do not follow the actions of the protagonists through their eyes. We do not need to find a logic or a link with their reasoning’s or predicaments.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps one of the most controversial films I have viewed is <i>The Woodsman</i>; the POV is given through the male lead, a peadophile, recently released from prison. Throughout the film we observe him constantly battling his ‘disease’ in the knowledge that his actions are indisputably vile and ‘wrong’. Yet, amidst the sense of stomach churning repulsion, an element of sympathy develops through the sensitivity in which the film is made and the battle we witness within him. We want him to fight his feelings, we want him to overcome his ‘affliction’, to find redemption and find a new ‘normality’ that we can accept and live with. Clearly, most ‘normal’ people cannot link to peadophilia in any way, but a link exists here over right and wrong and most people can associate to the battle of good over evil. If we were to read a book with this same figure as the central protagonist however, then our imaginations would have to work for us, details omitted from the film may have to be included and we would struggle through the text with hatred and sickness. This is not a POV that anyone would want to relate to, so completing the book may be difficult.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we read a book we relate to a central character and this carries us through the text and the situations encounter. We all love a good villain, but when that villain transgresses the boundaries of society, whether we feel a tinge of sympathy or not may be something that you would never own to. If we relate to that character then we are, by proxy, fictionally guilty of the crimes he/she commits. If we continue to the end reading from the POV of a character such as this, we may never stop analysing our own sense of morality! Perhaps this is because that when we read a novel, a little of something remains with us; maybe just for an hour, a day or even for a lifetime. Some characters become our friends that live within us and enrich our lives through that close fictional bond which is formed when we read a great story and meet well rounded, believable characters. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That, in a rather rambling, venting kind of way, brings us back to the second question I mentioned in the opening above: So, is there therefore a story that shouldn’t be told? </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you think?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is true that there is little considered taboo in the Western literary world; there are many POVs that now make acceptable reading. So, which POVs have yet to be a focus in the literary world? What new territory are we left with that makes acceptable reading?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Some’ points of view, such as the ones discussed above will never be, we hope, acceptable to the majority of the world, however, is there any ground yet to be covered that will be acceptable? Are we missing a niche literary market?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, at the meeting in which we discussed taboo points of view, we also discussed the reading zeitgeist which seems to exist for ‘mummy/soft-porn’ books (50 Shades etc) and werewolf/vampire/zombie books. The group have thus invented a new genre in which we believe we will make ourselves ‘A-list’ authors rolling in pits of money: the first project the group are collaborating on is titled <i>Homosexual Zombies</i> (my husband’s original idea) this will be published by ‘NibbleMeNow’ books in June 2013; the second novel is titled <i>Spanking Werewolves (</i>John’s idea<i>)</i> and it will be published by ‘HairInMyTeeth’ in August 2013. You can download an excerpt of both for free on Kindle in July. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Reading!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and please do buy/download a copy of The Hysteria1 Anthology (it does actually exist! <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hysteria-1-ebook/dp/B00BUVI320/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365252706&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hysteria+1" target="_blank">Link here</a>). It contains my short-listed story and raises money for the Hysterectomy Association. </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m keen to hear your views, write soon !! xxx</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span>PS: Shame on you that typed 'Spanking' in to your search bar and found yourself reading this blog! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com2Western Europe51.399205653553778 031.707726153553779 -41.308594 71.090685153553778 41.308594tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-45080928591283772102013-03-06T03:23:00.001-08:002013-03-06T03:23:25.174-08:00Hi<br />
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Having a look round the blog, and familarising myself with it befoe I go away. Seems I can access this blog via a Google + app on my ipad, so I hopefully will have two ways of accessing the new blog. It comes up very well on the ipad, full of rich, textual colours.<br />
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I see from your blurb on the website, it say's we are open to new members, so will bear this mind if anybody asks me about a good writing group in the area!<br />
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Like your draft title for the up and coming blog. Look forward to reading it. If anybody is interested when I get to Oxford, I will suggest it as a good read.<br />
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I will click on publish, so hope it does the business.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661873939919615501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-43152078839650970322013-03-03T15:49:00.001-08:002013-03-03T15:49:53.892-08:00Euro Crime: Two Free Kindle Ebooks by Geraldine Evans<a href="http://eurocrime.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/two-free-kindle-ebooks-by-geraldine.html">Euro Crime: Two Free Kindle Ebooks by Geraldine Evans</a>Geraldine Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03198460366759427244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-573798023288380222013-03-01T17:39:00.003-08:002013-03-01T17:39:43.914-08:00GRAB A COUPLE OF FREE EBOOKS!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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AMAZON.CO.UK: <a href="http://amzn.to/YGlpfo">http://amzn.to/YGlpfo</a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>REVIEWS:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>'This cleverly-plotted tale has plenty of humour. It's another
page-turner from Geraldine Evans and is crime writing at its best. A must for all lovers of the genre.' <i>Mystery People</i></b><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b>'Evans
concocts a plausible story with unforeseen plot twists, believable
characters, and a satisfying ending. Solid fare for fans of British procedurals.' <i>Emily Melton, Booklist</i></b></span><i><br /></i><br /><b>A
most unlikely murderer, was DI Joe Rafferty's immediate thought when
the slender and bloodied Felicity Raine stumbled into the police station
reception and confessed to killing her husband. <br /><br />He thought her
even more unlikely a murderer when he met her in-laws and caught them
out in several deceits. There was something peculiar going on, he was
convinced. Because although Felicity wasn't down to receive any
financial benefit from her husband's death, others in the Raine family
were. Was one of them attempting to set Felicity up to take the rap?<br /><br />Unfortunately,
Rafferty's championing of the lovely Felicity seems to have stirred
some jealousy on the home front. Has he blotted his copybook once too
often? he wonders, when Abra, his live-in girlfriend, takes herself off
to Wales citing the cover-all of 'family problems' as her reason.
Perhaps, he thinks, he should look beneath the surface with Abra, as he
has been advised to do in his murder investigation. <br /><br />He can only hope that what he discovers in his personal life isn't as unpleasant as what has been laid bare in his latest case.</b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">FREE NOW!</span></b> <b>DYING FOR YOU #6 in my Rafferty & Llewellyn series</b><br />
<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">REVIEWS:</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">'Proficient writing, an inventive plot, and Evans' usual well-crafted
procedural detail make this sixth entry in the Rafferty series a good
choice for readers who can't get enough of British coppers.' </span></span></b><i><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">Emily Melton, Booklist</span></span></b></i><br />
<br />
<i><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"></span></span></b></i><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;">'Evans brings wit and insight to this tale of looking for love in all the wrong places<span style="font-size: small;"><i>.' Kirkus Reviews</i></span></span></span></b><br />
<br /><b>Detective Inspector Joe Rafferty manages to become chief suspect in his
own double murder investigation. And all he’d been doing was looking for
love…<br /><br />It had been his sergeant's wedding that had brought home
to him that, far from still being the 'Jack the Lad' of old, he was not
only lonely, but in danger of turning into a sad old git. So, with his
fortieth birthday on the horizon, he decides it's time to take the
initiative. <br /><br />To this end, he signs up with the Made in Heaven
dating agency. Wary of his colleagues discovering his shameful secret,
he persuades his more up-market cousin to let him borrow his identity.
It's just unfortunate that the first two women with whom he strikes up a
rapport should wind up murdered and with himself - or rather his alter
ego - in the frame for the crimes.<br /><br />Put in charge of the double
murder investigation, Rafferty foresees plenty of difficulties ahead.
Not least how he is to conduct the case without the witnesses pointing
the finger and saying: 'But that's HIM. That's Nigel Blythe. The
MURDERER!'<br /><br /><span style="color: blue;">'It's bad enough being suspected of a double murder,
worse still when it's your alter ego being pursued and it's the pits
when you are the policeman in charge of supposedly catching yourself. I
thoroughly enjoyed Dying For You , the sixth in the series. A lot of
humour is injected in Rafferty's narrative. He's got himself in an
impossible situation and one wonders what can go wrong next. I savoured
this book and I'm keen to read the rest in the series asap.' <i>Eurocrime</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></b>
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Geraldine Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03198460366759427244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-5638194212554783072013-02-21T12:04:00.001-08:002013-02-21T12:04:47.911-08:00Utterances of an overcrowded mind: FREE Promotions For Indie AuthorsIndies! Here's an offer you might like to take up. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://blog.pauldorset.com/2012/06/free-promotions-for-indie-authors.html">Utterances of an overcrowded mind: FREE Promotions For Indie Authors</a>Geraldine Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03198460366759427244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-33758334541506142412013-02-21T07:36:00.001-08:002013-02-21T07:36:49.359-08:00Smashwords: Ebook Self-Publishing Takes Center Stage at San Fr...<a href="http://blog.smashwords.com/2013/02/ebook-self-publishing-takes-center.html?spref=bl">Smashwords: Ebook Self-Publishing Takes Center Stage at San Fr...</a>: I just returned from an action-packed weekend at the San Francisco Writers Conference , one of the best writers conferences in the country...Geraldine Evanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03198460366759427244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-21841563265427789752013-01-30T12:25:00.000-08:002013-01-30T13:13:35.153-08:00Military sexting, anus ants and never giving up<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Exting iq a military widow surged. Wouldn't you agree? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clearly, I'm trying to tell you that predictive texting is a nightmare! However, I am one of many that consistently make predictive text errors with barely a flinch. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I consider myself an almost writer, I should be ashamed, and yet I don't seem to care that my messages are misunderstood and my words are corrupted. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Am I wrong to text with such laissez faire? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Should I painfully scrutinise each word and punctuation mark before I press send? My father-in-law would've screamed, 'mais oui!' </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, what do you think?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found myself pondering this question after texting my sister in law. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At first I wrote:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'I need some morality in my life' - I tried again:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'I need some mortality in my life' - though both phrases may be true, this wasn't the massage I intended! Sorry message.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friends have been crying over my lack of care when texting for years, and have now given up trying to understand them at all. Perhaps, as a writer, I should care about the message conveyed whatever the format? Should <b><span style="color: magenta;">I</span></b> only care <span style="color: magenta;">if</span> the reader gives a dam?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the sender, I simply don't give a fan, shiv - I mean dam - about the correct spellings, grammar or punctuation, when texting. (I'm sorry Steve, I can hear you now tutting and laughing!) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps if you show me a writing comp for a short story, using your mobile as the platform, I just might...No sorry...I still don't care! But what do you think? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some mistakes should be embraced; they could led to wondrous possibilities...Imagine, for example, Roald Dahl using predictive text for his <i>'Tales of the Unexpected' </i>- you'd get:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'Tales of the dejected, rejected, erected and affected' - actually that sounds quite interesting!!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'Twilight', incidently comes up as 'twirling' or 'toiling'...The Twirling Saga...I can see the movie now!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps texting correctly IS more important than I allow it to be? Perhaps I'm just someone who enjoys the mistakes created, and finds them more interesting than the actual content. They are functionary messages, and although not as dull as some Facebook statuses - who gives a c..p if you've just eaten marmite, or you love your dog - stop the press...that person you met once when you were drunk, in that bar you can't remember, with that guy you'd rather forget, has just been to Sainsburys and it was busy. See... see how dull it is!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next time (boring person) please <span style="color: red;">predictive text</span> me your Facebook status, don't alter the predicts and I might find you interesting enough to remember your name.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, one WARNING: Don't text your husband at work and ask him to bring back 'cous cous' - you'll get 'anus ants' - I've never tried them, but I'm pretty sure my kids wouldn't like them, covered in ketchup, or not.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, let me know what you think...does every word count, whatever the format? </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's enough of that...I have news...drum roll...lights...I am now, officially, a published author...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my short stories was 1 of 10 selected for the Hysteria Writing Competition, and will be published in an Anthology: sold to raise funds for the <a href="http://www.hysterectomy-association.org.uk/" target="_blank">Hysterectomy Association</a>. I am over-joyed; the news sent me squealing into the kitchen, and had my friend flapping her arms widely, in the middle of the gym!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The book will be published in the Spring, it's for a good cause, so I'll let you know the exact publishing date and you can get your pennies out!! Do check out the website too (follow the link above). The founder, Linda, also has a great writers' website: author interviews on her Thursday Throng, Friday fiction slots, lots of useful writing info, and writing links too. Do check her out and tell her I sent you!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having been selected as a winner, I am newly invigorated and a surge of creativity is bulging in my brain! It is so validating to know that someone thinks your words are worth something; this has spurned me on to keep writing, to never give up. The recent booker prize winner, for example, Hilary Mantell, waited years to win a booker prize, then a second quickly followed! I guess you don't ever know just how close you are to something...Remember standing for hours at the penny slot machine, waiting for that 10p-made-in-China-keyring, that you'll throw out next week...you drag yourself away and then some little git comes along, 2p later, they hold your prize!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, don't give in...reject rejection and carry on doing whatever it is that makes you happy!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTaNaTUtA05RjNlDUPvV4O1KhsNC5vs6ot5KyjPcl0Ws4UDtJo4J4qKEoJKLNSAe0Qpb8QFkAliEUIZZla_8Mm77XgHoQplzxIrjhro7WMkAqVVF_vbj5VqTfKDxjeJkLaDDvsulfeSrT/s1600/8390611960_828268bbc0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTaNaTUtA05RjNlDUPvV4O1KhsNC5vs6ot5KyjPcl0Ws4UDtJo4J4qKEoJKLNSAe0Qpb8QFkAliEUIZZla_8Mm77XgHoQplzxIrjhro7WMkAqVVF_vbj5VqTfKDxjeJkLaDDvsulfeSrT/s320/8390611960_828268bbc0_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're looking for inspiration today then take a look at these great pictures .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beautiful Norfolk in the snow, taken by my beloved: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90848685@N03/" target="_blank">Jens Room.</a> (See his flickr account for more).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The building in the shot below is a creepy, dilapidated mill. If you're in Norfolk and need some inspiration for a ghost/crime story take a look!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZaVioHwLMEXwo9eatvHHBSr8cmd7zkMZWSIvHcHhk-URntbKEjbN4eP929OOEuMuNucd2dommHBBy5v4JtKnbGTv6NquZpjDHsnUcNDjlhv50Bza1hUUwq9kIDzUzlnbXJzmhzkqXtb6/s1600/8387622646_fea7dec439_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZaVioHwLMEXwo9eatvHHBSr8cmd7zkMZWSIvHcHhk-URntbKEjbN4eP929OOEuMuNucd2dommHBBy5v4JtKnbGTv6NquZpjDHsnUcNDjlhv50Bza1hUUwq9kIDzUzlnbXJzmhzkqXtb6/s320/8387622646_fea7dec439_m.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy writing. Hayley xx</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-67867817488394220262012-12-31T08:14:00.002-08:002012-12-31T09:01:49.068-08:00In memoriam to Steven Room, and contentment.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Perhaps
you have been jarred by the title of this blog? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Perhaps these 2 elements sound
conflicting and you think me insensitive; this isn't the intention so I hope that
the juxtaposition will become apparent as you read on…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 294.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It
is a sad fact that this year our annual Christmas rituals were replaced by
funeral arrangements following the sudden loss of my father-in-law, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Steven</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Room</st1:placename></st1:place>;
sympathy cards stood in place of the usual jolly Santa, and celebratory
proceedings were replaced by dark emotions: I have thus been avoiding writing
at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">However,
when I discussed the dread of writing, and turning this blog into an emotional outpouring,
my husband gave me one piece of advice…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">”Then
don’t,” he said, “Write of contentment instead”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So,
here goes…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I
first met Steve over 20 years ago; petrified is the first word that springs to
mind when I recall the booming articulations that could have belonged to a
radio 4 presenter! His eloquence and breadth of knowledge highlighted my ignorance,
and broad Leicester accent, and sent me
heading straight to a thesaurus…did I drop an ‘H’, should I have placed the
emphasis on the first vowel of that word, or the second! I was ready to wear
the dunce hat for evermore, but I soon discovered that the voice belonged to a
gentle, humble man who indeed was incredibly intelligent, but also kind,
generous and supportive. This <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Cambridge</st1:city></st1:place>
graduate was Captain of the Sport’s Team; he majored in Chaucer, spoke fluent
French, and eventually went on to become a highly respected high-school teacher.
However, he was unwilling to champion his own achievements: his modesty was a
great part of his charm. A Facebook tribute page is further testimony to this
humble man; his teaching skills and enthusiasm have reached hundreds of
students who have recalled experiences in his class; the amount of people he
encouraged to achieve is, quite simply, astounding. As you see, Steve had many
enviable qualities; for one, he taught <i>Catcher
in the Rye</i> for many years and this in itself deserves a medal!! You
remember how I despise this book (see previous post!) He apparently managed to compare the <i>Cratch in the Eye</i> to <i>Dances with Wolves</i>!!! Oh I do wish I’d
been in his English class!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Although
I wasn’t fortunate enough to have been taught by Steve, when I decided to
become a teacher and study through the OU, Steve was there buoying me on,
championing my efforts to anyone who would listen, spell checking my assignments,
correcting my grammar, reading my stories and encouraging me to write more! (At
this point only my tutor and I were privy to my stories, so when this legend of
a man said he actually liked my stories…well, you can imagine…)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">He
did, however, constantly correct my punctuation and try to reign in my over-use
of adjectives!! And he didn’t just correct essays …oh no… texting too!! I have
never known a person text so syntactically correct!! This was just one of his
many endearing qualities! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Steve
was a greatly loved husband, father, Grandfather, teacher and friend. He will be sadly missed; too short a life, but I’m sure he
would agree that he has had some glorious moments of contentment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Amongst
other things, I know that contentment for Steve was </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">literature, and the teaching of;</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> music; </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">admiring his garden in both
France and England, after a hard days toil and labour; sitting in the sun with
a beer and a fag; watching a myriad of foreign
language films with Lone (intellectual not the other!); Scandinavian crime
thrillers; cakes and sweet things; Rugby (the sport!); visiting family and
friends in Denmark and France; laughing with his family and friends; being with
his family (most of the time!).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Many
simple pleasures, but I’m sure you’ll agree, contentment lives in the small
things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And
contentment for me, well, I have just returned from a windswept stroll on Cromer
beach with my long suffering other, and our dog; the children are happily
playing with their Christmas presents; I’ve just finished the 6th <i>Jo Nesbo (Harry Hole)</i> book, this morning;
I’m currently sitting here writing this, whilst eating chocolate as the sun
sets over the garden; and I’m looking forward to the writing group which re-opens
for business on Thursday (we are working on our first group anthology!); there’s
a bottle of whiskey in the cupboard, a bottle of sparkly on ice and an ever expanding range of literature to digest!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">What
does contentment mean for you? Let me know!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I
couldn’t, of course, mention Mr Room without his wife, Lone; being a Dane she
is an advocate of all things Scandinavian, and by marital decree I am bound to
champion the nation! This however isn’t difficult, especially if you enjoy
Scandinavian crime writing! As I mentioned earlier, I have just finished the 6<sup>th</sup>
Harry Hole novel and although I’m hooked on <i>Nesbo</i>,
I recommend you explore the wider brilliance of this popular genre: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I
began by reading one of the <i>Wallander</i>
novels by <i>Henning Mankell</i>- an easier,
gentler read than <i>Nesbo</i> and <i>larsson</i>, the action is more rural in
feel than globe trotting-the essence is far more Morse<i> </i>than Bond! The books are a great read, but do also try to watch
the addictive, original, Swedish series on DVD-go for the original rather than
the painfully, brooding kenneth Branagh remakes-he’s a poor substitute for the
huge charisma that is Fredrik Gunnarsson! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After
<i>Mankell</i>, I then moved on <i>Steig Larsson</i> with the awesome <i>Millennium Trilogy</i>-I actually couldn’t
put these down (clichéd but true) and read them over a few days on the beach-developing
a nice book-shaped tan line across my chest! The series was absolutely awesome,
a whirlwind trip (action relying heavily on the use of technology and dodgy
associates!), the action is at times brutal and gruesome (at times hard to
stomach), the believable characters, thrilling plot twists and of-course an
amazing female lead-Lisbeth Salander-ensure that many Scandinavian thriller
writers will be compared to him for years to come. Read the books first, then
watch the ORIGINAL films- Daniel Craig does have great biceps, but once again
something is lost in the translation and too much detail is cut by the
necessity of editing for a movie length film. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After
reading <i>Larsson</i>, and aware that these
books were his last, I found <i>Nesbo</i>:
The sticker on the front of his books calls him THE NEXT STEIG LARSSON-Yes, his
books are a gripping read, but <i>Nesbo</i> cannot
compete with Larsson’s intricacies of characterization and plot. However,
saying this,<i> </i>I’d still thoroughly recommend
reading the <i>Jo Nesbo</i> books , his
interweaving of plot threads is extremely clever, yet wholly conceivable. Once
you’ve read one you <b>do</b> have the
basic formula, but there <b>are</b> some
great plot twists and the lead character <i>Harry
Hole</i> is indeed a loveable rogue!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">On
initial reading I thought that these books were written by a woman- an opinion
I’m told is shared-the men I spoke to found the <i>Nesbo</i> books a little pretentious and felt that he was trying to hard
to be lyrical; women I have spoken to however love the books, or is that, they love
<i>Harry Hole</i>!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Although
you can just pick up any one of <i>Nesbo’s</i>
books and go with them (it’s not complicated to grasp the character and his
life/lack of social skills; many themes are recurrent: his colleagues tend to
murdered and he’s a battling alcoholic with an attitude, oh and there’s a
relationship that he keeps screwing up) it <b>is</b>
best to read them in order-I didn’t, and it meant a few spoilers for me! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So,
as the books aren’t numbered, here’s the order (a couple of texts aren’t yet
readily available):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The
Bat (only available in hardback/as an eBook at the minute so I haven’t read
it!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The
Cockroaches (can’t even find this on Amazon!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The
Redbreast (success seems to have started here)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Nemesis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The
Devil’s Star<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The
Redeemer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The
Snowman (This is where they get quite gruesome!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The
Leopard<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Phantom<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Headhunters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Give
them a go and let me know what you think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">After
I’ve given the first draft of my friend’s sci-fi novel a read (thanks, John),
I’ll try another Scandi-Crime writer, as recommended by Lone…I’ll let you know
what I think to both!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If
you have any recommendations please let me know by either leaving a comment where
it says ‘comments’ or email me on:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="mailto:walshamwritersgroup@gmail.com">walshamwritersgroup@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Happy
reading, and have a happy and contented start to 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hayley
xx<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-91950748294592382592012-12-01T00:19:00.001-08:002012-12-01T00:19:44.127-08:00Slaughter of the Innocent<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many forms of escapism-for me, they are: reading, writing and single malts! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, escapism is a necessity of modern living for many of us and its forms may be many...</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">watching the Dexter series and The Walking Dead are worryingly two other forms I indulge in and thus I'm concerned that these choices somehow relate to a hidden personal philosophy of mine; If you don't know, I guess that the basic premise of these series boils down to this...It's ok to kill another thing if A: You are about to be eaten by someone who resembles a Jeremy Kyle contestant with the brain capacity of pond slime, or B: If an evil person continually harms the innocent without consequence then an alternative form of justice must come into force. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">Yes, so far, I'm leaning towards an agreed philosophy, though, who, and how, should justice and evil be </span>defined? (Comments below please)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, let us say that a wide consensus is agreed, we are clear on the term EVIL and this is the premise by which I choose to live my life, then how far, in-fact, would I go?</span></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, let's test this premise using the first pond-slimed weasel that pops into my head- Ah yes...Michael Gove-yet to appear on Jeremy Kyle but mixing with pond-life nonetheless. Together with his posse of public school boy buddies they have decided that year 6 children (that's 11 year olds) should sit a grammar test which includes: identifying a passive, impassive voice within a text, and identifying main and subordinate clauses within sentences. </span><br />
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can we agree that this is evil ?</span><br />
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will we see children turning away from literature, or will we see them queuing into the early hours for the next Harry Potteresque book whilst discussing the texts inadequate use of the impassive, and the lack of subordinates! I for one never read or write with these elements in the forefront of my mind (Could this be why I'm not a successful author on The Booker Prize list?!). Surely we should be nurturing the joy in the written word before teaching them to tear each sentence apart and analyse all its parts.</span><br />
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what do you think? </span></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gove's posse, furthermore, have also suggested that all primary school children should learn, not just 1 foreign language (most schools I know of already teach 2) but also latin and greek- I say Mr Gove, <span style="color: red;">'Repere retro sub rupe a qua vos concepti sunt' </span>or<span style="color: red;"> 'σέρνεται πίσω κάτω από τον βράχο από τον οποίο σχεδιάστηκαν' </span>(Google told me that this means 'crawl back under the rock -guess it should say 'public school'-below which you were conceived'). </span></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, as you can see, Gove indeed comes under the category of 'a bad man' doing harm to innocents, but the question now remains of how to deal with him? A punishment equivalent to the crime...hmm...If anyone has any suggestions please let me know below!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I promised not to vent my spleen and I have broken that promise, so back to the celebration of the group's achievements! Below you will see that I have pasted Bob's amazing story which came second in the Norwich Theatre's ghost story competition. Well done again, Bob.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Please comment at the end of the post-it isn't obvious where the link is but, if you move the mouse over it, it should highlight the link). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bob also wrote a brilliantly intelligent and witty review of <em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;">Alan Ayckbourn's 'Haunting Julia'. </em><em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">Hopefully Bob will post this up very soon!</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></em></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy reading!!</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NON-COMMITTAL</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Margot sent me to cover the funeral. It seemed a bit pointless to me – what was going to happen at his funeral, after all, that could add anything to his life story? But a job’s a job, so I looked out a suitably sombre dress and put on black tights, even though the temperature outside was somewhere in the high twenties. I was a little early, which would give me time to observe the mourners as they arrived. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An usher intercepted me in the foyer of the crematorium. He had a clipboard and a reverential smile. Was I family? I told him I wasn’t. I was handed an order of service and accompanied to a seat. Even though it was early, the chapel was already half full, which meant that it was also half empty, so why did the usher almost sit me on the knee of the single occupant of one of the rear rows? I made a show of settling myself. Should I pretend to pray? I decided not to be hypocritical, modestly tugged my dress towards my knees, and tried to look reflective. Mourners kept arriving, but no-one else was directed to our row. Was it reserved for unwanted guests? I sneaked a look at the man next to me. He was of middle years, dark-suited, with a startlingly colourful tie. He must have noticed my scrutiny, because he turned and flashed me what could only be described as a cheeky grin. I looked away, but the contact had been made.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Good turn out.” he said, in a husky whisper, still grinning.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Yes,” I whispered back, not grinning. He looked away, his eyes roving the room as though trying to see someone in particular. Perhaps he was. In my head, I began to cast my piece for tomorrow, rehearsing an opening sentence: <i>“A large lottery win did not bring good luck to local man, Simon Farnsfield. Less than six months from cashing in his winning ticket for twenty-five million pounds, Simon’s life was tragically ended by a freak accident…”</i> Was falling drunk into the swimming pool of his new mansion a <i>freak</i> accident? Perhaps <i>tragic accident</i> would be better?</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Friend of the family?” came the husky voice beside me, cutting short my deliberations.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Something like that,” I mumbled.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Only I don’t recognise you.” Why was I embarrassed to admit to being a reporter? I decided to shift the focus from myself. If he wanted to chat, I might pick up some inside information.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Did you know him well?” I ventured.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Pretty well.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“An old friend?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Old as they come.” His tone, even though muted, was jaunty. I noticed he was still grinning, not quite your traditional mourner.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Were you at school together?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Indeed we were.” This was a stroke of luck. My fingers itched to get out my voice-recorder.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Had you kept in touch?” (This as close as I dared get to “Did you look him up again when you heard of his lottery win?”) He crossed the first fingers of his right hand in a gesture appropriately reminiscent of the National Lottery logo itself.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“We were like that.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“His death must have come as a terrible shock?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“It certainly did. What a prat!”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“I’m sorry?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Could have seen it coming. <i>Should</i> have seen it coming.” I almost put my hand up to my nose to stop it twitching: it was detecting the first raw, tantalising scent of a story.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“How do you mean?” I prompted. “He should have seen <i>what</i> coming?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Murder, of course.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>This was a wind-up, wasn’t it? He knew I was a reporter. He was feeding me a line. All the same…</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“You’re saying he was <i>murdered?</i> It wasn’t an accident?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Accident my arse!” A woman two rows in front heard the inappropriate word and stiffened. Arse? At a funeral? Well, really! She looked over her black-clad shoulder and frowned in our direction, positively crackling with disapproval.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Who murdered him? How do you know?” I hissed. I had to find out more, even at the risk of further expletives. I was sensing career advancement.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Hannah, of course. The cheating bitch!” Several people looked round this time. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Hannah? His wife?” The grin had gone, I noticed. At that moment, precisely on cue, the grieving widow entered, head bowed, faltering steps aided by an older man: grief personified.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“She <i>pushed</i> him into the pool?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“And the rest. Hard to fight back when you’re sozzled.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Now the coffin began its slow progress from the rear doors. Everyone fell silent. I dared one last whisper: “How could you possibly know? Weren’t they alone in the place the night it happened?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Oh yes,” he said, “It was just the two of us.” And along with my story, he vanished.</span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bob Bishop </span><br />
<span class="s1" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">October 2012</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-8443644928690659022012-11-11T08:16:00.002-08:002012-11-17T09:25:58.662-08:00The Times-Ghost Story Comp<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As promised, here are both Patsy's and Bob's entries to The Times ghost story comp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(please comment below and let them know what you think-if you're having problems posting a comment I think you need to just click the link that says the amount of comments at the bottom? It isn't clear it's a link!):</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Haunted House<u></u><u></u><u></u></span></span></u></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Go away! This is my house! It has always been mine: the house I was born in, the house my parents left me, the house where I lost my child…the house that killed me with its vicious stairs. On second thoughts – come in, pretty lady: I’m ready for you.<u></u><u></u></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">(Entered for The Times Ghost Story in 50 Words competition, Oct 2012 by Bob Bishop)</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘The spirit in the bottle’</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Patricia Ford (Oct 2012)</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He woke and cursed the whiskey.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-32003374046063633772012-10-31T08:57:00.003-07:002012-10-31T08:57:41.072-07:00Alan Bennet, Dog Fleas and JazzIt is November the 1st and, as promised, here I am writing the monthly blog for The Walsham Penners.<br />
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The past few weeks have flown by in a haze, not unlike the fuzz experienced the morning after a 1940s, Pimms party many, many, years ago! (If you hate me and I'm not reading the signs, simply pour me a glass of this Satan's blood and I'll get the message!)<br />
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It is a pity however that this particular haze wasn't initiated through an overload of jazz, or the joviality of a social function-purely through the necessities of being a working mother, in a new job, who recently completed a form where she had to tick the next 'age-range' box along! It may relieve you to know, however, that as the wrinkles and girth of my thighs increases, so too does my cynicism! I do actually think I am the off-spring of Hilary, in Alan Bennett's <span style="color: blue;">'The Old Country', </span>a play I was fortunate to see at<span style="color: red;"> The Maddermartket Theatre</span> recently. (Nice lead in, Hayey, I hear you say!)<br />
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This, I'm shame-faced to say, is the first <span style="color: blue;">Alan Bennett</span> play I have ever seen, and WOW what an initiation. The days of The Cold War, defectors and double agents may be resigned to history and James Bond, but the issues of treachery and deception are ever relevant, whether on a global scale or in the close quarters of home! The debates that this play could give rise to are numerous: Englishness, the British social system/state, materialism, capitalism versus spiritual wealth, minimalism, family versus the individual....discussions too numerous to debate here, but any comments on these are most welcome! Anyway, I'd thoroughly recommend seeing this play if you get the chance, the bombasting, cynical wit and black humour was, quite frankly... 'right up my street'! I love you, Alan!<br />
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The month may have been fraught with snot, projectile vomit, paint sliding from my bathroom walls, and dog fleas, but it hasn't been entirely without success either! Two of our fabulous members recently entered the<span style="color: red;"> 'Norwich Theatre's Ghost Story Comp'</span> (both entries were brilliant!) and I'm ecstatic to announce that Bob came 2nd!!!!! This was his first short story entry, so huge congratulations to him!! I'm hoping that both Bob and Patsy will post their entries below for you all to enjoy. Comments greatly appreciated.<br />
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I made the huge mistake earlier this month of writing a short story for a competition entry (months in advance)waiting, and waiting, for the deadline to approach so that I could email my creation, only to find, 24 hours before closing, that it was postal entries only!!!!! Please don't fall into my trap and CHECK THE FINE PRINT!!! (Not quite sure why I waited??? Some befuddled logic I'm sure!!)<br />
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I'd like to sign off by warning you that we are working on our group anthology which will (hopefully) be published sometime in the new year! Yes, you may queue outside our meeting room to ensure you get a copy!<br />
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Please leave me some comments on anything I've said, or post here if there's anything you'd like to share-please...I'm so lonely!!!<br />
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H xxxx<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-58591764001298338122012-10-02T09:32:00.000-07:002012-10-02T09:32:49.034-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>The Impossible State</strong></div>
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Have just finished reading an intriguing book entiled The Impossible State by Victor Cha. Prior to reading this book, I knew next to nothing about North Korea apart from the usual media treatment of the country which inevitably portrays the country in a bad light.</div>
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Victor Cha is the former Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council. During his role as an adviser he spent some time in Pyongyang so is in a very good position to comment on that country. He treats the subject objectively giving us both the good and bad points. </div>
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Of course there are plenty of bad points, such as the political prisoners, low wages, and no real individual thought process. Everybody is expected to treat the leaders of the country ( the Kim Dynasty) with the utmost reverence. It is fair to say that who ever the leader is, is worshiped like a god.</div>
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Obviously the fact that North korea possess nuclear weapons makes it a state that other countries tread very carefuly around, and allows it to get away with it's digressions. Victor Cha argues that the only way to stop this cycle of threat and appeasement, is for unification of the two countries. A costly. but ultimeately necessary excercise. </div>
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Victor Cha states that given the oppertunity the Korean people would flourish , once the politics have gone. </div>
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I enjoyed reading the book, which gave a fascinating and objective view of a little known state.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661873939919615501noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-79932402015562125642012-09-29T11:19:00.003-07:002012-09-29T11:19:27.977-07:00Next blog date!Hi there,<br />
A short note-It's been a while-trapped between family life, attempting to get back into body combat-which resulted in a dubious walk and a very curious expression-a puppy who thinks that all socks and pants should be shredded, and starting a new job-which this week included a vile case of projectile vomiting on my classroom floor-I haven't had time to post properly!!<br />
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I'd love one of you to start posting, as I shall now only be posting on the first of every month! If one of you would thus like to post in the interim....<br />
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H xxxAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-25349421510515820232012-09-11T11:42:00.003-07:002012-09-11T11:42:52.892-07:00Blowing-up the world and Why I won't read Harry Potter!!This blog should, in theory, be written on a Sunday after planning for the school week is in hand, and the weekends hangover has dulled to a mere stagnant pond aroma on my breath...but, the days planning did not end well-and I found myself trying to blow-up the world at 8 o'clock; there must have been a puncture however, as every time the USA began to expand, it quickly shrivelled again! (I hear you cry...good??? ) Thus, out of puff and with the failure of my world, I went to bed. The evening did not get any better as I picked up The Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger-the book that makes bedtime a chore! Heralded as a classic, and on many 'banned lists', I expected to be blown away by this classic.However, I can only imagine that it's banned because it makes the reader feel violent. Holden is a male, cynical (is there any other) adolescent, who really needs a good slap. It's not that I can't sympathise with teenage angst and I've been a practising cynic for some time, but, the constant maudlin tone and repetition of the phrase 'To tell you the truth' has driven me insane night, after night. When Holden gets punched by the elevator/pimp I found myself thinking... hit him in the face! Last night I was so bored I began to re-arrange the letters of the title and author. The best I could come up with was <span style="color: magenta;">Hear the Thatcher Cry</span> and <span style="color: magenta;">The Cratch in the Eye</span>, both by <span style="color: magenta;">Gas Lingers</span> (clearly I had to omit a couple of letters here and there!)<br />
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Anyway, the reason I shouldn't have read it is because I'd been waiting to read it, it'd been sitting by my bed, and penned on my reading list for many moons...I'd been building it up far too high-it could never really live up to my expectations! Maybe I should read Harry Potter, I have no expectations.<br />
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Well, that's it...if anyone has anything to add I always want to hear it. Also, if anyone knows what a cratch might be please let me know!!!!<br />
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As a post this week-or a mail to me if you're shy, can you rework any other classic titles into something more...fitting????<br />
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Blackadder did Sense and Senility-I love the book but this title did make me laugh!!!!<br />
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Enjoy your week my pretties xAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-40235386969789434552012-09-02T10:17:00.001-07:002012-09-02T10:17:13.919-07:0050 Shades of the Social Spectrum and the Sunday ScribbleThought for the day...<br />
Is it just me, or should every invite to a family bash come with a health warning, ear plugs and plastic gloves?<br />
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I'm pondering the thought as I'm recovering from a weekend in Leicester, which included a surprise 60th bash for an aunt and a visit to...Beaumont Leys. For those of you unfamiliar with the spectacle - that is Beaumont Leys - it may help you to picture the scene if I give you the name of the area as it is known by the initiated....Beaumont Fleas. I have however, decided to rename it, as the post-title states, as...<span style="color: red;">50 shades of the Social Spectrum and Other Pond Life</span>.<br />
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I have never heard such colourful language spoken by parents (with so few teeth and questionable personal hygiene) to their children. The experience, in this out of town metropolis, reminded me why I hadn't visited for so long - in-fact the last time was when my girls were very small (and lacking in judgement); we went shopping, and swimming, at what was then a new and pretty funky leisure centre-it is now referred to as 'the baths'-I'm really not kidding! The very last time we paid to bathe with the locals, one child locked himself in a locker- his mother din't seem to care-and someone had left a well-worn pair of the pants in the shower. I hadn't realised it was a swap and drop centre-so many things could be picked-up for free!!! My visit this weekend has given me a renewed view of North Walsham!<br />
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Anyway, social rant and snobbery aside, I promised a spark for a quick write for those who would like to play...I've had a couple of witty emails that would make great reading for all, but it seems shyness stops these writers from posting here and I won't post without your permission - remember...If the 50 Shades of Grey author isn't embarrassed........No more than 100 words on the following :)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-45657839111870292992012-08-26T08:36:00.002-07:002012-08-26T08:42:33.890-07:00Voewood Festival and The Sunday Scribble<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDyvg3UUV7Qgr7-8KJYWfT3swX7divxNeVyGfWZLa5KSlEa0kR7ecYAUMjPwvo_5jkZ4wUNxKO6913MzfYF5gyghwDB8L71ks2jBCSKMgS42XQlwgyCDGg1upA8wmv5NrJcNgIy1aeIw3/s1600/house01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDyvg3UUV7Qgr7-8KJYWfT3swX7divxNeVyGfWZLa5KSlEa0kR7ecYAUMjPwvo_5jkZ4wUNxKO6913MzfYF5gyghwDB8L71ks2jBCSKMgS42XQlwgyCDGg1upA8wmv5NrJcNgIy1aeIw3/s200/house01.jpeg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If only I could afford <br />
to sleep in this bed!</td></tr>
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This weekend saw the second ever <a href="http://www.voewood.com/" target="_blank">Voewood</a> Festival in Kelling, Norfolk. It is lorded as The Arts Garden Party of the Year. Usually I need to rob my childrens' piggy banks to go to any social event-and I mean any-but happy chance found half-price tickets on the wonder that is Group-on, thus, I was at the festival on the opening night-</div>
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Friday. Although I had a sneaky peek at the house and grounds, on the 2nd wonder that is google, I wasn't quite prepared for how stunning the venue actually was. Feeling slightly out of place, lacking in vocab and plums in mouth, I headed straight for the Hendrick's tent-if the house doesn't blow your socks off the gin cocktails will (the price may also give you palpitations!) I felt like an aunts poor neice, but after managing to fit a 5 syllable word into conversation-without the use of the internet-and after 3 cocktails, I relaxed in the ambience that is Voewood. The chilled DJs in the Hendrick's bar, HMS Sweet Charity, who only play records found in thrift and charity shops (I was afraid Bananarama and, worse, Chesney Hawkes, may be infecting my ear drums!) played a great collection of sound tunes from many moons ago, some of which my Nanna would croon and swing too.</div>
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As this was the first evening there were, of course, a few hiccups-the veggie tapas selection was Gazpacho and dry bread-ER...yum? The garden expert was stuck in traffic, as was Kate Mosse-OO and John Hurt was apparently at Voewood, but we didn't see him because he fell off a wall during a party the evening before -sounds like a good night!-and the helpers/workers weren't sure where some events were happening-luckily it's a small venue so it would be hard to get too lost and the charm that oozes from the setting canels any hiccups out-the most amazing port-a-loos I ever seen were also a point of awe and wonder!</div>
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It may seem that we spent most of our time staring in amazement at the loos and drinking but we actually managed to see all of Kate Mosse's slot where she discussed her latest novel-she only finished editing it this week and read out the opening page to an awestruck audience-she also discussed 'labyrinth'-apparently Ridley Scott has just serialised this, and I believe Mr Hurt is part of the cast, however, I may have been in a gin haze and completely confused conversations so don't quote this!! I admit, I've never read Kate Mosse's work-shamefaced I am-but her focus on female heroines puts her on my pile of books to read!</div>
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The evening finished with a music set by <a href="http://www.britishseapower.co.uk/" target="_blank">British Sea Power</a>-my lovely pal Cindy(a committed fan-of BSP, not of me) knows me well and said I'd love them despite the amount of the foliage they'd strewn around the stage-she was spot on-rock and rolllll! They were absolutely amazing-fab tune after tune after tune-I am a new fan! The lead singer fell off of the stage and right on top of me and STILL carried on playing-now that is rock and roll! </div>
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The list of literary guests was mind-blowing and I'm sure the festival will grow and grow so get on the mailing list for next year and I'll see you...yes-in the gin tent!<br />
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Oh, and as of next Sunday the Sunday Scribble will begin-a spark will be on the blog and an invite to you all to write 100 words max relating to the spark-Go wild!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-1395005977236846812012-08-22T09:27:00.002-07:002012-08-22T09:27:41.591-07:00Voewood Festival this weekend...a good line-up-though my literary ignorance is shameful-Simon Armitage, Hanif Kureshi...Billy Bragg...get a ticket if you can and I'll meet you in the gin tent!!! Yes, there's a Hendrick's gin tent!!!!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-28996819200343639462012-08-20T08:37:00.000-07:002012-08-20T08:37:03.279-07:00Hi<br />
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Saw photos on my laptop looks very good.You were probably as hot there as we have been here over the past few days. after playing around with various bits and pieces I think I have worked out how to respond to a blog<br />
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All the best<br />
JohnAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661873939919615501noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5268333079115562093.post-53978809183702686042012-08-19T06:25:00.003-07:002012-08-20T00:18:05.071-07:00Blogging phobic no more!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm completely new to this blogging malarky but small children have advised me it's the thing to do!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess they're right, you're never too old to learn something new and, as time presses on-we never know how much sand is left in the timer-I've decided to embrace every new experience that comes my way!!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On my list of things to do, the top priority was to take-up skinny dipping, but I'm going with priority number 2, which is only slightly less offensive to the public...that is, to take my writing more seriously, stop dreaming about it, and actually do it...hence the formation of <a href="mailto:walshamwritersgroup@gmail.com" target="_blank">Walsham Writers' Group</a> based in the bootiful <a href="http://www.visitnorthnorfolk.com/" target="_blank">North Norfolk</a> countryside. We began meeting in April 2012 and we've quickly grown into a small, but very friendly, dedicated group of both published, and aspirational writers-the debate of when to call yourself a writer can be discussed here!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to the group I have begun to embrace the long-neglected reading of poetry-our first 'social' was to a poetry reading by Wendy Cope in Stalham. She was wonderful, sharp, witty and highly entertaining.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: justify;">As one new discovery leads to another...holidaying in Spain we came across a real gem of a town called Orihuela. Once you've passed the prostitutes on their red plastic chairs, the stunning turquoise lake, and the salinas, you'll find a small, sleepy little place nestled at the bottom of a hill; on top of which, sits an ancient monastery. This town was once the home of a poet-I confess I had no idea who he was, but faked the emotions, for the benefit of the kind lady at the tourist info, who attempted to impress me with the sights dedicated to this one, Miguel Hernandez! Sadly, everything, bar the library, was closed on this particular day-a phenomenon that seems to occur every time we drag ourselves into an inland Spanish town, through 40 degree sunshine, with 2 very agitated children!! However, the exterior of every museum, church and cathedral was absolutely stunning and well worth a trip again next year! The one attraction that had little choice but to entertain us, was the most stunning outside gallery. Huge murals have been painted by a collection of artists, writers, children, teachers...on the sides of houses, in an otherwise poor, shabby looking part of town. Stunning!! I've posted some pics above- but the photo that I really wanted was of a young, ragged boy climbing out of a ditch, full of rubbish, holding 2 pigeons in his arms. He was standing beside the picture of the dove above, which exemplifies freedom. I tried to get out my camera quickly to capture the moment, but the car began to roll backwards down the hill, my husband and children began shouting, and the boy skipped off laughing, his pigeons tucked safely under his arm!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've just been informed my blog is too long, so that's all for now!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please feel free to comment on any of the above, post work you'd like to share-be prepared for comments. I'd also like your short story recommendations-try this one, it's mind-blowingly fantastic,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'The Snow Goose' by Paul Galico.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09788313253928188492noreply@blogger.com4