☼ Jaffareadstoo is delighted to welcome you all to our Summer Picnic ☼
Pull up a deck chair, tie knots in your hanky and roll up your trouser legs!
☼ Summer time is here ☼
☼ I'm delighted to welcome author, Patricia M Osborne to our picnic ☼
What favourite foods are you bringing to our summer picnic?
Hi Jo, thanks for inviting me on the summer picnic. Hmm, let me think. What should I bring to the picnic? Well I think it will have to be avocado and hummus wraps with baby plum tomatoes and cucumber, vegetable spring rolls and samosas, cheese and onion crisps, twiglets, red Leicester cheese, chopped Galia melon and satsumas. I think that should do us.
Would you like chilled white wine, a flute of Prosecco, a tumbler of Pimms, or a tall glass of sparkling elderflower cordial?
Definitely a flute of Prosecco, please. I love Prosecco. But I’d like still water too.
Where shall we sit, by the pool, in the garden, in the countryside, at the seaside?
That’s a tricky one as I love being in the countryside where I can hear birdsong but then I love being down the seaside watching and listening to the waves and I love the idea of being by the pool. Let’s opt for the pool and pack our swimming costumes. That way I can jump in the water if I get too hot.
Do we have a wicker hamper, tablecloth and cutlery, or is everything in a supermarket carrier bag?
Well as I’m normally likely to have the supermarket carrier bag, I think I’d like the whole works. Wicker hamper, tablecloth and cutlery please.
Do you have favourite place to have a summer picnic?
Any National Trust property makes a fabulous place for a summer picnic. After walking around the vast grounds it is always a welcome rest to sit down and enjoy a picnic.
Which of your literary heroes are joining us on the picnic today?
Barbara Taylor Bradford can join us because my novels have been likened to hers by many readers, but I’d also like to invite my hero, Bernard Cornwell because his books always grip me from the first page. I particularly loved his The Last Kingdom series featuring Uhtred of Bebbenburg, and I’d better not forget an invitation for Margaret Atwood.
Which summer read are you bringing with you today?
Probably not what most readers would choose for a summer read but I’ve selected Bernard Cornwell’s Book 5 in the Last Kingdom series, The Burning Land. I can’t wait.
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| Harper Collins |
What is your earliest summer memory?
My mum taking me and my younger sister to Sefton Park in Liverpool to watch my elder sister perform in her school concert. I remember lots of chairs being set out ready for everyone to sit in front of the stage which I think must have been the bandstand. I was only about two or three at the time.
Do you have a favourite summer hideaway?
Not a hideaway as such, and not just in the summer, but my favourite place is my local lake which is within walking distance from home.
Do you have a summer music playlist for reading / writing? And if so will you share with us a favourite song or piece of music that makes you feel summery?
When I’m writing I like to listen to classical music and have one CD that I particularly love called ‘Smooth Classics.’ My favourite track is ‘The Lark Ascending’ (Vaughan Williams). If I’m out and about then I think I’ll choose Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ as it takes me back in time and I love to reminisce.
Do you find that your reading tastes differ between winter and summer?
No, not really. If it’s a good book then I’ll enjoy reading it outside in the garden in the summer, or tucked up in bed during wintertime.
Do you find it easier to write in the summer months or during the winter?
Again, the time of the year doesn’t make any difference to my writing. I don’t have a problem with writing anytime, it is usually more the case of fitting it in.
Would you like to tell us a little about your latest novel, or your current work in progress?
The Coal Miner’s Son has recently been released and is the second book in the ‘House of Grace’ trilogy where the reader steps back to the 60s. The story makes use of two narrators, nine-year-old George, and his estranged aunt Elizabeth.
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| The Coal Miner’s Son is the second book in the House of Grace trilogy. |
George is caught up in a web of treachery and deceit. He grows up believing his mother sold him and wants to make her pay. The reader follows George as he struggles with bereavement, rejection and a kidnapping that changes his life forever.
Older readers are able to enjoy reminiscing the retro while the younger generation love learning how things were back in that decade.
Patricia, where can we follow you on social media?
Twitter @PMOsborneWriter
Patricia M Osborne is married with grown-up children and grandchildren. She was born in Liverpool but now lives in West Sussex. In 2019 she graduated with an MA in Creative Writing (University of Brighton).
Patricia writes novels, poetry and short fiction, and has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. Her first poetry pamphlet ‘Taxus Baccata’ is to be published by Hedgehog Poetry Press in Spring 2020.
She has a successful blog at Patriciamosbornewriter.com where she features other writers and poets. When Patricia isn’t working on her own writing, she enjoys sharing her knowledge, acting as a mentor to fellow writers and as an online poetry tutor with Writers’ Bureau.
☼ Thank you for coming to our picnic ☼
Thank you for inviting me.
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#SummerPicnicwithJaffareadstoo
Thank you for having me, Jo. I enjoyed our picnic and chatting about summer reads.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being such a lovely guest. We enjoyed your company x
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