First day of Spring....

Happy Spring 

My mother always said that her first glimpse of Coltsfoot (Tussilago Farfara) heralded the start of spring.

I spotted this pretty bunch yesterday.

Spring

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Nothing is so beautiful as spring—

  When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

  Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush             

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring       

The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;             

  The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush          

  The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush       

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.               

What is all this juice and all this joy?             

  A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning        

In Eden garden.—Have, get, before it cloy,

  Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,          

Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,             

  Most, O maid's child, thy choice and worthy the winning.

Although the tree branches are still bare

there's a lovely yellow carpet of celandines just peeping through

and the hint of catkins.

*~*~*

Review - Will by Christopher Rush

This imagined autobiography of the life of the eminent bard starts as William Shakespeare, on his death bed, attempts to exit this mortal coil by recounting his life story to his lawyer Francis Collins. Making sense of this enigmatic playwright’s life and times is no easy feat and the author has done a commendable job in fleshing out the details of Shakespeare’s life from his early childhood in Stratford, through to adulthood amongst the glittering court world of Elizabethan politics and Jacobean skulduggery.

There is no doubt that the author has done his research extremely well and has unearthed snippets of Shakespeare’s life which shows that the bard lived a colourful and extremely lively existence. There are some lovely descriptive accounts of both Elizabethan and Jacobean England when the glittering prose really does leap off the page and by leaving nothing to the imagination the sights, sounds and smells of the era really do come gloriously alive.

There is a compelling lyricism to the narrative which is rather poetic and it certainly has more than enough historical content, in fact, there were times when I forgot that the book was a novel as it is presented more like a non-fiction account and some of the lovely literary prose is achingly reminiscent of some of Shakespeare’s own writings.

I’m not sure that this book will appeal to reading groups per se unless they have a real interest in complex historical content. My view is that this book stands rather as a multifaceted personal read and more as one to be savoured slowly rather than read at full speed.

My thanks to newbooks  for my review copy of this book

*~*~*

Shakespeare Week

17- 23 March 2014

Sunday WW1 Poem....

Sara Teasdale

1884 - 1933

Sara Teasdale was an American lyrical poet. She was born Sara Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri, and after her marriage in 1914 she went by the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger.

There Will Come Soft Rains

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,

And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,

And wild plum trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire,

Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one

Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,

If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn

Would scarcely know that we were gone.

This poem imagines nature reclaiming a battlefield after the fighting is finished.

I think it's rather lovely.

*~*~*

Review ~ Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young

Penguin Books
January 2014

One simple lesson in seduction between two friends can turn into so much more… 

Before Jamaica Lane sees the friends-to-lovers story of Olivia Holloway and Nate Sawyer. Olivia beautiful but emotionally insecure needs the charismatic Nate to give her the sexual confidence she feels she needs in order to pursue her own relationships, but of course the sizzling chemistry between the two of them reaches boiling point very quickly. What then follows is a steamy story with some soul searching about past life events both of which threaten to engulf this lovely young couple. The other characters which have featured in the previous two books give their usual supporting role but this book is really all about Nate and Olivia.

I feel rather like I have come a bit too late to the party with this series of books as this is now the third in the successful On Dublin Street series of steamy romances which take place in Edinburgh. This is the second book which I have read and reviewed for the publisher and whilst I have enjoyed the way in which the author manipulates the characters and blends sweet romance nicely with erotica I do feel that I have lost something by reading the stories in a disjointed way.

All I'm saying is that this series is best enjoyed from the beginning and I am sure that Samantha Young's legions of fans will devour Before Jamaica Lane in one sitting.

My thanks to Penguin for my review copy of this book.

*~*~*

The Author in my spotlight is ...Wendy Unsworth

I am delighted to welcome

Wendy Unsworth

Author of 

The Palaver Tree

Berriwood Book 1
2012

What can you tell us about The Palaver Tree that won’t give too much away? 

The Palaver Tree is about four women, each very different from the other, whose lives are drawn together by the schemes and desires of one man. 

Ellie Hathaway has lived her life putting the needs of others before herself and so, when she takes a teaching post in a poor African country, it is as a volunteer and for the good of the children. But once she is settled into the school, Ellie begins to realise that headmaster, Gabriel Cole, is not the guardian angel he professes to be and that she is far from the only one to have been taken in by him. Finally her focus changes, she knows she must do something, but what?

I am always fascinated by ( and in awe of) the real-life tenacity of the human spirit, how much inner strength people can muster when they find themselves in very difficult, even terrible, situations. In my fiction, I like to test my characters and see where they will go when the chips are down!

You have set this book in Cornwall and Africa - how important is location to your story?

Location is key to the story. Ellie's origins are in the sleepy, Cornish village of Berriwood. She is a product of the upbringing that imposed on her a sheltered, even restricted, life of duty, looking after her widowed mother. I wanted to take her completely out of that rural comfort-zone to give her the experience of adventure. Africa is a place of stark contrasts where Ellie's decisions become increasingly vital to the survival of herself and those she holds dear.

The book world is very competitive – how do you get your book noticed?

Getting your book noticed is a huge and constantly evolving task. It's about tenacity because you have to just keep going with it, finding what works for you and what doesn't.  It's also about careful refining of the work balance so that writing time, the very thing that most writers never have enough of, is not compromised. 

Book bloggers are a great help, many willing to try new and self-published authors. It's a case of telling everyone you can think of about your work -which often doesn't come naturally to writers!

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

This is probably not sound financial advice but, I would say, forget everything else,( and by that I mean all the marketing razzmatazz), get lost in your creativity and see your book through to the end. Savvy author/marketeers will probably be appalled at that advice but it is what I would give from a very personal viewpoint 

Many authors, like myself, take years to complete their first book. For most of us it is hard in our busy lives to find solitude for writing. So I would say, give that precious time wholly to creating your book. Complete that ambition and when you do, celebrate it before you move on to telling the world! It may be a blinkered view but the writing process is long and complex and, only with the first book, can it be enjoyed by the author in total and blissful isolation! 

Have you always wanted to be a writer? 

Quite simply yes. And more than that I have always been a writer, though of things like diaries and short stories, a little poetry, even lists, I am an avid list maker!

                 

When do you find the time to write, and do you have a favourite place to do your writing?

Now that I am writing full time I find I have to split the day to keep sane! I write mostly in the morning as I'm just more creative and able to totally focus first thing. Afternoon is for all the non-writing activities in my life but if I'm alone and what I'm doing doesn't involve too much concentration I will think-write at the same time and maybe jot down a few notes.

Early evening is for social media, interviews, marketing  and general contact with the outside world! 

If I'm awake enough later to burn a little midnight oil I may re-read what I have written that day to see how it sounds, otherwise that is the first job the following day.

Can you tell us if you have another novel planned?

The second novel in the 'Berriwood' series is due out on 15th June 2014. This is the story of the village postmistress, Beryl Carroll. It's a mystery with a creepy twist. 

Beryl's husband, Gordon, inherits a house on the edge of the village. 'Beneathwood' is one of the oldest houses in the area and has been in his family for several generations. He and Beryl are as delighted as they are surprised to be the new owners. 

But the Carroll's daughter, Olivia, is not at all happy. She hated the old place long before she found Auntie Edith lying in the kitchen... smouldering. She thinks the sensible thing would be to sell Beneathwood and buy one of the new-builds on the prestigious Oak Dene Estate. 

Then an accident happens and the Carroll's move in much sooner than planned! 

I also write for children and have two new books in my 'Come-alive Cottage' series planned for this year so it's all go! 

**** The Palaver Tree is currently on promotion with Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk 

10th - 31st March ****

Wendy ~ thank you so much for taking part in this author spotlight and for sharing your love of writing with us. Jaffa and I wish you much success and look forward to the continuation of the Berriwood series.

*~*~*

My Thoughts on The Palaver Tree

This beautifully written story looks at the dynamics of relationships both personal and private and explores what happens when the world around us becomes tainted with corruption, greed and betrayal. By opening the story in a cosy Cornish village we are lulled into comfortable domesticity but tragedy is about to strike at the very heart of the community and for Ellie Hathaway life will never be the same again. Ellie’s search for a new start will take her thousands of miles from her home village to the political melting pot of central Africa, where she takes up a teaching post run by the charitable Hope Foundation and the enigmatic Gabriel Cole.

 What then follows is a tense and action packed story which sees the intertwining of lives all touched in some way by Gabriel Cole’s inscrutable power. The author has an impeccable way of drawing together all the different strands of the story, from the warm and comfy cosiness of Cornwall, to the majestic beauty of Africa, time and place is captured perfectly and she succeeds in creating a finely drawn portrayal of what happens when greed and dishonesty are allowed to take centre stage.

I enjoyed it and look forward with interest to the continuation of the Berriwood series.

Recommended read.

***

The author in my spotlight...... is N J Alexander

I am delighted to welcome

N J Alexander

Author of

What was your inspiration for Past Present Future?

I pretty much lived through most of what happened in the novel, minus a few twists and turns. I will say that there is a very fine line separating the main narrator Nicole and myself, although she is ultimately braver and far less submissive to authority than me.

The events definitely felt like they were unfolding like a book and I could see that Facebook was drawing so many of us in for better or worse that it would make a good topical platform for a novel. But let’s just say I walked away with a novel and Nicole, well – you’ll have to read the book.



What can you tell us about the story that won't give too much away?

It is based around Facebook, a classic novel called Simon Dale written in 1898 and a string of extraordinary coincidences that send Nicole’s sanity spiralling. She lusts after a man on her Facebook who is out of her reach but who sends her hidden messages via his status updates. At the same time her long-term partner, Richard, receives sinister text messages from an anonymous source. Nicole’s dangerous desire is fuelled by the financial chaos triggered by the credit crunch that causes her to reach for the ‘what-if’ man from her past.



This is your first novel, how much of a challenge was it to get your work finished and published?

I knew when I set out to write the story in 2009 that it was going to be a challenge. There are so many blogs out there quoting the misery of less than 1 per cent of novels ever getting published via the traditional route and that the author’s hard work generally ends up in an agent’s slush pile. But I was so convinced I had a story worth telling that I was determined to rise to the challenge even though I needed to learn how to write an actual novel. I would guess that with all the writing, re-writing and editing, I must have written around five hundred thousand words to end up with a hundred thousand-word book. At one point I was advised to switch from present tense to past tense, and that meant re-working every single sentence, but it was that task that gave me the inspiration for the title. But even when I thought I’d finished the final draft and was lucky enough to engage the interest of one of the UKs leading agencies, the agent there wanted more twists and turns and to push up Nicole’s paranoia. So once again I had to re-work it and weave new bits in. But then after all that work the agent said that it still wasn't menacing enough for her. She wanted it to compete with SJ Watson’s Before I go to sleep. The mere fact that she was even reading my manuscript with this book in mind was unbelievable and was enough to boost my confidence as a writer. But I think we were trying to turn the story into something that it wasn't and I really wasn't comfortable with some of the changes because they were sitting within a book that contained so much truth. After the agent dropped it, I stripped some of the things back (more work), but kept the changes that I thought enhanced it. The agent’s input really did improve the pace in the first five chapters, so I was really grateful for all her help even though it ended painfully.


Fortunately I had already been offered a contract direct with a publisher. It came through the same week that the agent had asked to read my full manuscript. I stalled the contract offer, to see how things would go with the agent, so after it was ultimately rejected, I took up the contract.



The book world is very competitive - how do you get your story noticed?

I’m still living and learning with this one. I was well aware that the story had a strong journalistic angle right from the start and after sounding out several journalists, I eventually got good national coverage leading up to the novel’s release. It was probably a little too good – at one point my mum turned on the TV and I was the topic of conversation on ITV’s Loose Women. I still break out in a sweat even thinking about that one!


I also have a website: pastpresentfuture-novel.com as well as a blog, so I’ve been busy with SEO to try and drive readers to the site based on keyword searches.

Finding reviewers has been far more difficult as those good enough to give their time to read new books are swamped. So as a new author I have been so grateful to every blogger/book reviewer who has been kind enough to take on my book.


I can say without question that I’ve had more doors slammed in my face than opened, but I just keep on knocking. I suppose if I was to give myself tips for a PR campaign based on experience then I would say:



1.) Start looking for potential reviewers at least three months before release. (I was a bit late moving with this.)

2.) Seek media coverage – as in articles – by making contact with journalists who have good links with the national press. But keep the coverage as close to release as possible. (I peaked dramatically, but six months too early.)

3.) Have more than one novel in the pipeline. If it weren’t for the fact I wanted to be one of the first to explore Facebook, I would have delayed this one until I had at least two ready to go.

4.) Build up good social networks with readers and authors. I’m trying my best with this one but had such a nasty experience with social networking that I do find it difficult. But if you’re a reader or writer on Twitter, then please follow me – I follow back J



Can you tell us if you have another novel planned?

‘Planned’ is definitely the key word here. I’m still at the research stage, as I am having to fit it in around rather a lot of commitments at the moment. But what I can say is that the story involves an insurance policy and a crime and will be entirely based on fiction – it’s far less restricting.

Nicola ~ Thanks so much for taking time to share your novel with us and for giving such a fascinating insight into the writing process.

Jaffa and I wish you much success.

*~*~*

Mt thoughts on Past Present Future

I was taken by surprise by this book. Not only because it was based on events which happened in the author’s life but also because it brought to my attention the sinister and often overlooked aspects of social media. Once I started to read Nicole’s version of events I became totally involved in the story and even though the instability of Nicole’s role as narrator often left me with more questions than answers, I was so intrigued by way in which the story evolved; I couldn't help but read the book quickly.

I think we are all aware that whilst social media has potential for great good, it also has an equal potential for great harm. This story acts a salutary warning about the way in which we conduct our personal and very private life and how we sometimes share our innermost thoughts and feelings with people we know very little about in real life.

I've always had a healthy respect for the role of social media in my life but after reading Past Present Future I certainly view Facebook in a whole new light.

*~*~*

Sunday War Poets...

Alice Corbin Henderson

(1881 - 1949)

FALLEN

He was wounded and he fell in the midst of hoarse shouting.

The tide passed, and the waves came and whispered about his ankles.

Far off he heard a cock crow — children laughing,

Rising at dawn to greet the storm of petals

Shaken from apple-boughs; he heard them cry,

And turned again to find the breast of her,

And sank confusèd with a little sigh…

Thereafter water running, and a voice

That seemed to stir and flutter through the trenches

And set dead lips to talking…

Wreckage was mingled with the storm of petals…

He felt her near him, and the weight dropped off –

Suddenly…

Alice Corbin was an American poet, author and  poetry editor. Despite not being directly involved in the war she was moved to write this war inspired poem in 1917.

~*~*~