A new venture for me!

I've written a poem!  This is an entry for an Arts and Crafts competition for the Chesterfield Federation of Townswomen's Guilds. I know it doesn't really sound like an arty-crafty thing but one of the categories was to write a poem with the theme of summer. I decided to have a go, even though I've always said I'm rubbish at poetry but I thought I ought to wave the flag for our very small Guild. It's in free verse and I've always thought poems had to rhyme to be poems but it seems not. So what's to lose? At the very least, I'll get a point or so for our own Guild. And every little helps!

Last Monday, I gave a talk and a reading at a local women's group and it seemed to go well. The theme was 'The Monologues of Stanley Holloway', in which I give some background details about Stanley Holloway and how the monologues came into being. The monologues included 'The Lion and Albert' which is very popular. I think it's something to do with me having a Lancashire accent. In case anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about, it begins 'There's a famous seaside town called Blackpool' and is about a family visiting Blackpool zoo, where the little lad gets eaten by a lion called Wallace, who has a delicate stomach. It includes the lines, 'You'd have thought it were t'little lad's birthday, (Wallace) wished him such happy returns.' Any payment I receive for such talks, goes to a charity which operates in one of the South African townships.

Debut Novel Competition - and photo

Following a lead on a fellow writer's blog, Sally Jenkins' blog, in which she mentioned a Debut Novel Competition, I decided to submit Save The Last Dance For Me. There's no entrance fee (highly unusual!) so why not!

I've had a go at scanning the newspaper photo in but the result isn't good. Unfortunately, the newsprint from the reverse of the photo is showing through. Still I'll include it for anyone who's interested. I'm the one to the left of the photo with the dangly earring and large nose! (Thanks Dad!)

 As I said in my previous blog, it looks like Princess Anne and I are sat at the same table but in fact, we were on adjoining tables. Maggie Chilton is a member of a Chesterfield Guild and she is also a former National Chairman of the Townswomen's Guilds. If anyone reading this is interested in the organisation, perhaps with a view to joining, you might like to look at their website, Townswomen's Guild

Another disappointment - but in company with royalty!

Well, I heard back fairly quickly from the publisher I sent a synopsis and three chapters to of Save The Last Dance For Me. Unfortunately, they said no. However, one spark of hope was that this time it reached the commissioning editor for consideration. On to the next publisher on my list!

The disappointment was tempered quite well by the fact that my photograph appeared in our local weekly newspaper, the Derbyshire Times, and it looks like I am sitting at the same table as Princess Anne. In fact, we were at adjoining tables! It was also featured on the Derbyshire Times website. I would like to have posted the link but no doubt the web page will have changed by now. I'll have a go at scanning the pic in then adding it to a blog.

The other bit of news is that I have started on the redraft of my new novel. I need to get that done in the next few weeks in order to submit it to the Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers Scheme. Someone actually said to me 'Why bother writing another one when you haven't sold the first one yet?' The answer is simple, I can't not write! I always have to have some project or another on the go. And as long as I continue to enjoy writing, what harm is there? You never know, I could end up selling the first one on the back of the second one! One lives in eternal hope.