Birmingham Riots - The Aftermath

Birmingham City Centre post-riot wasn't the scene of devastation that I had expected. I had seen clips on the tv news of young people smashing windows in New Street, one of the main shopping thoroughfares of Birmingham, adjacent to the Bullring. Somehow I had expected every shop front to be smashed but only certain shops had been targeted. These included JD Sports, The Carphone Warehouse, both stores of H & M, Boots (I read that this was for the perfumes and aftershaves), a newsagents (perhaps for cigarettes?) and for some reason, Specsavers. This immediately led me to think that the Birmingham riot wasn't so much about rioting as looting. On Saturday, there was a heavy police presence and on huge video screens were cctv pictures of those who are still wanted for questioning. The city centre, though, seemed to be as busy as ever and the mood was convivial. Of course, I do not know what the scenes were like in Handsworth, they may well have been worse. And my deepest sympathies go to the families of the three young men who died defending their community.

 I had gone to Birmingham for a regional meeting of the Romantic Novelists' Association. There had been some email discussion beforehand as to whether the meeting should go ahead but most of us had decided to carry on as normal. There were eight of us and, as well as talking about our various writing projects,  we discussed having a presence on Facebook and Twitter, how important that is to get one's name 'out there', and the benefits of having a Kindle. The latter is not something I've given much thought to but having to hang about the city centre both before and after the meeting before I could catch my train home, I can see that it would be quite useful. As well as most of the books available for downloading being cheaper than paper books, it gives previously unpublished authors the opportunity to get one's masterpiece 'out there'. As the software to do this is free from Amazon, it's certainly something to think about for the future. (Are you listening, Santa Claus?)

Empty Nest Syndrome?

Been busy this last few weeks finishing my rewrite of my second novel, Bitter Sweet Fellowship. I've now sent it off to the New Writers' Scheme of the Romantic Novelists' Association for to be evaluated by an established author. Fingers crossed for a good report!

It's only been two days since I posted it but I feel like my youngest child has left home! I really miss my characters, not to mention the writing! I didn't feel like this when I finished Save The Last Dance For Me because I always planned Bitter Sweet Fellowship as a follow-on using a few of the more minor characters from Save The Last Dance For Me. The epilogue in the latter hints at the continuation of the story. Now, though, I feel lost. I'm sure I'll be ready to tackle something else soon. As I've said before, I can't not write .......

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.

A right royal occasion plus a sigh of relief!

I don't think I said in my profile, but another of my interests is the Townswomen's Guild (a bit like the Women's Institute but with an undeservedly lower profile). I am a member of our local Guild and although it is a small Guild, we are an active and friendly bunch. On Tuesday, 10 May, another TG member and I went to a national event held in Newark, Nottinghamshire. The theme of the day was 'Women of Vision' about how the movement had started soon after women got the vote. The morning session was presented by a semi-professional group who used  women's clothes of the period to demonstrate the transition from the Victorian suffragette to the thoroughly modern miss of the 1920's. It was both amusing and informative - and we loved the clothes! During the afternoon, various TG members presented their own favourite Women of Vision. These included Bess of Hardwick; Octavia Hill, founder of the National Trust; Sister Dora of Walsall (not Warsaw as it said in the press releases!) With us for the afternoon was our Patron, the Princess Royal, who said she had thoroughly enjoyed her time with us. For all of us, though, the highlight of the day was a personal introduction to Princess Anne! We were all organised in small groups with a leader who then introduced each member as Princess Anne came round to  each group. Everyone said how pleasant she was, no airs and graces, and very chatty. Read about the day here. Chatty Princess charms

My other snippet of news is that this last weekend, I finished the first draft of my follow-up novel, Bitter Sweet Fellowship! I shall leave it alone for a few weeks, using the time to catch up with a few jobs I've put off to complete the task. Then it will be down to a rewrite/edit. Just to finish the first draft gave me a lot of satisfaction though.

A senior moment? or sheer stupidity?

On Saturday, 14th May, I should have been going to Birmingham to meet up with fellow writers' from the Romantic Novelists' Association. Like everyone else, I'm being careful about money these days. According, I ordered my train tickets online in April. Imagine my horror when the tickets arrived and I found that I had ordered them for 12th May not the 14th! I am doing something else on the 12th which is why I got confused. I immediately rang up to ask if I could change them for the 14th but was told it would cost £10 a ticket (ie there and back) which would cost almost as much as buying new tickets. So, rather than incur more expense, I am not going. I'm most disappointed as it's always encouraging to chat to fellow writers. Is it any wonder I felt totally stupid?