Words of the Week – A Quote…
The Good and the Bad
Journal Jottings - 3750 ++ words for Flying Angels
750 words for Winkers Abroad *see note below
Short Stories - 1 submitted for Writers News Competition
1 drafted
Queries and Pitches - Consolidation this month
Articles Articulated - 1 to
Rejections Received - 0
Time-wasting activity level - 5/10
No, it’s not my success, unfortunately. I can now claim that I know a published author (not that I’m one for hanging on to shirt tails). This author has worked hard to make it happen and for me is the ideal role model for inspiration. Like me, she is not in the first flush of youth, she has not previously been a celebrity and she has children, husband, a ‘proper’ job and finds the time to tend to a vegetable allotment! Her name is Pam Burks and just to make it more difficult she co-wrote her first novel with her sister, Lorraine. They write as Ellie Campbell and have a fantastic website.
The novel How to Survive Your Sisters is published by Arrow books and was released by Amazon at the end of July. I have two copies as I pre-ordered one and my darling sister (through whom I was introduced to Pam) ordered me a copy. My sister, I can claim, even went to the launch in Kensington. So there you go - my one and possibly only claim to fame in a very convoluted unconnected manner. I must admit that I have only met Pam a couple of times and have exchanged the odd emails. However, her last email is the source of my renewed vigour for writing, so thank you Pam.
No News is Good News?
I am awaiting the news of two things this week, the impending birth of a second grandchild for our dearest friends and the results of a brain operation for another. My thoughts are winging their way across the channel.
In light of the wonderful weather we have here in rural Italy and pending family visits, I have decided that I will dedicate most of the month of August to my novel in the making. I have refined my synopsis and have an, albeit a rough one, idea of the scenes and flow. I have also mapped out the male antagonist, who has been, shall we say, rather elusive.
In addition, my Man Friday and I have started to map out another novel. This one is entirely different. Flying Angels is a historical novel with a sprinkling of romance. Winkers Abroad (*a working title and whose origins may or may not be disclosed) is a much lighter, humorous novel, which will be based on our experiences of coming to live over here. Again, I must pay tribute to Pam who planted the seeds of ideas which has brought us to this point and to my Man Friday, who writes our blog La Buona Vita and has a rich way of making something greatly amusing.
I’ve not had any feedback on the short stories submitted which I tell myself is good news. However, I find it difficult to leave my words sitting in some empty space somewhere, which lets face it, could be a very large receptacle for rubbish.
Bedside Table
Well, I finished Living Dangerously by Katie Fforde. This is a fantastic tale about a single woman who believes she is committed to a solitary life of independence and an older man who challenges that belief. Fforde writes with a light touch and a lot of observational humour about people and their prejudices and actions and I would definitely put this on my ‘read again’ list. I’m not sure on your stance about reading a book again, but I find it an enriching experience as I always pick up something that I didn’t first time round.
I am now reading The First Casualty by Ben Elton, which is dedicated to his grandfathers who fought on opposite sides in World War 1. This is a much more serious book and kind of counts as research for my novel. So far it has been gripping and has provided an insight into the beliefs then, which today would be viewed as more than just ‘odd’. I’ve not read any of Ben Elton before and I was worried that it might be delivered like his comedy, which is great on screen. However, so far, I’ve found his style very sympathetic and easy to get on with.
Post Script
I plan to keep up my blog during the crazy, hazy month of August (I note with a slight smirk, that the
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