Pocket Novel Progress

What an amazing summer we've had. I know, I know. It's been TOO hot. But usually we are all moaning about it being cold and rainy. We had a good downpour last night, which was long overdue.

I hope you are well and enjoying the book you're reading, the series and movies you are watching and, if you write, whatever you are writing. Season 4 of Ted Lasso has just dropped so I, and many others, are extremely excited about that! I have so much on my 'to be read' and 'to be watched' list, as well as my cinema trips at least once a week, I need a parallel life to fit it in with the 'normal' stuff that we all have to do.

The new The People's Friend Annual 2027 is published on 10th August and I have seen on Amazon that I have two stories in it this year. I was only expecting one so that was a great surprise. Both titles have been changed and I am guessing the first one is my Easter tale, but I can't work out what the second one is about from their title. Only a few days and I'll find out, I guess...

I've been ploughing on with what I hope is my next pocket novel, set in 1933, involving a romance and a small mystery. I reached the halfway point just before I went on holiday on July 11th and so I decided to edit that first half when I came back, before continuing the second half of the story. I now have two pages left to edit and then I can progress. It's a nice thought, to have already sorted out half of it. At least I will only have to deep-edit the last part when I've finished. Of course, the whole thing will need a proofread, and there will undoubtedly be the odd thing to change, but the sentences have been tidied and meanings clarified. Yay!

I've just finished reading a book by a very talented friend, Eirin Thompson. If you like suspense, you'll love 'I Know I Saw Her'. I'd have read it in a sitting if I hadn't had so many other things to do. It was gripping and I am really looking forward to reading another of her novels 'Closing In'. 

In the meantime, I'm listening to book 5 in James Runcie's Granchester series.

 It is very concerning because I am near the end and then there is only one more left to read. This is not good news and makes me not want to even start book 6 because then the only option is to start all over again, or feel bereft.

I'm in the log cabin with Leia and it's getting pretty chilly now. Despite the heatwave that is barely over, there's a definite autumnal feel to most evenings now. I will say goodbye and we will go inside. She has noticed something in one of the fields that has drawn her attention.

PS The fields behind us are not supposed to look golden in the late evening sunshine, but they do. 

A busy month

 Hi all,

I hope this find you well and able to enjoy the lovely summer weather (when it's not burning our butts off😬). I love the long evenings sooooo much, but can't believe that the longest day has already passed.

I'm off on a week's cruise to Norway soon, with eldest daughter and grandsons, which is a first! Very exciting! Usually, on board, I get quite a lot of writing done during seadays, but this is going to be a very different holiday. I am in turmoil, trying to decide whether or not I can actually leave my laptop at home. Mostly I want to leave it due to having to carry it in my rucksack back to the car park (20 mins walk from port) and I am also thinking that it may enable me to just chill with a book without feeling guilty. The big issue is, I am 15,000 + words into my next novel (working title 'The Art of Romance') and losing momentum is massive for me. If I miss a day or two, I tend to think that the story is total garbage and not worth continuing with. I will have to find a way to ensure I pick up where I left off when I get back...

On Wednesday, a story I wrote a couple of years ago, inspired by a trip to Selsey to see my sister, came out in The People's Friend Special. I do hope that my, and my colleagues', days as a short-fiction writer aren't numbered. One of the major magazine publishers (not DC Thomson, who I write for) has turned to using AI for some of their stories. Really bad news, and it is the reason why The Society of Authors is fighting so hard to limit AI powers and stop it from stealing our work. This happens constantly, of course. It will be interesting to see what readers think of the change.

In addition, the Linford Romance Large Print edition of 'A Match Made in Heaven' went into libraries on 30th June 2026, so if you fancy a read for free, you know where to find it. If it's not in your local branch, you can order it in.

Alongside this, I was thrilled that Ulverscroft have now also taken on 'All The King's Horses' for large print. I think they said that it would come out early in the New Year.

I haven't entered a writing competition for a long time (lack of time, more than any other reason), but I did enter one to help raise money for the Cats Protection earlier in the year. It didn't get anywhere so, rather than waste it, I thought I'd do some work on it. It wasn't light-years away from a PF-style story which meant that there wasn't too much to do and I submitted it last week. I'll have a long wait for an answer as the story is set in late September. Too late to be considered for publication this year but the bonus is that I may hear something next year. Fingers crossed. I've waited up to four years in the past for a sale on a story. No problem with that. Just forget it and knock out the next one.

I'm about to sign off but I thought I'd linked my Goodreads book reviews to this blog. I will fiddle around and see if I can add it to the sidebar.

Have an amazing summer, happy reading and here's a thought to end with from the writer of what I consider the greatest book on writing (On Writing) ever written...

"When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done." 

- Stephen King

Julie.

Life's Short

 Hi all,

I hope you are enjoying the warmer weather (well, it WAS, but today is a bit nippy!). I've just got home from Pilates. Every week I think urrrrghh but come out feeling a hundred times better than when I went in. I do have chronic trochanteric bursitis though and we did a LOT of hip work today, so the next few nights are going to be interesting trying to sleep. Hey ho. It's worth it.

My news is that I have finally got my website up and running. That has been some process, I can tell you. I went from the idea of creating a website being like trying to read a Greek manuscript, to actually doing it, including adjusting the mobile option, which I didn't know you could do. If you fancy taking a look, it would make the effort worthwhile. You can find it at juliegoodall.co.uk.

Life has been a bit all over the place recently with some awful family news. I am trying to keep on track a bit, even if not quite as productively as I might be, but there are things that are far more important. I have to confess to feeling pretty useless. It puts everything into perspective and the emotions are pretty sharp.

So, I will move onto things that I CAN control (or things I THINK I can control...). As I said, I've mostly been working on my website, but also doing a lot of admin stuff, plus I sent in a short story to The People's Friend recently. Last week, 'Bundles of Joy' came out and I had a lovely email saying how much it had taken this person back to her time in hospital giving birth decades ago. There was a specific memory that it prompted and I felt very privileged to hear it.

That has got to be the best thing about writing.

I am also still rewriting 'Secret Santa' and am nearly 4/5 of the way through so I am getting there very slowly. I am rewriting pretty much every sentence so it is infinitely slower than when I first wrote it. There are also a few tweaks I want to make along the way but, again, I will get there eventually. I have three novels plotted out so I have to decide what to work on next. The cowboy/horsey ones or the clergy/mystery set in 1932? I don't know. I don't think I will go back to my gothic novel yet as that is a huge undertaking and I think I need to do something fresh first before revisiting something I started. I'm 88,000 words into that.

As I've been writing this, I've had some welcome good news. Our closest friends' son and his partner became parents this morning! That is indeed something to celebrate. Looks like a trip to Suffolk is on the cards...😊 

Finally, as Steven Pressfield said, whatever you want to do: "Start before you’re ready."

I don't think we ever feel ready for anything much so, whatever you fancy doing, dive right in and do it. We all know that life is too short to delay.

Enjoy!

Julie x

Bodies, mysteries and space

A big hello to everyone! I am back on dry land after a wonderful thirteen nights away to warmer climes (well, for the first five days or so). There were a lot of sea days so I managed to get 72 pages of Secret Santa rewritten. I'm now over halfway so I WILL get there eventually. There is always something that crops up and gets in the way, but I will plough on regardless. I desperately want to upload it to Amazon to replace the first edition, which was a big rush job and basically a first draft. I have been deleting whole paragraphs all over the place. I think it will end up a bit shorter! lol

I read two books on holiday and two thirds of another one. First of all...

Miss Blaine's Prefect is by Olga Wojtas, a woman I studied alongside for a couple of modules when I did my OU degree. She is an incredibly talented writer and extremely smart! This definitely comes across in her writing, as does her humour. It is hard to categorise this novel into a specific genre. It is a mystery/time-hop/gentle comedy, and so much more. There are four in the series so far, so if you love it, it doesn't have to stop there! https://amzn.eu/d/0bFK1oFf

I bought A Body at the Altar because I fancied reading a light cozy crime/mystery. Again, I had no idea how much I would enjoy this. It was a nice, easy, light read, and a great plot. It is also part of a series (7 books, I think). This was book 4 so I've bought Book 1 for when I fancy reading another one. https://amzn.eu/d/0dLixh9j

I'm sure you can guess why I ordered this! Jon read it too and finished it before I did, but then I did read the other two books at the same time (This one was on Audible so I listened when walking around the ship or out on deck.) I was a bit unsure about it in some ways as I'm not a huge sci-fi fan. There is also a lot of science and maths in it, but Andy Weir writes in such a way as to make it fascinating. He is quite obviously a total genius. It was narrated by Ray Porter. Suffice to say I will look out other books that he has narrated. https://amzn.eu/d/0dVBTqpl And, yes, the movie was brilliant. I had no idea how they had managed to adapt it to screen but they did an incredible job.

On the home front, I sold a story last week and sent in two new ones. I also sent in two Christmas stories just before I went on holiday, so fingers crossed. One story went straight through to the main fiction editor which doesn't often happen that quickly. Encouraging!

I'm still rewriting Secret Santa (it's taking SO long) but yesterday I sent A Match Made in Heaven to Spotify to be considered for their audible books. I will do the same for All The King's Horses and Sandy Stables. It seems they expect the writers to have a website so that has given me the impetus to finish the one I started setting up a couple of months ago. It is not my forte so a bit overwhelming.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the start of the longer evenings. Please do comment your thoughts if you feel so inclined.

Today's thought...

'Civilization begins when everyone eats. Democracy begins when everyone reads.'

Willy Thorn

'Books are a uniquely portable magic'

 I've been having a lovely time recently reading Margret Geraghty's serial 'Mending Fences' in recent The People's Friend weekly magazine. It's horse-themed so right up my street and I love her writing. You can get subscription offers on Readly to get back issues of so many magazines (no, I'm not sponsored, lol - I do use Readly, and I have a printed subscription of TPF as well). Highly recommended. You can also read the People's Friend Pocket Novels on Readly. I think they include some newspapers now, too.

Also, if you are a budding writer, or even a seasoned one who fancies some inspiration, Margret has written a couple of books called 'The Five-Minute Writer' and 'More Five-Minute Writing'. You'll never be lost for inspiration again. See link Amazon.com: Margret Geraghty: books, biography, latest update

I've also been reading 'Lost in the Outback' by Alan C Williams. It's great to be lost Down Under and get away from reality. Even better to learn that he has just had a serial published so it won't be over when it's over! Amazon.co.uk: Alan C. Williams: books, biography, latest update

It's been hard to concentrate lately as I'm sure everyone has been finding. It would be possible to scroll through the news reels all day and I'm having to make sure I stay on track with other input and output! At the moment, we're watching Season 2 of The Night Manager.  It took longer than the first season to draw us in, but now that we have reached and watched episode 4, it has gripped us.  I also discovered, by accident, that I somehow hadn't watched the final episode of this season's Call The Midwife so I still have that to look forward to. I can't wait, although I have a strong suspicion that it I am going to need a whole box of tissues. On a normal episode, I probably get through two or three (tissues, not boxes😀).

I'm still ploughing through the edit/rewrite of the stories for my book Kaleidoscope. It is taking longer than I had anticipated, but everything seems to so I guess I just generally underestimate everything in life.

I'm also still fiddling about trying to decide on a website builder. Might get that done before 2027...

I hope you are enjoying everything you are reading, writing or watching. 

• “Books are a uniquely portable magic.” — Stephen King

So true! And now, with ebooks, they are more portable than ever. 

Imagine life without books 😧

 

Two paperbacks out now

 Hi to all my fellow readers and writers out there. Today I really felt as if Spring is on its way. The sun was out and at times it was actually warm. It certainly lifts the spirits.

It feels like I have been working on preparing my two books for publication for months, but I have certainly learned a lot and will be much wiser next time around. I am now working on a book of short stories, which will also contained 'Sandy Stables', which was a serial and is now a short novella. In the meantime, A Match Made in Heaven and All The King's Horses are now on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and about to be on Amazon in paperback any day now. If you read them, I hope you enjoy them.

All The King's Horses eBook : Goodall, Julie: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

A Match Made In Heaven eBook : Goodall, Julie: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

The links will also lead to the paperbacks.

I was happy to have a Valentine's Day story out in the People's Friend weekly on 14th Feb.  It was nice to be in the weekly as I seem to have had most of my stories in the Specials for ages. It will be due to the length of the stories, which has made me realise which length stories I must automatically prefer writing!

For a while, I've been making notes and mulling over an idea for another novel - possibly a pocket novel for The People's Friend. Two nights ago, very inconveniently, I woke up suddenly at 5am with the first few lines of the novel in my head and a whole first scene. This never happens that way so of course I had to get my phone and write it down in notes. Then I just kept writing the whole scene and one and a half hours later I had to put the phone down and pick up my kindle to try and calm my brain down. However, I can't really do anything else with it just yet as I'm editing/rewriting short stories to put in my books of short stories.

Ruth and I went to see 'Crime 101' this evening. It was excellent and we both really liked the ending. Mark Ruffalo was in it - one of my favourite actors. And Chris Hemsworth. A lot of well-known actors actually.

It's getting late and I need to start thinking about creating a website, but maybe not tonight as I've just seen it's 11.29pm (eek).

Night everyone. Happy reading, whatever you're reading right now. Sleep well.

A Match Made in Heaven on Amazon Kindle/Kindle Unlimited

 Hi everyone. I hope you are all doing well, despite the world around us going somewhat downhill.

It seems to me the perfect time to lose ourselves in books. I am reading a writer friend's book right now, which is set in Australia. It's by Jill Barry, who is very prolific. Wonderful to escape down under😍

Today's fabulous news is that 'A Match Made in Heaven' is now available on Amazon Kindle (£2.49) and Kindle Unlimited under the publisher Rywood Books. I'm obviously thrilled.

Some more good news is that I signed with Ulverscroft last week, so 'A Match...' will also be in libraries in large print format on July 1st 2026. This will be the Pocket Novel version that came out under the publisher D C Thomson.

I'll update when it is available in paperback on Amazon too.

I have a Valentine's Day story in The People's Friend weekly magazine next week and will add that when it's out. In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to seeing 'Wuthering Heights' at the cinema next week. I saw 'Is This Thing On?' on Tuesday...the movie based on John Bishop's marriage...which was excellent. Surprising that they didn't use 'John' as the main character but used a fictional character instead, but perhaps the American audience isn't that aware of him?

Bearing in mind all the happenings across the pond, I decided to have a bash at listening to the 'The Handmaids Tale' on audiobook. I only started it today on a dog walk so it'll be a while before I get through the first book. This was initiated by listening to Margaret Atwood on Desert Island Discs.

A week ago, I was down The Bull in Ilchester listening to Grey Wolves, a local(ish) band. They did a set in our garden for my 60th birthday party in the summer and were amazing. It was a great night and I got home very late/early😬.

I hope you are all OK out there. Let me know any book recommendations in the comments. I love hearing what people are reading.

Multiple projects

 Happy New Year everyone! It is COLD today so I hope you are keeping warm.

I hope that you had a good Christmas as well with lots of love and laughter. Ours was great, with lots of fun and plenty of games, and I always feel lucky to be able to celebrate with the family as it wasn't always possible for a number of years.

I'd intended to take a break from writing between Christmas and New Year but the universe had other ideas. I ended up writing two Christmas stories which I will have to store on file until April as I can't submit them before then. I also had an idea for another one, sparked by our neighbour's cat going missing, and was about to write it when I saw an advert for a competition for stories involving cats! The universe was yet again intervening so, although I haven't entered a competition for a few years, I wrote it according to the desired length. Again, it has to be shelved, but not for long. I can submit it on 20th January.

I saw a new PF Special magazine out just before Christmas and scrolled through to see which of my writer friends were in it. Imagine my surprise when I saw that I had one in there too! I had forgotten PF had bought my Christmas story. No idea if they bought it last year or the one before (sometimes they get held over), but it was a lovely surprise. The subject was one close to my heart too, which made me even happier.

In addition, Ulverscroft have accepted the large print version of 'A Match Made In Heaven', which will go into libraries in August. I have just sent an enquiry to see if they are interested in the large print version of 'All The King's Horses' so fingers crossed. I'm in the process of getting 'A Match Made in Heaven' onto kindle.

I have to admit to being very stressed when I discovered that all the covers etc that I purchased from Getcovers would be disappearing from Dropbox in January as I didn't want to have to purchase yet ANOTHER subscription. They really do all add up! Imagine my joy when I found out that there is a free version of Dropbox for 2GB, which will definitely do me for now. Happy Days!

Here's one of my covers. I love it. 

My present projects are a bit widespread...format and get pocket novels onto Amazon KDP, continue rewriting 'Secret Santa' to prepare for Amazon KDP, edit and continue writing my gothic novel (88,000 words so far), continue plotting another pocket novel, choose some short stories and format them into a book for Amazon KDP, format 'All the King's Horses' for Amazon, and so forth. Plus writing short stories, of course. I am trying hard to not feel overwhelmed but, at present, I don't have a logical progress plan. I need to prioritise as I also want to fit in a Level 2 course that is free online via the government. It is on Digital Media Marketing, which I think will be useful as I know next to nothing about it really.

Anyone know how to purchase a parallel life?

On Wednesday evening, I doing another painting session, this time in Somerton. I love the other paintings I've done at other sessions elsewhere and am hoping this will also be OK enough to put on my wall. One of the previous ones I have just taken down as it was very Christmassy. It will go away with the decorations until next December.

It was funny, the first time I did one of these sessions. I was so worried about messing up, I went home stiff as a board with a horrendous headache. The next time, I kept reminding myself to relax and enjoyed it a lot more.

Well, I'll stop now as this is long enough. I'd love to hear what you are up to. Feel free to comment!

Happy New Year and may the sun continue to shine like it is today...

Julie.

Exciting times!

 Hi all,

I hope everyone reading this is well and navigating the pressures of the festive season. Trying to add Christmas into an already packed schedule can sometimes feel a bit much, but then it is always worth it 'on the day'.

It's been a few months since I blogged so I have a resolution that my New Year's resolution (lol) will be to blog once a month. That should be doable in the grand scheme of things.

Watch this space.

Life in general has been a rollercoaster since August. Family members have faced, and are facing, various challenges, but with a great deal of fortitude, of which I am so proud. Mr G and I went on holiday a few weeks ago but it already seems somewhat surreal. I now can barely imagine sitting on a sunbed in 30 degree heat. There were a lot of sea days on the cruise and, before going, I decided I was going to start completely rewriting/editing 'Secret Santa', a My Weekly pocket novel that was published in 2012. It was also sold to Ulverscroft and went into libraries. On the ship, I managed to rewrite 88 pages, which was a fantastic start. Not quite halfway through, but not too far off. I am also formatting it for Amazon KDP as I go.

During the Black Friday sale, I took advantage of an offer and ordered 4 book covers from Getcovers and am delighted with the results. Three are for previous pocket novels and one is for a book of short stories, which will include my The People's Friend serial 'Sandy Stables'. I have managed to get through the KDP process with 'A Match Made in Heaven' and it seems like I might be ready to launch it very soon. Exciting and scary stuff! Then I will make my way through the others, formatting and going through the same process. 

Mid November, my The People's Friend pocket novel 'All The King's Horses' came out.  I loved the cover.

I sold a short story to The People's Friend a couple of days ago and had one in the recent Special.

My gothic novel is 88,000 words in and still on the backburner because of all the KDP work, which is obviously very time-consuming. Still, they say you can't push a rope. Indeed. Step by step and all that.

So, how is everyone coping with the demands of Christmas? Presents bought and wrapped? Cards written? (ahem). This year I decided that, as Mr G is retired, there was no reason why he couldn't write at least some of the cards.

No. I wasn't popular, by the look on his face. 

😄🎄🎅

Finally, so sad to see that Sophie Kinsella died. What a loss to the book world. What talent she had.

😭

Fires and Formatting

It's been a busy time that has resulted in me forgetting all about connecting with the outside world! As well as being occupied with the obvious...writing...my son's shared flat caught on fire and they all had to find new accommodation. Fortunately they, and the care staff, all escaped unscathed, so we have so much to be thankful for, but pretty much everything was ruined and they have had to start again. People have been so kind, donating beds and bedding, fridges, freezers, sofas and tables etc. The terraced cottage-style house was about to be auctioned and so needs a lot doing to make it more habitable, but it is a home and thank goodness for that. I cannot praise A2A enough for their support.

On another non-writing front, I recently stayed with my lovely sister and her husband, and was encouraged and excited to start hanging bird feeders at home here. It has turned into a bit of an obsession and now I have bird feeders in the front and back gardens. Then I noticed that a hedgehog kept turning up beneath the feeders, so I did a bit of research and learnt that hedgehogs shouldn't really be eating seeds and mealworms. This resulted in buying a hedgehog house, plus bedding and hedgehog food, to encourage him to go there instead. This bird feeding is an expensive malarky! lol

I am slightly worried that the cats in the neighbourhood (of which there are many) will eat the hedgehog food before it can get to it, but I suppose there's not much I can do about that.

Onto writing...

I have recently finished writing my novella 'All The King's Horses' and submitted it to The People's Friend pocket novel department. I am now waiting for a yay or nay. In the meantime, I have various short stories with the short fiction department, and am also waiting on a yes or no for a serial I sent in ages ago.

Now that 'A Match Made In Heaven' has hit the supermarkets and WH Smiths, I am able to start thinking about what else to do with it. I think I shall submit it to Ulverscroft because, if they want it, it will go in the libraries, like 'Secret Santa' in 2012. I need to email them. 

   

My main task at the moment is formatting the 'Match' manuscript for Amazon Kindle Publishing. I haven't done this before so it has felt daunting. Years ago, I considered putting a book of short stories on there, but was put off by how people were saying how difficult it was. I am partway through and decided to send it to my own kindle to see how it is working and was pleasantly surprised at the result! What I have worked on so far appears to look fine and the links to each chapter heading works. It is also linking to this blog, so bonus! I have yet to sort out a cover design, which Tasha has said she will help with, and then I will work out the uploading process etc. I will get there. I'm assuming that once I have done one, the next ones will be easier.

I have sold a few stories lately. One will be in the PF Special on November 5th.  Another will be in the 2027 annual, out next August. Not sure about the others.

Congratulations to all my lovely writery friends on their successes since my last blog. I have joined a Pocket Novel group on FB and they are all so welcoming and generous with sharing information about how to do this and that when I ask. We have a zoom meeting once a week. I haven't managed to get to it every week and miss it when I don't. It's the same with the Tuesday morning X meet up for PF writers.

Off to do more formatting. It's mind-numbing and it's possible I may fall asleep over my laptop.

😴

Enjoy the sunshine! 🌞

Pocket Novels, bodies and groups

 Hi all! I hope this finds you well and happy. Not quite sure where the great weather went but I guess we can make the most of the long evenings regardless. I don't want it to get to June 21st as it then starts going the other way😟.

At present, I'm still waiting for my insoles as they hadn't arrived at the podiatrist's practice on my appointment date. The appointment has been postponed, therefore, for two weeks, as that's when he'll be there next. At least it is before my cruise, although I was hoping for more than a couple of days for my feet and legs to get used to them. Hey ho. It is what it is. At least I'll get them at some point. I am totally living in my Oofas right now. They are 'recovery' sliders that are shaped to give relief to your feet in all the right places. Amazing! If I'm ever famous, I will one hundred per cent be happy to promote them lol. They are the only thing I can wear without any pain so I am dreading the weather getting cold. My toes will fall off😬.

Writing-wise, I have written a couple of short stories since my last blog and sent the second one off this morning. (Weekends? What are they?) I am almost 19,000 words into my next pocket novel and, thanks to Sue and Stephen Pursey, think I may have the bones of an idea for another one based on Sue's family history. It will need alterations, of course, and imagination, plus a different ending, but Sue has a fascinating story to tell about her mother. It was so kind of her to share it with me. Thank you, Sue.

I don't think I have a story out at the moment, although I know that I do sometimes miss one or two. Christine Hollis kindly told me about a group for Pocket Novel writers on FB, which I have now joined. They are wonderful people, more than willing to share all their knowledge. I joined in a zoom call and it was great to 'meet' a few of the members. I have now joined the ACLS, which I obviously should have known about years ago. I'm hoping the result will be a few loan payments regarding my novel in libraries which I've never done anything about. I'm also going to join the Society of Authors and quite possibly the SWWJ (Society of Women Writers and Journalists). I'm tempted by The Romantic Novelists Association too, so I am going to have to make a choice because they all cost and I will be spending more than I earn at this rate! lol

To sign off, another success story, this time from one of my wonderful, generous OU friends Glenda Youde:

Glenda went on to complete a PhD and the book below is the result. She is an expert on art history and focused her dissertation on Elizabeth Eleanor Rossetti. 'Lizzie Siddal' was the model in John Everett Millais' painting Ophelia, but she herself was an important pre-Raphaelite artist herself. Of course, at that time, she wasn't recognised for her vital contribution to the movement, working in a predominantly male environment. 

For anyone interested, it's available on Amazon.

Sharing Recommendations

First of all, how have so many months passed since my last blog?! My mid-year resolution is to come on here more often. I hope everyone is well and enjoying the amazing weather. I just love these gorgeous, long evenings. I am sitting in the log cabin with the dog beside me, but it's not as tranquil as it sounds. Although I'm looking out at sheep, and their lambs gamboling about, Leia is squeaking her ball relentlessly. I'm doing my best to tune it out.

So, obviously, I am still alive, but not really kicking as I have serious foot issues. Having been told it was gout at A&E after an x-ray, the progression of pain made no sense so I ended up booking an appointment with a recommended podiatrist. It appears I have fragmented sesamoids (or should I say 'sesamoid' as one appears to be missing😕 and the other foot isn't great either. A similar issue there. Anyway, exercise has come to a halt, as did actual walking, so I have definitely had more time to write!

At present, I have two stories out...one in The People's Friend weekly and one in the above People's Friend Special. Actually, I've just checked and that's not correct. The Special has just come off the shelf after three weeks. I made it to 88,000 words plus in my gothic novel, but then guilt overcame me and I went back to the pocket novel that I was supposed to be writing for People's Friend. It's a romance based around football and bereavement. The PF had asked for the whole manuscript the week after I'd had my basal joint replacement, but, embarrassingly, I never got back to it. I finally bit the bullet, rewrote the first three chapters and then continued with the rest. Three drafts later, I sent it in and it was accepted three days later. I couldn't quite believe that! 

The pocket novel is called 'A Match Made in Heaven' (although they may, of course, change that), due on the shelf on 31st July in supermarkets and newsagents for two weeks. After that, I aim to put it on Amazon Kindle. To be honest, the idea terrifies me as I've never done it and it seems pretty complicated. I also have a another serial under consideration, plus a number of short stories, but I have to confess that short story production has been a bit thin on the ground due to writing the longer stuff. At the moment, I'm three chapters and a synopsis into my latest romance. This one's about the king of a fictional Mediterranean island and the temporary stable manager. All I can say is...they have a past!

Tasha, my youngest daughter, loves to read and devours books as if they're going out of fashion. I always think that if I write something she's keen to finish, then that's a great achievement. One thing I will say is that my kids have never read anything just because it was written by Mum! 😄

Thanks for sharing your time and I hope you're enjoying whatever you're reading. I'm always keen to hear what people recommend. My friend Olga Wojtas has just had her latest 'Miss Blaine' book published. 

The first in the series, 'Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar', was named as one of the best fiction books of the year by Kirkus Reviews. Olga herself won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. I studied on the same creative writing course with her, at the Open University. 

But enough about that as I could go on forever. I will share other Open University successes another time...

 

I AM still alive

 Good grief. I can't believe it's been almost a year since I last did a blogpost. Not long after the last one, I had my thumb basal joint replacement, which knocked out writing for quite some time. Especially as the other hand has been pretty horrendous. But I am able to write again, at the moment, so I'm making the most of it. I've sold quite a few stories to People's Friend lately, and have a story in the weekly this week called 'A Peace of Mind'. The illustration is beautiful. I was intending to post a photo of it here, but this MacBook Air is old and I now realise that it has stopped uploading photos from my phone.

I have recently been working on a serial proposal for PF, set during 1977 in a horse rescue centre. After completing the synopsis, character developments, instalment synopses and the first instalment, I emailed it in. It may be some time before I get a yay or a nay.

I've sent a few stories in recently too, including a couple to My Weekly. I do have a novel for PF part written, which they OK'd in principle, but I started it last summer, sending off the first 3 chapters and synopsis. In November I had my operation, and it was a week later that they got back to me, saying they'd like me to write the whole novel. Not the best timing! I've tried to get back to it a few times but am just not feeling it. It feels so flat, so I'm going to leave it and let it marinade for a while. See if something comes to me to get myself interested in it again. If I'm not enjoying writing it, a reader won't enjoy reading it...

The thing I'm working on right now is a gothic novel. I've written the outline, character developments etc and a rough list of scenes, but that's very loose. I'm only one chapter two but it's great fun to write. I'm just going with the flow and seeing where it takes me.

Oh yes, and I'm partway through a rewrite of Secret Santa (because it needs a rewrite!). My aim is to eventually put it on kindle.

Other than that, and helping with grandsons, a friend asked if I go to work?

Erm...

Off to feed Nikki's cat, Effie. That'll be half an hour minimum. It's getting dark and raining a bit, but I'll walk round because I have been sitting down writing all afternoon.

Hope you've had a good week and that you have an even better weekend. We are off to Butlins again, for our 70s weekend. Yes, I will take the laptop for any spare minutes...

Busy

 I've been very prolific during the past few months and The People's Friend now have a lot of my stories piled up for consideration. I've been lucky enough to sell one to My Weekly last week, as well as one to PF last week and another this week. I also have a story in PF out today (Wednesday 4th Oct). I called it 'All Creatures Great and Small'. I wonder if they published it this week to coincide with the new series of 'All Creatures Great and Small' on C5?

We went on holiday for ten days to Malta and, whilst lazing around on the sunbed, I wrote three short stories and also edited the first three chapters of a Pocket Novel which I have now submitted to PF. It is about a female football fan and I think it's going to be a lot of fun to write, even if sad in places. I was crying whilst writing the first chapter lol. In fact, Tasha and I were both crying when I was telling her the plot hahaha.

I should point out that it's not all sad, though! It does have the feel-good factor. I hope they like the idea.

It's very odd but I seem to have story ideas up the ying-yang, as we used to say. So many, that I can't really keep up. I do have a book that I write them all down in, for the days when I can't think of anything for the life of me. My thumb joint replacement is looming on the horizon. I was told it would be October but haven't got a date yet. Not so easy to plan anything. If I'd have got the go-ahead from PF re the Pocket Novel, I may have been able to write it before the op, but there's no point in pressing on with it unless they've said yes, in case they want it but need something changing.

Friends and family are always telling me that I should write a book about my life but I have always found the prospect a bit overwhelming. However, perhaps I should have gone ahead earlier because it is now even more complicated, with the discovery of some wonderful new relatives, including half-siblings. Extremely unexpected. The movie will be great 😂. I would like Jodie Foster to play me (no point in aiming low😎😃).

Enough waffle. Better get on with some work. Research first, though. Oh, don't we love research?! It's knowing when to stop that's the problem with it...

Today's quote:

“You do an awful lot of bad writing in order to do any good writing. Incredibly bad. I think it would be very interesting to make a collection of some of the worst writing by good writers.”

―William S. Burroughs

PS Forgot about our Butlins 70s weekend! I'll include that next time.

Slacking

 I'm not going to look at how long it is since I last came on here. It's too embarrassing. I think it was before my cruise.

Over the past month, I've written ten short stories and sent them off to My Weekly and People's Friend. I've been enjoying the PF's Writer's Hour on Tuesdays on X (still think that's ridiculous!) where I get to virtually chat with the other writers. This is fantastic as, up until now, they have just been bylines on a page. My 3 part serial has been and gone in PF and I've had some wonderful feedback from that. I've been asked to think about writing another one but haven't yet come up with a plot. 

Not much has been happening apart from having discovered I have a half brother in Orlando and a cousin (once removed) in this country, neither of which I knew about a few weeks back! Jon and I actually met my cousin and his wife and we had the most wonderful time together. I felt a huge connection. There is a huge story to all this and I am thinking that, one day, it has to be in a novel.

Just got back from the cinema, having seen The Blackening. A sort of 'black' humour horror. Very good. One of the characters was hilarious.

Yes, I have seen Barbie twice, and I've seen Oppenheimer, plus many other movies since last I blogged. We have just watched 'Collision' on TV, which aired in 2009 (probably when we were still in Bahrain the first time and missed it).  It really was excellent and I loved the ending. ITVX.

A busy day with the grandkids tomorrow but back to writing on Friday. Whenever Ant rings and I eventually say I have to go because I'm working, without fail I get back 'Work? What do you mean 'working'?"

A writer's lot. 😬

Quote for today"

'Description should begin in the writer's imagination and end in the reader's'

Stephen King.

My sister reminded me that my blog does actually exist and wasn't it time I wrote something? I'd actually forgotten all about it so, yes, it definitely was time. Thank you, Annette!

I need to do something about my profile where it mentions my 'daily blog'. I think I must change that to 'monthly' - far more realistic!

Since last writing, we have hosted the marriage of our lovely daughter Tasha to the wonderful Reece. They've been away on their camping week in Weymouth and are home again. We still have the odd thing about the house to remind us of the wedding, which was the most beautiful day, but it is now, of course, a wonderful memory. That's the thing about weddings. You just want to do them over again and savour the moments that seemed to rush past. There are so many people to thank, for coming and being part of the celebrations, for helping set it all up in our garden, and dismantling it all the next day. The young people were a joy and it was fantastic to see family and friends from near and far.

Eventually, after 12 loads of washing (many people slept here for a week and more), life returned to normal and I got down to some writing. I, oddly, ended up writing a sci-fi story, which is very unusual for me. It finished at 3,500 words - not much use for the mags I write for, regardless of the genre - so I'm thinking perhaps I will save it for a competition, or maybe use it at at some point for a kindle book of short stories. I also had a serial proposal rejected because it was not quite the right tone for PF. I'm toying with the idea of writing that anyway, in a one-er, because if I did make a book of short stories, they could be any length and any genre, really. There's another story I started too, around the novel Rebecca. If I had no limit on word count for that, it could work.

Something to think about, but I need to get my new thumb joint first. I was accepted for the procedure, went for the blood test, and then received a letter saying they can't go ahead until my potassium levels have been elevated. They are too low to be safe, apparently. Nothing from the doctor about this so I've just gone ahead and ordered some high strength potassium tablets. I'll have to contact the doctor at some point about how long I will have to wait until I'm retested. Arrrgggh. I thought the letter, when it arrived, was the op date!

I also had to delay my dental procedure to have my crown fitted due to out of control hayfever/allergies. Frustrating, but I suppose at least, now, that delay won't impact upon my joint operation as a certain amount of time must elapse between each due to possible infection from the dental work.

Lately, I have been in a reading mood and am now reading 'The Remains of the Day'. It has been on my shelf for decades and, finally, I got around to it. What an unusual book! I am really excited about the ending because I know he is an unreliable narrator and can't wait to find out the truth. I will also, then, watch the film starring Anthony Hopkins (when we get back from our cruise).

So, my books are packed for our holiday and I am so looking forward to reading uninterrupted! I've also downloaded some onto my kindle, so I won't run out. I'm just not sure how I'm going to decide what to read after I've finished this one.

I need a quote. Here's Zachary Petit, former Writers' Digest managing editor...

'...don’t ever really give up. Writers write. It’s what we do. It’s what we have to do. Sure, we can all say over a half-empty bottle of wine that we’re going to throw the towel in this time, but let’s be honest: Very few of us ever do. And none of us are ever really all that surprised when we find ourselves back at our computers, tapping away, and waiting for that electric, amazing moment when the pebble of a story shakes loose and begins to skitter down that great hill …'

Genius

 I think it's possible that the locale might think I've entirely lost my mind. Recently, I've 'reread' Rebecca, but this time on audible, and it was every bit as brilliant as I remembered. Now I'm reading 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' on Kindle. More genius. I'd forgotten how Agatha Christie's writing is so sharp you could cut yourself, and she was a force to be reckoned with. Her life story is fascinating. But, now, having gone through Audible and downloaded a bucketful of classics (all included in the subscription so you don't lose any credits), I decided to have a go at 'Jeeves and Wooster'. It's years since I've seen it onscreen. This morning I've been listening to it whilst walking Leia and Molly with one earbud in, probably unseen by passersby as it's hidden by my hair. I've been laughing aloud like someone possessed, apparently at nothing. 

Friday night, I went to see The Civic Players perform 'Dracula' at our local AmDram theatre. I read that they usually do comedies but the director had a sudden turn and decided to attempt a horror. What an amazing job they did! Each part of the stage was used for various scenes, and they switched from present to past and back again. The guy playing Renfield was as bendy as rubber and very convincing! I love the local dramas. These people have so much talent it can only be luck as to who makes it onto the TV and cinema screens. 

This weather is amazing, even if my eyes are streaming all day long and driving me nuts. I need to pop off to Tesco shortly, though, and might even feel a bit relieved to be in the chilled section, if I'm honest, and away from the pollen. 

I did manage to write a 2000 word story last week, aimed at Bonfire Night. I had an idea for another story, which I thought might run to 3000, but that turned out to be way off the mark. I'm on 1800 and have barely begun, so the only other option is to aim for 9500. That's another type of story altogether and I will have to find a number of twists and turns so I've moved away from it to have a think. I don't want to get too far in and then tie myself up in knots. I need a better idea of where I'm going with it. I've quite enjoyed what I've written so far, though, because, being longer, I can take my time and write it in a more novel-like manner.

Ok, better go shopping. I will finish with a fantastic quote from a book called 'Art & Fear' by David Bayles and Ted Orland. 

Artists don't get down

to work until the pain of

working is exceeded by the

pain of not working.

I'm sure many people will relate! I certainly can lol.

Truth

 It's been a month, according to the date on my last blog. My consistency apparently leaves much to be desired.

Writing news...I sold a story two days ago. It was a story set on Weston Super Mare pier. I wrote it after a day trip there about five months ago, so if you are an impatient person, don't bother submitting stories. Or, if you want to, it's a great way to develop more patience! It can take as much as (in my experience) two years to get a yea or nay. So, good news there. The not-so-good news was PF don't want the Hindu serial Daughters that I'd been working on. I'd written character analyses, a synopsis and the first instalment of 5000 so that's very disappointing. The editor felt it was too 'downbeat'. A character with Alzeimers might make readers uncomfortable about what could be around the corner, but the editor loved the family members and felt that a different story using the same characters could work.

So, back to the drawing board, but not right now. I've been working hard on my Hillsborough novel. I tend to have bouts of revisiting it as it is a tough subject and I worry that it is somehow 'untouchable' via fiction. However, I have courted some opinions, including someone who was there and someone else whose cousin was too, and the unanimous vote was to go ahead. They would welcome it. I have had a long-term interest in the idea of keeping up awareness of one of the most despicable cover-ups in this country's history. I came to realise that much of the younger generation have heard of the Hillsborough Disaster, but don't really know much about it. The details are somehow irrelevant, but we all know that they are not and never should be. I feel strongly that it is something that should stay in the public consciousness as a warning. Don't believe the newspapers. Don't take what the authorities tell us as gospel. Don't ever give up searching for the truth. So, I am back in the depths of the story again, dipping in and out. It is the most strangely-written story I've ever attempted as it is from four points of view and visits many different timelines. It sort of blows my brain up - I have various chapters written and am often writing extra ones to slot in after or before something I've already written. I am constantly rewriting a list of whose POV each chapter is from and when it takes place. I'm on about 28-29000 words at the moment, so there's still a LONG way to go.

Better get on with it, really. I'm off to the cinema in less than an hour and have been distracted this afternoon by trying to book a holiday for after the wedding. So, let's have a quote from someone clever...

“The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.” —Robert Benchley

Oh, how apt!

PS Just been to see The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I read the book years ago when it came out. Written by Rachel Joyce (as was the screenplay), it is a beautiful, heart-wrenching story, so if you are looking for something to read or watch, don't miss out.

Over-indulgence

Apologies if I'm repeating anything I wrote in the last blog. I can't remember which day I wrote it...

 Last week was INDULGENT. I went to the cinema four times and the theatre once! (Don't judge me too harshly - I do have my Unlimited Card for Cineworld lol).

On Monday, my grandson and I went to the Octagon Theatre to see a local production 'Anything Goes'. As I always seem to be when I come out from seeing a local production, I was speechless. The talent! And how do these people do it, when they have to rehearse around work and family commitments? They are every bit as good as actors on the TV.

Tuesday, Ruth and I went to see Heathers: The Musical, a live production from a London Theatre. I knew nothing about it before I went. It was darker than I expected, but so funny too. Brilliant.

On Wednesday, Jon and I went to see John Wick Chapter 4. Not my scene. I'd forgotten it wasn't my scene, even though I'd watched the other three films in the past😬. Just another reminder as to why I'm also known as Dory.😩 I might just as well have stayed home and watched Ant on his Xbox.

On Thursday, I was at the cinema with Nikki and Jamie to see 'Life of Pi' beamed live from a London Theatre. There are no superlatives impressive enough to describe how incredible this was. If you get the chance to see this at the theatre, go. You won't regret it. We clapped at the end, even though we were in the cinema. The guy who played Pi was astounding. I can't believe how clever and innovative the whole production was.

On Friday, I went again to the cinema because it seemed it would probably be my last chance to catch 'A Good Person' (Morgan Freeman). I really liked the sound of it, and was not disappointed. It was very moving and thought-provoking, about guilt and forgiveness.

On Saturday, Yeovil Town played Southend. It was an important game. We needed to win really as we are desperately close to definite relegation. Unfortunately, we lost 2-0, and our striker suffered a horrific injury very close to where we sat so, all in all, it wasn't the best match we'd ever been to and, to add insult to injury (literally) it was televised on BT Sport 1. Less said the better, I think.

We've just finished watched 'Unforgotten' tonight, as have many people, I'm sure. Chris Lang is a genius. That's all.

All this input. Was there any output? Yes, a bit during the week. I've been working on my novel. Added a new first chapter and slotted another chapter in between chapters two and three. I feel like I need to expand on the younger characters at the start of the novel before the big dramatic scenes that affect their futures. I enjoy writing about them, although it's a bit weird going backwards and adding to their earlier relationship. I definitely enjoyed writing the new first chapter. Tomorrow, I am going to use the template that I use for serials to flesh out some of the lesser characters and develop some aspects of the plot (well, I hope I am!). I don't know what I hadn't thought of using that before, really.

Quote of the day:

“There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” —W. Somerset Maugham

Just as well, because I probably wouldn't be able to stick to them anyway.

Revision cards

 This week, I learnt something about myself that I long since suspected. I CANNOT write about myself. I decided to send what I'd written under 'autobiography' to myself on my kindle. The first part of this was writing I'd worked on for a module in my MA. It was actually quite engaging and I enjoyed rereading it. It was based on my adoptive parents. I had written their story, fictionalising the dialogue, of course. Then came the part based on me, from my own POV. Oh dear. I didn't even finish reading it. Totally different! I've tried to do this in the past, but never managed it. Perhaps I never will.

After this, I decided it was time to revisit the novel I've been toying with for a couple of years or more. It has changed dramatically from the original concept. Only one character remains from the seed of an idea I had probably five years ago. It is a bit complicated in its construction. I've only written 20,000 words so far, but it is from four POV and is set during different years/decades. I have had to date each chapter very clearly because of this. I have a corkboard which had revision cards marking the chapters and where in the story everything is, but I have taken these down and started again. I've moved chapters around, removed a couple that were 'present day' and that I felt took the story in a direction that I couldn't quite satisfy. I was sad about that because that chapter was the germ of this novel, but perhaps that is why it no longer worked. Instead, I used it recently for a 9000 word story for PF - a sort of light-hearted mystery. I don't know if the PF want it, but I narrated it for Nikki to listen to and she seems to be loving it, so I hope they like it. It takes a while for the mags to say yay or nay, especially if it is a story for the Specials. The PF have an 8 page mystery in some of the Specials, so it is more likely to be put aside until the time comes when they need to address content.

At the moment, I'm listening to Sam Neill's memoir 'Did I Ever Tell You This?' I haven't laughed so much in a long time. It is thoroughly entertaining and I have decided that Sam is now top of my 'dinner guest' list. I shall be sending an invite out next week. I'm sure he'll respond 😎.

I have had an amazing week at the cinema and theatre, but will save that for the next blog.

Quote of the day:

“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” —Dalai Lama.

This is one that Jon is often vocal about. I have to remind myself of it, but I'm sure we've all found that it is certainly true!