Much Ado Abart Someat!

Hi check out http://sulgravemanor.org.uk which was the home of George Washington's ancestors in Northamptonshire. I was involved in a project there this week with 14 kids. Basically I took the plot and some scenes from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and made it about something! We had kids in it aged 9 to 14 and they were absolute stars all of them! And most of them didn't even know each other Monday and then by Friday they were putting on a show and working together as a team to make it something really special, with the help of Fiona and Becky who directed them and got the show ship shape. A lot of people think drama for kids is for drama queen types who just want to show off, well it isn't really, or certainly not the way we work. I think it teaches them so many skills and helps their confidence, but it's also working with others and yes they can shine as individuals, but at the same time need to work together to make sure the whole thing works and they seem to end up doing than instinctively, it's a joy to watch.

Bath time needs playmates!

This is Bath alongside my book. I will be with it in Bath Waterstones on Thursday 10th August at 7pm. It's weird ending up in Waterstones Bath, as I lived there (in Bath not Waterstones!) for a few years and often went to the literary evenings there, never imagining that I'd be doing the same myself! In fact I once wrote a jokey article for the Bristol Evening Post about a literary evening at Waterstones, must dig it out. However, it's a big Waterstones about halfway up the left side of this photo on Milsom Street, but if you're in the area please do pop in. To get Waterstones Bath I'm supposed to have around sixty guests! What do they think this is a wedding? My dear friend Rosalind who was my first writing teacher (around twenty years ago now!) when I lived here is rounding up all her cronies from her various writing groups, and I've still got some really close (old) friends in the area, namely Chris & Ian, but it would be great to get some more (newer, younger?) faces too. I'm also doing the event with another Macmillan New Writer, Edward Charles author of In The Shadow of Lady Jane. So it should be a good evening, come along and talk to me, and buy the book if you want, though I won't force you! Be good to see you there!

selfish jean goes to Dublin

Well my free book is winging its way to Dublin as we speak. Several people contacted me about the free copy I offered on Gumtree website , but it's going to the first person who contacted me, not because they were the first person, but because something a bit synchronistic happened! This guy Daniel (see his comment on the Seredipity Jean posting below where he introduces himself) contacted me asking for the free copy. He knew nothing about the book or its subject but it turns out he was adopted from South Korea as a baby and brought up in Sweden and is now working in Dublin. How strange is that? Anyway he sounds a really lovely guy, and intends to pass it on to his girl friend who will take it to Sweden and then who knows? I hope he enjoys it, I fear he will find it a bit strange! However, I did spend a bit of time travelling round Sweden a couple of years ago and found the people had a lovely quirky sense of humour that increased exponentially the nearer we got to the arctic circle. We went midsummer when everyone was celebrating the long nights in all sorts of weird and wonderful and charming ways.

Anyway I hope I can keep tabs on what happens to this copy of Selfish Jean

two media tarts looking for a home!

Well here is a picture of me and Lucy after a hard night's drinking, putting the world to rights, and a hard morning writing a press release. It shows doesn't it?
However, we did have a good time, got on really well and amongst over publicity ideas, we've decided to apply to get on Ready, Steady Cook only problem is I can't cook (that's why there's a chef there isn't it?) and sent her son out for a Chinese take away when we visited so I don't think we stand much chance. Ainsley watch out!
Lucy's house is lovely and she is right it does have a special feel about it, some houses just do don't they? But she's made a lovely home out of it, which not everyone has the knack of doing even with a good basis to work on, a kind of good eye for things, but also very comfortable rather than a slave to those perfect house mags. In fact when I arrived I almost sat on a dog's bone on the sofa and was immediately given a running knee hug by her youngest daughter, who was desparate to see who the visitor was. A lovely night and day.

Serendipity Jean

I'm trying a bit of an experiment with three signed copies of my book. I'm giving them away free and seeing where they end up as a bit of fun. The first I've posted as a freebie on the Gumtree Dublin website. The second is on a swap site, I'm wondering what someone might be willing to swap it for. The third I shall leave in a public place, probably somewhere on the South Bank when I'm there for a wedding in a couple of weeks. I feel quite excited about it, seeing where they might end up and making connections with strangers. It's fun, so I hope it works. Synchroncity or Serendipity, which will come into force?

I've already had someone requesting it from Dublin, who is going to give it someone in Sweden.

I'm off to speak to a book group in Northampton tomorrow, who have read my book. Feel a bit nervous about it, in case they hate it. Will they be polite and lie or will they go for my jugular? Should be interesting.

it's all in the JPEGS

So here are the photos I couldn't upload before. They weren't Jpegs you see. I am learning stuff all the time. It wasn't long ago that I thought Jpegs were something in the hardware store next to the J cloths so there you go! Ah bless, aren't they lovely Matt & Lydia? Really have a soft spot for them (and the reclusive Hannah!) as we were all there at the beginning of Shed MK Inclusive Theatre. http://interactionmk.org.uk It's not just they've grown up with me but I've grown up with them too! We've all blossomed because of it. The next show will be Shakespeare's The Tempest at Stantonbury Campus Theatre this November, tickets on sale now. http://stantonbury.org.uk That's enough blogging for one day, off to meet a mate Judy for drinkies, gotta get ready, she's so glam and I look like a bag lady from the bus station. Bye for now!
By the way I have an anonymous mystery blogger. Who are you?

Searching for Susi Gomez

Well my book jacket picture will have to do. I was trying to upload some photos I'd scanned into my computer but they won't upload. They were really nice too of my book signing event at Ottakars Milton Keynes, which I mentioned a few postings ago. It also had on there photos of my trusty teenage helpers Lydia and Matt ( Hannah refused to be on the picture for some reason preferring to block the aisles with her skateboard) Lydia is supposed to be helping me sort out this blog and I've promised to take her and Matt to lunch somewhere nice (Oh please not TFI's or New Orleans!)

Thankyou Eileen for your comments about PLR yes we did have a really good chat on the sofas of a nice hotel in Leicester, great to meet you! I do have a soft spot for nice hotels.... comfy sofas, chilled atmosphere, chilled wine, no muzak, good company.... oooh I was off then...
Favourites anyone.... try Royal Cresent Hotel Bath or if you are going to Spain, go to Cuenca where part of my book, cover on the left in case you haven't noticed and check out the Posada San Jose, stunning, or the Parador there. Oh the Parador in Granada is amazing.

Talking of Spain I am trying to see if I can get bookshops to stock my book over there, as it has a big section in Spain and there are loads of British people in Spain who may enjoy it. So if anyone knows of any bookshops I could approach, or even go in and ask for it to be stocked.

The other reason for talking of Spain is I'm searching for Susi Gomez, who is a Spanish Artist quite well known I think, yet I can't find her on the web at least. However, she features in my book too, mainly because I came across her Art when I was writing it and liked it, it spoke to me. I also made her into a fictional character in my book, and a very nice and funny one. Now I'd like to find her because I think if I was her and I was mentioned in a book I'd like to know about it. Anyone any ideas how I can trace her? However, be warned there seem to be a lot of Susi Gomezes around. I was waiting for one and three came along at once! My Susi Gomez has art in The Museo De Reina Sofia Madrid, the Museo de Arte Abstracto, Cuenca.

To continue with the story I've just had to upload the cover of Dark Rain, which now has shot to the top of the page! Oh help, how do people do this stuff? I'm supposed to be an intelligent liberated female and I can't even work a blog page properly. Oh the shame!

Anyway to continue because Conor Corderoy http://conorcorderoy.co.uk has a bit part in this story. He has a big connection with Spain and is there at the moment. I emailed him about my quest for Susi Gomez, and it turns out he once knew an arty girl from Cordoba called Susi Gomez, anyway it wasn't her, born different years, but it sent him on a trip down memory lane, but there must be millions of Susi Gomezes about and I only want to find one of them. Conor's book is doing well as apparantly Kate Mosse and her husband are reading it!

I need a little PLR

So who knows what PLR is? I didn't until recently. I never knew there was such a thing, I'm so green! I was recently at a writer's reunion event, for an ex-agency I was briefly a part of when I won a short story competition they were running a couple of years ago. The agency is no more but the people are and still meet up regularly. It's great to meet up with other writers, apart from hearing what everyone is doing who is published with who and what, you get to hear lots of stuff you never knew, like Public Lending Rights. Apparantly you get paid something every time your book is loaned at a library, the deadline was 30th June. I emailed them the 1st of July and they let me off the deadline nice people. It was Margaret Kaine the novelist who gave me that tip and was very generous with her advice http://www.margaretkaine.com. Incidentally, she has also had a novel published with adoption in its plot, see picture to side, can' t seem to make it bigger, but if you need more info about this book and Margaret I'm sure she'd be thrilled to hear from you.

Incidentally, talking of libraries, I feel I should be encouraging more people to go to their local library and ask them to stock Selfish Jean, it means more sales of the book, you don't have to buy it and maybe a little bit of PLR too. Sounds so nice doesn't it, like TLC only more new age. So why not got to your library today and get me a little PLR honey!