The Woman Writer - Autumn issue 2018

Issue 91

AUTUMN 2018

• • • •

Report on Autumn Lunch Fiction Focus Marketing Book Reviews

Who’s who Printed by TandC Printers, Bromley, Kent BR1 3PU Issue 91

Autumn 2018

The Woman Writer is published by The Society of Women Writers & Journalists Editor: Carol Cannavan 10 Dury Falls Close, Hornchurch Essex RM11 3AX Tel: 01708 459376 Mob: 07947 133509 carol@aspire-editorial.co.uk Chairman: Barbara Field-Holmes BIGG-in Words Ltd Room 2, Aileen McHugo Building Westmore Green, Tatsfield Westerham, Kent TN16 2AG Tel: 01959 575031 (Wk) Tel: 01959 575936 (Home) Mob: 07814 738894 swwj@bigginwords.co.uk Vice Chairman/Press/ PR/Newsletter: Doreen Friend Tel: 020 8505 2476 doreen.friend@swwj.co.uk Hon Treasurer: Benita Cullingford Tel: 01727 857388 b.cullingford@btinternet.com Manager, Writer’s Debut benitaswwj@btinternet.com Hon Secretary: Janice Grande Tel: 01268 451547 Mob: 07951 671498 grandewords@yahoo.com Membership Secretary/Events: Valerie Dunmore Tel: 01737 557936 swwjval@aol.com Speakers: Pamela Payne Tel: 01730 892413 pamela@thebeach.com

2

Patrons: Lady Howard, Sir Tim Rice, The Earl of Stockton, Simon Brett OBE

Minutes Secretary: Doreen Friend

Hon Life President:

Book Reviews: Pamela Birley Tel: 020 7351 6377 bra33@btinternet.com

President:

Competitions/ Manuscript Appraisal: Vivien Brown Tel: 01895 254453 vivienhampshire@btinternet.com Marketing Coordinator: Rebecca Harding Mob: 07966 459080 rebecca@saltwhistle.com Website: Gywneth Box Mob: 07986 613437 hello@gwynethbox.com Archivist: Sylvia Kent Tel: 01277 651062 skent32@tiscali.co.uk Chawton Liaison: Pamela Birley Tel: 020 7351 6377 bra33@btinternet.com

The Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe DSG

The Rt Hon Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham OBE DL

Vice Presidents: Doris Corti,Valerie Dunmore, Joyce Elsden, Jocelyn Glegg, Sylvia Kent, Jennie Lisney, Jean Morris, Mary Rensten, Jean Marian Stevens

Welfare/Benevolent Fund If any member requires help, please contact Jennie Lisney on 01444 412087 or write to: 4 Larch Way, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3TY. Email: jennielisney@gmail.com Donations to benefit our members in times of illness or hardship should be made out to SWWJ Benevolent Fund.

Social Media: Vivien Brown Tel: 01895 254453 vivienhampshire@btinternet.com Consultants: Martin Cort (Drama) Tel: 020 7582 5839 mcort1@talktalk.net Patrick Forsyth (Marketing) patrick@touchstone28.com Patricia Alderman (Proofreader) SWWJ website: www.swwj.co.uk

SWWJ members have the right to express their opinions in The Woman Writer. These opinions are not necessarily those of the Council or Editor. Neither the Editor nor the Society accepts responsibility for errors in articles. The Editor reserves the right to amend articles submitted.

Summer 2018 The Woman Writer

From the Editor

Contents 4

From the Chair

By Barbara Field-Holmes.

5

Letters Members’ views and comments.

6-8

Society news Discover what’s happening in the SWWJ.

9

Obituaries The sad passing of Beryl Cross and Patricia Turpin.

10

Tributes Remembering Pauline Graham.

11 - 13 Members’ news A round-up of news and successes.

14 - 15 Overseas members Getting to know some of our international friends.

16

Poets’ corner Dorothy Pope talks about where she gets her inspiration.

17

Crime writing Report on a crime writing event.

18 - 20 Fiction focus Connecting and promoting through social media.

21

Drama Latest news.

Hi everyone!

The nights are drawing in now and there’s nothing nicer than snuggling down on the sofa with a good book... or the Autumn issue of The Woman Writer!

This issue has something for everyone, whether you are curious about what’s happening in the Society, looking for advice on promoting yourself on social media or just contemplating entering a competition.

The next event on the SWWJ calendar is the Christmas Tea, which takes place on 5th December at the NLC. I hope to meet as many of you as possible, so if you are attending please come and have a chat.

carol@aspire-editorial.co.uk

30 - 31 Marketing Be flexible.

31 - 32 SWWJ Competition The Elizabeth Longford Poetry Competition 2019.

22 - 23 Autumn Lunch Report by Carol Cannavan.

33 - 34 Markets & Competitions

By Carol Cannavan.

24

From the archive Sixty years ago.

34 - 38 Book reviews

25

Around the regions News from Moonraker Country.

26

When I was not upon this page

By Doreen Friend.

27

Christmas Tea application form

28 - 29 Interview Who needs an editor?

The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

39

Dates for your diary 2018 - 2019 Front cover picture

Issue 91

AUTUMN 2018

Inset: Photo of wheat field by Melissa Askew.

• Report on Autumn Lunch • Fiction Focus • Marketing • Book Reviews

3

From the Chair Chair types...

by Barbara Field-Holmes, Chairman How wonderful it was this summer to have so much lovely sunshine, although I’m sure some of you would have preferred it if it hadn’t been quite so hot at times. A spell of good weather though certainly lifts the spirits and cheers us up, just like the SWWJ events, regional meetings and receiving your copy of The Woman Writer do.

In my Chair types… column in the last issue (Summer 2018, Issue 90), I spoke about the need to increase our membership. Council has been working hard to achieve this.

Every so often, Council is approached and asked the question: “Why, when we live in an age of ‘equality’, do we still have the word ‘Women’ in our title?” It has been suggested that this stops us from growing; stops more men from joining us as Associate Members. This is obviously a very emotive issue and I know that feelings are very mixed between those who feel it holds us back and that we should be more inclusive and drop the word ‘Women’ from our title and those who fiercely protect the name as it is our history, our roots.

Joseph Snell Wood, a writer and newspaper publisher, founded the Society in 1894. At this time it was very much frowned upon for women to write and be published, but he knew and used a number of female writers keen to have a career in what was a maledominated profession. He set up the Society to support these women to write under their own names and gain the recognition they deserved. I can see the pros and the cons, but my gut feeling at the moment is that one of our main problems has been insufficient publicity outside of the Society, and not our name.

Our recent event at the Savoy Tup showed us that many young aspiring writers had not 4

heard of us. When members visit book fairs and other writing events, they meet writers that say they haven’t heard of us.

That leads me to think that before making any rash decisions we need to look at promoting ourselves better and to a wider audience. We have a very rich history of enormously successful and well-respected female writers from all genres, and we still do as our PR Doreen Friend has been reporting, so we need to let the world know. Council is looking at ways to achieve this; we are looking at more events like the one at the Savoy Tup, we have increased our social media activity and we have increased Council by taking on two very forward-thinking and dynamic new members, Michelle Harriman and Katherine Bolton. Both ladies have strong backgrounds in writing, marketing and event organising. We are also talking to other writing bodies about how we can work more closely together to help organise joint ventures.

We think we have a lot to be proud of, a lot to shout about. So let’s shout from the rooftops!

Follow the SWWJ on INSTAGRAM They say every picture tells a story, so follow us on swwj_official and find out what the Society and its members are up to!

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Letters

Write to us Come on members, let’s hear from you.

This is your opportunity to have your say. Send your views to the Editor (see page 2 for contact details).

Our valuable piece of plastic How many of us remember to produce our press card when visiting museums, exhibitions and the like? I’m afraid I often remember it after the visit! Put it beside your credit card, in your ‘phone case or even beside your glasses, anywhere where you will see it regularly.

I was in Nice during the summer and visited the superb Villa Massena Museum. Not only was my card willingly accepted, but there was a notice on the ticket desk saying, ‘Journalists - free entry’! That ticket also gave me free entry to all the other museums in the city for several days! Unfortunately, I forgot to produce my card when we bought tickets for a charity concert at the Nice Opera House.

Conversely, I then tried to use it again in a museum in Bournemouth and was sternly refused, making me feel a cheap free-loader!

But don’t be put off, proffer the card whenever possible and you never know, the visit could result in a great article – so everyone wins.

So, do try to remember your press card – one of our most valuable perks – and perhaps you could let us know your best and worst experiences in a short paragraph for The Woman Writer? Where else have you been able to use it, other than a museum?

Have you been welcomed, refused politely or rudely rebuffed?

Pamela Payne The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

Thank you I want to let you know how thankful I am to Mary Rensten and all the help she gave me whilst I was producing my poetry collection Kingfisher & other things. I am also grateful to Doreen Friend. As SWWJ Press Officer, Doreen sent details about my book to my local paper in Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

When they did not respond for a while she kept in touch with them. Mary Rensten also contacted the paper, which I’m sure helped.

I was so surprised when one of my poetry class students at the U3A contacted me to say there was a whole page about me and my book in the local paper. The fact that I am a published writer and teach at the local U3A was also mentioned in the feature, along with my link to the SWWJ. I am so grateful to the SWWJ for all the help I have received over the many years that I have been a member. I suffer from macular degeneration and am blind in one eye and receiving eye injections in the other.

This part of me being a writer/poet keeps me going, I am sure you understand. My thanks to all members, old and new.

Doris Corti Vice President

The Woman Writer Advertising Rates: The Woman Writer is published quarterly.

Quarter page (60mm x 90mm) £38 Half page (128mm x 90mm) £75 Full page (128mm x 184mm) £145 (Series discounts available.)

PDF format preferred. For further details please contact the Editor. Members can post events and items for sale and any other advertisements at £2 per line.

5

Society news Southern Regional Meeting REMINDER

SWWJ welcomes new members FULL MEMBERSHIP Caroline James, Preston, Lancashire Membership number: 763 Caroline has five published books, a number of published short stories and articles, and was a features editor for four years for LoveAHappyEnding lifestyle magazine.

She is also a regular contributor/food editor for Podio Magazine, Preston.

FRIEND MEMBERSHIP Julie Morris, Doncaster Membership number: 761 Janet Fevri, Surbiton Membership number: 762

Writer’s Debut Scheme Writer’s Debut, the SWWJ’s new membership category, opens again for a second year on 1st October.

To help unpublished writers give their work a final polish, we offer a manuscript critique and a one-year membership of the Society.

Subscription fee £145. Gentlemen welcome. All genres accepted.

Please visit www.swwj.co.uk for further information.

The meeting will be on Wednesday, 24th October at the Parish Room, St Richard’s Church, Cawley Road, Chichester from 10.30am-4pm.

Cost is £10 (£12 for non-members). Our afternoon speaker will be Martin Hayes, West Sussex Local Studies Librarian. His talk will be The Great War in West Sussex: the Home Front: How Women Helped Win the War. Please contact Roberta Grieve for more details on 01243 554647 or email: robgrieve@msn.com

Manuscript Appraisal Service All the writers and tutors in our appraisals team are full members of the SWWJ, with many years of professional experience and expertise to offer.

Whether you are new to writing, keen to improve your skills, ready to try for publication for the first time, or just want to take a change of direction by exploring a new genre, a member of our team is ready, willing and available to guide you.

Our appraisals team is steadily growing.

Visit our website – www.swwj.co.uk – to view the profiles of our current team.

They could help you to fulfil an ambition to get your manuscript published.

Please help to spread the word!

6

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Society news Have you got your copy?

The Woman Writer: The History of the Society of Women Writers & Journalists, published in 2009, contains vignettes of many of our former magnificent members, particularly those shining brightly sixty years ago.

The author, SWWJ Archivist Sylvia Kent, takes us back to 1894 when the Society was founded. It’s a fascinating story, involving many famous women writers, journalists, poets and playwrights.

This book would make an ideal present for anyone with an interest in women’s social history and made all the more special as the Society celebrates its 125th Anniversary next year.

The cost is £8.50, including p&p. To order a copy, please contact Sylvia Kent on 01277 651062 or email her at: skent32@tiscali.co.uk

SWWJ Christmas Tea Party!

Don’t miss out on this lovely, festive event, which takes place at The National Liberal Club, London, on Wednesday 5th December.

There’s nothing better than catching up with old friends (and making new ones) in the festive season. The SWWJ’s Christmas Tea Party gives you the opportunity to network and to have a very enjoyable afternoon. On top of that, we have some special entertainment – ‘A Christmas Cornucopia’, words by Doreen Friend, presented and directed

by Martin Cort. The highly original show is currently in the rehearsal stages and it includes a number of professional actors among the cast.

You can bring books to sell at this event, so that must be a bonus. There will of course be a raffle (offerings appreciated) and a ‘bring and buy’ table to help boost Society funds.

A ‘pay’ bar will be set up in the room, for that little bit of extra Christmas spirit.

On top of that, there will be a scrummy selection of sandwiches, cakes and pastries.

The application form is on page 27.

See you there!

The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

7

Society news

Photos from the Autumn Lunch

8

Calling all members!

See yourself on our website The Society has been working hard to improve its website in recent months.

Please take a look at what we have to offer at www.swwj.co.uk including our diary page of upcoming events, all the latest news, and our brand new competitions page, listing details of current competitions, photos of prize-giving events and the names of some past winners and runners-up. The website also gives us all the chance to tell other members and the wider public a little about ourselves and our work. Under the ‘About Us’ tab, you will find an alphabetical listing of some of our current members, with profiles and photographs. If you would like to be included, please write a short and relevant biography (in third person please) and send it to Vivien Brown at vivienhampshire@btinternet.com along with a photograph and any social media/ website links. The site is updated at least once a month, so you could very soon be seeing yourself there!

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Obituaries

Beryl Cross – 1929-2018

by Doris Corti – SWWJ Vice President

B

eryl, a dear friend of mine, great lady and published poet. She always lived in London and first worked for a while in an insurance company but soon decided that she wanted to complete her education and gained a place at Ruskin College, Oxford.

After, she worked in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and travelled extensively through this to the Caribbean during the early 1950s. On retirement, she held a position on Hounslow District Council and was a local Councillor in Chiswick for ten years.

She was appointed Children's Officer and worked with MP Frank Field, who gave a fine tribute to her at her memorial service.

I met Beryl at various poetry events in London and of course through the SWWJ – Beryl was Chairman in 1996. When age and ill health overtook her, she continued to keep up to date with the news and for a while was still sending her poems out to various magazines. She kept to a tradition of years and typed her poems on an old manual typewriter. She had to go to hospital on several occasions but was determined her life would end in the house where she had grown up, and it did. Beryl possessed a true fighting spirit, she will be sadly missed.

Patricia Turpin

by Sylvia Kent

P

at joined the Society in the early 2000s and loved attending our lunches. She was a poet who enjoyed seeing her work published in numerous anthologies. When I was researching wartime nursing, she was so helpful after I discovered that she had served as an army sister with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.

Over recent years, Pat had been employed by a film company as an extra, and although

The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

she had to catch the dawn train to get to whatever studio had booked her, she enjoyed seeing herself on the screen. She had received a couple of commissions for TV commercials. This quiet, friendly lady will be sadly missed.

9

Tributes Remembering Pauline Graham In the last issue of The Woman Writer we reported on the sad passing of Pauline Graham. Vice Presidents Joyce Elsden and Jennie Lisney have put together the following words as a tribute to Pauline: Our memories are good ones, of a lady we were privileged to get to know many years ago. Pauline served the SWWJ as a Treasurer for over 10 years and donated her honorarium to the Society in our centenary year. She instigated a competition open to all writers under the age of 40 in an effort to introduce us to younger people. But most of all she kept the Council members on their toes when costing events, especially in London.

We recall Pauline’s company on one or more of the trips to France, which Joyce organised; her linguistic skills with the French language came in jolly handy and always with a smile, and her elegant outfits with matching jewellery were a source of conversation (if not envy).

Jennie particularly remembers enjoying her company at the Evesham Weekend School, where the parties went on till late! She will be sorely missed.

Further memories from Vice President Jocelyn Glegg: We are all writers in the SWWJ of course, but we are also very different people. And Pauline was different. She entered a room and was immediately noticed. Pauline had a special presence that drew people to her.

Graceful, impeccably dressed, and with a smile for everyone, she immediately began talking and asking about their work because she was interested in people and showed her interest.

A highly-trained, attractive and intelligent woman, Pauline’s writing was mainly on finance. But looking back I see not only the writer, but the elegance, the friendliness, the smile, our talk of the theatre (in which she had great interest) and her charitable foundation helping those affected by war and strife.

One day at a meeting she suddenly turned to me and said, “My scarf would go so much better with your jacket”. Straightaway she removed the patterned silk scarf she was wearing and said, as she handed it over, “Please have it, it will just finish off your outfit”.

Which of course it did. I wear it still.

Goodbye Pauline, you will long be remembered.

Left to right: Jean Bowden, Pauline Graham and Jocelyn Glegg.

10

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Members’ news

Success!

Poetry Doris Corti had two poetry readings recently, arranged by the prestigious Albert Poets, Huddersfield and Lindley Library, to launch her new poetry book Kingfisher & other things, published by SCRIPTORA. The library has bought two of her latest poetry collections (a big thrill to have them on the shelves there, says Doris). Her article in a recent issue of Writing Magazine was picked up by a reader who says it encouraged her to write to one of the ‘small forms’ Doris had used as an example.

Following on from this, Doris had a whole page about herself and her new collection of poetry in her local paper in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. To read the full text of the newspaper article online, type in: It's never too late to learn to write poetry.

Book launch Julie C Round is happy to report that her new novel A Bend in the Lane is proving popular since the launch on July 3rd. A local magazine carried a full page spread about Julie and her book. As this publication is distributed to every household in the area, people kept coming up to her to say they had seen it. Julie says it remains to be seen whether this translates into sales, but it is quite satisfying.

The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

A friend indeed!

Margaret Mounsdon has just had her latest pocket novel Castle of Flowers accepted by People's Friend.

Three in a row Patrick Forsyth has three books published

by Legend Business: Negotiation (invaluable if you want to understand more about the Brexit problems), Building Career Success (for anyone with a ‘normal’ corporate job) and Business Writing (which perhaps might interest members who write non-fiction).

The first and last are published under the name Anthony Jacks – and you can read why that is in our Marketing column on page 30.

A further title, about communications skills, in this ‘Smart Skills’ series will follow in 2019.

Digital copy?

We are now offering members the opportunity to be emailed a link to a ‘page-turning’ digital copy of The Woman Writer. This will enable you to view the publication from your computer, iPad, tablet or smartphone. Could be handy if you need to check a date or venue for an event... If you prefer, you could have a PDF version emailed to you.

For members in the UK, you will still receive a hard copy in the post.

Please contact Carol Cannavan if you would like to be included on the mailing list.

11

Members’ news Pleased to meet you Naneh Hovhannisyan is a newly-joined Friend member. She attended the SWWJ Summer Tea Gathering and says she really enjoyed herself. She met some of the other members and had a chance to hear more about the Society and its work.

Naneh said she felt very welcome and appreciated the advice she was given.

Now, she wants to thank the organisers and introduce herself to the rest of us.

I was born and raised in Soviet Armenia, in the southern periphery of the USSR, and vividly remember the days before and after Gorbachev coming to power. I have very fond memories of our dormitory in the factory where my young, graduate parents worked.

As a teenager, I witnessed the collapse of communism and the wave of national awakening sweeping through Armenia as in other former Soviet republics.

I moved to the UK in my mid-twenties and for the past decade and a bit have been working in international development and, latterly, education.

Last year, I contributed to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon where we live with an article on the Armenia translations of Shakespeare in their archive collection (www.shakespeare.org.uk/ explore-shakespeare/blogs/armeniantranslations).

It felt fantastic to follow my curiosity and contribute to such an institution, as someone who grew up with a reverence for European literature, Shakespeare and England. Since then I haven’t stopped hustling!

Having been a journalist in Armenia before I emigrated, I feel like I’m making a round-trip 12

back to my creative roots. Hence my application to become a SWWJ member.

I’ve been writing in English – my third language – on the intersection of the personal and political, on cultural integration, loss and transformation.

In the past year, I’ve been selected as an emerging writer by Writing West Midlands, where they work with a group of promising authors (no pressure!) to develop their portfolios.

It was interesting to talk to some of you at the AGM about how the worlds of press and publishing have changed and how you’ve adapted, changed direction and grown. I sat next to a vivacious poet, a children’s author and a charity-founder, and they had all come from different places around the country. There is life outside London, after all!

I listened with interest to the keynote speaker, poet Anita Marie Sackett, as she charted the course of her life and career and answered questions, including one about creative writing being crucial to children’s mental well-being.

As a former child myself, and as a mother to a primary schooler, I believe in the strength of self-expression through words, as well as in the absolute value of creativity and the arts for our health and happiness.

On that note, my two recent feature articles are on the subjects of books and music of my childhood growing up in the 1980s – unlike the 80s most of you imagine.

Here’s a taster, and I’ll be busy pitching it to the Sunday magazines and the BBC. If you know someone in the papers, radio or TV, or have pointers for me, please get in touch.

“I’ve been thinking about music and its place in my life. I’ve also been reflecting on my childhood a lot. And how the two met, and how music shaped my memories, and what it reveals about them. I’m talking about the soundtrack to those Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Members’ news Naneh Hovhannisyan

Note from the Editor: It’s always nice to hear from our members, so do get in touch with your own stories, whether you recently joined the SWWJ or are a longstanding member.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Deadline details below.

COPY DATE FOR THE NEW YEAR ISSUE

years, stuck with me like a broken record. I’m talking about mending it, making sense of it.’’

As I go through the tracks and books covering the years, a picture emerges of an average Soviet life in the dying days of that empire, then of an electrifying democratic movement that culminates in independence, and of the first decade of sovereignty from Moscow. I think it’s interesting because it tells a story of the recent past, from a place very near, on the doorstep of Europe, but surviving a place shaken several times within just one lifetime.

I look forward to the next SWWJ gathering and touching base with some of you who’ve had plans for their writing too.

To our success!

Twitter: @Naneh_V_H Email: nvhovhannisyan@gmail.com The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

The deadline for the next issue of The Woman Writer is Friday 30th November.

Please ensure that all copy and images are sent to the Editor, Carol Cannavan, on carol@aspire-editorial.co.uk using Microsoft Word or pasting the text into an email. Please do not embed images into the document/email; always send images separately.

Always use the prefix **WW in the subject line (for example, **WWsuccesses).

Copy can also be sent by post to the Editor, 10 Dury Falls Close, Hornchurch, Essex RM11 3AX, United Kingdom, but should be typed rather than handwritten.

Images should be high resolution (300 dpi) and a good size. Photographs are acceptable but not photocopies of book covers. If you are submitting a photo that doesn’t belong to you, please make sure you have permission for it to be published. Deadlines cannot be changed.

Change of address Will members please ensure you notify the Membership Secretary of your change of address, telephone number or email address so that we can keep our records up to date.

13

Overseas members An international hello!

A very special group of people are waiting to introduce themselves to you; some may already be known to you, while the others are already firm friends.

I am talking about that elite band of associates who make up the Overseas International Group. They are based in all four corners of the globe from Canada to Germany, from Australia to India and beyond.

Doreen Friend

The weather has been extraordinary this summer, making it a pleasure not to pack an assortment of clothing from cool tops to thick jumpers on every journey.

Patricia Newell-Dunkley is one member who has experienced lovely settled conditions.

“I live at Shelly Beach, on the Central Coast of NSW, and have been in the same house for over fifty years. I am five minutes away from the sea and an hour from Sydney by car.”

Born in Shoreham on Sea, Sussex, Patricia has lived in Australia since the age of 16.

Now 85 years old, Patricia can look back on a brilliant career and forwards to many more years of writing, and illustrating.

Patricia explained: “I am an artist/writer and in 2009 Robert Hale of London published my book The Complete Guide to Painting and Decorating Porcelain, with a foreword by Henry Sandon, then Curator of Dyson Perrins Museum. Porcelain painting was my first art medium and I followed it with oil, watercolour and pastel.

“I self-published Letters of a Travelling Lady, Wallis the Woman I Love, Bouquet of Flowers (poetry) and Flower Power. I have six 14

romance novels completed plus an unpublished ‘how-to’ book on decorating eggs.”

A brief glance at Patricia’s website gives a flavour of the type of work she produces, ranging from decorative eggs, pastels, portraits, landscapes and watercolours.

Have a peek at her website – www.patriciasartworld.com – you are sure to love her artwork and enjoy reading her books.

Unfortunately, Patricia hasn’t managed to find an agent to publish her novels.

“I would love to get my novels published but I cannot get an agent and without one most publishers are reluctant to take you on.”

Patricia was widowed after sixty years of marriage and has a brood of nieces and nephews to keep her busy.

Below is Patricia’s drawing of Old Gum Tree at Budgewoi worked in Rembrandt pastel on Canson white paper.

Lesley Lawson-Botez is a former copywriter (Saatchi and then her own agency), journalist (Swiss News correspondent and contributed to The Financial Times), head of communications for a private banking group, now part of HSBC, and then responsible for publications at the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Overseas members “I married in my 40s and returned to university to study psychology.

Interested in attachment theory, I began a PhD and turned my research into a book. Holding Out for a Hero, Five Steps to Marriage Over 40, came out in 2015.” Jane’s review was published in the WW in Summer 2016.

“I lecture in communications and design at EU Business School. I am thinking of writing a layman’s guide to design but it is still in the concept stage.

“I live with my American husband, David, a lawyer, and a Cyprus poodle called Vinnie.

Vinnie is a published author. He was found tied up outside the house of the director of the local SPA when he was four months old.

I adopted him and took him to Geneva.

Vinnie’s story was published in Dogs Today Magazine and he received a huge box of toys and goodies. He is thinking of writing the Vinnie Chronicles but I will have to push him a bit.” www.lesleylawsonbotez.com www.linkedin.com/in/lesleylawsonbo Angela Blogg is an honorary member of the overseas group. Now based in Southampton, 82-year-old Angela spent a number of years writing true stories about herself and two of her sons living in France.

“I write my books under my maiden The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

name of Angela Goslin, and have been a member of the SWWJ for the last eighteen years. I have just had four of my books turned into ebooks, all on sale at Amazon.

Destination S W France is the first book and Life in the Fast Lane follows on as the second.” *More on Angela in a future WW.

Funny you should say that...

Do you ever wonder where common sayings or customs come from? Here’s a few supplied by Pamela Payne that can be traced back to the 1500s: Most people got married in June, because they took their yearly bath in May and they still smelled pretty good by June.

However, since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married. * * * Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.

Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!" * * * Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and death.

This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

15

Poets’ corner

Inspiration

by Dorothy Pope

I

was asked recently where I got my ideas for poems and I replied that for me there were two sources.

The first is like a gift from heaven; I witness something, or suddenly see something familiar in a new light, and feel I must write about it. My poem Bestowal came this way. The second source is looking back into my life for a subject that fits the theme of a competition – see my poem In Your Shoes. The theme here was ‘shoes’ and when I explained to someone that my father left us when I was five and I never saw or heard from him again, he replied, “Wow! In his shoes I’d have wondered what you turned out like!� Hey presto!

Each won first prize actually, so the system works! And I can’t think of another way.

Bestowal I gaze at diamond petalled sapphire ring on wrinkled and arthritic finger and see the cornflowers that you gave me in the kissing fields of youth.

In Your Shoes

Don t forget, the editorial deadline for the New Year issue of The Woman Writer is Friday 30th November.

16

In your shoes, I'd have wondered what I'm like, as woman now, and how I was at school.

Did you not ever ask yourself, awake at night perhaps, if I was beautiful or clever, happy, mother now to boys who looked like you, as handsome, tall and blond, or if, for want of funds and fathering, all joys had come to nothing, not survived beyond the day you left us, broke? Life was deprived, of course, but you gave me a legacy I prize. You left me hypersensitised to cruelty and worth – rare gift. I see right through facades. Not spared a second thought, I'm fine – though I'm the daughter you forgot.

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Crime writing Exploding the myths!

by Carol Cannavan It’s not often that an opportunity arises to attend a London-based event focusing on crime writing – it’s far rarer when that event is free!

On 30th August, I eagerly headed towards University College London with a number of other SWWJ members to attend an event billed as Crime Science versus Crime Fiction: exploding the myths. To say this was a popular event is an understatement as around 700 people filled the lecture theatre.

Crime fiction is now officially the most popular genre in the world. From Sherlock Holmes to CSI, fictional depictions of this good-versus-evil conflict have sought to utilise the latest advances in scientific knowledge. But how closely does crime fiction mirror the realities of police investigation? How far is modern science able to help in the fight to reduce and prevent crime?

These were the questions posed to a panel of distinguished crime writers and experts.

It was great to hear the viewpoints of Val McDermid (author), Elly Griffiths (author), Vaseem Khan (author), Imran Mahmood (author/barrister), Professor Ruth Morgan (Director of the UCL Centre for the Forensic Sciences), Professor Richard Wortley (Director of the Jill Dando Institute) and Barry Forshaw (author and expert on crime fiction and film).

The consensus of opinion seemed to be that a lot of crime related TV shows, films and books bore little similarity to true life. It would be impossible, in the space I have, to tell you what was discussed, but the good news is the event was filmed and if you would like to see it just type the following into your browser: https://mediacentral.ucl.ac.uk/Play/13700 The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

Following on from the panelists’ discussion, the audience had a chance to ask questions.

It was a very enjoyable evening, made even better by a drinks reception afterwards.

There was an opportunity to buy books and have them signed by the author. As you can see below, I managed to get a photo with Val McDermid. She has sold over 15 million books and is best known for her Wire in the Blood series, featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan. Val has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award.

Carol Cannavan and Val McDermid

17

Fiction focus

Writers online Connecting and promoting through social media

by Vivien Brown

D

uring the last few months, since taking over the social media role for the SWWJ, I have made it my mission to track down as many members as I can on Facebook, Twitter and, more recently, Instagram, and then to make sure that the Society either follows or ‘friends’ you! This makes it much easier for me to keep up with all your latest news, radio interviews, local meetings, signings and book releases, much of which we might not otherwise know anything about. You may also have received requests from the SWWJ to like our page or to follow us back. Please do it, as this will enable us all to stay connected and to support and promote each other. Just tagging the society (adding @swwj) in your posts means that I will receive a notification and won’t miss anything important!

Social media works quickly. Send an item in to The Woman Writer and you will have to wait for the next issue (which could be as long as three months) or Newsletter before it is seen. Post your news, photos or book covers online and within minutes I could be sharing them for you, not only to fellow

18

@SWWJ members but potentially to the world! Back in August, when Roberta Grieve sent in details of the October Southern Meeting, it was soon apparent that the next magazine would appear too late – after the event, in fact – but I was able to have all the information online that same day. Social media really is too important, and too immediate, to ignore!

I was quite shocked to realise, when looking out for you all, that so many members are not using social media at all, especially when they may have recently published books so badly in need of publicity. Remember that setting up an account and telling people about your books on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram is FREE. And the more followers you have, the more widely your news will spread. Some of you who do have accounts in place seem to be using them rarely, following only a handful of other users and having a very small number of followers in return. This is never going to get your work or your news out there in front of as many potentially interested parties and/or book buyers as possible. Writing and publishing your book, or planning your event, is just the first stage of the process. Letting as many people as possible know it exists is just as important!

So, here are a few tips to get social media working for you: Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Fiction focus 1. Make sure your own profile/page shows clearly that you are a writer. You can run a separate author page if you wish, but I find that keeping everything together in one place works best to start with, and gives your readers the chance to see a little about the ‘real’ you as well as about your book. Maybe set the cover image of your book as your profile or cover photo too, so it’s the first thing people will see when they find you.

2. Think about your Facebook privacy settings and consider setting them to ‘Public’. Allowing only friends to see your posts cuts out the opportunity for new readers to discover you. Just be careful if you also want to share pictures of your children, for instance, that you may not want strangers to see.

3. Seek out other writers on Facebook and Twitter. Either type their names into the search box or find a few you already know, or know of, and look at who they themselves follow. Look out especially for those writing similar books to your own as the aim is to get their followers to become your followers too. Check out the @SWWJ pages and see whose posts we are sharing, because they are likely to be fellow members, writers, writerly organisations, etc. Add them as friends on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

The chances are that many of them will quickly accept your friend request and/or follow you back.

4. Search for Facebook groups that share your writing genre or specialist interest.

There are groups for saga writers, women’s magazine fiction writers, romantic novelists, crime writers, Christian writers, sci-fi enthusiasts, etc.

Ask to join. Don’t worry if they are a ‘closed’ group. You may simply have to answer a few questions to check your eligibility before being allowed in. Then The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

you can chat about your own topic or genre, share your news, and engage in promotions where you all help to publicise each other’s news, often on a regular weekly basis. Members of the RNA, for instance, all share their latest romance news and book ads on Twitter every Tuesday, using a special hashtag, and I generally find that I get at least 60 or 70 retweets of my own personal book posts every time.

5. When you post about your book, vary what you say. ‘Buy my book’ repeated over and over again won’t work! Use cover images, photos of yourself, pictures of cake or cats, snippets from your life, or gifs (moving pictures, often cartoony, free and easy to access) – and vary the wording. Particularly on Twitter, which is so fast-moving, post something new every 19

Fiction focus

day. And, most importantly of all, people need to know how and where to buy, preferably by just clicking one button.

Wherever possible, include a direct link to your book on Amazon!

6. Tag anyone who you specifically want your post to be seen by – SWWJ, yes, but maybe your publisher too. Every time I do that for my own novels on Twitter, the publisher quickly retweets, thus reaching many more readers with whom I don’t have personal connections.

7. Check through your news feed regularly.

Like, comment, share and re-post others’ news. Social media is never a one-way street. The more you engage with other users, chat to them and share their posts the more likely it is that they will share yours, comment, or maybe even buy your book! If someone says something nice or unexpectedly shares your post, use the reply button to say thank you.

8. Use hashtags on Twitter! They provide an easy way for interested parties to find topics they wish to talk about. If your book is historical fiction, add the hashtag #historicalfiction to your posts and anyone searching for that genre will find you. My latest novel is set partly in the world of 1980s IVF, and publication 20

happened to coincide with the 40th anniversary of IVF, so I added the hashtag #ivfis40 and found new followers as a result. When I am advertising SWWJ competitions I add #writingcompetitions for the same reason. Try adding #ghosts, #thriller, #debutauthor or anything else (especially topical, in the news, or ‘trending’ subjects) that just might help in this way.

9. There are many people out there who just love books and want to talk about them. I recommend that you join the Facebook group called ‘Book Connectors’, where you will find discussions, reviews and news about the latest books. Book bloggers congregate there, and are often willing to help you promote your book by offering to read or review your book, host a guest post or interview you on their blogs – which may be read by thousands. And bloggers do not charge for reviews! I arranged my own blog tour by finding a dozen willing bloggers who liked the sound of my novel, fixing dates around publication day and sending them the content they needed. Yes, it took time, but it was free, and their blog links were widely shared across social media for a whole fortnight, with publicity and hopefully sales as a result.

To find us on social media: Just search on Facebook or Twitter for SWWJ. You can’t miss us! On Instagram (which is perfect for sharing photos) we appear as swwj_official

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Drama Free online scriptwriting course

Jane and Friends The Agreeable People present Jane and Friends, a new play by SWWJ member Patricia Jones, depicting the times, life and work of Jane Austen.

“In the 200 years since her death, Jane Austen’s novels, letters, poems and plays have never been out of favour,” says Celia Andrews, founder of the Fast & Loose Theatre Company. “We hope that this new, innovative play will ensure the audience will have an evening of ‘quiet cheerfulness’.”

Dates: 17th November 8.00pm and 18th November 5.00pm (Regency Tea 3.00pm).

Venue: Riverhouse Arts Centre, Manor Rd, Walton-on-Thames KT12 2PF. Tickets: £15 (£22 including Regency Tea) Box Office: 01932 253354 Website: www.riverhousebarn.co.uk

Opportunities at the BBC Visit Script Room on the BBC’s website. It offers an open door for all writers across the UK, both new and experienced, to submit a script with the promise that at least the first ten pages will be read.

Promising new voices are then offered development opportunities and help to kick-start their careers. www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

The University of East Anglia’s School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing have built this course with instructors and recent alumni from their famed course in Creative Writing.

The course is a must for anyone new to scriptwriting and for more experienced writers who wish to raise their scriptwriting to a professional level. It will establish a common vocabulary for approaching the screenplay and form the basis for upcoming courses in dramatic adaptation, the crime screenplay, and other genres and skills.

You’ll learn from a mixture of basic theory, script analysis and practical exercises. We will explore key principles as they’re expressed in great films, then immediately apply these concepts. Videos, articles and discussion steps will offer you the opportunity to learn and engage with other learners on key concepts and ideas.

By the end of the course, you will understand the key concepts necessary to write an effective screenplay and be fluent in the language used to discuss the form. www.futurelearn.com/courses/screenwriting

NEXT DRAMA WORKSHOP A date hasn’t been set for the next Drama Workshop, but it will be scheduled for early 2019, and should be posted on the SWWJ website in the near future.

Do remember that scripts must be sent to Martin Cort at least 10 days prior to the Workshop. Send your scripts to Martin at:

Flat F Kingston Mansions, 147 Clapham Road, London SW9 0HP mcort1@talktalk.net 21

SWWJ Autumn Lunch

Double delight!

by Carol Cannavan Reporting from the Autumn Lunch at The National Liberal Club It might have been blowing a gale outside, but inside the David Lloyd George Room at the NLC there was rapt silence as our guest speakers captivated us with stories and anecdotes from their diverse lives.

The afternoon kicked off with Chairman Barbara Field-Holmes greeting members, SWWJ Patron Lady Sandra Howard and our two speakers, Andrew Lewer MP and Jane Corry.

After a short introduction by Rebecca Harding, Andrew stepped up to the microphone.

Andrew is Andrew Lewer MBE Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Publishing (APPG) and Member of Parliament for Northampton South. He is the only person in Britain to have served as an MP, an MEP and a Council Leader.

Andrew’s first job was in publishing and, as a writer himself, he spoke with passion about the industry. One of his concerns is the increasing closure of libraries. The sector needs to stand up for itself and be counted, he said. Bringing more services into libraries will certainly help prove their value to the community. He recalled that when he was Leader of Derbyshire County Council, he had the opportunity to open two new libraries, something he was very proud of.

22

The APPG on Publishing is another topic that is close to Andrew’s heart. We were told that the publishing industry supports more than 70,000 jobs directly and indirectly. The sector is extraordinarily wide-ranging in its economic and social impact, from playing a fundamental role in our children’s education through to blockbuster fiction that inspires West End hits and Oscar-winning films.

Fundamentally linked to the success of the publishing industry is the bookselling sector, which makes a strong economic contribution to the health of the UK economy in its own right, with a turnover to the value of £1.3bn and employing 24,400 directly.

The industry as a whole is fundamental in safeguarding the UK’s cultural identity and standing in the world, with the UK already being the world’s biggest exporter of physical books and punching well above its weight in contributing to global academic research.

Before finishing his talk, Andrew invited the SWWJ to become involved with the APPG Lady Sandra Howard and Jane Corry.

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

SWWJ Autumn Lunch on Publishing. A lively question and answer hand over the session followed. keys!”

The break for lunch gave everyone the It was a scary place, chance for socialising before we heard from but Jane found that our second speaker. the majority of the prisoners were nice Pamela Payne introduced Jane Corry – a to her. However, former magazine journalist who spent three one day when she years working as the writer-in-residence of arrived there was a a high security prison for men. Jane was a hushed air. One tutor in creative writing at Oxford man had killed University, and she now runs writing another. It brought everything home. workshops in her local area of Devon and speaks at literary festivals all over the world.

Jane had some writing tips to pass on: She is a Sunday Times best-selling author.

• Find a subject with a difference that Early on in her career Jane was a features interests you. writer for Woman’s Own. It was then that • Seize the opportunities that life throws at she realised that ordinary people can have you. extraordinary lives. It became obvious as • Play around with the first and third person Jane told us about her own life that she too viewpoints and try a different tense. is extraordinary.

• Always leave a cliffhanger at the end of She wrote her first novel when her three each chapter. children were young. Jane was freelancing at • Your main character must have a problem the time and had little spare time. Although that surfaces in the first chapter. this book was rejected it didn’t put her off trying again... and again. Eleven manuscripts were submitted to publishers before her Jane Corry’s best-selling first acceptance. book My Husband’s Wife has A divorce and financial worries forced her been optioned for a TV to look for regular work. It was at this time series. Find out more about that she saw an advert for a writer-inJane from her website: residence in a men’s prison not far from www.janecorryauthor.com where she lived. It was for two days a week.

Jane admitted she didn’t really want to work there, but she needed the L to R: Susan Matoff, Pamela Birley, Lorraine Saacks and Pauline Parsons. money. She said she was horrified when they offered her the job.

“I’d never been inside a prison before and I was terrified – especially as I didn’t have a guard. I wore the keys of the prison (plus a whistle) on my belt. I was told that if I was taken hostage, I must not The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

23

From the archive Sixty years ago...

by Sylvia Kent The year of 1958 was memorable for members for several reasons. That year was one of the last that our Council was able to offer a clutch of consultants’ services from our Hon Oculist, Literary Adviser and Marketability expert. Years earlier, members enjoyed help from our Hon Solicitor, Hon Physician and Hon Ophthalmic Surgeon – can you imagine?

All this for an annual one-guinea subscription for ‘Town’ members, divided by half for ‘Country, Colonial & Foreign’ members.

How times change!

Sixty years ago, in the President’s chair was Joyce Grenfell. Enjoying a busy life travelling around the world making appearances – she was, of course, an award-winning comedienne making films and comedic records (remember Joyce and Norman Wisdom sending up Ethelbert Nevin's Narcissus), appearing on British television and on the famous Ed Sullivan show with Elvis Presley in New York. Joyce nevertheless took her Presidential status seriously, always trying to attend our SWWJ London events.

She liked to sit among fellow members, and Joyce Grenfell and Elvis Presley.

many recollect her humorous quips when presenting awards to the winners of that year’s competitions.

Another notable name that was often in the news sixty years ago was Penelope Wallace (1923-1997). Daughter of the crime writer, Edgar Wallace, Penny was a good friend to SWWJ, also championing the famous Fleet Street Women’s Press Club. She was voted on to our Council as Chairman, later Vice President. Always hugely energetic in her writing output, her crime stories were best-sellers. How I'd have loved to interview Penny, who eventually founded The Edgar Wallace Society in 1969, which still enjoys huge popularity around the world. She gave her father’s famous chair to the London Press Club, and it took pride of place in their HQ in London.

The late 50s were also the heyday of Margaret, Lady Rhondda, who was much involved then with our Society, being voted on to Council as Vice President. Thirty years previously, she had founded the highly respected legendary journal Time & Tide.

Her contributors read like a Who’s Who of literary talent, including Vera Brittain, Winifred Holtby,Virginia Woolf, Rebecca West, D H Lawrence, George Orwell and so many more, as well as our own fellow Society members. Lady Rhondda was also a researcher for the BBC’s Man Alive programme Tug of War, which brought many fascinating guests and speakers to our events during the 50s. Over the last year, Dr Catherine Clay, Lecturer in English at Nottingham Trent University, studied the life of Lady Rhondda and has now published her book British Women Writers 1914–1945, which includes some SWWJ history.

The Woman Writer history, published in 2009, contains vignettes of many of our former magnificent members. See full details on page 7.

24

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Around the regions News from Moonraker Country

by Dee La Vardera I have been busy these last few months preparing my first self-published book: Bringing Home the Bacon – the story of the theft of Wiltshire’s Bronze Pigs, illustrated

by Richard Cowdy, sculptor of the Pigs. The bronze pigs taken from Calne in October 2017 found their way home thanks to the power of social media.

Even though it’s a modest production, it still takes time and effort to make sure every aspect of printing and publishing is done correctly. What weight paper – 180 or 190gsm? Matt or silk finish; white or ivory?

Is 250gsm too light for the cover? What about font and design for the front? How can I attract readers and buyers?

I’ve got my ISBN for the book, and registered myself as the publisher – Dewfall-hawk Press. I’ve learned that just because you’ve bought your ISBN – from Nielson UK ISBN Agency in my case – it does not mean you can put it straight on your book cover. You have to convert the 13-digit number into a barcode with – yes, you’ve guessed it, a barcode generator.

Who knew there was such a thing? If you

Follow the SWWJ on FACEBOOK Members are invited to ‘socialise’ on the Society FACEBOOK page. Check out swwj.facebook and ask everyone to ‘like’ the page. Send your items to: vivienhampshire@btinternet.com The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

want a barcode, you can buy one – something else to add to my already long list of expenses. I found some free generators online but wasn’t sure if they were kosher and there was a catch, so I decided not to use them. Thanks to hubby, I learned about an add-on to Excel (small expense) that has done the job. I asked my local bookshop to check by scanning it.

Success!

I’ve done my press release and got my catch-phrase – ‘Robbed, recovered, restored’. I’m looking at dates and local venues for book signings, and arranging an interview on local radio. Now all I need is another generator which will turn my piles of books into sales figures.

Dee’s website is www.dewfall-hawk.com

Dee La Vardera

BRINGING HOME THE BACON

the story of the theft of Wiltshire’s Bronze Pigs

Illustrated by Richard Cowdy

Follow the SWWJ on TWITTER Find out about the latest news and events by following (and retweeting) @SWWJ Help to spread the word about our Society!

25

When I was not upon this page...

Dangerous driving

by Doreen Friend It was a normal Monday morning. I left home and made my usual calls to the emergency services then drove to the police station; I had to drive around for some minutes before finding somewhere to park my car.

As a regular visitor to the local ‘nick’, I knew most of the officers on the front desk and the non-uniform personnel including the Detective Chief Inspector, the Chief Superintendant, the newly promoted Detective Sergeant and one or two members of the ‘Flying Squad’.

I am proud to say that I had built up a reputation of never giving away a contact or a confidence, so when a young police constable asked me to step to one side with him I expected the low-down on a juicy story.

Notebook in hand, the constable asked me where I had come from, what route I had taken to the station and where my car was parked. Patiently I waited for him to get to the crux of the matter – was I witness to a terrible crime? Did I recognise the getaway car? Did I see which way the culprit went after he ‘decamped’ from the vehicle (an official word for run off), and would I be prepared to make a statement?

The information on any exceptionally good stories – a fatal, burglary, rape, missing person and so on – was usually handed out by one of the homicide, or special crime unit. When such a low-ranking officer as a constable was involved, he or she would accompany the crime squad officer such as a DCI or DI and hover politely in the background while the details of the offence were outlined.

This was something different: for some reason the top brass were allowing this young and possibly inexperienced PC to have all the glory for himself.

26

“About time too,” I thought. I had often been witness to the initiative of the ‘lower ranks’ in all walks of life being overlooked and underrated. At last good work was going to be rewarded.

No it wasn’t. How could I have got it so wrong? The young, over-enthusiastic constable wasn’t about to give me a headline-grabbing exclusive, he was going to tell me off!

He named the roads I had driven along, asking me to do the same, and albeit I couldn’t name every one I was very familiar with the area and said ‘yes’ I had travelled them. When he asked where I had parked I felt a little worried as I had forgotten the name of the road.

Realising that he had been following my journey for some miles made me feel uneasy I didn’t remember breaking any laws but there are so many it is easy to commit a faux pas.

I confirmed the make and model of my car, colour and registration number.

He queried the registration, different to what he had written down. Of course it was – the car that was driven erratically and dangerously was not mine.

Same make, same model, same colour, but it was not my car and not me driving. What a coincidence and what a relief!

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Christmas Tea application form

Christmas Tea Wednesday 5th December 2018 at The National Liberal Club, 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE Arrive 1pm for 1.30pm

Entertainment: A Christmas Cornucopia – words by Doreen Friend – presented and directed by Martin Cort (Application form can be photocopied) Name ……………………………………………….

Membership No. ……………

No. @£18.50 ...…..….

Cheque amount ………………

Guests @£19.50 .…..……

Name of guest(s) ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………

Any dietary requests. (Please ensure you list all dietary requests. These cannot be provided without notice.) ……………………………………………………………………………………………

Receipts are available on the day. Tickets are not being issued. If you would like an acknowledgement please add your email address below.

Email ......................................................................................................................................................

BOOKINGS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 22nd NOVEMBER. There can be no refunds after this date. Please send completed form with any dietary requests, together with a cheque made payable to SWWJ, to: Benita Cullingford, 5 Cunningham Avenue, St Albans, Herts AL1 1JJ.

The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

27

Interview

Who needs an editor?

Patricia Jones, author, and Mary Rensten, editor, talk candidly about their author/editor relationship PATRICIA: When the email arrived there was already champagne in the crystal flutes as a family celebration was in full flow.

My glass was refilled and an extra toast proposed: to the success of Threads of Life, my debut novel, which had just been accepted by SCRIPTORA – the publishing branch of the Society of Women Writers & Journalists.

MARY: Yes, definitely time for celebration! It was three years since Patricia had sent me the original manuscript and a quick look through the 360+ pages and the list of 47 characters had told me straight away that if this novel – about the creation of a small town's Heritage Tapestry and the interwoven stories of the families whose women stitched it – was any good, then Patricia and I could still be in for a long haul... something she did not appreciate at the time.

PATRICIA: Although I had read, re-read, edited and re-edited Threads in the weeks before submitting it to SCRIPTORA in 2015 there followed months of emails and conversations with Mary, succeeded by critiques – mostly constructive – from professional readers, then re-writes and more phone calls and emails resulting in further re-writes.

MARY: And some of it was tedious, even stressful, both for author and editor! (Do have a look on Google at Writing Tips from Stephen King, Helen Dunmore, Zadie Smith and others: they all stress the necessity and importance of re-writing.)

PATRICIA: At times, as the writer who has laboured and sweated, and even had the odd sleepless night, shaping the plot, creating and 28

developing the characters and the novel’s setting until they have become as real as the local high street, the suggestions for alterations to the manuscript can seem rather harsh.

MARY: Of course they can, and I fully understand, but if the writer wants the book to be published, these things have to be done!

PATRICIA: I had devised a kind of who’swho for the various families as an aide memoire for the prospective readers. Mary wasn’t happy with this, and advised me, in the nicest possible way, to scrap it. This disappointed me; readers within my local writers’ group had appreciated it as it helped them to get to know the characters and their relationships with each other.

However, when Mary mentioned the who’swho to some of her writing friends they approved; it was back in at the start of Threads!

MARY: Yes, I was wrong there. A novel with numerous characters in family groupings does need a cast list. In the end Patricia and I settled for a shorter list, which excluded most of her minor characters.

PATRICIA: Your characters become real friends – even the more dubious or dodgy ones – and you understand and feel for them and go along with their foibles, and having to part with them can be extremely harrying... and at times maddening and upsetting.

An editor is there to advise and guide the writer, especially with a debut novel, but there was a feeling of great sadness and a real sense of loss when I was asked to 'lose' a whole family, including a newborn baby.

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Interview And then there was Sheila, a character who was both forthright and practical, who also had to go. The problem was that I needed a down-to-earth character to sort out problems with the stitching and rein in Madam Chairwoman when her ego and her grandiose ideas for fundraising for the Heritage Tapestry went way beyond the committee’s budget. Who was going to fulfil this function now Sheila had been scrapped?

Luckily a rather prissy, headmistressy character stepped forward, and to my surprise she turned out to deal with her new role rather well.

MARY: I know that hurt, as did losing several church organists, and your very detailed committee meetings! Also, at the beginning, there was a bit too much history of Wainbridge, your fictional town; it was holding up the telling of the increasingly interesting story.

PATRICIA: Nick Gott, an artist friend, created the cover and it was a useful learning curve as he liaised with Mary and Chris the printer. I had shown the proposed back cover design, which included a heron and a sharp needle, to a friend and, luckily, she spotted something that none of us, including Mary, had noticed. Let us say that without her comment the heron on the back of Threads would have had a painful and surprised expression on its face!

MARY: It's always good to have another pair of eyes looking at a work in progress.

PATRICIA: One thing that did help me was having the first chapter of Threads read aloud by a professional actor at one of the SWWJ’s drama workshops. I got a real feel of the book's opening and the relationship between the different characters. The response to the chapter from the other writers and actors was reassuring and increased my confidence and pleasure in the novel.

The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

MARY: Oh yes, always try to have your dialogue read aloud, even if it's only you doing it into a recording machine! It helps you to get the speech rhythms right.

PATRICIA: Despite all the to-ing and fro-ing, the hold-ups and the hitches, the proofreading and re-writing, then more proofreading and more re-writes...

MARY: I know it was a pain... but they were all needed, even those pernickety punctuation corrections! (The novel would never have reached that stage if I hadn't had faith in it, and seen from my first reading that this was a manuscript well worth developing.)

PATRICIA: Threads of Life was published on 29th March 2018 and so far the comments and reviews have been extremely favourable.

As an absolute novice, knowing nothing about the procedure of turning a manuscript into a fully-fledged book, I am more than grateful for all the work and dedication Mary put into Threads, as without her it would be just another document on my computer, rather than, as it is now, both an ebook and a paperback for others to enjoy.

MARY: I am delighted by the five star reviews Patricia's first novel is receiving. She is planning a sequel – her well-drawn characters warrant it – which I look forward to reading.

Want to read more about this author and editor? Go to www.swwj.co.uk and follow the links to SCRIPTORA and members.

Follow Patricia on @Patricia Jones_1 and Mary on @MaryRensten To read Threads of Life go to www.amazon.co.uk Note: This article was first published in ‘Words With Jam’, an online magazine for writers and publishers.

29

Marketing

Be flexible Patrick Forsyth ponders the need for a flexible approach

I

must apologise about this column. Sorry.

Ideally I should have set aside more time for it. I should really have included… wait a moment, you are quite right. This is not a good start. Yet, not for the first time, I was struck the other day when attending a writing group by how almost everyone reading their work prefixed their piece with an apology. Everything was ‘unfinished’, ‘only a draft’ or needed ‘a bit more fine-tuning’.

Now let’s be clear. You are unlikely to sell anything until it is in its final form. Write with care, edit and improve by all means; most (all?) writers edit, change and improve their work. But at some point you must rule a line, declare it finished and send it out believing it is marketable, and do so with confidence. If you do not project the courage of your convictions about something, what chance is there of an editor viewing it positively?

Even when you reckon something is truly finished, a speculative article, say, may prompt a response that suggests – or demands – some change. A natural initial reaction might be to be upset – after all, you finally viewed it as spot on. But a bit of revision and then a commission is surely a

30

good result, indeed I think one might be flattered that an editor feels something is close enough to make such a comment.

There is confidence in you as well as the piece too; editors must believe that you can amend it suitably or they would not bother to make the suggestion. By and large, editors do not want to deal with a prima donna; indeed, anything you can do throughout the whole process to convince them that you are in no way a hassle to deal with increases your chances of approval.

So, some flexibility is usually a good thing.

Or, going further, another tactic is to offer flexibility, thus implying from the beginning further change is possible. This might be in terms of length or emphasis perhaps. You send something with an offer that another version of it can be available if that suits better. This does not dilute your positive view of the item sent, but it increases the offerings made to your potential publisher and the chances of getting agreement. I have certainly sold articles this way, and know a successful novelist whose first book was only sold on the basis of the publisher contracting for a suggested variant of the main offering. All sorts of flexibility may help: for example, I have just had a third book added to a non-fiction series, but only by agreeing to write it using another name (three being published together all from the same author was viewed as unsuitable). No problem – I’ve made sure that cheques will have my real name on!

So make yourself get things to the point at which you believe no further change is necessary, but consider making a virtue of the possibility of further amendment and resolve to be as broadly flexible in your Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Marketing attitude as possible. That way may lie further success. Now my word count is spot on. I am sure this piece is just right.

Over to you, Ms Editor (though do, of course, let me know if any change is necessary!).

Book reviewers wanted!

Could you write a short book review for The Woman Writer? If the answer is yes, please get in touch with Pamela Birley at bra33@btinternet.com or call 020 7351 6377 or write to: Pamela Birley, Flat D, 49 Christchurch Street, London SW3 4AS.

Book your place!

Don’t miss out on this lovely, festive event, which takes place at The National Liberal Club, London, on Wednesday 5th December. You will find the application form on page 27.

The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

SWWJ Competition

Meet our competition judge!

Elizabeth Longford Poetry Competition 2019 MIRIAM NASH Miriam Nash is a poet, performer and educator who grew up in Scotland, England and Wales. She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study poetry at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, and graduated with an MFA in 2014. She has performed her work internationally, and brought poetry into schools, museums, mental health organisations and prisons in the UK, USA and Singapore.

She was the first writer-in-residence at Greenway, Agatha Christie’s summer home, as part of ‘Writing Places’ with the National Trust, Literature Works and The Poetry Archive. Her poetry has appeared in numerous magazines and her pamphlet, Small Change (Flipped Eye), was published in 2013.

Miriam received an Eric Gregory Award (for a collection by a poet under 30 years old) from the Society of Authors in 2015, and was runner-up for the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award in 2016. Her first booklength collection, All the Prayers in the House, was published by Bloodaxe in 2017.

She has recently been announced as winner of a Society of Authors Somerset Maugham Award for writers under the age of 35. Miriam is very much looking forward to judging our competition and to meeting the winning poets.

Photo courtesy of Naomi Woddis.

31

SWWJ Competition

The Elizabeth Longford Poetry Competition 2019 for a poem written in any style and on any topic/theme Maximum 40 lines

First prize: £100 – Second: £50 – Third: £25 Entry fee: £5, or £12 for three entries Winner’s trophy and cash prizes to be presented at the Spring Prize-Giving Tea in London on Wednesday 20th March 2019 Judge: Miriam Nash

Closing date: 5th January 2019 Send your entries to: Vivien Brown, 16 Abingdon Close, Uxbridge UB10 0BU Please check the RULES carefully before you submit your poems

SWWJ COMPETITION RULES Please read these rules carefully. Failure to comply could lead to your entry being invalidated.

1. SWWJ competitions are open to Full and Associate Members only. Unless specifically stated, Friends of the Society, Writer’s Debut members and non-members are not eligible to enter.

2. Please ensure that any maximum word or line length set for the competition is strictly adhered to.

Shortlisted entrants may be asked to supply an electronic copy of their entry so word count can be verified before prizes are awarded.

3. Your membership number (NOT your name) and the title of your work should appear on every page of your entry. Please number the pages.

4. Please type or print on one side of plain white A4 paper only. No handwritten entries please.

5. Please use double spacing for all prose entries. Poems may be spaced as the poet requires.

6. Every entry must have a detachable cover sheet showing the title, your name, membership number, address, and email address and/or phone number so we can contact you.

7. Entries must be accompanied by the appropriate fee. Cheques to be made payable to SWWJ. A maximum of three entries per person to each competition is allowed. Sending cash is discouraged.

8. Entries received after the closing date may be disregarded with no return of fee.

9. If you would like to receive a copy of the judge’s report, please also enclose a self-addressed envelope of suitable size and bearing the correct postage.

10. Entries MUST NOT be previously published or have been read or performed in any public domain up to the closing date. They should not be currently entered into any other competition.

11. Please do not send your entry by recorded/special delivery or registered post. Enclose a stamped self-addressed postcard if you wish us to acknowledge its safe receipt.

12. Keep a copy of your work as the Society cannot be held responsible for the loss of your entry, in the post or otherwise. Manuscripts will not be returned after judging.

13. Cash prizes for winners and runners-up vary per competition and will be as advertised.

14. In the event of a large number of entries, or if the judge requests it, the Society reserves the right to appoint a shortlisting panel.

15. Please keep the prize-giving date free in your diary and book a ticket to attend if at all possible.

If you are a winner, we would like to congratulate you and present your prize to you in person!

32

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Markets & Competitions

Writing opportunities

by Carol Cannavan Here’s a round-up of markets and writing competitions to keep you busy! Although every effort is made to gather correct information, it is down to you to contact individual publications/agencies and ask for their current writing guidelines and find out if any costs are involved. Good luck!

UK markets HQ Digital says it is a dynamic digital-first imprint, proud to publish commercial fiction globally. They are on the lookout for new talent and are open to submissions, so whether you’re a debut or established writer, send in your manuscripts for their team to consider.

Website: https//writ.rs/hqdigital Thistle Publishing is a London-based publisher of quality fiction and non-fiction.

They publish in paperback, ebook and audio formats and pay royalties. They welcome submissions from authors, whether directly or via a literary agent. Non-fiction authors are asked to provide a synopsis, author profile, sample chapter and brief chapter summaries. For fiction, they want a synopsis and three sample chapters.

Website: www.thistlepublishing.co.uk BBC Wildlife Magazine is looking for stories that are original, thought-provoking and as far as you know have not been recently covered in BBC Wildlife Magazine; please email a short summary to the features editor Ben Hoare.

Email: ben.hoare@immediate.co.uk Website: www.discoverwildlife.com The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

Overseas markets Mud Season Review is seeking submissions that are original in approach and that in some way move them. They pay authors $50. Visit website for full details.

Website: www.mudseasonreview.com

Competitions Paul Torday Memorial Prize British writer Paul Torday (1946-2013) published his first novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen aged 60. The Torday family have set up the new prize in his honour to celebrate first novels by authors aged 60 or over. Visit website for full details.

Prize: £1,000 plus a set of Paul Torday's collected works.

Closing date: 15th November 2018 Entry fee: Free Email: prizes@societyofauthors.org Website: www.societyofauthors.org 2018 Shooter Poetry Competition They’re looking for sharply observed poetry with strong ideas and imaginative use of language: in short, arresting poems that appeal to both the head and the heart. Visit website for full details.

Prizes: £100, £30, publication Closing date: 25th November 2018 Entry fee: £3 Email: contest.shooterlitmag@gmail.com Website: www.shooterlitmag.com/poetrycompetition/ New Media Writing Prize The Gorkana Journalism Awards honour innovative stories based on factual material and featuring digital media.

Prize: £750 33

Book reviews

Markets & Competitions Closing date: 30th November 2018 Entry fee: Free Website: www.newmediawritingprize.co.uk HE Bates Short Story Competition They are looking for original stories up to 2,000 words in length. Visit website for full details.

Prizes: £500, £200, £100 Closing date: 3rd December 2018 Entry fee: £6 Email: hebatescomp@gmail.com Website: www.hebatescompetition.org.uk Magic Oxygen Literary Prize Short stories up to 4,000 words, poetry up to 50 lines. Visit website for full details.

Prizes: £1,000, £300, £100, two highly commended in each category Closing date: 31st December 2018 Entry fee: £5 Website: www.magicoxygen.co.uk/molp/ Brexit in Poetry Competition They are looking for poems about any aspects or opinions on Brexit Prize: £200 Closing date: 31st December 2018 Entry fee: Free Website: /www.hollandparkpress.co.uk Lancashire Authors’ Association Flash Fiction Write a story in exactly 100 words!

Prize: £100 Closing date: 31st January 2019 Entry fee: £2 or three entries for £5 Website: www.lancashireauthorsassociation. co.uk/Open_Comp.html 34

A Christmas Gift

by Sue Moorcroft Published by: Avon ISBN-13: 978-0008260071 Reviewed by Vivien Brown Despite its title and beautifully snowy cover, this is not one of those schmaltzy novels about the joys and romance of Christmas.

It is a story encompassing friendship, career and family ties, with plenty of secrets, misunderstandings and troubling times along the way. Sue always seems to find unusual jobs and interests for her characters to get involved in, and this time it’s the music business.

The main character, Georgine, is recovering from a break-up with a boyfriend who has left her struggling with debts, but it’s not all bad – she has landed her dream job as events director in a small performing arts school. As Christmas approaches, it is her task to plan, organise and produce the biggest and best stage show the school has ever seen, bringing together a huge company of music students, dancers, parents and staff, including new volunteer employee Joe. But why does Joe have no car and no phone, where is he living, and why has he tried so hard to change his appearance?

Sue has clearly done a huge amount of research here, as we see exactly what goes on backstage and on stage, not only among the show participants and technical team in rehearsals at the school and theatre, but also in the back-stabbing and chaotic world of a successful rock band, because old school friend and potential love interest Joe is not quite who he appears to be!

I liked Georgine very much. She is in her thirties, successful in her career, caring of her ailing father, and puts up with a great deal from both her difficult ex and her temporarily homeless and domestically Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Book reviews messy sister, but she has her demons too, still blaming herself for something she did that changed the course of her family’s fortunes years ago. As for romance… of course there is an attraction between her and Joe – it’s pretty much a requirement in this type of contemporary women’s fiction – but can they overcome the echoes of the past and their very different lifestyles and find a way to be together? Read it and find out!

Death on Tyneside

by Eileen Thornton Published by: Creativia ISBN: 978-1980504764 Reviewed by Fay Marshall This is the second mystery novel by Eileen Thornton to feature amateur sleuth Agnes Lockwood and Detective Chief Inspector Alan Johnson of the Newcastle Police. It all starts when Agnes discovers a mutilated body hidden in the bushes of a public park, on the first day of her return to Tyneside.

From then on she is determined to pursue her own investigation while also cooperating with the official team of detectives.

She and Alan already have a romantic relationship, which develops in the course of the story together with the hunt for a brutal serial killer and a sinister business racketeer who appears to threaten her personally.

Pacy and readable, the action is all set in Newcastle and its surrounding area, and local landmarks such as the Millennium Bridge figure plentifully. With this atmospheric background and its hint of Scandi ‘noir’, Death on Tyneside and its predecessor could well serve as the inspiration for a gripping TV series, having plenty of incident, a serial killer on the loose, dangerous moments for the heroine and The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

well-handled police procedure, along with a blossoming romance between the main protagonists.

Secret Guildford

by Marion Field Published by: Amberley Publishing ISBN: 978-1-4456-7394-3 (Print) ISBN: 978-1-4456-7395-0 (ebook) Reviewed by Pamela Payne I have long since loved Guildford. It is great for shopping, many of the London stores are represented, but it also boasts a wealth of small independent boutiques. The cobbled High Street is pedestrian and there are many charming coffee houses with tables and chairs on the pavements of the little alleyways, top-class restaurants and quaint pubs in historic buildings. It also has a theatre to rival those in the West End. However, until I read Marion Field’s excellent new book, Secret Guildford, I knew nothing of its history, apart from the horrendous IRA bombing of the Horse and Groom in 1974. I would check the time on the beautiful Guildhall clock, walk through the dramatic façades of the ancient buildings and into the modern shops therein and stroll through The Friary Shopping Centre, ignorant of the fact that there had, in the 13th century, actually been an important Dominican Friary in Guildford.

The majestic Guildford Cathedral rightly deserves a 14-page chapter and many photographs. It is a modern, towering edifice on Stag Hill, next to the university and even its address is of interest, as is the solitary golden angel on top of the high rectangular tower. I also learnt that our friend, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, opened the Cathedral’s ‘Seeds of Hope’ garden in 2008.

35

Book reviews But it is the many, mostly small, bronze statues that have intrigued me the most over the years. They are not the usual boring stone effigies of long-gone town dignitaries but instead charming, artistic statues of, for example, a running university student with flying gown, fictional characters such as Alice (Alice through the Looking Glass) – seen from both sides with her arm reaching through the glass. For me, the most charming is the montage on the banks of the River Wey of Alice and her sister. In front of them is the White Rabbit running towards his rabbit hole. These two because Lewis Carroll, upon the death of his father, moved his aunt and sisters to a house in Guildford in 1868. Another charming life-sized statue is that of the brilliant code-breaker Alan Turing, whose family moved to Guildford in 1927. He strides through the grounds of Surrey University, one hand in his pocket, the other cradling several books. This was erected after his tragic and wholly unnecessary suicide. The only ‘boring’ statue is that of George Abbot. I always ignored this but, having now discovered who he was, I understand why he is revered as one of Guildford’s, indeed the country’s and the Church’s, most distinguished sons; his story is very interesting indeed.

Marion’s ‘history lesson’ starts in 880 and, although full of facts, figures and dates, much of it reads like a story. Her research has been exhaustive and this has resulted in a thoroughly useful book, which is well worth reading whether or not you live in or near Guildford. I am now planning a ‘tourist’ day in Guildford to seek out everything mentioned in Secret Guildford. Although I know the city well, I don’t know the names of all the streets – a map on the inside back cover, with an index for all the most important sites, would have been handy.

Just one small criticism: despite the photograph of the Italian restaurant Olivo 36

clearly showing the spelling of its name, Marion has spelt it Olivio throughout the chapter – an easy mistake to make but one which can be corrected before the next inevitable print run.

Sikaran Dawn

by Revd Joanna Z Ray Published by: Movum Publishing ISBN: 978-3-99010-846-8 Reviewed by Doreen Friend This is a very unusual book and although set in deep space in the twenty-fourth century the underlying message is one of how the good, the bad and the compassionate react when thrown together.

The ultra-violent Gloshans are ruthless and brutal beings by nature and think nothing of holding prisoners captive on board one of their fleet of battle space ships or keeping them interred in their notorious war camps.

The Gloshans’ way of life is in complete contrast with that of the gentle Sikarans, who use their intellect rather than brute force to resolve conflict.

Stuck slap bang in the middle of these two differing ethnic groups are a number of Earth people who have been held captive by the Gloshans, who see their behaviour and culture as weak and cowardly. They use the human women as prostitutes and for child bearing. This behaviour is totally alien to the Sikarans who are specialists in martial arts and are able to use their special skill of telepathy to enthral their women, and as punishment against others when necessary.

Previously the Gloshans and Sikarans were engaged in a fierce space war; however, when it appeared that Earth was losing the battle due to a shortage of space cruisers the Sikarans joined in the fight against the Gloshans.

Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Book reviews Sikaran Dawn is written in the style of various captains’ logs, with each chief describing various aspects of the conflict.

Plus many other diary entries from individual aliens (people).

Sikaran Shield Lord Marayshan plays a prominent role in the book as a guiding influence. Sikaran Dawn is a must for all sci-fi fans. However, I feel this novel would be greatly enhanced by a prudent use of illustrations, enabling readers to view the full force of Revd Joanna Z Ray’s imagination.

That’s How it Used to Be

by Anita Marie Sackett Published by: Creativia Price: £8 (inc p&p) from Anita – Tel: 01245 262020 Reviewed by Sylvia Kent

listened to the wireless, enjoyed Saturday morning pictures, and loved a day at the seaside. This was before holidays abroad became the norm.

The author’s story begins in Rushden, Northamptonshire. She outlines a life that could very well have been our own. Anita recalls her familiar High Street, the local sweet shop, which in February 1953 became the target for dozens of local children when rationing finished. Readers will be reminded of the sounds of their milkman, and perhaps visiting the butcher, baker, cobbler, greengrocer and other local tradesmen.

Anita’s individual stories are illustrated by many personal photographs, along with numerous insightful poems, which will surely resonate with her readers and introduce younger people to a world which was truly ‘how it used to be’!

The Jewel Garden Many of us love a little nostalgia. Anita Marie Sackett knows only too well, probably more than most, what life was like during the 40s and 50s. Her latest book evokes precious recollections of her childhood days.

Memories from the past came flooding back when Anita’s mother died and the family packed up the house which had been her home for seventy years. Already a published poet, Anita created her poignant poem Our Street, which was published originally in Junior Education in 1989 and several other national magazines.

Writers are usually advised to ‘write what you know’ and Anita has done this superbly well. In so doing, she has recalled life – not just her own but for many of us who also lived through this period – when entertainment was primarily self-produced.

No mobile phones, ubiquitous tablets, computers and Netflix that now absorb the young. We played outside in the street, The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

by Marilyn Pemberton Published by: Williams & Whiting ISBN: 978-1-91258-203-7 Reviewed by Mary Rensten The Jewel Garden is a work of fiction, based on the life of the Victorian fairytale writer Mary de Morgan (sister of the famous tile-maker William de Morgan).

It is a fascinating story, set first in England, then in Egypt, where Mary taught in a children's reformatory and died of tuberculosis in 1907 ... and this is where, as a reader who loves historical fiction, I have a problem: why does the author, who published a non-fiction book Out of the Shadows:The Life and Works of Mary de Morgan in 2012, write in her novel, and very poignantly too, about Mary's death in 1895?

That apart – and hopefully less pernickety readers will not be bothered by this 37

Book reviews anomaly – The Jewel Garden is a thoughtprovoking, exciting story of two independent-minded Victorian women who flout convention; the other main character, aristocrat Hannah Russell, though fictional, really lived for me, as did all the minor characters. Story aside, this book is worth reading just for its vivid descriptions of the lives of women, both rich and poor, in England and Egypt in the 19th century.

Threads of Life

by Patricia Jones Published by: SCRIPTORA ISBN: 978-0-9500591-0-5 Reviewed by Revd Joanna Ray Threads of Life was for me very easy to read and depicted the tapestry of everyday life in the fictional historic market town of Wainbridge. All life is here and it has within it gentle humour, emotional turmoil and poignant moments. In the book, Laura initiates a heritage tapestry, and gathers together a group of townswomen to produce it. During the production of the tapestry, poor Sylvia, an elderly lady, is betrayed by her grown-up children: after a long stay in hospital, Sylvia is tricked into going into a Home, then into a flat, after signing over her large, much beloved house to the rest of the family. Another member of the committee of tapestry makers is a married woman who has an affair. Leaving her husband and sons, the pregnant woman becomes caught up in a cameo of disaster.

The story depicts the mundane, with welldrawn and interesting characters, although my preference would be for a faster-paced dialogue. If you enjoy a swirl of emotions in the tapestry of day-to-day existence, this is the book for you.

38

Bend in the Lane

by Julie C Round Published by: Oldstick Books ISBN: 978-1-9996334-0-0 Reviewed by Roberta Grieve Although it does not say so, this is the fourth in a series of books with ‘Lane’ in the title although they are each stand-alone titles. However, I wish I had read the previous books and got to know the rather large and far-flung family. I was sometimes confused as to who was who and which relation they were, probably because I had not read the previous titles.

Rose, an elderly widow ready for adventure, travels from Blackpool to Malta, Cornwall and Tuscany, but always returns to coastal Sussex. On the way she meets a charming gentleman who may or may not be all he seems to be, makes new friends and helps various members of her family.

I really enjoyed this book and wanted everything to work out for Rose. I must try and get hold of the other ‘Lane’ titles to find out more about the Smiths and their extended family.

CORRECTION Kingfisher & other things

by Doris Corti Published by: SCRIPTORA ISBN: 978-0-9500591-1-2 Illustrations by Jeff Stump; cover design by Mick Stump.

Available from: doris.stump@btinternet.com Price: £7 Autumn 2018 The Woman Writer

Diary dates DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2018 - 2019

24th October:

Southern Regional Meeting, Chichester

26th November:

SWWJ Council Meeting at NLC

30th November:

Closing date for 125th Anniversary Competition

30th November:

Copy date for New Year 2019 issue of The Woman Writer

5th December:

SWWJ Christmas Tea at NLC

2019 5th January:

Closing date Elizabeth Longford Poetry Competition 2019

14th January:

SWWJ Council Meeting at NLC

4th March:

SWWJ Council Meeting at NLC

20th March:

Spring Tea Prize Giving at NLC

The Woman Writer is published four times a year: New Year (January), Spring (April), Summer (July) and Autumn (October). Copy dates are listed above. Send your copy to carol@aspire-editorial.co.uk The SWWJ Newsletter is published bi-monthly. Copy that misses the WW copy dates will be passed to Doreen Friend for the Newsletter on doreen.friend@swwj.co.uk To receive the Newsletter, please make sure we have your current email address.

Regional meetings take place at the advertised venues. Council meetings are held at The National Liberal Club,1 Whitehall Place, Westminster, London SW1A 2HE. The Woman Writer Autumn 2018

39

28 | Diary & Services

Farnborough Parish Magazine June 2013

In this fast moving world is your business keeping up?

An established Litho Printers with the latest technology and fresh ideas, backed up with experience and service that is second to none...

• Graphic Design Studio • Corporate Stationery • Booklet Printing & Finishing • Newsletters & Flyers • Customised Calendars • Invitations & Tickets

• Folders & Brochures • Business Cards & Postcards • Business Forms/NCR • Retail & Restaurant Items • Posters & Point of Sale • Trade Show Materials

For a quote or advice please call

020 8460 8416 david@tandcprint.co.uk 45a College Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 3PU

www.tandcprint.co.uk