12 minute read
Books & Poetry
SETTING SAIL ON A NEW ADVENTURE
Having enjoyed fulfi lling careers in both nursing and teaching, Julia Ozanne has launched in a new direction with the release of her fi rst novel
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Julia Ozanne moved to Porthmadog in North Wales after four decades on the Welsh Borders. There she had worked as a nurse and then a secondary school teacher, before specialising in behaviour management. Her husband Malcolm (Mac) was well known as a press photographer for the Advertizer and Shropshire Star.
The couple were keen sailors – Mac had built their boat Freelance himself – and often set out from Porthmadog harbour for the Irish Sea, or to explore the Scottish islands.
So when Julia put pen to paper to write her fi rst book, the setting she chose was immediately familiar.
Special setting
She said: “The novel is based around Porthmadog and the Llyn Peninsula. Having sailed out of Porthmadog for many years, I wanted to incorporate the beautiful landscape and seascape I know and love.
“I also wanted to include the contemporary issue of drug tra cking and the vulnerability of young people to the County Lines gangs – the maritime side of tra cking, based on fact.”
The result is The Boat Shed, launched recently at a local book fair and featuring a stunning picture of Ballast Island in Porthmadog Harbour on the cover – taken by Mac, of course.
The book tells the story of Cassie Jones, who sets out to uncover the truth behind a family rift. She fi nds herself far from her urban lifestyle, drawn into the very di erent setting of a Welsh coastal town. A life-changing opportunity catapults her into a strange new career and the dangerous underworld of drug tra cking.
Learning curve
Julia, who now lives in Morfa Bychan, said: “I have been writing for ten years, submitting to competitions and publishers, and was awarded a Highly Commended in a national contest for a memoir I wrote. This is my fi rst novel and I completed it before the start of the pandemic. Obviously sending it out to publishers was di cult, so I decided to self-publish before it gathered any dust. That was an experience in itself – as is the publicity, the marketing, the distribution… I’ve had a lot to learn!
“Feedback has been very positive and those who know the area will recognise many of the descriptions. I loved writing it and have started on a sequel.” The Boat Shed is available in Browsers bookshop in Porthmadog and on their Facebook page.
LOCAL BOOKS
The Lion Hotel by Philip Jones University Centre Shrewsbury graduate Philip Jones has set his fi rst play at The Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury. The plot combines history and humour to tell the modern story of a detective’s daughter who is wrongly accused of a crime. It references Charles Dickens and a Victorian entertainments bill that Philip discovered while on placement at Shropshire Archives.
The Lion Hotel comes under the genre of Young Adult fi ction and is also a light read for adults. It is published by Austin Macauley.
A Question of Time by David McCaddon The local author’s new thriller is set in 1967, in North Wales and Cheshire. A Question of Time is McCaddon’s fourth crime novel and follows the intriguing investigation that ensues when a girl’s body is found in the embers of a fi re in a farmer’s fi eld. A second body is found soon after and DCI Sheraton must decide whether or not the two are connected. Could it be the the two are connected. Could it be the region has a serial killer on the loose? region has a serial killer on the loose? Published by Austin Macauley. Published by Austin Macauley. and illustrated by Bumble B Moss will have children eagerly awaiting the next adventures of these friendly, loyal visitors to Earth. It is published by Paragon Publishing.
The Wichlees Come to Earth by Peter C Rabbit The fi rst in a series written with the under-11s in mind, The Wichlees Come to Earth introduces us to Pegerty, Gwindleberry and Warty Conk, kind-hearted souls who hail from a tiny planet called Bangy-Bong and Calling local authors… return regularly to Earth to collect methane for their broomsticks. This enchanting story, written by Peter C Rabbit If you’re living in the Shire area or have written about a local person or place, we’d love to feature you on these pages. Email editorial@ shiremagazine.co.uk.
Booksellers Lingham’s based in Heswall highlight two outstanding autobiographies in their regular review round-up review round-up
Letters to Gil by Malik al Nasir by Malik al Nasir
Letters to Gil is a Letters to Gil profound coming-of age memoir – the story of surviving physical and racial abuse and and racial abuse and discovering a sense of discovering a sense of self-worth under the self-worth under the wing of the great artist, poet and civil rights activist Gil Scott-Heron.
Born in Liverpool, Malik al Nasir was taken into care at the age of nine after taken into care at the age of nine after his seafaring father became paralysed. his seafaring father became paralysed. He would spend his adolescence in a system that proved violent, neglectful, exploitative, traumatising and mired in abuse. Aged 18, he emerged semi-literate and penniless, with no connections or sense of where he was going – until a chance meeting with Scott-Heron.
Letters to Gil tells the story of Malik’s empowerment and awakening while mentored by Gil, from his introduction to the legacy of Black history to the development of his voice through poetry and music. Written with lyricism and power, it is a frank and moving memoir, highlighting how institutional racism can debilitate and disadvantage a child, as well as how creativity, self-expression and solidarity helped him realise his potential.
Leap of Faith by
Frankie Dettori The legendary jockey shares his remarkable life story in this intimate autobiography. When Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori arrived in Britain in 1985, aged 14, he couldn’t speak a word of English. Having left school just a year earlier and following in the footsteps of his father, he was eager to become a stable boy and apprentice jockey.
This was his first, but certainly not his last leap of faith. Frankie’s impact upon the British racing scene was immediate and significant. Brimming with confidence and charisma, and with what was clearly a precocious talent, in 1990 he became the first teenager since Lester Piggott to win over 100 races in a single season. By 1996, Frankie was already established as a celebrity in the sport and an adopted national treasure, but it was his extraordinary achievement of winning all seven races in a single day at Ascot that cemented his reputation as the greatest rider of his generation.
Leap of Faith Frankie Dettori
legendary jockey shares his remarkable life story in this intimate autobiography. When Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori arrived in Britain in 1985, aged 14, he couldn’t speak a word of English. Having left school just a year earlier and following in the footsteps of his father, he was eager to become a stable boy and apprentice jockey.
Change by Norman Marshall
Once, all was silent and still, Smoke ascended vertical over hill. The people below went to chapel to pray For here, in the quiet of the week, was
Sunday. Those yearning for beers and ales Crossed the border into England from
Wales. Gone now is the refl ective solitude Having in abundance much that will intrude. They changed the law to give choice And now all sing with one voice! Precious tenets should hold the hours So one may walk into nature’s bowers. Now I seek my lost isle of serendipity With resignation and some equanimity.
Keef ver Feef by John Hollins
Keef ver Feef was roofl ess, Mugged the very young, And the very old, Didn’t have a conscience, And his heart was cold. His victims all remembered, That he robbed them with a smile, His mouth was totally toofl ess, It left them trau-mat-ised. He slept upon a park-bench, Beneath the starry sky, Yes, he really was roofl ess, And that’s the reason why.
Cecil the Sexton
The sexagenarian sexton, Of Overton-on-Dee, Was the proud owner of a sextant, Though he’d never been to sea.
Ode to Malpas
There’s just one chemist’s in Malpas, With pharmaceuticals… it’s absolutely full, Though it has a dispensary, It’s quite in-di-spen-si-ble.
Staycation by Jo Young
Foreign holidays are on, o , on, o – repeat So, how can you plan your trip away – that surely is part of the treat? Where to go… when to go? Do we want the beach and sun tan? A lot will depend on the destination and if there is a ban. So, is it with the mither of airports, wearing masks and taking expensive
Covid tests Or should we look closer to home and take the best Of British and go to places as yet unvisited? Is it the Lakes, Scottish highlands, London or even Devon or Cornwall From wearing walking shoes and sun tan to brollies and a beach ball Who really knows what the weather will bring Just be prepared for anything – and lets be happy and sing! This year there is a lot to be said For taking advantage of all the UK has to o er and tread On our shores, taking enjoyment from our beaches, mountains to shops, restaurants and galleries Sharing our adventures, deepening our knowledge and above all spending our salaries With people in the UK!
The Kiss of the Sun by Anne Douglas
At fi rst light At dawn Verdant foliage Leaf pattern on damp earth Beneath coppices of oak Shrouded in green Spring crocus emerge From their dormancy Chalice-like lavender petals Proud da odils Handsome strong golden clusters The kiss of the Sun At fi rst light At dawn
We want your poems!
Share your creativity – we print our favourite poems every issue. Send them to Poetry Page, Shire, PO Box 276, Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 1FR or email editorial@shiremagazine.co.uk
PUZZLE TIME
Rearrange the highlighted letters to fi nd the name of a famous tourist village in Wales
Sudoku
Di culty: medium
Sudoku rules
1. Every square has to contain a single number. 2. Only numbers 1 to 9 can be used. 3. Each 3×3 box can only contain each number from 1 to 9 once. 4. Each row and column can only contain each number from 1 to 9 once.
ANSWERS
PORTMEIRION rearranged spell letters when The highlighted
23 Clio 21 Trent 19 Isaiah 18 Allele 16 Catullus 15 Toreador 14 Town crier
Across
1 Confl ict fought from 1899 to 1902 (4,3) 4 Berthe ____, French Impressionist painter (7) 8 The ____ Mile, the main thoroughfare of Edinburgh’s Old Town (5) 9 Ancient writing system of wedgeshaped marks (9) 10 Amelia ____, American aviation pioneer (7) 11 Tool that John Henry died with in his hand, according to legend (6) 13 Shropshire hill of quartzite rock (12) 17 Rebellion leader and the last native Welsh Prince of Wales (5,7) 20 Trade union for actors and other creative practitioners (6) 22 Molluscs hawked by Molly Malone in Dublin’s fair city (7) 24 The former county town of Merionethshire (9) 25 Celtic tribe led in rebellion by Boudicca (5) 26 Italian dish of rice cooked in broth (7) 27 Gwynedd town and site of a castle captured by 17 Across in 1404 (7)
Down
1 Tributary of the Mersey (6) 2 Gloomy AA Milne character (6) 3 The name of two villages in Cheshire, one of which hosts the World Worm Charming Championships (9) 4 The ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 (4) 5 An Indian yogurtbased condiment (5) 6 The site of Northern Ireland’s Parliament Buildings in Belfast (8) 7 Resilient shrub with pink fl owers that thrives near coastal areas (8) 9 Dennis the Menace’s weapon of choice (8) 12 The highest level of classifi cation for AOC wines from Alsace or Burgundy (5,3) 14 O cial who makes regular midday proclamations at the Chester Cross (4,5) 15 Escamillo’s profession in Bizet’s Carmen (8) 16 Roman poet who wrote about personal life in the 1st century BC (8) 18 A variant of a gene that may be dominant or recessive (6) 19 Israelite prophet who gives his name to a book of the Old Testament (6) 21 River linked to the Mersey by a canal in 1777 (5) 23 The Greek muse of history, or a car model produced by Renault (4)
12 Grand cru 9 Catapult 7 Tamarisk 6 Stormont 5 Raita 4 Ming 3 Willaston 2 Eeyore 1 Birket
Down
25 Iceni 24 Dolgellau 22 Cockles 20 Equity 17 Owain Glyndŵr 13 Stiperstones 11 Hammer 10 Earhart 9 Cuneiform 8 Royal 4 Morisot 1 Boer War
Across
Alice Leetham is a writer and puzzle maker from Cheshire. She works in the fi ntech industry and also enjoys creating quizzes and cryptic crosswords. Contact: alice@downstream.co.uk
