Richard took this photo of me yesterday. It was taken in our garden; you can see part of the thick curtain of glossy ivy which climbs up the wooden fence by the contorted hazel tree, right by the entrance to the Grove or "circular lawn" as I obliquely describe it in my latest Hubpage: http://hubpages.com/hub/Adeles-Garden

The photo was taken for use with my author's bio for a horror/dark fantasy anthology to be edited by Raven Digitalis, who started this project two years ago. Raven intends to submit the MS to an interested prospective publisher on October 1st. My contribution was Spanish Jones, part one of which was broadcast live on 7 Waves Radio in October last year. It's a tale of pirates, selkies and witches fighting to the death on Hilbre Island and Middle Eye. Anyway, here's hoping that the MS will be accepted.

Meanwhile, Riverside Writers have now received one quote for printing our anthology. Obviously we're waiting for other quotes to come in, but already it looks like being a choice between two local companies. I sent emails to members this morning to tell them Gary Smailes from Bubblecow http://www.bubblecow.co.uk/ will be joining us at the next meeting.

Yesterday Richard arrived home clutching Cajun chicken and two wonderfully dreadful films: one had Godzilla and Rodan battling with a three-headed chicken-ish winged thingy, and the other film featured a giant shark (which ate San Francisco bridge and leapt skywards to chomp a plane) battling to the death with a giant octopus, which ate a few ships and an oil rig or two. Both films deserve a place beside Shark in Venice! and King Kong Lives - the one where Kong has a heart transplant and takes a fancy to a Lady Kong with a ginger rinse. Awful but hilarious, all. The Cajun chicken was good, too - peppery spicey, just as it should be.

One of my monologues, The Faerie Tree, has been chosen for inclusion in a theatrical event scheduled to take place sometime in October, probably in Birkenhead. Another of my series of short stories about the Caldy Fae, this piece has previously been broadcast on 7 Waves Radio.

Caldy is a small area of the Wirral peninsula, nestling on and around Caldy Hill which is covered in ancient woodland and whose summit overlooks the River Dee. The hill is hollow and faeries live within--not the tiny, sparkly tutu-clad “fairies” of (largely) Victorian invention, but the powerful, magical and oftentimes devious gods of the ancient Celts who settled in this area.

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New slogan tees, hot off the - well, not off the press so much as off Photo Impression 4, but you know what I mean...! All the designs can be swopped onto other styles of t-shirt (either gender, large range of sizes/prices/colours).

Gardening: I've been patiently lifting aquilegia seedlings from between the gaps in the brick path. It's not a job which can be rushed, otherwise the lifting-out of the bricks could easily squash the tender stems, killing the very plants I've been attempting to save. Still, it's worth the effort as they have such pretty flowers and readily self-seed. Hopefully this Autumn, they'll self-seed in the flower beds and not in the most impractical place imaginable!

No news about 7 Waves Radio; I'll keep you posted.

Back from a trip to Birkenhead. My main purpose in going was to pick up this month’s copy of Writers’ Forum as my friend Tim Hulme’s story, The Trunk in Grannie’s Attic, won him first place in this magazine’s monthly competition, plus a prize of £300. This story began life as one of Riverside Writers’ set projects.

Also wanted was a new “Beware of the Dog” sign for the front door. You’d have thought I was asking for a rare item. I wound up with an iffy laminated sign to prop up in the window. It’ll do for now but it is not what I had in mind. Even though we have a wall-mounted mail box clearly marked "Mail", every so often some rash soul risks their fingers by posting items through the door. Emily enjoys shredding stuff.

Will we be on 7 Waves Radio on Friday? As our host Cath Bore is no longer at this community radio station, we don’t know if her successor wishes to continue having Riverside Writers live on air. I only learned this yesterday, which cuts things a bit fine. When I have news, I’ll pass it on.

Work on The Karens continues. This is (definitely!) a Sci-Fi story, plot-driven, based on a theme of cloning from DNA.

A relative of mine--who will remain nameless--viewed the cryonics article in The Daily Mail. Over the phone, she asked me, “But wouldn’t you mind being kept floating in a glass tank in your underwear for all to see?” Ah, that would be the image taken from a Sci-Fi film; the reality differs somewhat.

If you're in the Seattle area, Ruins Con might interest you:- http://ericreynolds.livejournal.com/55180.html Several of the authors published in Hadley Rille Books' anthology series will be there. Not me, though; Wirral's bus route doesn't arc across the ocean.

However, tune your radio to 92.1 FM on April 3rd at 11am (GMT)- or go to http://www.7wavesradio.co.uk - and you'll be able to hear me and other members or Riverside Writers live on Cath Bore's show.

Also, on April 27th Riverside Writers will be offering a free script writing workshop with playwright Sylvia Tailor AKA gelertandbess which will start at 7.20pm and will be held at West Kirby Library, Wirral. The event is free, but attendees are requested to supply their own writing materials.

Mark your diary now for October 14th, when Riverside Writers will perform New Tales for Old Byways - an evening of original poetry and prose with a Wirral theme. 7pm start; cheese & wine; free event at West Kirby Library as part of Wirral Bookfest 2009. No doubt I'll post more info nearer the time.

Tune in to 7 Waves Radio on 92.1 FM today (Friday) between 1pm and 2pm (GMT), to hear Tim Hulme, Peter Hurd and myself live on Cath Bore's Lunchtime Forum.

Non-Wirral residents can hear the show via the station's website at http://www.7waves.co.uk

I'll be reading Food, which is the latest in my series of short faerie tales set on Caldy Hill.

Three members of Riverside Writers have become finalists in the Coast to Coast writing competition.

Tim Hulme's The Trunk in Granny's Attic came in 6th place in the short story category.

Carol Falaki's Water Births came in 8th place in the poetry section, and this poem will also be published shortly in Mothering Magazine.

Peter Hurd's Hallowe'en story, A Quiet Night In, came 1st in the comedy story category.

All three members have performed their work on 7 Waves Radio 92.1 FM, as guests on Cath Bore's Lunchtime Forum.

Speaking of which, catch Tim, Peter and myself on 7 Waves Radio between 1pm and 2pm (GMT) on Friday this week.

Dragon tattoo by Richard:- http://www.myspace.com/richie_tattoo_artist

Richard spent a rough night due to the cold he's caught. Consequently he spent half of today in bed. He's sat in his Man Cave now, watching a documentary about The Beatles, with Saffron purring in his lap. He likes some of their music but not all of it. Saffron couldn't care less what's playing so long as she gets her ears tickled.

Anyway, while he was snoring triumphantly in bo-bos, I was busy tapping away on this puuter. Today's word count for Bethany Rose is 1,879 words. I love it when a character does something unexpected. I had no idea Bethany was going to move into a haunted house! This MS is very different in mood from Rowan. Whereas Rowan has a languid romantic feel to it, BR is much, much darker.

Did anyone tune in to 7 Waves Radio today? Four members of Riverside Writers were guests on Cath Bore's Lunchtime Forum show: Tim Hulme, Peter Caton, Eileen Murphy and Peter Hurd. I'll be back on air at next month's session, having volunteered to opt out this time to allow some other people a turn on air.

No news about the postponed Wirral Bookfest 2009 yet; and no wonder, with the situation regarding the threatend closure of so many of Wirral's libraries and other community resources still undecided.

The good news, though, is that playrite Sylvia Taylor has agreed to visit Riverside Writers and give a talk/workshop on script writing. The date is yet to be confirmed. Sylvia has co-written for the BBC and used to run her own theatre company. Currently she's making small films (which have been shown on the huge public screen in Liverpool city centre), planning full-length films, and works in community art development.

http://events.wirralglobe.co.uk/m6/disp.asp?i=208246 gives information about my activities this coming Friday.

I've just put the finishing touches to Punch, a 1,500 tale of a seasonal party which is my contribution to Riverside Writers' project this month, which had to be on the theme of a punch bowl.

My puuter won't let me log-on to my Wirral Globe blog. I've been communicating with their techie folk. Either I don't exist or cookies are being pesky. Hmm... And how do you allow cookies on Vista? I haven't a clue, because I've yet to find the right facility to add permissions! Heeeelp!!!

Meanwhile, who's been watching the new version of Survivors on TV? It's not a patch on the old version, which went into far more detail about the practical issues of being one of the few remaining people on Earth. In one (new) episode, Greg put a splint on a man's broken leg, completely missing out the earlier version's purposeful dialogue about how relatively mundane injuries had now become life-threatening, and about the survivors' lack of survival skills. The new version has the characters living off foods and bottled water from shops, whereas the old version introduced ideas about having to rapidly re-learn largely-forgotten skills such as soap-making, growing vegetables, hunting, weaving, living without modern fuels or medical resources.

Fancy some Hallowe'en tales to get you in the mood for tonight?

Tune to 7 Waves Radio on 92.1 FM (if you live on the Wirral peninsula) or listen via the station's website on http://7waves.co.uk/live-across-wirral/  at 1pm (GMT).

Along with fellow Riverside Writers members Tim Hulme, Carol Falaki, Peter Hurd and Peter Caton, I will be taking part in a live radio broadcast on Cath Bore's Lunchtime Forum, when we will be entertaining listeners with seasonal spooky tales.

You can send messages to the show while we're on air via 7 Waves Radio's "Shout Out" box found on their website.  Emails and texts can also be sent - see the website for details.

I hope you'll listen in!

( Read more... )

Research; actually, I enjoy this. I know many people hate it, but there you go. Ideally I'd love to travel up to Knoydart myself to indulge in "real time" research but that simply isn't possible right now--hence the You Tube fest behind the LJ cut. If you have any good photos, information or detailed maps of Knoydart...?

Tim's made a CD of the three of us--Tim, Peter and me--reading some of our work on 7 Waves Radio. I have now recovered from laughing at the sound of my own voice (eek, is that what I sound like?!!) Tim and I were back on 7 Waves Radio yesterday. We'll be having a Hallowe'en Special next month, which should be fun.

I've just started reading Scar Night by Alan Campbell, and I'm really impressed with the lovely use of description in the opening chapter; excellent imagery without losing any pace. And I already like Dill, one of the first characters we meet. They won't let him fly? Why? And why is the city hanging from chains; what're they attached to? I must read on.... http://www.alanmcampbell.co.uk/

Yay! We made it into the "what's on" section of The Wirral Globe. If you feel like coming along to Monday's workshop then feel free to do so.

Tomorrow, fron 1pm, you will be able to hear Tim Hulme, Peter Hurd and me live on 7 Waves Radio. We're on Cath Bore's Lunchtime Forum again. Listen via the station's website on http://7waves.co.uk/live-across-the-wirral/ or, if you live on Wirral, then tune to 92.1FM.

If you missed yesterday's post, go take a look at my new, exclusive Hallowe'en designs over on http://www.zazzle.com/AdeleCB. (And excuse the plug for those who've already seen it.)

Meanwhile, work on Bethany Rose continues; the word count currently stands at 45,700.

(And Emily is sitting on the windowsill squeaking because she's bored...)

Dark of the Night: An anthology of shadows
Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,491,928 in Books
Publication Date: October 24, 2006

That's interesting... I was updating my bio details on my Amazon Connect page just now, when I spotted this. So it's suddenly begun selling again, hmm? Jason, who features in my contribution for Dark of the Night... also features in Rowan. With The Club you get to learn how Jason first came into David's strange, vicious life - which later has desperate consequences for Rowan. So the short story links to the novel, which is something I enjoy playing around with.

Monday's Riverside Writers meeting was well attended, though partly because we were joined by another writing group who are linked to John Moores University.

First, Antonia Prescott talked about her ten years experience as a children's book editor, and about the things which agents/publishers look for (originality, flair, marketable product) plus common mistakes which writers make when approaching these (format, addressing them as "Dear Sir" rather than research a correct name, approaching with a genre unwanted by that particular company etc.)

Next, Cath Bore talked about how writers can get involved with her show on 7 Waves Radio. A writer herself, she's keen to bring in other writers to share their work. The station's recording studio has now been built, and at some point in the near future, Riverside Writers will decend upon it en masse, clutching our MS in eager hands, to record material for broadcasting later.

Also, at 11am on Friday 29th, Marguerite Davis, Peter Hurd, Tim Hulme and I will be appearing live on Cath's radio show. We'll be reading some of our work and talking about our writing group.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, hubby has been glued to a DVD boxed set of old films starring Marlene Dietrich. He was watching Destry Rides Again when I arrived home. Hmm, not my thing... Would remarks about her singing sounding like a moose with a head-cold be too snarky?!!

2,802 words done today - and it's only 1pm. How did that happen?!!

Ok, now I'll go in search of lunch in preparation for a deadly confrontation with the bramble which has sneakily grown in our front garden. Wish me luck.



Oh, yes - Tim Hulme and I will be appearing on 7 Waves Radio this Friday, between 11am and noon (GMT). If you live on the Wirral or nearby you can tune your radio to 92.1 FM. Otherwise, you can hear the show via their web site at:- http://7waves.co.uk/live-across-the-wirral/

I don't know which of his stories Tim will be reading, but he's an excellent writer so do listen in.

I'll be reading Beautiful, which was published in Quiet Lives (Amazon Shorts, 2008). It's the story of a woman's determination to live life to the full despite other peoples' assumptions about her. If you've ever felt disappointed by what you see in the mirror, this story is for you.

Fellow Riverside Writers' member Tim Hulme will be joining me on air from 11am (GMT) this morning, which is good news as he's an excellent writer. Hopefully he'll be reading one of his stories (as will I) so if you listen in, you'll be in for a treat.

7 Waves Radio broadcasts on 92.1 FM.

On Friday, June 27th, at 11am, I will be guest on Cath Bore's show on 7 Waves Radio, which broadcasts on 92.1 FM. The show can also be heard live via the station's website at:- http://7waves.co.uk/live-across-the-wirral/.

I will be talking about my contribution to Ruins Metropolis, and reading aloud one of my other short stories - probably Clara's Wristwatch, which is a modern faerie tale.

I hope you'll listen in!