Chandler's Ford Today

Allison Symes

Meeting Miriam Drori: Loyalty and the Learner

By 2 Comments

Image Credits:- Many thanks to Lynsey Adams from Reading Between The Lines Vlog and to Miriam Drori for supplying author/poster photos, book cover pictures, and to Miriam specifically for images relating to the world of her stories with additional information given in the captions. One image taken as a screenshot from Miriam’s website. Other images were created in Book Brush using either Pixabay images or photos provided by Miriam/Lynsey. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes.

It is with great pleasure I welcome Miriam Drori to Chandler’s Ford Today. Miriam and I met at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick in August and it was lovely to chat in person. We took part in the Open Prose Mic Night there.

[Read more…] about Meeting Miriam Drori: Loyalty and the Learner

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Story Inspiring TV and Its Music

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Videos from YouTube. Screenshot taken by me, Allison Symes. One image directly from Pixabay.

In my recent post about Books, Movies, and Music, which was a joy to write, I focused on the link between classical music and films/stories on which the movies are based. For this post, I thought I’d take a look at those stories which have inspired wonderful TV series, with superb themes bringing them to life musically.

[Read more…] about Story Inspiring TV and Its Music

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Behind The Curtain with Anita D Hunt

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Lynsey Adams for supplying book cover, blog tour, and author pics. Many thanks to Anita D Hunt for supplying images from Cornwall relating to Behind The Curtain. Images of Anita from The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, were taken by Keith Hinchy. Other Swanwick images were taken by me, Allison Symes, as was the screenshot of Anita’s fascinating memory workbooks. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images with some directly from Pixabay.

It is with great pleasure I welcome debut novelist and fellow Swanwicker, Anita D Hunt, to Chandler’s Ford Today. Anita’s novel, Behind the Curtain, is a domestic noir published by SpellBound Books.

The novel was launched at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick following its release in paperback on 2nd August. Anita had the joy of signing copies in the Book Room, almost literally hot off the press.

[Read more…] about Behind The Curtain with Anita D Hunt

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Catching Up with Ruth Leigh – The Further Adventures of Isabella M Smugge

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Ruth Leigh for supplying author pic and book cover images. Images from the British Christian Writing Conference were kindly supplied by Social Shapes. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. Other images were created in Book Brush using Pixabay images and/or book cover shots from Ruth. Some images are directly from Pixabay.

I’m pleased to welcome back Ruth Leigh to Chandler’s Ford Today. Ruth and I are members of the Association of Christian Writers. Last time we talked, Ruth had three books out in her funny and touching Isabella M Smugge series.

Today, 20th September 2024, will see the release of her fourth novel featuring her heroine – The Further Adventures of Isabella M Smugge. Congratulations, Ruth. Little beats the buzz of being published.

[Read more…] about Catching Up with Ruth Leigh – The Further Adventures of Isabella M Smugge

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Books, Movies, and Music

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Videos from YouTube. Screenshot taken by me, Allison Symes.

On the recent August Bank Holiday, Classic FM counted down their Movie Music Hall of Fame. This was voted on by listeners (you could only pick one theme) and I was delighted my favourite was the number one.

I voted for The Lord of the Rings soundtrack. It has everything I want in a movie score – classical music, choral, opera, and Enya! It also conjures up, whenever I play the double album, images from the film and the book. It does what a movie soundtrack should do – brings the films and the book to life.

[Read more…] about Books, Movies, and Music

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Story Judging

By Leave a Comment

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images

Later this month, I’ll have the great joy of judging a flash fiction competition for a Scottish writing group (all done via the wonders of email). I enjoy judging and have learned much from the process of doing so in that it has helped me to improve my own work for judging by someone else.

[Read more…] about Story Judging

Tags: , , , , ,

Random Generators

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.

I often use a wide variety of random generators because I need various ways to trigger ideas for characters and stories. Having these different ways of being able to create tales is useful. Mixing up what I use is also good for keeping me on my creative toes!

I see random generators as the modern equivalent of story cubes (I use those too!). I also use books of prompts (and have contributed to some), proverbs and well known sayings (sometimes I subvert these to generate even more tales) but, by far, the method I use most often is the random generator.

[Read more…] about Random Generators

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Swanwick 2024

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Jen Wilson, Penny Blackburn, Val Penny, Keith Hinchy, and June Webber for images from Swanwick. Other images from The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, were taken by yours truly, Allison Symes. Other images created in Book Brush using my photos.

When this post goes out, I will be back home, having recently enjoyed another lovely week at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, which is based at The Hayes, Derbyshire. This week sees me immersed in the world of writing, which is just one of many reasons I adore going. It is also the place from where the only German prisoner of war from World War Two successfully escaped and fled back to Germany.

On the writing front, delegates are free to choose which courses and workshops they go to and there is a wide range of topics to choose from too. There is something to suit everyone, no matter where they are at in their writing journeys.

There are four part and two part courses to choose from, as well as the one hour workshops, plus I find I always learn something useful, as well as enjoying being entertained, by the after dinner guest speakers, who are all renowned in their fields.

[Read more…] about Swanwick 2024

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Never Fear The Editing

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes

I don’t know if any survey has been done but, from talking with writers I know and reading interviews over many years, editing elicits a Marmite response. You love it or hate it. There doesn’t appear to be a middle “don’t mind it” option!

My attitude towards editing took a major step for the better on realising good edits were increasing my receiving acceptances. My attitude has gone up further in leaps and bounds since becoming an editor too.

[Read more…] about Never Fear The Editing

Tags: , , , , , ,

Book Title Games

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.

I love word games of all sorts, my favourite being a version of Scrabble I play on my phone. I’m also fond of the Radio Four comedy, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. It has been on air since 1972. Its original chair was Humphrey Lyttelton and its current chair is Jack Dee. Amongst the many silly games they play on here are rounds involving books, which I adore. No surprises there!

[Read more…] about Book Title Games

Tags: , , , ,

The Chameleon Theatre Group – Bleak Expectations – Review

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to The Chameleons for kind permission to use their fabulous photos, which were taken by Stuart Wineberg. Other images were created in Book Brush using one image from The Chameleons. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes.

I was intrigued to discover The Chameleon Theatre Group were staging Bleak Expectations and was only too glad to go to this show. I remember this as a hilarious Radio Four comedy show which I enjoyed listening to many years ago. Both the play and the radio show were written by Mark Evans.

The title comes from Dickens’s Bleak House and Great Expectations, but there were plenty of other gags connected with the great author.

[Read more…] about The Chameleon Theatre Group – Bleak Expectations – Review

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Author Interview – Val Penny – Hunter’s Rules and Book Blog Tour Organiser interview – Lynsey Adams

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Val Penny and Lynsey Adams for author, book cover, and blog tour pictures. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. One image directly from Pixabay. Screenshot taken by me, Allison Symes.

It is with great pleasure I welcome back Val Penny to Chandler’s Ford Today. Val is renowned for her DI Hunter Wilson mysteries and the latest one in the series, Hunter’s Rules, is now out via her new publisher, SpellBound Books. This interview forms part of a blog tour organised by Lynsey Adams (of Reading Between The Lines Book Vlog).

For this post, I will be putting a couple of questions to Lynsey about organising blog tours and what authors need to think about before approaching blog tour organisers.

I’ll also be discussing Val’s new book with Val. We all hope you find this interesting. There will be plenty of useful tips and advice here.

[Read more…] about Author Interview – Val Penny – Hunter’s Rules and Book Blog Tour Organiser interview – Lynsey Adams

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Making the Most of a Writing Event

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshots and photos from The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick were taken by me, Allison Symes. A huge thank you to Julia Patterson for taking the image of me leading my editing workshop at the 2023 Swanwick.

I’m shortly off on my travels again to a major highlight of my writing year, The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick in lovely Derbyshire. I meet up with friends I only see online for the rest of the year (though that is wonderful).

Indeed, one writer I plan to be catching up at Swanwick is Val Penny, author of the DI Hunter Wilson series, whom I’ll be interviewing here again next week. I hope to write more about Swanwick for a later post here but I am running a two part course called Editing as a Writer, Editing as a Competition Judge, which I’m looking forward to presenting.

I thought it might be useful to share some tips as to how to make the most of any writing event you might go to, whether it is a week long residential one like Swanwick, or a single day event. (I am hoping to get to another of those soon too run by the Association of Christian Writers).

[Read more…] about Making the Most of a Writing Event

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Writing Fitness

By Leave a Comment

Image Credit:   Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

One disadvantage to the writing life is it is a sedentary one. I compensate by walking the dog and swimming, though not at the same time! As well as being aware of the need to compensate for a stationary job, there are other ways in which writers need to think about their fitness. This post outlines some of those.

[Read more…] about Writing Fitness

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Employing Kipling’s Serving Men

By Leave a Comment

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), renowned writer and poet, came up with his “serving men” which are an inspiration to all writers. Part of his poem on the subject reads:-

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

Do check out the full version via the link to The Kipling Society.

I would add in the question of “what if” as a useful addition to these six. How can all writers benefit from these questions? Let’s take a look.

[Read more…] about Employing Kipling’s Serving Men

Tags: , , , , , ,

Author Interview: Maressa Mortimer – Going Downstream

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Maressa Mortimer and Lynsey Adams for author and book cover pictures. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

It is a great pleasure to welcome Maressa Mortimer back to Chandler’s Ford Today. Maressa and I are members of the Association of Christian Writers.

If you’ve been tempted to think you don’t have time to write, Maressa may encourage you to think again. She writes around her home life of four children, who are home schooled, a dog, and the demands of her husband’s job as a church minister.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Maressa Mortimer – Going Downstream

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Author Interview: Jennifer C Wilson – 31 Days of Writing

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Jennifer C Wilson for her author shot and book cover shots. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images.

It is a great pleasure to welcome back Jennifer C Wilson to Chandler’s Ford Today. Jennifer’s new book, published today, is 31 Days of Writing, which will be so useful to a wide range of writers.

Amazon Buy Link – Pre-order link

31 Days of Writing buy link:

Blurb for 31 Days of Writing

31 Days of Writing draws on the prompts and exercises from seven years of North Tyneside Writers’ Circle. Whether you’re wanting to build scenes for a work-in-progress, or generate ideas for short stories/poems, there’s something for everyone in this collection, to keep the inspiration flowing for a month of writing…

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Jennifer C Wilson – 31 Days of Writing

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Having a Superpower

By Leave a Comment

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

I run a monthly Zoom workshop on flash fiction writing for the Association of Christian Writers. It is great fun to do and the online aspect helps so much as the members live several hundreds of miles apart so we could never get together in person.

I usually set a monthly theme and then set exercises based on that. Sometimes I will prepare an answer to an exercise to show as an example but most of the time I will write on the night of the meeting with the other members.

[Read more…] about Having a Superpower

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Author Interview: Jenny Sanders – The Polished Arrows of Non-Fiction Writing – Part 2

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Jenny Sanders for supplying book and author pictures. Other images from Unsplash and Pixabay (forwarded by Jenny Sanders). Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

It was such a pleasure to welcome back Jenny Sanders to Chandler’s Ford Today last week where we discussed her new devotional book, Polished Arrows. Devotionals are a specialised form of writing and she discussed the joys and challenges she faces here.

This week, Jenny is sharing thoughts on marketing and book launches. There are some great tips here for any writer thinking along these lines which may prove useful to you.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Jenny Sanders – The Polished Arrows of Non-Fiction Writing – Part 2

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Author Interview: Jenny Sanders The Polished Arrows of Non-Fiction Writing – Part 1

By Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Jenny Sanders for supplying book and author pictures. Other images from Unsplash and Pixabay (forwarded by Jenny Sanders). Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

It’s a pleasure to welcome Jenny Sanders back to Chandler’s Ford Today. Jenny and I are connected through the Association of Christian Writers. We have written for Mom’s Favourite Reads. We now write regularly for Writers’ Narrative (on which I am also a copy editor. Good news – it is free to subscribe to – see the link for more).

As well as her children’s fiction, Jenny writes articles on writing. She also writes non-fiction books (Christian devotionals) and her latest is due out today, 31st May 2024. Her Polished Arrows is a follow up to her first non-fiction book, Spiritual Feasting, (both published by Instant Apostle).

I’m always interested in how writers combine writing fiction with non-fiction. The disciplines are different so managing to meet the demands of both is an interesting challenge.

[Read more…] about Author Interview: Jenny Sanders The Polished Arrows of Non-Fiction Writing – Part 1

Tags: , , , , , , ,