Blog

Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder in Gilmerton

August 7, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-

Many thanks to Val Penny and Lynsey Adams (Reading Between the Lines Vlog) for supplying author photos, fabulous shots of Edinburgh, and book cover shots. Other images created in Book Brush using their images or Pixabay ones. AI images avoided.

It is with great pleasure I welcome back Val Penny, Scottish crime writer, to Chandler’s Ford Today. This interview is part of a blog tour organised by Lynsey Adams of Reading Between The Lines Vlog.

A lot has happened since I last chatted to Val, not least of which is her change of publisher to Joffe Books. They are reissuing Val’s back catalogue and Murder in Gilmerton is one of those books to be reissued.

Tags: am writing, author interview, back story, book events, crime fiction, DI Hunter Wilson, Joffe Books, Murder in Gilmerton, publisher changes, the writing life, Val Penny, writing advice

Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 15 — March and April 1950

August 2, 2026 By Andy Vining Leave a Comment

Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his new podcast. Listen to these beautiful stories on Spotify.

Andy Vining’s parents were John and Peggy (later known as Be Be).

March & April 1950 — Spring Returning at Hiltonbury [Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 15 — March and April 1950

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

August Gardening Tips from Wellie

August 2, 2026 By Wellie Leave a Comment

Deadhead regularly to keep roses, dahlias, cosmos and other summer flowers blooming into autumn. Water deeply, not little and often. Early morning or evening watering helps reduce evaporation, especially for pots and hanging baskets.

Trim lavender after flowering, cutting back the flower stems but avoiding old woody growth. Vegetables to sow now for autumn and winter, spring cabbage, spinach, rocket, lettuce and hardy herbs for later harvests. Plant new strawberry runners now to establish strong plants for next year’s crop. Feed tomatoes weekly with a high-potash fertiliser and remove side shoots from cordon varieties. Collect seeds from your favourite flowers to grow next year or share with friends.

Keep on top of weeds before they have a chance to set seed. Leave some flowers standing to provide nectar for bees, butterflies and other pollinators through late summer. Plan ahead. August is a good time to think about where you could plant spring bulbs and autumn shrubs when the weather cools.

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, gardening tips, how-to

Reworking Stories

July 31, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. AI shots avoided.

Reworking stories is something I do all of the time given I don’t think anyone has ever written the perfect first draft in one go. I know I don’t!

I love the much missed Sir Terry Pratchett’s view “the first draft is just you telling yourself the story”. Spot on and the second draft is where you get rid of all of the things you realise you don’t need. Then comes the next draft and so on. Eventually, you end up with a finely honed piece of work which is ready to submit somewhere.

[Read more…] about Reworking Stories

Tags: am writing, creative writing, editing tips. editing on screen, fiction, improving stories, printing out to edit, reworking stories, the writing challenge, writing advice, writing tips

Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 14 — January and February 1950

July 26, 2026 By Andy Vining Leave a Comment

Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his new podcast. Listen to these beautiful stories on Spotify.

Andy Vining’s parents were John and Peggy (later known as Be Be).

A New Decade Begins at Hiltonbury Farm

January and February 1950

The year 1950 began quietly at Hiltonbury Farm. There were no great celebrations to mark the arrival of a new decade, just illness, winter weather and the familiar work of keeping a busy family farm running. [Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 14 — January and February 1950

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

Summer Reading

July 24, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. AI images avoided.

What would you consider to be the perfect book for a summer read? I know I’d want something on the lighter side of fiction, though my overall preference heads that way anyway, but there is something apt, I think, for a light book to match a light mood. Summer usually encourages a light mood, I find. If nothing else, a good summer read can distract from the hayfever…!

So straight away I’m heading towards the funnier side of fiction so at some point I’m likely to dip into the wonderful works of P.G. Wodehouse, Jane Austen, and Terry Pratchett. Now there’s a fabulous trio of authors for you.

[Read more…] about Summer Reading

Tags: am reading, anthologies, books, finding time to read, flash fiction, magazines, mixing up what you read, short stories, shorter reads, summer reading

Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 13 — November and December 1949

July 19, 2026 By Andy Vining Leave a Comment

Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his new podcast. Listen to these beautiful stories on Spotify.

Andy Vining’s parents were John and Peggy (later known as Be Be).

November 1949

Fires Lit for Winter

Welcome to Episode 13 of My Mother’s Diaries.

Each episode I open the pages of my mother’s diaries, written day by day on our family farm in Hampshire in the late 1940s.

Through her words we step back into a world of farming, family, village life… and the small everyday moments that quietly made up a life.

This is November and Dec 1949.

November arrived with the evenings growing darker and the air noticeably colder. [Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 13 — November and December 1949

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

Update – Local Author News – Allison Symes – Seeing The Other Side – Publication News

July 17, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-

Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images or photos provided by Bridge House Publishing/Chapeltown Books. Some images directly from the publishers. A huge thank you to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick for sending the the poster which will advertise my book launch at this year’s school and for permission to use that poster here. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to Adrian Symes for filming a certain marketing video. AI images avoided.

This post is an update for the one I wrote a few weeks ago. I’m thrilled to say my Seeing The Other Side has now been published by Chapeltown Books (as at 16th July 2026). I’m very happy with how the book looks and now have my stock with me. I’m now in the happy position of starting to organise events to celebrate my new third flash fiction collection. More details as and when.

Tags: Allison Symes, am writing, book launches, Bridge House Publishing, Chapeltown Books, Gill James, marketing, publication news, Seeing The Other Side by Allison Symes, The Writers' Summer School - Swanwick

Marketing and Writing

July 10, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-

Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Many thanks to Penny Blackburn for the image of me taking part in a previous Open Prose Mic Night at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. AI images avoided.

Marketing and writing are strange bedfellows for most writers. Most writers (including me) much prefer to be writing than carrying out any marketing, yet we need to accept the latter is part of our overall writing life. How else will people know about our writing?

I now know my Seeing The Other Side is coming out on 16th July 2026 so over the next few months I’ll be engaged with marketing. I am hoping to have a blog tour for my third collection plus I will be launching the book at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick in August. I also hope to arrange other in person signings and to have events on Zoom.

Tags: am writing, balancing writing and marketing, Book Brush, book launches, enjoyable marketing, marketing, preparing marketing material in advance, Seeing The Other Side by Allison Symes, writing, writing events

What I Look For In A Writing Guide

July 3, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-

Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. AI images avoided.

Over the years, I’ve collected a number of excellent books on the craft of writing. I still refer to many of them. The ones I tend not to refer to much are those where I thought I might go down a particular path in writing but have not gone on to do so. I’m loathe to ditch these books, simply because I know how writing journeys can change and it’s not impossible I might come back to these things later.

Tags: am reading, am writing, Continuing Professional Development, creative writing, On Writing by Stephen King, writing advice, writing advice books, writing tips

July Gardening Tips from Wellie

July 1, 2026 By Wellie Leave a Comment

July is the month to really enjoy your garden, and to make a note of what might need splitting or moving in the Autumn. If tall perennials are flopping a bit, put some stakes around them to help them and tie in and train any new growth on climbing plants. Give your beds, pots and baskets a feed which will help them to stay looking lush and healthy for longer.

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, gardening tips, how-to

Using Dates in Fiction

June 26, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

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

I sometimes use random generators (and there are loads of them) to trigger ideas for stories. There are historical event generators which come up with what happened on a certain date in history to name just one example. There are random date generators too, separate to the historical ones.

Tags: am writing, characterisation, creative writing, fantasy, historical fiction, science fiction, settings, telling details in fiction, using dates in fiction, writing advice

Publication Thoughts – Seeing The Other Side by Allison Symes

June 19, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-

Book cover images from Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images or photos from Bridge House. AI images avoided.

I’m thrilled to share with you the good news my third book, Seeing The Other Side, is about to be published by Chapeltown Books/Bridge House Publishing . This is my third flash fiction collection and is the largest I’ve written to date.

Tags: am reading, am writing, book launches, book promoting, Chapeltown Books. Bridge House Publishing, flash fiction, flash fiction collections, local author news, marketing, publication news, Seeing The Other Side by Allison Symes

Discovering Classic Authors

June 12, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-

Photos from The Dorset Museum, Dorchester were taken by me, Allison Symes, as were pictures from my garden and any screenshots. Other images were created in Book Brush using either my photos or those from Pixabay. AI images avoided.

I recently revisited The Dorset Museum in lovely Dorchester with editing colleagues from The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. We were visiting a Thomas Hardy exhibition and it was fascinating.

Tags: am writing, author exhibitions, Charles Dickens, discovering authors new to you, discovering classic authors, Discworld, fantasy, Jane Austen, libraries, liking different kinds of books, National Theatre Live, Oliver Twist, plays, Pride and Prejudice, radio dramas, science fiction, set books at school, stories, Terry Pratchett, The Chameleon Theatre Company, The Day of the Triffids, The Dorset Museum, Thomas Hardy, TV and film adaptations, William Shakespeare

Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 12 — September and October 1949

June 7, 2026 By Andy Vining Leave a Comment

Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his new podcast. Listen to these beautiful stories on Spotify.

Andy Vining’s parents were John and Peggy (later known as Be Be).

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

June Gardening Tips from Wellie

June 7, 2026 By Wellie Leave a Comment

June is a busy and rewarding month in the garden—little and often is the key. Deadhead roses and early perennials to keep flowers coming, and stake taller plants like delphiniums before they flop. Hoe borders regularly to keep weeds down and retain moisture. Water deeply a few times a week rather than little and often.

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, gardening tips, how-to

Deadlines

June 5, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

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

Deadlines are a fact of the writing life and apply equally to non-fiction as well as stories of all lengths.

Douglas Adams, renowned for his The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, famously said he loved the sound deadlines made as they “whooshed by”. Hmm… I do feel sorry for his editor and publisher here. Someone has to meet printing schedules etc. Clearly, Douglas Adams left that for someone else to worry about!

Having said that, you would get short shrift if you tried that now. You would have to be a very big name indeed to get away with that and I’m not convinced even by that. There is a greater awareness of how the book market works. Everyone wants their books out in time for the Christmas market and, for certain books, the summer holiday one. You definitely have to meet deadlines to have any chance of achieving this.

[Read more…] about Deadlines

Tags: am writing, competitions, deadline tips, deadlines, deadlines as aids to marketing, the writing life, writing advice, writing productivity, writing tips

Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 11 — July and August 1949

May 31, 2026 By Andy Vining Leave a Comment

Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his new podcast. Listen to these beautiful stories on Spotify.

Andy Vining’s parents were John and Peggy (later known as Be Be).

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

Esther Chilton – Author Interview – Myths and Magic

May 29, 2026 By Allison Symes 6 Comments

Image Credits:-

Many thanks to Esther Chilton for supplying author and book cover shots. Other images were created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos or images supplied by Esther. AI images avoided. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes, as was the photo from The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick.

It is with great pleasure I welcome fellow Swanwicker, Esther Chilton, back to Chandler’s Ford Today to talk about her second book for children, Myths and Magic. This is part of her Saffy’s Secret Quest series. As well as writing for children, Esther also writes flash fiction and short stories, is a tutor for The Writers’ Bureau and tutors at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick.

Tags: am writing, author interview, children's books, creative writing, Esther Chilton, marketing, Myths and Magic, planning writing, Saffy's Secret Quest, writing a series

A Change of Scene

May 22, 2026 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-

Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. AI images avoided. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes, as was the photo of a splendid Scottish loch.

I’ve just returned from a wonderful break in the north-east of Scotland. The scenery there is amazing. Naturally, the change of scene has been rejuvenating (as were the winds!). One highlight here was as we drove through the Cairngorms National Park to get to where we were staying, we saw plenty of snow still on the mountains. In the valleys below them were fields of oilseed rape in full bloom. Quite a contrast!

Now fiction reflects life. So if we need our metaphorical batteries recharging, it is likely our characters will need something similar themselves. Even superheroes have weaknesses (Kryptonite, anyone?) and/or need time to recharge before getting on with their acts of derring do.

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[Read more…] about A Change of Scene

Tags: am writing, characterisation, characters, creative writing, scene breaks, using scene changes, writing advice

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Image Credits:-

Many thanks to Val Penny and Lynsey Adams (Reading Between the Lines Vlog) for supplying author photos, fabulous shots of Edinburgh, and book cover shots. Other images created in Book Brush using their images or Pixabay ones. AI images avoided.

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Image Credits:-

Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Many thanks to Penny Blackburn for the image of me taking part in a previous Open Prose Mic Night at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. AI images avoided.

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Image Credits:-

Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. AI images avoided.

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

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Image Credits:-

Book cover images from Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images or photos from Bridge House. AI images avoided.

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Image Credits:-

Photos from The Dorset Museum, Dorchester were taken by me, Allison Symes, as were pictures from my garden and any screenshots. Other images were created in Book Brush using either my photos or those from Pixabay. AI images avoided.

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

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Image Credits:-

Many thanks to Esther Chilton for supplying author and book cover shots. Other images were created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos or images supplied by Esther. AI images avoided. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes, as was the photo from The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick.

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Image Credits:-

Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. AI images avoided. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes, as was the photo of a splendid Scottish loch.

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