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Hursley Park Book Fair

Small World Syndrome – Introducing Helen Matthews – Part 1

July 2, 2021 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Image Credits:  Many thanks to Helen Matthews for supplying author and book cover images. Other photos created in Book Brush using Pixabay images.

Most of us have experienced small world syndrome when you re-meet someone you haven’t met for ages or discover the person who is sitting next to you at the cafe (now possible but suitably distanced of course!) went to the same primary school you did thirty odd years ago.

Recently this has happened again to me.

I first met Helen Matthews, novelist and short story writer, at the Hursley Park Book Fair as her table was near mine and we got chatting.

I’ve also met her at the Winchester Writers’ Festival. And now I’ve re-met her thanks to a Twitter group – #writingchat. This is on every Wednesday night between 8 and 9 pm where writers get together online and chat about a range of topics. We also share experiences and tips (including sometimes on what not to do). It is a friendly place to “hang out” and I always learn something useful from the discussions. (And it is wonderful being able to share with other writers the frustrations as well as the joys of the writing life).

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[Read more…] about Small World Syndrome – Introducing Helen Matthews – Part 1

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Tags: After Leaving the Village, am reading, am writing, anti-slavery, creative fiction, Darkstroke, domestic noir, Facade, genre fiction, Helen Matthews, Hursley Park Book Fair, Lies Behind the Ruins, social media, the writing life, thrillers, Twitter, Unseen, Winchester Writers' Festival, writing chat

A Look Back at the Hursley Park Book Fair

July 13, 2018 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

A Look Back at the Hursley Park Book Fair. Image by Allison Symes

This is my look back at the recent Hursley Park Book Fair.  Many thanks to Glenn Salter (aka author Simon Fairfax) for organising the Fair.  So much hard work (and generally unseen at that) goes on behind the scenes to make these events happen.  For an inaugural event, I thought the Fair worked well but more on that shortly… [Read more…] about A Look Back at the Hursley Park Book Fair

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Tags: book promoting, creative writing, event, fiction, Hursley Park Book Fair, non-fiction

Reminder Post: Hursley Park Book Fair – 23rd and 24th June 2018

June 22, 2018 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Feature Image - Hursley Park Book Fair Reminder

Don’t forget the inaugural Hursley Park Book Fair takes place this weekend.

Amongst the authors taking part are Richard Hardie and I. Two former interviewees of mine, Anne Wan and Felicity Fair Thompson, will also be at the event. [Read more…] about Reminder Post: Hursley Park Book Fair – 23rd and 24th June 2018

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Tags: Anne Wan, book promoting, books, fiction, Hursley Park Book Fair, non-fiction, reading, Richard Hardie

Hursley Park Book Fair – 23rd and 24th June 2018

June 15, 2018 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Feature Image - Come to the Inaugural Hursley Park Book Fair

Richard Hardie and I are amongst the 40 or so authors taking part in the inaugural Hursley Park Book Fair over the weekend of 23rd and 24th June. (Felicity Fair Thompson and Anne Wan, both of whom I interviewed for CFT, are also taking part). [Read more…] about Hursley Park Book Fair – 23rd and 24th June 2018

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Tags: Anne Wan, book promoting, books, fiction, Hursley Park Book Fair, non-fiction, Richard Hardie

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