Inspired by the history posts in Chandler’s Ford Today, Chandler’s Ford Library invites residents to attend a talk by Martin Napier.
Martin published a popular series on Chandler’s Ford Today, Growing up in Chandler’s Ford in the 1950s and 1960s, last summer. [Read more…] about A Talk by Martin Napier at Chandler’s Ford Library: Growing up in Chandler’s Ford in the 1950s and 1960s
Come and join five authors of the paranormal, crime, horror, and young adult fantasy for a blockbusting Halloween book giveaway event, running from 18th October to 1st November 2015.
Chandler’s Ford based author, Richard Hardie, invites young readers to join him and four of his fellow authors for a special Halloween celebration. [Read more…] about A Lucky Dip – Halloween Giveaways!
This post reviews Station Walks by Dr. Clare Diaper. I discovered this book thanks to an earlier Chandler’s Ford Today post and am glad to say it is a delight to read and a greater joy to use.
The book is supported by the Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership, My Journey and Transition Southampton. Their details are given at the front of the book. [Read more…] about Review: Station Walks Book
Chandler’s Ford author Richard Hardie will be signing copies of his Young Adult novels, Leap of Faith and Trouble With Swords, at Chandler’s Ford Library.
Richard Hardie will be hosting two sessions on Thursday, 29th October. The first one will be between 10.30 and 12 noon and is called Let’s Write A Book. This session is aimed at 10 to 12 year olds. [Read more…] about Richard Hardie’s Book Writing Fun at Chandler’s Ford Library
This post continues from yesterday’s article where Gill James shared some of her thoughts on life as a creative writing lecturer and author.
Gill gave me my first publishing credit via Alternative Renditions, a Bridge House anthology, and I have since had other work published online and in Limerick Nation and The Shamblelurklers Return. I’m currently working on a short story collection. [Read more…] about Gill James: Top Tips to Writers’ Networking
Earlier this year, I posted my interview with Gill James who as author, creative writing lecturer and small publisher gave me my first break into publication with my short story, A Helping Hand, when it appeared in the Bridge House Publishing anthology, Alternative Renditions. [Read more…] about Gill James: Teaching Writing
What is the best thing about fiction for you? The plot? The characters?
For me, the characters are everything. The best plot in the world will fail unless it has the characters to “run” with it.
Do you prefer stand alone novels or a series? [Read more…] about My Top 10 Terry Pratchett Characters
Chandler’s Ford Today is all about conversation.
We write and publish posts. We engage in meaningful conversations, sharing a bit of our life and our views of the community through comments.
This post invites you to look back and enjoy some great posts which have triggered excellent, relevant, and interesting conversations. [Read more…] about Best of Chandler’s Ford Today: Your Comments
I have loved books, especially fiction, since I was very young.
My mother taught me how to read but was told off for it by teachers when I started school because she hadn’t done it in the correct way. I think these days she’d probably be given a medal. Mind, with all the issues in the news recently, I sometimes wonder how any of us of a certain age ever made it through the 1970s! [Read more…] about Top 10 Reasons to Love Books
When I was very young, my father gave me The Reader’s Digest of Fairy Tales. These were in two hardback volumes and contained the original versions of the classic stories.
I still have these books, which are bound up with tape to stop them falling apart, as I couldn’t tell you how often I read them. There are also wonderful illustrations of the characters. [Read more…] about My Favourite Fairytales
There are many Radio 4 shows I love but I am especially fond of Desert Island Discs. My only problem with it is I would want to take at least 8 books with me to the fictional island, as well as the pieces of music. Since I can’t arrange that, I thought I would share what I love most about stories and list some of my favourites.
One of the first things I pack when getting ready for going on holiday is at least one good book (I also take The Good Book but that’s another matter!).
A good story, whether it is a full length novel or a shorter piece, stays with you long after you have finished reading it.
Writers are lucky here as if it is their story. They get the pleasure of writing it (and reading it first!).
One of the great joys of fiction writing is you have two basic options which are to either invent it all or base your work on a real event. You can be said to be writing history.
Historical novels obviously fall into the second category (as do some crime books). One of my favourite books, The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, is based on The Princes in the Tower mystery. [Read more…] about Inspired by Slapton Beach: Felicity Fair Thompson
Station Walks Guide – a 88 page guide including 38 walks from local railway stations – will be launched this weekend.
The book contains 2 walks from Chandler’s Ford.
The Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership [Read more…] about Station Walks Book Launch
What’s your story?
It can be difficult for a fiction writer to answer that. We have lots of stories from our tales of how we develop as authors (with hopefully increasing numbers of publishing credits) to each of the actual works we invent and rigorously edit before they see the light of day. [Read more…] about What’s Your Story? Gill James
It is said that everyone has a book in them. Some will write one and a few will even publish.
Publishing is changing fast but the constant among the changes is preservation of the magical golden thread that connects the imagination of the writer to the mind of the reader. [Read more…] about Author, Publisher, Reader – A Golden Thread
I met Felicity Fair Thompson of Wight Diamond Press at the Isle of Wight Weekend Writers’ Conference, which she ran from 2000 to 2005. The conferences were held in Sandown.
I also met Gill James, later of Bridge House Publishing, at one of these conferences and she became the publisher for my first accepted short story, A Helping Hand in the anthology, Alternative Renditions. Wheels within wheels so to speak… [Read more…] about Life as a Small Publisher: Allison Symes Talks to Felicity Fair Thompson
Gill James and I met at the Isle of Wight Writers’ Conference, which was run by Felicity Fair Thompson from 2000 to 2005.
This was a weekend conference based in Shanklin or Sandown with guest speakers. There was a special speaker after the main Conference dinner on the Saturday night. David Nobbs (Reggie Perrin) and Raymond Allen (Some Mothers Do Have Them) were just two of the after dinner speakers who entertained us all. [Read more…] about Life as a Small Publisher: Allison Symes Talks to Gill James
One of the great joys of stories is that there are so many formats in which to enjoy them. It is far easier now to have stories on demand especially via laptop, tablet or mobile. The Banbury Cross lady had music wherever she went but I’d rather have stories wherever I go!
There are flash fiction stories, standard length stories (usually up to 2000 words) [Read more…] about No Books = No Movies?
Have you heard of the Society of Authors?
Congratulations to local writer and regular contributor to Chandler’s Ford Today, Allison Symes, who has been elected to become a Full Member of the Society of Authors.
I met Richard Hardie, walking Benji, whilst walking my first dog, Gracie, in the Hiltingbury Recreation Ground. Not only did we have dog walking in common, we soon discovered we shared a love of books, especially Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, and creative writing.
Richard and I have work in The Shambelurklers Return, which is raising money for the National Autistic Society and is available in W.H. Smith in the Fryern Arcade of Chandler’s Ford. [Read more…] about An Interview with Author Richard Hardie by Allison Symes
