A meeting of minds and a reading.

The lurgy is persisting...but I'm gradually feeling better. I've been left with a chest that sounds like a snare drum whenever I cough and a really husky voice, which didn't help on Thursday...

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Wednesday, I attended a Local Author Event at my local Waterstones - a chance to meet up and chat to fellow authors. I met... Kerry Young, author of Costa shortlisted Pao and the sequel Gloria. M.P. Wright, author of Heartman, due to be televised next year. Jake, the 7 year old Blue Peter silver badge winner, who'd produced a book about his Granddad's death to raise money for charity. Mohammed, the 13 year old whose book I'd helped to edit and illustrate. A lady in a fabulous red top hat, who'd written a half-and-half fiction/non-fiction book about Rochester. A neighbour from my street, who'd written about Cottons, a local mill. Peter Skillen and Amit Kainth, who'd each written self-help/secrets to success books. A student who'd brought his work on Kindle to share. The family who'd produced a series of children's adventures about a doggy MI6 agent...

Me, my neighbour, the top hat lady and Amit Kainth, who
kindly allowed us to use his photos

The 'Local Author' table...Granny was in good company!

Just some of the authors, towards the end of the event.

There were others too - I didn't get round to speak to all of them - but what I found really amazing was how many writers you can discover in a relatively small locality. Makes me wonder how many more you'd find, hiding in studies or sheds or at coffee house tables if you were to really look...

At times, it felt a bit like preaching to the converted; writers love books already. We especially like telling people about our own books - but the timing of the event didn't really allow us to talk to many members of the public. And of course, there are issues around selling books - especially if you're a relative unknown - in Waterstones. But. The fact that the local branch was willing to even offer such an opportunity is a huge boost to writers in and around Loughborough, and I applaud Neil and his team for hosting us. Fingers crossed it may spark a few more literary events in the area...

Thursday saw me in Leicester for the second launch of KLiCBait vol 1. About 30 people took their seats in the back room of the Parcel Yard to hear four extracts and the whole of the story that was set in the pub we were in. When the hand-held mike failed, it got a bit more difficult to hear over the normal pub convo - the Parcel Yard is a huge warehouse of a place, with echoing ceilings and wooden floors - but we managed. There was a rather interesting shuffle forward when it was my turn to read, because my voice is suffering at the moment and if I try to speak loudly, I end up having a coughing fit. Fortunately I got through my (egg-timed at home to practise) 5 minutes without a hitch...and a very up-close-and-personal audience!

Think I'd just done my reading when this was taken -
hence glass of wine in my hand!

Now, I may have mentioned this before - but I don't half pull some funny faces when I'm reading. Perhaps it's 'cos I'm concentrating so much, but I do seem to be a frowny reader!

There are more pics of the event and the other authors over on the KLiCBait facebook page...

Friday, I wrote some more for Granny Rainbow. I've decided to give myself a break from StarMark while I grapple with a way forward, so I'm concentrating on Granny 2. Short pieces, easy(er) to complete and get into a format for publishing, while my head muddles through how I can address the issues that've been raised about the opening of StarMark. I've a couple of things I want to try, but I think doing it now might be more of a knee-jerk reaction than a considered, writerly approach.

And today - well, son's at Splash Camp with the Scouts, hubby and daughter are on a hiking day in Derbyshire, so I have the joy of the washing up, hoovering and getting school shirts ironed ahead. 

Or maybe I'll just write...

Have a good weekend, all, whatever you're up to! 

Launching KLiCbait Volume 1

Today is the official launch of KLiCbait Volume 1 - hooray!

And to celebrate it, there's not one, but TWO launch parties, complete with KLiC beer brewed especially for us by the Steamin' Billy brewery. How cool is that?

Today is the day the first commercial space flight leaves Earth for the Moon. Around Leicester, people are glued to TVs and phone screens in pubs and bars. Whilst a single adventure unravels overhead, 10 smaller tales play out amongst the beer and crisps of the local watering holes. The first short story collection by KLiC, a creative company producing new work in theatre, film, music, and the written word. The 10 stories by 10 different writers were all based on the above brief along with the rule that they all needed to be set in pubs in Leicestershire.

The fun starts TONIGHT at 7pm in The Western in Leicester. There will be readings and extracts from the stories written by Katie Sone, Maxinne Linnell, David Parkin, Honor Flaherty and Nathan Human.

Then you can have even MORE fun next week - the second launch party is on Thursday 18th September in The Parcel Yard, right next door to Leicester train station. Readings and extracts will be given this time from the stories of Mahsuda Snaith, Avnesh Pandya, Diani Gatenby Davies, Steve Carroll and yours truly. 

But what if you can't get to the parties? Well, the book's available from the KLiC website - click the PayPal button and a digital copy will be emailed to you for the HUGE price of £1. Yep - £1. That's just 10p a story! And if you prefer your stories on paper, there's a paperback available via lulu for £6 plus p&p. 

You won't believe some of the things that happen down the pub...here's a taster of what happens in my local. Enjoy.

An extract from 'Moon Rocks'.

Propped up at one end of the bar was a large plush gorilla, the kind you might win at the fair and had to lug round with you all night ’til you went home. This particular stuffed animal had its head firmly wedged inside one of those old-fashioned glass goldfish bowls.

            “Bloody hell! Not you too?” Pete shook his head.

            “Of course! First commercial flight to the moon?” The barman, all youth and stubble and trendy spacer ear-ring, patted the gorilla’s improvised helmet. “We’d be mad not to ride on the back of that. We’ve brewed something special to celebrate – Space Monkey. Fancy trying it?”

            He wasn’t kidding either. Nestled among the pumps labelled up with Mild Mannered Monkey, BG Sips, Gorilla Stout and Ape Ale, was one with a picture of a monkey in a space suit.

            “What kind of beer-?”

            “Bitter.”

            “No, ta. Pint of the apple and pear Charnwood Cider, please.” Pete glanced over his shoulder while he waited. The blokes were making a move by the look of things. If the women went too, he’d have the place virtually to himself…

            “So you’re not keen on this moon malarkey then?” the barman asked as pint and pennies exchanged ownership. “Don’t fancy going up yourself?”

            “You what? Do I look like I’ve got quarter of a million quid to burn?” He was sharper in his reply than he’d meant to be, but it still rankled. When had a pint of something really decent gone up to three quid fifty? He’d already had to filch a tenner from the kid’s piggybank to top up what was left in his wallet, ’cos since the factory let him go… His eyes flicked to the food board. Pork and Stilton pie. Sounded good, but best not. He’d got enough for a couple more pints or a pint and a pie. And he could probably do without the pie. He’d put on a few pounds since he stopped working. Actually, that was probably the one good thing about a space trip; at least you’d be weightless for a bit. Wonder whether lack of gravity worked on the weight of worry too?

            Pete shivered. He wished the gorilla would stop staring at him. 

We (almost) have lift off!

The stories are all set in Leicestershire pubs - on the day of the first commercial space flight to the moon - and this volume will be available to download from the 10th September, either from the KLiC site or Amazon.

Submissions are now open for Volume 2...

For information about all the authors in volume 1 (you're allowed to skip mine 'cos you probably know all about me already if you read the Scribbles!) AND how you can submit to Volume 2 click here. 

My really lovely author pic for the anthology, taken by Pamela Raith at  www.pamelaraith.com. Hadn't realised just how silver my hair is...

And Monkey came too...

Remember I mentioned a photoshoot, earlier in the week? Well...been and done it!

Nathan, fellow writer and producer, met me at the station as promised and whisked me off in a taxi because I was late arriving (emergency signalling work on the train lines). Pamela Raith, the photographer, was already at the pub; I was glad to see a distinct lack of photographic paraphernalia like wind machines and light reflecting umbrellas and background screens etc etc. Just a bloomin' big camera with a lens THIS big. *holds hands out as far as they'll go* Well that's how big it felt when it was pointing at me, anyway.

Before we started, Pam showed me some pics of the KLiC authors who'd already been photographed - and they were flippin' brilliant! All very individual - you could almost see the personality oozing out of the pic. So I was fairly confident that Ruth'd be able to make a silk purse out of this particular sow's ear...

It was great fun actually taking the photos - we had a lot of laughs and the finished pics (when I wasn't blinking) were really natural and very 'me'. I think I'd rather be a writer than a model though.

I took Monkey along with me, as my nod to the Blue Monkey Brewery. Their Loughborough pub, The Organ Grinder, is where my story for the anthology is set. We sat Monkey on the table for the photos, next to my cider.

In jest, I suggested we ought to get him a drink too. Cue shot glass filled with the same tipple...

The final author pic might just possibly be the one where Monkey and I are chinking glasses...

If you want to find out exactly how Monkey features in Moon Rocks, why not put the 18th September in your diary? That's one of two KLiCbait launch parties, where I'll be reading an extract of my story at The Parcel Yard, (right next door to the rail station) in Leicester. There's an earlier launch on the 10th at the Western - both pubs are run by the same brewery and they're brewing us our own KLiC beer so we can celebrate in style.

Would be great to see you there...and maybe you can Monkey a drink.

Say 'Cheese'...

This Friday, I'm heading into Leicester for a photoshoot. I'm sure it won't be as glamorous as it sounds; it's in a pub for a start.

Remember the KLiCbait volume 1 I mentioned a while back? I was one of the lucky ten selected to write a short story to a specific theme for it - Moon Rocks is my title. Well, all the authors are going to have their photos taken for it. Originally, we were all going to be photographed in the pubs we'd chosen to set our stories in, but plans have gone awry and so the ten of us are being split between two pubs and a couple of photographers.

I don't know Leicester city centre that well, so had no idea of where 'my' pub is. I've arranged to meet one of the KLiC folk at the train station. Apparently, he'd always wanted to be the person at arrivals, holding up a placard with a name on it. I, on the other hand, have always wanted to have a secret symbol. Y'know, like a carnation in the buttonhole or a rolled up Guardian under my arm.

We settled on 'Look for a short, silver haired lady with a rainbow bag and a toy gorilla, arriving at 2.30pm'.

Yep. Really. You just couldn't write this stuff, could you?

And the monkey? He features in the story - but you'll have to wait for publication day to find out how...

I've finally made the papers!

I've been trying since March to get something in our local paper about having published Granny Rainbow, with no success. On the third attempt - I'm in!

Granted, this time I sent in a picture. And the report actually focuses on the upcoming KLiCbait story, set in a local pub, as well as the storytelling sessions I'm doing at the library. Presumably 'cos that's three news items for the price of one as it features a local pub... but Granny Rainbow and me are in.

Would you believe that two pages further in, in the same issue of the paper, I'm also in a photo that was taken at the open meeting about the centenary celebrations for Ladybird Books?

Huh. Press reports. Like buses - you wait for ever for one to turn up, then two come along at once!