As Patricia’s Pen is taking a short break from the Tuesday Guest Feature I thought I’d fill you in with what I’ve been doing over the year, my publishing successes, and updates on works in progress. 2022 has been fruitful. Both in publishing and getting words down on paper.

Poetry Publication Successes

Lady of the Woods – Noctivagant Press

Cygnet in Foreign Waters – Reach Magazine – Indigo Dreams Publishing

Wishing Stone – Reach Magazine – Indigo Dreams Publishing

Sindy Sisters – Ink Drinkers Magazine

Squall – The Storms Journal

Abandoned – Flights – Flight of the dragonfly

Atys – Flights – Flight of the dragonfly

A Different Kind of Love – Impspired

Dance with me – Impspired

White Lily – A Duet of Ghosts – Black Bough Poetry

Josie’s Snowman – Reach Magazine – Indigo Dreams Publishing

Winter Comforts – Christmas-Winter Vol III – Black Bough Poetry

Survival of a Lost Flamingo – Poetry Sequence consisting of four poems – Dreich 10

Hawaiian Nights – Third prize winner with Writing Magazine – Swanwick Writers’ Summer School Poetry Competition

Poetry Accepted but not yet published

Poems to be published in various anthologies with The Hedgehog Poetry Press

Perdita

Lola

Only a Girl

Breakaout

Revenge of the Rowan

Subterranean World

Stage Play

French Knickers – My first stage play published – a short monologue – Spellbinder Magazine

Short stories

Short Stories – shortlisted/longlisted

Seascape Children’s Home – Writers’ Forum (Shortlisted)

Forbidden Sixpence – Wensum Literary Magazine (Longlisted)

Novel News

Completed novels – Not yet published

The Oath – Late Victorian/Early Edwardian family saga – hopefully some publishing news in the first quarter of 2023 – Watch this space.

Bound by a 100-year-old oath, seventeen-year-old, Françoise Dubois is forced to leave France and marry an English baronet. Will she find true love and happiness?

The Oath has sequel potential.

Fractured – Set in the early nineteen seventies – family saga (Book 1 of 3) Watch this space

A year ago, all eighteen-year-old Rachel Webster had to worry about was keeping her mum and dad off her back. Nothing she did was right. Skirt too short. Friend a bad influence. Job not good enough. Then things spiralled.

Novel – Work in Progress

Fractured (2) – Title to be determined

Opening in 1977, re-join Rachel Webster and Peggy Davies in this gripping saga.

Poetry Collections in Progress

Embracing my Roots

Two cultures, Jewish and Irish, come together in poetry as I embrace my roots.

Patricia’s Pen Tuesday Guest Feature will return on 16th January 2023. Regine Ebner all the way from Arizona kicks the year off with poetry.

More guests lined up for 2023 include:

Novelist Judith Barrow

Poet Helen Laycock

Poet Alan Parry

Novelist Anita Chapman

Novelist Mick Arnold

Poet Merril Smith

Poet Nigel Kent

Poet Sue Finch

And lots more. Why not subscribe to the blog to ensure you never miss a guest feature?

Signed copies of all my books, poetry and novels, are available via my website shop HERE. Unfortunately signed novels are only available for posting in the UK.

If you prefer Kindle or outside of the UK then check out my Amazon Author Page HERE

All books may also be ordered via any good bookstore or ask your library to order them in if they don’t already stock it.

If you have read any of my books and enjoyed them, a brief review over on Amazon or Goodreads are really appreciated.

Solstice Blessings to you all. And I know I do it every year, but here it is again, my poem, Sacred Tree to celebrate Winter Solstice. We can look forward to the days getting lighter.

Sacred Tree – Winter Solstice

In a subtle seduction,
Oak welcomes
Mistletoe’s seed.

Evening reddens
the sky as drums beat
to a crescendo.

Entering the grove of oaks,
wreath-crowned druids process
in gold, white, red,
clutching staffs.

One trails, bent,
a stringy silver beard falls
to his knees. He rings a bell.

Seers surround
the sun-god tree,
ivory candles ignite
one by one,
flames flit
in the breeze,
shadows flutter.

Drums mute.
Crickets chirp.
A snowy owl screeches
from a distant trunk.
Heads rise.
Deep breaths echo.

Priest, in white, ascends
the oak, unsheathes
the golden sickle strapped
to his back,
lops the stem
bearing milk berries.

Brothers clothed in gold catch
the twig in a cloak.

Drums pulsate,
beasts bellow,
eyes focus
on two white bulls
led by the horns.

A red-robed butcher
grips his blade, slits
one bull’s throat
and then the other.
Crimson gore spurts
into the vessels,
metallic stench rises.

Drums cease.

Mistletoe glazed
with bulls’ blood
is blessed, offered
before the altar.

Sun-god’s gift of semen
is embraced
by the earth goddess.

Sacred Tree was published in Ink Drinkers Poetry Magazine – Folklore (2021) and later in my poetry collection Spirit Mother: Experience the Myth published by The Hedgehog Poetry Press.

You can read more poems on folklore from Ink Drinkers Poetry HERE

And you can purchase a signed copy (limited edition) of Spirit Mother HERE

If you go to It’s About Time HERE you can find out more about the ancient ritual and see pictures.

Back in November I invited you to recap or visit guest features up to end of July 2022. Now Patricia’s Pen is back with more flashbacks, this time to the end of the year. Please re-visit the blogs or read for the first time.

Guest Features – Flashback 3

Kicking Flashback 3 off for August 2022 was Lucy Heuschen with the launch of We Wear The Crown. Through poetry Lucy shares her breast cancer journey with the reader. This collection is a must read.

Read Lucy Heuschen’s blog here

Next up for August was Damien B Donnelly blogging about his Parisian experience in his brand new collection Enough! Don’t miss a second chance to have a read.

Read Damien B Donnelly’s blog here

September 2022 opened with Kate Rose and her new release Brushstrokes. Kate takes her inspiration from her surroundings. Nature, both the natural world and human nature, has a fascination for her, and most of her poems are based around how one reflects on another.

Read Kate Rose’s blog here

Next in September came Raine Geoghegan blogging about her brand-new collection Talking Sticks. Raine writes about her Romany heritage.

Read Raine Geoghegan’s blog here

Kicking off October 2022 on Patricia’s Pen was Matthew M C Smith chatting about his new release The Keeper of Aeons. Prompts and themes given by publishing houses get Matthew focused on writing when life is hectic.

Read Matthew M C Smith’s blog here

Next up in October was Paul Brookes with his new release Paul Brookes As FolktaleTeller. Fascinated by folklore, Paul sets himself writing challenges.

Read Paul Brooke’s blog here

The final guest feature for October 2022 on Patricia’s Pen was duo Kerry Derbishire and Kelly Davis with their poetry collaboration Glory Days. Two Cumbrian women with different poetic voices and style come together to write about their mothers.

Read Kerry Derbishire’s and Kelly Davis’s blog here

In November 2022 Patricia’s Pen featured crime noir fiction author Joy Wood on the launch of her novel Secrets and Lives. Joy Wood strives with each novel to create a narrative that invites the reader into a captivating, engaging and menacing world. 

Read Joy Wood’s blog here

Next up in November 2022 with a brand new poetry release Nights on the Line was M S Evans. M S Evans derives inspiration not only from walking but can be triggered by a phrase, observation of colour, relationships, or an emotion.

Read M S Evan’s blog here

Rosemary Gemmell kicked off December 2022 on Patricia’s Pen when she blogged about her children’s books. Rosemary won her first competition with a story for Under 7s, called Jeremy Jones in the Jungle.

Read Rosemary Gemmell’s blog here

My final guest feature for 2022 came from Lynette Creswell on the launch of Hoglets’ Birthday Surprise. As a writer Lynette wants to continue engaging with her readers and leave a lasting impression.

Read Lynette Creswell’s blog here

~~~

Guest features to come in 2023

Regine Ebner (Poet)

Judith Barrow (Novelist)

Mick Arnold (Novelist)

Helen Laycock (Poet)

Alan Parry (Poet)

Joanna Lambert (Novelist)

Anita Chapman (Novelist)

Meryl Smith (Poet)

Nigel Kent (Poet)

Sue Finch (Poet)

And lots more – Why not subscribe to the site to ensure you never miss a guest feature?

It gives me great delight today to welcome back, children’s author, Lynette Creswell, to Patricia’s Pen. This time Lynette has come along to tell my readers all about her brand-new hoglet book Hoglets’ Birthday Surprise. Without further ado, it’s over to Lynette.

Hoglets’ Birthday Surprise

Lynette Creswell

It’s almost Christmas and a busy time of year for everyone. For some it’s getting those presents wrapped and Christmas cards written but for me it’s an extra special time. Last December I published my first ever children’s book, Hoglets’ Christmas Magic and introduced two cute hoglets, Prickles and Primrose. The hoglets were a magical success and I earned myself a new following of young hogleteers.

As a writer I wanted to continue engaging with my readers and leave a lasting impression. The positive feedback I received for Hoglets’ Christmas Magic far exceeded anything I had imagined.

Teachers, grandparents and parents raved about the story, leaving me compelled to write more.

I received wonderful comments such as…. 

I have a little boy in class who reads your book throughout the year. He says it makes him feel better when he’s sad.

My granddaughter sits wide-eyed with wonder when I read your story to her, (she’s 4 years old). It’s her favourite bedtime story and chooses it every time she visits.

With those comments in mind, I set out to create a brand-new story focusing around kindness and acceptance.

Once again, my talented illustrator brought my story to life, and in October this year I published the second in the hoglet series – Hoglets’ Birthday Surprise.

Hoglets’ Birthday Surprise is a spellbinding adventure for children 6+. This time Prickles and Primrose are out in the woods when they stumble across… a witch.

Blurb

It’s the Summer holidays.

Hoglets, Prickles and Primrose are busy exploring when they stumble across… a witch!

Terrified she’ll eat them for breakfast, the hoglets prepare to escape but soon realise the witch isn’t scary at all. 

Willow the witch is lonely and in need of a friend.

Can the hoglets help her? 

If you love Winnie the Pooh you’ll love the hoglets, Prickles and Primrose, from Briar Wood.

About Lynette Creswell

Lynette Creswell is a multi-genre author who has written four fantasy books, two romance novels and two delightful children’s stories. Lynette’s passion for short story writing has accredited her several writing awards including SWWJ’s (Society for Women Writers and Journalists), Hammond House Publishing and Shooter Magazine. 

Lynette enjoys meeting readers as well as public speaking at WI’s, local schools, author events and book signings where she sells signed copies of her paperbacks.

Links

Facebook – (A great contact for personalised messages and signed copies)

Twitter

Website

Where to Buy

Amazon

Also available from Waterstones

If you missed Lynette’s Blog on Hoglets’ Christmas Magic – Read it HERE

It’s a great pleasure to introduce Rosemary Gemmell to Patricia’s Pen. Rosemary not only writes brilliant novels for adults, but is also a fantastic story writer for children. Today Rosemary has come to blog about her children’s books. Without further ado, it’s over to Rosemary.

Writing Children’s Fiction

Rosemary Gemmell

Thank you very much, Patricia, for inviting me to guest on your interesting blog.

It’s a bit of a departure, and pleasure, for me to chat about my children’s writing for a change; on social media I tend to focus more on writing for adults. However, I’ve written three books and several shorter stories for various young ages.

Thinking about this reminded me that the first children’s story I wrote and submitted to a Scottish competition was before I began writing articles and stories for magazines! I was amazed and delighted to win that first competition with a story for Under 7s, called Jeremy Jones in the Jungle. It was eventually published online by US company Knowonder.

Several more children’s stories followed, four published in anthologies and two published online by SmartyPants. Soon, I turned to longer fiction for young people with Summer of the Eagles, The Jigsaw Puzzle and The Pharaoh’s Gold. The first two were originally published by MuseItUp Publishing in Canada.

As with my other writing, Scotland greatly inspires settings and ideas. With the younger fiction, there is also an element of writing for the child within. This happened with my first book, Summer of the Eagles, for ages around ten to twelve, although that’s only a guide since children read at different speeds and abilities.

Although I love a touch of fantasy or magic in stories, I wanted to base my three children’s books in reality, and gave each of the protagonists a realistic background, including family problems or changes to their young lives. Then I added that touch of fantasy to provide added enjoyment for the reader (and myself!).

I love Scottish islands and visited Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae many times as a child. The painted rocks around the island fired my imagination and I had to set Summer of the Eagles there. This book is also popular with adult readers and is still one of my own favourite stories that I’ve written for any age. I lost my father when I was twelve and wanted to explore what it would be like for a thirteen-year-old girl to suddenly lose both her parents. But Stevie finds healing in unexpected ways.

The second published book is for middle grade readers, around eight to ten years. The Jigsaw Puzzle’s main character, Daniel, is asthmatic (as was my own son) and his parents are having problems. So I take Daniel to his cousin’s cottage in the Scottish countryside between Christmas and New Year, where the touch of fantasy begins with an old jigsaw!

I’ve always loved anything to do with Ancient Egypt and finally got around to writing a time-slip story for middle grade readers, called The Pharaoh’s Gold. While attending a summer workshop about Egypt at their local museum, friends Matthew and Nikki are unexpectedly transported to Ancient Egypt where they become involved in a plot to rob the Pharoah’s tomb.

Hopefully, I’ll continue writing stories for younger children, as a change from other types of writing, for as long as the imagination provides the ideas!

About Rosemary Gemmell

Rosemary Gemmell is a published Scottish novelist of contemporary and historical fiction and children’s middle grade books, and a freelance writer whose short stories, articles and poems have been published in UK magazines, the US, and online. She is a member of the Society of Authors, Romantic Novelists’ Association and Scottish Association of Writers. Scotland greatly inspires some of her writing. 

Links

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Website

BUY Amazon BUY – other retailers

BUY Amazon BUY – other retailers

BUY Amazon BUY – other retailers

The paperback of all three books can be ordered from book shops or libraries.

What a wonderful surprise I had this morning when a friend alerted me to a fabulous review for my monologue, French Knickers, over on Spellbinder Mag. The link’s below if you fancy a read.

Autumn 2022 – Drama