Thank you to my latest writer, author, Lynette Creswell, who has taken up the challenge to write a story in less than one hundred words. Lynette has written a lovely nature story titled, The Butterfly. You can read her story below. If you’d like to know more about Lynette’s writing, visit here.
I hear the call of nature. The pond is still, the breeze gentle. I’ve grown to bursting point. I take a deep breath and expand my body. The soft silken thread rips in two. I break free. The heat from the sun is welcoming, its yellow rays flicker across my back. I shiver. The dampness around me evaporates. I lift my wings as they dance on the breeze. The stillness is broken. A shadow, a flash of brown and green. The leaf shudders and I turn to fly away. As I ascend, a long thin tongue flicks towards me.
Thank you to Colin Ward, author of To Die For, who has taken part in the story in less than one hundred words challenge. Colin writes thrillers and has made no exception in his ninety-nine word story, Leaving. To find out more about Colin’s writing you can visit his website
Everything was arranged. Tickets booked and bag packed. He’d triple-checked his passport was there. The chlorine smell lingered on his clothes.
‘Never leave your home dirty,’ his mother always said. Advice akin to why one should always wear clean pants.
‘Just in case the worst happened and…’
He silenced her voice.
Starting the car and looking over to the house as a matter of habit. He hummed a popular John Denver song about a jet plane.
He was about to put the car into reverse when he saw the thin, dark red line down the edge of his thumb.
Thank you Jules Hartnett for taking part in the ‘Write a story in less than one hundred words, challenge.’ Jules has sent in a great piece of writing – Remote. Enjoy.
She stares hard at David as he sits in silence; his phone in one hand, the remote in the other.
Across the room, Robson Green is babbling on about fish on the 54” HD TV. David never fished in his life. Was it always like this? She can’t remember when it wasn’t. She was his first love, before the whisky and the wide screen TV became his. Her lonely days and nights spent at the keyboard writing a different life, a different world.
She sighs and gently takes the phone from his cold, stiff hand and dials 999.
The responses are coming in for the challenge to write a story in less than one hundred words. This next story is written by writer and poet, Ann Fox. Thank you, Ann for sharing this great piece of fiction – A Moment in Time.
He left his family on the beach and went for a stroll. An old-fashioned ale house caught his eye and he enjoyed a refreshing pint of real ale served by a prim barmaid in a white apron. Half an hour later, on his way back, he looked for it again in vain. He asked a passer-by.
‘Pub?’ said the local, ‘there hasn’t been a pub here for over one hundred years.’
Well I’ve had my first taker in response to the challenge of writing a story in less than one hundred words. The story Lost is written by my little sister, Sandra Greenough. Sandra not only tries her hand at writing but she creates wonderful gifts using wood. Do take a look at her products over on Etsy.
And here’s her story:
She searched the cavernous depths of her handbag, depicting the chaos of her life; amidst never-ending half-finished to-do lists, stray hairs from the hairbrush, in need of a clean, the random number of people fleetingly met, important in the moment, but never to be contacted. It evaded her in her home that gnawed for attention; a petulant never satisfied child. It wasn’t at her work, the demands always more than she had left to give.
But it was in the forest where she found it.
86 words
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Thank you for taking part in the challenge, Sandra.
Have you ever had a go at writing a story in less than one hundred words? Here’s mine. Lost Love.
He enters the white walled room; a clinical smell camouflages the stale aroma from yesterday’s flowers. A jug of water stands on the wooden cabinet. Linked up to tubes and monitors, Olivia lies still. Bleeps from the machine provide life in the form of slow breaths.
Fifty years ago, they first met. A striking beauty, heart shaped face, smooth creamy complexion. Soft long lustrous auburn hair falls below her shoulders.
It’s time to flick the switch.
Time to say goodbye.
A high pitched sound peeps… a flat line shows.
89 words
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***End of challenge – blog entries below in process of being moved under new menu. ****
Please welcome my special guest, a very inspiring man, Roland Chesters, author of Ripples from the Edge of Life. Roland has come on the blog today to share his article:- What inspired me to write my book? But first, let’s find out a little more about him.
Roland Chesters was born in the north of England to an English father and French mother and has lived most of his life in London. He graduated from the Royal Holloway College with a degree in Modern Languages and after a variety of jobs joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a language-testing specialist. Following a diagnosis of HIV and AIDS in 2006, he became a campaigner for disability rights. He is now a self-employed Disability Development Consultant and has his own company, Luminate.
Roland lives with his partner, Richard, in London and enjoys opera, classical music, theatre and fashion (his favourite item of clothing being a bright red corduroy suit). He fights boredom and normality with gusto, and says he is at his best when he’s made a positive impact on someone else’s life.
Ripples from the Edge of Life is Roland’s first (and only, according to him,) book.
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Over to you Roland.
What inspired me to write my book?
As a young man I had spent many years living in shadows, hiding the truth, constructing a fragile network of semi-truths. Because I am gay. I was afraid of how people would react if I shared that with them.
I was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS at the age of 46 and at the time of diagnosis, I was given two weeks to live.
It’s perhaps not surprising that something like that makes you evaluate what is important. And what’s not. And as two weeks extended into three and three into five and five into… many more it became clear to me that I was not prepared to crawl back into that semi-obscured subterranean world of subterfuge for whatever time was left in my life.
So I stood up and spoke out. And unsurprisingly met with backlash. Hate. Anger. Fear. Sometimes nicely gift-wrapped so that the sting was less vicious. Sometimes blatant, open and intentionally hurtful.
As I engaged more and more with the HIV community in the UK I found that many chose to live in the world of subterfuge because they were concerned about the impact sharing information about their diagnosis would have on them – and on those they love.
And so the Circle of Silence continues. Stigma is created by fear, which is created by ignorance. Until there are enough people living with HIV prepared to stand up and say ‘this is me and HIV is only a part of me’ then that Circle of Silence will never be broken.
Ripples is my attempt to start fracturing that circle. Chipping away. Until that time – probably not in my lifetime – that a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS will be received in the same way as a diagnosis of cancer, or diabetes, or….or…..
My diagnosis has changed my life for the better. And for that, I have nothing but gratitude.
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Thank you for that great article, Roland. I’m sure our readers will agree that you are an inspiration and definitely have a story to tell.
If you’d like to find out more about Roland’s journey, Ripples from the Edge of Life may be ordered from
Today, I’m privileged to feature fellow Chindi author, Carol Thomas. To celebrate the release of her latest novel, Maybe Baby, Carol is this week’s ‘Chindi Author of the Week.’
First of all let’s find out a little about her.
Carol Thomas is an active member of the Chindi Authors and lives on the south coast of England with her husband, four children and lively Labrador. She has been a playgroup supervisor and taught in primary schools for over fifteen years, before dedicating more of her time to writing. Carol is a regular volunteer at her local Cancer Research UK shop. She has a passion for reading, writing and people watching and can often be found loitering in local cafes working on her next book.
Thank you for joining me, Carol. Congratulations on the publication of Maybe Baby. Can you tell us a little about the book?
Maybe Baby is a romantic comedy and the sequel to The Purrfect Pet Sitter (Lisa Blake book #1.) While each book can be read as a standalone story, Maybe Baby revisits the characters from The Purrfect Pet Sitter as they move into the next phase of their lives.
I was delighted with an early review that described it as, “full of love, true friendship and humour”! I think that sums it up well.
What inspired you to write a sequel?
There were elements of Lisa Blake’s story that weren’t central to the first book that I wanted to explore further. At the end of The Purrfect Pet Sitter, Lisa and her old flame, Nathan, have eleven years to catch up on; there are secrets to be revealed and new discoveries to come to terms with.
I enjoy reading and writing romance, but I often wonder what happens after the happy ever after moment; writing a sequel lends itself to satisfying that curiosity. I was excited to see how my characters would work together as they embarked upon their relationship and faced the challenges that brought.
What planning and preparation did you do before getting started on the sequel?
I re-read The Purrfect Pet Sitter and made notes on each character, particularly their voice and individual traits. While I felt I knew them well, I had to ensure I carried them across accurately.
During the planning and writing process, I also held in mind that I had a responsibility to those who had read and enjoyed The Purrfect Pet Sitter. Readers who have spent time with the characters and grown to love them have expectations too. I didn’t want to disappoint my readers and considered that in each character’s individual actions and reactions throughout.
For reasons that will become apparent to readers of Maybe Baby, as well as researching plot points and settings, I also prepared a spreadsheet with a detailed timeline of events. It is the most upfront planning I have done for a novel.
Can readers expect more in the Lisa Blake series?
All characters have been left in a good place, and each story is so far complete in its own right. However, never say never, I have an idea for a Christmas novella I would like to base on these characters, and so if that keeps slipping into my mind (these stories have a way of making you write them), I may well return to them again in the future.
Blurb for Maybe Baby:
Just when you thought you had it all worked out …
Best friends Lisa and Felicity think – maybe, just maybe – they finally have everything sorted out in their lives.
Lisa is in a happy relationship with her old flame, and busy mum Felicity has managed to reignite the passion with her husband, Pete, after a romantic getaway.
But when Lisa walks in on a half-naked woman in her boyfriend’s flat and Felicity is left reeling from a shocking discovery, it becomes clear that life is nothing but full of surprises!
Where can our readers purchase a copy of Maybe Baby?
Thank you for joining me today, Carol. If any readers have any questions for Carol, please ask at the end of this blog or contact her directly from one of the links above.
I have been asked by a great deal of writers how to go about self-publishing so I thought I’d write a blog on it. I don’t claim to be an expert but purely passing on what I’ve learnt myself over the last couple of years.
Disclaimer: Please accept I don’t guarantee the following to be 100% correct but just telling from my own experiences.
Self-Published
So why self-publish? Firstly you don’t have to hang around waiting for query letters to be rejected. Secondly, you’re completely in control, and thirdly, you don’t have to share royalties.
Cons
It’s down to you to do everything. So not only are you a writer, but publisher and marketer.
I chose to go down the indie route after coming back from Swanwick Writers’ Summer School in August 2016. My completed manuscript, House of Grace, had been sat on my PC doing nothing while I worked on my MA in Creative Writing which I started in 2014. I knew little about self-publishing but being among so many inspiring writers who had gone down this route pushed me to make sure that House of Grace was in the Swanwick Writers’ book room in 2017. And it was.
So how do you start?
Firstly don’t think self-publishing is an easy option because it isn’t. You need to make sure your book is edited and formatted properly, and has an eye-catching cover. There are writers who publish their books on Amazon who don’t fit this bill but they give reputable indie-publishers a bad name.
Do your research. What do you need?
A good editor
Formatter
Cover Designer
1. Editor:
Make sure your manuscript is up to scratch. Get an editor – you can’t do this yourself. They’re not cheap but if you are, or have been a creative student, then you may have competent peers happy to edit your work in return for doing theirs.
2: Formatter
The text needs formatting both for eBook version and paperback.
Are you going to do yourself?
There are lots of videos on YouTube showing how to format but make sure it is up to the standard of a traditional book. It is also very time consuming. I chose to employ a formatter. So if you don’t want to do the formatting yourself, find someone that can.
Check Google, and Facebook writing groups, but also ask around for recommendations.
Colin Ward, In as Many Words, completed the formatting for The Coal Miner’s Son. I was more than happy with his work and intend using his services again. I highly recommend him.
Another alternative for formatting is to buy Vellum formatting software so you can do it yourself with ease. This seems to do everything just by pasting your text into the software, and a guide to uploading your book to the relevant site whether that’s Amazon KDP or Ingram Spark.
The downside about Vellum is it can only be used on a Mac.
I’ve actually just treated myself to an Apple Mac Book Air and my plan is to play around with the software (you can download for free and only pay when ready to produce a book.)
If I get on with Vellum then I’ll purchase it as it will be an investment as it cost me £199 to have House of Grace formatted which was more money to recuperate before profits. There are cheaper formatters but if you opt for one of them do make sure they are up to the job.
Also the good thing about investing in Vellum means it offers the potential to format for other authors.
3. Cover Designer
You need a cover designer. If your cover doesn’t look good then the chances are no one is going to buy it. You can perhaps get away with a bad cover when known and if you are with a traditional publisher but not when self-publishing.
Get networking on writing groups on Facebook and ask for recommendations for a cover designer.
I used Create Imaginations but they are no longer trading but I got a good deal of £99 for paperback and kindle. Looking around at prices now, I see I got a really good deal.
If you Google you’ll find plenty but make sure you get recommendations.
4. ISBN Number
Buy an ISBN number. These can be purchased from Nielsen UK ISBN store in batches of one, ten or more. I opted for ten because the cost wasn’t much different between one and ten. I paid just under £125 including VAT. I see from their website that there has been a price increase. (This is based on self-publishing in the UK – other countries differ.)
You can get a free ISBN number when uploading to Amazon but that means your book can’t go anywhere else.
5. Bringing it all together
1.
So your manuscript is edited – you have your formatter and cover designer. You need to decide what size your book will be. Do you want it in paperback as well as Kindle?
Check out bookstores to see what size your genre is in. Mine is 5” x 8” but more recently 6” x 9” has become very popular.
2.
Decide on what colour paper will be used for the text. I opted for cream. Most novels are cream whereas non-fiction and poetry tend to use white.
3.
You need a cover designer. If your cover doesn’t look good then the chances are no one is going to buy it. You can perhaps get away with a bad cover when known and if you are with a traditional publisher but not when self-publishing.
Get networking on writing groups on Facebook and ask for recommendations for a cover designer.
I used Create Imaginations but they are no longer trading but I got a good deal of £99 for paperback and kindle. Looking around at prices now, I see I got a really good deal.
If you Google you’ll find plenty but make sure you get recommendations.
Look at what cover finish you want. Most novels are matt but there are some around that have used gloss and still look very nice. I opted for matt. Non-fiction and poetry are almost always gloss.
4.
You need a copyright page. My formatting guy added the copyright page for me (but you can just check any book for the copyright page to see what to put in) and he uploaded to Amazon for Kindle and paperback on my behalf. So I haven’t actually done that yet, I’ll have that pleasure with my next book, but I’m told it is easy and straightforward.
Since writing this blog I have been successful in uploading my second novel to both KDP and Ingram Spark. It was quite a smooth process and just the question of following their guidelines.
5.
Once uploaded:
On Amazon you can include your book in Expanded Distribution – this means it can get into libraries and Amazon Partners. However, I decided to take mine out of this and uploaded to Ingram Spark instead. This meant my book could now be ordered from any good bookstore and also the bookstores are more likely to stock it if I ask them but is also available on Amazon as POD.
Author copies may be obtained both from Ingram Spark or KDP so you can sell privately at book launches, private sales, and book shows etc. Some authors have independent printers and if you can find a local one that offers a great deal then that’s a better alternative. Since writing this original guide I arrange for my author copies to be printed from BPUK.
I find the quality from BPUK better than KDP or Ingram Spark and it means I’m able to offer a cheaper price to my reader as KDP or IS aren’t getting their huge cut.
6.
Tax Details
Once uploaded you will have to fill out lots of online tax forms from Amazon. When publishing in the UK and not the US you add your National Insurance number to ensure that you don’t get taxed in the US.
7.
Legal Deposit and British Library
One other thing to consider when you publish a book.
It is a legal requirement to send five copies of any paperback book with an ISBN number to Legal Deposit and one to British Library. They email you with the details of where to send and advise you of the deadline date. This is at your expense.
8.
Publishing Platforms
There are lots of platforms you can upload your book to but I only have experience of Amazon paperback, Kindle, and Ingram Spark, but there are lots more places for eBook versions such as draft2digital, Lulu, Feedaread.
KDP Select
If you only have one book then it’s worth putting it into KDP select – this is for Kindle on Amazon.
Every 90 days you can take up the opportunity of a countdown deal or free promotion.
Personally unless you have more than one book then I don’t think it’s beneficial to do a free promotion but the countdown deals are worth it. So for example if you sell your book for 99p (normally £1.99 plus) then you will still get royalties for 70% but if you are not in select and sell for 99p then you’ll only get 30%.
ALLi – Alliance of Independent Authors
I belong to ALLi – Alliance of independent authors – and the annual fee is well worth the advice and discounts available from them. They provide lists of vetted designers and formatters, and there’s always someone on hand to help with a general query. Their discounts also include a voucher for Ingram Spark set-up fee. There is no set-up fee for KDP.
Chindi
I also belong to Chindi, a local network of authors who do lots of book shows and also raise money for different charities. Chindi is based in Chichester.
9.
Marketing
When self-publishing you need to consider marketing. This has to be done whether you are self-published or traditionally published but more so for self-published because there’s only you to sell the book.
You need to network to get your name out there and this isn’t by saying ‘Buy my book,’ but instead interacting on Facebook and Twitter. Particularly Twitter. Keep a blog. Make friends with bloggers – bloggers are an author’s best friend. Get invites to feature on them or do an interview.
Join ‘Book Connectors’ on Facebook – I found lots of information on here and made lots more friends and contacts. Everyone is always ready to help.
Another fabulous Facebook group for readers, authors and bloggers is WriteReadReview. This is one of the most friendly groups I’ve found on Facebook and the founder Anna Maria Shenton is very supportive to authors.
Social Media Course for Writers
I went on a social media course for writers run by Anita Chapman from Neetsmarketing
Anita’s course is well worth her fee. It’s conducted in nice surroundings and includes lunch. She is a friendly, bubbly, inspiring teacher. Not only do you learn about online networking but you also begin networking while you’re there making friends with the other participants.
Within one year of attending Anita’s course in London, I went from less than 100 followers on Twitter to over 4,000.
Making Posters
Another thing to consider is making posters to use for marketing. Canva is the ideal place for this and free unless you opt for the paying package.
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Hopefully all this will help when ready to begin self-publishing but if anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me. I can’t promise to know your answers but will do my best to find out if I don’t.
Last week my husband and I took a trip to Chester to visit my aunt and uncle while celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary and my birthday. My aunt is my only surviving aunt, and I have no blood uncles, so I love the opportunity to lap up her precious stories, especially those about my late mum.
Nothing was too much trouble for my uncle as he became our chauffeur for four days. As well as visiting National Trust properties he drove us to Liverpool and I was able to see the outside of the house in Pittville Avenue, Liverpool where my mum grew up, and where later, I visited my nanna and grandad when I was a child. In fact my winning poem, Grandad’s Garden, was inspired by the garden in this house and the wonderful huge headed dahlias and chrysanthemums that my grandad grew.
We stopped to have lunch at The Britannia Innby the River Mersey. I felt like I’d come home.
At my special request my uncle drove us to Sefton Park. As a child this was a regular haunt of ours where we visited the Peter Pan statue and the Palm House. Last June (2018), the Peter Pan statue celebrated its 90th anniversary of unveiling when it was given to the children of Liverpool. Read more.
The palm house was closed in the 1980s due to disrepair. It was restored and opened fully in 2001. Read more.
Sefton Park also has a fairy glen a new addition to the park in 2005. Read more
We drove down Smithdown Road where my dad’s local, The Woodcroft, used to be. The house I was born in Lesseps Road was off Smithdown. I had hoped to see Lesseps Road too but it was difficult due to traffic.
New memories were made with visits to National Trust Properties Chirk Castle and Speke Hall . At Speke Hall I discovered two trees named Adam and Eve that dominate the courtyard and planted to ward off evil spirits in the household. They say there is a ghost at Speke Hall so after research I plan to write a new poetry sequence to add to my portfolio of mythical poems written around trees.
And we managed to visit Chirk Castle. A mini bus drives you up to the castle because it is so high. When it’s too windy the castle closes so we were lucky it was open. I managed to get a photograph of a wonderful rainbow on our way out.
And of course we couldn’t go to Liverpool without going through the Mersey Tunnel – even this has changed since I last went through it. It was exciting to show my husband Liverpool as it was his first visit but it definitely won’t be the last. I loved going home.
My visit was both enjoyable and emotional as I took myself back to a young child, but I also made lots more new memories.
Last week my husband and I took a trip to Chester to visit my aunt and uncle while celebrating our 24th wedding anniversary and my birthday. My aunt is my only surviving aunt, and I have no blood uncles, so I love the opportunity to lap up her precious stories, especially those about my late mum.
Patricia M Osborne 