What are you going to be doing this bank holiday? We’re getting such lovely weather at the moment, will it last? How about a good book to read in the garden or park?

As a special treat for the bank holiday I’ve reduced House of Grace on Kindle to 0.99p from Friday, May 26th, 2017 for one week only. Please tell your friends.

Order now for the bank holiday weekend or if you’re busy the bank holiday, why not think ahead and order for a holiday later in the year, or for reading in the garden during the summer sun.

If you’d rather have a paperback, don’t worry, you can still order a copy at £7.99.

 

I’m a bit late posting this but a couple of weeks ago I popped down to my local library to enjoy New Faces of Fiction where Hannah Vincent and Umi Sinha just happened to be taking part.

I am lucky as both Hannah and Umi have been my creative writing tutors at some time. Hannah when I studied the Open University’s Advanced Creative Writing course and Umi when I completed my prose module with Brighton University last year. I can vouch for both when I say if you get the opportunity to participate in a course or workshop with either of these ladies then snap it up because I guarantee you’ll receive great value.

Hannah and Umi were under spotlight at Crawley library on Monday, May 8th, 2017, and being interviewed by librarian Clair Stanton who questioned them about their writing. I find Hannah and Umi quite different personalities. Hannah is so vibrant and her powerful energy rubs off in no time. Umi, however is more gently reserved, but none the less she has an equally powerful voice. I am privileged to know both these authors as a student and reader.

I have read both of their debut novels, published by Myriad Editions. Hannah’s – Alarm Girl and Umi’s – Belonging and again I believe I can vouch that they are both fantastic writers. Both of these novels have been discussed in my reading group and everyone enjoyed them.

Hannah and Umi are both in the process of writing their next novels. I wonder who’ll be first or will they by chance be released at the same time. What will they be about? Umi hinted people may still be alive to interview this time and I think childminding in some form could rear its head in Hannah’s but I shan’t say any more.

If you’re an unpublished writer with a novel or short story collection in progress, Myriad Editions are conducting a first draft competition. It’s a fantastic opportunity for new writers. Umi and Hannah praised Myriad as a brilliant publisher to work with. You can find details of how to enter here:

http://www.myriadeditions.com/competitions/first-drafts/first-drafts-competition-2017-how-to-enter/

Well done to Crawley Wordfest. It was a great evening’s entertainment and what’s more, a free event.

So yesterday I went off to uni wearing a summer jacket and sandals. I was comfortable as I made my way to the train station on a fine and pleasant morning.

Later, however, the weather had other ideas. It decided to rain and didn’t let up.

Coming home from uni, already tired after concentrating on a dissertation workshop, I ended up with soaking feet as I dodged huge puddles and passing car spray. I was cold, tired, wet and hungry.

I know, I should have worn boots and a coat but in my defence it was a nice day and the day before I somehow managed to run over my previously broken toes under the airing cupboard door. I mean how does a person manage that? Don’t ask me but my poor old toes always seem to end up under one door or another.  So to be honest, I didn’t think I could bear to trap them inside boots.

As for the coat, it gets hot when the sun shines and walking a long way with a big coat is tiring. I did however, have my loyal old brollie, which by the way, kept shouting at me all the way home to put it in for a part exchange.

So it seems there is some substance to the saying never cast a clout until May is out.

Well hurry up June because I’m tired of winter clothes and footwear. Let the sun shine.

 

I am vast approaching the finish of my final module for my MA in Creative Writing via Brighton University. The course has consisted of six modules in total and this latest one, Communities in Practice has been my favourite. A close second was Prose Fiction which I studied last year with Umi Sinha and Beth Miller as tutors.

I’m now in my third year of study and that may seem a slow pace to some but to me it’s been the right speed. Following each module I believe I’ve grown more as a writer so if I had completed this in one year I do not imagine I’d have grown as I have. This last year in particular has been a major change for me. I’ve had the confidence to publish House of Grace under my own label White Wings Books and the confidence to become a Poet in Residence at Worth Park. So I’ve really put myself out there in the public eye.

Just the dissertation to go and some of you may not be surprised to hear that I’m leaving that until next year. This gives me a total of four years to complete my MA. By coincidence, it’s actually the same amount of time that I spent on my BA through the Open University.

So once again the tortoise wins the race.

So I’d been waiting for an article about the launch of my debut novel to go into the local press. I’m a patient person so I waited.

The other night at reading group, one of the members mentioned she’d seen a lovely article on me and House of Grace in The Crawley Observer a few weeks ago. Another member agreed, she’d seen it too but thought I knew. Thankfully this second friend managed to acquire a photocopy of the article for me, although there’s nothing quite like the real thing.

I’d like to say a big thank you to Joe Stack @Crawley Observer for writing such a brilliant piece.

With a bank holiday coming up you might like to order a copy of House of Grace from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

It’s available on Kindle unlimited for £0.00/$0.00

Kindle – £1.99 / S2.56

Paperback – £7.99 / S11.99

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_rsis_1_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=house+of+grace+by+patricia+m+osborne&sprefix=House+of+Grace%2Caps%2C205

 

You will remember me mentioning the poetry workshops at Worth Park I was conducting as Poet in Residence. Well to conclude the course a Hoops and Haiku event was held – Poetry met Croquet.

The schedule of the day began with coffee and cake. This followed with the students from my poetry course performing their poetry creations. Members of the audience joined in by reading poems from famous poets.

We concluded the day’s event by strolling down to the croquet lawn where captains from the croquet society took time out to introduce the poetry class and the community audience to a game of croquet. A great time was had by all.

Hopefully this is the first of many poetry days at Worth Park.

 

My first royalty cheque has arrived. House of Grace is officially out there. People are buying my book and better still they’re enjoying it. Several readers have told me that they’ve read it more than once because they loved it so much.

Comments are popping up in my facebook inbox or on my facebook timeline and 5* reviews are growing steadily on Amazon. They all have a common theme.

‘It’s a real page turner.’ ‘I couldn’t put it down.’ ‘Hurry up with the next one.’

Read the reviews on Amazon.co.uk and see what you think.

As an author, it’s a wonderful feeling to know that readers love my book and want more. It also gives me that push to get on with the next one. I have an obligation to my readers. I intend to return to The Coal Miner’s Son, the next book in the series, (once my current and last MA module has finished) with an aim to finish by Christmas and release it by March 2018.

*

Find out what these park gates mean to Grace.

(Permission to use given by Bill Sheehy who owns copyright of the above photo)

Blurb on back of the book:

It’s 1950 and all sixteen-year-old Grace Granville has ever wanted is to become a successful dress designer. She dreams of owning her own fashion house and spends her spare time sketching outfits. Her father, Lord Granville, sees this frivolous activity as nonsense and wants to groom her into a good wife for someone of his choosing…

Grace is about to leave Greenemere, a boarding school in Brighton. She’s blissfully unaware of her father’s plans when she embarks on a new adventure. The quest includes a trip to Bolton’s Palais where she meets coal miner, Jack Gilmore. Grace’s life is never the same again.  

Travel with Grace through two decades as she struggles with family conflict, poverty and tragedy. Is Grace strong enough to defy Lord Granville’s wishes and find true love? Will she become a successful fashion designer? Where will she turn for help?

*

Do you enjoy Family Sagas? Do you like to read fiction set in the 1950’s and 60’s? Are you interested in Fashion?

If you answer yes to these questions then it’s quite likely that you’re a strong candidate to read House of Grace.  

House of Grace is available for order on Amazon UK and Amazon.com in Kindle and paperback versions.

Kindle prices start at £0.00 /$).00 with Kindle unlimited or £1.99 / $2.56

Paperback only £7.99 / $11.99

Order your copy now and see if you agree with other readers.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Grace-Family-Patricia-Osborne/dp/0995710708/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494240017&sr=1-1&keywords=house+of+grace+by+patricia+m+osborne

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=house+of+grace+by+patricia+m+osborne&sprefix=House+of+Grace%2Caps%2C192&crid=1OFOQRTQS63HO

 

So yesterday I set off early in the morning to make my way to the train station for my journey to London Bridge. Here I joined my writer friend Suzi Bamblett and we headed towards the Holiday Inn in Bloomsbury, via the tube to Russell Square. My rucksack was loaded up with a laptop, charger, mouse, ipad, chargers and notebooks of course. A writer can’t go out without a notebook. The weight was enormous. I now understand how a packhorse must feel. Anyway enough about that, let’s get to the juicy bit.

We arrived at the hotel and found the training room. Here we met the lovely Anita Chapman from Neetsmarketing. I’d already had the privilege to meet her on facebook, she is just as lovely in person, great personality and easy to get along with.

The conference room was well laid out. A big room, comfortable chairs and desk space, notebooks and pens provided. Coffee, water, cookies and pastries were available on tap. A large projector screen hung on the wall, for slides, so no danger about me not being able to see.

After general introductions from all, Anita began the day with Twitter. I don’t mind telling you that my brain turned to mush. I imagine it must be similar to how eggs feel when scrambled. However, after a good night’s rest it seems I took in a lot more than I had realised.

Anita provided tips, throughout the day of how to raise our profile on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Learning about the technical sides of social media, for instance, tweet deck and how to schedule on twitter, where only part of what I enjoyed about the day. It was a delight to meet new writers and add them to my already growing writers’ network. We were able to get to know each other over a nice cooked lunch with plenty on offer for vegetarians, such as me. The hotel placed our table in a quiet setting so we could hear each other speak. I believe there’s nothing worse when you’re in a restaurant and you can’t have a conversation because it’s too loud.

One thing I have learned, not just from yesterday but including, and that is writers support each other. Writers help each other. Writers are thrilled when another has a success. That’s what I love about being a writer and living in my writer’s world.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Anita’s courses – check out her website details below.

http://neetsmarketing.com/courses/

 

Ingredients

A couple of Jaffa oranges

Sharp knife

Plastic container

Fridge

Are you like me and love oranges but can’t stand the mess they make when you eat them? If so read on. I’ve shared this tip with many friends and family and they all agree that it is a great tip. I thought it only fair to share it with my readers.

I love oranges and they are good for you in so many ways. I eat a minimum of one per day if not a lot more. However, I didn’t always do that because I hated the stinging the acid caused on my lips and hands. Then one day by accident, I came across a great tip for curing this problem.

Using a sharp knife, slice the orange up.

Put into a sealed plastic container and pop in the fridge.

Take out a few hours later and you have an orange that moves away from the skin with ease. No mess, no stinging – just yummy orange.

As I mentioned earlier, I eat oranges all the time, breakfast, lunch and dinner and sometimes just as a snack. While family and friends over the last few months have been hit with viruses I have been fine. It could be a coincidence or it could be because the oranges have built up my immune system.

Check out this blog by Diana Herrington on Care2 where she lists 13 health benefits on eating an orange. Get started now.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/13-health-benefits-of-oranges.html

Now if you’re a new writer, prose or poetry, you could continue this exercise by honing in on your senses. I did such an exercise with my adult beginner poetry students at a recent workshop.

What does the orange taste like? Does it have a smell? Does it look like anything else? Perhaps a wagon wheel? Play around with your imagination and without realising it you will come up with all sorts of similes and metaphors to use in your writing.

I hope to be back shortly with more frequent blogs but in the meantime it is back to a creative writing essay for me as part of my MA – the deadline is next week.

Enjoy your oranges…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a quest for inspiration I took myself out into the sunshine to wander around the lake at Worth Park where I am presently Poet in Residence.

My journey was fruitful, I was lucky enough to spy Egyptian geese parents protecting their eleven baby goslings. Gorgeous fluffy things.

On my journey I also witnessed a moorhen lunge into shrubbery after catching herself a juicy worm for dinner, a Canadian goose dive from the air into the lake to water ski and a skein of Canadian geese perform a sky show before flitting down onto the rippled sun-kissed water.

It wasn’t a wasted journey.

Have you managed to spot any water babies yet, where you live?