Patricia M Osborne

It gives me great pleasure to welcome back, Queen of Flash Fiction, Allison Symes. Allison has come along to talk about her new release. Without further ado it’s over to Allison.

Tripping the Flash Fantastic

Allison Symes

Hello, Allison Symes, flash fiction writer and blogger for Chandler’s Ford Today, here. Many thanks to Patricia for inviting me back on to her blog. Further to my interview here, just over a year ago, I am delighted to announce my second flash fiction collection has now been published by Chapeltown Books.

Following on from my debut book, From Light to Dark and Back Again, my new book Tripping the Flash Fantastic takes you back in time. I also take you into some truly criminal minds, into fantasy worlds, and show you how motherhood looks from the viewpoint of a dragon. I hope you enjoy the journey!

I loved writing this book and it is such a thrill to see it published. Collections take a while to get together and, as with any book, so much unseen work goes on behind the scenes. It was also great to be working with indie publisher, Chapeltown Books, again.

What was nice here was having input into the cover design. The choice of image wasn’t my first, funnily enough. Due to the nature of Chapeltown’s square frame, I needed an image that would work well within that, my first choice didn’t, and so I looked again for another image. I think what I have chosen is better than my first idea. There’s a lesson to be learned there I think!

Why write flash fiction?

Flash fiction has been my great writing passion since I discovered the form in 2013. I had been writing short stories and having them regularly published on Cafelit, the online story magazine, when they issued their 100-word challenge.

My first thought on reading that was you have to be kidding me! How can you tell a story in so few words? A proper story that is! My second thought was well they wouldn’t have issued the challenge if it really was impossible, would they? Give it a go!

So I did and quickly became addicted to the challenge of writing the very short form of story. I think I love it so much because I’ve always enjoyed the character creation aspect of writing fiction. With flash, I’m inventing new characters all the time so win-win for me here.

Flash has to be character led simply because you haven’t the room for a lot of description but that in turn gives these short stories immediacy and pace, which I’ve always loved. The challenge of coming up with unforgettable characters and situations is always fun to try and meet! The great thing too is I can set my characters wherever and whenever I want to – for that, flash fiction is remarkably flexible. And even within the upper word count limit of 1000 words, there is much that can be done. I’ve written across the spectrum though my natural home is sub-500 words.

I’ll be holding a cyberlaunch for Tripping the Flash Fantastic on Saturday, 10th October between 7.00 and 9.30 pm. There will be quizzes and prizes amongst other fun things.  I also plan to share some of the stories from my new book and discuss how and why I wrote them as I have. If you have any questions about flash fiction, I’d be delighted to answer them. Hope to see you there! Join the event HERE

Where to Find Allison Symes

Amazon Author Central Page

Website

Facebook Author Page

Facebook Book Page – Advice on Flash Fiction

Chandler’s Ford Today – weekly topics of interest to writers

Cafelit Page

Don’t forget the launch for Allison Syme’s new release, Tripping the Fantastic, is Saturday 10th October 2020 7:00-9:30pm over on Facebook.

It was a delight to be invited over to Beth Haslam’s, a fellow writer and friend, blog today to chat about my writing journey. This could be of interest. Why not pop along here and see what I had to say.

Beth visited Patricia’s Pen in July this year to talk about her writing – in the event you missed it, or would like a reminder, read what she had to say here.

I am chuffed to bits to be part of Damien B Donnelly’s Eat the Storms podcast. You’ll find me reading three of my poems. The first two from Taxus Baccata ‘Seagull Sequence’ and ‘Oak of Avalon’ and the final one from an upcoming anthology ‘Cupid’s Arrow’ to be published in December 2020 by The Hedgehog Poetry Press. My poem is ‘All I have to do is Dream.’

Listen to the podcast: Episode 4 – Eat the Storms- A Host of Hedgehogs

You will find me at 11:13 – but listen to the whole podcast – you won’t be sorry.

A signed copy of Taxus Baccata makes a great Xmas stocking filler, tree or table present. Order your signed copy here

A great review for Taxus Baccata from talented poet, Nigel Kent. Nigel is a fellow hoglet of The Hedgehog Poetry Press. Why not pop over to his website and check out the review.

And don’t forget signed copies are available here and at a discounted price. Taxus Baccata makes an ideal stocking filler or tree or table present.

All my books are available to order as signed copies from the SHOP on Patricia’s Pen.

You can find out more about them on the following links.

House of Grace

The Coal Miner’s Son

Taxus Baccata

Pop along to my SHOP and get ahead of the Xmas rush.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome fellow Chindi Author, Carol Thomas, back to ‘Patricia’s Pen.’ Carol has come along to tell you about her new children’s book. Without further ado, it’s over to Carol. 

 Writing for Children

Carol Thomas

 

Thank you so much for having me on your blog Patricia.

As an experienced primary school teacher and mum of four, I know the importance of inspiring a love of books from an early age. I have read a great many children’s books and enjoy sharing them. Of course, it is not just about the story and pictures; it is about that moment of connection with those you are sharing the book with too.

Young children love books for many reasons. It can be that the subject matter connects with them; or that it fires their imagination, enabling them to venture into another world; but it can also be because of that moment they share with you as the reader. Snuggling up and sharing a story with your child is for any time, not just bedtime (though of course, that can be a very lovely way for you and them to end their day).

Growing up, my favourite book was my Ladybird version of Five Little Kittens, not because I had a big love of books, I rather liked playing with toy cars while my sister read, but because I liked cats, it rhymed and most importantly, my mum shared it with me! 

In a world where many things are competing for young children’s attention, I aim to write engaging stories, that I hope will be shared again and again. The language is purposefully rhythmic and rhyming, encouraging them to join in and anticipate words and phrases. The characters small and human, or cute and furry, express emotions that are relatable to a young audience and that I hope will inspire a discussion at their level.

Aimed at under 7s, my latest book, Being a Friend at Christmas, is the story of a Little Pup who has found his forever home and knows just how lucky he has been. But as Christmas approaches he thinks about the dogs he’s left behind in the shelter and wants to make sure they have a happy time too. To make his Christmas wish come true, Little Pup has to be brave and enlist the help of Father Christmas.

It’s been described as the perfect gift for all young dog lovers, and I hope, especially after the strange year our children and we have had, it helps spread some Christmas joy!

For more of a sneak peek – click here for the book trailer.

Purchase here 

Also by Carol Thomas 

Finding a Friend (while this is the first in the Little Pup series of books each can be read as a stand-alone story).

When Little Pup finds himself at the shelter,

he doesn’t know quite what to do.

Big dogs all around, feeling lost and alone,

Little Pup needs a friend… but who?

“A delightfully written and wonderfully illustrated picture book, with a heart warming’ tail’ of friendship.”

Purchase here 

About Carol Thomas 

Carol Thomas lives on the south coast of England with her husband, four children and lively Labrador. She has been a playgroup supervisor and has taught in primary schools for just over twenty years.

Carol writes for both adults and children. Her children’s books have irresistibly cute, generally furry characters young children can relate to.

To find out more about books by Carol Thomas:

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Fellow poet, and hoglet of The Hedgehog Poetry Press, Nigel Kent, invited me over to his blog to talk about one of my poems from Taxus Baccata. I chose ‘Soulmates’. If you’d like to see what inspired me to write about Gog and Magog, these wonderful oak trees, pop over to Nigel’s website here.

Signed copies available in my SHOP – great to own but also great idea for gifts.

I’m delighted to invite Damien B Donnelly, fellow poet and hoglet of Hedgehog Poetry Press ‘The Cult of the Spiny hog.’ I’m particularly delighted to have Damien here as part of the launch for his beautiful pamphlet Eat the Storms .

Damien has come along to talk about Eat the Storms published by Hedgehog Poetry Press on 17th September 2020. How exciting is that? I’ve heard some of Damien’s poems and I can tell you now that readers are in for a treat. Eat the Storms is receiving fantastic reviews which are well deserved. Damien not only writes beautiful poetry but has a wonderful voice to listen to when he performs his poems. Without further ado, let’s go over to Damien.

Eat the Storms is a collection I wanted to assemble in order to see light in the darkness and find a balance and an acceptance between them both.

I wanted to bring together a collection of moments that could not be held for long, grains of sand that trickle through our hands while capturing the beautiful fragility of our fall, a selection of sensory songs that expose this fragility, not as something weak or wearisome, but as our weapon, to go down into the darkness in order to reveal how colour can exist there too, to sing of holding both light and shade together, as one, in order to release us from the claws of crazy.

‘Eat the storms… she said,’ in order to ‘…boil back those beds of bitter blackness.’

I wanted to bring the reader on a journey, starting with a soft moon on a sun-drenched beach, a blazing white light like a blank canvas of possibility and, from there, add colour to that emptiness, incorporating both light and shade, a journey that required all senses at once; to test the running water of the riverbed with your tongue, to hear the pout of a ruby red lip while slowly exploring what happens when colour gives in to shadow, when shade threatens fragility as we are faced with our own fears before bringing us back again into the light, seeing that same fragility as our force and not our failure, while holding hope in place of time that can never be held.

I wanted to imagine being able to find a way to paint behind the light, to add breath to all that is unbearable so as to swallow the truth and release the lies we stuff into the cracks of the canvas. I wanted to draw life as a riverbed, cutting its path over rough rock and soothing soil, capturing colour for an instant before it passes on to the next connection, curve, crash, to see ourselves as the roaring wave, rising for a magical moment, and not just a silent witness to the rushing water. I wanted to be able to confess to capturing colour without being called crazy because I was willing to lean in and lick the honey off a purple petal…

‘…but it takes time to swallow the truth and teach the tongue to taste the rain.’

About Damien

Damien, 45, Dublin born, returned to Ireland in 2019 after 23 years in Paris, London and Amsterdam, has been writing since childhood, poetry and short stories questioning identity, sexuality and fragility. His daily interests revolve around falling over and learning how to get back up while baking cakes.

He’s been featured in ‘Second Chance’ Original Writing, ‘Body Horror’ Gehenna & Hinnom, ‘Nous Sommes Paris’ Eyewear Publishing and The Runt Magazine. Online, he’s been featured in Black Bough Poetry, Coffin Bell, Scribe Base, Barren Magazine and Holding It Together, Apart. His debut poetry collection is published by The Hedgehog Press.

Links to social media

Website

Twitter

 

Order your signed copy of Eat the Storms

You may remember back in June the lovely Gaynor Kane visited Patricia’s Pen to talk about her poetry. You can revisit the article here.

Gaynor’s poetry collection Venus in Pink Marble has now been published with the awesome The Hedgehog Poetry Press and you can now grab yourself a signed copy of this fabulous work. You can also check out her launch video with Damien B Donnelly who is my guest tomorrow.

Order a signed copy from here

Do you remember a few weeks ago I was interviewed by Piano Sanctuary? If you missed the interview you can listen here.

Imagine the compliment when Andrew Quartermain contacted me to say he’d written a piece of music inspired by ‘Oaks of Avalon’, a poem from my poetry pamphlet Taxus Baccata.

You can listen to it here. Andrew reads out my poem towards the end of the podcast and follows with his wonderful piece of music. Do listen to the whole podcast though as it’s fabulous – Poetry and Piano Special.

If you’d like to purchase a signed copy of Taxus Baccata – pop over to my SHOP – it makes a great gift!