Today is National Poetry Day. For those of you that don’t know, Emily Dickinson is one of my favourite poets and Hilda Doolittle, H D Imagiste, has been my influence.

You can check out some of Emily Dickinson’s poems, and find out more about her at Poetry Archive.com and for Hilda Doolittle go to the Poetry Foundation where you can find ‘Sea Rose’ which inspired me to be an imagist.

Now as it’s National Poetry Day, it only seems fair that I share one of my own poems, however, this poem is not an imagist poem or similar to Emily Dickinson’s, but an epistle I wrote for my mum on one of her birthdays after she died. Today would have been Mum and Dad’s Platinum Wedding Anniversary and with Mothering Sunday tomorrow it seems fitting to share this poem. I’ve substituted birthday to Mother’s Day in the poem.

If you still have your mum, do look after her and make her feel loved, even if you can’t see her tomorrow.

The Epistle of Dishy Trishy

Dear Mum, I had to write to say,
how much I miss you so,
no-one could have warned me,
how bad the pain would feel.
Knowing that there’ll never be
another kiss, another hug,
another face to face conversation.
Tomorrow is Mothering Sunday,
I wanted to send this just to say,
how I wish we could be together
one more time, to love another day.
I know that can’t be possible,
no matter how much I want
it to be, so instead I’ll treasure
memories and keep them close to me.
As far as I’m concerned,
you’ll always be with me,
here in my home
and in my heart,
my one special lady.
Always an inspiration,
a fantastic loving mum to all,
my Yummy Mummy – the best ever.
Yours, Dishy Trishy, for eternity.

Patricia M Osborne

So last week I had a run of visits to other websites to include interviews and articles discussing various aspects of writing. These blogs were kindly hosted by supporting authors.

Below you’ll find a list of links where you can check out each individual article or interview. Enjoy.

Monday: 

Chindi Authors Website – Questions and Answers

Interview  hosted on ‘Lynette’s Website and Blog’ – Author Lynette Creswell

Tuesday: 

Research for a Family Saga – hosted by Lexi Rees, Author

Wednesday: 

‘Connecting with Characters‘ – hosted by Carol Thomas, Author

Thursday: 

Writing and Inspiration – hosted by Rosemary Noble – Author

Discussing The Coal Miner’s Son  – hosted  by Soulla Christodoulou on ‘A cup of Conversation’

Friday: 

Writing a trilogy  – hosted by Isabella Muir

Saturday:

Choosing a title/Writing a Blurb  – hosted by Helen Christmas on ‘Same Face Different Place’

Sunday: 

Romance in a Family Saga – hosted by Julia Firlotte on Julia’s Blog.

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Reviews

Reviews are starting to come in for The Coal Miner’s Son 

5 star review

“This is a heart-warming return to the characters of House of Grace but this time events are seen through the eyes of Elizabeth and George which makes it extra special and helps you understand them and love them even more. I look forward all the more to the next book. A lovely read and I can highly recommend it.”

5 star review

“The Coal Miner’s Son is a great follow on to House of Grace. Another great page turner, a must read. Very well written.”

5 star review

“Having thoroughly enjoyed the author’s debut novel (House of Grace), I’ve been eagerly looking forward to this book, and I can say quite categorically, Ms Osborne hasn’t disappointed. It’s an absolutely engrossing story with strong, beautifully defined characters that leap out of the pages into your head – the charming dialogue makes you feel that you know each of them personally. It’s a tale that will keep the reader’s attention long into the night – one of those books that you are eager to finish to find out the ending, but at the same time you want to savour the wonderful storytelling. I cannot recommend it highly enough to all lovers of an enthralling read with engaging characters that will have you thinking about them long after you’ve finished reading the book. And I believe there’s a 3rd book to follow – I can’t wait!”

5 star review

After reading Patricia M Osborne’s debut novel House of Grace, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the arrival of her second book The Coal Miner’s Son. Ms Osborne’s new novel doesn’t disappoint. Unlike House of Grace, this story is told from Elizabeth and George’s point of view.

The author captures the essence of a time gone by, of hardships, friendships and the bureaucracy of the upper class. You can easily lose yourself within the pages of this book and I was hooked from the start. Filled with interesting characters and with lots of twists and turns, I couldn’t put the book down, reading long into the night.

If you haven’t already read The Coal Miner’s Son then go for it. You won’t be disappointed.

5 star review

What I loved about this book was the way it told the story from the other viewpoints. In House of Grace, we got Grace’s story and her side of events. This inevitably led us to form opinions about the other characters, many of whom we probably didn’t like very much. In The Coal Miner’s Son, we are given the views of the other main characters – George and Elizabeth – and there are many surprises to take away, including Elizabeth’s fragile mental state and George’s vulnerability. Trisha is a compelling writer and I once again find myself looking forward to the third part of the trilogy. What will we do when there is no further sequel? I only hope Trisha has something else up her sleeve!

Well I am pleased to  inform all readers that The Granville Legacy may be the final book in the trilogy but it WILL NOT be the end of the House of Grace Series – there will be lots more to come…

If you’d like to purchase a book in Kindle format click here 

Paperbacks also available via Amazon or order from all good book stores or your local library.

Signed paperbacks at discounted prices plus p&p (UK only) may be purchased direct from me. Please contact me for details.

Considering I was named Patricia because I was due to be born on St Patrick’s Day, it seemed appropriate that I mark St Patrick’s Day in some form or other on Patricia’s Pen. With that in mind, it was the perfect opportunity to feature fellow Chindi Author, Helen Christmas, who has come along to chat about St Patrick’s Day and her Irish characters. Over to you Helen.

St Patrick’s Day and my Irish Characters

Helen Christmas

I love St Patrick’s Day, a chance to dig out audio cassettes by ‘The Pogues’ and enjoy a glass of Guinness. This year, I’ve chosen to celebrate it with a special offer on my book, Rosebrook Chronicles, and introduce some of my own Irish characters.

I’ll start with Peter Summerville from Dublin, who plays a big part in a series I began in 2011. Same Face Different Place is a mystery thriller set across four decades with a wide cast of characters. This prompts me to wonder what makes a strong character. One who keeps you interested or you find yourself gunning for.

Step in, Peter Summerville, a lovable Irishman who appears in the second book Visions. Peter is a charismatic Community leader. Silver haired, blue-eyed with an unmissable Irish accent and a huge heart, he is the most selfless character, a man who goes out of his way to help those less fortunate.

Strong characters are important when writing fiction so what other tips can I give writers to make their characters shine?

Consider their motivation. What do they want to achieve in life?

For Peter it is doing something worthwhile and his ambition in Visions is to revamp the town’s Community Centre. His next goal is to inaugurate a housing trust for those priced out of the property market but he is also a skilled counsellor.

Do they have flaws? 

While Peter is successful in his career as manager of Rosebrook Community Centre, other pleasures such as marriage and children seem to bypass him. Sadly, he has deep seated emotional issues concerning relationships.

Create a backstory 

Not until Book 4 Retribution do we learn Peter has a hidden past when police officers turn up to arrest him. As an abuse survivor from a Catholic Orphanage, no-one knows of the crime Peter committed to escape, his tragic story revealed.

Throw obstacles in their path, allow readers discover how they deal with them

Fortunately Peter has a strong network of friends and colleagues to support him as portrayed by one of the main characters:

Capturing his eye in the mirror, she experienced a flood of emotion so intense, she knew they had reached another stumbling block. They had to get him cleared of these crimes. Their community simply could not survive without him. 

I finished the series in 2017 but Peter inspired an idea for a new book.

As Peter seeks justice, only then do you discover other secrets; a sister named Bess (adopted aged 6) who he’s spent a lifetime searching for.

But what happened to her? Why did it take them so long to find each other? By the time I touched on this sensitive part, I realised there was a whole new story.

From this thread, the concept of Rosebrook Chronicles evolved.

Quite different from my series, this book of interlocking character-driven stories provides some of the backdrop but focuses on the personal journeys of three abused teenagers. Peter and his sister, Bessie, feature, as do a whole host of new characters. Sister Maria, a kindly novice who travels with Bessie to London when she is adopted. Father O’Brien, the terrifying Catholic priest who is Peter’s abuser. The lovable O’Flaherty family who are friends and last but not least, Declan, a student in Belfast, his world torn apart by sectarian violence until he is drawn to the IRA. This novel can be read as a standalone, a mix of domestic noir and suspense filled with snippets of social history from the 1960s to the 1990s.

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Thank you, Helen, for providing a  background around the characters in your latest book, Rosebrook Chronicles, I’m sure my readers will be eager to get hold of a copy.

In honour of St Patrick’s Day, Rosebrook Chronicles is on special with a Kindle countdown deal at 99p/99c. Offer valid from March 17th – 21st.

If you’re a fan of audio books, hear the musical Irish accents of the characters come to life in a new Audible version, narrated by Paul Metcalfe.

The best news is…

Helen has twenty codes up for grabs. Just download the Audible app from Amazon, enter your promotional code and enjoy the experience for FREE.

For a free code please email info@chindi-authors.co.uk. No personal data will be harvested from this promotion and once Helen has sent the code to you, she will then discard it.

Hurry though because these FREE codes aren’t going to hang around for long.

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Links to where you can find Helen on social media and purchase her books, along with audio, will be listed below but first, let’s find out a little more about Helen.

About Helen Christmas

Helen Christmas loves writing and has a passion for moving sagas with powerful characters. She is currently working on a psychological thriller based in Bognor Regis, where she lives with her husband and they work from home.

To find out more about Helen you can visit her website/blog, ‘Same Face Different Place’ by clicking here.

Social Media links

Facebook 

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Youtube: Video 

Links to purchase books 

Rosebrook Chronicles, The Hidden Stories

Kindle Version  UK       US 

Rosebrook Chronicles, The Hidden Stories

Audio Book 

Beginnings (Same Face Different Place #1)

Visions (#2) 

Pleasures (#3) 

Retribution Phase One (#4) 

Retribution End Game (#5) 

Well what fun we all had on Facebook last week – Monday evening, 9th March 2020, when we celebrated the arrival of The Coal Miner’s Son.

Five special guests took part in hosting the party.

Elizabeth Ducie  – Website 

Elizabeth M Hurst – Website 

Val Penny  – Website 

Allison Symes – Website 

Colin Ward  – Website 

Virtual food and drink was in plentiful supply. 

Competitions ran throughout the evening session with prizes 

Author Elizabeth Ducie offered a ‘Where are you now?’ competition and donated a copy of Counterfeit (Ebook version)

Winner  – Jacqui Barwell

If you’d like a copy of Counterfeit – click here

Questions for a Prize draw ran throughout the evening 

Question 1: Which dance from the ’60s created the largest craze?

Answer The Twist

Winner –   John Clark

Prize donated by author: Paperback version of Two Kinds of Truth by Lynette Creswell.

If you’d like a copy of Two Kinds of Truth – click here

Question 2: Who was the first Doctor Who in the BBC television series?

Answer: William Hartnell

Winner – Pauline Kontemeniotis

Prize donated by author: Copy of Lost Souls Book 1  (Ebook version) by Elizabeth M Hurst

If you’d like a copy of the Lost Souls Book 1 – click here.

Question 3: Who wrote “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

Answer: Harper Lee

Winner – Liz Byfield

Prize: A paperback copy of Colin Ward’s Silhouette in the Sunset.

If you’d like a copy of Silhouette in the Sunset – click here.

Question 4: This man wrote “Carrie” and “Cujo” along with many other scary novels. What is his name?

Answer: Stephen King

Winner – Penny Howard 

Prize: A paperback copy of Joy Wood’s April Fool.

If you’d like a copy of April Fool – click here.

Question 5: This band ‘invaded’ the USA in 1964, and altered the music scene over there. Teenage girls were blown to smithereens. Who was it?

Answer The Beatles

Winner – Nicole Gilbert 

 Prize: A paperback copy of From Light to Dark and Back Again by Allison Symes.

If you’d like a copy of From Light to Dark and Back Again – click here. 

Question 6: In the TV series “The Avengers”, who plays the ravishing Mrs. Emma Peel?

Answer Diana Rigg

Winner – Jayne Curtis 

Prize: A paperback copy of Lynette Creswell’s Two Kinds of Truth.

If you’d like a copy of Two Kinds of Truth – click here.

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If you haven’t purchased your copy of The Coal Miner’s Son and would like to – click here.

Tomorrow ‘Patricia’s Pen’ is back to its Tuesday Guest Feature – this week with fellow Chindi author, Helen Christmas. Don’t miss it.

Later on in the week I shall publish all the links to the blogs from Publication Week for The Coal Miner’s Son – watch this space.

I mentioned on Monday that I am Author of the Week for Chindi which was perfect timing with the publication of The Coal Miner’s Son.

Today I am on Carol Thomas’s, a fellow Chindi Author, website talking about characters.

Who is your favourite character in House of Grace or The Coal Miner’s Son? Do let me know.

In the meantime, why not pop over to Carol’s website and check out the blog.

Click here.

Today I am on the blog of fellow Chindi Author, Lexi Lees, to celebrate me being ‘Chindi Author of the Week’ but also to celebrate the launch of ‘The Coal Miner’s Son.’

Because Lexi and I write in different genres she chose ‘Research’ as a subject for me to talk about in relation to my writing. If you’d like to read the blog then pop over to Lexi’s website here. I hope you enjoy it.

It was wonderful to be invited over on author, Lynette Creswell’s, blog to talk about my writing and new book, The Coal Miner’s Son. Her questions were fun to answer. If you’d like to see the interview then pop over to Lynette’s blog on this link here. I’d love to hear what you think.

As well as publication day for The Coal Miner’s Son, this week I am ‘Chindi Author of the Week.’ Pop over to the Chindi author Website and check out the questions and answers  about me and my writing.

Publication day has finally arrived for The Coal Miner’s Son, but you know what, I’m feeling a little flat. What was I expecting this morning? Fireworks or what? I’m not sure. All I know is that the run up to this day has been hectic with book signing, packing them up and posting, and lots of marketing.

However, the sun is shining and life looks good. Five years ago today at this time I was alone in a Bucharest hospital waiting for my husband to arrive and waiting for an operation on my broken hip. A lot has changed in those five years and that includes me, I am no longer the same person.

Although today feels flat I’m proud of what I’ve achieved in publishing two books that readers seem to love and wish that my late mum and sister were both here to share this  moment with me.

So away with the gloom and let’s embrace The Coal Miner’s Son starting with fizz this evening and an online launch party on Facebook. Hope as many of you as possible can be here.

Here’s a candle for Mum and Heather

and a glass of sparkly to toast The Coal Miner’s Son‘s arrival.

Cheers!!

Watch out throughout the day for links to blogs where I talk about my writing.