Patricia M Osborne

I hadn’t intended publishing any more Story or Haiku challenges until 2020 but this beautiful haiku popped into my Inbox on the 30th December 2019 from poet, Liz Byfield, and well, it just couldn’t wait. It had to be published today.  You’ll see why…

So here we are, almost at the end of 2019. I thought I’d share a few of my highs for the year.

In February 2019 I graduated as a Master in Creative Writing (Merit) with the University of Brighton. This was a dream come true as I left school at fifteen to help support my family. After gaining my Bachelors in 2014, to become a Master was icing on the cake.

Later in July, my youngest son graduated at Warwick University with MMaths (Distinction) making me a very proud mummy.

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Now for some publication highs.

Poetry 

Five poems were published in Reach Magazine (Indigo Dreams Publishing)

Soulmates
Lady of the Woods
Castles in the Sand
Leda’s Recompense
Mother’s Love

‘Witches’ Exhibition’ was chosen to be included in Gloucester Poetry Society’s anthology – Magic theme.

Poems selected to be included in collections with Hedgehog Poetry next year are:

Heavenly Heather
Mother’s Love
Beanz Meanz Heinz

Short listed

White Hunter – Poetry (Swanwick Writers’ Summer School 2019)

Sherry and Sparkly (Conversational Poetry with Maureen Cullen) highly commended with Hedgehog Poetry Press

Short Stories published in anthologies

Asylum – The Leicester Writes Short Story Prize 2019

 

Winter Solstice – A Feast of Christmas Stories (Unwrap A Sussex Tale)  (Chindi Authors)

 

The biggest high has to go to Hedgehog Poetry Press – I was one of the winners in Nicely Folded Paper – Deux Competition.  The prize – my poetry pamphlet ‘Taxus Baccata’ is to be published in 2020, hopefully March.

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In 2019 I also featured on various blogs with articles and interviews. These may be read on the links below.

Interview May 2019 – Papers Pens Poets 

Article – House of Grace – A Period Drama – July 2019 – SchoolsHistory.Org.Uk

Interview – Meet the Author – August 2019 – Curled up with a good book 

Interview – Interviewing Patricia M Osborne – August 2019 – Isabella Muir.com

Saga Saturday – House of Grace was Born – August 2019 – Rachel Brimble Book Blog & Updates

What Books Mean to Me – October 2019 – Chandler’s Ford Today 

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2019 also brought two new additions to ‘Patricia’s Pen’

Tuesday Guest Feature  and The story and haiku challenges.

Guests featured in 2019

Willow Woods – Elizabeth M Hurst – Stephen Cope -Rosemary J Kind – Meryl Lawrence  Val Penny – Lynette Creswell – Sue Wickstead – Geoff Parkes – Michelle Dunbar – Anita Hunt MA

Other guests featured in 2019 

Lexi Rees – Colin Ward – Rosemary Noble – Angela Petch – Carol Thomas – Roland Chesters – Claire Baldry – Isabella Muir – Hugh Carey with Rich – Allison Symes

Watch out for more guests in 2020 including:

Madalyn Morgan – Sally Spedding – Mark Anthony Smith – Michael Sanchez

Fin Gray – Elizabeth Gates – Deborah Edgeley – Raine Geoghegan – Kellie Butler

And that’s just for the first quarter of the year.

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Keep those stories and haiku coming in as they’re ideal for coffee break reads

Check the online guidelines and submit online 

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And I’m saving the best for last – watch out for UPDATES on ‘The Coal Miner’s Son’

Also to come later in the year is a newsletter so you can subscribe to keep up-to-date. It will also offer rewards for your loyalty.

That’s all for now except to say Thank you for being loyal followers and …

 

 

 

 

Following this morning’s story from Phil Clinker, ‘Patricia’s Pen’ will take a break from the Story and Haiku Challenges and Tuesday Guest Feature until the new year.

Before the new year I intend to do a round-up of 2019 and what’s to come in 2020.

If you get a chance over the holidays then why not have a go at one of the challenges and send it in for consideration on the link below.

Submit 

And if you get a new Kindle tomorrow and looking for a great read over the holidays – don’t forget House of Grace. The Coal Miner’s Son is coming in 2020.

And don’t forget to read today’s story from Phil Clinker with The Old Man.

Our final story challenger for 2019 comes from Phil Clinker. Phil’s response to the challenge comes in the form of ‘The Old Man’ which you can read below.

Christmas Day. Late morning. The old man pulled the blanket up to his chin to keep the cold at bay. He was freezing, his bones ached and teeth chattered. He’d endured a rough, sleepless night, and needed to make up for it. If only he didn’t feel so desperately cold …

and lonely. He sighed. Old people should never be alone at this time of the year, he thought, wiping a tear from his eye as he snuggled further into his bed.

Outside, Prancer and the others chewed on carrots, unaware of their master’s depression.

95 words

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Thank you for that, Phil. I love how you’ve used Santa as a metaphor for all those poor old people out there suffering alone.

No one should be alone at Christmas, unless they want to be. We need to take care of our old folk. And of course at this time of the year it is also worth thinking about those poor homeless people, cold and lonely on the street.

Click on the link below to see how you can help a homeless person this Christmas. What better gift?

Let’s end homelessness together. 

 

 

The Oak and The Mistletoe

To the ancient druids the oak tree was sacred. An English oak was more sacred, and if it was an English Oak that had accepted mistletoe, that was the most sacred of oaks.

Ancient druids gathered in the grove of oaks on Winter Solstice when a special ritual was performed. The chief druid climbed the oak and lopped the mistletoe which was caught in a white cloak by the other druids. During the ceremony two white bulls were sacrificed and mistletoe was later presented at the altar to the earth goddess to bring ‘fertility to the spirit of the earth’(Paterson, 1996). The white berries signified the sun god’s semen.

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On this Winter Solstice it seems like the perfect time to share my poem ‘The Sacred Tree’. ‘The Sacred Tree’ forms part of my collection about myth, folklore and legend around trees which I plan to publish in 2020.

The Sacred Tree

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.

Patricia M Osborne © 2018

Published with Ink Drinkers Poetry, Issue 4 (2021)

I am joined today by the lovely author, Willow Woods.  Willow has come along to chat about her writing journey. 

Thank you, Patricia, for inviting me to do a guest blog!

It is a delight to have you over here, Willow. Without further ado, it’s over to you. 

 

My Writing Journey

by

Willow Woods

 

I fell in love with writing in junior school when I first took part in a creative writing class. I’d always loved reading and it was the only subject I was advanced at for my age. When I was in lower school I spent my time selecting books from the upper school library not realising I was doing anything wrong, however, the teachers were not happy when they found out. At first, writing was a fun hobby but when I started secondary school, I borrowed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s book In the Hands of the Goddess and that’s when I made the decision that I wanted to be a writer. The problem I had then was careers in creativity were never pushed – I always assumed I’d do a 9-5 job and that would be that.

In Year 10 I began working on two novels, Where I Belong and The Shadow Courtesan. I finished the first draft of Where I Belong shortly that year and The Shadow Courtesan (previously titled ‘Changes’) in Year 11. Over the years both books went through rewrites with the material changing drastically as I got older. After my nan died in 2015, I began work on the final draft for Where I Belong. Unfortunately, at this time, I was made redundant from a job I loved and went through a health scare.

Once I was in receipt of my completed manuscript, I attempted to go down the traditional route of publishing, i.e. searching for an agent. However, this was without much success as the message fed back to me was as my novel wasn’t part of a series it was less appealing to the market.

Finally, in 2018 I began researching into self-publishing and seriously considering taking the route as an indie writer. I was stuck in a job I absolutely hated and was going through another health scare. Although it was a horrible time, those two aspects gave me the motivation to do what I wanted to do. Why should I have to work in a 9-5 job because that’s what we consider the norm? We literally work most of our lives and get to enjoy so little. I wanted to enjoy my life and do something that made me happy – as long as the bills were paid, did my job matter?

So, I took the plunge! I quit my job (best. feeling ever), found a part-time job in a place similar to where I was made redundant and I’m now so lucky to have two jobs I totally love. In December 2018 I finally published my first novel, Where I Belong. I was so excited! Especially when I got sales notifications through! I was on such a high.

Then. Disaster…

 

After ordering copies for events for 2019 I found out that the editor hadn’t edited properly. When discovering my book had errors, I cried. I’d spent years working on Where I Belong; it’s literally my baby! To then find someone I’d hired hadn’t done their job –  I was left with printed copies stacked up in my sitting room… and had no idea what to do. I’d love to have been able to write them off, absorbing the loss; but couldn’t afford to do that, even if I hadn’t quit working full-time.

I immediately set about looking for an editor. Luckily I knew someone close to me who was qualified to do the job. We’d previously made a point not to work together to ensure our relationship didn’t grow awkward, but in this instance they agreed to help, and saved me! That just left me with the predicament of what to do with the copies I’d had printed.

I had no choice but to take them to events. I decided when selling my copies that honesty was the best way so whenever I spoke to people about the book I disclosed the inadequate editing. As a thank you to  my readers for purchasing, I created vouchers. This means, whenever someone buys a physical copy of my novel, they also get a free eBook version which thankfully is error free. I’m excited that now the only books containing errors are the ones bought from me. Amazon copies are clean and hopefully when they start appearing in more bookshops (working on it!) these will be clean too.

The past year has been a huge learning curve. I’ve given talks at events (and was invited to speak at several, which was a weird and amazing feeling!) I learnt to really look into services and not just take someone’s word that they are who they say they are. I spent six months researching editors/proof-readers for The Shadow Courtesan and once it was edited sent several copies to readers to make sure they didn’t find any errors.

The best thing about this year though has been going to different events (comic cons!) and selling at them, meeting people who will actually be reading my book. One woman bought a copy and came back a few hours later to say how she’d started it and was loving it! I’m such a pessimistic person so that was just an unbelievable moment.

I’m glad I took the plunge and (as cheesy as it sounds!) followed my dream! Tamora Pierce is my favourite author to this day (and In the Hands of the Goddess my favourite book – it was with me at my wedding and my nan’s funeral). I wonder if I’d ever have wanted to become a writer if I’d never read her books (thankfully I won’t know!)

Thank you again Patricia! 😊

A pleasure, Willow.  Thank you for sharing your writing journey with my readers. What a hard lesson you had to learn but I am pleased that you were able to find a solution for the badly edited books.

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If anyone is considering taking the indie publishing route then do make sure you get a reputable editor, formatter, and cover designer, either by word of mouth or from a society such as ALLi (Alliance of Independent Authors)

Below I will provide links of  where you can find Willow on social media and where you can purchase her books, but first, let’s find out a little more about her…

About Willow 

Willow currently lives in London with her husband, their cat Nora and hamster Pumpkin. An animal lover Willow fosters with a local animal charity. She is a strong believer in #adoptdontshop (and would probably adopt every animal that comes into the house if she could!)

She holds an MA in Historical Research and has recently completed her second MA, this one in Creative Writing. Born to an Irish mother and Scottish father, Willow’s Celtic heritage has a strong influence on her writing along with her love of history. Although living in London, Willow is originally from a small Hampshire town and very much misses the countryside (and stars!)

In her spare time Willow enjoys gaming (and has a slight addiction to Final Fantasy IX), going to comic cons, archery and dressmaking. Willow previously enjoyed Ninjutsu and is hoping to soon put her gi back on and get back into training!

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Willow’s Books can be purchased from Amazon on the links below or direct from Willow.

Amazon 

Amazon 

You can find Willow on social media by clicking on the links below.

Facebook

Twitter 

Website

 

 

 

Today I invite talented writer, Pauline Mason, over to the blog to take up the challenge to write a Haiku. Pauline is a lovely lady who I first met at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School back in 2016. You can read Pauline’s Haiku below. I am sure you will agree that this is a beautifully written poem.

Are you up to the challenge to write a Haiku? See full guidelines and online submission form here.

Remember back in October when I had Lynette Creswell as my guest?

Remember she promised you a FREE READ about the hoglets?

Well the wait is over. You can now pop over to Lynette’s blog and read Hoglets’ Christmas Magic. There’s a whole new series about these lovely creatures coming out soon…

Don’t miss out on this FREE treat.

You’ll love it.

Your children will love it

and your grandchildren will love it.

Wait no longer.

Click here now and enjoy.

 

My guest today is a novelist who goes under her own name, Elizabeth M Hurst, and pseudonym, Kitty Mulholland. Liz has come along today to talk about her creative life since moving to France. Without further ado, lets go over to Liz.

Living a Creative Life

Liz Hurst 

Many people have asked me why I moved to the south of France, and there are many reasons. For some time, I had been envisaging a life abroad, somewhere warm and sunny with a simpler life and less stress. Then, I spent some time in Aude, at the Wild Words retreat with Bridget Holding, in 2016. I fell in love with the Languedoc region, and my dream began to take shape.

Allowing myself space and time to be creative, whether it’s writing or painting, brings me so much joy and happiness. A stressful job, however, does the exact opposite, and I was feeling run down. By early 2018 I was receiving medical treatment for anxiety-related issues. Something had to change.

So, in January 2019 I packed up my car, along with my two cats, and we spent a tortuous two-day journey down to Pyrénées-Orientales in the far south of France, on the Mediterranean coast.

My days here consists of an early start, a couple of hours of freelance editing and proofreading before brunch, then a leisurely walk into the village centre for a natter with the locals. Improving my French language skills was another reason for moving here, and I am pleased to report that not all of my ‘A’ level studies have been forgotten!

Afternoons are all about writing. By now, the sunshine has moved around to the front of the house, and on a sunny day (on average about 330 times per year), it is now rather warm. Even in December, if you’re in the sunshine, a t-shirt is adequate. So, I can sit on my balcony with my notebook and get some serious scribbling done.

In the hot summer months, this time would be spent at the beach, swimming to keep cool and the scribbling in my notebook while drying off in the sunshine. But, the water is a little cooler now (read: freezing!) so when I have finished writing, it’s a walk up into the nearby Albères mountains, collecting pinecones. Top tip: they make excellent firelighters!

I am very lucky to be able to live what many would describe as an idyllic lifestyle. However, it’s not all easy. Take the weather, for instance. Late June brought le canicule (heatwave). This little corner was not the hottest area of France by any stretch, but 34 degrees Celcius at midnight makes for uncomfortable sleeping, let me tell you, even after copious amounts of wine. Trust me, I tested it!

Then, in October, we had the most ferocious storm I have ever witnessed. Storm-force winds and a colossal amount of rainfall flooded many villages in this area. At the beach, sea-facing houses were boarded up and people took shelter. At 2am on the night it arrived, I thought the roof was coming off the house! It turned out it was the most rain the area has experienced for fifty years.

I am about to celebrate my first French festive season. There seems to be a lot less fuss in the shops than I’m used to, but then France is a much less shopping-oriented country as a whole, so that’s not a big surprise.

Allow me, therefore, to raise a glass of wine to you all and wish you the best of seasons greetings, while I make sure I’ve got my sunscreen handy. Merry Christmas!

Thank you, Liz for a great article. So interesting to hear about your creative journey in France and I wish you every happiness and success in your future both creatively and personally.

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Let’s find out a little about Liz Hurst. 

Liz is originally from West Cumbria, in the northwest of England, UK. Following university in Birmingham, she worked in various jobs across industries such as recruitment, food production, pet-sitting, pharmaceuticals, and automotive engineering.

Her writing life began with erotic fiction and she has titles published under the pseudonym of Kitty Mulholland. She now writes timeslip novellas and historical fiction about strong female protagonists under the umbrella brand of Sisterhood Publications.

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You can purchase Liz’s books by clicking on the following links.

Siren Spirit 

A Friend in Need 

Becoming Fabulous (Kitty Mulholland)

You can find Liz at the following online locations

Website

Facebook 

Twitter

Instagram

 

 

Today’s challenger to write a story in less than one hundred words comes from Cyd Slater in the form of Kampuchea Calling which you can read below. 

So here I was. Kingdom of wonder. Land of dreams.

Not running away as such, more chasing a dream. I just had to get out of the country. Fresh start to refresh my mind. Nine years on from building a base, a promise to my dying mum, here I was. Ready to begin the next stage. Teaching awaited.

Gazing at the darkening sky, the sun already setting, I looked ahead towards my future and took that first step into the unknown; one fate, providence, had guided me towards. A first step, often feared, that we all have to take…

99 words

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Thank you, Cyd, for sharing those beautiful words. I wish you all the best with your venture in Cambodia.