Fancy helping to raise funds for Children in Need while at the same time you receive a signed copy (UK delivery only) of The Woodhaerst Triangle?
The Woodhaerst Triangle is up for auction with Children in Read – TO BID GO HERE
What readers say about the Woodhaerst Triangle
“Full of well-researched detail of the 1970s and with a great twist that I didn’t see coming.” “All of the characters seemed life-like and drew me into their lives. I devoured it and when it ended, I had withdrawal symptoms!”
“This book is a real page turner full of memorable nostalgia and showed family life in a true setting.” “I was absorbed in the plot very quickly, eager to find out what happened next.”
“Recommended to all lovers of family-sagas and twentieth century stories.”
“You think you know what’s going to happen and then there is a sudden twist to the story line that you don’t expect.”
A signed copy of a book makes for the perfect gift.
The Woodhaerst Triangle is up for auction with Children in Read – TO BID GO HERE – Only 12 days left.
And check out all the other lovely goodies on the site. HERE
I’m delighted to re-introduce author, Lisette Brodey, to Patricia’s Pen. This time Lisette celebrates the release of her latest novel, What the Years Remember. What the Years Remember is a suspense/psychcological drama and if you’ve read Twice the Broken Breaththen you may recognise some of the characters.
Blurb for What the Years Remember
Growing up in New York’s Hudson Valley, fraternal twins Amber and Jade were always different. Amber, somewhat shy and affable, is a happy, well-liked child. Jade, often angry, laments from an early age that others have what she covets. As the girls grow up, Jade’s jealousy escalates. Dangerously so.
At sixteen, enraged by their classmate Michael’s affection for Amber, Jade lures her sister to an abandoned lot, shoves her onto concrete, and leaves her for dead. Knowing Jade would try again, her parents agree to fake her death. Amber moves to New York City with her father, and Jade moves with her mother to Los Angeles.
Twenty-three years have passed. Amber is alive, happily married to Michael, with a son, and living in New York City under her new name. Jade, still living in California, has been cavalierly committing crimes. After a robbery attempt on a woman in Beverly Hills ends in her death, Jade flees to New York. Amber, quickly learning that her sister is nearby and a bigger threat than ever, goes on the offensive to stop Jade before she can decimate the lives of everyone Amber holds dear. But uncertainty, altered paths, and unexpected revelations can change everything.
Lisette was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. She spent ten years in New York City, and now resides in Los Angeles. She is a multigenre author who has written fourteen books. Two of Lisette’s short stories are published in an anthology: Triptychs (Book 3, The Mind’s Eye Series.)
All of Lisette’s books are available in Kindle, paperback, and free to read on Kindle Unlimited
What a brilliant surprise this Saturday morning waking up to a wonderful review for The Woodhaerst Triangle on When Angels Fly. You can read the review HERE
I’m especially proud to introduce my very good friend and critique partner, Maureen Cullen, as she launches her brand new novel Kitten Heels with Ringwood Books. Maureen has been published in various anthologies, won numerous short story competitions, and shortlisted umpteen times. Her new book is a fabulous story and one not to be missed.
“Was this what being an adult meant? Clamping down on tears and growing a backbone? That’s how it felt. I had to be the dependable one, Mum wasnae up to it. I peered in the mirror at my thirteen-year-old self. I didnae want to be grown up yet.”
About Kitten Heels
“It was a man’s world, that was for sure. It certainly wasnae a thirteen-year-old girl’s.”
Kathleen Gallagher is resourceful, brave and tireless — but fated to work in the bra factory like her mother. It’s 1962, and Kathleen resents her situation. She has to look after her three younger siblings whilst her mother works part-time; collect the wages from her absentee father; and sacrifice her social life for responsibilities she never asked for. When Kathleen’s grandmother dies, the entire family dynamic changes — leaving the relationship with her mother to suffer.
Kitten Heels is a moving coming-of-age story, set in 1960s working class Clydeside and told from thirteen-year-old Kathleen’s perspective. Dealing with issues of poverty, mental health, and the role of women, Kitten Heelsfollows Kathleen as she finds comfort and support in the community of women around her — learning from the way in which these women find ways to grow, nourish and heal each other, despite hardships and institutional obstacles set in their way.
Pre-order your copy of Kitten Heelsnow for just £9.99 (plus P&P) to guarantee a signed first edition copy which will be sent to you before the launch. The official launch will take place at the Helensburgh Community Hub at 2pm on Saturday 12th October. Look out for more updates soon on the Ringwood website!
Maureen Cullen is a retired social worker living in Argyll & Bute. After thirty years’ commitment to social work, she turned to writing poetry and short fiction, completing a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Lancaster University in 2015 and achieving a distinction. Maureen has had poetry published in multiple magazines and online webzines, and had a poetry conversation written with Patricia M Osborne, Sherry and Sparkly, published by the Hedgehog Press in 2021. She has been shortlisted in numerous short story competitions, including the V.S. Pritchett Prize, the Fish Prize, and the Bristol Prize. She also won the Labello Prize for short fiction in 2014, and the Ringwood Short Story competition in 2022.
Let me introduce you to Book 1: The Woodhaerst Triangle in the new 1970s family drama trilogy.
The Woodhaerst Triangle is a love story wrapped in family drama. It is available to read on Kindle or in paperback. It can be ordered via Amazon on Kindle and paperback. The paperback may also be ordered via any bookstore, or ask your local library to order in a copy.
Prologue for The Woodhaerst Triangle Patricia M Osborne
Prologue
June, 1953
A high-pitched cry fills the small room as the infant enters the world.
‘Is it all right? What did I have?’ The girl tries to sit up. Beads of sweat run across her forehead. Her white linen gown is bloodstained.
‘No concern of yours, lass. Lie back and let me finish cleaning you up.’ The buxom nurse pats the girl down below with a threadbare towel.
It shouldn’t be like this. She should’ve been allowed to have the infant at home, in her own surroundings. Not in this dingy room with an old woman telling her she has no right to know anything. It wasn’t fair. ‘But the baby’s mine. Please, what did I have? Please let me hold it.’
‘Take the bairn away’– the nurse waves her large hands at the female attendant – ‘take her. Quickly.’
The skinny attendant wraps the baby in white muslin showing only a mass of dark hair.
‘A girl. I have a daughter. Please don’t take her away. Please. Let me see.’ The girl lies back powerless, too tired to even barely move.
Ignoring the young mother, the attendant leaves the room with the infant in her arms. As she opens the door shrieks from another teen in labour echo along the corridor. The heavy door slams shut silencing the screams.
The girl sobs. ‘Please.’
‘Forget her. She’s not yours.’ The nurse dips a flannel into a fresh bowl of lukewarm water, wrings it out and washes the sixteen-year-old’s face. ‘You’re a lucky lass. Normal delivery and no stitches. When the time’s right, and you have a husband, you can have more bairns. Forget this ever happened. Go home and continue your life.’
If you’d like to order a paperback or kindle copy – go HERE. The kindle copy is offered at an introductory price which will increase this time in October.
Watch out for more bookish news for Book 2 – The Woodhaerst Reunion as I’ll be doing a cover reveal in the next few days!
Please join me in congratulating my lovely friend Joy Wood on the launch of her brand new thriller, Whatever it Takes. This story is an excellent read which I highly recommend. Readers really are in for a treat.
About Whatever it Takes
THE WIFE: Lorna lives with her husband in her dream home, loves socialising and has a passion for the finer things in life. THE HUSBAND: Dan owns a successful accountancy business, enjoys golf and exercise, and loves Lorna deeply. Life is good. Until new neighbours move in to the house next door.
Perry, a property developer is charismatic and friendly, with a beautiful young wife, Ingrid. They become friends, sharing intimate dinners, trips away and ultimately a holiday together in Greece. But all is not as friendly as it seems. While there, a fatal accident occurs that changes their lives.
They don’t all return. But those that do, are hiding a huge secret . . . and there’s someone who will do whatever it takes to make sure that it never comes to the surface.
Please join me in congratulating my lovely friend, Suzi Bamblett, on her latest release, Pearl Seekers. This story is an excellent read which I highly recommend. Readers are in for a treat.
About Pearl Seekers
Two sisters, one broken home…
Rebellious and angry, sixteen-year-old Bekka has been seeking solace with the wrong crowd. Meanwhile, her younger sister Liv – already plagued by feelings of failure – reaches breaking point when she falls victim to cyber-bullying. After a suicide attempt goes wrong, a chance encounter with the mysterious Neon seems to offer Liv all she’s been missing: escape; freedom; the chance for a fresh start. But at what cost?
Ensconced at the heart of her new ‘family’, danger mounts as charismatic cult leader,Master, eyes up newest recruit Liv for a special mission.
Determined to find her sister, and with the help of some unlikely allies, Bekka does everything she can to track Liv down.
I’m delighted to welcome fellow Hedgehog Poetry Press, poet, Lesley Curwen, to Patricia’s Pen for the first time. Lesley shares a blog about inspiration for her poetry, including her latest release, Rescue Lines. Without further ado, it’s over to Lesley.
Inspiration
Lesley Curwen
I often wake up at 4am with a poem burning in my mind. I stab out the first ideas into the notes folder on my phone, go back to sleep and sometimes wake again with a new line or a different idea and blearily edit on the phone. Later that day, or sometimes that week, I transcribe the poem on to the laptop, editing it again as I go.
It seems like the ideas form from my subconscious as I sleep. They don’t come from dreams, as such. I imagine my mind as a cup foaming over with words.
These ideas will be subjects that I have thought of before, but they crystallise into poems in my sleep, usually with a first line, first stanza and a rough idea of where they will go, although often the ending changes radically within the revision process.
To order a copy of Sticky with Miles, send a DM to Lesley via Twitter (X) or go to Dreich HERE
Some of the proto-poems come from musings about consumerism and globalisation, about our multiplicity of choice, and the heartbreaking amount of waste we live with. I spent many years as a business correspondent for the BBC, travelling to many places to report on the global economy. I saw garment factories in China, gas pipelines in Siberia and palm-oil plantations in Ghana, and I have understood the bitter bargain humanity makes between prosperity and environmental damage. These days, I try to use my poetry brain to tell this story. Some of these poems appear in my eco-chapbook from Dreich, Sticky with Miles.
Other proto-poems are born out of anger, on behalf of loved ones and others, who suffered as a result of forced adoption and coercive control. I have written about this in my Hedgehog Press pamphlet Rescue Lines, about the difficulties of escape and recovery. Sometimes I use extended metaphors to say the unsayable, and sometimes the raw truth emerges. I admire Pascale Petit perhaps more than any other poet, and I wish I could use animal metaphors as skilfully as she does. I am trying to learn how.
One thing that creeps, or oozes into most of my poems is – the sea. As a sailor and a year-round sea swimmer, I feel its presence everywhere, its comfort and its danger. Some poems have come to me when swimming. I once interviewed a sea-obsessed artist who drew ocean waves on waterproof paper while hanging IN the ocean! I haven’t tried writing in the wet stuff yet, but perhaps I should give it a go.
About Lesley Curwen
Lesley Curwen is a poet, broadcaster and sailor who lives in Plymouth. She writes about loss and rescue, and about our damaged marine environment.
She won the Molecules Unlimited Poetry Prize and was a finalist in the Wales Poetry Award. She has been nominated for Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize. Her pamphlet ‘Rescue Lines’ is published by Hedgehog Poetry Press and her eco-chapbook ‘Sticky with Miles’ is published by Dreich. Nine Pens published ’Invisible Continents’, a collaborative pamphlet from Lesley, Jane R Rogers and Tahmina Maula.
Other poems have been published by Bad Lilies, East Ridge Review, Black Bough, Broken Sleep, Atrium, Spelt, The Alchemy Spoon and Ice Floe Press.
I’m delighted and excited to share that I’ve a new book being released on 25th September 2024. The Woodhaerst Triangle is a 1970s love story wrapped up in family drama and the first book in a brand new trilogy. I can’t wait to hear what my readers think of it. I’m hoping you’ll all love getting to know Rachel and Peggy as much as Grace, George, and Elizabeth, in House of Grace,and Françoise and Tilly in The Oath. The Woodhaerst trilogy is told through two first person narrators. Rachel and Peggy.
Rachel, a carefree, rebellious teenager – Peggy, a happily married woman with a family.
And here’s the prologue to add as a further teaser.
The Woodhaerst Triangle
Patricia M Osborne
Prologue
June, 1953
A high-pitched cry fills the small room as the infant enters the world.
‘Is it all right? What did I have?’ The girl tries to sit up. Beads of sweat run across her forehead. Her white linen gown is bloodstained.
‘No concern of yours, lass. Lie back and let me finish cleaning you up.’ The buxom nurse pats the girl down below with a threadbare towel.
It shouldn’t be like this. She should’ve been allowed to have the infant at home, in her own surroundings. Not in this dingy room with an old woman telling her she has no right to know anything. It wasn’t fair. ‘But the baby’s mine. Please, what did I have? Please let me hold it.’
‘Take the bairn away’– the nurse waves her large hands at the female attendant – ‘take her. Quickly.’
The skinny attendant wraps the baby in white muslin showing only a mass of dark hair.
‘A girl. I have a daughter. Please don’t take her away. Please. Let me see.’ The girl lies back powerless, too tired to even barely move.
Ignoring the young mother, the attendant leaves the room with the infant in her arms. As she opens the door shrieks from another teen in labour echo along the corridor. The heavy door slams shut silencing the screams.
The girl sobs. ‘Please.’
‘Forget her. She’s not yours.’ The nurse dips a flannel into a fresh bowl of lukewarm water, wrings it out and washes the sixteen-year-old’s face. ‘You’re a lucky lass. Normal delivery and no stitches. When the time’s right, and you have a husband, you can have more bairns. Forget this ever happened. Go home and continue your life.’
The Woodhaerst Triangle will be released on 25th September 2024 in both paperback and Kindle format. It is available to preorder now on Kindle. Book 2, The Woodhaerst Reunion will be published late November/early December 2024, and the final book in the trilogy, The Woodhaerst Women will be published Mar/April 2025.
Watch this space for cover reveal for Book 2.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my followers, readers, family, and friends, for their constant support in both my books and blog.
Please join me in congratulating poet, Kelly Davis, on the launch of her new poetry collection, The Lost Art of Ironing, published by the awesome The Hedgehog Poetry Press.
In The Lost Art of Ironing, the metaphorical iron smooths out life’s creases as well as crumpled clothes, with poems about women as lovers, wives, mothers, muses, and editors and curators of their own lives. There are meditations on Emily Dickinson, Anne Sexton, George Sand and Lisa Gherardini (better known as ‘the Mona Lisa’). And the collection ends with five modern versions of Shakespeare’s best-loved sonnets, looking at time, love and mortality in the digital age. These poems sparkle with wit and wisdom and shed new light on the way women’s lives have changed – and not changed.
What others say
“Here is a true poet. No game playing, no showing off, no trying to impress. These poems go straight to the heart of what it means to be alive in the day-to-day world most of us occupy. I’m amazed this is her first collection.” Brian Patten
“A sensitive and assured collection. Kelly Davis reflects on many aspects of her life and family history in tones that range from sorrow through wistfulness to wry humour. Her poems are both wise and probing…. This is a book to treasure and return to; each re-reading will yield new enjoyment.” Lucy Newlyn
“This collection offers the accumulated riches of a life well lived. ‘To My Hands’ provides an autobiographical framework; other poems sketch family history, sometimes tragic. But the heart of this book is celebration. ‘The Big Room’ is worthy of a place where jigs were danced and Christmases were celebrated… The celebration extends to Maryport where this house is located, which has seen better days but has ‘the best bloody sunsets in England.’ Yea! There is so much to enjoy here.” John Freeman
Kelly will be reading from her new collection at an online launch with Magaret Royall (Toccata and Fugue with Harp) and Kerry Darbishire (River Talk) on Wednesday 4th September, 7pm, to celebrate the publication of their collections by Hedgehog Poetry Press in August. The event will be compered by Lucy Heuschen.
Please contact Margaret Royall via email at margaretroyall@icloud.com to register for the Zoom link.
Kelly Davis lives in Maryport, on the West Cumbrian coast, and works as a freelance editor. Her poetry has been widely anthologised and published in magazines such as Mslexia, Magma, London Grip and Shooter. In 2021 she came second in the Borderlines Poetry Competition and was longlisted for the Erbacce Press Poetry Competition. She has twice been shortlisted for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award and she appears in the Best New British and Irish Poets 2019–2021 anthology (Black Spring Press). In 2021, she collaborated with Kerry Darbishire on their poetry pamphlet Glory Days (Hen Run).
Patricia M Osborne 