Patricia M Osborne

Here’s our latest addition to the Penta Decima from Maxine Rose Munro. Thank you, Maxine, for sharing, For a Given Value with us.

If anyone else would like to attempt a Penta Decima and share it, please feel free to add in comments or email me on patricia.m.osbornewriter@gmail.com and I’ll add it to the blog.

Maxine’s Poem. 

Hey, Patricia! Below is my effort. Some flaws, including a slant rhyme (though in my defence there is a full rhyme in the same line, more if you count my slight overuse of the word “can”!). Bit of a word play one, but was a highly enjoyable exercise. Thanks for encouraging everyone to give it a go.

For a Given Value

For a given value of ok, I am.
If we ignore insults and injuries
to my person, I’m just fine.

Fine to get a move on and
kickstart the day, fine to face
that music and dance.

Despite it all, I think still I can
paint a smile on, I have kept
necessary supplies always

close at hand, I can pretend
it’s real as real can be. Honest
to god, I promise.

But it’s a lie. (to tell the truth)
So, now, I wonder – how the hell
are you? (for a given value?)

 

 

Hi everyone

Well I am still working on my draft, Monochrome, in my new invented form the Penta Decima. How are you getting on with it?

Daniel Crowley has taken to this form very well. Here’s his early draft.

SHE HAS RISEN

She’s like a dolphin coursing through the sea-
though the waves are rough she stays on course,
her heart is set upon her highest goal.

And all that matters in this to me,
is that she finds her way despite the wrecks
which litter life at every point.

She made her choice to live completely free
of ties which might hold her down,
so every time she’s trapped she races

to the highest points by which she
navigates, to find the way ahead-
her family of dolphins follow close by.

I hope she never looks back too far,
her path is now one of forward drive
which might fail to be her guiding star.

Daniel Crowley (2017)

 

Colin Ward author of his debut novel To Die For

has also had an attempt  using the rules, and then experimented within them. And what a great attempt it is, wouldn’t you agree?

The Final Fight

Darkness: do not betray me now
Sink me amidst your velvet swirls
And mask me in mystery

Shadows: hold back your furrowed brow
Embrace me in your bordered reach
Don’t hide your sworn sympathy

Night time: be light in fear somehow
Spare me the peace of silent bliss
So truth might lose sincerity

Blindness: never forget your vow
Open my ears to freedom sounds
And guide me to new clarity

So that my soul might season a new sight
As each obstacle crosses a cruel fate
And no single battle may weaken my final fight.

CW
09/2017
(Draft 1)

 

I’d love to hear what you think of Colin’s and Daniel’s poems.

Here’s a reminder of the rules if you’d like to give one a go yourself too.

 

Rules of the Penta Decima

A Penta Decima consists of:

15 lines.

5 stanzas written in tercets.

The first line of the first four stanzas rhyme with each other.

First and third line rhyme in the final stanza.

The lines are not syllable controlled so offer freedom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School, Alison Chisholm (Poet, Judge and Tutor) set us the theme of working with seasons of the year on a four-hour Poetry Course.

Have you ever thought about inventing your own poetry form? Well that’s the task Alison set us on Tuesday for the spring season, using a prompt – New Beginnings.

Not wanting to be beaten, I stayed up half the night on Wednesday evening to reach a first draft in the form of my own invention, a Penta Decima.

A Penta Decima consists of: 

15 lines.

5 stanzas written in tercets.

The first line of the first four stanzas rhyme with each other.

First and third line rhyme in the final stanza.

The lines are not syllable controlled so offer freedom.

Here’s my first Penta Decima which is in its very early stages so subject to change but it will give you the idea.

I’d love to hear what you think of this form and feel free to have a go and post your own.

*

My first Penta Decima   (subject to change)

Monochrome

The 12 x 10 space is cold and bare,

Georgian windows stripped from drapes,

footfalls echo through the house.

 

A heavy drop reveals a chair,

married up with a double couch,

leather upholstery steals o2.

 

Muscled men settle a bed on the stair,

they take a deep breath, then heave.

Rooms start to take shape.

 

A black-framed print boasts a polar bear,

Royal Doulton’s Top Dogs claim the mantelpiece.

Fixtures and fittings form a new I.D.

 

Today a monochrome mold-

Time to shade in colour, create

tomorrow’s me and throw out the old.

 

 

The above picture is local artist Vanessa Cumper’s vision of  the fictional Bamber Street in Wigan from House of Grace .

Find out why this street is featured in House of Grace and if you agree with Vanessa’s vision.

There’s no better time than now as the Kindle version is on special offer for 99p / $1.29 but the clock is ticking…

 

Free with Kindle unlimited

Also available in paperback version from Amazon @£7.99 / $11.99

Pick up your copy now for summer reading…

 

 

 

 

Mrs Jackson has chosen House of Grace as her summer read. Why not make it yours too?

Last week I went to Leamington Spa for a holiday. Unfortunately the rain had other ideas. However, I did manage to get into Stratford-upon-Avon.

First stop was Anne Hathaway’s Cottage where I managed to capture a photograph of my book outside.

Below: – Grace knocking to get inside Anne Hathaway’s cottage

Next stop Shakespeare’s birthplace.

Below: Exterior

And inside…

Let’s make it interesting and see how global Grace can go.

I’m conducting a House of Grace walkabout on Twitter where you can tweet a photo of your copy of my novel at your favourite place or famous landmark. You can choose whether to be in the photo or not.

To join in the Twitter fun – tweet your photo @PMOsbornewriter #Houseof GraceWalkabout

Why make House of Grace your summer read?

Just a few of the feedback comments that have popped into my inbox …

Well my lovely Patricia… What can I say? I’ve just read your book… I thoroughly enjoyed it… a few shocks and surprises too on the way… (Maggie Gallagher)

Thoroughly enjoyed it, couldn’t put it down… (Audrey in France)

Have finished House of Grace, I enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down. I would recommend. (Lesley L)

Loved it. Couldn’t put it down. When’s the next one? (Sue, West Sussex)

Hi Tricia, I’m so enjoying your book. Hope another one is coming out soon. (Elizabeth K, West Sussex)

Read it yourself and see…

It’s available on Amazon Kindle for as little as £1.99 less than a cup of coffee or if you prefer the paperback – only £7.99.

I look forward to seeing all of your tweets. If you don’t use Twitter, share them here or on my facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/triciaosbornewriter/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Let’s get Grace globetrotting…

 

 

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.