Happy New Year - 2017

Great Christmas, FAB New Year, now it's time to work.

SEASON'S GREETINGS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

AND 

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

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HAVE FUN

My review: Buried Deep by Penny Grubb

Buried Deep (Annie Raymond Mysteries Book 5) 

by Penny Grubb (Goodreads Author)

Madalyn Morgan's review

Dec 05, 2016  ·  edit

it was amazing

Read on April 01, 2016

Buried Deep is the 5th detective novel that I have read from author Penny Grubb and, like all her books, I was gripped from the first page. It features her female detective, Annie Raymond, who captivated me in her first book, Like False Money. I love Annie Raymond's character. Annie is unique, endearing, very real, and got me onside from the beginning. All Penny Grubb’s characters are real, and have depth. Buried Deep is a great crime story with interesting and believable characters, including one of my favourites, flawed Detective Webber, another cleverly drawn and very real character. I can’t wait for the next Penny Grubb detective novel.

Roger Wood's Biblioblog: Dictator - Robert Harris

I love reading critiques by Roger Wood on his Biblioblog. This week his subject is, Dictator, by Robert Harris. Harris is of my favourite authors. I have yet to read, Dictator.

Roger Wood's Biblioblog: Dictator - Robert Harris: Dictator  is the concluding third of Harris's Cicero trilogy (the others being Imperium  and Lustrum ). Unsurprisingly, given that it...


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dictator-Cicero-Trilogy-Robert-Harris/dp/0099474190/

RNA Winter party, November 2016

Photos of friends at the RNA Winter party, November 2016

Just the name, Piccadilly, and the postcode W1, excites me.

Piccadilly W1

I love the sounds of London: the lights, the people, the hustle and bustle of workers and shoppers going home, and of people going out to theatres and restaurants, clubs and pubs. And tonight, the authors heading down to St.James' to the Romantic Novelists Association's Winter Party.

A collection of photographs. Names and snippets later.

Two gorgeous ladies.

 Both friends, both authors,
Della Galton and Debbie Viggiano

Lang, Mandy Baggott and Kim Nash

Directly left: Kath McGurl, Della Galton and


Below left: Lizzie Lamb and I


Below Right: Della Galton and Kath McGurl

Yay! Five of the nicest people. 

My friends from The Seriously, Serious Scribes. 

             

                               
                                  Below Four Fab Scribes

                                        

Hate it when I'm snapped while I'm talking, or rather pulling a weird face. 

But it's a great photo of Jane Wenham-Jones, so it stays.

Me, Jane Wenham-Jones and Debbie Viggiano

MORE PICS AND NAMES WILL FOLLOW

Romantic Novelists' Association Blog: RNA Tribute to Carole Blake

Romantic Novelists' Association Blog: RNA Tribute to Carole Blake: Literary agent Caroline Sheldon writes: Carole Blake is no longer with us.  None of us expected to read those words.  Carole



So vibrant. She was a talented and clever woman.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe say no to pipeline on reservation

Today I had messages from my soul-sister, Diana Cavender in Minnesota. She said, "Auntie Carrie (and others) are on their way to Standing Rock, North Dakota with supplies." (Auntie Carrie is in her 80s.) Many of my friends know that I was adopted by the elders of the Dakota Sioux Tribe when I was eleven. It was a great honour and I am proud to be called, Wacantkiya Win. Although I live far away and am only a spec of dust in the great scheme of things, I am passionate about America's indigenous people, and I believe as,Deb Mowle and Mike White do that the Access Pipeline should not go ahead.

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Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Government organisation · 290,028 Likes

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                                           https://www.facebook.com/voicesofstandingrock/

   ABC News

Yesterday at 15:07 · 

The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe calls for peace, justice and focus as he leads hundreds of Native American groups and environmentalists pushing to block the four-state Dakota Access Pipeline near the tribe's reservation.

Talking about Writing at Lutterworth Library

'COFFEE WITH AUTHOR MADALYN MORGAN'

Thursday November 3rd 10.30am.

Lutterworth Library

My thanks to the Librarian and the women who work at Lutterworth Library, especially Terry who originally asked me if I would like to speak, and the Librarian who confirmed the appointment.

A mixed audience of published authors - fabulous Theresa Le Flem and Cathy Mansell - WI ladies, male and female members of the Library - one of whom thanked me afterwards and said she had read all my books "And I loved them all. When will the next one be in the library?" When it's published in 2017 the first one has her name on it. There were a couple of people who had been passing by, had popped in, and then stayed for the talk. Last but by no means least were, Terry, Martine and Amy, who work in the library.

A poster of Applause, to advertise my talk. 

Terry who works at the Library and who helped organise the talk.

Me mid flow.

Chatting about World War 2, afterwards.

 Super people with some great ideas.

Answering a question. 

More people making great contribution

A gathering at the end of the talk

I enjoyed talking to some lovely people.

Thanks to them, and to Lutterworth Library for having me.

October & Halloween posters for Madalyn Morgan's novels

Oops! It was late and I couldn't remember whether the clocks went forward or back, so I put the clock in the moon, turned it upside down, and hedged my bets. 

Autumn and Halloween 

Applause for Autumn 

After the harvest on Foxden Acres

Halloween poster for China blue

When the clocks went forward, back, forward...((?))

Halloween witches 

Casting a spell on Applause

November's posters for Madalyn Morgan's novels

Welcome to 

Posters for Guy Fawkes Night will follow

The Writers' Holiday, Fishguard.

It was like coming home.

What an amazing time. The week, as always, was everything a writer could possibly want in a writing break. It is so beautiful in that part of the world that this is a post in photographs.

  When I see this sign, I know I've arrived.

The Fishguard Bay Hotel

Seeing Sally Truman-Dicken and Carol Fenlon at breakfast

I have no idea what we were talking, or laughing, about.

Sally is one of the nicest people. So pleased we are friends.

 Attended Carol Fenlon's course. She got me writing out of the box.
It was amazing. She is a very talented author and tutor.

The first course I did, at the beginning of the week, was poetry with the amazing Alison Chisholm. We worked though many different types and styles of poetry including, Elizabethan sonnets. I didn't have a clue what to write about until friend and writer, Angela Johnson, suggested that as I had played Cleopatra in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, I should write a sonnet about it. I did. I wrote the sonnet from Cleopatra's point of view, called it, Cleopatra and Antony and performed it on Poet's Night.

I received two photographs from Luci Fox which she had taken on poetry night. The above photograph is me reading the sonnet I wrote on Alison Chisholm's poetry course, Cleopatra and Antony.  The photograph below is of the very supported audience. Interesting expressions.  

It is a tradition that on the last night of the Writers' Holiday (this year July 29) the Cwmbach All Male Choir with a fabulous female harpist and singer, and the resident pianist, Jayne, entertain us.

"Joy Cornock joined the choir in “Cymru Fach.” Our accompanist Jayne Thomas was making her tenth trip to the Writers Conference and Jayne also played for Joy during her solo section. After the formalities of the concert the choir then entertained our friends with an impromptu afterglow concert that took us through to the witching hour. We are already looking forward to meeting up again next year."

And we're looking forward to meeting up with the Cwmbach choir next year, too. It will be the 19th year that they have entertained us. The first time I saw the Cwmbach choir was at The University of Wales, Caerleon. Since then, for the last three years, they have travelled 'west' to The Fishguard Bay Hotel. As always (in good taste) the mickey was taken out of us English. The concert was fantastic. It was sad too, because the rousing songs mark the end of the extraordinary working holiday. We stand for the Welsh anthem, and in no time tears and sniffles are rippling through the audience.    

On behalf of everyone on the Writers' Holiday, Kate Walker thanked the hard working Hobbs family. Left to right, Eleanor, Gerry (Kate) David and our hostess with the mostess, Anne.

When the concert ends, the fun begins.

The choir could leave when they have finished the concert, but they never do. They join us in the bar where individual members sing their favourite songs. It's great fun, every bit as entertaining as the concert, and it can be very moving.

The guy conducting the gentlemen of the choir is very funny.

Far left, Linda Barrett. Middle Jayne Thomas. Right, Francesca Capaldi-Burgess

A soloist with a voice like Harry Seycombe.
Angela Johnson, Anne Hobbs, and Viv Brown in the doorway.

Solo and chorus. Brilliant

 

Member of he choir singing to Brenda, a very talented writer and poet.

Brenda was an inspiration to me.

       

Molly, who was a journalist, is now a writer and poet.

Catherine, Madeleine and Joyce aka JJ - a brilliant poet and artist.
Another inspiring lady. I loved her. She really was amazing.

While we were watching the individual members of the choir singing Joyce was doodling. When she had finished I noticed it was a woman's head and shoulders, and two hands. I looked at the face. "It isn't right. The hair is wrong," she said, and I realised she had doodled me. The hair isn't quite right, and she's given me a smaller nose, but to doodle head and shoulders in ten minutes is amazing. The hands were done on the art course, earlier that day. 

As I said earlier, a talented lady and and an inspiration.

Sally, Luci and I went for a walk after tea one day. It was lovely, warm and sunny one minute, cloudy and windy the next. The address of he hotel is Goodrick, it overlooks Fishguard Bay where there is a walkway from the quayside right out into the sea.

The terrible twins, Luci and Sally,getting blown about

Think it's deadly night-shade

Seagull looking for sand worms

 Now some photographs of wild life, wild flowers, 

and wild women Sally and Luci

This little chick watched us set off on our walk

   
                This yellow flower may be evening primrose.
 It was growing out of rock.

The biggest crow

                   On the right as we walked was old Fishguard Bay                     

     Busy bee buzzed from thistle to thistle. What a life.

Butterflies didn't stay still long enough to be snapped.

                         Left: The Fishguard Bay Hotel,which overlooks (on the right), Old Fishguard Bay.

Back to the hotel to shower and dress for dinner.

Luci still taking photographs

And last, but by no means least, Sally looking over the bay where we had been walking.