Cheryl's 'By the Letter'


Indie Stars Bookshop - Win books - Our Forest literary heritage - Author Rue Sparks - Scene tips	View in browser

Welcome (back)!

November is proving to be a pretty exciting time and it's only half way through. So let's see what's been and what's coming...

THE NEWS - Indie Stars Bookshop

Win a book box and a game!

I might have mentioned this before, but indie authors need to spend a lot of time making sure all you lovely readers know our books exist. So, random idea - why not club together and combine our mighty marketing effort to achieve a super mighty marketing effort? Several of my impetuous fellow writers greeted this idea with enthusiasm, and the indie stars bookshop was born.

Fifteen authors with books across age ranges, tastes and genres. Plus the creator of murder mystery games.

And to tempt people in, there's a chance to win a 6 book prize, plus a game. The competition ends at midnight UK time 28 November, but the shop stays open - 24 hrs a day - until the end of the year.

Your visit will be appreciated, so come on in! Click on the image to see it all.

Other writing news

Earlier in the year I was fortunate to be commended in the Gloucestershire Writers Network annual short story competition. My story, Carriers of Grief, is included in their 2021 anthology, Signposts. Take a look here if you'd like to support GWN and treat yourself at the same time.

At the end of October I spent a wonderful hour with Mitcheldean Library's book club talking about and reading from Keepers. As everyone there bought a copy, it seems they enjoyed it too. But I was pretty thrilled to receive this message from the convenor:

I thought you might like to know that one member read your book the next day and said how good it was and she couldn’t put it down so finished it the same afternoon.

I'm always available for book clubs and the like! Virtual or face to face locally.

Editing is getting there

EditingThe High Alps of Asfarlon is moving forward in fits and starts (I get distracted by things like bookshops). I will work harder as would still love to have it out by Christmas. Also, I'd like to get back to my other project tentatively named Meadowsweet, and set here along the banks of the Severn. A bit of magical realism.

A real highlight this month so far was taking part in the Forest Authors Festival - read on.

poster for event 17 sept Coalway Hall 7.30 pm

Reading the Forest

Celebrating Forest authors

A great afternoon spent in the Dean Garden Room in Parkend, the heart of the Forest, doing literary stuff - who can ask for more? We had a goodly crowd, spent much time on the verandah (the sun blessed us for some of the time) and had a blast being on the panel with poet Stewart Carswell and authors Andrew Taylor and Sarah Franklin (whose book How to Belong I've reviewed here before).

Many thanks to Reading the Forest for organising this event. Definitely a success!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - Rue Sparks

I met Rue - as I've met many writer friends - via Twitter's #writingcommunity. Rue is a wonderfully talented and generous author, artist and friend, responsible for my beautiful revised Keepers cover and for the key images in our Indie Stars Bookshop. They recently released their third book, The Fable of Wren, which I had the privilege of reading ahead of its publication. Read my interview with Rue here.

WRITERS ARE READERS TOO

The Silence of the Girls

I accidentally bought this for my daughter (don't ask) who said she was enjoying it. I trust her taste, so I got myself a copy. Read my thoughts here.

A piece of flash fiction for you to enjoy

Guy Fawkes - guy - t'was his intent ...

Only a week late... time goes more slowly here in the Forest.

An age-old celebration. But what's really going on?

The day – the night – is here.
The children hold their guys high, lovingly made ready for this moment over the last days. Their creators raided their mothers’ store rooms for rags, begged trousers and shirts from willing fathers, and competed with each other for who has painted the most expressive face or whose guy is the best dressed.

Read it here - 3 mins

WRITER'S CORNER

In editing The High Alps of Asfarlon, I found I had snippets of advice about scene essentials gleaned from books, blogs and webinars tumbling through my head like circus acrobats – and as hard to pin down. Off I went then, to gather what I could find into a semblance of order.
Here it is then - a simple guide to the WHY, WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHAT and HOW of scenes.

COMING UP

Next month's guest author is a Texan gal who writes historical fiction - looking forward to hearing her story. And I thought I might share a bit of research I've done for Meadowsweet - about a holy well, where the spirits gather ...

Thank you for reading!

Cheryl

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