Tag: darkstroke

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Books That's Not Me

That’s Not Me: Jennifer C. Wilson

That’s right. Jennifer is back on That’s Not Me!, so that you can get more of her humour and words of wisdom.

This time she’s talking about another of her books.

That’s Not Me! examines how much of our fiction is autobiographical and why some authors try to insist there’s no link between their fictional characters and themselves. If you want to take part, have a look here and get in touch. You don’t have to be a writer. Readers also have views!

Over to you, Jen.

Well, if it was ridiculous to claim there was none of me in Kate, from The Last Plantagenet? (you can visit that blog here), it’ll be even more stupid to make such a statement about Lexie, in Twelve Dates ‘Till Christmas! Although apart from one scene, this time, it really wasn’t intentional.

Without giving the game away, Callum and Lexie are those friends who happily go along to each other’s formal events as a ‘plus one’ when required. And not just personal events, but the occasional corporate function too. It’s for one of these evenings where Callum springs it on Lexie that he’s entered them into a “Mr and Mrs” quiz. To say Lexie is unimpressed is an understatement…

Having never played the game myself, I took to the internet to find some good questions, and set about writing the scene. When it came to Lexie, I figured, why not add a sprinkling of ‘me’ in there? After all, ‘write what you know’ again, right? And although the questions give a good insight into Lexie, they aren’t anything too plot-essential; it’s about demonstrating how well Callum and Lexie know each other, after all, not necessarily about the answers themselves. So, when it came to Lexie having won a Young Environmentalist of the Year Award (and still treasuring the plaque she got for it), or wanting to meet Sir David Attenborough, well, that’s all me. Plain and simple. Even Callum’s responses have an element of me in them – I’d love to visit Australia, but the arachnophobe in me keeps me anxious…

Other than that bit of the story though, I didn’t think I’d taken that much of myself this time around. Perhaps a love of a fun social life, and hanging out with friends on a regular basis. Alright, maybe being taken on a date to the Natural History Museum’s ice-rink would be incredibly romantic (or at least it would be if I could skate, which I cannot). And fine, there’s certainly something in the comment that Lexie owns mostly lively prints rather than wearing the calm neutrals of her friend’s preference.

In my defence (if I need any), Twelve Dates was my first foray into completely contemporary fiction, having spent the majority of my writing life either in the 1400/1500s, or slightly cheating and writing about characters who were from that era, even if they were contemporary ghosts in my stories. Is it any real wonder then, that I reached out to what I know best, i.e. me? Lexie has a number of characteristics / lifestyle aspects that I don’t have (see above, re NHM), so there’s clearly an element of wishful thinking in the mix too. But is there any real harm in that?

When it comes to writing about real people, there’s always a risk. If somebody who considers you a good friend sees themselves in your antagonist, there’s potential to damage the friendship there. Even if they recognise some of their traits in your leading lady, or romantic hero, who’s to say they’ll be happy with the situation? Well, the one person whose reaction you know with 100% certainty is your own, isn’t it? (Or at least, you’d hope so – if not, you’ve really only got yourself to blame…). It makes some sense then, to look to your own traits, experiences and motivations, where they’re applicable. For me, that might not sit so well when writing about women packed off to arranged marriages in the 1400s, but for a twenties/thirties (alright, late-thirties!) professional woman, navigating modern personal and professional dramas? I have pretty good first-hand knowledge of how that works. And I might as well use it.

I might think twice if I ever write a toxic, manipulative witch though – can’t go being too obvious with giving my personality away!

Blurb

Callum and Lexie are perfect for each other – at least, that’s what everyone tells them. But they’re just good friends, aren’t they? And neither wants to ruin the solid friendship that’s treated them so well since university.

But when an old school friend of Callum’s asks Lexie for a date, and passions overflow on a work night out, could it be the trigger to show each of them what they have been missing out on all this time?

With twelve weeks until Christmas, that’s a lot of opportunity for romance – and for misunderstandings…

Buy link

Twelve Dates ‘Till Christmas

About Jennifer C. Wilson

Jennifer has been stalking dead monarchs since she was a child. It started with Mary, Queen of Scots, and now also includes Richard III. At least now it results in a story!

She won North Tyneside Libraries’ Story Tyne short story competition in 2014 (no dead monarchs, but still not a cheerful read), and has been filling notebooks and hard-drives ever since. Her Kindred Spirits series, following the ‘lives’ of some very interesting ghostly communities, is published by Darkstroke, and her historical / contemporary romances by Ocelot Press.

Social media links

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Books That's Not Me

That’s Not Me: Sue Barnard

I’m delighted to host another author in the series That’s Not Me!

It’s Sue Barnard! Sue and I have been friends for a long time – ever since Sally Quilford brought us together in a romance workshop – romance writing, that is. But I digress. What about Sue’s fabulous stories? Are they based on real life?

THAT’S NOT ME

I’m often asked “Do you base your characters on real people?”  My answer is always the same: “I wouldn’t dare.  I’d have no friends left.”  But I can’t deny that some of my characters have quite a bit in common with me.

Having said that, my books have elicited polar opposite reactions, ranging from “As I was reading that, I could hear you saying it” to “Where on earth did that come from?”

The latter has usually been in response to either or both of my novels which are based on existing works of literature: The Ghostly Father (Romeo & Juliet) and Heathcliff: The Missing Years (Wuthering Heights).  In those cases I’ve had to get inside the minds of, respectively, a sixteenth-century Italian monk and an eighteenth-century anti-hero of unknown provenance.  Neither of those left very much room for my own voice – but I didn’t find this to be a problem.  For a large part of the time I felt as though the characters were in the room with me, looking over my shoulder and telling me what to write.  This was certainly the case with my short story Doomed Youth – a fictionalised account of the meeting in 1917 between the war poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon – which can be found in the Darkstroke charity anthology Dark Scotland.

But there’s plenty of me to be found in the heroines of my other novels.  Sarah in The Unkindest Cut of All is frequently the mouthpiece for some of my own views, whilst Emily in Nice Girls Don’t and Stella in its companion story Finding Nina both share quite a bit of my own experiences as an adoptee.

Some scenes in those books are based on real-life episodes from my own family history.  These include the Somerset air raid tragedy, and the discovery that one character’s grandparents had celebrated their Golden Wedding a year early (anyone who can count up to nine should be able to understand why).  And my memories of working in an independent bookshop gave rise to the following scene in Nice Girls Don’t:

“We had a man come in [to the library] and ask us to find a book which he’d seen somewhere a few months ago.  He couldn’t remember the title or the author, and he only had a vague idea what the book was about.  The only thing he could remember for certain about it was that the printing on the pages was blue.”

Some elements are definitely not based on fact – most notably Alice’s backstory.  For the benefit of anyone who remembers my late adoptive mother (who died when I was nineteen), I must stress that the fictional character’s secret shady past is completely invented. That part of the story was derived from extensive research into the unforgiving attitudes towards illegitimacy in the years during and after World War Two.  I am particularly grateful to the true-life tales portrayed in Sue Elliott’s moving and fascinating memoir Love Child (Vermilion Press, 2005), which I can highly recommend to anyone who wants to find out more about this grim and little-known side of British history. 

Perhaps the story which is closest of all to the truth is the tale of the photograph, which is definitely stranger than any work of fiction.  A factual account of this can be found here on my blog, whilst an adaptation forms part of the plot of Finding Nina.  There are some things which simply cannot be made up…

BIO

Sue Barnard is a British novelist, editor and award-winning poet whose family background is far stranger than any work of fiction.  She would write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her.

Sue was born in North Wales some time during the last millennium.  She speaks French like a Belgian, German like a schoolgirl, and Italian and Portuguese like an Englishwoman abroad.  Her mind is so warped that she has appeared on BBC TV’s Only Connect quiz show, and she has also compiled questions for BBC Radio 4’s fiendishly difficult Round Britain Quiz. This once caused one of her sons to describe her as “professionally weird”. The label has stuck.

Sue now lives in Cheshire, UK, with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings. 

Her books are published byDarkstroke and Ocelot Press

Blog   Facebook   Twitter   Instagram   Amazon  Goodreads  RNA

NOVELS: The Ghostly Father   The Unkindest Cut of All    Heathcliff: The Missing Years   Never on Saturday (also available in French as Jamais le Samedi)  Nice Girls Don’t   Finding Nina  

ANTHOLOGIES: Dark London Dark Scotland  Dark Paris  Dark Venice  (All royalties from the sales of these anthologies are donated to local charities)

AUDIOBOOKS: The Ghostly Father

Why not join in?

If you want to take part in this series, as a writer or as a reader, you can find out more under That’s Not Me!.

Categories
Books Interviews

An Interview with Joan Livingston

I’ve never met Joan Livingston, but I feel I know her well. We’ve been in contact a lot, because I edited all her Isabel Long mystery novels. I love working with her and feel honoured to have had that opportunity. The novels are great and I’m interested to read about a part of the world I would have known nothing about. Joan lives in Western Massachusetts, in an area currently under thick snow, while here in Jerusalem spring has almost become summer.

Despite knowing Joan, I managed to come up with questions for the interview. She answered some in a way I wasn’t expecting.

Hello Joan. First of all, please tell us about your published books.

Thanks, Miriam, for this opportunity to share the books I have written. So far, I have published 12 for adult and young readers.

The Isabel Long Mystery Series, published by darkstroke books, makes up half of that list. Isabel Long, is what the French would call une femme d’un certain âge. She’s sassy and savvy, and the series is told from her perspective. In the first book, Isabel is coming off a bad year. Her husband died and she lost her job as editor-in-chief after the newspaper went corporate. When Isabel decides to investigate cold cases in the rural New England town where she lives, she uses the skills she learned as journalist. Plus, she has her mystery-loving mother to help out. Isabel has been successful with six cases thus far and in my WIP, she is onto the seventh.

The Sacred Dog, released Dec. 27, is not part of the series but the setting is familiar. Frank Hooker is the owner of The Sacred Dog, a bar where the locals come to drink and gab. The only one not welcome is Al Kitchen, who Frank blames for the death of his brother. Frank’s life is about to change now that his ex-wife and daughter are moving back to town. But Verona might have to face a dark secret that involves both men. All is about to come to a reckoning.

Before I hooked up with darkstroke books, I self-published two adult books, The Sweet Spot, which I would call literary fiction, also set in rural New England, and Peace, Love, and You Know What, inspired by my college life. I also published The Cousins and the Magic Fish/Los Primos y el Pez Mágico, (Spanish and English), and The Twin Jinn at Happy Jack’s Carnival of Mysteries, first in a series featuring a family of genies, both for middle-grader readers. (The second and third Twin Jinn books will be out later this year.)

Here’s the link to find my books on Amazon: Joan Livingston books.

That’s an impressive list! What’s the allure of writing mysteries?

I love a good mystery, reading or watching one. Now I enjoy writing them. When I start, I have a basic idea of Isabel Long’s next case, but frankly, I solve it along with her. That’s true of the one I am writing now.

Why do you think readers like reading mysteries?

Probably, the same reason I like writing them. For the best ones, you forget you are reading and feel you are there alongside the characters in the book. I hope I create that experience for my readers.

I’m sure you do. As an American, how have you found working with an international publisher?

First, I am grateful to Laurence and Steph Patterson, of darkstroke books, based in France, for publishing my books. I began trying to get published around 2000 without success despite having two agents and submitting countless queries. I signed with darkstroke in November 2017 after we had moved from New Mexico to Massachusetts. Working with an international publisher makes me think more globally. We maintain easy communication via email and Zoom sessions, which I believe works well. It has made me be aware that there are potential readers in other parts of the world. I would have never imagined that the editor of my mystery series, which, of course, is you, Miriam, would be living in Israel. Likewise, my fellow authors at darkstroke are global. It has been an interesting and rewarding experience.

What have you learned from working with an international publisher?

The publishing industry has undergone so many changes since I started writing fiction. Digital wasn’t even an option then or audiobooks downloaded online. The amount of big publishers has shrunk, and indie publishers has grown tremendously. Anyone can self-publish, so the competition for readers’ attention is fierce. My publisher shares tools to help us succeed. Paid promotion rests on our shoulders, but I have figured out what works and what doesn’t. I also use social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, but am careful not to keep hitting people over the head with “buy my book, buy my book.” I try to get people interested in me as well although I am careful about what I share and who I share it with.

Yes, we authors tread a fine line. How do people you meet react when you tell them you have an international publisher?

They are glad I have a publisher period.

What are your plans for the future?

I will continue to write. It’s my form of creative expression. I am past the half-way point for Missing the Deadline, no. 7 in my Isabel Long Mystery Series. Next, I will tackle a sequel to The Sacred Dog. I will self-publish The Twin Jinn and the Alchemy Machine — right now the cover design and proofreading are under way — and The Twin Jinn in the Land of Enchantment. I also have two completed adult novels that are important to me that I will try to find a publisher to take on. I am in the querying phase with those books. Wish me luck.

Good luck, Joan, with everything you do. And thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. Here’s a bit about Joan:

Joan Livingston is the author of novels for adult and young readers. Chasing the Case, Redneck’s Revenge, Checking the Traps, Killing the Story, Working the Beat, and Following the Lead, published by Darkstroke Books, are the first six books in her Isabel Long Mystery Series, featuring a longtime journalist who becomes an amateur P.I. solving cold cases in rural New England. The Sacred Dog, a thriller that is not a part of the series, was released Dec. 27.

She draws upon her own experience as a longtime journalist in Massachusetts and New Mexico to create Isabel Long, a sassy, savvy widow who uses the skills she acquired in the business to solve what appears to be impossible cases. She also relies on her deep knowledge of rural Western Massachusetts, where she lives, to create realistic characters and settings — from country bars (where Isabel works part-time) to a general store’s backroom where gossipy old men meet.

Joan relied on those insights while writing The Sacred Dog, a story about bad blood between two men. Frank Hooker owns The Sacred Dog, the only bar in a small, rural town. The only one not welcome is Al Kitchen, who he blames for his brother’s death.

For more, visit her websites: Joan Livingston, author and editor and The Twin Jinn.

Follow her on Twitter @joanlivingston and Instagram @JoanLivingston_Author. Her author page on Facebook is here.

Categories
Books Social anxiety The Power of Belief The writing process

Ask and You Will Be Answered

Yesterday evening was Ladies Who Launch – a joint online launch event with the fabulous authors, Jo Fenton and Alison Knight. And me. We were celebrating the launch of our new novels:

I was looking forward to reading an extract from my novel, but not so much to tackling questions. In fact I was sure I’d mess that part up. I was ready to say, “I haven’t done your question justice, but I’d be happy to answer it properly on social media.”

In the event, there were no such problems and I managed to answer fairly well. But there was a different problem. There were several questions that I didn’t get to answer, many of which I didn’t even have a chance to see.

So, I’m opening this post up for the questions that weren’t answered, and for questions that weren’t asked before. Ask, in the comments below, about Style and the Solitary. Ask about me as an author, or as a person. With time to consider my responses, I’m likely provide a more satisfactory answer, anyway. I’ll reply to the comments or write one or more separate posts in response if the question warrants it.

What you should know about Style and the Solitary

  • It’s a murder mystery
  • It’s set in Jerusalem
  • It includes a romance
  • One character has social anxiety
  • One character is a new immigrant from France
  • It involves the power of belief

Ask away!

And many thanks to all those who attended the event and those who tried but failed.

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Books short stories

Gruesome in Golders Green

Rotherwick_Road, Golders_Green. © Todd Keator / Rotherwick Road, Golders Green / CC BY-SA 2.0

In a way, I feel sorry for Katy. I imagine she had a tough upbringing and was left to fend for herself long before maturity found her. Even now, aged twenty-six, she makes some pretty bad decisions and seems unable to protect herself or plan any sort of future. I expect her outlook on life will change soon, but whether that change will be for the better remains to be seen.

Katy is one of the two women in my short story, Gruesome in Golders Green. The other woman? I’ll let you meet her when you read the story.

I’ve always liked the alliteration in the name Golders Green, which is a London suburb that borders Hendon, where I grew up. I enjoyed adding another G-word to create my title. ‘Gruesome’ fits the story perfectly.

My familiarity with north-west London led me to choose it for my setting and helped me to write the story. Google Maps also played a part in adding to my knowledge. So did Wikimedia Commons:

Rotherwick_Road, Golders_Green
Rotherwick Road, Golders Green. © Todd Keator / Rotherwick Road, Golders Green / CC BY-SA 2.0

The only other research I did for the story revolved around Katy’s lifestyle and UK police procedures.

Gruesome in Golders Green is the first of eighteen fabulous stories that comprise the two-volume anthology, Dark London, published by darkstroke. All proceeds will go to two charities: Centrepoint and The London Communities Foundation.

The first volume will be released on 25th June and the second on 2nd July, but both can be pre-ordered now. Click on the pictures if you dare!

Dark London, Volume TwoDark London, Volume One

Categories
Books Holidays Israel

Number Seven

I’m author number seven out of the eighteen who have written stories for Dark London, the new anthology to be published by Darkstroke.

Dark London Authors

I’ve long thought of my lucky number as twenty-five. Why?

  • I was born on 25th August.
  • The house I grew up in was at number 75 (25 x 3).
  • I came to live in Israel on 25th October.
  • When I was 25, I lived at number 25.

However, seven is a rather special number in Judaism because:

  • The menorah (the 7-branched candelabrum) has been a symbol for Judaism for about 3000 years.
  • The festival of Sukkoth, which involves eating (and sometimes sleeping) in booths, as a reminder of the years when the Israelites wandered through the desert, lasts for 7 days.
  • Simchat Torah, the Rejoicing of the Torah, includes parading around the synagogue 7 times.
  • The wedding ceremony includes 7 blessings.
  • The festival of Shavuot, commemorating the receiving of the Torah, is celebrated 7 weeks after Passover, which commemorates the exodus from Egypt.
  • The shivah, the period of mourning, lasts for 7 days.

 

Ruth&David'sSukka
Inside a Sukkah (booth)

I couldn’t be author #25 because there aren’t 25 authors in the anthology, but I’m happy to be #7, and I imagine one of the characters in my short story is, too.

Publication will be this summer. I’m excited!

Categories
Books Letters from Elsewhere

Letters from Elsewhere: Luciano

Letters from Elsewhere

Today’s visitor is Luciano, who has popped over from the pages of Torn, the debut thriller by friend and author Karen Moore.

Luciano is writing to his estranged English wife, Hanna, to explain his reasons for keeping the identity of his family business a secret.

Carissima Hanna

I’m writing this letter because it’s the only way I can apologise for all the hurt I’ve caused you. I feel compelled to explain myself. We never really had an opportunity to discuss the situation properly, with you leaving Sicily so suddenly.

This situation is all my fault. I should have been honest with you from the start. But I was so scared that my family situation would make you run a mile. I couldn’t have that, Hanna. I wanted you too much, and I know the feeling was mutual. I have never felt such chemistry with someone and will never do so again, of that I’m sure.

Even my family took to you, although they had their doubts about welcoming a stranger into their midst. Our relationship was probably doomed from the start. We came from such different backgrounds – you, from your upright English middle-class, well-educated family, and me … well, brought up in the family business. For me, this is a way of life, one from which there is no escape and impossible to challenge. If I tried to do so, I would dishonour my family and curtail any hope of reaching old age. You will no doubt find this difficult to accept.

I did think about telling you, but it never seemed to be the right time. And the longer I left it, the harder it became. In the end, it was just impossible, and inevitable that things between us would turn out badly.

 

Sicily

But what a price I have paid, Hanna. Happiness with you and Eva, the chance of a family life of my own. Maybe if I had told you the truth earlier, you would have understood, even learned to accept it and stayed with me. But I doubt it. That would have been too much to ask of anyone. We would never have had those years of intense happiness, years I will always remember with such fondness. Losing you is like a physical pain that rips through my body each passing day. But I have no choice. My only consolation is knowing that you’re safe and far away from this life.

Finding out the truth the way you did must have been unbearable. You did the right thing, getting away from here as fast as you could. My dilemma was trying to protect both my families. The darkest day of my life was letting you go.

Perhaps now you understand a little how difficult all this has been for me and how deeply I regret all the hurt I’ve caused you. You will always have a place in my heart.

Forgive me.

Luciano

Torn by Karen MooreAbout Torn

Like any mother, Hanna would do anything to protect her small daughter, Eva.

When she discovers that her husband, Luciano, is not all he seems and their blissful life on the island of Sicily is threatened, she wastes no time in seeking refuge abroad. But just as they are settling into their new life, Eva disappears.

In a race against time, Hanna is forced to return to Sicily and face the dark world of organised crime in a bid to secure her daughter’s safe return. She must also confront the truth about Luciano’s business dealings and their horrific consequences.

But will Hanna succeed in getting Eva back and bring Luciano to justice, or are the stakes just too high?

Find Torn on Amazon

About Karen Moore

Karen Moore, authorKaren Moore is passionate about all things noir – crime, mystery, thrillers – and writes in that genre.

She has been writing all her life, mostly for work purposes, and is now delighted to be able to spend more time developing her own creative work.

Her debut novel, Torn, is a dark tale of intrigue and betrayal set in Sicily and North Wales. She is currently working on the sequel.

Karen worked as a tour guide across Europe, North America and Canada, followed by a career in PR and marketing. She has lived in France and Italy and is now based in Cheshire, England.

You can find Karen on Facebook and Twitter.

Categories
Books Letters from Elsewhere

Letters from Elsewhere: Dan

Letters from Elsewhere

Well, well, well! I didn’t think this feature would return, but here it is, brought out from the woodwork by eighteen-year-old student, Dan, who is keen to show us a letter to his younger sister, Sharon.

Dan has popped over from the pages of Revelation, a new novel by friend and author, Jo Fenton. In fact Revelation was released just three days ago.

Dear Sis,

Thanks for your letter. It’s great to know that I have one family member who cares about me. I can’t talk too freely here for reasons you understand only too well. How is Dad? Did he see my last effort?

I was too upset to say much when I last wrote, and I had a bad headache, which I’ll explain more about today. I think I just mentioned that my friend, Rick, was found… I can’t even write the word. My hand’s shaking so much, but you can probably see that from my writing. I hope it’s not too illegible.

They still don’t know if it was accidental or if someone hurt him on purpose, but he was such an amazing person. Why would anyone like that have enemies?

Becky’s trying to find out more. I think I told you about her last term. She’s pretty cool, and a good friend. I found out we’d met a while back through a national Jewish youth weekend. Somehow she remembered me. I’ve no idea why. I don’t usually stand out in a crowd. As you know, I’m usually the quiet, geeky one in the corner.

Anyway, to go back to that day, Becky reminded me that I was the last person to see Rick alive, and I freaked out and went for a long walk. It was so cold that day, and it started to snow. I slipped and hit my head on the ground. As you know, I’m not good with the red stuff, and I passed out on top of everything.

I came round to find this bloke squatting on the ground next to me. His name’s Alan, and he’s very kind. He’s some sort of religious leader, and he’s into Kabbalah – you know – Jewish mysticism.

You remember we were told in Hebrew classes that no one can start learning that stuff before the age of 40? He thinks that’s a load of rubbish, and that everyone should be able to access it when needed. He wants to help me, and told me about his group when he took me to the hospital to get my head stitched.

I’m not sure if it’ll help. There’s a hole inside me the size of a glacier and twice as cold. I can’t breathe sometimes.

The only time I felt like this was when Mum passed away. It took well over a year before I began to feel anything close to normal again, and I dread each anniversary, birthday or Mother’s Day. I know you feel the same. Dad never seems to care. He’s too busy with his blasted business.

Maybe in a year I’ll begin to feel normal about this too, but that feels a lifetime away, and the only way I’m going to get through this is with you and Becky, and perhaps with this guy Alan (who, I’d better add, is not my type. Excuse the small writing here – hopefully too small for his lordship to read.)

Look after yourself. I hope you’re okay. The phone situation here is crap. 1 phone between 46 people. Maybe if it’s quiet one evening, I’ll be able to give you a call. Don’t hold your breath though.

Love Dan.

If, like me, you’re left with a lot of questions, who know where to find the answers.

About RevelationRevelation by Jo Fenton

Manchester, 1989

A student, Rick, is found dead in halls of residence.

His friends get caught up in the aftermath: Dan, who was in love with Rick; and Becky, who is in love with Dan.

Their fraught emotions lead them into dark places – particularly a connection to a mysterious Kabbalistic sect.

Will Becky discover who killed Rick in time to save her best friend?

Find Revelation on Amazon.

Jo’s two previous books are also on Amazon: The Brotherhood and The Refuge.

About Jo Fenton

Jo FentonJo Fenton grew up in Hertfordshire. She devoured books from an early age and, at eleven, discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer. She now has an eclectic and much loved book collection cluttering her home office.

Jo combines an exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.

When not working, she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester with her family and is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and two reading groups.

You can find Jo on social media at her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Categories
Holidays

Land of Gods, Pharaohs and Baba Ghanoush

Valley of the Kings

Last week, we joined a trip to our neighbouring country.

Egypt 2020
Our happy guide

This was our second visit to Egypt. Thirty-five years ago, David and I toured the country on a limited budget and completely alone. This time, we travelled in style and with a group. Both trips were amazing, although they couldn’t have been more different; I’m still writing an article about the differences.

Karnak
One of the few photos from 1984. In Karnak.

Back at home, I caught up with a series of emails from people I was at school with. Some of them are retired and talk about having time on their hands. I’ve never been busier. Here are a few of the items on my to-do list:

  • Finish Egypt article.
  • Finish editing short story for darkstroke anthology.
  • Finish editing new version of Neither Here Nor There.
  • Choose new title for new version of Neither Here Nor There. (Hard)
  • Start submitting new version of Neither Here Nor There.
  • Work on new novel – crime genre.
  • Lots more.

Valley of the Kings, Egypt
Valley of the Kings

If you want to see any more of our photos, some of them are available on Facebook for all to see at:

The others will appear when we have time.