CHRISTMAS AT MALDINGTON

Christmas at Maldington

Genni Kilpatrick is disillusioned with the celebrity circuit and when someone dies on a game show she is hosting, escapes her normal life for the peace of Maldington House. Will directing a live panto help her re-balance? Does local businessman, Paddy Delford, have anything to do with a growing attraction for the area?

Available from today for two weeks in big supermarkets and newsagents or by post from DC Thomson’s shop.

0800 904 7260 (UK) or  + 44 (0) 1382 575 322 (overseas) 8am-6pm, Mon- Fri

Take your seat…

Anne

 

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Lockdown Diary – 2020 – 26 – Chatting with friends

These aren’t the actual friends I was chatting with, but in more ordinary times, they might have been. This was taken at last year’s RNA conference in Lancaster and features three of the Capital Writers. Here’s No 4

During Lockdown:

Kate Blackadder has published a new anthology of short stories,

Still Rocking

Jo Allen has shared the cover for her third DI Satterthwaite book,

Death on Coffin Lane which is available to pre-order.

Jane is offering her

Things We Choose To Hide, free until Wed April 22nd.

As reported earlier, I have accepted an offer for a short novel from My Weekly, title and dates to follow.

We’ve had much to discuss electronically, if not in person. I hope you’re all finding people to talk with and things other than the virus to discuss.

I hope by the time this post goes live, the glitches marring yesterday’s RR will have been resolved. My apologies, but I don’t know why some of the posts aren’t showing as they should.

Friday saw the above mentioned chatting with friends on Whereby – worked really well. I made an Eve’s pudding and remembered to sprinkle sliced almonds on the top. Yay! I took a lucky dip bag of books to a friend deprived of her local library at present. I cannot find any Bran Flakes – do not send toilet rolls, thank you.

Anne

Speaking Engagements – Capital Writers

CAPITAL WRITERS have two speaking engagements this week.

MONDAY 27th May

First up is tonight at the invitation of The Corstorphine Community Festival. We’re in Corstorphine Library between 6.30 – 8.30 for a meet the author session with librarian Shirley and Cosy Crime local writer, Cecilia Peartree.

SATURDAY 1st June

If you can’t catch us there, and even if you can, come along on Saturday afternoon to a fun storytelling event in Mayfield Salisbury church, 18 West Mayfield, EH9 from 2.30-4,30

Coffee, tea and cake is promised as well as the launch of our Capital CrossReach Stories pamphlet. We’ve each written a story to mark the 150th anniversary of this remarkable organisation and for a small donation to CrossReach, you can secure a copy to carry off.

A Christmas Gift – Capital Stories

From Capital Writers to our readers a free copy of Capital Stories for 5 days over the pre-Christmas period 20 – 24 December inclusive. Enjoy a moment with stories by Kate Blackadder, Jane Riddell, Anne Stenhouse and Jennifer Young. All set in the Scottish capital and varying in style and tone.

The Castle Rock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Christmas reading,

Anne

Scottish Association of ~Writers ~ 50th weekend school

And a secret I’ve been holding close for several weeks now, is out: I’ve been invited to adjudicate the women’s short story category at the Scottish Association of Writers weekend school.

Excited? You bet!

SCOTTISH ASSOCIATION of WRITERS (SAW) is an umbrella organisation for writing groups, clubs, workshops throughout Scotland and has many such affiliated.

Edinburgh Writers’ Club, is a founding member club. So, I’m a member of both.

SAW has recently published the Schedule for its 2019 Fiftieth Anniversary conference, again to be held in the centrally situated, Westerwood Hotel, and you can view or download it at present from their Facebook Files. When it goes up on the website I’ll post a link.

Alex Gray is the keynote speaker and the weekend features adjudications by experienced professionals like Alex Corlett, of People’s Friend Features.

Hope to see you there, ANNE

Diary of a Writer – serially challenging

Diary of a Writer – serially challenging.

It’s always a great feeling to press send on a submission and I did that this morning just before enjoying one of these.

The box was a pressie from a local tradesman in the run-up to Christmas. I really do think it pays to ‘shop local’ and when the dividend comes in the form of Tunnock’s finest, who’s going to argue?

The MS is instalment two of the serial I’m writing for People’s Friend. Fingers crossed and tentatively on to work on Instalment three.

Another two hours spent on choosing the canapés for the RNA’s Awards’ Night Party (it’s a long and truly delicious list) and maybe now I should think about the ‘tea’ – as in that knife and fork repast the household looks forward to in the evening.

Having read the lovely Capital Stories created by my fellow Capital Writers, I’m looking round for something. I see my publishers, Endeavour, are advertising Lesley Downer’s

On the Narrow Road to the Deep North – journey into a lost Japan – which I have on my trusty kindle. Maybe that’s after-dinner sorted.

What are you reading? Both the above books are currently 99p.

Round Robin – Prologue and Epilogue

PROLOGUE AND EPILOGUE The temptation to misquote from something half remembered is too strong to overcome. In my beginning is my end…

I don’t use either prologues or epilogues in the four novels I’ve published so far. It is fair to say that Daisy’s Dilemma carries on the story of Lady Daisy and by doing so tells any interested reader what happened after the first book, Mariah’s Marriage, ended.

But that is novel length and hardly a short rounding off of anyone’s story.

So – why not?

Prologues almost, but not quite, fall into the same category as Introductions for me. I don’t read them before I read the book and sometimes not even then. Is this impatience to be getting on with the story? Is it arrogance? Why do I need to have someone’s view of a subject before forming my own?

Prologues of course are little tasters. They plant a hook deep in the reader’s brain about what happened to, or in the life of, one of the characters who are about to unfold on the book’s stage. I prefer to have all of that in my story. Maybe it’s just a question of stylistic preference.

Epilogues round off or flesh out the ending the reader has been presented with. Just in case one was unsure doubt is removed. Yes, there was a happy ending and here is how it evolved. No, it was a bittersweet ending and here is how it evolved. Oh dear, the baddie was rescued by a passer-by and is recovering in hospital to plague the hero and/or heroine in another book.

Personally, although I do read epilogues, I like my own imagination to have room to weave an ongoing fantasy.

Our full topic asked if you could have one without the other. I don’t see why not, but perhaps my fellow bloggers have reasons. Catch their opinions below.

Anne Stenhouse Author

Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.wordpress.com
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Dr. Bob Rich http://wp.me/p3Xihq-QS
Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
A.J. Maguire  http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.blogspot.ca
Anne Stenhouse  https://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Connie Vines http://connievines.blogspot.com/
Rachael Kosinski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Kay Sisk http://kaysisk.blogspot.com
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com

Diary of a Writer – December writing prompt – When is that project too big?

Colourful Tree Decoration

 

When is that project too big? I’ve always loved knitting and have dabbled with crochet, too. I find, despairingly, that I sometimes set knitting aside when I have worked out how to complete a repeat of the pattern. The challenge has been met and the garment might never be finished.

On the other hand, I have a fairly responsible outlook and try very hard not to let people down. So, would I have crocheted this engaging tree decoration? Why did anyone do so?

It certainly brought a smile to my face when I encountered it in Argentina – so maybe that’s the answer to why. It did make people smile.

Many well known and much read authors also write stuff for fun that is out of their recognised genre. Or write in several genres. Shakespeare for instance wrote his wonderful sonnets as well as the plays. Thomas Hardy wrote novels and poetry. Georgette Heyer interspersed her Regencies with detective fiction.

A great many writers will just be taking a deep breath marking the end of their NaNoWriMo effort. I did that a couple of years ago and had to set the MS aside when December arrived. It’s a busy month.

However, I did go back to the unfinished MS and completed BELLA’S BETROTHAL which is the first of my historicals set in Edinburgh.

I still love the energy and humour I read in Bella’s story and think it’s probably down to writing under pressure and also to writing about a city I love. I’ve come back to Regency Edinburgh for

Courting the Countess and the wip is also set here.

So are you into decorating random trees – or only the family Christmas Tree? That’s a whole other story and I might share some of it with you after the decorations come out of the attic.

How big was your biggest project? Are you writing an alphabetical series? A trilogy?

I heard recently that courting the Countess was recommended to a book group in Aberdeenshire. Hope you’re enjoying it, ladies and would love to know what you thought.

Roll Up, Roll up! Courting the Countess Freebie

Greyfriars Bobby – a capital landmark

Publishers Endeavour are offering my Scottish Regency COURTING THE COUNTESS as a free download between 10th and 14th October.

‘I finished it a couple of days ago after reading it greedily fast, and feel bereft!’ From the five star review by Mrs K Brock.

Is romance, a twisted fairy tale and murderous mayhem your kind of read? Then look no further – and Courting the Countess is FREE for Five Days.

And maybe, just asking, maybe you’d like to leave a review, too? Please.

Amazon

UK      US      DE    CA  AU

Diary of a Writer – October Prompt

Sea Lions, Chile

Last month’s prompt was a path bordered by lush green gunnera. It was relatively peaceful, although one or two of you found sinister thoughts along the disappearing pathway and into the hidden areas beyond.

I took October’s prompt, above, while on a botanical trip to Chile. It was perhaps my favourite outing of the whole expedition and the island in the picture is part of the reason.

It’s an island – and like JM Barrie, I’m mildly fascinated by them.

It’s covered in sea lions.

The scene is full of life and energy. The sea lions fought an ongoing struggle to get out of the boiling waters among the rocks and onto the island. It was mesmerising to watch.

Sorry you have to take my word for the sea lions. My camera isn’t strong enough to show them in detail, but they are there.

How does the prompt affect you? Care to share any piece with us?