Diary of a Writer – September Prompt

Athens

Shorter days and darker nights are in the offing. It might be time to think about some spooky stuff.

There’s a short volume of Dark Stories written by me and some of the other Capital Writers Group. It’s called DARK STORIES and is available for a modest 99p.

Do the dark nights turn your writing efforts to ghostly goings on?

Anne

Advertisement

HALLOWE’EN ROUND ROBIN

Little Cook Hallowe’en Decor – October 2021 – Athens

This is another month when I haven’t written a post of my own as I was away from base. The task posed by Rhobin was:

Share a childhood Halloween memory or what was your scariest Halloween?

Below is a list of the group who have risen to the challenge and I’m sure there’ll be some hair-raising stuff therein.

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea

Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com

Marci Baun http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/

Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/

Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2sc

Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com

Last year, Capital Writers produced a small volume of Spooky Stories and it’s available to buy here: DARK STORIES

Anjana C described my own contribution as:

The Cemetery House by Anne Stenhouse is a deliciously gothic ghost story with a criminal bent, in her Five Star review – thank you , Anjana C

Death at Rainbow Cottage – Jo Allen

 

 

Written by my Edinburgh friend and fellow Capital Writer, Jo Allen, I’m delighted to feature this 4th outing for Jo’s Lake District detective, DI Jude Satterthwaite and his team.

If you thought lovely rural locations meant sentimental Christmassy scenes to everyone, dipping into Jo’s cleverly crafted pyschological mysteries, will certainly make you reconsider.

We all need a good whodunnit on the go over Christmas and this is going to be mine.

Death at Rainbow Cottage

Diary of a Writer – December Prompt

Six days before Christmas, Stella must rush home to Scotland when her grandmother is taken to hospital. As she reconnects with her past, old flames are rekindled, and as Christmas fast approaches, Stella begins to wonder if her most heartfelt wish can come true?

I was reading Anne Stormont’s Put It in Writing post this morning and was impressed by her admission that, although a usually ‘later’ Christmas celebrant, she was planning on putting up her tree early and had been reading Christmas novels.

We know – the year is not normal. However, it did make me wonder why Christmas themed stories are enduringly popular and why people can and do read them at anytime of the year.

I wonder whether the Christmas bubble is one more ring of protection from the outside world? Is it a place to escape to where everything is, if not perfect, at least populated by characters who are trying to be nice, and good, or even just civil to one another?

Of course, books and stories about and for Christmas are written far in advance to make publishing deadlines. Once out there, however, they’re available for us to dip back into. Like Capital Writer, Kate Blackadder’s moving story about Stella.

Capital Writers produced a coffee-break collection of Christmas themed stories:

Capital Christmas Stories is a collection of festive Christmas Tales by the little writing group I’m a member of in Edinburgh. It’s available here

There’s also our spooky collection of which three are ghost stories and that’s a genre always popular at Christmas, too.

That’s all for now – Woops!

Here’s a Christmas one I wrote earlier.

CHRISTMAS AT MALDINGTON

Genni escapes for some much needed recovery after a death on her television show. She meets Paddy and directs a pantomime. Love of live theatre rekindled, will she return to the brighter lights of London?

Publication is 10th December and as always available from newsagents, supermarkets and online or by phone from the DC Thomson shop.

That is it for now,

Anne

 

Diary of a Writer – Out of Lockdown – really?

Colour Mine Autumn

Are we out of Lockdown – no, not really. Avoiding shopping, buses, eating out and friends, relatives and neighbours is becoming all too familiar. Three cheers for Zoom, the telephone and knitting. DH and I couldn’t get slots for the Botanics at the weekend as they had all gone. While that is very good news for the Botanics, it’s a bit disappointing for us. We contented ourselves with a walk up to the local cemetery where the size and variety of trees in their autumn colours is good. Also collected some free cooking apples from a kind gardener – who’d posted both a notice and a bag of carrier bags. Thank you.

And the knitting? Nearly finished a child’s cardigan and making good progress with a sweater. Also doing some charity knitting. Crisis at Christmas will be operating differently this year as dormitory accommodation won’t do. Consequently the people who knit for them on a regular, year by year basis have been asked for blankets as well as socks. A younger relative has blogged about this and I’ve downloaded the details. Several of my friends are stepping up and we should manage a 20 square blanket in time.

CAPITAL WRITERS

                                                      Jane riddell

Kate B at Penrith

Jennifer Young

These lovely ladies are my partners in Capital Writers. Together we’ve published

Capital Collection

Separately, there are many more titles. But, drumroll, there’s another joint effort planned for Hallowe’en. Darker, grittier and altogether appropriate for sparklers and baked potatoes…

Call back for details.

Anne

 

Diary of a Writer – October Prompt

Place is a strong prompt and motivator for my writing. Houses in particular spark my imagination.

I’ve said before that I don’t see people walking through walls – but hey, it’s a Hallowe’en story I’m in need of inspiration for. Who might have walked through the walls above or even entered by the doors?

If you’ve enjoyed Capital Writers’ short stories before, then look out for our upcoming collection for Hallowe’en. Details to follow.

That apart, I’m working on a serial set in mid-nineteenth century Edinburgh. 1869 was a year like no other. From the People’s Friend to Sainsbury’s the world changed.

Anne

Lockdown Diary – 2020 – 81 – Noisy out there

The exit plans and strategies for leaving Covid- 19 behind, are struggling to be heard amidst the clamour of other concerns. There’s a feeling among some of the folk I chat to on my walkabouts that they’re going to miss the comparative calm of being in lockdown. Reading this morning’s press, I can see where that feeling might be coming from.

There was a wee flurry of new books and new editions of books among my writing acquaintance yesterday. In that flurry, I managed to miss the new DCI Satterthwaite mystery, Death in Coffin Lane by my fellow Capital Writer, Jo Allen (aka Jennifer Young). It has been available for pre-order of course, but yesterday was the official publication date. You can find your kindle copy here

It was a two bag shop yesterday bringing in some of the items I’d used up. Also, I made a lime meringue pie for supper. Have done better, but it was okay. DH won at croquet and also at scrabble. Have done better…

Good progress on the wip and another lovely family chat. Exciting promise of a visit when the barriers come down.

Connected through Facebook with an Australian author also published by Endeavour Press, now LUME. Prompted me to remember I hadn’t changed that on my FB profile. Honestly, the business of writing often adds up to more than the writing of writing. Now done and the book I have with them is Courting the Countess, a Scottish Regency. Also in a (closed for now) library, possibly near you, courtesy of Ulverscroft.

Anne

Lockdown Diary – 2020 – 34 – Holidays

A year ago I was on holiday on The Silk Roads where this picture was taken. Earlier this week, a friend asked where she could read anything I’d written about that trip. I haven’t written anything much. There is a great deal of erudite, academic writing about the silk roads and I have no expertise to add to that. However, I did enjoy exposure to the different cultures of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

Holidays may come again. This being Sunday and for some a Holy Day, here’s the link to this Sunday’s worship from Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church. It can be accessed here.

In a little feedback, a friend has told me how friends of hers appreciated discovering about Scotland’s Gardens Scheme’s virtual tours.

Reading Hadley Freeman’s article in yesterday’s Guardian Weekend, was a comfort. It is, she asserts, okay, in fact good, to chat about and do things not prompted or influenced by the virus. It won’t make it go away, but it will let your human nature peep through.

Okay. We got more than 2 in the quiz. I finished the bog on the 2nd jigsaw. DH watered the garden. (In April? Ed) Great gossip with elderly neighbour (see Hadley above). Excellent progress with Book Group book and chat from one of the family’s households. Watched the christening scene from the Mariinsky’s Sleeping Beauty, free for a limited time on U-tube.

Daughters of the Lake by fellow Capital Writer, Jane Riddell, is Free to download till

April 29th Get your copy here

Three’s A Crowd, Kate Blackadder’s first anthology of previously published magazine stories is also free to download from today for five days. get your copy here

Anne

A Capital Collection and a capital Christmas Tree

Creel Christmas Tree, Ullapool

I’m beginning to feel the Christmas Season is underway and I thought I’d re-post this pic from Ullapool as they’re having the wonderful tree made from fishing creels again this year.

On the writing front, I contributed a short story to the Mayfield Salisbury day of storytelling to mark the 150th anniversary of CrossReach. CrossReach is the social responsibility arm of the Church of Scotland and does so much with people in difficult circumstances.

Capital Writers have produced a collection including the CrossReach stories. Published for kindle this week, you can get a copy here Capital Collection.

What’s special about your own tree?, if you have one. I have a treasured collection of tree decorations. I might share some pics later.

Anne

Diary of a Writer – Storytelling for a Good Cause

Diary of a Writer for June is a wee departure from the usual. Why?

Well as regular visitors know, I’m a member of a group called Capital Writers and from time to time we produce an e-book of stories to showcase our writing. The latest story collection is out tomorrow and will be launched in the afternoon at an event to raise funds for the wonderful CrossReach perinatal service. But it’s not digital.

CrossReach is the social resonsibility arm of the Church of Scotland. It does sterling work among the elderly, the addicted and those suffering after the birth of a baby. It does loads of other stuff, too. It is partly funded by donations and the support of individual churches.

This year it marks 150 years since its creation in 1869. Seeing a pattern here? People’s Friend, CrossReach, Sainsbury’s, The Edinburgh Seven (women in medicine).

So Self, Jane, kate and Jennifer have produced this lovely little booklet:

Jane and I will be reading from our work at 3.30 in Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, entry through the halls’ door on West mayfield. come a little earlier to have coffee and cake or to hear poet and former Edinburgh Makar, Christine de Luca.

Booklet is unpriced and we’re looking for donations to help fund CrossReach’s work.

Anne

Capital Christmas Stories

Capital Stories