Simply Claire's Blog

Collections and thoughts...

2010-02-25T18:30:00.000Z

I've been having some serious thoughts about it, may need to look into it further, will also need to find an editor that is willing to put up with it. Yup, I'm thinking about a collection of my short works. I have plenty of pieces on my lappy, the majority of them have never been read by anyone. I should really go through them, give them a little life and get 'em out there. I suppose I should really chat to people who has done this, see what their experience was like. What they did/do for exposure. Self publish, or look for a publisher who is looking for collections? I could look into publishing collections through TT. Hmm... this does need a lot of thought.

Changing the subject, I found out what drug you need to numb the muscles ... may work well in a wee piece: killer on the loose, drugs 'em, numbs their muscles so they can't move and then slice 'em open while awake -- I know, that type of stuff has been done before, I'll have to look for a new slant. Give it a new edge -- somehow, don't know how, but I will do it.

Lately, I've been getting a rush of ideas to work on short stories, looks like the advanced creative writing course through the OU has given me some inspiration. I've also been thinking of Barry, my wee novel, I'm glad I didn't accept the last publisher to print him as I now want to change a couple of things and add some new pieces to it, these will give the story a more realistic feel. Before I can delve deep into that I need to get this latest course finished, which will give me a couple of months free before I start my next course -- not long now before I've finished my OU courses, I'm really looking forward to getting that degree.

Right, I'm off now. Need to read some emails for TT.

Reading and Reviews

2010-02-24T21:30:00.002Z

Well at least this time it ain’t been that long since I last blogged, so you can’t complain--you can try and complain, I won’t listen.

I’ve just realised today how many books I have sitting on my desk waiting to be reviewed for Twisted Tongue Magazine, and I thought I had caught up! Never mind, I’ll get them done. I need to type up Derek Muk’s ‘The Occult Files of Albert Taylor’ and pop him a copy of the review. I have enjoyed reading his book, it has the X-Files feel to it but with out all the super-dooper posh worded machines that know one really knows how they work. I especially enjoyed reading ‘Dear Boss’, Jack the Ripper lovers will love this one! The thrill of Jack killing in modern times ... shh, no spoilers here.

Next up to review is Rachel Kendall’s collection ‘The Bride Stripped Bare’, and Johnny S Geddes’ collection ‘Séances with the Living’. In PDF form Leigh Pierce’s ‘Stained Shorts’, and Marc Lowe’s ‘Sui Generis’. If I remember correctly I’m only waiting for one delivery and that is from the talented writer Jeani Rector, she is sending me a collection from the e-zine she works on ‘And Now the Nightmare Begins: THE HORROR ZINE’, this is packed from contributions from August 2009 till December 2009. I don’t have any links handy at the moment but if you can quite easily find these books through Google.

I just want to quickly add that I prefer to have a printed copy of books to be reviewed as reading off screen puts a lot of pressure on these old eyes. However, if financial strings are tight I don’t really mind. Anyways, the books look brilliant on my shelves. I’m a little bit of a hoarder where books are concerned...

I suppose I best get back to it ... now, what was I doing?

Forgetting the Blog

2010-01-24T14:54:00.003Z

Oh wow, look at what I remembered I had--the Blog!!! Jeez, it's been years and years since I last used this. Mind you, with my constant illness's and studying with the OU I haven't had time to write never mind Blog.

Okay, another new year, and here's another promise (to use my Blog regularly) that I'll make which I'll most likely end up breaking. Come to think of it, I'm sure I've used other Blogs in the past, bugger me if I can remember which ones though! Stuff it. Okays, now then, what will I be writing in this Blog ... good question, I ain't certain but most likely to whinge my tits off about something or jot down notes on my writing, maybe moan about the studying that I'm doing, may also mention the mag too. I suppose anything will go.

Right now I want to wrap my sons racing track around his neck. I have the lurgy--again! And my head feels like it is going to explode, and with the amount of mucus that has been coming out my nose if my head does go bang there's gonna be one heck of mess.

Hmm, there's some new buttons on this Blog, not sure what they're for. Think I'll go and have a wee play.

Catch you laters.

Smelly Pants & Rants

2007-05-14T17:21:00.000+01:00

Due to health problems I haven't been able to keep this journal updated. So, for the time being my daily rantings will be posted at this link: http://www.simplyclaire.co.uk/smellypantsrants.htm

Why don't you pop over and drop me a line or two.

Supporting Jeans for Genes

2006-09-21T19:50:00.000+01:00

Supporting Jeans for Genes
50 prompts
12 hrs
No preparation
Flash fiction
The Plan: To write as many flashes within 12hrs
I’m looking for sponsors to sponsor me in a 12hr flash-a-thon for Jeans for Genes day, which I’ll be doing through The Grail writers’ site: http://z3.invisionfree.com/The_Grail
Flashing will take place between 11am and 11pm on Friday 6th October 2006.
Sponsors can be for the whole event or per flash. All funds to go to Jeans for Genes.
Every penny counts.
If you would like to sponsor me, you can pay your sponsor money through Paypal or email me to post a cheque/postal order
If paying by Paypal please state that you are sponsoring Nickers/Claire
Paypal: thegrail ( AT ) ntlworld.com
Email me: cj002e7644 ( AT )blueyonder.co.uk
All those taking part will post their flashes as they write them on The Grail’s website: http://z3.invisionfree.com/The_Grail
OR, would you like to take part? Join The Grail forum now and sign up.
I thank you for your time,
Claire.

Did you know...

•in the UK, one baby in every 33 is born with a genetic disorder or birth defect – that’s one born every 30 minutes whose life could be affected?

• there are over 4,000 recognised genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis and ‘baby in the bubble’ syndrome?

• much more pioneering research is needed and that costs millions of pounds? Genetic diseases range widely in severity. Some have very little impact on the affected person’s life, while others are devastating and can lead to severe disability and even death in childhood. The only existing long term treatment for some forms of the more severe disorders is a bone marrow transplant (BMT). This is a highly risky procedure and is dependent on finding a suitable bone marrow donor and the child being well enough to undergo chemotherapy. For the majority of children with disorders which can be treated with a BMT, actually undergoing this procedure is not possible. New therapies, such as gene therapy, are currently being developed and have the potential to revolutionise the way genetic disorders are treated. It does not rely on finding a donor and recent breakthroughs are giving many families enormous hope that a cure for their child’s disorders is not too far away. Your support of Jeans for Genes will help to speed up the development of these pioneering new therapies.http://www.jeansforgenes.com

Twisted Tongue Flash Fiction Competition

2006-09-21T19:49:00.000+01:00

Twisted Tongue's flash fiction competition ends 1st October. This will be TT's 3rd competition, prizes are now determined by entry fee, fixed percentage for fist place etc. (Min prize £20 for first place) Past winners are listed on the website.
Basic guidelines:
Word count: 500
Theme: Open
Fee: £1.50
Multiple entries are accepted.
Winners are published in Twisted Tongue magazine.
View website for complete details: http://www.twistedtongue.co.uk/competition.htm

A Simple Return...

2006-09-21T19:47:00.000+01:00

Hello there, I'm back. After several months of health problems, I've finally managed to get back into the swing of things. My writing has suffered over these months, but I'm determined to get back at it.

Where to start, I have no idea! I'll have to read through my journal and see where I was... I dread to think how much I need to catch up on. For now I have a few announcements to make... will do those in a separate post though.

Brief update. A while ago I mentioned that a publisher was looking at my first novel, Barry... well, my novel was long-listed... but didn't make the cut. Never mind, I'm re-editing the novel and I plan to send it back out as soon as I can. Before you ask, I'm not disappointed... I'm well chuffed that the publishers actually asked to read the full novel. Maybe it was too gross for them... maybe I overdone the bad language... who knows, but there's no way I'm giving up on it.

I've started a new novel, Mirror Girl. I've been posting these chapters on UKAuthors - they still need a good edit though. A group of us on UKA has decided to Write A Novel In A Year (WANIAY), this started at the beginning of September, we set our own goal, mine is 70k, which means I must write 5,800 words per month to achieve this. I'm glad to say I've reached this months target.

I've just thought, I need to update my novel lengths above... will get onto that soon.

From the first of October I'll be starting another novel, this one I'm writing through NAY. This one is taken from a short story I had written. I'm not sure where to start yet... I'll worry about that next month.

And erm... I'm signed up to NANO too... write a novel in a month, well reach 50k words in a month... I don't have a clue what I'm doing for this one though.

So, that's three novels planned. Short story wise, I'm hoping to get time to edit some old ones and send them off to some mags... otherwise I'll be writing at least one new one per month as part of the Targeting thread on The Grail forum. Oh yeah, I'm also doing a flash-a-thon in a fortnight... will post more details soon.

And here was me saying I'm gonna take things slowly... and I've got two writers magazines to work on...

But at least the kids are back to school! So yippee!

Catch you all laters.

Nightmares and Kids...

2005-09-05T22:45:00.000+01:00

Hey there, can someone please answer me this question – Why do kids have nightmares?

My wee one is driving me crazy! He keeps having the most bizarre dreams, he’s starting to freak me out too, and it takes quite a bit to scare me. Unless it has anything to do with clowns, mirrors, and spiders then I will shit myself!

Anyway, my wee one’s latest nightmare is very disturbing. He woke the other night screaming his little head off; he’s only six. When I managed to calm him down, I asked him why he was crying… he shrugged his shoulders and said he didn’t know.

A short while later the same happened again. So, he settles again, for a little bit.

He wakes up crying, this time he tells me that the bath-towels are trying to eat him… hhmmm, I ain’t heard of this one before, killer bath-towels… that’s original. I calm him down and he drops back off.

And he wakes again. This time there is a bath-towel in his bedroom, it wasn’t there before. He claims the bath-towel opened the door and tried to strangle him. So, I’m a bit peed off now, and I tell him off for going into the towel cupboard when he’s supposed to be sleeping. I close his door and go into my bedroom. I wait a few minutes for him to settle and I trod on back downstairs…

At the bottom of the stairs, I decide I want the book that I’m reading, which is in my bedroom. So, back up the stairs I go. I take two steps into my bedroom and freeze… there’s a bath-towel draped over my television and I’m positive it wasn’t there a few seconds ago…

Yup, I felt a bit creeped out. After a few minutes of telling myself that my little brat is winding me up, I get the courage to pick up the towel, fold it and put it away. I close my bedroom door and go back downstairs.

The following morning I wake up and head to the lavvy, as I always do in the morning, there’s a bath-towel hanging from my sons door handle… I questioned him about his dream and the towels and he looked at me as if I was a crazy woman and said he didn’t have a bad dream… he also claims he never took any towels out of the cupboard…

Do I believe him? Well he did look as if he was telling the truth…

Maybe it’s me who needs a shrink!

How Do I Kiss...

2005-09-05T22:00:00.000+01:00

Ooooer! I'm really very shy...

Part Expert Kisser

You're a kissing pro, but it's all about quality and not quantity You've perfected your kissing technique and can knock anyone's socks off And you're adaptable, giving each partner what they crave When it comes down to it, your kisses are truly unforgettable

Part Freaky Kisser

When you kiss, you want to experience something new A new technique, a new partner, a new piercing... And your own personal kissing style is very unpredictable There's no saying where your tongue or hands will go

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

Blinkies...

2005-09-04T22:40:00.000+01:00

I promise to make this short and sweet. I mean it! I’ve just found out what Blinkies are, ain’t they great! I’ve pasted a load into my pictures file on my pc. I’ve also added links to places where I copied the blinkies from too, it’s common courtesy.

Here are a few of my favourites, to see more just click on my links.

The Book Files

2005-09-04T14:28:00.000+01:00

The Book Files

I Have No Idea...

2005-09-03T23:00:00.000+01:00

These weeks are passing by so quickly! Won’t be long for Christmas now!
I do love that time of year… Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun… sorry, I forgot myself there for a moment.
*
Right then, let’s chat about what’s happened here this past week.
*
It’s amazing what you can learn about yourself with these little quizzes.
*
Apparently, I’m super sensitive and I’m able to understand situations. I didn’t realise that I was that sensitive, then again, I do get a bad rash when I wax, so yup I agree I’m super sensitive. I guess I can solve complex problems and make decisions fast, I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that I can’t be arsed wasting my time on stuff like that, hence a quick resolution. My path is supposed to be always clear, bollocks! You ain’t seen the amount toys my kids have left sprawled all over the floor. Me a visionary… well, I can imagine men naked easily…
*
I wonder why I scare people away though…
*
Well the quizzes were right about me not being a big drinker, *falls off chair with laughter* me easily carried away too! Never!
*
I hadn’t realised Mike Tyson was my Daddy… I wonder how much money I can get from him… but at least he took me to Disney Land, I think… I must have drunk that much I can’t remember it!
*
And as for me being a dark mysterious person, I honestly think that’s spot on.
I know I really should go and see the doctor; I’m terrible for these quizzes. Anyway, you’ve got a cheek to complain, I bet you play with them too!
*
Okay, enough about the quizzes lets take a peek at what’s happened this week. I have a new friend, yay!
*
Michael Acton yup, the writer I wrote about last week. What do you mean you never read it! Why? Go read it now! He was impressed with the feedback he received so he decided to start his own journal, please pop over and give him some support.
*
I’ve been through loads of sites lately; far too many to mention… most of the people who I have contacted have left messages in my tag box, go browse them. Don’t do it now! You’re supposed to be reading this first! What are you like? Am I boring you? Good!
*
Ah yes, back on Monday was my little flash fiction piece based on something that happened when my daughter was just a wee one… she was lovely back then, she never back answered, unlike now. Teenagers can be a pain… but then again, so was I at that age!
*
Shall I bother going into what I wrote on Tuesday? The stuff about my writing. Stuff it! If you’re interested in it, then go take a peek. Oh yes, my website has been updated too. The link is up there at the top. I couldn’t be bothered to stick a link here.
*
Hope you enjoyed my choice of Book and Film review; if there’s a certain one you’d like me to review just give me a shout.
*
And we are now up to this week’s writer Alan Ingram. He is rather shy so go give him a boost. I’m sure you’ll get a laugh from his writing. I know I did… and I meant that in a nice way, or do I…
*
That’s it for tonight. I really must get my piece finished for the challenge on UKA, it needs posted this Monday, I am so behind!
See you another time.

What Element Am I...

2005-09-03T21:00:00.001+01:00

You know what, I think this could be right...

The dark, night sky is your element. Although it's
not really considered an element. You are a
dark and mysterious person. Just like the night
sky.

What is your element?( for girls /pretty anime pics)
brought to you by Quizilla

A Film Called - The Amityville Horror

2005-09-02T22:29:00.000+01:00

Hey there, it’s Friday night and time for a film.

Tonight’s movie is The Amityville Horror.

I presume you know the story behind this film... well it is a remake. This time round it seems more of a fantasy than non-fiction. This updated version is brought up to date, but once again, the biggest let down is the scare factors, they have used the old typical cheap shot scare antics.

Some horror fans will love this while others will hate it and tear it apart. My opinion, well the story line is strong, and there are some new added bits to it, which weren’t in the first one. I did enjoy this, one bit sticks in my mind and that is a bedroom scene where the couple are having sex… and small figure suddenly appears standing at the bottom of the bed.

You must know the storyline, but for those who don’t here’s a very brief rundown:

The Lutz’s move into a house in Long Island, they thought the house was a dream come true… Unknown to them the previous tenants were horrifically murdered. Once the Lutz’s are settled in, strange things happen in the house. George becomes possessed with the spirits, just like the last tenant who slaughtered his family.

Nickelback - How You Remind Me

2005-09-02T12:27:00.000+01:00

My fav' song from Nickelback...

Video code provided by HotCodez.com

A Writer Called - Alan Ingram...

2005-09-01T22:31:00.000+01:00

Hey there, welcome back.

This week’s writer is Alan Ingram from Corby Northants; he's a 42yr old who works for Oxford University Press. He enjoys scribbling for a hobby, which he started doing when he was 40. He would like to see some of his stories appear on screen as plays or dramas. I hope he succeeds too.

He does not have a website of his own or a journal, but his writings, poetry and prose can be found here, ABCtales & UKAuthors.

Because of You, is my favourite piece of his. It’s full of raw emotion and it’s very touching. His MSN one, well I couldn’t stop laughing at that one. I’m sure you will love that one too. Things Can Only Get Better, what a sense of humour he has; it’s another favourite of mine.

I hope you enjoy these few that I have chosen. Read the snippets and simply click to read the full piece. Enjoy.

Because of You... by Alan Ingram

Monday is now hate day. And when I wake, the first thing I think of is you. I am consumed with hate for you and for the things you have or I think you have done. On this hate day I talk to myself and let out my frustration through stifled agonised screams…I say the word why a lot and I punch vacant air, slap walls and pound wooden doorframes…I hope sincerely these aren’t a substitute for your face.
Click here to read the rest.

Taking a Dip or Trying To and Failing to Cajole a Shag out of Girls on MSN by Alan Ingram

And as for you being a Swordfish, well that was the first fish that jumped in my head, I’ve seen your picture on MSN and I would say you’re more of a Halibut or a Brill…no, no a Halibut it is because like I say I’ve seen your picture and you’re definitely not that Brill.
Click here to read the rest.

Things Can Only Get Better by Alan Ingram

‘OOOO! No!’ He said. ‘Mine’s ok…it’s yours my friend, I mean mine certainly doesn’t need a magnifying glass for detection.’ This nodded remark was in my todgers direction, which I thought was rather tart for someone I’d only just met.
Click here to read the rest.

My Daddy...

2005-09-01T20:45:00.000+01:00

Erm... well...

Your Daddy Is Mike Tyson

What You Call Him: Old Man

Why You Love Him: He takes you to Disneyland

Who's Your Daddy?

A Book Called – Erebus by Shaun Hutson

2005-08-31T12:05:00.000+01:00

Hello there again, thanks for popping by. Leave me a message or tag me and I’ll have a peek at your journal too, or website.

The book I’m talking about this week is Shaun Hutson’s Erebus.

I’m a pretty big fan of his works and I now own quite a few of his books. They’re all well written, straightforward, and packed with violence and gore. Something that I love in horror books.

Tyler returns back home to the family farm when his father recently dies. With the help of Jo, a newspaper reporter with a background she wishes to remain a secret, they discover the livestock’s food has been tampered with. Chemicals have been added to it, poisoning the animals which is passed on to humans… Vendenburg Chemicals have a lot to answer to in the rural town of Wakely.

If you’ve enjoyed Resident Evil, you will love this book. Hutson’s descriptions are enough to churn even the strongest stomach out there. This book repulsed me, but I had to keep on reading. And he really doesn’t give damn about using swear words which adds attitude to his novels. A must read in my eyes.

Basically, its gory, scary, several questions are raised throughout the story, but all is wrapped up well by the end. An ending that I didn’t expect…

Synopsis:

Wakely was just a small farming community but something was terribly wrong there. Something wrong with the livestock, with the people. Something unspeakable. Perpetuated by the mysterious Venderburg Chemicals Group who sought to protect its interests and secrets no matter what the cost to the people of Wakely or, indeed, to the rest of mankind. And who would have thought that red meat could be so deadly?

Addicted to Live Journals...

2005-08-31T12:00:00.000+01:00

Well I'm no where near that... yet!

You Know You're Addicted to LiveJournal When...

If you can't access the site, you have a minor freak out - and a major case of hitting reload.

You found yourself composing journal entries during dates, movies, even sex!

When you're out, you suddenly think of a witty reply to a comment somebody made to you... several days ago.

You actually call it LJ and not Livejournal. Check.

You've downloaded some sort of LJ program which has only the purpose of making entries easier to write without going on the site manually.

You consider it a great offense if someone deletes you off their friend's list.

The first thing you do every day when you go online is check your friends journals - even before checking your email.

You actually paid money for a few extra pictures with a full account when you could actually just alternate pics when you want to for your screen icons.

When your friends ask what's new, you get mad at them because you already wrote it in your LJ and they didn't check it yet.

You have put more time into LJ than all your assignments for the semester.

You have more friends on LJ than in real life.

You've met at laest 50% of your LJ friends.

You can't seem to call your friends by their real names - only LJ names will do.

You've fallen in love with someone you met on LJ.

You have posted about a party or get together on your LJ... and random strangers showed up.

You are guilty of traveling more than an hour to meet someone with LiveJournal. (Extra points for traveling five hours or more)

You've written a protected entry about one of your LiveJournal friends. (Extra points if they eventually found out about it)

You have written posts to notify people you're going to sleep.

You talk about your LJ friends to your real life friends all the time... like they're a part of your group.

You've created a LJ community, and people actually post in it.

You've been recognized in real live by a fellow LJ'er.

You have friended someone because of their LiveJournal icon.

You have "pity friends" on your list, who you would defriend if you could.

You've pimped one of your friends on journal, trying to get people to friend him / her.

Instead of doing research, you post difficult questions on your LiveJournal.

Your pets all have their own LiveJournals.

You know, right now, how many people have friended you (without peeking).

You've stopped being friends with someone in real life because of something they've said on LJ.

You're guilty of posting sexy or nude pictures to get more people to friend you.

You have consoled yourself after a horrible day thinking "At least this will make a great LJ post"

You're jealous of people who have more friends and / or comments than you.

You have written a really great, solid post - only to be disappointed by the lack of good comments.

You're guilty of commenting excessively to get more traffic to your journal.

You've deleted a post a few minutes (or hours) after you've written it, because it seemed lame in retro spect.

You give shout outs to all your LJ friends on their birthdays.

You have an additional, secret journal that hardly anyone knows about.

You've broken up with someone - or ended a friendship - soley via LiveJournal.

You have gotten mean anonymous comments (bonus points for figuring out who it was via their IP)

You've been reported (or reported someone) to LJ Abuse.

You've been featured on LJ Drama.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends who are LJ addicts.

Get Your Own Addicted Meme Here

More cool things for your blog at Blogthings

On Writing...

2005-08-30T20:00:00.000+01:00

Hey there, thank you for popping in and having a look at this, I'll make this as short as possible... so it's Tuesday, time for me to talk a little about my writing.
My short story Grumpy Old Man is to be published in UKAuthors Anthology, due approx November. I haven’t heard back from the others, it has been a while now so I’m taking it that they don’t want to use what I subbed to them. I haven’t sent anything else out, yet. I keep meaning too, but I keep putting it off.

I’m still working on the usual pieces. Barry is once again at a stand still.

However, I’m plodding along, getting deeper into The Hell of War, here is a very brief outline, it's very basic at the minute:

Set in the First World War, Jimmy meets a man called Billy. They set off on a mini quest through the trenches, but Jimmy has no idea what it is. They befriend a group of frightened Germans hiding in an abandoned dugout who take them hostage. They ask them questions and torture them. One by one, the Germans are killed. Jimmy and Billy have no idea by whom, they break free. Many questions are raised. Then night settles in, an everlasting darkness. Inside that darkness something chases them, it’s after a certain object that Billy has, an object that Billy must get to his destination.

The first two parts can be read on my website here.

As usual, the shorts are still being edited over and over again. I have quite a few short stories written but no matter what I do to them, I’m never happy with them. Maybe it’s time to place them at the bottom of a drawer for a while.

I really need to finish all projects that I have started before getting into new ones… I’m saying that and I’m planning to start a new piece for a challenge! That’s so typical of me!

My biggest problem with my writing is my grammar. I’ve listed a few things to help with that in my forum here. If you have anymore hints and tips on grammar then please give me a shout. I am so blind when it comes to editing my own works... it’s very annoying!

I don’t want to ramble on too much. Some of my pieces can be viewed on my website, as well as my nasty attempts at poetry. I can’t write poetry to save my life. Right, that’s it this week.

Oh yes, nearly forgot. Here is a reader's comment about Still Life that was published in Scifantastic Magazine.

Feedback:

Just read Scifantastic from cover to cover.What a great choice of stories – my favourites were, I’M A COOK, COLD HANDS, WARM HEART, and STILL LIFE. Yes, okay, my stomach turned when on the menu was Fried Human Infant in I’m a cook, but I can forgive almost anything when a story is so well written. The same applied to Still Life. Made my skin crawl but couldn’t stop reading it. It fits in with the amateur sleuth in me/ the whole world it seems, and I was gruesomely interested in how the crime was committed, very CSI. The ending I liked.

If you ain't read it yet, go get yourself a copy now!

What Drink Am I...

2005-08-30T17:00:00.000+01:00

Hahahahaha...

You Are a Mai Tai

You aren't a big drinker, but you'll drink if the atmosphere is festive. And when you're drunk, watch out! You're easily carried away.

What Mixed Drink Are You?

Ain't Kids Funny...

2005-08-29T22:32:00.000+01:00

I nearly forgot what I had planned for a Monday… I was going to write a load of bollocks about sod all, and then I remembered that I said I was going to use Monday’s for talking about my family.

Well last week I mentioned a small bit about my youngest son. So, I’ll have to do something about one of the others, I have five kids to choose from… okay, I’ll start with my eldest.

This is a piece of flash fiction based on a little something that my daughter said to me, something that makes me laugh every time I think about it:

Out on a walk, passing by a high spiked metal fence with a white plastic object embedded between the spikes, my husband winked at me and said to our six year old daughter, “I told you dinosaurs came out at night. Look up there - one of them tried to eat this fence and got his tooth pulled out instead.”

She jumped up and down, smiling with amazement at seeing a real life dinosaurs’ tooth.

Continuing on our walk, our daughter and I fell behind. She tugged at my arm and said, “Mammy, we can’t come back this way.”

Very concerned I asked, “Why, is something wrong?”

She replied, “No, but if we do come back this way daddy won’t be happy.”

“Why is that dear?”

“He will look at the dinosaur tooth again and he might see it’s just a plastic cup.”
“Oh! I see,” I said amused.

“I don’t want daddy sad, you know what he’s like with dinosaurs, he’s a bigger kid than me.”

Scary Quizz...

2005-08-29T21:15:00.000+01:00

Tis a load of nonsense!

You Are Scary

You even scare scary people sometimes!

How scary are you?

Hidden Talent...

2005-08-28T23:30:00.000+01:00

Oh wow! I have a hidden talent!

Your Hidden Talent

You're super sensitive and easily able to understand situations. You tend to solve complex problems in a flash, without needing a lot of facts. Decision making is easy for you. You have killer intuition. The right path is always clear, and you're a bit of a visionary.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Two Weeks...

2005-08-27T15:08:00.000+01:00

Jeeezz, it's been two weeks since I started my daily journal. It’s been a busy week this week. I’m still peed off with the prices of sanitary protection. And as you can tell I’m still addicted to these quizzes, I may have to see a shrink.

The writing is still going on. And I’m now Marketing Coordinator of Gold Dust magazine. We are looking for artists at the moment, as we would love to illustrate the magazine. Please see the website for more details if you’re interested or email me, my addy can be found on my website.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my thoughts on my book report and on this week’s film.

If you have not already read it, then can you please read Michael’s article, They Are Going To Send Angels To Prison, based on adoption issues, please feel free to comment to Mike via the comment buttons. And of course follow the links to have a peek at his writings. Just scroll down to find him.

Yes, I’m quickly rushing through this today, as I’m supposed to be relaxing but I managed to moan so I can have thirty minutes on the PC…

Please take a look at the people listed in my friends list, I will talk about them tomorrow, there’s some great journals out there. If you want to be on my friends list, all you have to do is give me a shout.

Right I’m off. Have a good weekend… I’m trying too…

What Type Of Killer Am I...

2005-08-27T14:45:00.001+01:00

You kill for revenge.
That is because you have lost something or
someone you held very dear. Now you can't seem
to get over the loss that marked your soul, and
the only solution is to go after the one person
who brought all this pain to you. Chances are
you are angry inside and you bottle everything
up and don't talk to anyone about it. People
may want to help, but you think that they can
never understand your pain and only get
frustrated because of this. But it is important
to see all that you have left and be thankful
of that even if you have lost something great.
It may not be true that Times heals all wounds,
but with time and talking about your feelings,
maybe the hurt will ease.

Main weapon: Yourself

Quote: "You can close your eyes to
reality but not to memories" -Stainslaw J.
Lec

Facial expression: Gritted teeth and
teary eyes

What Type of Killer Are You? [cool pictures]
brought to you by Quizilla

A Film Called - The Skeleton Key...

2005-08-26T23:46:00.000+01:00

The Skeleton Key, advertised as a horror… hhmmm… more of a psychological film to me, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think what makes this film more successful than other films is that everything works; it doesn’t rely on silly gimmicks like the average horror films. The plot hooks you in and keeps you at the edge of your seat as things become more mysterious and intriguing. And the ending… don’t you just hate it when someone spoils the ending of a film and tells you what happened? It freaked me out, that’s all I will tell you. I know I can be a bitch, but I wouldn’t do that, go watch it!

This is the basics of the film, a young care worker for the elderly, Caroline, takes a new job in Louisiana, it has the typical setting here though, large house in the middle of nowhere. She cares for an elderly man, Ben, a stroke victim who is bed ridden and is unable to talk. Caroline is given a skeleton key from Ben’s wife, Violet. Unsurprisingly, Caroline finds herself in the attic and finds a hidden door, she eventually enters the room… am I giving too much away? Okay I’ll not mention anymore on the plot, apart from that Caroline is determined to release Ben from his nightmares…

Once you’ve watched this you will realise that the previews are scarier than the film… another typical thing in the horror world of movies. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve nearly shit myself watching a preview only to find myself disappointed with the actual movie. Yes, in a way I was peed off with this one, as it wasn’t that scary, but it has such a strong winding plot that makes up for it.

Nope I ain’t going to moan about the prices of cinema tickets this time or the price of a hotdog. What I am going to moan about are other people in the cinema. Why the hell do they go when they have a bad cough? Do they do it on purpose? ‘Oh, I’m not feeling well tonight, I’ve coughed my guts up all day… lets go to the cinema.’ Yeah, what a brain wave! Some people can be so dumb at times…

Right that’s it for this week. Please don’t go to the movies with a cough, it is very annoying unless you know someone who is going, and you don’t like them.

My Blog Test...

2005-08-26T21:04:00.000+01:00

Wow! I have brain power, I wonder where it is...

Your Blogging Type is Confident and Insightful

You've got a ton of brain power, and you leverage it into brilliant blog. Both creative and logical, you come up with amazing ideas and insights. A total perfectionist, you find yourself revising and rewriting posts a lot of the time. You blog for yourself - and you don't care how popular (or unpopular) your blog is!

What's Your Blogging Personality?

A Writer Called Michael Acton...

2005-08-25T23:00:00.001+01:00

Hello there, this weeks author that I would like to introduce to you is Michael Acton, a talented writer and much more!

Michael has his own website here. A monthly competition is also held through his website here.

The following are his own words. Make sure you have a hankie ready...
MY LIFE IN SMALL DOSES by Michael Acton

Two “occupations” consume my life, apart from viewing the world through the bottom of a beer glass in the blue haze of a downtown bar.
Writing and Adoption issues.

The two subjects are inexorably linked with the small but vivid doses of life I’ve experienced.

It was inevitable that I would enter the world on Halloween, at 0350 hours in a pre NHS hospital deep in the suburbs of Manchester.

My childhood was, in retrospect, strange and weird.

The people who brought me up, I naturally regarded as my parents and their daughter I assumed to be my much loved sister. My early years drifted by on an endless sea of happiness, contentment and what seemed to me as never ending hot summer days.

It all changed when I was 7 years old.

I returned home one day teasing and being teased, as brothers and sisters do after a long day at school. I could hear voices, raised voices, coming from the front room that was used normally only on special occasions. I was called in to see a very tall (I was only small, every one looked tall) lady with bright red hair.
She knelt down to my level and said, “Hello Michael, I’m your mummy.”

That night I cried myself to sleep, very confused and bewildered.

In my mature years, I can identify the feelings I had as resentment and fear. I felt resentment because some one could bulldozer their way into my happy existence, and fear of the unknown.

Muriel, my mother, had given me to her parents to be looked after because she decided she, at that time, wanted nothing to do with me. (Her words.)

The sister I thought was mine was in fact hers, but only three years older than me.

Muriel married in 1953 and three years later when I ‘d almost reached my tenth birthday, her husband adopted me. I can only remember unhappiness during the next five years. And a feeling of rejection, especially when I asked about my birth father.

The next dose of life occurred when I was fifteen and was the victim of a sexual assault by a teacher at school. I was missing for several hours that day and no one asked questions, especially Muriel. It was brushed “under the carpet” except I had to live with the consequences.

The trauma caused a condition called Hypogonatrophic Hypogonadism; to get an idea of what this is read my story One and Only.

I had several routine clerical jobs mainly in the Civil Service and was posted on one occasion to HM Dockyard Portsmouth. By this time I had married, although because of the above condition, was unable to father children. We adopted two children off mutual friends, who were incapable of looking after them and moved from Portsmouth across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. In 1975 my much-loved grandmother who, as I mentioned brought me up, died. When I went to the doctors to get something to see me through the trauma of the funereal it was he who diagnosed the Hyopogonadism and I started to receive treatment.

I felt as if my life was back on track when we found my wife was pregnant shortly after the treatment started, but sadly she had a miscarriage and as the treatment was only short term, we never had the opportunity again. The miscarriage had such an effect on our lives that it was only three months ago (May 2005) that we felt we could talk about it together.

Needless to say, we were offered no support from Muriel or her new family and it was from that experience that I started to make determined efforts to find my father.

The Adoption Act of 1974 made it possible for adoptees to access there adoption files and I applied for mine, but it was 27 years before I actually saw them!

In he meantime, I had a breakdown and as a therapy it was suggested I start writing. I had always had a vivid imagination and on rainy days told stories to friends in our garden shed. My first effort was a dire sci fi story about the return of Jesus as a spaceman! It still lies rotting away somewhere.

In 1982 I wrote SEABOOTS (recently updated and included in the UKA anthology) and was lucky enough to win a national short story comp. With it
I won a rose bowl as well, but was not allowed to bring it from Farnborough, as they weren’t insured. Instead I had to make do with a photograph of it that I lost over the side of the ferry on my way home, although I still have the certificate to prove it wasn’t a dream!

I wrote several stories which were later included in a self published anthology of my early work TALES FROM THE LABYRINTH between 1982 and 1985 all of which reflect the darkness which appeared in large doses, in my life at that time.
I did have two articles published in the Hampshire County Magazine for which I was paid the princely sum of £8!

In 1987, I started work as a postman, my first job after my breakdown. I was so desperate to prove myself, I used to walk seven miles down dark country lanes to get to work, as I couldn’t drive and buying a bike was too dear for me. Later they took me on a permanent basis much nearer home and I was as pleased as punch when several months later I became the local trade union secretary.

My writing took a back seat, but at the forefront of my mind was the continuous need to know about my father. I asked my mother on several occasions, but she would never divulge anything. In the meantime she and the rest of the family pretended our children, Muriels grandchildren, didn’t exist. They were wiped from their lives. When my half brother had his first child Muriel proudly declared, she was a grandmother for the first time. I had to remind her, non too politley, she had been a grandmother for ten years!

My next dose of realism took place on March 31st 1992. I had arrived home from work after working a twelve-hour shift to be greeted by two policemen who arrested me for an assault. I was in a state of shock and being ignorant of the law allowed myself to be interviewed without a solicitor present. I spent that night in a psychiatric hospital instead of a cell such was the trauma.

After this my life really collapsed around me. I engaged a solicitor to fight the case who many years later I found out wasn’t qualified. When the case came to trial key witnesses for my defence were not called and the police scared off the main defence witness. This should have been reported to the judge of course.

Despite having been resident in the local psychiatric hospital for several weeks and the trial halted three times because I was unfit to stand, my barrister called me into the witness box. I told the truth, but I must have appeared a shambolic figure in the dock .To cut a long story short the jury found me guilty and I was sentenced to 12 years.

This part has a sequel which destroys all faith in the legal system .I will return to this later.

I was released in 2001 after serving eight years having refused parole because I would not admit guilt for reasons that hopefully will be clear as mentioned above.

My prison experience is reflected in some of my later work; ROOM 28, PORKIES FINEST HOUR, A SPY ABROAD, A NIGHT AT THE DORCHESTER, and the novel I am working on which also includes my adoption experiences UNLOCK.

While I was inside I also wrote a story that won a prison comp. A GIFT FOR QUINTON LOCK.

On my release, I went to a hostel near Portsmouth and saw a letter in the Isle of Wight paper (yes they do have it there too), which was to change my life.
It was from a gentleman called Malcolm looking for his father who, at one time, lived on the Island. I offered to help because of my local knowledge and found that although his father had died many years previously, but I was able to tie many loose ends for him with regard to the rest of his family.

Two years ago he produced a book about the search which was in part dedicated to me. I am immensely proud of my copy, but sadly, Malcolm died shortly afterwards.

Through working on this, I realised there were many people who had lost contact with their loved ones through adoption or family breakdowns so I started to offer my services. I joined the USA based search angels as one of three UK based researchers.

In my first case as an “angel” I reunited a daughter with her father. He had worked on the pirate radio ship Radio Caroline and used to pass his daughters house every day on his way to work!

Other cases followed, including a son reunited with his mother. The local priest had fathered him and the mother forced to keep her silence by the church. Fortunately, they are happily reunited, but still feel the guilt of those missing years.

My name became known abroad as well and an Australian lady got in touch desperately looking for her mother. I found her within weeks in Ireland, but she would not answer my letters. I left it for several months before finally in August 2004 she relented and sent a photograph and letter. They are also happily reunited although she has yet to tell her eight children!

It would be foolish to say every case ended this way though, human nature being what it is. The saddest was a lady in Portugal, whose father I found had died some years ago. But he had two other daughters who refused to accept my friend into the family. They could not accept that their father had known anyone other than their mother. This is despite the “affair” taking place some ten years before he met his future wife!

Many happier stories followed, but the pinnacle was a lady who had been looking for her mother for many years and paid a researcher hundreds of pounds to carry out the search without success. I found her in three weeks. It did help because the mother and her family had also been looking. In November 2004, my wife and I were invited to a lavish weekend stay at a top London hotel and a dinner held in our honour by the family.

In another “happy ending”, I reunited a mother and daughter after 51 years apart. The mother remarried on the 13th August, in Australia with her newly found daughter present. There was a piece in an Australian paper written about the search.

My quickest search took ten minutes! I reunited a mother and daughter after matching the mother’s details with her friends Reunited profile.

Earlier this year, I reunited two brothers who last saw each other in 1933. I am currently looking for two other of their siblings and in another case a son who lost touch with his mother when she remarried and moved to the USA.

I keep in touch with all my “clients” and am there for them, should any problems arise.

As well as the London break, I have been privileged to meet some of the people I have helped and have many lifelong friends. Money cannot buy any of that.

That’s a good enough reason for not making a charge for my services.

It would be foolish to say every case is successful, clearly there are some whose cases are difficult to solve and often impossible because of lack of information.
Which brings me back to the search for my birth father.

Toward the end of my sentence, I decided I would write to my mother and ask her outright who my father was. It was many weeks and reminders before she replied.

Her story is that in April 1945 she joined the Land Army aged just 18 and was posted to a small village in Berkshire to work on a farm which “doubled” as a prisoner of war camp. In January 1946, she met a soldier from Cumbria (Cumbria did not exist in 1946 but these are her words) his name was Bill Davies and before she could tell him she was pregnant he was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was said to be about the same age as Muriel.

As I was helping Malcolm find his father, I also checked records for deaths of Bill Davies in 1946, as well as writing to coroners courts, checking the war casualty lists. deaths abroad and many more sources. Nothing was found. The nearest I have got is a William Davies born 1924 in Barrow in Furness, but that was in Lancashire in 1946, now in Cumbria after the 1974 boundary changes.
Then something very strange happened.

As part of my search, I wrote to every farm in Berkshire, at that time not knowing where Muriel had been stationed and I had a reply from a farmer who, for obvious reasons I can only identify as WF.

He said he remembered Muriel very well. Bearing in mind this was in 2002 some 56 years after she had me, she must have made some impression considering she worked for him for such a short time. But the weird part of his letter read and I quote directly from it.

“I cannot add anything to that which I wrote previously.”

So who had he written to previously? It was certainly not me, this was the first time I had heard of him! When I replied asking for further details I received a very abrupt reply from his wife demanding I never contact them again. Why the hostility? What had they to hide? Since then I have asked myself what if WF was my father, I also asked Muriel, predictably she denied it.

WF died a month ago taking his secret with him.

As for my current searches. I am involved in a complex adoption related search, which will involve a trip to the Family Record Centre shortly. I am waiting for Army Personnel records in two other cases and trying to find out what happened to a lady from New Zealand who vanished over 50 years ago. Ironically her son who is looking is involved with the New Zealand prison service!

I have written two adoption related items recently. The first for all those who have to deal with obstacle of uncooperative family WAS IT YOUR FIRST TIME? And the other an article about draconian adoption laws coming into effect later this year (2005) THEY ARE GOING TO SEND ANGELS TO PRISON. (Can be read at the bottom of the page)

While the anger is still with me I will still write. I have written many stories in the last two years and entered them for competitions, but to date my only success was a highly recommended love story SUMMER ROSE, although I was privileged to be chosen as UKA writer of the month in November 2004.

I have had two stories accepted for anthologies THE UNFORGIVEN published by Queenspark press and as I mentioned earlier Seaboots in the UKA anthology.

And so to the future. Well I am actively involved with getting my conviction quashed. My case is before the CCRC, which deals with people suspected of being wrongly convicted. But priority, quite rightly, is given to those still in prisons.

As a sequel to the case, in December 2003 I came face to face with my accuser. She had been arrested for a breach of peace at my house because she wanted access to her son who A) did not want to see her and B) we had guardianship of.
She admitted in front of several witnesses, including of course the police that she had lied in 1992. She is now detained under the Mental Health Act ironically in the same hospital I was prior to my trial.

I also have to live with a broken hip that cannot be repaired, as a result of an assault by a prison officer.

That’s my story for now.

I would like to finish off with a very important article written by Michael.

They Are Going To Send Angels To Prison

This article is about angels but not beings with angelic faces who live on fluffy clouds… The title of this article may sound comical, weird, even nonsensical, but when a new Act of Parliament comes into force in December 2005, this is what will be happening. When the INTERNET was "born”, it opened a new world for millions of people in a way that I am sure could never have been imagined. It allowed people to search on any subject under the sun, find a job, shop, bank without having to leave the home, make new friends. For one special group of people it also brought hope. These people are special because they don't belong to "nuclear" families, very often never knowing their true identity. Adoption is a fairly modern phenomenon and first used extensively during the First World War to accommodate orphans of that terrible conflict. Being adopted and being told, "you are special because we chose you" means a lot to a child who is bewildered and frightened when they find themselves living with strangers. The problems occur when they grow more aware and want to find their birth family. This doesn't always happen of course and many adoptees have no wish to search. In addition, an adoptee may not want to search for fear of upsetting the family who has brought them up. But always, no matter how loved they are in their adopted family, in their hearts there is an empty space, which nags away like a persistent ache. Those searching have in the past, had to overcome tremendous obstacles, not least those adopted out of the so-called "caring" institutions like Barnodo's, the church societies and the NCH. They were and still are, to a lesser extent, reluctant to share information with those who have a right to know. The 1974 Adoption Act did make it easier to access adoption files, but often identifying information was "mislaid" or decreed too sensitive to be divulged to the enquirer. As the computer age dawned, and with new ways of searching public records a new "industry " came into being. Search agencies who charged astronomical amounts (£15000 in some cases) to search for birth families. They carried on their lucrative trade preying on the emotions of vulnerable people. In the USA, the adoption laws for those searching are even more draconian and for many years, an organization aptly named "The Bastard Nation" has been campaigning for change. Out of this group the Search Angels were formed. We are an international group of searchers who use the Internet and public records, to help those adoptees searching for their identity.

We don't receive payment, nor do we expect any. Many of us, myself included, are adoptees, and are driven by an insatiable need for self-identification. But in the UK, this will all change. From December it will be illegal… yes illegal... for individuals like myself to conduct searches on behalf of adoptees. If we do so, we risk being sent to prison for a MINIMUM of six months plus a fine of £5000. ALL searches are to be carried out by registered Adoption Search Agencies run by either large organizations or local Social Service departments. Private ASA's will have to pay up wards of £4000 to register and the adoptee will have to pay a large fee to discover there birthright, with the attendant possibility of misappropriation. I hope the politicians who instigated this brutal change to Adoption law are proud of the misery they will undoubtedly bring. To see the work of a search angel visit here. Please feel to contact Michael about this issue.

A Writer Called Michael Acton...

2005-08-25T23:00:00.000+01:00

Hello there, this weeks author that I would like to introduce to you is Michael Acton, a talented writer and much more!

Michael has his own website here. A monthly competition is also held through his website here.

The following are his own words. Make sure you have a hankie ready...
MY LIFE IN SMALL DOSES by Michael Acton

Two “occupations” consume my life, apart from viewing the world through the bottom of a beer glass in the blue haze of a downtown bar.
Writing and Adoption issues.

The two subjects are inexorably linked with the small but vivid doses of life I’ve experienced.

It was inevitable that I would enter the world on Halloween, at 0350 hours in a pre NHS hospital deep in the suburbs of Manchester.

My childhood was, in retrospect, strange and weird.

The people who brought me up, I naturally regarded as my parents and their daughter I assumed to be my much loved sister. My early years drifted by on an endless sea of happiness, contentment and what seemed to me as never ending hot summer days.

It all changed when I was 7 years old.

I returned home one day teasing and being teased, as brothers and sisters do after a long day at school. I could hear voices, raised voices, coming from the front room that was used normally only on special occasions. I was called in to see a very tall (I was only small, every one looked tall) lady with bright red hair.
She knelt down to my level and said, “Hello Michael, I’m your mummy.”

That night I cried myself to sleep, very confused and bewildered.

In my mature years, I can identify the feelings I had as resentment and fear. I felt resentment because some one could bulldozer their way into my happy existence, and fear of the unknown.

Muriel, my mother, had given me to her parents to be looked after because she decided she, at that time, wanted nothing to do with me. (Her words.)

The sister I thought was mine was in fact hers, but only three years older than me.

Muriel married in 1953 and three years later when I ‘d almost reached my tenth birthday, her husband adopted me. I can only remember unhappiness during the next five years. And a feeling of rejection, especially when I asked about my birth father.

The next dose of life occurred when I was fifteen and was the victim of a sexual assault by a teacher at school. I was missing for several hours that day and no one asked questions, especially Muriel. It was brushed “under the carpet” except I had to live with the consequences.

The trauma caused a condition called Hypogonatrophic Hypogonadism; to get an idea of what this is read my story One and Only.

I had several routine clerical jobs mainly in the Civil Service and was posted on one occasion to HM Dockyard Portsmouth. By this time I had married, although because of the above condition, was unable to father children. We adopted two children off mutual friends, who were incapable of looking after them and moved from Portsmouth across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. In 1975 my much-loved grandmother who, as I mentioned brought me up, died. When I went to the doctors to get something to see me through the trauma of the funereal it was he who diagnosed the Hyopogonadism and I started to receive treatment.

I felt as if my life was back on track when we found my wife was pregnant shortly after the treatment started, but sadly she had a miscarriage and as the treatment was only short term, we never had the opportunity again. The miscarriage had such an effect on our lives that it was only three months ago (May 2005) that we felt we could talk about it together.

Needless to say, we were offered no support from Muriel or her new family and it was from that experience that I started to make determined efforts to find my father.

The Adoption Act of 1974 made it possible for adoptees to access there adoption files and I applied for mine, but it was 27 years before I actually saw them!

In he meantime, I had a breakdown and as a therapy it was suggested I start writing. I had always had a vivid imagination and on rainy days told stories to friends in our garden shed. My first effort was a dire sci fi story about the return of Jesus as a spaceman! It still lies rotting away somewhere.

In 1982 I wrote SEABOOTS (recently updated and included in the UKA anthology) and was lucky enough to win a national short story comp. With it
I won a rose bowl as well, but was not allowed to bring it from Farnborough, as they weren’t insured. Instead I had to make do with a photograph of it that I lost over the side of the ferry on my way home, although I still have the certificate to prove it wasn’t a dream!

I wrote several stories which were later included in a self published anthology of my early work TALES FROM THE LABYRINTH between 1982 and 1985 all of which reflect the darkness which appeared in large doses, in my life at that time.
I did have two articles published in the Hampshire County Magazine for which I was paid the princely sum of £8!

In 1987, I started work as a postman, my first job after my breakdown. I was so desperate to prove myself, I used to walk seven miles down dark country lanes to get to work, as I couldn’t drive and buying a bike was too dear for me. Later they took me on a permanent basis much nearer home and I was as pleased as punch when several months later I became the local trade union secretary.

My writing took a back seat, but at the forefront of my mind was the continuous need to know about my father. I asked my mother on several occasions, but she would never divulge anything. In the meantime she and the rest of the family pretended our children, Muriels grandchildren, didn’t exist. They were wiped from their lives. When my half brother had his first child Muriel proudly declared, she was a grandmother for the first time. I had to remind her, non too politley, she had been a grandmother for ten years!

My next dose of realism took place on March 31st 1992. I had arrived home from work after working a twelve-hour shift to be greeted by two policemen who arrested me for an assault. I was in a state of shock and being ignorant of the law allowed myself to be interviewed without a solicitor present. I spent that night in a psychiatric hospital instead of a cell such was the trauma.

After this my life really collapsed around me. I engaged a solicitor to fight the case who many years later I found out wasn’t qualified. When the case came to trial key witnesses for my defence were not called and the police scared off the main defence witness. This should have been reported to the judge of course.

Despite having been resident in the local psychiatric hospital for several weeks and the trial halted three times because I was unfit to stand, my barrister called me into the witness box. I told the truth, but I must have appeared a shambolic figure in the dock .To cut a long story short the jury found me guilty and I was sentenced to 12 years.

This part has a sequel which destroys all faith in the legal system .I will return to this later.

I was released in 2001 after serving eight years having refused parole because I would not admit guilt for reasons that hopefully will be clear as mentioned above.

My prison experience is reflected in some of my later work; ROOM 28, PORKIES FINEST HOUR, A SPY ABROAD, A NIGHT AT THE DORCHESTER, and the novel I am working on which also includes my adoption experiences UNLOCK.

While I was inside I also wrote a story that won a prison comp. A GIFT FOR QUINTON LOCK.

On my release, I went to a hostel near Portsmouth and saw a letter in the Isle of Wight paper (yes they do have it there too), which was to change my life.

It was from a gentleman called Malcolm looking for his father who, at one time, lived on the Island. I offered to help because of my local knowledge and found that although his father had died many years previously, but I was able to tie many loose ends for him with regard to the rest of his family.

Two years ago he produced a book about the search which was in part dedicated to me. I am immensely proud of my copy, but sadly, Malcolm died shortly afterwards.

Through working on this, I realised there were many people who had lost contact with their loved ones through adoption or family breakdowns so I started to offer my services. I joined the USA based search angels as one of three UK based researchers.

In my first case as an “angel” I reunited a daughter with her father. He had worked on the pirate radio ship Radio Caroline and used to pass his daughters house every day on his way to work!

Other cases followed, including a son reunited with his mother. The local priest had fathered him and the mother forced to keep her silence by the church.

Fortunately, they are happily reunited, but still feel the guilt of those missing years.

My name became known abroad as well and an Australian lady got in touch desperately looking for her mother. I found her within weeks in Ireland, but she would not answer my letters. I left it for several months before finally in August 2004 she relented and sent a photograph and letter. They are also happily reunited although she has yet to tell her eight children!

It would be foolish to say every case ended this way though, human nature being what it is. The saddest was a lady in Portugal, whose father I found had died some years ago. But he had two other daughters who refused to accept my friend into the family. They could not accept that their father had known anyone other than their mother. This is despite the “affair” taking place some ten years before he met his future wife!

Many happier stories followed, but the pinnacle was a lady who had been looking for her mother for many years and paid a researcher hundreds of pounds to carry out the search without success. I found her in three weeks. It did help because the mother and her family had also been looking. In November 2004, my wife and I were invited to a lavish weekend stay at a top London hotel and a dinner held in our honour by the family.

In another “happy ending”, I reunited a mother and daughter after 51 years apart. The mother remarried on the 13th August, in Australia with her newly found daughter present. There was a piece in an Australian paper written about the search.

My quickest search took ten minutes! I reunited a mother and daughter after matching the mother’s details with her friends Reunited profile.

Earlier this year, I reunited two brothers who last saw each other in 1933. I am currently looking for two other of their siblings and in another case a son who lost touch with his mother when she remarried and moved to the USA.

I keep in touch with all my “clients” and am there for them, should any problems arise.

As well as the London break, I have been privileged to meet some of the people I have helped and have many lifelong friends. Money cannot buy any of that.

That’s a good enough reason for not making a charge for my services.

It would be foolish to say every case is successful, clearly there are some whose cases are difficult to solve and often impossible because of lack of information.
Which brings me back to the search for my birth father.

Toward the end of my sentence, I decided I would write to my mother and ask her outright who my father was. It was many weeks and reminders before she replied.

Her story is that in April 1945 she joined the Land Army aged just 18 and was posted to a small village in Berkshire to work on a farm which “doubled” as a prisoner of war camp. In January 1946, she met a soldier from Cumbria (Cumbria did not exist in 1946 but these are her words) his name was Bill Davies and before she could tell him she was pregnant he was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was said to be about the same age as Muriel.

As I was helping Malcolm find his father, I also checked records for deaths of Bill Davies in 1946, as well as writing to coroners courts, checking the war casualty lists. deaths abroad and many more sources. Nothing was found. The nearest I have got is a William Davies born 1924 in Barrow in Furness, but that was in Lancashire in 1946, now in Cumbria after the 1974 boundary changes.
Then something very strange happened.

As part of my search, I wrote to every farm in Berkshire, at that time not knowing where Muriel had been stationed and I had a reply from a farmer who, for obvious reasons I can only identify as WF.

He said he remembered Muriel very well. Bearing in mind this was in 2002 some 56 years after she had me, she must have made some impression considering she worked for him for such a short time. But the weird part of his letter read and I quote directly from it.

“I cannot add anything to that which I wrote previously.”

So who had he written to previously? It was certainly not me, this was the first time I had heard of him! When I replied asking for further details I received a very abrupt reply from his wife demanding I never contact them again. Why the hostility? What had they to hide? Since then I have asked myself what if WF was my father, I also asked Muriel, predictably she denied it.

WF died a month ago taking his secret with him.

As for my current searches. I am involved in a complex adoption related search, which will involve a trip to the Family Record Centre shortly. I am waiting for Army Personnel records in two other cases and trying to find out what happened to a lady from New Zealand who vanished over 50 years ago. Ironically her son who is looking is involved with the New Zealand prison service!

I have written two adoption related items recently. The first for all those who have to deal with obstacle of uncooperative family WAS IT YOUR FIRST TIME? And the other an article about draconian adoption laws coming into effect later this year (2005) THEY ARE GOING TO SEND ANGELS TO PRISON. (Can be read at the bottom of the page)

While the anger is still with me I will still write. I have written many stories in the last two years and entered them for competitions, but to date my only success was a highly recommended love story SUMMER ROSE, although I was privileged to be chosen as UKA writer of the month in November 2004.

I have had two stories accepted for anthologies THE UNFORGIVEN published by Queenspark press and as I mentioned earlier Seaboots in the UKA anthology.

And so to the future. Well I am actively involved with getting my conviction quashed. My case is before the CCRC, which deals with people suspected of being wrongly convicted. But priority, quite rightly, is given to those still in prisons.

As a sequel to the case, in December 2003 I came face to face with my accuser. She had been arrested for a breach of peace at my house because she wanted access to her son who A) did not want to see her and B) we had guardianship of.

She admitted in front of several witnesses, including of course the police that she had lied in 1992. She is now detained under the Mental Health Act ironically in the same hospital I was prior to my trial.

I also have to live with a broken hip that cannot be repaired, as a result of an assault by a prison officer.

That’s my story for now.

I would like to finish off with a very important article written by Michael.

They Are Going To Send Angels To Prison

This article is about angels but not beings with angelic faces who live on fluffy clouds… The title of this article may sound comical, weird, even nonsensical, but when a new Act of Parliament comes into force in December 2005, this is what will be happening. When the INTERNET was "born”, it opened a new world for millions of people in a way that I am sure could never have been imagined. It allowed people to search on any subject under the sun, find a job, shop, bank without having to leave the home, make new friends. For one special group of people it also brought hope. These people are special because they don't belong to "nuclear" families, very often never knowing their true identity. Adoption is a fairly modern phenomenon and first used extensively during the First World War to accommodate orphans of that terrible conflict. Being adopted and being told, "you are special because we chose you" means a lot to a child who is bewildered and frightened when they find themselves living with strangers. The problems occur when they grow more aware and want to find their birth family.

This doesn't always happen of course and many adoptees have no wish to search. In addition, an adoptee may not want to search for fear of upsetting the family who has brought them up. But always, no matter how loved they are in their adopted family, in their hearts there is an empty space, which nags away like a persistent ache. Those searching have in the past, had to overcome tremendous obstacles, not least those adopted out of the so-called "caring" institutions like Barnodo's, the church societies and the NCH. They were and still are, to a lesser extent, reluctant to share information with those who have a right to know. The 1974 Adoption Act did make it easier to access adoption files, but often identifying information was "mislaid" or decreed too sensitive to be divulged to the enquirer. As the computer age dawned, and with new ways of searching public records a new "industry " came into being. Search agencies who charged astronomical amounts (£15000 in some cases) to search for birth families. They carried on their lucrative trade preying on the emotions of vulnerable people. In the USA, the adoption laws for those searching are even more draconian and for many years, an organization aptly named "The Bastard Nation" has been campaigning for change. Out of this group the Search Angels were formed. We are an international group of searchers who use the Internet and public records, to help those adoptees searching for their identity.

We don't receive payment, nor do we expect any. Many of us, myself included, are adoptees, and are driven by an insatiable need for self-identification. But in the UK, this will all change. From December it will be illegal… yes illegal... for individuals like myself to conduct searches on behalf of adoptees. If we do so, we risk being sent to prison for a MINIMUM of six months plus a fine of £5000. ALL searches are to be carried out by registered Adoption Search Agencies run by either large organizations or local Social Service departments. Private ASA's will have to pay up wards of £4000 to register and the adoptee will have to pay a large fee to discover there birthright, with the attendant possibility of misappropriation. I hope the politicians who instigated this brutal change to Adoption law are proud of the misery they will undoubtedly bring. To see the work of a search angel visit here. Please feel to contact Michael about this issue.

My Virgo Profile...

2005-08-25T22:30:00.000+01:00

Yup, I'm a VIRGO

Virgo - Your Love Profile

Your positive traits:

You're incredibly thoughtful and able to give your partner what they need most.
You are totally logical. You can deal with problems without involving your emotions.
A good work ethic. You'll do whatever it takes (within reason) to make your relationship work.

Your negative traits:

Sometimes you are so focused on your goals that you let your relationships suffer
You tend to be a perfectionist - and expect perfection from your mate as well
You are picky. So picky that you rather be single than with someone who has a few minor faults.

Your ideal partner:

Values success in life as much as you do
Fits a checklist of qualities you've been looking for since childhood
Like you, is more practical and realistic than romantic

Your dating style:

Active. You're a bit hyper, so you'd prefer a date that involved rollerblading in the park or hiking.

Your seduction style:

You may seem a bit shy, but once you open up to someone - you're totally uninhibited
You like to set the scene first - candles, music, nice sheets
A bit obsessed with cleanliness, you may want to shower first with your love

Tips for the future:

Soften up a little. Vulnerability is sexy - and feels great over time.
Lower your standards a little. Look past a messy desk or someone being five minutes late.
Praise your partner more. You make expect them to be successful, but complements are still appreciated.

Best place to meet someone online:

eHarmony - the best place to find other busy singles looking for a serious relationship

Best color to attract mate: Navy blue

Best day for a date: Wednesday

Get your free love profile at Blogthings.

A Book Called – The Gunslinger by Stephen King

2005-08-24T22:48:00.000+01:00

My doesn’t the week pass by quickly. Wednesday already. How are you? I’m doing very well, for once!

For my first bit on books has got to be about Stephen King, a class writer in my eyes. I’d do anything to get inside that man’s head… and I do mean anything! Feel free to give a comment or your advice on this book.

Here we go then, the book is Stephen King’s The Gunslinger.

This is Stephen King's first novel of seven in a series; one way to describe them is that they’re an exceptional classic fantasy quest. Best sellers all round. This book is by no means the biggest in the series; it is basically an introduction to a much more larger, complex story. The pace is fast; you can easily read this one in a day or two.

I've been an avid reader of Stephen King for a long time now, I’ll admit I was put off buying this book as it was not one of his typical horror books that I have grew up with and loved. However, I’m a girl who will try anything, so I grabbed a copy and started reading it, a few days later I was finished, and I was left needing more!

This book, The Gunslinger, introduces us to the main character Roland Of Gilead, the last of the Gunslingers from the line of Eld. He embarks on a journey across the western desert, into a desolate world that frighteningly echoes our own, tracking down the man in black, a dark figure who can answer many of his questions. He encounters a fascinating woman and Jake, a kid from New York. Faced with an unbearable decision, Roland is torn between damnation and salvation as he determines to find out what the man in black knows. The flashbacks and dreams throughout help the story and build the main character. As for the end, well it gives you a feeling that you want to get to the dark tower as quickly as possible to see what is there waiting for him.

So, you could say I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as the others. I’m now onto the fifth one and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next ones. A must read in my eyes.

Synopsis:
A fantasy tale describing the quest of the gunslinger, a man in tattered black, who passes back and forth through a door leading to two parallel worlds, and of those people under intense psychological pressure in the late 20th-century civilization who alone have the power to join him in the quest.

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is Stephen King’s most visionary piece of storytelling, a magical mix of fantasy and horror that may well be his crowning achievement. Join the quest for the elusive Dark Tower. The Tower is closer than you thought…

Proud To Be British...

2005-08-24T21:30:00.000+01:00

This is So funny, cos it's true!!!

You Know You're British When....

Be very proud to be British because...

Only in Britain... can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

Only in Britain... do supermarkets make sick people walk all the way to the back of the shop to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in Britain... do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a DIET coke.

Only in Britain... do banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to the counters.

Only in Britain... do we leave cars worth thousands of pounds on the drive and lock our junk and cheap lawn mower in the garage.

Only in Britain... do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.

Only in Britain... are there disabled parking places in front of a skating rink.

Get Your Own "You Know You're" Meme Here

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Another Tuesday...

2005-08-23T23:30:00.000+01:00

Hey there again, you ready to get bored to death? Good!

In case you didn’t know, today is Tuesday and time for me to chat about my writing. If you haven’t read my first entry about my writing, then scroll down and have a peek at last Tuesday’s entry.

Obviously, the novels are still going, maybe a bit slow but I’m getting there. Short stories still on, even though ‘Sins of the Flesh’ a horror story may be scrapped and re-wrote from a different angle.

Over the past few days I’ve mentioned a challenge I had set on UKA. Well the challenge was to write a short story over 1000 words and the below must be added to it:

Theme:
Take a hand full of UKA members and write a story about them, any genre, the following MUST be used:
· They are staying in a haunted house.
· One gets murdered.
· One is a ghost.
In addition, the following phrases/words MUST be used:
· Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight. · And all the air a solemn stillness holds.
· Here rests his head upon the lap of Earth a youth to fortune and to fame unknown.
· Xylograph.
· Xenophon.
· Xanthic.

My first plan was to make it a horror… I failed miserably. It is now a comedy piece and I don’t do comedy very well… if you fancy having a peek here’s my entry.

It was obviously a hard challenge, only one more person entered, you can read his here. He has two of the characters spot on! I was creased up with his piece; it was a damn good effort!

I hope that we’ll have a few late entries at another date.

Even though, there are only a few entries to the challenges on UKA I will persist and nag more people to join in on them.

I’m glad my challenge is over. It drove me up the wall! I’ve looked back over mine and I have seen loads of places where I can improve it. It’s funny how having a deadline puts you under pressure…

For those of you who don’t have a clue what UKA is, it’s a site for wannabe writers to submit their work and receive feedback to strengthen the works. If you’re a writer you should drop in and have a good look around, their resources are invaluable.

Not much new going on this week where my writing is concerned.

I’d like to give this literary magazine a mention Gold Dust. A magazine that aims to put quality prose and poetry on the map. Where words are gold dust...

Gold Dust magazine is currently OPEN to submissions for issue Five. To submit your work, please see our submission guidelines. It is advisable to buy a copy to get the feel of the magazine. Issue Three is still available for sale. And other back issues of Gold Dust magazine are also available for sale. Issue Four is due out soon.

Well that’s about it for now. I’ve started another short story, I know I said I wasn’t going to start any new ones, but I couldn’t help it. It’s another psychological type one; I’m not too sure where it’s going at the moment. Here’s the first paragraph to it:

Just think, while you’re sitting reading this, I’m most likely masturbating thinking about you and all this time you had no idea. You’ll probably read this and not realise that I am talking about you. You’ll just presume I’m writing about my partner or someone else. I bet you read that first line and your groin twinged hoping it was about you, but now you’ve dismissed that thought, just the way you dismiss everything we have discussed.

The Meaning Of My Birthdate...

2005-08-23T21:37:00.000+01:00

Your Birthdate: September 13

Being born on the 13th day of the month should help make you a better manager and organizer, but it may also give you a tendency to dominate people a bit.

You may be more responsible and self-disciplined than you realize.

Sincere and honest, you are a serious, hard working individual.

Your feelings are likely to seem somewhat repressed at times.

You are apt to be much more practical, rational, and conscious of details.

Your intolerance and insistence on complete accuracy can be irritating to some.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Blink182 - I Miss You

2005-08-22T21:34:00.000+01:00

This is a huge favourite of mine...

Video code provided by HotCodez.com

Monday, Monday...

2005-08-22T21:00:00.000+01:00

Monday, Monday, what shall I yap about today? I must find a subject to chat about for a Monday… for now I’m just gonna ramble on about quizzes, another boring subject.

These damn quizzes are very addictive. Yeah, I suppose I have a sad life…

A few of them that I have taken have been so spot on about me that it is so freaky. They’ve also given me an idea for a short story too. The one below, the personality test, I would say was very true and that was just by clicking on an appealing picture! I’ve done a few others, which I will be sticking up here soon; most of them do resemble me quite a lot.

Has anyone else done any of these and thought, wow that’s spot on? Or am I just a fruitcake who wants to believe that quizzes and things mean something, but I dunno what it is, cos I’m too fucked up to work out what it is…

Mind you, I have come across a couple that are crap! And when you change one or two answers or all of them, you get the same damn answer… erm… not that I do that. I know because a friend had a tinker with them… honestly!

Doing these quizzes has made me wonder what type of people take them and why. I’d love to set up a quiz for that, but I don’t have a clue how. I suppose I’m just gonna have to wonder for a while… unless you’re brave enough to answer here in the comments.

I’ve just thought, I could use a Monday to yap about my family… complain about the kids etc. I’m not sure if that’ll be boring enough for you though, my wee one is a very strange child… today he’s drew faces on his fingers and thumbs; nothing strange there, read on:

He came up to me and said, “Mam, I have a play for you.”
I looked at his cheesy, mischievous grin and asked him to show me his play.
He held up one thumb and said, “Hello my name is Mr Twin.”
I looked at his thumb; he had drawn a simple smiley face on it.
Holding up his other thumb, he said, “Hello my name is Mr Twin, I am Mr Twin’s double.”
Not bad, I thought very tame for my son.
“Hello Mr Twin. Hello Mr Twin double.”
He scrunched up his little nose. “Where’s our friends?”
He held up his pointy finger and said, “Here I am.”
Then up popped his other finger, his finger said hello to the others. He continued this until all his fingers were revealed.
Pretty cute of him I thought, until… his grin stretched even further and he said in a deep voice, “We’re the voices in your head, you will do as we say.” And gave this awful horrid laugh and ran off.

I think he may need help… he’s only six… at least I know he has a creative mind! Bless him…

Personality Test...

2005-08-22T19:01:00.000+01:00

This is SO freaky!

You are sexy, powerful, and bold. You're full of passion and energy... Sometimes this passion has a dark side. You feel most alive when you're seducing someone. You never fail to get someone's attention. Quick minded, you're also quick to lose your temper!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Boring Sunday...

2005-08-21T23:50:00.000+01:00

So here, it is – a boring Sunday.

It should be pretty easy to bore the arse off you. What shall I yap about? Hhhhmmm… latest news… top of the charts… quantum physics… I know! Let’s talk about periods and I don’t mean periods as in eras, I’m talking about the damn monthly’s.

I very much doubt any blokes will read beyond this point. Periods really piss me off. I’m looking forward to the menopause, so I don’t have to put up with the bloody things. It must be pretty weird not having one though. Actually, I’m not sure, now that I’ve thought about it... if I have no more periods, I won’t have an excuse to bite everyone’s head off for a week. I’d have to be nice constantly, smile at people and be courteous… fuck that! Right, I’m keeping my periods!

You know what bugs me with periods? The prices of sanitary products. Why do we have to pay for them? It’s not as if we have periods on purpose. We should be given them free, like they do with condoms. It’s a damn outrage. And they cost a fortune, unless you’re gonna buy Tesco’s cheapy nasty ones, which scrapes at your bits and gives you a sanitary pad rash for two weeks. Plus, a piece of folded toilet roll can absorb more than them.

Men are not forced to go and buy some silly product because they’re male. Paying for pads and tampax is sexist! The government are sexist! I think I may complain to the government and have a ‘burn the fanny pad day’… I wonder how many would join me…

Hey, laugh all you want! I’m being serious here!

I’m gonna have to come back to this subject another time. I don’t have time to delve deeper with this.

We shall speak about out periods again!

Past Life Quiz...

2005-08-21T23:00:00.000+01:00

Me a poet!

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Ditzy Poet. Where You Lived: Ireland. How You Died: In Childbirth.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

Deadly Sins...

2005-08-20T18:00:00.000+01:00

This was an interesting one...

Your Deadly Sins

Envy: 60%

Gluttony: 60%

Sloth: 60%

Wrath: 60%

Greed: 20%

Pride: 20%

Lust: 0%

Chance You'll Go to Hell: 40%

You will die at the hands of a jealous lover. How ironic.

How Sinful Are You?

How Weird Are You...

2005-08-19T15:05:00.000+01:00

I am so not that weird!

You Are 60% Weird

You're so weird, you think you're *totally* normal. Right? But you wig out even the biggest of circus freaks!

How Weird Are You?

A Writer Called - James Hazlehurst...

2005-08-18T23:40:00.000+01:00

Hello there again,

It’s good to know that people do actually read these, so I think I may keep this going. Well today, I don’t feel like talking about myself. I know it makes a change. I have mentioned in a few places that I’m a member of a writer’s site called UKA, well if you haven’t noticed then you haven’t read everything here! My plans are to write about a member from UKA here every Thursday. I not only want to shout about my own works, I enjoy shouting about other writers’ works too.

So, first up has got to be my script-writing partner James Hazlehurst. Well say hello to James… what are you like. He won’t bite.

Obviously James is a wanna be writer too, living in the UK and he’s a Wolverhampton Wanderers fan. God knows why, I still don’t understand that, I can’t stand football so lets move on.

I met James through UKA well over a year ago. He has written in many different genres, but mainly horror. We have never met and we have decided to write a horror script together via e-mails and msn. Handy this Internet stuff ain’t it. The script is coming along nicely.

One of my favourite short stories of his is Licked, a short story inspired by an Urban Legend. Sue is home alone; her only companion is her dog. Something horrifying has been happening in the neighbourhood.

‘A flash of lightening lit up the room and startled her, she spotted herself in the mirror looking back at herself and gave herself a fright. For a second she thought someone was standing there watching her…’

Bon Appetit by James, another gruesome horror story. Mary is sick and tired of being overweight, she comes across a phone number in her local newspaper and dials. She has no idea what is waiting for her.

‘She looked down at her stomach. It hung huge and saggy from her like a giant tumour. She hated it, she hated the way it felt and the way that it made her different from all the other women she knew.’

Alone And In The Dark by James. Have you ever drank that much you have passed out and you can’t remember a thing?

‘This is a nightmare. My eyes feel as though they are wide open, they don’t wanna flicker or look around, but they are open. The darkness is so black I can feel it. It’s like lying in a huge bath full of ink.’

Check out his website to find out more about him and to read more of his pieces here.

You can also find more of his works on my showcase page and my exclusive page.

While you’re there leave him a note in his guestbook.

That’s it for now.

Tatty Bye.

I’ll have a new writer for you next Thursday

UKAuthor's Anthology...

2005-08-18T14:30:00.000+01:00

Pre-order a copy of UKAuthors 3rd Anthology, crammed packed with short stories and poetry from many fine writers' from across the web. An ideal present for the bookworm in your life.

While you're there, why not have a look at the wide selections of other books available through UKApress and past Anthology's.

From Britain...

2005-08-18T01:07:00.000+01:00

I'm British and I love this!

It's not exactly a quizz so you can't moan at me.

You Know You're From Britain When...

1) You believe that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are all good nights for drinking. Sunday is also entirely reasonable.

2) You're always half an hour late to work ... no-one notices or cares.

3) Coming to work with a hangover is entirely accepted and indeed expected at least once a week.

4) You can actually give directions to some of those annoying tourists in Oxford Street!

5) You step over a drunk in the tube station rather than offering to help them.

6) You don't even bother looking out of the window when you get up in the morning to check what the day is like. You know it is overcast.

7) You consider a suit to be normal attire for the pub.

8 ) You expect men to actually cut, comb and style their hair (using hair products). And to wear decent clothes.

9) You dissolve in laughter when listening to the funny accent of the Aussie international telephone operator (or on TV!).

10) You think £40 for a haircut is quite reasonable.

11) You can't remember what 'customer service' means.

12) After a big night out you find yourself looking for a Curry house.

13) More than three hours sunlight on summer days seems excessive.

14) You don't think twice about tipping your hairdresser.

15) You finish every sentence with 'Cheers' or 'Yeah'.

16) You only just realise you have lost your sunnies, you left them in Greece 2 summers ago.

17) You like English cuisine. I mean, it's hard to beat a full English breakfast.

18 ) You are on to your 6th umbrella and your second overcoat... this year.

19) You've bought a disposable baby BBQ from Tesco.

20) A day at the beach means wearing the warmest clothes you own while standing on golf ball-size pebbles and the thought of swimming doesn't even enter your head.

21) You always call soccer, football and you have a team and it's not Manchester United.

22) You don't think twice about buying a packaged sandwich.

23) A sunny lunchtime means searching for a patch of grass and stripping off practically down to your underwear

24) You've accepted queuing as a way of life.

25) You believe that every American is a fatass addicted to hamburgers and hotdogs.

26) You despise the French (but then, who doesn't?).

27) You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Britan.

Get Your Own "You Know You're From" Meme Here

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1 - Why not have a drink as much as possible?

2 - Work? What's that?

3 - Hangover days are the best.

4 - Actually, nope! I don't have a clue.

5 - The drunk is happy leave him.

6 - That's cos we're psychic.

7 - What's wrong with the suit?

8 - Of course they should! They ain't kids... well.

9 - Love funny accents!

10 - Disagree there.

11 - Never heard of that saying.

12 - There's nothing better than a curry on a night out on the town.

13) Three hours is enough!

14 - I tip her all the time... I tell her not eat yellow snow.

15 - We so do not! This is silly, cheers!

16 - Damn! So that's where they are!

17 - Nope, you can't beat one.

18 - I've lost count now...

19 -Yes I did!

20 - Yup.

21 - Soccer is a silly name.

22 - Is there something wrong with a packed sarnie?

23 - Not often that happens.

24 - But queuing is the meaning of life!

25 - Wish I was American.

26 - Urgh! Frog legs!

27 - Everyone should read these!

Now who is the worst? Me for replying to these... or you for reading them?

A Wee Rant...

2005-08-17T23:21:00.000+01:00

My back aches and my shoulders are on fire and I’ve hardly done any writing today! Only a few extra words on the silly challenge I set… why did I have to be so damn fussy! Serves me right! I’ll explain more on that at a later date. I just feel like ranting.

My daughter’s pussycat has given birth today to five kittens. Unfortunately, one was deformed and it was still born. I’ve never seen a cat born with a deformity like that. The poor sods eyes were huge, no eyelids… very upsetting. At least the other four are healthy.

What a day, my anniversary… and what did I do for that? I sat at me bloody PC! Well I’m hoping to go out tomorrow…

I don’t have much to say today, too tired actually. While you are here you might as well have a peek through my links, let me know what you think.

Tag me and I’ll tag you back.

See you around.

It's Another Quiz...

2005-08-17T18:50:00.000+01:00

I will seek help later to get myself off these quizzes, but for now here's another I've played with.

CLAIRENIXON
C	is for	Cultured
L	is for	Legendary
A	is for	Altruistic
I	is for	Intelligent
R	is for	Relaxing
E	is for	Explosive
N	is for	Nerdy
I	is for	Impressive
X	is for	XXX
O	is for	Optimistic
N	is for	Naughty

What Does Your Name Mean?

Plans For Writing...

2005-08-16T18:00:00.000+01:00

I’ll admit I have far too many plans when it comes to my writing. But I ain’t gonna drop any of them. It may take me a while but I will plod on. It doesn’t help at the moment with the kids being off school for the summer… damn the summer holidays!

I started a short story over a year ago ‘Barry’ and I subbed it to a writer’s site for feedback, UKA. It went down pretty well and I continued with a second part. Once I had finished that part, it still felt as if the story was unfinished. Barry got under my skin, I thought about him all the time and I had to add more to him. I’m now sitting with him at 63,000 words, but I still don’t think he’s finished. He’s not ready to leave me yet, but I don’t have a clue what else I could do with him. The full thing needs torn apart and checked for typos and things, but I know for a fact I still won’t be happy with it when I’ve done that. I know a few people who would look at it for me, but Barry doesn’t want me to do that just yet. I bet I sound crazy to you for referring to him as real person, well he is! He’s just in my mind and no one else can see him… yet.

What the hell is Barry about you ask? Well if you haven’t then skip this part:
The story is based on a writer called Barry, a foul, obese, unhappy man who lives his life browsing the internet… then he stumbles across a writer’s site where he causes havoc.

The story unfolds his past, a past where he was abused as a child in more ways than one. Murder, rape, deceitful lies and more are revealed in his hidden notebooks… notebooks that end up in the hands of Inspector Valtino.
Earlier this year, I wrote another one called ‘Emily’. She’s now a nice little novella, but I could easily stretch her out into a novel. But I dunno if this will work as a novel. One day I think it will... the next it doesn’t. So, for now she’s been put aside.

Here’s what she’s about:
Mary suspects that her husband is sexually abusing her daughter, Emily. She gets the proof and she tries to kill him. Mary is sentenced to prison, a prison that is led by corrupted screws. She battles with physical abuse inside, while on the outside her daughter is still being abused. She needs to escape…

One morning I woke up and I fancied writing a war style story. So, I did some researching and came out with one called ‘The Hell of War’ you can read the first part here on my website. Again, this is a novella at the moment, but I think I could add so much more to it. The plan with this story is to combine it with two other authors’ works in a horror collection, which will include a novella, each and a few short stories as well. I know trying to get that published is going be hard, but I have a list of a few publishers to try. Plus, if we fail that there’s always self-publishing or e-publishing.

And a wee bit about this one:
Based on a young man’s life in the trenches during the ‘First World War’. The incidents he witnesses from dead bodies to the way men die in the trenches, gives him nightmares, but his mate, Billy tells him there’s something out there worse than death… Billy is always right. Through the winding trenches, they face the true hell of war.

With these three stories I’ve been asking myself, how do you know when your story is finished. Are our stories meant to be completely finished? I want to write the best ending I possibly can to these. Each time I finish writing an ending I think of another one, which to me is better than the last. Is this normal?

I’m fairly new to this writing game. Yeah, I started writing almost three years ago, the first year I mainly wrote erotica, which was once in a blue moon. The second year I hardly had done anything. But this year, I dunno what it is, but I can’t stop. I have written allsorts and I have plans for many more too. I can see a big difference in my writing now, but I still have a long way to go.

Anyways, back to my other plans for writing. Well of course there’s the short stories, I’m trying to think of weird style stories, a mixture of horror and psycho bits. I’ve managed a couple that I am pleased with; one is now published here. The others I need to do more work to them.

I have also taken part on UKA with the prose challenges. It is so much harder to write something using somebody’s rules. The first one was to write about an undercover cop and I found that very hard to do as that is not my type of thing, but I still had a bash it. I suggested a challenge too… hehehe… I am a bitch. I have loads of rules to mine… made it rather hard for myself too.

On EastOfTheWeb, I have recently joined one of their groups especially for horror writers. I hope to learn a lot through there. Like I’ve said horror is my favourite genre and I would love to get it right!

I also dabble with poetry when I’m feeling rushed with my prose. I ain’t seeking to get them published though… I certainly ain’t a poet!

What else am I doing? Oh, yes, a script. A horror script… can’t say much about that, as I don’t want to give that away. I’m working on that with a friend, more details can be found in my news pages on my website.

I’d also love to combine all of my erotic stories into a collection too…
And then there’s the follow on stories to ‘Tabitha and Pirate Jim’.
I’m sure there’s something else, but I ain’t thinking straight. I think my kids are killing each other.

It can’t be good for me to have so much going on. Therefore, I have promised myself that I must try to get some of these finished before I start anything else.
By the way, I’m terrible at keeping promises to myself…

I’ll leave you with the opening paragraph of a story that I had found on my PC, which I had forgot all about, one problem. Can I fuck remember what my plans was with this one!

The Angel
The Angel from my nightmares has followed me here. He wants me to go with him through the darkened valley. I can hear his voice whispering inside my head, beckoning me with his woeful words. I rive at my hair and scream. He slinks back into the shadows, he doesn’t like my screaming.

Sorry! Another Daft Quiz...

2005-08-16T17:52:00.000+01:00

Sorry! Another daft quiz... I'd love to know your results too.

How You Live Your Life

You tend to deprive yourself of things you crave, for your own good. You are always tactful and diplomatic. You let people down gently. You tend to have one best friend you hang with, as opposed to many aquaintences. You have one big dream in your life, and you never lose sight of it.

How Do You Live Your Life?

Another Quiz...

2005-08-16T01:00:00.000+01:00

I promise to stop these quizzes tomorrow! This one is about how you think you look...

The Liberal Beauty
You scored 60 looks, 79 personality, 23 politics, and 80 sex drive!

You're beautiful, you have a great personality, and youre highly sexual. You're a liberal with your views and you don't put morals before everything. You're probably a great wife or girlfriend, and you know how to make sure that the ones you love are happy. You're probably fun in a conversation and I'm sure that you are as loveable as you are beautiful.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 25% on Appearance
You scored higher than 68% on Personality
You scored higher than 37% on Beliefs
You scored higher than 62% on Sexuality

Link: The What Kind of Girl are You Test written by ramonaaronperez on Ok Cupid

UKA Published...

2005-08-15T23:47:00.000+01:00

I just found out today that a short story of mine will be published in UKAuthors anthology. The book is mixed with poetry and prose, with many different genres; a bit of something for everyone. I’m not sure when it’s due to be published yet, but I’ll be shouting about it when it is.

I managed to do a little bit of writing today. Not much, just a thousand words. Okay so I lied... five hundred words approx. I must pull my finger out of my arse tomorrow. On UKA, we have just started challenges in the forum for prose. I placed one up and I’m having a hard time writing it! Bloody typical! Never mind, I have just under a week to finish it….

My back hurts and I’m tired. So, I’m keeping this entry very brief. I’m sure you don’t want to sit there reading a load of crap about sod all, when you could be doing something better. Don’t ask what… my imagination is turned off tonight… then again, I can easily switch it back on to drool over Johnny Depp… he played a great part in ‘The Secret Window’. Even though he was scruffy looking, he was still very appealing… hhmmmm.

Right must dash. I’ve a few things to do before I jump into bed. So, I’ll see you around.

The Keys to My Heart...

2005-08-15T19:00:00.000+01:00

I really need to stop browsing these journals and get some writing done! I'm slowly getting addicted to these silly quiz things, if you know of any others then give me a shout! This is what I've just found - the key to my heart:

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who have a split personality - cold as ice on the outside but hot as fire in the heart.

In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved.

You'd like to your lover to think you are flexible and ready for anything!

You would be forced to break up with someone who was insecure and in constant need of reassurance.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

What Book Are You...

2005-08-15T12:33:00.000+01:00

I now have another blog type thing, well I'm going to use it as my daily diary. I'll be adding the odd one or two things here too. I might as well keep this going too. I see no harm.

Shhh, you ain't meant to notice how early I'm posting. I know I should've been writing since I last posted, but... I ended up browsing other members' sites. Not my fault! Anyway, I found this site and on there was a quiz for what book are you... so I took the test and this is what I ended up with:

You're Ulysses!
by James Joyce

Most people are convinced that you don't make any sense, but compared to what else you could say, what you're saying now makes tons of sense. What people do understand about you is your vulgarity, which has convinced people that you are at once brilliant and repugnant. Meanwhile you are content to wander around aimlessly, taking in the sights and sounds of the city. What you see is vast, almost limitless, and brings you additional fame. When no one is looking, you dream of being a Greek folk hero.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Web Ring

2005-08-14T20:02:00.000+01:00

Are you a wannabe writer? Or even a successful writer. I’ve started up my own Web Ring for writers and please join others and me. All you have to do in return is to place an html code on your Website, Blog, whatever, for a link to the Web Ring. Your site must have something to do with writing though! Simply just click here to view.

Still Life

2005-08-07T15:55:00.000+01:00

My short story Still Life a disturbing tale, is now available to buy as a PDF download for £1.00, the print version is due out soon, in the Scifantastic magazine.

Descent

2005-08-05T18:00:00.000+01:00

Not a bad film. If you’ve read my previous posts, you will know that I’m very interested with the ‘horror genre’. I’m always on the hunt for a good horror movie. So, any info just give me a shout.

While watching the film, Descent, I made mental notes of certain things. It wasn’t till I got home; I started to think about the film more. Have you noticed how most films use the same sort of stuff in them? What type of stuff am I talking about? Well in most, the main character loses some one close to him/her, I don’t mean lost in a shopping centre, I’m talking about death. And they usually die in a horrid grisly way. Obviously, the main character has problems dealing with it. So, as the film gets going you are led to wonder whether the main character is having a loopy turn or if something is really there. One of the biggest things to use in films are the jump scenes. You know what I mean, when something suddenly pops up on screen, you jump, and you try to act cool in front of your mates, telling them bullshit that you only jumped to make them jump. We all do it, so don’t deny it.

I’ll admit, Descent does have some good jumpy bits in it, but what disappointed me is that they were not that scary. Very few films have made me jump due to something scary happening. Let’s see, The Ring had those moments, quite a few of them, where I jumped several times. But, what I liked most about that film is that it played tricks on my mind afterwards. Now those are the types of films I enjoy; I like to be scared for days after. You could say I thrive on it.

Okay, back to Descent. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. Don’t expect a terrifying story like the adverts suggest. But it does have a good story line to it and I enjoyed the film solely on that. The ending made a change. At first, I was led to think it’s gonna be a typical crap ending where one tart gets away… but it ain’t. Nice touch to the end. I’ll shut up about it now; I don’t want to spoil it for you.

Has any one else noticed how bloody expensive it is to watch a bloody film? Over £6 for the ticket and almost £10 on nibbles, and that wasn’t bloody much, a hotdog, popcorn, and a drink! Bloody rip off! Plus, to top it off the seats were uncomfortable; hardly any legroom, and I have very short legs. No wonder I hardly go to the cinema.

Last thought:
It’s amazing how the body evolves… our bodies are designed to change with our surroundings… makes you think, what are we going to be like in the future?

29/07/05

2005-07-29T14:59:00.000+01:00

– Well at least I’ve managed to get this month’s update up on time. I know it makes a change.

‘Hellooooooooo.’ *waves to all*

This month has been a great month for me so far. I sent away three pieces of works in the past and two have replied, both accepting my submissions. My first one is with a short story called ‘Still Life’ which is due to be published in August with ‘Scifantistic’ magazine, available to purchase at £1.90, so dig in your pockets and grab a copy while you can.

The second is with my horror short story ‘The Teapot’ some of you may have seen it on here, but now it is published with ‘DemonMinds’ in their online magazine, so why don’t you pop over and have peek. Well that leaves number three… I’ll let you know as soon as I find out. Two out of three ain’t bad, so either way I’m well happy.

On ‘east of the web’s site’, I found a notice for ‘Playboytv’ requiring short erotic pieces, so I subbed the first few paragraphs and they’ve asked to see the rest. Fingers crossed on that one.

I haven’t sent any more pieces off yet. But I am making a list and I will push myself to send more items off. I now have a bit more confidence in my writing now.

As for editing, my novel Barry is going very slowly. The film script is still on, I remembered to post James with what I had so far and we’ve managed to get the first few scenes sorted. We’re still looking at what makes people scared, so any ideas or information, drop me a line.

Work is progressing with my novella ‘The Hell of War’ the first part is on here now. Second part will be here soon. I’ve enjoyed researching and writing these. And I’m still bashing away at my other short stories.

Have you looked at the showcase page yet? You will find loads of great works there from other authors. Don’t forget to pop over to the forum where you can discuss the showcased works, this website, chat about games, or just talk about anything, whatever suits you, you don’t have to register to comment, but you do to start a new thread off.

As always thanks to those who have signed my ‘guestbook’, it is much appreciated. And thanks also to those who have emailed me.

Keep an eye on the front page, as that lists everything new added to the site, you will find a new poem ‘Independence…’ and a short story ‘The Legend of the Black Boy’, which was part of a challenge on ‘ukauthors’ further details can be seen at the end of the story.

Well that’s it for now.

Till next time,

Tatty Bye…

29/06/05

2005-06-29T14:54:00.000+01:00

– I know, I know, I’m a wee bit late updating the news page… just by two months, so stop complaining! Not that anyone reads this.

If you’ve stumbled here by mistake then ‘Hellooooooooo.’ *waves*

I’ve been busy like a bumble bee writing like a crazed monkey with a crayon. Don’t ask what that means as I don’t have a clue, I just like the sound of it.

Well I’m still editing my works. Barry is now at a standstill as I’m really struggling hard editing that. So, I’m leaving that for a while. The film script is still on, I must remember to post James with what I have so far… *makes mental note and then forgets it*

I’ve started another novella, I know I keep saying I’m gonna finish my old stuff before I start something new, but this is different. I woke one morning and had an idea for a war story, so I decided to start one. I wrote a shortish story, then I did some research on WW1 and now I’ve added more to it. I’ve been well engrossed with what I have learned. Part one added now, The Hell of War, so watch out for it, any feedback will great.

What else have I done? Well I’ve added more talented writers to the showcase page and I’ve now added a forum to the site, please feel free to have a wander there, you can discuss the showcased works there, discuss this website, chat about games, or just talk about anything, whatever suits you.

Erm... no, you don’t want to know how my new years resolution is going. Okay, so I haven’t stuck to it! I want to edit more pieces before I send anymore out. I still haven’t heard back from the magazines where I submitted either, but I was told by two I should hear by the end July. There’s a lot of waiting in this writing game ain’t there, so I might as well plod along with the next piece.

Thanks as usual to all those who have signed my guestbook.

I’ll be updating the site with some new works over the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled and watch out for new works being added to the showcase page too.

I think that’s it for now, if not I’ll just have to tell you about it next month. Not that I ever have anything interesting to say...

See you around,

Tatty Bye…

17/04/05

2005-04-17T14:49:00.000+01:00

– Hello there, thanks for coming to read my news page. Nothing much has happened this month in my writing, actually no news what so ever. I’m still working on my novel, along side with: more adventures for Tabitha and Pirate Jim, a few short stories and a novella. And lets not forget the horror script I mentioned, which I’ve written the first few scenes to, but I’m still researching what scares us the most in movies. I have loads to do as you can see. I’ve also been re-editing my earlier pieces, (cringes) but at least I can see a difference in my writing, and hopefully with a few more years, I’ll get the hang of this writing malarkey.

I would like to thank all of those who have popped on here and read my works, and of course, thanks for signing my guestbook. I do hope you have peeked at my links and ventured into the worlds of the very fine writers from UKAuthors.

I’ve added a couple of new poems this month; don’t know what came over me, as I don’t do poetry. I've had an attempt at dark poetry with Confused and Sanity. For You is a romantic piece that I wrote a while ago. Any advice to improve them is greatly appreciated.

Well that’s it this month, short and sweet. I could ramble on about how the kids have been driving me up the wall singing that ‘Amarillo’ bloody song, or how my youngest freed my eldest daughter’s pet spider or the tummy bug I’ve had…

Till next time…

Tatty bye…

18/03/05

2005-03-18T14:41:00.000Z

– Hello again, I’m a wee bit late with this but never mind. Does anyone actually read these? Not that I’m bothered, I do enjoy rambling on about nothing to myself. No one ever listens to me…

Well I haven’t been doing to well with my new years resolution. Slaps wrists. I haven’t sent anything off anywhere this month. However, I did get a reply back from the competition I entered. My story Grumpy Old Man came fourth, more details in the achievements section; well not exactly more, it just states the date and the name of the competition.

I’m still editing Barry. And from the looks of it it’s gonna take a few more months to do. I don’t mind really, I’d rather it is well polished than full of errors before I send it off.

I'm also still working on the horror script. I’ve been looking at a lot of Japanese horror lately I do like their style a lot, very different to British and American horror. I’m learning quite a bit from them. Any recommendations please let me know.

I got sick of writing the same stuff the other day so I sat and wrote a new story approximately 15000 words. It has helped me focus more on my other writings. I have now gone back to Barry with a more clear and stronger mind. I found this rather weird. However, I shall certainly be doing it again the next time I feel like that.

I received a lovely e-mail from a visitor to this site from a fuckingbutterflys. The message read: those fucking butterflys are pissing me of every time i come on and they mock me and i hate it please could you ask them to stop as im a fan of your lovely web site and all your great storys thank you

Well dear fuckingbutterflys, what a peculiar name, so sorry to hear that the fucking butterfly’s are pissing you off, but they are only on the first page. I could be a bitch and put them on every page, but I wont since the darn things mock you, I have told them to stop it or I shall clip their wings. I’m so pleased to hear that I have a fan of my web site, and even more happier to know that you think my story’s are great. Thank you hun, for contacting me. Stay in touch.

Please feel free to contact me on anything what so ever, whether you’ve read something you’ve liked or hated here. Alternatively, some advice that you think that could help me on my journey into the writing world.

Thank you for reading.

Till next time, tatty bye.

13/02/05

2005-02-02T14:37:00.000Z

- Another month already, wow didn’t that go by fast. What am I up to at the moment you ask? Well if you’re not asking tough, I’m gonna tell you anyway.

First up, I’m rather excited on this one, wish I had more time on my hands but never mind. I’ve begun writing a horror screenplay with the talented James Hazlehurst, another member from ukauthors. We’re putting our minds together and we hope to write a damn good horror script.
We are both fans of horror but lately in the film world, we both feel that recent films are not quite what they used to be. Oh, there are the odd jumps and scares in the movies, but they don’t pray on your mind anymore.
Well apart from the film Grudge, this was a good one. The main bit that sticks in my head is one of the biggest no, no’s, in horror, well to me it does. The watcher (the audience) always needs a safe place to hide, and that safe place is always under our bed covers, don’t deny it, we all do it. And what did they do in the movie? They had a scene where the evil being gets under the quilt and grabs her. Now that ain’t right. I slept with my light on for days after that and I was too afraid to look under the quilt once I was lying there.
Any way back to our script, we have a basic idea of the plot. At the moment, we are researching deeper into the horror world, looking at what scares us, and we are learning quite a bit. James has the knowledge on the how to do screenplays, I don’t have a clue. As for me, well…I’ve got the sick mind…

I’m still typing my novel Barry up and adding bits and pieces to it. I keep changing the ending, but I think I’m satisfied with the one I have now. So hopefully, this time next month he will be finished and ready for a good hard thorough edit.

As for my short stories, I had sent two stories out to e-zines, but I haven’t heard anything back yet. I’ve recently subscribed to a couple of horror magazines, I’ve the latest issues, and I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far. And I plan to send a story or two to them, once I’ve re-edited again.

I've also sent a story to a competition. Obviously, I won’t hear anything back yet. However, when I do I shall let you know.

So far, I’m managing to stick to my new years resolutions. Well apart from the writing more bit. I need to set myself certain times each day for this.

I’ve added a few more pieces here too. Hope you enjoy them.

Thank you for reading. Don’t forget to browse through my links, where you will find other talented writers, and useful links.

Please feel free to contact me on anything, whether you’ve read something you’ve liked or hated. Or, some advice that you think that could help me on my journey into the writing world.

Tatty bye for now.

09/01/05

2005-01-09T14:25:00.000Z

- Happy New Year all. Hope you all had a good Christmas too.

Well there’s not much to add from last time, apart from that I have finally received my copies of Tabitha and Pirate Jim, which I have a problem with, its price. At £10.99, I think it is too much for a children’s book containing 32 pages. Unfortunately, books always cost more through self-publishers, which is a shame. So, I’m on the hunt to find a children’s publisher to take it on. And I am planning to re-do the illustrations. If it isn’t accepted anywhere then what the hell, at least I saw my daughters face shine with glee when I gave her the book – that is more important to me than anything else. And that was the main reason for getting the book self-published.

The novel of Barry is coming along good, better than I thought. I decided to write this one up in a notebook, which I have enjoyed doing. It’s been a while since I last wrote a story by hand. I’m on the hunt for an agent for this novel, so if you know of any good agents please let me know. I have also been looking at editing services for this book, my ain’t those pricey!

I’ve added a few more short stories on site. I do hope you enjoy them. I’m also adding new links, which may help you if you are interested in creative writing, links from help with grammar to on line writers site.

This month I’m sending off two stories to Horror Magazines, I’ll let you know how that goes.

My new years resolutions are to:

Send at least one short story per month to competitions
Place at least one story to my site monthly
Send at least one story per month to publishing magazines
Write more
Finish my first novel this year
Well that’s it for now. Please feel free to contact me about anything, whether it’s to chat or if you have seen a fault on my site.

Tatty Bye…

14/12/04

2004-12-14T14:11:00.000Z

- I suppose it’s about time I started a news page. I have no idea where to start. Let’s start with news to date on published work, I have an audio tale published with www.tellyouatale.com Christmas Bloody Shopping, based on a woman’s thoughts as she shops. I bet you have had some of these thoughts too. And of course there’s my children’s illustrated story Tabitha and Pirate Jim, which is finally published through self-publishing, I’m waiting for my delivery, which should be any time this week, I can’t wait! For more information just simply click on Published Work.

I wrote an erotic short story a few months ago, which I sent off for an anthology collection. They accepted it. But I’m still waiting to hear if their project will go ahead as they did not get enough acceptable submissions, all I can do on this one is wait.

I am now working on a novel that I started out as a short story on www.ukauthors.com A Writers Story. This one is definitely for adults only. I don’t want to give away too much of the story yet, it is based on a writer Barry, who has had a very troubled and horrific life. He has no friends. No one understands him, apart from his mother, but mother can’t be around forever can she? I do not plan to self-publish this book. This one I hope I can find a publishing house that might be interested in it or an agent, I have a few in mind.

I am also working on a few short stories, mainly horror. My plans for these are to try and get them published in horror magazines, fingers crossed.

I have started a second story of Tabitha’s adventures with Pirate Jim. Pirate Island is in danger; the volcano has stopped working, which is the main heat source for the island. The island is freezing. Tabitha knows who might help, but will he? So, she calls for Peter. Peter the ferocious dragon. Can they persuade him to help them? I’m not sure if I’ll be taking the self-publishing route with this one. I’ll see how things are when I am ready to try and get it published.

That’s pretty much it for now. Please feel free to contact me on anything.

Thank you for reading this, Claire.

Simply Me So Far

2004-12-10T01:30:00.000Z

Hello there, I'm Claire. This is my first entry on this blog. The next few pieces that I am adding are taken from my news page on my website SimplyClaire. I'm a wanna be writer. And with fingers crossed and determination I shall succeed.