Thursday 22 May 2014
At The Rainbow's End
I took this photograph last night whilst we were eating dinner. It was a surprise to see a rainbow at this time of the year because we rarely see rain until autumn at the earliest. As beautiful a sight as this was, there was nothing more than a few drops of rain that dried before it had a chance to touch the garden.
I don't know about you, but I wonder if there really is a pot of gold at the rainbow's end. Having said this, I feel maybe I did glimpse a shadow of what the pot might look like last night, as today, I woke with renewed energy to continue with my latest book. It would be a lie to say writing this book has been easy, a walk in the park it has not been! A number of times I have said, loudly, angrily and softly, that I was not going to continue, and just as I do, it begins to flow, the characters sit down and talk. Even so, I still have some way to go before I write 'The End,' but today it is working. Maybe that pot of gold is really there!
Here is a brief glimpse into my latest story.... In the Light of Day (working title) is about two people who live a life that is in principle a lie, though only one of them realises this, but not until it is too late. These characters are not in the flush of youth, both intelligent, mature and wealthy, but one holds a secret, a dark secret, that threatens to destroy everything.
Sorry, I've not given very much away, but as soon as I can, I will. As always, thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day. And please come back soon. Until next time.
Monday 12 May 2014
Shades on the Sun is Shinning!
This week we are on weather alert! Temperatures are expected reach and go beyond 37c in the shade! I don't need to tell you that is a tad warm!
So with soaring temperatures why not slip on your shades, sit back and and enjoy a taster from Sometimes It Happens... . A sunny bubbly story filled with love, laughter and one or two surprises..... !
Chapter ONE
Nothing
in her wildest dreams had prepared Doreen Wilkinson
for something like this. But then,
nothing had prepared her for winning the lottery either.
Several million.
Several million. Eleven million,
three hundred and fifty four thousand, two hundred and ten pounds and nineteen
pence to be precise.
She had giggled at the nineteen pence. “Break
the bleedin’ bank that will!”
The media had made the comment a headline, “19p to break the bleedin’ bank!” splashed
all over the Sun and Daily Mirror accompanied by her smiling
face and a fountain spray of champagne. She had thought it a waste shaking that
great big bottle and letting it fizz everywhere, but the reporters had told her
to do it.
Giggling at the memory, dressed in her silk
pyjamas, Doreen, stepped out on to the terrace. The warm morning air that
caressed her face was in stark contrast to the chilled champagne she was sipping.
She giggled again at drinking champagne before the sun had got out of bed.
Padding to the end of the terrace, her bare feet absorbing the heat from the
ceramic tiles, she looked out in awe over the Villas Bonitas complex of luxury
villas. Apart from in films she had never seen exotic plants and trees,
meandering tiled pathways and white-walled, red-roofed villas with sprawling
private terraces. But then, she told herself, she had never won the lottery or
been abroad before either. In fact she had never had a proper holiday full
stop.
As the sun began to rise the solar lights that lit the gardens during the hours of
darkness began to fade. Doreen watched, mesmerized, as the colours of the
neatly maintained gardens surrounding each individual terrace gradually turned
from sombre shades to vibrant greens, reds, pinks and yellows, and the shadows
darkening the walls of each villa changed to a dazzling white. In the distance
she could just make out the silhouette of the volcanic mountains as the rising
sun cast its morning rays against their dark, jagged shapes.
Drinking the last drops of her champagne
Doreen sighed with contentment. She had not known such beauty existed. Even the
air had a sweet fragrance to it. She closed her eyes and inhaled the heady perfume
- a high pitched shriek pierced the
stillness - startled, she opened her eyes to see a yellow parrot dart past,
almost within touching distance, its wings fanning her face. No sooner had the parrot disappeared into the
tall palm trees, another, more muted sound rippled through
the
sultry, morning, air.
She frowned as she heard it again; looked
left and right to locate where it was coming from. Giggled. She had half an
idea what was going on and was surprised that such naughty cries could be heard
in such a posh place. Grinning she went to sip her champagne, tipping the glass
to her lips, realised it was empty. Pulling a face, she ambled back across the terrace and stepping through
the wide open patio doors, giggled. “Someone’s enjoying a good time.”
Blinking rapidly, her eyes struggling to
focus after the brightness of the terrace, squinting, Doreen looked around the
lounge. “Blimey,” she cried seeing glasses and a couple of empty bottles on one
of the low coffee tables. A makeup bag, its contents scattered on the dinning
table and an open magazine lay on the floor near one of the sofas.
“God what am I like?” she muttered as she
reached for a packet of cigarettes and a lighter.
Taking a drag from her newly lit cigarette,
Doreen looked at her watch. It was still early, she thought as she paused
outside her daughter Trisha’s door. Should she peep in? Her only daughter had
gone out clubbing the night before, no doubt got home in the early hours. Her
hand half way to the door handle, she wondered, had she heard Trisha come in?
She tried to think, but could not remember hearing any sounds; but then, she
had been dead to the world, her first decent night’s sleep in weeks.
“Youngsters,” she giggled, “on the go all
day, party all night. Don’t know where they get their energy from.”
Shaking her head, still giggling, she wandered to her bathroom. What she would give to
be seventeen again!
Sometimes It Happens ... is available in
paperback and Kindle, here are the links to go and grab your copy:
Thanks as always for stopping by and I hope the heat didn't get to you! Have a great week and catch up again soon.
Thursday 8 May 2014
Sitting Round My Pool - The Amazing Madalyn Morgan
After our week in
Leiden, Holland it is wonderful to feel the hot sunshine on our faces again and
even more so because today, I have the wonderfully talented Madalyn Morgan
sitting round my pool. Madalyn is famous as an actress, DJ, Radio presenter and
top selling author. So please help yourself to a glass of bubbly, settle down
on one of the recliners and enjoy chatting with my fabulous guest.
Thank you for inviting me to sit by your pool and chat about
Applause, Pauline. After working for such
long hours to get it finished, I can’t think of anything I would rather do than
relax with a friend.
I began working on Applause, my second novel, six months
before I published my first, Foxden Acres.
A literary agent kept me dangling for that amount of time before I
decided enough was enough, and self-published. I wanted to launch Applause on the first
anniversary of Foxden Acres. I knew it
wouldn’t be easy, because of the research I needed to do, but I was
determined. I pushed myself too hard and
ended up stressed. Now it’s out there,
and being well received, I’ve convinced myself it was worth it. However, I have learned my lesson. Most of the action in the next book, China
Blue, takes place in France with the SOE, French Resistance, and Gestapo. You can imagine how much research I need to
do. I have already started, and I’m
loving it, but I won’t be announcing a date for publication until I have the
finished manuscript in my hand.
Is this part of the
Dudley Sister’s books?
Applause is the second book in a quartet, but it doesn’t
follow the first, Foxden Acres, Bess Dudley's story. Applause is the story of the second Dudley
sister, Margaret (Margot). Margaret
moves to London to be with her husband who works for the MoD. In the early years of World War 2, she works
her way up from usherette to leading lady in a West End show. She is driven by blind ambition and becomes
immersed in the heady world of nightclubs, drink, drugs and fascist thugs – all
set against a background of the London Blitz.
To achieve her dream, Margot risks losing everything she holds dear. Although the novels are linked by family
occasions, and the dates and facts of WWII, both stories stand on their own and
can be read in any order.
On the eve of 1939, twenty-year-old Bess Dudley, trainee
teacher and daughter of a groom, bumps into James, heir to the Foxden Estate. Bess and James played together as equals when
they were children, but now James is engaged to the more socially acceptable
Annabel Hadleigh. Bess takes up a
teaching post in London but when war breaks out and London schoolchildren are
evacuated she returns to Foxden to organise a troop of Land Girls. Traditional barriers come crashing down when
Flying Officer James Foxden falls in love with Bess. But by this time Bess has come to know and
respect Annabel. Can she be with James
if it means breaking her best friend’s heart?
Besides, Bess has a shameful secret that she has vowed to keep from
James at any cost…
It is set in WW2 is
this a time in history that excites you?
The time in history as far as women are concerned excites me
tremendously. The First World War to the
Second World War – and the years in between – were some of the most important
in history for women. The role of women
in society changed dramatically during WWI.
When tens of thousands of men went overseas to fight, women stepped into
their jobs. It was after WW1 that men’s
attitudes towards women began to change.
However, it was not until women were given the vote (The right of women
to vote and work) that the law recognised women as equals. The 1918 Qualification of Women Act, granted
partial suffrage to women, but the 1928 Equal Franchise Act extended women’s rights
to vote, putting them on equal terms with men.
After WW2, the school-leaving age was raised to 15 and free education
was provided. The barriers to social
mobility lessened giving access to education for all. During this period, increasing numbers of
students enrolled in higher education – and the number of women students grew.
Sorry to get on my soapbox, but at last women had a right to
education. In addition, they were being
educated in previously prohibited professions, like medicine and the law. The class system and ‘old money’ still played
a part, but women were finally moving in the right direction.
Do you call on your
own acting years to help bring together the scenes in Applause?
Yes, and it helps to make my characters believable. I put myself in their place, walk in their
shoes as much as I can. I’m a method actress. When I was working, I believed
whole-heartedly in the characters I played, often becoming them. I believe in the characters I write about in
the same way. If I don’t believe in
them, how can I expect the reader to?
I also used the theatres that I have worked in in the West
End to set Applause. Descriptions of the
backstage area, dressing rooms, stage, auditorium and rabbit warren, are a
combination of The Vaudeville on the Strand and The Theatre Royal,
Haymarket. Having worked and lived in
London for so long, I’m familiar with the areas I write about in Applause. It helps to create atmosphere. And it gives the reader a sense of reality,
of being there, and of the time it takes to get from place to place.
A view of Shaftesbury
Avenue in 1939.
Applause and Foxden
Acres - billboards by Gary Walker http://www.look4books.co.uk/
Is Applause in Kindle
only?
No, it is in paperback as well. Formatting to Kindle is quicker because you
can proof read on your PC, or on Kindle.
To proof read a paperback takes longer.
The print on demand companies have to print the book, and then post it,
but it is worth it. I think Kindle is a
brilliant invention. To access books
while travelling, or on holiday, is fantastic.
However, I love the feel of a real book in my hand. And I love my packed bookcases; they are very important
pieces of furniture.
Will there be another
book that follows the Dudley Sisters?
Yes. I am pleased you
asked me about other books. There are
two in the genre. One will be a novella about
George Derby Bloom and Natalie Goldman – how they met and how they help Jewish
students to escape Nazi Germany. George
Derby Bloom (a dancer in Applause) is at finishing school in Switzerland when
she meets Natalie Goldman, the Jewish wife of the owner of the Prince Albert Theatre. The story begins in a café on the
Swiss-German border when Natalie Goldman is getting her German Nanny out of
Nazi Germany. It will be a short tense
thriller with a happy ending.
The second book that invades my dreams and excites me most will
be called, The Foxden Hotel. Like Foxden
Acres, it begins with a New Year’s Eve party.
Instead of New Year 1938, it is New Year 1948. Most of the estate, which was turned into
arable land at the beginning of WW2, has been sold off to local farmers. What is left, the beautiful lake and parkland
has been restored. The Foxden Hotel
brings the Dudley sisters and the characters in the quartet of books together for
the hotel’s grand opening. During the
celebrations ex-BUF fascists gate crash.
Bess recognises the thug who raped her in 1939. Could he also be the Nazi who stalked and
threatened Margot a couple of years later? Enough said.
The Foxden Hotel is a crime thriller.
The third book in the Dudley Sisters quartet, China Blue, is
Claire Dudley’s story – and it is a love story.
The fourth is, The Bletchley Secret, and is the youngest sister, Ena
Dudley's story. I also have two
contemporary novels outlined. One is
about a young guy who seduces, and then tries to get the better of an older
woman who is an actress. He breaks her
heart and almost gets away with her money, but she is stronger and much
cleverer than he is, and turns the tables on the hapless devil.
The other is more of a Memoir about my time in America when I
lived on a Native American Reservation in Minnesota with my aunt (my mother’s
sister) and my uncle who was full-blooded Dakota Sioux. His mother, the Elder of the Dakota Sioux,
and the great granddaughter of the last Great Sioux Chief, adopted me into the
tribe. I was eleven and the Native
American children taught me to swim, after I had almost drowned in the
Minnesota River. I slept in a tree
house, tracked wild animals in the woods, came dangerously close to a skunk, and
swapped my pretty dresses with matching shoes and hats for sneakers, pumps and
bobby socks. What fun!
Some years later, Grandma told me about her grandmother who
was on the trail of tears. She told me
about the last Sioux uprising and other fascinating stuff, which one day I
shall write about.
I have been an actress for more than thirty years working in
repertory theatre, the West End, film and television. I’m a radio presenter and journalist. And I write articles for magazines.
I was brought up in a busy working class pub in the market
town of Lutterworth in Leicestershire.
The pub was a great place for an aspiring actress and writer to
live. There were so many wonderful
characters to study and accents to learn.
At twenty-four, I gave up a successful hairdressing salon and wig-hire
business for a place at E15 Drama College, and a career as an actress.
In 2000, with fewer parts available for older actresses, I taught
myself to touch type, completed a course with The Writer’s Bureau, and began
writing. After living in London for
thirty-six years, I moved back to Lutterworth, swapping two window boxes and a
mortgage for a garden and the freedom to write.
Link to Applause: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00J7Y5LCW/
Link to Foxden Acres:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BCX59LE/
Madalyn Morgan - Fiction Blog: http://madalynmorgansfiction.blogspot.co.uk/
Madalyn Morgan - Non-Fiction Blog: http://madalynmorgan.blogspot.co.uk/
Madalyn Morgan - Actress Website: www.madalynmorgan.com
Now you see what an amazing lady Madalyn is, thanks for sitting round my pool and I hope you will read Madalyn's best selling books.
Monday 5 May 2014
Windmills & Bicycles
It's
been a whirlwind of a week. Last week we left our little pebble in the ocean
and returned to Leiden in Holland. We lived and worked there for a number of
years and our return brought back many memories. I'd forgotten how cold the
wind could be! But the plus side out weighted the chilly weather as it was
great to catch up with friends and work colleagues. Oddly enough the years slipped
away and it seemed as if we had never been away.
We
wandered round the beautiful canals and cobbled streets keeping an eye out for
the thousands of bicycles that fill these narrow streets. Remembering we were
one of those when we lived there. The bicycle is king in this small country
which is just as well because if all those cyclist took to a car, the roads
would be grid locked.
Funny
how when you are having fun the days fly by and before we knew it we were
heading back to the airport to check in for the two flights to bring us back
home. Our suitcases were full with extra goodies, our hearts filled with the love
of friends and our heads crammed with happy memories.
Now
as my feet settle back on terra firma it's time to get back to writing my
latest book, sadly it took a back seat whilst away, though the storyline and
characters continued to shadow me. It's not been the easiest of books to write,
but Kitty and Bertie Costain refuse to let me give in call it a day and write
another book! So I continue to travel down their road until we reach the end.
That's
my little news. I hope your week was a good one. Have a fabulous week and catch
up again soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Available in Kindle! (paperback very soon!) Bullying can be life changing or worse, life ending! Tormentors is fiction - a short story of 12...
-
M y lovely guest sitting around my pool this week, is the one and only Miss Talli Roland. As you know Talli has 2 books published and is abo...
-
As my latest book, Storm Clouds Gathering is set in 1965 I thought it would be great fun to take a peek at that amazing era. This w...