Hello and welcome to my February Newsletter.
I live in Landkey, a small North Devon village and fortunately there are lots of lovely walks right on our doorstep. During the lockdown my husband Bryan and I have tried to get out for a walk on most days, as it breaks up the day. There are far more people walking the country lanes than usual and it’s nice to say hello and exchange a few words. On a recent walk I took photos of the surprising number of flowers in the hedgerows in January, which you can see here: Winter Flowers
Most people I speak to have found this lockdown more difficult to cope with than the first, as the weather was so much better then. We have a large garden and an allotment, and both were very tidy last Spring. We painted gates and walls, pressure washed the patio and caught up with all those jobs that you never seem to get around to. None of that has been possible so far during this lockdown, though I guess if it continues, we might eventually do them all again.
With extra time on my hands I’ve been reading more, particularly Indie authors like myself and have found several good books. Until I started writing books myself, I never thought to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads, but I do now, as I know how much authors appreciate this. (Yes, me too!).
Another hobby which keeps me occupied is floral art. I attended an evening class in 2018 and learnt the basics. I’m certainly no expert, but I love flowers and enjoy arranging them. I thought you might be interested in seeing some of my better efforts here: Floral Art
My third book is progressing well and I’m on Chapter 28. With my first two books, I was working full time, and often days, or even weeks would pass between me writing one chapter and the next. Now, I write on most days and it’s so much better. I plan the story and chapters before I start, but as I write, the story often takes a turn I hadn’t foreseen and one chapter can turn into three! I’m not sure if this is how it is for other authors; perhaps they are better organised.
In my December newsletter I asked for suggestions to name a new character in my book. It was for a man aged 45. I also asked this question on some Facebook pages and had loads of suggestions. I’ve chosen the name Marrok, which is a new one on me. Apparently, it was around in Victorian times. However, I want to thank a lady called Pat, who subscribes to my newsletter and suggested the name Abel. I like this as well, and I’ve used this name for another new character, who I’m afraid is a rather disreputable young man. However, his name is shortened to Abe, which I thought sounded a bit shiftier.
I had a nice surprise recently when the postman delivered a letter in a pretty envelope. We don’t tend to get a lot of post these days, other than circulars and bills, so I was intrigued. It was from a lady called Sheila, who I have known for a number of years. Sheila is nearly 90 and her grandchildren bought her both of my books for Christmas and she wrote to tell me how much she enjoyed them. It was Sheila and her husband Tom, who got me involved in researching my family history way back in the eighties, and without that interest, I might never have written any books.
This is the first book in Winston Graham’s Poldark series. The books are easy to read and contain an incredible depth of knowledge of Cornwall in the 1700s. Ross Poldark returns from the grim war in America only to find his father has died, his estate is derelict, and the girl he loves is engaged to his cousin. He is a man with a social conscience and does all he can to help the destitute miners and farmers that surround him. When he rescues an urchin girl from a brawl and takes her home it changes his life. The grandeur of the big houses, the abject poverty of the villagers, and the working conditions in the mines are all described so brilliantly, you feel as though you are there in the story with the strong characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the first series on television in the 1970’s and have recently re-watched the DVDs. I also enjoyed the second series, but for me, not as good as the first. If you read this first book, I am confident you will want to read the other eleven in the series.
Take care and stay safe everyone.
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