Two writing events next week. Thursday 6th November I will attend the Romantic Novelists Association monthly meeting at the Smiths Arms in Beckwithshaw near Harrogate. We have an informal lunch and exchange news about our writing and information from the writing world. The great thing about any gathering of writers is meeting people with similar interest. Considering that writing means shutting oneself away to pursue our craft, writers can certainly talk when they get together. The chatter will flow on Thursday. They are an interesting and lovely lot of people.

On Saturday 8th November from 1p.m. until 3 p.m. I will be at The Whitby Bookshop in Church Street, Whitby signing my latest paperback DANGEROUS SHORES, published on 6th November and promoting my new hardback STAY WITH ME and the paperback of WINGS OF SORROW both of which come out in early February 2009. The signing sessions provide a time to meet my readers something I enjoy doing. I hope it is a fine day because my route takes me across the North York Moors which are spectacular at any time of the year. That is not to say the rest of the journey is not pleasant. The route I take has much variety. I take the road from home to Kirbymoorside. Then to Hutton-le-Hole, a charming village, then over the moors (Blakey Ridge) to Castleton, on to Danby, attractive villages in the Esk Valley each with its own particular character. At Danby I turn to the Guisborough-Whitby road but I don’t take this all the way to Whitby. I cut off tto the coast road because this takes me down Lythe Bank from which there is a spectacular view along the coast to Whitby. So naturally I hope the weather is good. If it is I will go early and enjoy a walk around Whitby, absorbing the atmosphere for my next book. 

The other  days in the week will involve writing too. I will be correcting Chapter 19 some of which I have been re-writing today. When that is finished I may only do one more chapter to finish the book but I’ll see how things develop.

I’ve just been listening to the Middlesbrough v Manchester City game via the internet. Whew, I’m exhausted ! What excitement and tension. Middlesbrough have a habit of conceding goals in the last few minutes. Tonight things got tense with Boro leading 1 – nil. Nail biting stuff. I couldn’t sit still. Then right on time a goal. A goal !  The Boro reversed the usual !  YES YES We scored again !!!!! – I just had to let the world know.  Now I can’t write any more- — no energy left. Good night.

I read an article in today’s Telegraph by Anna Maxted titled ‘Am I Alone in Hating Baking?’ I don’t suppose you are Anna, if indeed you really do hate baking. Whether you hate it or not, this was a superb little article. It evoked sympathy for you and of course for your son and your whole family. At the same time it brought smiles to my lips; I was really there in the kitchen with you attempting to stop baking taking over and controling your life. Not that I have suffered the same disasters as you, but I have been cooking for only four years, so I have had less time to meet these disasters. You see, before that I had no need to cook. With a wife and three daughters who would want to take over the cooking? But four years ago sadly I was on my own. So it was cook or starve. I managed simple things but knew that one day I must try to branch out – have friends to dinner, reciprocate their kindness.  I thought I had taken on more than I should when I invited four of them to dinner.  I sought a way out and found one. I invited my eldest daughter as well and persuaded her to help. I got stuck in but also observed. Since then I have entertained friends on my own and gradually expanded the dishes I give them. During that time I thought I would try baking – I like cake! Providing meals with reasonable success gave me a sense of achievement but successful baking gave me an even greater feeling of success. Not only that I also found it theraputic. I love baking.

Of course I rely on friends and books for recipes. I used to wonder what pleasure my wife gained in reading recipe books. During these last four years I have found out, and I pick up recipes books just for the pleasure of reading them, especially if they are devoted to baking !

I have my ‘old faithfuls’ that I constantly turn to, but two that are occupying my attention at the moment are:  Desserts by James Martin published by Quadrille – mouth watering sweets and cakes – just up my street. The other is The Cooking Book edited by Victoria Blashford-Snell published by Dorling Kindersley. This is a big book with 1000 recipes – a wide range. It is also good on tips and techniques. Both books are beautifully illustrated in colour; they just make you want to cook.  Know your oven and follow the recipes to the letter (though sometimes you can leave out a minor ingredient if it isn’t to your taste) and you can’t go wrong. Happy cooking. Enjoy doing it and eating the results!

Here is the promised second extract, this time from Chapter 2. I hope this too makes you want to read more of this novel which is coming out in paperback on 6th November.

 

            The path swung away from the cliff edge but he knew that after about a hundred yards it would return above a small cove of untouched sand sheltered by towering cliffs on three sides.  Here he was brought to a sudden stop.  Today footprints marked the sand below. He could not believe it. Whose were they? How had they got there? Then he saw her emerge from the shadow of the cliff to his right; a thin waif of a girl who strolled casually along the water’s edge, allowing the waves to lap over her bare feet. She held her dress so that it would not get wet around the hem, then seemingly irritated by having to do so let it go, flinging arms high in a gesture of freedom and joy, She did a little jig and skipped a few steps before pirouetting on and on along the sward of sand and in and out of the water, ignoring the splashes that wet the thin cotton causing the dress to cling to her, emphasising the curve of her lithe body.

            John’s whole attention was drawn to her. He was filled with curiosity and a desire to know more about her. He had to find out. All thoughts of his mission were driven from his mind. He looked for some way down but could not find one. Then he turned his attention back to the cove. She had disappeared. His eyes swept the bay. She was nowhere to be seen; only the footprints in the sand remained as evidence that she had ever walked and danced there.

My last post was entitled Changing Caps. Well this week I have been changing caps again. First I have had my writing cap on and it kept being taken off and putting on more frequently than usual. The main reason for this was because I had some of the family for four days. Though they are helpful in discussing ideas, trends in the story, and books to review, I do not stick to a strict writing schedule when they are home. Family come first and I will make up writing time later. I think we have brought them up in the right way – they love books just as I and my late wife did, in fact I think they have more books than I have and that is saying something. I donned my pleasure cap and we had an afternnon out in the local market town while they (that is two of my four children) were here. Inevitably we paid a visit to a very good second-hand and antique book shop. Yes, you are right – we each bought a book and believe it or not we each, independently, chose a cookery book! I because I cook for myself even though I never had to do any cooking until four years ago. Now, apart from enjoying cooking and expanding my repertoire, I like looking at cookery books. The one I bought was THE CHOCOLATE AND COFFEE BIBLE – fascinating information about those two products but also lots of scrumptious recipes. Incidentally, I had a wonderful cook book to review recently, THE COOKING BOOK. This is big, you’ll need a table, but it is worthwhile having it there with its easy to follow recipes, that cover a wide range, and helpful tips and and instructive techniques. I tested it out with three recipes (when I put my cooking cap on) and they turned out well. I look forward to doing more when I tear myself away from my writing. Both these books are beautifully illustrated – your mouth will water ! Any more authors out there who like cooking?

 

 

Here is the cover for my latest Western to come out in Large Print. It first came out in hardback in 1973

Some pictures from the visit 

Deer at Holker Hall 27.9.08

Canal at Lancaster 27.9.08

 

Hardraw Scar 26.9.08

Hardraw Scar

 

 

 

 

Since coming back from my break in Lancaster I have been back into the routine of writing. My routine is not a strict one though I do try to write every day. Some days it maybe an hour or two, other days it may be several; depends how the story is going and the words flowing.  What I try to do is write 8000 words a week. This is just words down on the computer, inevitably there will be corrections and alterations to do. So I keep a flexibility about my life.  Yesterday evening and this morning I have been preparing a meal for two friends who are coming this evening. I’m sticking my neck out because I am giving them two dishes I have never done before – Lancashire Hot Pot and Apple Crumble. As a Starter I am having Yorkshire Pudding and Onion Gravy. Everything is ready to put in the oven and the table is set so I have taken off my chef’s hat and resumed my writer’s cap for a short while. The latter will take first place tomorrow.

Today I went to the meeting of the Northern Group of the RNA held at Beckwithshaw near Harrogate. Before lunch we had time to chat and of course that continued unabated while we enjoyed our meal. The formal meeting (formal is hardly the right word) was good and lively. After exchanging writing news we each talked about books that we found were page-turning. The range of books and authors was wide – Wilkie Collins, Brooke Hayward, Barbara Erskine, C.J. Sanson, Jessica Blair, Louise Bagshaw, Jasper Ford, Douglas Kennedy, Rosamund Pilcher, Daphne du Maurier and others. It made us realise how wide our reading was and what we saw as page-turning. Several of our regular attenders were unable to be there – we missed them.

October 1st   How time flies. I suppose it does when you are busy enjoying what you do and also enjoying relaxing time as I did this last weekend. My eldest daughter came to me last Thursday. On Friday we went to my grandson and his wife at Lancaster. My daughter did the driving so I was able to relax and enjoy the countryside.   For Shirley’s information: we took a different route; rather than go through Long Preston we went to Masham, Leyburn, Aysgarth, Ingleton. It was a beautiful day and the countryside looked at its best. Market day in Leyburn with the stalls looking exceptionally colourful. While at my grandson’s we visited Grange-Over-Sands, walked by the canal in Lancaster, visited Sunderland Point (making sure the tide was out) and there visited Sambo’s grave. He is buried all alone in a bleak and deserted place. He was a slave who died when he was being brought back from the West Indies. Sad. Maybe he gets more visitors now than when he was alive! We came home on Monday by the same route stopping off again in Leyburn but also had a look round Middleham Castle. So now it is back to writing the novel again. 1000 words done yesterday. Tomorrow it is the Romantic Novelists Association (Northern Group) meeting which I will be attending. Maybe I’ll get some writing done before I go (I am an early riser) and probably some when I get back, depending on timing.     Took lots of photographs, Shirley.