Blog Tour ~ It Was You by Jo Platt

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting today's stop on the fabulous

It Was You Blog Tour

 The author Jo Platt is with us today to share her tips for aspiring writers.

Jo Platt

Note To Self: Tips for Aspiring Writers...

Your writing, and how you approach it, is so unique to you, and the book industry so full of rug-pulling surprises, that it’s impossible to offer advice which holds true for every writer in every circumstance. However, here are some pointers and words of encouragement which, with hindsight, I would have liked to have been able to share with my (ever so slightly) younger self, when first embarking upon my own literary adventure. 

Get on with it!

Lots of people declare that they want to write a book, before closely following that up with various excuses for not actually getting started. Some are waiting until their children start school, or until the day-job eases up, or even, as in the case of someone I met recently, until construction of a new, dedicated writing room in the garden is finished.

I procrastinated for years, citing all sorts of impediments and commitments when, actually, it was fear and self-doubt which was the problem. So stop making excuses and make a start. 

Rejection is par for the course...

It is extremely unlikely that your book is going to be snapped up by the first agency you approach. Agencies receive thousands of manuscripts a year and can read only a very small percentage of them in full. Acknowledging this from the outset will help you to focus on making your submission the very best that it can be; no typos, no grammatical errors and, of course, absolutely in the format requested by the agency on their website. And knowing that the process is a tough one for all authors, without exception, might just help you to stay positive in the face of those inevitable knock-backs.

There’s more than one way to crack an egg..

The route recommended to me when trying to find a home for my first novel, Reading Upside Down, was a well-trodden one. I was advised to buy a copy of the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook and to send submissions to agents selected from its listings. It was sound advice, which I did take. But in my case, self-publishing, free of cost via Amazon, was also key to finding an agent and I wish I’d considered that as an option from the outset. Writers often recoil at the very mention of self-publishing, perhaps seeing it as some sort of admission of defeat. But it is something you can do alongside making submissions to agencies, and it gets your work out there and read, rather than being left to languish in your knicker drawer. Which leads me onto…

Underwear...

Not really. It actually leads me onto…

Getting other people to read your book

Even if you’re reluctant to self-publish and let strangers read your work, do at least share it with colleagues, friends and family, before you submit it to an agent. But bear in mind that anyone too close and kind-hearted to offer meaningful criticism, is an absolutely useless choice of reader. Your ideal reviewer should be constructively opinionated, a fan of your genre and have little or no consideration for your feelings. My mother-in-law, for example, was of invaluable help.

Listen...

If, like me, you have the skin of a rice pudding, then even constructive criticism can be hard to take. But calm down, take a breath, and reflect upon what’s been said. Sometimes you’ll decide you prefer things your way, and that’s fine. But there are also times when quiet reflection will make you realise that your critic may just have a point. 

And finally…

Write for no other reason than because you love it. Keep your future hopes separate from your current creativity and don’t let the angst of ‘What next?’ and ‘What if ?’ spoil the fun. To enjoy writing is a gift. Anything else is just a bonus.

It Was You was published by Canelo on 31st October price £1.99 as an ebook. 

Visit canelo.co or follow #ItWasYou on Twitter.

Amazon UK

Huge thanks to Jo for writing such a great guest post and also to Heloise and Darren at edpr for their invitation to be part of the blog tour.

Sunday WW1 Remembered...

 Remembrance Sunday 

Wigan Parish Church
©Digital Images

 Inspirational Female Poets of the Great War

Elizabeth Daryush

1887-1977

Born in the Oxford village of Boars Hill in 1877, Elizabeth Daryush was the daughter of British poet laureate, Robert Bridges. Privately educated by personal tutor, Elizabeth had a privileged upbringing in Victorian and Edwardian England.

She followed in her father’s footsteps concentrating on an Edwardian style of verse, one of her critics said this of her “Elizabeth Daryush appears rather like someone who has suddenly stepped out of the wrong century to find herself at the wrong party wearing the wrong clothes. There she stands in her brocades speaking her o'ers and 'twixts and 'tweens in her very proper accent. . . . But the effect of her presence is curious. Suddenly everyone's language sounds indecorous, full of improprieties and vulgarities."

Elizabeth was a prolific poet, however, she was frequently disparaged for her style of poetry which was often critical of the upper classes and of the social injustice inflicted upon others. Her early work has been compared to that of Thomas Hardy.

Daryush has been described as “ a pioneer technical innovator, a poet of the highest dedication and seriousness…”

This is her poem Flanders Fields which I thought appropriate for Remembrance Sunday

Here the scanted daisy glows

Glorious as the carmined rose;

Here the hill-top's verdure mean

Fair is with unfading green;

Here, where sorrow still must tread,

All her graves are garlanded.

And still, O glad passer-by

Of the fields of agony,

Lower laughter's voice, and bare

Thy head in the valley where

Poppies bright and rustling wheat

Are a desert to love's feet.

Wigan Cenotaph

©Digital Images

Today at Cenotaphs up and down the country wreaths of poppies will be laid in Remembrance of those who have lost their lives in conflict

Close To Home .....John R. McKay

As a book reviewer I have made contact with authors from all across the globe and feel immensely privileged to be able to share some amazing work. However, there is always something rather special when a book comes to my attention which has been written by an author in my part of the North of England. So with this in mind I have great pleasure in featuring some of those authors who are literally close to my home. Over the next few Saturdays, and hopefully beyond, I will be sharing the work of a very talented bunch of Northern authors and discovering just what being a Northerner means to them both in terms of inspiration and also in their writing.

Today I feature Wigan based author, John R McKay

Hello, John and welcome back to Jaffareadstoo. Tell us a little about yourself and what got you started as an author?

I live with my wife just outside Wigan in Greater Manchester. After leaving college in 1986 I joined the Royal Air Force, serving in the UK and Belgium before leaving in 1994. After a couple of dull jobs I then joined Greater Manchester Fire Service and served as a Watch Manager in the Control Room until 2014. I have two daughters, Jessica and Sophie.

I have always read books. I cannot remember not having a book ‘on the go’ since I was a child. As soon as I finish one, I have to read a chapter of the next on my list before I finish the reading session. It’s just something I do!

For many years I wanted to write but for some reason I kept putting it off. I was a reader, not a writer. I had many ideas for stories running around in my head but never had the time or the patience to get something down on paper. When I was in my early twenties I gave it a go, but soon found that I did not have patience to see it through. However, around three years ago, I thought to myself that if I never tried to write a book then I would always regret it and being older and somewhat wiser, the patience that had eluded me in my twenties had arrived in my forties. This resulted in my first novel, The Journal, which mainly proved to myself that writing books was something I could achieve, and so I then set out to write the book that I always wanted to write, The Absolution Of Otto Finkel.

Now I have the bug and have completed two more: the contemporary black comedy Mosquitoes and the World War One novel, The Sun Will Always Shine. I am now researching my fifth novel which will be set during the Arctic Convoys of World War Two. I am also considering a follow up to Mosquitoes.

As a writer based in the North West, does this present any problems in terms of marketing and promoting your books and if so, how do you overcome them?

This is a very big problem for me. I truly believe that agents, publishers and marketers can be slightly prejudiced about where a writer lives. I have found that many agents are not particularly interested in new writers if they do not hail from the capital or surrounding area, or have attended some kind of ‘course’ with them, even if an author has an excellent book to sell. There are many excellent independent writers out there whose work may never get the attention it deserves due to this, and on the flip side, there is also a lot of rubbish sitting on the shelves in Waterstones, WH Smith and Tesco etc. I don’t want to sound cynical but I think that if you are a minor celebrity, with a terrible book that is probably written by a ghost writer, then you will be more successful in selling your work than someone from a town in the North West who is much more talented. It irritates the life out of me when I see these types of books looking down at me when I walk into a bookshop.

It is very difficult to spend time marketing books, particularly when you have a full time job, are fairly new to the industry (and quite naive at times), and are researching and writing more work. 

I find that social media is very helpful and also getting as many reviews as possible helps. I have had some excellent reviews for my books and in particular my second novel The Absolution Of Otto Finkel.

To be honest, whether I become the next Sebastian Faulkes or not, it does not really concern me. I write because I love to write and if people enjoy what I do then that is great.

Your novels are not always set in the North West but do the people and its landscape shape your stories in any way?

They seem to. I am very proud to be a Northerner but also very proud to be an Englishman. I do not necessarily plan too much about where characters will come from, but in all my novels, apart from The Absolution Of Otto Finkel, there is some setting in the North West. The main character of my first novel, The Journal, heralds from Greater Manchester, as does Alex Sumner, the protagonist of Mosquitoes. The Sun Will Always Shine is mainly set in a fictional Lancashire town, but this was required in order to tell the story of the massacre at Serre during the battle of the Somme in WW1, as most of those unfortunate men hailed from the North West. I also included some scenes in my home town of Wigan.

I suppose it is about writing about ‘what you know’ and so I feel comfortable using the North West as a location for some of my work and will probably continue to do so.

If you were pitching the North West as an ideal place to live, work and write – how would you sell it and what makes it so special?

The North West of England is extremely diverse, yet retains a uniqueness. Although there are many different accents, huge sporting rivalries and political differences, there is something about the North West that stands out against other parts of the country. We have huge conurbations in Manchester and Liverpool, yet only an hours drive from both you can see the most beautiful scenery in the country in Cumbria. If you want sport, we have the most successful football clubs in the country; if you want culture, we have some of the best museums, galleries, cinemas, theatres and libraries; if you want nightlife, then we have plenty of that; if you want peace and quiet, we have the Lakes and other such beautiful places; if you want to travel, London is 2 hours by train and we have international airports at Manchester and Liverpool. I can think of no other place in the country I would rather live, or any other country I would consider moving to. We have it all!

Writing is a solitary business - how do you interact with other authors?

I enjoy the solitude of the writing process. There is nothing more I like than to sit down with my laptop in the peace and quiet and get my words down. I have a structure to what I do which gives me the drive to continue with a work and I have the patience to push through to see a book to the end. I don’t really suffer from ‘writers block’ and at the same time I am not one of those who believe that you should ‘write your way through it’. If I am not in the mood to write then I just don’t do it. I will read a book, put the TV on or go down to the pub! I believe that if you write for writing’s sake then all you will produce will be rubbish and when you read it back it will only depress you. I don't waste my time like that.

I have some interaction with other authors through social media and have had a few emails through my website from new authors asking for advice etc. I like to do things my own way. I have my own formula for preparing a book, developing the characters, plots and sub-plots, setting up the scenes and editing. It seems to work for me.

How supportive are local communities to your writing, and are there ever any opportunities for book shops, local reading groups, or libraries to be involved in promoting your work?

I have had limited support, truth be told. I have had a signing at my local Waterstones for The Absolution Of Otto Finkel, shortly after its release. I have also appeared many times in my local paper (Wigan Evening Post and Wigan Observer), who are very supportive of my work, the journalist Andrew Nowell in particular. However, I have also been let down by one or two people in promising things that never, in the end, materialised. I suppose not being ‘famous’ limits the coverage you will get and although I would love to spend more time in promoting my work, I simply don’t have it. My website provides details of my work and how to contact me and I am always willing to do interviews etc.

And finally, if someone is new to your work, which book do you think they should start with?

The book I am most proud of is The Absolution Of Otto Finkel. This novel was developing for years inside my head and at times I thought that that was where it would remain. I wrote my first novel, The Journal, as somewhat of an experiment to see if I could actually write a book, to see if I had the patience to see it through. Once I had completed this, and people seemed to like it, I then embarked on writing the novel that I really wanted to write. A novel set in World War Two seen from different viewpoints. I spent years developing my knowledge on the war and during the research period, I found out little known facts and incidents that took place, which I have used in the book. It is basically a story about human nature and how our surroundings, situations outside of our control and the subsequent choices we make, can affect our lives and that of others; how this develops us as people. Some of it does not make good reading insomuch as it can be quite brutal, but I believe I have told it with honesty. I judge books on how it leaves you feeling when you have finished reading them. If it makes you think, affects you on an emotional level or leaves you wanting to know more of the back stories, then these are the ones I will remember. I believe The Absolution Of Otto Finkel achieves all this. 

The book took me many months to write and even longer to edit to a point where I was happy with it. It is receiving some quite excellent reviews from sites such as Lovereading, Bookmuse, Drunken Druid and of course, Amazon. It was also number four in the ‘most downloaded opening extracts’ on the Lovereading UK site for a time last Christmas. This is the book that I would recommend to any new readers of my work.

   

You can find out more about John on his website by clicking here 

Follow on Twitter @JohnMcKay68

Amazon UK

Huge thanks to John for taking the time to answer my questions about his impression of living and writing in the North West.

I hope that you have enjoyed this week's close to home feature

Coming next week :  Kate Field

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Armistice Day 2016...

At "the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" in 1918 the guns grew silent on the Western Front. The Armistice of Compiègne was signed between the Allies and Germany and went into effect at 11am, Paris time, on the 11th November 1918 .

On the 8th May 1919 a letter appeared in the London Evening News written by Australian journalist, Edward George Honey, who proposed that a respectful silence should be observed for those who had given their lives in the First World War. This article was brought to the attention of King George V and on the 7th November the king declared that...

"All locomotion should cease, so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead."

Since 1919, on the second Sunday of November, otherwise known as Remembrance Sunday a two minute silence has been observed at 11am at war memorials, cenotaphs, religious services and shopping centres throughout the country.


Armistice Day 2016

Lest We Forget

In Our Family - We Remember

Private John Hopkins

The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

Died 24 January 1919

Driver Frederick Arkwright

Royal Army Service Corps

Died 1 February 1945

Buried Schoonselhof Cemetery 
Antwerp, Belgium

Review ~ Winter edited by Melissa Harrison

Elliot & Thompson
2016

The cool blue of the cover conjures ice and frost and a feeling of winter pervades in the choice of prose and poetry contained within its pages.

There can be nothing more comforting on a cold wintry day than snuggling up with a cup of steaming hot chocolate and a really good book. On a recent, and rather grey, afternoon that's just what I did, and I very quickly found myself immersed in this lovely book. 

There are beautiful reflective pieces, my particular favourite comes from November (Sonnet XVI) by Hartley Coleridge, (1833) who was the son of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge..

 " ..In the chill sunbeam of the faint brief day

The dusky waters shudder as they shine,

The russet leaves obstruct the straggling way

of oozy brooks, which no deep banks define..."

Poets and authors, old and new, with works spanning over seven hundred years allows this Winter anthology to graciously unfold in sharply observed pieces which nestle comfortably alongside details of natural phenomena, as in this snippet from Thomas Furly Forsters, Encyclopedia of Natural Phenomena (1827) 

.." If Candlemas Day be fair and bright

Winter will have another flight..."

I had to look up Candlemas Day, it's on February 2nd

There are many more fascinating snippets which allow a glimpse into our British countryside during this stark season, and yet the content of the book is never austere, it is alive and vibrant, both in the imagery it evokes and in the feelings it arouses. Without doubt Winter, that most enigmatic of seasons, comes gloriously alive in this lovely anthology.

The editor, Melissa Harrison has done a commendable job of keeping this quartet of anthologies completely relevant, with each seasonal interpretation allowing a heartening and thoughtful meditation into the true meaning of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Published in support of The Wildlife Trusts who look after some 2,300 special places in the UK

Amazon UK

More about the editor, Melissa Harrison can be found on her website by clicking here

   

My thanks to Alison at Elliot & Thompson for my review copy of  Winter.

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The authors in my spotlight are ... Ada Bright and Cass Grafton

Today I welcome to Jaffareadstoo the talented writing duo Ada Bright and Cass Grafton who are talking to us about their novel, The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen

Brown Dog Books
2016

It’s September, and the city of Bath is playing host to the annual Jane Austen Festival, a celebration of the famous author and her works. Rose Wallace, Bath resident and avid Jane Austen fan, can’t wait for her friends to arrive and the Festival to start, unaware one of the recently arrived guests will turn her life upside down by sharing with her a secret that ultimately puts Jane Austen’s entire literary legacy at risk. With the support of a displaced two hundred year old author and a charmed necklace, can Rose help to bring back some of the most beloved stories of all time and turn her own life around in the process.

A warm welcome to both Ada and Cass...

Tell us about yourselves and what got you interested in writing a historical novel?

Ada

Ada: I became an avid reader in Elementary School and before I set about ruining my eyesight reading fantasy novels and murder mysteries, I first read the entire school library's section of biographies. So I've always been interested in history, both in fiction and non-fiction writings. This particular instance came about because Cass had already been living in Regency writing for several years and it was natural that whatever project we collaborated on together would have a bias toward history.

Cass

Cass: Reading has always been my ‘thing’, ever since I was a young child. I grew up on a diet of Enid Blyton stories before progressing to Mills & Boon, who totally coloured my idea of what love and romance should be like! Both Ada I started to co-write fan fiction together when we first met (14 years ago), and although our initials stories were fantasy-based, we soon discovered a shared love of classic literature and progressed to co-writing Jane Austen inspired stories. I then wrote a full-length Pride & Prejudice inspired novel set in the Regency era (for which Ada and her mom provided the cover artwork).

Our new book does have historical influences, but it is a contemporary novel set in present day Bath, and it was a lot of fun to mix the two worlds together!

When you start writing do you both have a writing plan or do you plot out the story together as you go along?

Both!  We met together in Bath last year to outline the entire book.  In some ways that outline stood pretty sturdy, but when we needed to make a change we called each other up on our trusty FaceTime applications and ironed everything out.  There was very little that was ever up in the air for long - it simply wasn't feasible to leave any doubt as to where we were going because between the two of us, writing sections independent of each other and then revising each other's work, we would have been tangled up beyond repair if we didn't fix problems that arose fast. 

Do you each have a favourite part of the writing/publishing process?

Ada: We definitely have different favorites and that has served us well.  I think there were times each of us felt guilty for not being up to snuff for the other in a certain area. 

Cass: I genuinely believe it’s our differences which make us the perfect writing partnership! Our styles complement each other, and we each have different strengths, so we can bring a lot to the table between us. For me, the best part of the publishing process is the cover design! It’s so exciting when you get to that stage and can finally visualise all those months of work as an actual book!

What are the ups and downs of being a writing duo and who is the worst critic?

Ada: Wow, that is a fabulous question.  The advantages of co-writing are something I can go on and on about.  At its core, the reason I love it is that we're in it together.  A beta reader or friend who lovingly encourages you through a book is nice - important even!  But it's nothing like sharing the burden completely with someone else.  On the other edge of that sword, therein lies the negative as well: there were times I'm sure both of us wanted to walk away and we simply couldn't - we had someone else counting on us.  If we stopped writing we were directly affecting one of our best friends whom we'd made a commitment to.  It wasn't just our work that would be wasted if we gave up, but our partner's as well.  So there was pressure and there was accountability, but mostly there was support. 

Oh and Cass was definitely the worst critic - because she insisted on bringing in logic to our arguments!  Ugh!  The nerve!

Cass: The best ‘up’ for me was that if I was struggling to kick-start a scene, all I had to do was say to Ada, can you get me started, and she would! Brilliant! The down? There were a couple of times when I’d written what for me (as a Brit) was a funny line (or so I thought), and then, when the scene came back after Ada’s latest edit, it would be gone! Needless to say, we did see the funny side of our sense of humours being different most of the time!

The worst critic? Yep; definitely me. Ada is well versed in fantasy and time travel through her interests, and I’m not! I had to understand how something could work, how it would blend with reality to sound credible, whereas Ada would just shrug and say, ‘those are just some of the established rules of time travel’

What was the inspiration behind your novel?

Staying in Jane Austen’s former home in Bath, which is now holiday apartments, provided the initial inspiration. What if Jane Austen, when she was living in the house in Bath in the early nineteenth century, found a way to come forward to the present day? This led us neatly to: what if she became trapped there, before she had become a published author?

The company managing the property was also incredibly helpful with information about the building, which helped to feed part of the plot. Once we started to put the two things together, it was clear we had the makings of a good story!

Whose idea was the title of your book?

Ada: I'm pretty sure the title came from Cass, but Cass's husband deserves credit because his insistence on offering ridiculous titles full of puns had her so annoyed (not seriously) that she pushed us to settle on something officially so as to keep him from persisting. I don't actually know if it worked.  I actually liked a few of them (note: I asked Cass if she could find any of them but she’d thrown his long list away. We didn’t dare ask him if he could remember any in case he started all over again!)

Cass: We really do, and always have, struggled at choosing titles for our stories, and this was no exception. Ada is right! My husband simply would not stop coming up with more and more bizarre titles, and it was the only way to effectively stop him!

What were some of the challenges you faced on the road to publication?

Just the sheer formatting of the paperback was a huge pain, even though we enlisted the services of a ‘specialist’.  They still missed several typos, and even worse, the automatic correcting they did actually created some more!  If any of you own the paperback, you will have one of our characters having a ‘riffle’ through some things. It’s become our new secret code word!

Now that the book is published are there any nuggets of wisdom you can impart to aspiring writers?

Ada: Wisdom: yes, so much.  The thing that stands out is that we should have worked harder to settle on a genre.  I wouldn't have wanted to change much from our original idea, but because of that we almost fought against genre.  I think we should have welcomed that being a little more clear might have been nice.

Cass: Definitely agree. The story touches on so many genres (mystery, romance, fantasy/time travel, history), we struggled to determine where it should sit. Having said that, we wouldn’t want to make any changes to our story. We just wish we had forced ourselves to think it through from the genre-aspect before we prepared it for publication!

Any plans for another collaborative novel?

Ada: YES we have plans for another collaborative novel... indeed we do!

Cass: There have been some calls for a sequel, and as we had so much fun spending time with our characters, we’re keen to work with them again.

Where to find Ada and Cass. Please click on the links below 

Tabby Cow Blog
Cass’s blog

Facebook: Ada:  Cass:

Twitter: @missyadabright  @CassGrafton 

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

My thoughts about The Particular Charm of Jane Austen

I've long been a fan of Jane Austen inspired novels and to have a present-day novel with a historical twist to it was a very tempting proposition. From the start of the novel I was drawn into the contemporary setting in the beautiful city of Bath, which is a place I know well. I enjoyed getting to know Rose and appreciated seeing the city through the eyes of Rose's American visitor, Morgan.

Time travel, romance, literature and history all combine to make a lovely story which is written with great charm. Reminiscent of Jane Austen's own style of writing, what is so refreshing about this novel is that the authors have allowed a modern twist, with a cleverly controlled plot, which has, at its heart, a cleverly thought out mystery.

To say more about the plot would be to do the book a complete disservice because as with all mysteries it’s best that you read without any preconceptions. However, what I will say is that, if you enjoy a wonderfully inspired Jane Austen novel, which has delightful heroines, then I am sure that The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen will greatly appeal to you as it did to me.

The authors have captured this collaborative style of writing so very well. Their partnership is quite seamless so that you really can’t tell where one finishes and the other starts, so that, rather unusually for me, I forgot that I was reading the work of two different writers.

The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen is a lovely story which entertained me from start to finish and which, ultimately, made me smile and left me wanting to read more from this talented writing duo.

I am pleased to learn that the authors are considering a sequel, the ending certainly lends itself to a continuation.

 Best Read With ...A pot of English Breakfast tea and a generous slice of Lemon Meringue Pie

Huge thanks to both Ada Bright and Cass Grafton for spending time with us today and for answering our questions so thoughtfully.

Jaffa and I have loved having you as our guests and look forward to reading more of your work in the future.

Come back and see us again soon.

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Review ~ Candle Stick Press Poetry Pamphlets..

Today I'm talking about


Lovely little, poetry pamphlets from  Candlestick Press

I've fallen in love with these rather special poetry pamphlets which you can send instead of a card. They are beautifully presented and a real joy to read.

Here are my thoughts about the three latest ones :

Ten Poems about Friendship

Selected and Introduced by Lorraine Mariner

Literature, both in prose and poetry has extolled the virtue and the value of true friendship. In this wonderfully presented pamphlet the idea of friendship is demonstrated in all of its many guises. From Stevie Smith's The Pleasures of Friendship through to the Inventory by Lorraine Mariner which offers a wry look at the benefit of Facebook friendship.

However, my absolute favourite is the very last of the ten poems and is entitled quite simply Friendship by Elizabeth Jennings, it is beautifully expressed and quite special.

A perfect friendship gift.

The Wood in Winter

By John Lewis-Stempel 

The beautiful whites and russets of the front cover of this pamphlet conjure perfectly a winter woodland. You feel that you could reach right out and touch the rich red pelt of the shadowy fox and catch a secretive glimpse of the shy grey hare as it peeps just inches away from the running deer.

Inside is a story which warms the heart and soul. Beautifully written, this is one man's journey though Pool Wood, the woodland of his childhood, and the thoughts and feelings expressed are perfectly in keeping with the idea of how much nature means to us. There's a nod to Shakespeare's King Lear in the haunting "Still Through the hawthorn blows the cold wind", and a touch of superstition and folk lore, which combined forms an imagery which is quite stunning. Interspersed as it is, with glorious illustrations from the natural world this is, without doubt, one of the nicest pamphlets I have ever seen.

The Twelve Poems of Christmas (Volume 8)

Edited by Carol Ann Duffy

This glorious collection of twelve poems associated with Christmas allows a glimpse into the many facets of Christmas we so often take for granted.With a mixture of poetry, both old and new the festive season comes alive in the imagination. Two of my favourite poets have been included, John Keats and Robert Graves, and their work sits very comfortably alongside Stevie Smith and other more modern poets, who are perhaps less well known, but whose work is no less impressive.

And for the purists there is also a complete rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas, well, it's always useful to know just how many pipers were piping.

Candlestick Press is a small independent publisher who produce a really impressive array of poetry pamphlets which suit any occasion. I'm always impressed by the quality of these booklets which are really lovely to look at and a joy to read. The quality of the paper on which they are printed, the fact that they also include an envelope, a letter seal and a beautifully coordinated book mark, make them something quite, quite special.

You can find out more about these titles by clicking here

My thanks to Candlestick Press for the opportunity to read these beautifully presented pamphlets and also to Lauraine Jordan at Trumpet Public Relations for organising my review copies.

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