One Journey, A Travelogue of Awakening.

A new book from an interesting author, this time a travelogue, by the winner of the non-fiction category of the Words for the Wounded Georgina Hawtrey-Woore Award.

Yes, a travelogue, but much more. Forester discusses his thoughts on ‘life, the universe, and everything’ really. He reflects that there is only One Journey, and as we travel through life that journey can lead to self-discovery if we have the will to see and listen. However our lives go beyond personal reflection, and as we explore ourselves we cannot ignore the wider world and the journeys we travel within it.

Forester writes of four cases in point, undertaken over a period of fourteen years: In the Amazon Rain Forest, a confrontation the unceasing exploitation of its resources and people. In South Africa, an encounter with the power of forgiveness, fifteen years after the ending of apartheid. In Nepal and the Himalayas, a pilgrimage of self exploration. In the Philippines, an exploration the impact of economic modernisation upon the people and the land.

Forester not only relates his journeys, but reflects on the fact that our voyages into the world are, in reality, a reflection of our Journey into ourselves.

Fluently written, One Journey leaves the reader reflecting not just on Forester’s travels, but their own lives and experiences. Never a bad thing. This is my measure of a good book, one that doesn’t quite leave you. Bravo.

One Journey by Michael Forester   £9.99 Amazon.co.uk

At The Stationers’ Hall, London

In a packed and atmospheric Stationers’ Hall near St Paul’s Cathedral, the three big awards were handed out at this year’s Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation’s Adventure Writing Prize-Giving evening.

The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize is an international competition that supports and celebrates the best adventure writing today.

First awarded in 2016, the Prize recognises published, unpublished and young authors alike. The Prize is open to writers of any nationality, writing in English. Sadly, Wilbur himself couldn’t make it, but Niso flew in from Cape Town to hand out the prizes. The Main Prize is split into two separate categories – an award for the best published adventure novel (the prize is £15,000) and an award for the best unpublished manuscript by a debut author (winning £7,500).

The winners! Drum roll, please…

The Best Published shortlist was Nucleus by Rory Clements, Sugar Money by Jane Harris, No Good Brother by Tyler Keevil, A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee, Looking For Evelyn by Maggie Ritchie and Pendragon by James Wilde. The winner was A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee – who, sadly, couldn’t be here to receive his prize, but did send a video of thanks from Italy where he’s attending another literary event.

The Unpublished Award went to Bill Swiggs for his manuscript Blood In The Dust. He read an excerpt in his gorgeous, deep Aussie voice and admitted to me later that he started the story some twenty years ago but, after winning a battle against cancer, had to re-evaluate everything in his life. He pushed the book again. His advice, with a huge pile of rejection slips, is to never give up. Bonnier Zaffre will now publish his book!

Bill Swiggs

The Author of Tomorrow Award is designed to find the adventure writers of the future. It is a competition open to young people, aged 21 and under, who have completed a short piece of adventure writing in English. The stories must be 1500-5000 words.

It was won by fourteen-year-old Alice Cox for her story The Death of a Soldier.

Alice Cox

All the other shortlisted young writers that attended were also welcomed onto the stage to be congratulated by Niso Smith.

A superb evening presenting some marvellous books and authors. A round of applause to Wilbur and Niso Smith for organising and running such a worthy foundation. The canapes were good, too!

(The photographs of the winners were taken by Paul Vates)

This looks like a good ‘un. This Christmas, internationally acclaimed Royal Ballet Prima Ballerina, Natalia Osipova will lead the world premiere of The Mother, a new piece of dance based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Story of the Mother.

Staged only for two exclusive nights at Pleasance at EICC in Edinburgh, this production offers a chance to see world-renowned Natalia Osipova as she performs alongside Jonathan Goddard, winner of the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Best Male Dancer.

The Mother is a compelling, instinctive story about motherhood.  With an original score by Frank Moon and Dave Price, this avant-garde production conjures a dangerous, kaleidoscopic world, combining narrative dance and drama.

Natalia Osipova, one of the ballet’s biggest stars…dazzling audiences with her superlative technique, athleticism and bravura (Financial Times).

Director and choreographer, Arthur Pita comments, It’s a dark tale which grabs you powerfully.  To me, Natalia is at her best when she is fully lost in her character on stage.  Natalia is a very instinctive performer, she does not hold back and allows herself to be fully possessed by the character she is portraying.  I am thrilled to explore this wonderful poignant story.  There is something so powerful about motherhood, and the extremes a mother will go to which resonate in all of us – themes which are so personal, yet also universal.   

The Mother  Performance Dates Friday 21st – Saturday 22nd December 2018, 7.30pm

Pentland Theatre, Pleasance at EICC, 150 Morrison Street,  Edinburgh EH3 8EE

Box Office Tickets are available from www.pleasance.co.uk or 020 7619 6868, from £20.00

Leonardo Da Vinci – 500 years on: A Portrait of History’s Greatest Artist by Matthew Landrus

This compelling and beautifully illustrated biography of Leonardo Da Vinci is a timely study of the life and astonishing achievements of a man who was a great civil and military engineer and also an extraordinary painter.

In his introduction Matthew Landrus, a specialist on the early modern history of art, sets out to demystify the man and his work for general audiences. Since there is no autobiography to draw from,  the sources available are in the main the works of Leonardo Da Vinci himself. Landrus uses time well and puts everything into the context of history and the development of early modern art as it happened.

He provides a real sense of immediacy. Apprenticed as a young boy to  Verrocchio, Leonardo quickly learnt his trade, and has been credited with a hand in the painting of the Angel in his master’s painting, The Baptism of Christ. Leonardo learnt from nature and boldly did not copy from those who went before. He left around 6000 sheets of original documents and sketches.

Throughout the work there are informative insets in blue which add to the accessible text.

Leonardo worked until, the end of his life, producing drawings and design projects even after ill health had curtailed his painting ability. In 1518 he developed a canal system and continued to be as active as possible until his death in May 1519.

He left paintings, notebooks, drawings and some vineyards, and was generous to family and even his cook. The book provides extensive further information which in particular lists collections of manuscripts, drawings and notebooks to be found all over the world. However, this work alone goes a very long way to doing justice to the great Leonardo Da Vinci.

500 Years on: A Portrait of History’s Greatest Artist by Matthew Landrus. Andre Deutsch £25.00

Trespass in Heaven by David Bruce

One for the boys we initially thought because of the technical detail included, but is it? Set in January 1944, with secret D-Day preparations underway – secret being the operative word. So when an untouchable German reconnaissance aircraft threatens to blow the whole shenanigans open, the race begins… Somehow a small team, including ace night fighter pilot Fl Lt Alec Keats must attempt to solve the technical problems dogging Britain’s last hope – an interceptor capable of challenging the interloper.

But is there just the one interloper? Is a WAAF who seems to be far too close to the unit’s CO quite what she seems?

So, though Frost initially thought, as I said that this is one for the boys because of the technical details, there is more than enough plot for all genders, if one dares use that term anymore.

David Bruce has written a novel about a vital operation, with a sense of time and place, and a cutting edge plot. Bravo.

Trespass in Heaven by David Bruce: Kindle but pb arriving soon.

A Life Lived Remotely by Siobhan Mckeown

At Frost, many of us work from home. So this was of interest, particularly the blending of work/life and how to mark a difference between the two.

Part memoir, part theory, A Life Lived Remotely follows the author’s journey from a 9-to-5 out to work life, to freelancing and working remotely, which is so much more possible in this digital age. But that is as maybe, what about the sense of a team, or lack of it? What about living with our work, how do we separate the two? How do we make people understand it is a REAL job, and actually, though we’re home, we’re not able to babysit during ‘our’ office hours, and more importantly, how do we, the worker, work out this life/work relationship without steam coming out of our ears?

A Life Live Remotely  reflects on these and also tackles larger questions like What happens when we take our lives online? How are we being changed by immersion in the internet? The digital world is a fast paced communicating tool, so how do we pause it, or our lives at least?

The book to me was composed of many questions the author has asked herself, with no pedantic answers given, merely some reflections pertaining to herself. But the questions are important for us all to enable us to reflect upon our freelance world, and perhaps the discipline needed to organise a sensible balance.

Interesting. We’re still talking about it.

A Life Lived Remotely by Siobhan McKeown

Hope on the Waterways by Milly Adams is launched on 20th September.

The Drowned Village by Kathleen McGurl

Interesting and well written McGurl weaves a tantilising story. A village is ‘drowned’ to make way for a new reservoir but is it also drowning a secret that could destroy Stella Walker’s family? Years later Stella persuads her grand daughter to return in her place to solve the past.

Reginal Hill that superb author of the Dalzial and Pascoe mysteries wrote about a similar situation, and Kathleen McGurl, though not on Hill’s level – partly because of Hill’s fabulous humour, writes a cracking mystery. As I said, interesting.

The Drowned Billage by Kathleen McGurl pub by HQ £7.99 eBook/Audio

The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham is sufficiently taut to hold our interest, and keep us turning the pages, and staying awake when we have to get up bright and early in the morning. Belsham doesn’t spare us in the descriptions of the crime as we read the actions and thoughts of the psychopath  (if indeed he/she is a psychopath, but is it a he or she? We don’t know because that part is written in the first person). The plot: tattoo artist Marni Mullins discovers a flayed body, and the newly promoted DI Francis Sullivan needs her help, needs someone who knows the tattoo world, but Marni doesn’t trust the police. Why not? Well, read it and see, but whatever the reason if she manages to identify the killer will she trust Sullivan or pursue the predator herself?

It’s taut, intriguing and all that a thriller should be.

The Tattoo Thief by Alison Belsham. Pub Trapeze pb £7.99 audio and eBook.

One Way S.J. Morden

A thriller or a sci-fi novel? Or both?

Think the Dirty Dozen: all criminals, all with a focus because success will bring freedom for the survivors. But with One Way there is no freedom on offer for these criminals if the mission is successful because it’s to Mars, and that is where they will live, for ever. And must trust one another in order to survive, let alone build the first Mars base

However having been recruited, and arrived, it becomes apparent that one of them is a murderer, and …

No, no more. Chilling, innovative, and well imagined. Keep turning those pages.

Of course, it should be well imagined. Dr S.J. Morden is a bona fide rocket scientist with degrees in Geology and Planetary Geophysics.

One Way S.J. Morden pub Gollanz pb £7.99

Well if you are having a party, you may want to decorate the room – so it is good to know that Bubblegum Balloons, created by three women in Farnborough, take balloons and confetti to a new level.

They design big, bold, beautiful, attention-grabbing balloons and decorations for any celebration and have some novel ideas such as using balloons as Christmas crackers. The collections include greeting cards, garlands, ribbon backdrops and chair backs, plus children’s party packs. Take a look at the Instagram link for more of their products.

For a comprehensive selection of gifts, Prezzybox.com covers a wide price range.  For small, inexpensive gifts, I particularly liked the Slam ‘scooting dog’ eraser and the Popsockets collapsible phone grip/stand and, in their gourmet range, you should try JoeSeph’s chilli chocolate caramel popcorn – an alliteration of delight.

And, is it too soon to think about Christmas? Or too hot? Well maybe, but I have to let you into an exciting secret. It is 40 years since The Snowman was originally published as a picture book (I know – where have all the years gone?) and Michael Morpurgo has created a new story, inspired by the original tale by Raymond Briggs. Penguin Ventures intend to make a splash (or a flurry of snow), so watch out for celebratory family events, starting in October in Brighton and working through to a finale on 23^rd December at the Royal Albert Hall.

And yes, it soon will be Christmas, so, ignoring the recent high temperatures outside, here’s a little teaser-  a novelty Christmas tree bauble from Flying Tiger to get you in the mood.

Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

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If you are looking for a great supplier of beauty products, try Jica Beauty. They sell fabulous high quality products and I had the pleasure of testing a few.

Like many women, I am keen to have a flawless but natural looking browline, and Divaderme Brow Extender was perfect. Easy to apply and a very natural finish.

Nail Magic hardener and conditioner, and their cuticle oil are absolute luxury, and don’t we feel good with nice nails, girls? As a ballroom dancer, I use a lot of nail varnish to match my dresses- so sometimes my nails get dry. Nail Magic is an expert in restoring nails to health and mine looked so good afterwards, even without any varnish.

Finally – skin, skin and skin. Try Algologie redensifying and plumping cream, followed by their marine serum and night mask – I woke up looking like a twenty year old after using it (then I wiped the steam off the bathroom mirror) … but seriously, my skin felt so much better, I can really recommend these lovely products.

I’ve reviewed them before- but I need to remind you again – the wonderful essential oil-based Scentered essential oil products. Pamper yourself – you won’t regret it. These will help your mood and your sleep and distress you – go for it.

Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

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