Category Archives: Culture

What To Read in August

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A romance novel that you can really get your teeth into. Engaging characters and a brilliant story. 

Any Dream Will Do By Debbie Macomber

It’s never too late to start again. Two unlikely friends find the strength in each other to overcome their painful pasts.

Shay Benson adored her younger brother. She did all she could to keep Caden on the straight and narrow. But one day her best intentions got Shay into the worst trouble of her life. By protecting Caden, Shay sacrificed herself.

Drew Douglas adored his wife. But since losing Katie, all he could do was focus on their two beautiful children; everything else came a distant second.

Shay and Drew are each in need a fresh start, and when they meet by chance it’s an unexpected blessing for them both. Drew helps Shay to get back on her feet, and she reignites his sense of purpose.

But when a devastating secret is uncovered, Shay and Drew’s new lives are threatened. It will take all of their strength, faith and trust to protect the bright future they dream of.

Any Dream Will Do is available here.

Another brilliant children’s book from the powerhouse that is Isla Fisher. 

Marge And The Great Train Rescue By Isla Fisher

Have you met Marge? She has rainbow hair, tells wild stories and she’s the best babysitter in the whole world.

Things do SOMETIMES go off the rails when Marge is around but Jakey and Jemima don’t mind that. After all, no one else could rescue a train, help Jakey’s wobbly tooth or cause chaos at the zoo!

The third fun family story in the MARGE IN CHARGE series, written by actor & comedian Isla Fisher and illustrated throughout by Eglantine Ceulemans.

Marge And The Great Train Rescue is available here.

Am immensely satisfying and entertaining historical novel. 

The Waiting Hours By Ellie Dean

Slapton Sands, 1943

War has not been kind to Carol Porter. It took her husband and baby, and with them her heart. At last she’s found some peace, working as a land girl at Coombe Farm. But Carol’s sanctuary, the whole local area in fact, is about to be disrupted.

When Pauline Reilly hears Carol’s news she’s worried for her little sister. But as rumours about Slapton Sands reach Cliffehaven, Pauline can’t help be more concerned for her only surviving son. And despite her sister-in-law Peggy’s best efforts, nothing soothes Pauline’s fears.

As Carol prepares to face the impending upheaval alone her beloved mother, Dolly, swoops in to Slapton, and packing up Carol’s life presents unexpected opportunities for them both: Carol looks to her future while Dolly confronts a ghost from her past, and they both have a chance to mend their broken hearts.

The THIRTEENTH fabulous, heart-warming Second World War novel in Ellie Dean’s bestselling Cliffehaven series (previously called the Beach View Boarding House series).

The Waiting Hours is available here. 

 

 

 

Business of Books: So Much to Give – Part 1

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Jane Cable on how authors get together to support charities

It’s that time of year again. The time when Chindi Authors stand outside the Cancer Research UK shop in Arundel for ten whole days during the town’s festival trying to sell books. Not an easy task when the second hand offerings inside are so much cheaper, but we stick at it because we can add to the coffers of this excellent cause, promote our own books and meet readers.

We know we’ll be well supported by our members and local people, but organiser romantic novelist and kidlit writer Carol Thomas was asked by author contacts up and down the country if they could donate too. While she did the charitable thing and set up a donation page – http://www.carol-thomas.co.uk/Chindi-cruk/ – her generosity simply got me thinking about how much writers achieve when they band together for good causes.

The most high profile recent example of this was the Authors for Grenfell online auction which attracted pledges of more than £150,000, over £30,000 of which was for Philip Pullman to name a character after one of the young victims of the fire. Quirky lots did well too, with conductor and writer Lev Parikian putting together a package which bridged both his worlds: “I offered signed books and (more importantly on this occasion, I think) conducting lessons. A bidding war between three people meant we raised £1,700.”

 

CLIC Sargent runs an annual ‘Get in Character’ eBay auction where authors such as crime writer E V Seymour and novelist and poet Claire Dyer have offered bidders a range of lots including – you guessed it – having a character in a book named after them. Critiques prove equally popular and previous Business of Books guest Karen King (https://www.frostmagazine.com/2017/04/how-to-have-more-than-100-titles-published/) offered one in the Authors for Refugees auction last year, an initiative which raised £22,000.

 

Another way of writers getting together to raise money is by giving their time to contribute to and to edit anthologies for causes as diverse as cancer and heart charities, earthquake appeals, women’s rescues and hospices. Some have very personal links to the cause, including saga writer Elaine Everest (also a previous Business of Books guest): “I organised and edited the anthology ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ (Accent Press) to celebrate my 30th anniversary of surviving breast cancer (7 years ago) with funds going to Against Breast Cancer.”

 

Crime & thriller writer Jane Risdon is a serial contributor to anthologies, supporting amongst others Women for Women, Breakthrough, Women’s Aid, The Norfolk Hospice, The Princess Alice Hospice and Save The Children. She was slightly upset when there was no thanks from certain charities, but would still do it again. Other authors say that smaller charities are more responsive than the larger ones so they prefer to work with these.

 

Some writers go the whole nine yards and get together to form charities of their own. A prime example of this is saga writer and Frost contributing editor, Margaret Graham, who together with Jan Speedie and Penny Deacon set up Words for the Wounded which exists to raise funds for injured service personnel through writing prizes and events. It’s a wonderful organisation and every penny goes directly to the people who need it. Authors can help in a variety of ways – Chindi raised almost a thousand pounds by organising a litfest, others give their time to speak at events or in my case I donate £1 for every Amazon review of my book Another You. Find out more about W4W here: http://www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk/.

 

 

Business Of Books: Jane Cable talks to publishing polymath, Liz Barnsley

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BUSINESS OF BOOKS: LOVING BOOKS, LIVING BOOKS

Jane Cable talks to publishing polymath, Liz Barnsley

What is your book related job or business?

First of all I’m a reader and reviewer with my own website, Liz Loves Books  – all done for the love of it. On the professional side I work freelance as a submission reader for Orenda books and now as an Editor and Publicity Manager for Lisa Hall at Manatee, our new digital publishing venture. I also take on individual editing, first draft critique and proof reading amongst other things. I also have a “day job” which I’m loathe to give up as I love that too – so all in all it is a busy bookish life and a busy life life! Going into this venture with Lisa was a no brainer for me however – she is an incredible writer and a voracious reader and she knows what a good book looks like and how to get it out there. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?

 

What is the most rewarding part of it?

Definitely the most rewarding part is seeing the book complete and published and finding a readership – every little that I do to help that happen gives me a huge buzz. I also like the collaborative side of editing when I’m excited about a story and the author is excited about their story – it is all hugely satisfying seeing that spark of an idea become a brilliant novel. I have to say I love reading the raw material before it goes through all the stages, seeing the talent and story emerge from underneath that first sprawl of creativity. I never tire of reading the same narrative during the tweaks because you get a whole different sense of it every time. Ultimately (hopefully!) the white noise disappears and you are left with a beautiful, readable, emotionally resonant or edge of the seat story that you can send out into the world.

 

What do you consider to be your major successes?

Manatee is in the very early stages at the moment so I don’t think we can claim any major successes just yet – although I’m very excited by the authors we have signed so far, all of whom are bringing something different to the table and are putting their trust in us. We focus on crime and women’s fiction – I look after the crime and Lisa looks after the women’s fiction and all our authors so far have written, in my opinion, absolutely excellent, engaging and addictive stories. Also it was somewhat of a confidence boost that bestselling crime writer Neil White had enough faith in Manatee to entrust to us his non crime novel Lost In Nashville. We have persuaded him he might want to write some more fiction for us – he is an incredible writer both within the crime genre and out of it. Watch this space. He will probably tell me off now as he’s busy with his next amazing crime novel for Bonnier Zaffre – but it had to be said that he is certainly not a one trick pony. Now he’ll tell me off some more…

 

Have you always loved books and what are you reading at the moment?

I have ALWAYS loved books. I’ve read many books a week every week since I was very young and I can’t see that stopping anytime soon even though I’m now rather older. Right now I’m reading a brilliant and highly atmospheric novel called “The Monsters Daughter” by Michelle Pretorius – look out for that one – but also several others as I multi read, they include The Innocent Wife by Amy Lloyd, Need to Know by Karen Cleveland, The Fate of the Tearling by Erica Johansen and Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw. Great books all.

 

Manatee Books focuses on quality, ethical, author focused digital publishing. Their aim is to bring a wide range of exemplary fiction to a broad readership, time and time again.

Find out more at www.manateebooks.co.uk.

 

The Diary of a Freelance Working Mother

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working mother, mother, working, freelance, blogger, mummy blogger, blogger, parenting blogger, blogger, writing, Hello Frost readers. Many of you will know me quite well, others will be be thinking, ‘Why is the woman being so arrogant to think that we know who she is?’ And you may have a point, so let me introduce myself properly: I am the editor and founder of Frost Magazine. I am also a writer, author, editor, filmmaker and actor. But above all of this I am a mother. Which is the hardest thing of all.

When I got pregnant I felt like I was in a good position as a freelancer. I could be a full time mother AND have a career. Sure it would be hard, but I was used to hard. It is hard not to laugh thinking about this now. Being a freelancer is hard, but the flexibility has always made it worth it for me. Looking back now I can see I was naive when I thought it would be easy. I did not realise just how hard being a mother would be. The funniest thing is that I breastfeed for over a year and I look back at those times when I had a breastfeeding newborn and think of them as the easy days because now I have a two-year-old. For all of those mothers who have babies, enjoy this time. Toddlers are really hard work. Even my sweet and loving son. I know others have it harder. Very much so.

I am going to start this as a column. I am heavily pregnant as I write this and I just want to share the craziness of life as a freelance working mother. The timing is not great. I will be trying my best to take a proper maternity leave and cut back on work. There will be days, weeks even, when I let myself just be a mother and not run myself into the ground. Something that I have been known to do a lot in the past. It has taken becoming a parent to realise that I am not invincible, That self care is important. So I will continue to write my books and run this online mag while I raise my children. But while I am doing that I am going to tell you about how I spend the days taking my son to toddler groups and playing lego, and then writing and answering emails in the evening. I will give you some tips on both parenting and work. I will share with you how I wrote my first fiction book. Spoiler alert: by walking my son around in his pram until he feel sleep and then banging out 2000 words a day on my iPhone. I will talk to you about the guilt and the stress. But most of all I will let you know that I have no regrets at the path I have taken. Being a mother is the best things that ever happened to me. Motherhood is hard and sometimes I feel I am not up to the task, and choosing to work (which I am fully aware is a privilege) gives me back my identity and my freedom. Writers write. So stay tuned. I hope you enjoy the journey.

 

What to consider when travelling to Vegas

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Las Vegas is well-known for luxury casinos, dive bars and glitzy entertainment – but if you’ve never been to Vegas before, you’ll be in for a few surprises.

To help make the best of your trip, especially if you’re looking for things to do in Las Vegas with kids, here are just a few things you should know before travelling to Las Vegas for the first time…

It’s hot – really hot

Since Vegas sits smack bang in the middle of the Nevada desert, you might expect it to be warm. But as soon as you get off the plane, you’ll notice just how hot it is – 38 degrees centigrade (100 degrees Fahrenheit) is the average temperature in August.

While the casinos, bars, restaurants and hotels all have air-conditioning, be prepared to break out in a sweat if you plan to walk more than 100 metres (109 yards). The most comfortable way to move around Las Vegas Strip is through the casino complex and not around it.

ATM charges are high

The standard fee for using most cash machines in Las Vegas is $5.99 , but this can rise to $9.99 in some adult establishments. This may not mean much to the big spenders, but to us mere mortals, it can have a real impact on our cash flow.

When you come to Vegas, you’d be wise to bring plenty of cash (especially if travelling from outside the United States) to avoid these astronomical charges.

Everyone smokes – everywhere

Smoking has been banned here in the UK for years, so most of us are pretty used to being able to gamble without having to breathe in second-hand smoke. But Vegas remains one of the few places in the US that allows smoking in commercial venues. The casinos try and cover up the smell with what they like to call ‘signature scents’, so the smell isn’t too bad.

But if you’re offended by cigarette smoke, you may wish to stay in a hotel without a gaming license – such as the MGM Grand, or the Trump International.

Playing offshore gambling websites is illegal

Despite having a booming gambling industry, the state of Nevada is still touchy about online gaming. In fact, poker is the only licensed online game available in the state. And if you think you can get around this by logging on to Play Cosmo – think again. Playing on foreign gambling sites is illegal in the Silver State.

Cab drivers try to take advantage of Vegas virgins

Every Las Vegas cab ride starts with two key questions:

1. Where to?

2. So have you ever been to Vegas before?

You should always tell your cabbie that yes, you have been to Vegas before.

Why?

Because taxi drivers in the city try to increase the fare by taking longer routes to your destination – a common trick known as ‘long hauling’. Back in 2016, the LA Times declared that Vegas cab firms make a total of $47 million a year by overcharging visitors.

Complimentary room upgrades are available

Hotels in Las Vegas are often willing to move you to a better room if there is one available. Just speak to a member of staff at the front desk and ask if they offer any free upgrades – these are often available with no questions asked. But be sure to give a generous tip in return for their willingness to accommodate you.

 

 

Review: The Stepmother

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The Stepmother
Minerva, Chichester Festival Theatre
Until September 9

www.cft.org.uk
01243 781312

Photo credit: Catherine Ashmore

The words ‘seldom performed’ in a marketing blurb can trigger alarm bells. In many cases there’s a damn good reason why directors don’t dust down certain plays. In this instance, however, it’s an absolute mystery why it has taken so long to revive Githa Sowerby’s beautifully observed drama, in the experienced hands here of former artistic director of the National Theatre Richard Eyre.

Written in 1924, money, equality – or the lack of – and career are core themes. The setting is the home of widower Eustace Gaydon (Will Keen). A financial chancer lacking in integrity, kindness and sincerity, when he discovers that shy young Lois Relph (Ophelia Lovibond) is set to inherit his sister’s estate he promptly marries her, thus providing a stepmother for his two young daughters and shoring himself up financially. Ten years on and the shy young woman he married has become a successful society dressmaker, but Eustace’s dodgy deals have turned on him.

Keen is superb as Eustace. Shifty, sly, domineering and full of self-justification, he is irredeemably unpleasant.

Lovibond also convinces as the young girl who, as she morphs into a confident businesswoman, gradually comes to realise just what a ghastly situation she has signed up to.

A strong supporting cast includes Eve Ponsonby as stepdaughter Monica. Desperate to marry but constantly blocked by her father’s refusal to make good with an allowance, her youthful passion and increasing desperation are beautifully portrayed.

Historically fascinating, this stylish production deserves a life beyond Chichester.

Shocking New Study Reveals Overwhelming Sexism in TV & Film Ads

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Patricia Arquette , speech, feminism, oscar speech, equal pay, Winner of Best Actress In A Supporting Role Oscar 2015Women may be fighting for equality but there is still a long way to go. TV, cinema and online adverts are overwhelmingly biased against women, with men appearing on screen FOUR times more than women, and men speaking SEVEN times more than women, according to groundbreaking new research.

The study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media – founded by the Thelma and Louise star – and ad agency JWT New York, looked at more than 2,000 ads from over the last 10 years to get the results.

The report, released at the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – the biggest global event in the advertising world  –  also found:

·       Women are twice more likely than men to be shown partially or fully nude.

·       There are twice as many male characters in ads than female characters.

·       25% of ads feature men only, while only 5% of ads feature women only.

·      18% of ads feature only male voices, while less than 3% of ads featuring female voices only.

·        Women in ads are mostly in their 20s while men are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

·        Men are almost twice as likely to be funny than women.

·        One in 10 female characters are shown in sexually revealing clothing – six times the number of male characters.

·        Men are 62% more likely to be shown as intelligent.

·        Women are 48% more likely to be shown in the kitchen while men are 50% more likely to be shown at a sporting event.

·        One in three men are shown to have a job compared to one in four women.

 

The researchers concluded that female presence and portrayal in ads has not changed or improved for more than a decade, from 2006 to this day.

The report, called Unpacking Gender Bias in Advertising, examined a decade’s worth of winners and entries to the Cannes Lions Awards – the Oscars of the ad industry – using automation to analyse the split between men and women.

It aims at raising awareness of explicit and implicit gender bias in advertising, and its powerful ripple effects in the world.

Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, said: “By changing the narrative, the images we use, the stories we tell about women, we can dramatically change the way the world values women and how women and girls see themselves. It’s not enough to portray more women. We need a more progressive and inclusive representation of women.”

Brent Choi, Chief Creative Officer, J. Walter Thompson New York: “What this research shows is that our industry has tent-pole moments, amazing actions or campaigns when we all rally around women, but when it comes to creating our ‘regular’ ads for our ‘regular’ clients, we forget about them.”
The research from The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University and J. Walter Thompson New York, in collaboration with University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering, analysed more than 2,000 films from the Cannes Lions archive (English language only).

Mobile Gaming: An Incredible Smartphone Success Story

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When Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, it’s fair to say it transformed the mobile phone industry. Within a couple of years, a smartphone went from being a device for business people and tech enthusiasts to something everybody wanted.

One wonders if, at the time, Apple ever realised how much smartphones were also going to disrupt the world of gaming. It quickly became clear that the processing power such phones placed in peoples’ pockets was often going to end up being used for gaming sessions – both among casual players and more hardcore gamers.

IMAGE: Pixabay

This trend continues; Research from SurveyMonkey Intelligence shows that 62% of smartphone owners download a game to a new device within the first week of ownership. More people download games than any other type of app in this timeframe. This article takes a delve into the stats and trends to look at exactly what people are playing on their mobile devices.

Puzzle Games

For many, the first kind of game that springs to mind in relation to mobile gaming is one from the puzzle genre. Candy Crush Saga is arguably the best known – and it’s certainly an enormous success.

King Digital Entertainment, the company behind Candy Crush, was acquired by Activision in late 2015. The price the gaming giant paid was just under $6 billion! Who’d have predicted that a fairly rudimentary game involving lining up sweets would become such a money spinner? However, it’s hard to argue with a committed base of nearly 500 million monthly players.

Action Games

Despite the popularity of puzzle games, they’re (somewhat surprisingly) far less popular than games in the “Arcade” and “Action” categories – at least when it comes to downloads. Fast action game Subway Surfers enjoyed particular popularity in this genre in 2016.

Casinos and Slots

Thanks to widespread Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity, it’s now just as easy to enjoy casino gaming on a mobile device as it is on a laptop. People can enjoy online casino experience in the palm of their hand, complete with table games, all the slots and global players recognise, including such classics as Starburst and Rainbow Riches. A big trend in this sector includes official themed games, with slots versions of popular film and television franchises such as Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones offer fans a chance to play for real money or play money.

Augmented Reality

The biggest mobile game of 2016 brought Augmented Reality (AR) to the masses. Its name was Pokemon Go, and it turned out to be the best selling game of the year. As Nintendo’s first real foray into gaming on mobile devices, it was an enormous success and a global sensation – at least while the craze lasted!

IMAGE: Pixabay

Role Playing and Strategy

RPGs and strategy games are also hugely popular on mobile devices, and give the hardcore gamers something to properly get their teeth into. Notable titles include Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. Although role playing and strategy games are far from the most popular in terms of monthly downloads, they top the table when it comes to the revenue companies make from them. These are games that people stick with – and that seems to include buying plenty of in-game extras!

With every year that passes, mobile devices become more popular and ubiquitous. Whether or not Steve Jobs had gaming in mind when he launched the iPhone, smartphones are now a permanent part of that world.