Category Archives: Life & Style

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: TAKE FOUR WRITERS – EVENTING, TALKING, PLAYING, UPLIFTING

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JACKIE BALDWIN… EVENTING

Hello, again! This month has been super busy as my son got married on the 11th August. The week before I was so stressed I thought I might spontaneously combust but the day itself was utterly magical! I am now trying to keep the peace between my son’s cat and our two dogs who are not his biggest fans.

On the writing front, the paperback of Perfect Dead will be released on Thursday 23rd August. I am not having a launch as the day before that I am doing an event in Waterstones, Dumfries, with the fabulous Lin Anderson, who is ‘Tartan Noir’ royalty. The event has only recently been confirmed, so imagine my shock when I was meandering along the High Street in Dumfries and came face to face with a large poster of myself and Lin Anderson out on the pavement!

After that, it will be time to knuckle down and get on with the next book in the series.

Have a great month!

 

CLAIRE DYER… TALKING

This month I want to talk about talking. I don’t mean chatting to our friends over coffee or a nice cool glass of Chablis but talking about our books on our hind legs in front of other people.

It’s a very odd thing to do. After all, most writers are notoriously private people and so, to be exposed to actual readers and other writers is odd. Well I find it so anyway.

Why should this be so? Well, I’ve grown used to my books. They are incredibly special but it’s kind of embarrassing to talk about something so familiar, it’s like describing an old pair of jeans, you wonder whether anyone else will really be interested.

After all, by the time a book is published, its author has read it about a million times (OK, I might be exaggerating, but it feels like it), it has been pulled apart, put back together, tweaked, cajoled, buffed and polished to within an inch of its life and therefore, when asked, ‘What’s your book about?’ or ‘How did you think up your main character?’ or ‘Why did you end the book that way?’, it is, strangely, sometimes hard to find the right words.

 

ANGELA PETCH… PLAYING

This month, after the excitement of RNA Conference, I moved south to the Sussex Downs to stay with our eldest daughter, waiting for the birth of her third child. The heat was comparable to our hot weather in Tuscany but the surroundings very different. I had no time for writing, immersed as I was in the world of two and four-year old toddlers. Lego, cars, story reading, bottom wiping, cooking and washing filled my time. We played pretend games, which is not a million miles from being a writer, and all the while, I stored snippets in my head for future stories. It was a privilege to be in England when baby Finn arrived on August 1st.

Instead of creative writing, I’ve managed to squeeze in admin for the first Write Away in Tuscany that takes place at our Tuscan home from September 11th – 18th. I’m back in Italy now, finalising details. Mavis and Dot are being honed in the meantime and Cancer Research is supporting my campaign for funds for the launch of these two ladies.

 

LUCY COLEMAN… UPLIFTING

The arrival of the school holidays means coping with weekly sleepovers, then frenetically trying to catch up with a growing ‘to do’ list. But it’s important to me to grab as much quality family time as possible.

Writers spend a lot of their time living in a world they’ve created. I’m lucky in that I write about life, relationships and the pursuit of a happy ending. I set the mood by playing soft music and having an essential oil diffuser wafting out rose geranium and lavender. It’s uplifting.

This month has been all about preparing for the release of Lucy Coleman’s ‘Snowflakes Over Holly Cove’ on the 18 September 2018. But it’s also a nervous time for an author.

It’s a story about loss and finding love, and as cosy as a mug of hot chocolate! Set in Caswell Bay on the stunningly rugged Gower Coast, it’s one of my favourite places to walk…

 

Frost Loves Fulton’s Funbrella collection

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funbrella fulton

Frost loves Fulton’s funbrellas. This Guard one is just gorgeous and any child will love it. They are safe for little hands and are also clear so the child is always visible. Clever and gorgeous. 

As summer draws to a close, and the new school year approaches ensure you little ones are prepared for the unpredictable British weather with a ‘funbrella’ from Royal Warranted Fulton Umbrellas.

Designed specifically for kids, Fulton’s ‘funbrella’ uses patented safety technology to ensure that small hands are protected when opening and closing the umbrella. Mirroring Fulton’s classic Birdcage style, the ‘funbrella’ provides full coverage over small heads and shoulders and the clear dome canopy allows superior visibility for a safer trip to school. So whether its florals, soldiers, trucks or a classic colour band, the Funbrella has your child covered this school year.

Founded in 1956 by Arnold Fulton, Fulton Umbrellas is renowned for being the leading umbrella manufacturer in the UK. Since been given their Royal Warrant from the Queen Mother in 1993, Fulton Umbrellas have been supplying The Queen and the rest of the Royal Family with their trustworthy umbrellas in not so trustworthy British weather!

 

Facebook: Fulton Umbrellas

Instagram: @FultonUmbrellas

Twitter: @FultonUmbrella

 

The Original Suffrage Cook Book by Mrs L O Kleber

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The Original Suffrage Cook Book by Mrs L O Kleber

Originally published in 1915 to help raise funds for the campaign for the vote for women, The Original Suffrage Cook Book  is so much more than its title suggests. This new edition includes short biographies of many of the contributors and a new endnote by award-winning writer Cheryl Robson, which places the book both in its historical and contemporary contexts. It is such a fascinating read and the biographies are an inspired addition. One of them is Jack London, author of Call of the Wild. I remember studying the book at school for O level but when I read the short biography I wanted to hunt down a longer version. What a life!

This cookbook was compiled by Mrs Kleber from recipes contributed by leading men and women of the Suffrage movement in the UK and US, including Lady Constance Lytton (aka Jane Warton) who was imprisoned four times for her campaigning, Julia Lathrop the first woman to head a United States federal bureau department, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, author of The Yellow Wallpaper and Herland.

There is a wide range of recipes, many of them very simple, a few tongue in cheek – Pie for a Suffragist’s Doubting Husband for instance –  and all grouped in a simple and organised manner; much as these women would have attempted to change the course of history.

It’s a fabulous historical document of its time but also an interesting cook book to boot, interspersed as it is with line drawings and including letters to the editor – or Editress as she is described  in the contents section of the book.

Recipes aside this is a great gift idea. It’s both practical and fascinating on so many levels and I’ll be trying out more of the recipes over time. A unique way to celebrate the centenary of women getting the vote.

The Original Suffrage Cook Book compiled by Mrs L. O. Kleber
1915 Cook Book to be published for #VOTE100

www.aurorametro.co.uk

PB £12.99
ISBN: 978-1-912430-13-0

A Mother’s Grace by Rosie Goodwin

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A Mother's Grace by Rosie Goodwin

This, the  third novel in the Days of the Week collection by Rosie Goodwin, turns its focus on why Tuesday’s child is full of grace.

A Mother’s Grace  follows the story of Grace Kettle who longs to escape her bullying, controlling father. She becomes devoutly religious and goes off to Wales to take holy orders and become a nun. But there she meets the dashing and devout Father Luke and things don’t go as Grace had hoped. She is forced to make a difficult and life changing decision, one that she will spend the rest of her life seeking forgiveness for.

Some of the characters from the previous two novels in the series make an appearance in this book but you don’t have to have read them to enjoy A Mother’s Grace.

If you love riveting, heart-warming saga then you will not be disappointed. A Mother’s Grace has all the elements of a good page-turning novel and is a ‘curl up in a chair’ read for autumn.

Rosie Goodwin’s books have  sold over a million copies and she has written over thirty novels. She’s been described as the Catherine Cookson for a new generation.

Rosie is also the only author to ever be allowed to follow three of Catherine Cookson’s trilogies with her own sequels.

www.rosiegoodwin.co.uk

Published by Bonnier Zaffre £7.99

Review: Copenhagen, Minerva Theatre, Chichester

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Box Office: 01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk
Until 22 September

Photo credit: Conrad Blakemore

What was the purpose of the visit made by German Werner Heisenberg (Charles Edwards) to his friend Danish physicist Niels Bohr (Paul Jesson) as the Second World War raged? The answer is by no means swift in coming, but it is a compelling journey. Which is just as well; this is not a play that allows for wandering concentration.

The ghosts of Heisenberg, Bohr and his wife Margrethe return to the night of Heisenberg’s visit in 1941 to scrutinise the intent and rationale behind the house call. Eminently bright and highly respected, the younger man’s nation has occupied his elder’s country, thus thorough examination of several theories is necessary.

With a shared passion for scientific certainty the coals are raked over with forensic-like attention to detail, stirring human nature into technical hypotheses. Tempered by Margrethe’s perceptiveness and calm, blistering disagreement between the two men is revealing, but while such convulsions are fascinating it is the historical element that gives the play ominous depth: the creation of the atom bomb and its monstrous impact.

Director Michael Blakemore succeeds in maintaining a fluidity that is almost balletic. With a small cast and a stark set the focus on the trio is as intense as the play itself, but they impress throughout.

Patricia Hodge as Margrethe is breathtakingly good; elegant, circumspect and sharp. Charles Edwards as Heisenberg and Paul Jesson as Bohr are equally excellent, both absolutely convincing as boffins who, despite their scientific and mathematical prowess, are nevertheless vulnerable to human frailty.

Michael Frayn’s play is as much about morals as it is the quest for knowledge and you are likely to come away as many questions as answers. Oddly, this is strangely satisfying.

Theatre preview: People Like us: written by Julie Burchill and Jane Robins 

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This will be interesting… Wonder how involved the audience will get? Will they sit in ‘our side’ ‘your side’ groups created by themselves. Go along and see:

People Like us, written by acclaimed writers and journalists Julie Burchill and Jane Robins will be premiered at the Union Theatre this October.

Set in a North London book club, People Like Us follows five friends as they find themselves discussing the unavoidable topic of Brexit.  In the two years since the vote to leave, endless discussion has all but eradicated any middle ground. What remains is opposing views and the arguments which have strained relationships – can we only ever really be friends with people like us?

 Although written in support of the Leave campaign, People Like Us will uniquely provide an argument for both sides of the debate.  With theatre and the arts predominantly representing a single view of Brexit, this nuanced look presents the politics and views of both sides.

People Like Us looks at how politics and Brexit have invaded conversations, Burchill and Robins ask the question – can we only ever really be friends with people like us? And how far would you go to save your closest friendships from being pulled apart by political beliefs?  This is the question these friends must answer as the fight for the future of Europe.

People Like Us: Union Theatre, 204 Union Street, London SE1 0LX

Tuesday 2nd October – Saturday 20th October 2018, 7.30pm Press Night: Thursday 4th October 2018, 7.30pm

Performance Dates Tuesday 2nd – Saturday 20th October 2018, 7.30pm    Saturday matinees, 2.30pm

Running time  2 hours including interval tbc

Age recommendation  Ages 14+

Location  Union Theatre, Old Union Yard Arches, 229 Union Street, London SE1 0LX www.uniontheatre.biz    How to get there The nearest underground stations are Southwark (on the Jubilee line) or London Bridge (on the Jubilee line and Northern line). The nearest rail station is Waterloo or London Bridge.  Parking is available on Union Street after 6.30pm on weekdays and all day on weekends.

Twitter @TheUnionTheatre

Box Office Tickets are available from the Union Theatre Box Office and www.uniontheatre.biz or 020 7261 9876 from £22.50.

 

THEATRE REVIEW: Much Ado About Nothing – Paul Vates Drama critic

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at Gray’s Inn Hall, London

 

“This production has managed to create a hilarious Dogberry!”

 

 

Last year I praised Antic Disposition’s production of Richard III at The Temple Church in London. This year’s tour is the comedy Much Ado About Nothing – on paper an easier affair, perhaps, yet this play has always had three factors that can make or break the show: the chemistry between Beatrice and Benedick; the gulling scene; and Dogberry and his troop.

 

Co-directors Ben Horslen and John Risebero have set the piece in the village square of Messina, in rural France. WW2 has just finished and there is a joyous atmosphere. British troops are passing through and all seems well in the world. This however creates the potential for accents: the locals are French, after all. Much of Dogberry’s speeches are French gibberish and set the tone perfectly.

 

Beatrice (played by Chiraz Aïch) and Benedick (Nicholas Osmond) are a striking pair and as the action proceeds they warm into their roles. Aïch, for me, sadly preferring angry passion to diction near the climax, but they make a fine and believable couple.

 

 

 

 

The gulling scenes are inventive, using the cafe scenario for their staging, but did not fulfill their promise. They could, I am sure, have pushed the comic potential a little further. Still funny, though.

 

 

 

This production has managed to create a hilarious Dogberry! So many versions don’t quite know how to portray the clowns. To make Dogberry (brilliantly played by Louis Bernard) as the cafe owner who is basically there throughout, actually manages to give Dogberry a genuine and truthful setting which he so often lacks. His assistants, who are just as stupid as he, are a joy to behold. Accordion-playing Verges (Scott Brooks) has great fun being the deadpan accomplice. Bernard’s inspiration is Jacques Tati and it works a treat.

 

 

 

The whole company are a tightly-knit ensemble are take us through a cleverly edited version of the play. Antic Disposition are in their comfort zone here: Shakespeare in an unusual historic venue. The audience delight in their antics and the whole performance has a light touch. Praiseworthy indeed.

 

 

Photographer  Scott Rylander

Producer         Antic Disposition

Directors         Ben Hoslen and John Risebero

Designer         John Risebero

Composer       Nick Barstow

 

Venue             Gray’s Inn Hall, London WC1R 5ET

Performances Until September 1st

Times              7.30pm Tuesday to Saturday – Saturday Matinees at 3pm

Tickets            £30-£45 (under 26s £10 off)

Box Office       www.much-ado.co.uk and 0333 666 3366

Running Time 2hrs 10, including an interval

Twitter             @anticdispo

Instagram       @anticdispo

Facebook        /anticdisposition

 

 

Art with Heart returns with a brand new tour of Declaration: October to November

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The winner of the ADHD Foundation Partnership Award in 2017, Art with Heart returns with a brand new tour of Declaration, a comic and candid look at Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

Developed in consultation with medical professionals and mental health support groups, Declaration challenges the stereotypes of mental health and gender in the 21st century.

Declaration is a vibrant and daring adventure of school day survival tactics, super-hero alter-egos and the stumbling blocks to self-acceptance.  Filled with great tunes, dancing and humour, Declaration is an upbeat autobiographical piece about the challenges Sarah Emmott faced as she sought diagnosis in her 30s.

Instinctive, curious, bold and bouncy, Sarah is a mighty proud square peg – which wouldn’t be such a problem if the hole wasn’t so damn round.  Her childhood doctor thought it was sugar.  Her current doctor thinks its ADHD. Sarah still feels different, so what will a label do? Declaration is a vibrant and daring adventure of school day survival tactics, super-hero alteregos and the stumbling blocks to self-acceptance.

Performance Dates  Tuesday 12th October – Thursday 22nd November 2018

 

Running Time   70 minutes   Box Office Tickets are available from individual theatre box office. See www.artwithheart.org.uk 

 

Twitter  @artwith_heart, #ADHDeclaration