Short Story Author embarks on “World’s Most Insane” Writing Marathon

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Frostie

In March author Tim Austin began a “Brilliantly Insane” project: to write a brand new 100 word short story every single day for 365 days. It has since been viewed thousands of times by readers from across the globe – from Sri Lanka to Canada, India and Australia.

With just under 300 more days to go, we talk to Tim about the project, celebrity contributors and what writing fiction means to him.

What is One Word, One Story?

It’s a project where members of the public suggest single words and I use those words as titles for flash fiction short stories. I read each word, an image forms in my mind and I take that image as inspiration for what I write. I never, ever know what’s going to come next! And I’m writing a new story every day for a year over at onewordonestory.org.

It sounds crazy. What made you do it?

A friend of mine suggested the notion of word association as a way of exploring my imagination and practicing my writing. I started doing that as a hobby. At first it was single paragraphs but I enjoyed it so much that I turned it into entire short stories. Taking it public and doing it every day for a year seemed like a fun next step.

You have a strange idea of fun,….

Haha! I enjoy taking things too far and I like a challenge. I think this counts for both.

Why just a hundred words?

I wanted to create something that people could read on the go. People have little time if they’re on a lunch break or travelling to work and I wanted to write something bite-sized that they could enjoy. Maybe read two or three in a go. The other reason was the challenge of condensing a whole narrative into so few words – it really makes every word count. It’s very pure and I like that very much.

Where did the idea of approaching other authors and celebrities come in?

Yeech, I hate the word “celebrities”! It sounds so contrived and pat. I want everyone to be able to suggest words and titles but I thought it’d be fun to approach a few writers and actors I admire. I’ve been honoured that many of them have been kind enough to donate words.

Such as?

Danny John-Jules (“Cat” in the Sci-Fi classic “Red Dwarf”) suggested “SmegForBrains”. I’ve also had suggestions from screen writers and authors including Mike Wells, Jonathan Maberry, Eddie Robson (Doctor Who) and Robert Shearman (also Doctor Who – writer of the acclaimed Season One story “Dalek”). I’m keeping quiet about future contributors. But I’m always asking. And I’m always looking for new words – anyone can suggest their own. Hint.

Did you expect it to become this popular?

To be honest, I thought it’d get a couple of hits a day. I started the site as a hobby, after all. But within two weeks I was getting hundreds of visitors a day and thousands of hits a month. It’s been wonderful to connect with people and hear that they’ve enjoyed each story. That’s been the greatest pleasure.

You can read, contribute to and support Tim’s One Word, One Story project over at onewordonestory.org now.

Coastlines:The Story of Our Shore by Patrick Barkham

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Tracy Baines

Coastlines: The story of our shore is a portrait of the British coastline from the Giant’s Causeway to Land’s End.

Told through a series of walks beside the sea, this is the story of the most beautiful 742 miles of coastline in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – its rocks, plants and animal, its views, walks and history – and of us, the people of this island nation, shaped by our shore.

Barkham explores land that is protected by Enterprise Neptune, the National Trust’s maritime section which was launched in 1965 to protect our national coastlines. Scotland does not feature as it has its own National Trust but it would be great to know that a second volume will follow.

This is the perfect read if you are planning a break or a day out in the UK. However, if you are sofa bound you will still enjoy the vivid description and various anecdotes that Barkham recounts on his journey. I laughed at tales of the formidable Mrs Christie of Brownsea Island in Dorset and smiled at Norrie Dougan walking down the street with Elvis in Strangford Lough. His beautiful, tightly observed descriptions made me want to seek out new areas of coastline and revisit those of my childhood.

Each page is packed with tales of curious places, and curious characters. It’s not simply a book of walks but contains stories of the people and past that shaped our country, those times of war and peace that have left their marks upon this beautiful land. The chapters cover Art, Faith, Work and Childhood among many others; looking back to the past and forward to the future, and the steps that are being taken to preserve our shores.

I enjoyed discovering the history and heritage of each location as well as the author’s own experience of it and made many notes of places to check out and explore. There is plenty of information on relevant websites, nearest railway stations and OS map coordinates if you should care to visit yourself.

A book to dip in and out of whenever the fancy takes you.

Breaking news – Granny Power reigns By Margaret Graham

Posted on July 8, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Today we begin our Gransthread, a column which will be a regular feature on Frost from now on. So let’s start with what comprises the stupid selfish old biddies as someone recently labeled grannies.

We might have been born during the 2^nd World War in which our parents fought, or during austerity – with rationing lasting until the mid 50s. As children we were always hungry as the country determined to get back on its feet and begin recovery after our efforts to defend our essential sovereignty and democracy.

At school we were often taught by spinsters who had lost their men in the first or second world war. At home and at school we were taught to put ‘self’ to the rear and make sure that others were alright.

We lived beneath the cloud of the cold war and Armageddon, and some husbands were there, deep in the sea or up in the sky, defending us all over again.
We screamed at Beatles concerts. The pill arrived, along with the hippy revolution. We wore flowers in our hair, and kaftans, and loved wisely we thought, but probably not. We debated politics, and were always aware of world affairs.

We endured the IRA bombing campaign. We saved for things we needed because credit cards – ‘take the waiting out of wanting’ had not yet arrived. We wives couldn’t access our joint bank accounts into which our salaries went, without a letter from our husbands, even as late as the end of the 60s.

In a referendum in 1975 the UK electorate voted to stay in the EEC under renegotiated terms of entry. We trotted through Heath’s 3 day week,

We set up house. We sewed and knitted, because it was cheaper to make our children’s clothes. Some of us worked, or helped out with the childcare of our friends. We began to understand our parents as people, because we were tackling a changing world as indeed they had and were. We listened to their advice.

We became grandparents, and wondered about social media, its benefits and anonymous bullying. We resumed childcare, this time for our grandchildren, and parent care, for our own parents. We downsized to help with children’s house deposits, we handed over interest free loans.

We kept fit, ran marathons, set up and ran charities. Many of us continue to work, but as well we volunteer: charity shops, drop in centres. We keep helping, even when our 87 year old colleague is punched in the face by an irate shoplifter. We mop up the changing rooms which have, yet again, been used as latrines.

We realize we have become invisible through age, as people in streets expect us to move to accommodate their passage. We are learning to stand our ground.

We used to stand on crowded trains while younger people sat but we increasingly force our way past spread legs to claim a seat.

We continue to follow politics. We respect the opinions of others, and expect that ours will be respected in turn.

And, most importantly, we laugh, and eat cake, or have a glass with our friends even when we our waists tell us we shouldn’t. We have dogs we walk, and make full use of our bus passes while we have them. We live every day to the full.

Grannies of all ages, and some are very young, are people. We are as difficult, as pleasant, and as inspiring as everyone else, plus we have with a distillation of experience which could be termed wisdom.

What’s more, we’ve reached the age where we feel we’ve earned our place in the world, so we’re not moving over just so others can diminish or walk through us.

Flower power? Forget it. Granny power reigns.

* We will be featuring Gransthread lives and thoughts and memories as the months go by. If you have any that you would like to share, Frost Magazine would love to hear from you: frost@margaret-graham.com

A Taste of All Things Italia at Bellavita Expo This July

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Kesh

For three days, The Business Design Centre in Angel will be host to the largest Italian Food and Drink Festival in The UK. Expect to see your favourite celebrity chefs Gennaro Contaldo and Aldo Zilli and indulge in the very finest and luxurious food and drink from the best Italian producers. The show will host over 260 exhibitors offering traditional, innovative and modern Italian products and expect to leave fully educated on all that Italy has to offer right in the heart of London.

The headline chefs will be on hand offering live cookery demonstrations and sharing their expertise on the shows opening day. Across the next couple of days expect food masterclass and wine masterclasses from the very best Italian experts. Renowned Wine Expert, Anthony Rose, will also be hosting a tasting in the Bellavita Wine Theatre where consumers can try some complimentary Prosecco straight from the largest producer of Prosecco in Italy, Villa Sandi.

New to the show, you can browse and buy whatever products you wish and have them delivered straight to your door with the Bellavite E-Shop www.bellavitashop.co.uk which can be accessed at the show.

For a limited time, you can also register for a free ticket to the show using code FREEBELLAVITA at www.bellavita.com

What more could you ask for? Register now and lets all raise a glass to Bellavita. Cin Cin.

Bellavita Expo
17th – 19th July
Islington Business Design Centre – 52 Upper St, Islington, N1 0QH
10.00 am – 5.30 pm

KonMari Method, Decluttering, Vowing To Be Frugal: Catherine Balavage On Her Quest For Less

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

There are many perks to living in London: living in the greatest city on earth, always having something to do, the history, the beauty, the parks, the museums, the monuments, the restaurants….I could go on forever. Perks you do not have however usually involve space. My first flat in London was a tiny studio in Highgate I paid £595 for per month. Practically a bargain now. It even had a garden. The next place I lived was a tiny 9 foot by 10 foot room in a house share with five other people. There was a communal storage room, but it was always packed. It didn’t matter initially that I had no room as most of my stuff was at my parent’s home. When I was 24 I asked my parents to bring it all down. Boxes and boxes of stuff. They weren’t sure where I would put all of my belongings, and my room was stuffed and over-cluttered for a long time, but here is the thing: I sold it all. It helped pay my rent and I felt much clearer. And there the addiction started.

I think the first thing I sold was a hair crimping machine (Yes, I know). But it went for about £28. A fair amount of money. Now we live in a two-bedroom flat in South-West London, and my husband and I have been hit by the clearing out bug more than ever. We also have a child now so can’t use the second bedroom for storage like we used to. We both hate shopping, but seem to accumulate an insane amount of stuff. It doesn’t help that as a writer I get sent a lot of stuff to review, and that when we moved to our previous place my husband took his belongings from the family home and his storage unit. But we are feeling proud. I have got rid of thousands (yes, thousands) of things, and my husband has too. This article is a first in a series of decluttering and turning your house into a home. I previously reviewed the The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying which you can read here. It is a helpful book, my husband even used the phrase ‘tidy up properly once and you will never have to tidy up again’, so it definitely works!

Most of our stuff has gone to Oxfam and Fara. Some of it was sold on eBay.co.uk. There is no point in just throwing your stuff out to it ends up on some landfill site, harming the environment and creating waste. We have donated, sold or recycled everything. It has been a huge job and has taken a long time. Forget what is says in the The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. I just don’t believe you can do it in a day. Well, not if you have a child anyway. Marie Kondo wrote her book before she had a child, it would be interesting to see if she thinks doing it in a day is possible now.

I hope you will join me on my journey. It makes such a difference to your life to get rid of the old and declutter. Watch this space.

Capturing Mumm’s Daring Spirit with New Grand Cordon Bottle

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Kesh

Maison Mumm have continued to pride themselves on their innovation and their daring spirit. Being sponsors to a host of sporting events throughout their production including The Vendée Globe, Formula 1 and Le Mans to name a few, Mumm have recently become proud sponsors of The Fia Formula E Championship. In 1876 Georges Hermann Mumm decided that he would pay homage to all of his prestigious customers by adding an iconic red ribbon to every bottle representing the highest of all French Honours and encapsulating the motto of GH Mumm of “only the best”. The red sash aka the Cordon Rouge has now become synonymous with the extraordinary achievements Mumm supports today and marking their latest sponsorship with Formula E and 140 years of the iconic red sash, Mumm have revealed a brand new revolutionary bottle, Grand Cordon.

Frost were honoured to be invited by Mumm to the Formula E final and witness the new bottle in action at the infamous Victory Podium. The origins of the Champagne spray started all the way back in the sixties where Le Mans winner Jo Siffert accidentally sprayed the crowd due to a Champagne bottle which has been left out in the sun causing a build up of pressure. The next year, another racer deliberately re-created the happy mistake and thus was born this momentous tradition. Having upgraded to Mumm’s Jeroboam bottle which is a staggering 3 litres, there is now double the amount of Champagne to soak the anticipating crowd.

Having arrived at Battersea Park with not much knowledge of Motor Sports we were given the low down on what Formula E entailed by the fantastic hosts and representatives of Maison Mumm.

Essentially, Formula E is The World’s first auto race which uses electric cars. Formula E represents a vision for the future of the motor industry and being the sponsors of the tournament, Mumm are proud to back the efforts of sustaining and maintaining a cleaner and greener future. The series started in 2014 in Beijing and is contested by ten teams of two drivers each. This year, the contest was comprised of ten races with the final being in Battersea and it has recently been revealed that next year will consist of fourteen races with the final being on the streets of Brooklyn. The drivers are divided into four groups with each group having 6 minutes to set their best lap. The five fastest drivers then go out again to determine their grid position. The race itself is over within 55 minutes with each driver changing cars once throughout, after all, they are electric cars. One of the most interesting features of the Fia Formula E is the Fanboost which allows the fans to have some power over their favourite drivers by voting for them using social media channels. The three most popular drivers receive an extra energy boost potentially changing the outcome of the race. Points are then awarded using the current standard FIA system with drivers who set the fastest lap being awarded two extra points. This years final was won by Sebastien Buemi after a thrilling final race taking the lead and spraying the anticipating crowd with GH Mumm Jeraboam.

Mumm produce Champagne’s which capture the essence of adventure and victory and their constant celebration of this has been their inspiration for their Limited Edition Victory Bottles. Each of the Mumm Champagne bottles are uniquely produced and turned by hand to remove any sediment and are monitored for over two years before they are released. The Grand Cordon bottle designed by multi-award winning designer Ross Lovegrove is inventive and creative to say the least true to Mumm’s daring style. Breaking the convention of the original bottles, the bottle has no front label, instead the G.H. Mumm signature and eagle emblem are printed in gold directly on the glass. The neck of the bottle is also unusually longer designed to encapsulate the development of the aromas of Mumm’s legendary Cordon Rouge Cuvée. The most striking addition to the new bottle is that the iconic red sash, only altered twice in as much as two centuries, has now been transformed into a genuine red ribbon which has been indented into the glass. A true celebration of over two centuries of excellence and tradition.

So if you would like a slice of victory on your wine rack;

Mumm Grand Cordon is now available to buy;
www.sohowine.co.uk
RRP: £39.99

Zoe Saldana: Being a Working Mother is The “Biggest Battle”

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Avatar actress Zoe Saldana has said that juggling her career while raising her twins is her “biggest battle”, because her requests for childcare is seen as a perk. Zoe and husband Marco Perego welcomed their twins, Bowie and Cy, 19-months ago.

“It should not be considered a perk, I’m not asking for a masseuse on set. I’m asking you to pay for my children to have proper care so that I can give your film the proper care it needs too.” She told the Evening Standard. The 38-year-old actress also said that she wants to “contribute to a greater good” by only doing films that further gender and racial equality. She also said she would not do any jobs which are “objectifying or gratuitous”.

“Studios are the ones that are not green-lighting black projects, they’re the ones sending internal emails and laughing, And bullying women and bullying people of colour. I am speaking up and I am stepping down as well. Sometimes by saying no (to some roles), you’re helping – you’re contributing to a greater good. Women have been compelled to be quiet for too long. We have to shed light on things that are obviously unfair, uneven, unequal – things that should be illegal.”

She said about her role in blockbusters: “In a world where there’s so much turmoil, maybe what our children need is to believe in superheroes,”

New Pastel Edition of Urbanista’s Earphones

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Margaret Graham

There was a time when earphones were just – well, earphones.

Forget that for a game of marbles: Urbanista, the Swedish lifestyle brand delivering portable audio for young urban people has announced the availability of its popular San Francisco earphones in fantastic mosaic pastel colours.

Perfect for music lovers that want a patterned earphone that complements their summer style, the print is reminiscent of Mediterranean mosaic in bright pastel colours.

I found that the earphones ergonomic design was comfortable – just for once. (I find it hard to find earphones that are) and the audio quality excellent.

So, though this range targets the young and trendy, it also suits the not so young, but still trendy. Or so say I.

Daniel Roose, designer at Urbanista says, ‘Big and bold patterns is one of the biggest trends of the summer, and we wanted to take advantage of the flat cable to experiment with graphical prints. We haven’t previously seen many prints on earphone and this is why the unique pattern feels absolutely right for this summer special edition.’

So, how is it used? There is a single button remote to control music and calls, and the built-in mic allows you to take calls anywhere. The earphones come with tangle-free, colour matched cables and work with Android, iOS and Windows.

Summer colours, such as ocean drive and pink paradise is a fun complement to the San Francisco family, which is available in 13 colours.

Available from the Urbanista website for £19 – uk.urbanista.com