Do you like children’s stories? Even if your own little ones are too old for them now, you might have grandchildren who you need to get away from their devices for a while. There again, you might be ever so old and just enjoy reading them for yourself. Shush, don’t tell anyone. ‘Mum, tell me …
George and Mary
Is it sad when a comedian laughs at his/her own jokes or is it a sign they are actually funny? As you might know by now, as well as my published books, I also write short stories in a variety of genres. Although they are fictional, many of them have a basis in fact as …
Weddings and Traditions
I attended my first wedding as a bridesmaid to my cousin when I was about seven or eight years old. A recent event started me thinking that was probably the only traditional one which didn’t involve foreign countries in some way, even though that particular cousin now lives in New Zealand and I’m in the …
Juggling
I’ve been trying to handle so many different things lately, I feel I’ve joined the circus. First up was assisting an elderly friend with some government on-line form filling. Name, address, mobile telephone number all quite straightforward - or so I thought. To confirm identity a code was sent to the mobile number which then …
Reviews and ABC
Authors are a funny lot and often have a way of connecting things which on the surface are totally unrelated. In a convoluted way I moved from enjoying an Elvis tribute artists’ show on Facebook, to explaining the scenario of one of my books to an elderly man who doesn’t read English. Would you believe …
Changes and More Changes
Being an author involves wearing many different hats, and with future changes afoot I started thinking back to how it all began. Perhaps it was no coincidence my first book was called ‘Changes.’ As a total newcomer to the publishing world, I assumed every author used a pen-name, so a family nickname became my new …
Links and catch-ups
A lot has been happening this week. I was delighted to be featured as a guest on ‘Lost Books of Lockdown.’ It’s the first time I’ve done an online video so it was quite scary but Nikki Vallance was a delightful host, and I enjoyed every minute we were chatting. Shame about the 'lockdown look' …
Murder at the hospital
With my new book release, 'Alderslay,' YouTube for 'Val's Tales,' guest interviews, hospital appointments and live broadcasts, it's all been a bit hectic lately. Which should I talk about first? I know, let's have a short story instead. 😀 ‘Jane Simpson.’ Even though the hospital waiting room was quiet, the voice barely reached to where …
Author Interview
There are so many different outlets for authors to try and publicise their books, it’s difficult to decide which ones to use. Blog, web site, Facebook author page, Twitter, Amazon author page, You Tube – I have all of these but keeping them up to date can take up all the hours which should be …
House sharing and Another Friday Night
Do you prefer reading the written word or listening to audio? We try to keep everyone happy so this week you have the option of both. I was delighted to be invited as a guest on the 'Friday with Friends' series hosted by blogger, Camilla. Rather than a Q and A she allowed me free …
