Travelling with Rats

I’m making steady progress with my new book but need the occasional diversion.  I recently wrote a couple of flash fictions – very short stories of less than 500 words.  One was called ‘Travelling with Rats’ about a boy with nightmares, and the other was titled ‘Terminal Void’ about three terminally ill women in hospital joking about their holiday plans.  I was satisfied with what I’d written so I submitted them to a competition for Microfictions to see if someone else liked them!

The end of  ‘Travelling with Rats’ (which was written in late November) is strangely and sadly prophetic:-  “They’d left him, like rats abandoning a sinking ship.  He was in a locked cabin.  Dark waters seeping in.  Going down.”

Limerickture

I was in Salisbury at a writer’s lunch a couple of days ago and I won first prize in the Limerick Competition – we had all submitted limericks on the subject of Christmas. I was duly presented with the Chocolate Orange Prize for Limerickture (which we promptly ate!).  Here is my modest effort:-

A journalist with copy to write

Worked all though a cold Christmas night.

Bereft of ideas,

She burst into tears

But found words on seeing the Light.

Breakfast Show on Radio

I have to get up really early this Saturday 26th November as I need to be at BBC Radio Solent in Southampton by 7am to read a pile of newspapers and be ready to talk live about what I find interesting in them in the Saturday Breakfast Show with Sasha Twining and others from 0810 – 0900.  This is on 96.1 FM  and online.  That sounds fun – I like spontaneity and a challenge.  The other challenge is to write a couple of witty seasonal Limericks for the Society of Women Writers and Journalists lunch in early December. I have until 1st December to submit some uproarious rhyming rubbish!

Women Talking

I’m currently featured on the WomenTalking website – www.womentalking.co.uk    Look on the Lifestyle Page for the interview:-  “Poppy Watt talks books, boats and fine art with author Eve Bonham, who says she’s a jack-of-all-trades although writing is the  one abiding occupation.”  Poppy opens by referring to my recently published novel ‘To the End of the Day’  “chronicling the lives of two women and their turbulent journey of friendship”.  There is also a competition and a chance for three people to win a copy of my book.

 

 

The Rest is Silence

I’ve been taking some time out from working on my new book to finish a short story.  The original idea came from a short-lived attempt by me to give up speaking for Lent! It was hilarious – I had to resort to whispering.  I got very hoarse and abandoned the foolish plan within a week.  It set me thinking that it might make an amusing story – and ‘The Rest is Silence’ was the result. I’m happy with it and so have submitted it to the Earlyworks Press Short Story Competition, the deadline for which is the end of this month.  And now, back to my book which makes steady if slow progress.

Going International!

I have just heard from Carol Biss at my publishers, Book Guild,  that they have sold the publishing rights to my novel in Poland.  So it seems that my book, and also the e-book, will be on sale next year in the Polish language.  “To the End of the Day” is going international!  Great.  There is to be an advance against royalties and here’s hoping that my publishers sell rights to my book in other countries too!

Talking about books

I was in London on Thursday 14th July at a lunch at the Society of Authors in Drayton Gardens.  It’s always good to natter with other writers -  stimulating and helpful, though often humbling!  Afterwards I had a 20 minute live slot on RTE (Radio Talk Europe) with Hannah Murray on their Book Programme – which was fun.  In the evening en route home to Dorset, I went to the Writer’s Village supper in the New Forest -where some of us read out extracts from work in progress which were then discussed.  A long day but an entertaining one.

Lymington Book Signing

Last Saturday 11th June  Waterstones in Lymington, Hampshire gave me a book-signing.  It was market day and there were lots of people about.  The Waterstones staff were kind enought to offer a glass of wine to customers who were considering buying my novel and to friends of mine who came in.  More than one person remarked that the book jacket was very stylish and striking.  It was a good day and lots of copies were sold.

Yeovil and Europe

A book signing for my new book ‘To the End of the Day’ held in Waterstones in Yeovil, Somerset on Saturday 4th June was enjoyable and well-attended.  I had a great time chatting to customers about my book – and about fiction in general and the art of story-telling.  During the following week on 7th and 9th June I was interviewed on the telephone by Steve Gilmour live on Talk Radio Europe – the European English Language radio channel. We talked about my earlier participation in ocean sailing races, my time as a fine art auctioneer,  my work with homeless and lonely people – and of course about my writing.  Steve was easy to chat with and I even got some feedback from listeners!

Going Twice

This was the title of a feature article about me and my second book in the Bournemouth Echo on 27th May on their Book Page.  I was pleased about that.  I was also on the Kate Martin Show on BBC Radio Solent on Monday 23rd May in the afternoon, which was fun.  My book signing on Saturday 28th May at Waterstones in Dorchester went well, and I sold and signed lots of copies!