I am pleased to be involved with this project as a volunteer and look forward to the first of six sessions that will be delivered at Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage. Sessions will be delivered fortnightly from the end of July to October. If you would like further information or are interested in joining the project as a volunteer, you can find further information here. (Scroll down to find the information on Pen Pals.)

Have you been involved with any creative initiatives that support vulnerable groups?

Bruce Chatwin is the other notable writer with links to the Mani. He finished writing The Songlines while staying at the Hotel Kalamitsi in 1985. The book records his experiences of traveling in Australia and his ideas about the necessity of walking to human development. For my undergraduate dissertation I wrote about the works of Bruce Chatwin and I’ve always felt that he had a hand in securing me a first-class honours. So, when the opportunity came to visit the place where his ashes are buried, I was delighted.

Most references to where Chatwin’s ashes are buried refer to a tiny, Byzantine church in the mountains above Kardamyli. Some name Exochori as the nearest village and others refer to Chori. Without definite directions, we set off early in our search, visiting several villages situated in the Taygetos mountains that provide the backdrop to the glorious coastal area. The road took us into Chori where there was a white-washed church beside the road. From there we looked across to the golden stones of a church perched amongst olive trees. We found the path that took us alongside residential houses and out onto a grassy strip of land. The view from the church showed the wide expanse of aqua sea and the land spilling down from the mountains. An ideal final resting place for Bruce Chatwin, someone who loved broad horizons.

The church in Chori

A picture of Bruce marks the spot where his ashes are buried

After the excitement of this discovery and the time spent absorbing the atmosphere and the wonderful views, we headed for Kardamyli. At a restaurant beside the beach we enjoyed a mezze of salads for lunch.

My companions at the restaurant

Cheers to Carol and Sarah for your great company and a big thank you to Carol for being such a brilliant host.

           The Notebook

            ‘You’ll have another one?’ Paul drained his pint glass and nodded towards Jane’s tumbler containing only water from the melted ice. ‘One more G and T won’t do you any harm.’

            ‘I guess not,’ she said.

            While he was at the bar, Jane took the pad from her handbag and made a note of jobs for the weekend: woollen wash, change sheets, dismantle wardrobe, take to dump.

            ‘What’s that you’re doing?’ He ground the base of her glass against the table and leaned over, trying to read the words.

            ‘It’s to stop me forgetting the one or two things I need to do.’

            ‘You and your lists.’

            ‘Indeed,’ Jane closed the cover.

            Paul weaved his fingers through his fringe and Jane’s spine contracted with a stab of irritation. He’d always worn that ring on his right hand, as if he never was sure about being married. A shaft of light through the stained glass made a kaleidoscope of colours on the carpet, a torch through the fug.

            ‘Of course, if you really had your priorities right, my name would be at the top of your list,’ said Paul.‘That would show you believe in me.’

            ‘I do Paul,’ sighed Jane. ‘You’ll get a job soon enough.’

            ‘I worked 20 years for that firm and what do I get for my loyalty?’

            ‘They made the whole department redundant. It’s not as if they were picking on you.’

            ‘Less of the lecture, Jane.’

            By ten o’clock Paul’s shoulders were hunched and he jabbed Jane’s notebook. ‘Come on then. Put me at the top of the list.’

            Jane took the ballpoint and scrawled across the page: I be-leave-in you, Paul.

            She passed the paper over and he squinted, trying to decipher her writing.

            ‘That’ll do,’ he said.

Please find below an interview with the talented debut novelist Carol McGrath, author of The Handfasted Wife. The story, although based on research, is an imagined account of the life of Edith (Elditha) Swan-Neck. She is cast aside when Harold becomes King in 1066 but is the only person who can identify his body following the Battle of Hastings. Living amongst invaders, Elditha finds a way to protect her children and seeks a new future. The novel is a wonderfully evocative read, rich and textured, showing a woman’s resilience at a time of much uncertainty.

Welcome to the writer is a lonely hunter, Carol.

Thank you, Gail, for inviting me as a guest on your blog. It is an honour to appear here and to discuss my writing. 

How was your interest in writing awakened?

As a teenager I wrote stories and read voraciously. I was particularly interested in historical fiction and loved Anya Seton’s novels especially Katherine. These were the kind of stories I wanted to write. However, teaching history and having a family delayed my debut novel by years.

Tell us about your studies and how this supported your work

I began with Oxford Continuing Education. I studied for the two-year Diploma in Creative Writing which was delivered by well published tutors for poetry, prose and drama. My final submission on this course was a play about Edith Swan-Neck, Countess Gytha and two monks who came with Edith Swan-Neck to the battlefield at Hastings to recover King Harold’s body. Elditha’s story has haunted me for years. After this successful experience I progressed onto the MA in Creative Writing at Queens University Belfast’s Seamus Heaney Centre. There, I wrote a collection of short stories and a novel set in the Edwardian period. As a result, I was invited onto The Royal Holloway PhD in Creative Writing by Andrew Motion who was the external examiner on my MA. I have graduated at MPhil level. It is, otherwise, a long, long process. My studies enhanced my organisation, enabling me to write with variety and in varying mediums. In fact, I found my voice. However, a good university MA in Creative Writing is more about writing than about publishing your work. I think my MPhil took me further because I researched and wrote an academic thesis about Realism and Romance in Historical Fiction as well as writing a novel. I understand the genre better as a result. However, I would point out that my debut publication resulted from putting my work through a commercial critique with Cornerstones and the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme, as well as the university studies.

I love the way you’re able to draw upon the senses in your writing, creating a story with atmosphere and intimacy. What were the challenges in writing The Hand Fasted Wife?

Finding Elditha’s voice was tricky. She lived in a past so distant that there wasn’t much recorded about her. I took what I could glean from research about noble women during this period and then I stood in her shoes. First I wrote into the story using first person. After I felt closer to her, I rewrote the initial chapters in third person narrative. This way I could include the perspectives of Countess Gytha (Harold’s mother) and that of Harold’s sister, Dowager Queen Edith. However, every time Elditha was in a scene, I always reverted to her point of view. That way I remained closer to her, seeing events through her eyes and with her feelings. This enabled me to create the sense of intimacy which is important because it is predominantly her story, and I was sorry to leave her when the book ended. I loved writing this book.

What is your next writing project?

The next book follows the fortunes of Edith Swan-Neck’s daughter, Gunnhild, her elopement from Wilton Abbey and her love for two half-brothers, both important Bretons who came over to England with William of Normandy. The story of Gunnhild and Count Alan of Richmond was recorded in contemporary chronicles. Now that I am fictionalising it, I find it a wonderfully adventurous and romantic story to write.

Which authors do you admire and why?

I read widely and not only Historical Fiction. I enjoy Vanora Bennett because she brings such depth to her historical characterisation and because she writes with delicious descriptive detail. My favourite is The Queen of Silks set during the fifteenth century and about a female London silk merchant. I feel similarly about Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bringing Up the Bodies. She is unique as a Historical writer. Her scenes and her dialogue are wonderful. The opening situation in Wolf Hall is unsurpassable in Historical Fiction for its grittiness and the resilience that surfaces in Thomas Cromwell’s personality later and that initially appears in Cromwell as a youth. Importantly, her extensive research is concealed well in her evocation of the period, her character development and in her fabulous depiction of the claustrophobic nature of Tudor court life. Finally, I do enjoy reading the Irish writer Sebastian Barry. His prose is achingly beautiful and On Canaan’s Side is currently one of my top favourite novels. 

Can you offer some tips for yet to be published writers?

The first tip is obvious; write the book you would want to read and write from the heart. Secondly, consider view point carefully early on; make the story ‘character led’ so that a reader cares about what happens to her/him/ them. Third, hone your writing and do not be afraid to redraft. Get the story down in a first draft to achieve flow then work it up or review it all carefully as you write. I do both. Significantly, know where your story will end so that you are clear about where you are heading. I recommend an outline, not necessarily too detailed, because you may find that you deviate from it as you write. Finally, if you can, have readers look at your novel before you submit to agents or publishers.

Thank you very much Carol for sharing your experiences.

If you would like to purchase a copy of  The Handfasted Wife visit Amazon or Accent Press. There is one free apple download of The Handfasted Wife from iTunes for the first lucky person to apply. Use the following code to access this:  XEMRRHEAH7H. It’s well worth popping over to Carol’s blog Scribbling in the Margins where you can find out more about this fascinating period of history and gain further insights into the life and loves of Elditha.

I am really excited about returning to study. The university only accepts eight students onto the course each year so I am fortunate to be one of them. Previous students include Emma Darwin (click here for Emma’s blog which is well worth a read) and Maria McCann.

Other good news is that I was successful in getting through the interview with an educational charity which will offer me the chance to work with schools on a part-time basis during 2013-14. I’m also building up my contacts with schools to deliver consultancy work and I’ve had some interest in a project that I wish to seek funding from the Arts Council to deliver.  All this activity means I’ve been incredibly busy and writing has taken something of a backseat. Now that I have a little free time, I will work on a piece of flash fiction to submit to the Bridport prize at the end of the month.  Other opportunities you might like to consider include:

• Dorset Flash Fiction Competition
• Upton Story Slam

What keeps you busy at the minute?

So here are the things that make me happy on a Saturday morning:

Cups and Cakes, Dorchester

Roll on next weekend!

What makes you happy?

Flash Fiction Competition

New competition from Dorset Writers’ Network, write a story in 300 words. You must include the words: hesitant, string, relative, hand. You can use the words anywhere in the story or in the title. Please make sure that the words make sense in the context of the story. In order to do this, you may wish to add letters to the words, but you can’t take away any of the letters. For example, you can change relative to relatively but not to relation because the ‘v’ and the ‘e’ are missing from the original word. You can check that you’ve included all the words correctly before submission by using the ‘find’ facility. Gail Aldwin will judge the shortlisted entries.

• Email or post your entry (Sue Ashby, Corner Cottage, Bridge Street, Dorset SP8 5BA; sue@dorsetwritersnetwork.co.uk). Include your name and contact details (address, telephone, email) – but not on your entry. Entries are judged anonymously, so your name and details must be on a separate document.
• There’s a charge of £5 for entry and you must live or work in Dorset. Make cheques out to Dorset Writers’ Network.
• You can make more than one entry (£8 for 2 stories, £10 for 3) – there is no limit.
• A winner and two runners up will be selected.
• Your work must not have been previously published on-line or in print.
• The entry must be written by you.
• Copyright remains with the writer.
• Maximum length is 300 words.
• The title is in addition to the 300 words.
• Your story must not have won or been placed in another competition.
• Deadline for entries is Friday May 31st 2013. The results will be announced on the DWN website  where the winners will be published.

If you’re a Dorset-based writer, will you have a go at entering this competition?

And, more positive news comes from Helen Pizzey at PURBECK! magazine who has included a review of Four Buses for the May/June issue of the magazine.

What keeps you on the tracks for writing?

vegetable gardens

planting

harvesting water spinach

motorcycles in Saigon

Randy’s book exchange

Swan towels in the hotel bedroom

The dinner bell is ringing – I’ve got to go. Stories from Vietnam coming soon!

I’ve now been asked by Adrian Ford to circulate details of a further story slam taking place in Upton. This time I hope to be a participant, and if my name gets pulled from the hat, I’ll be reading one of my latest stories. Please find the details of the story slam below:
FRIENDS 4 UPTON LIBRARY
(F4UL)

‘OPEN MIC’ STORY SLAM

THURSDAY, 23rd MAY
7.30 pm at Upton Library

ORIGINAL FICTION PRESENTATIONS
5 MINUTE SLOTS
JUDGES:   Pam Fudge and Dr Jim Pope
COMPERE:   John Barclay

FIRST PRIZE: £30

SECOND PRIZE: £10
(Book Tokens)
(SPONSORED BY GULLIVERS BOOKSHOP, WIMBORNE)

FULL DETAILS on www.f4ul.co.uk/events

ENTRY ON THE DOOR: £2 (£0.50 for F4UL members)

All proceeds go to F4UL funds in support of their aims to keep the library open and support local literary and art projects.

F4UL Publishing, Upton Library, Upton Cross, Upton, Dorset BH16 5PW
‘Supporting our local library; promoting Creative Writing’