Today is the first of September and appropriately the day is slightly cooler than the glorious weather we have enjoyed in August.
At the beginning of August I attended the award ceremony at the Burstwick golf course where golfers kindly and generously took part in a tournament to raise money for The Friends of Hull Memory Clinic, a well deserving charity that I support. I and June Cooke who is Chair of the Friends both became quite choked when giving our grateful thanks, as we both have experienced at first hand just what it means to care for someone with memory loss. It is at times like this, when a kindness is given, that no matter how prepared we are, we are 'caught out.' But no matter; emotion is an important safety valve.
On the following week two friends celebrated their Golden Wedding and everyone had a lovely day and apart from a howling wind which threatened to lift off the marquee the day was sunny and we were able to lunch outside.
My youngest daughter and I enjoyed her birthday in the delightful market town of Helmsley, with lunch and shopping and then a walk round the lovely walled garden close by the castle. We hadn't time to visit the castle on that day, which gives us the excuse if we should need one, to visit again. As she always manages to make her birthday last a week, we then enjoyed a garden party at the weekend.
David Burns of Radio Humberside invited me into the studio to talk about the Val Wood Creative Writing Competition that with the support of the East Riding Libraries and Quickline Communications who are sponsoring the prize, is to be held this month. A series of library workshops start on Tuesday 3rd September. Details of this are on my website.
Coming up too is the Beverley Literature Festival and this year on Saturday 12th October I am acting as host on a Romantic Novelists' Panel. Three successful and prize winning authors, Rhoda Baxter, Jane Lovering and Sarah Mallory will be speaking about their own particular genre of Romance - Romantic Comedy, Historical and Paranormal. It should be an interesting and entertaining afternoon.
On the following day, the winner of the Val Wood competition will be announced and the prize presented. Both of these events take place at the Toll Gavel church in Beverley and details are on my website and in the festival brochure.
In the meantime I have finished a short story for my publishers which will be presented as an e/book, but more of that at a later date. The cover for His Brother's Wife will be up on the website very shortly, and I'm delighted to say that The Hungry Tide, my very first book, is being re issued with a brand new, delightful cover to celebrate the twenty years since it was first published - and never been out of print. Also coming up will be a holiday, hurrah, and yes I have managed to do some work on the novel in progress, although I admit not very much. Time is at a premium - always.
