The Writer’s Journey

After being turned down by numerous publishers, he had decided to write for posterity – George Ade It is a truth certainly acknowledged by the author of the above quote that many creative writers struggle for years, enduring perhaps decades in the wilderness of submissions and rejections, before their persistence finally pays off. Most would-beContinue reading “The Writer’s Journey”

Add Mystical Circles To Your Holiday Reading!

Now summer is here and many will be relying on their trusty Kindle to provide hours of poolside or beach entertainment, why not download Mystical Circles now? It’s ideal holiday reading!   Here are extracts from a few Amazon reviews to prove my point: a good undemanding but satisfying read for the holiday suitcase. (Eleanor Stoneham) IContinue reading “Add Mystical Circles To Your Holiday Reading!”

The Therapeutic Journey of the Fictional Hero or Heroine

Recently I came upon an article in The Psychotherapist magazine which highlights the close parallels between the novel and the process of psychotherapy. In her article Psychotherapy and the Novel, in issue 56 Spring 2014 edition, the author (therapeutic counsellor Rosamond Williams) makes the point that only the novel (of all the narrative art forms) offers a parallelContinue reading “The Therapeutic Journey of the Fictional Hero or Heroine”

A Night When Neil Gaiman – Quirky, Subversive, Whimsical – Held Us Entranced at the Barbican Hall, London

Last Friday evening I was at the Barbican, London, to hear author Neil Gaiman read some of his  short stories plus a novelette called The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains, accompanied by the Australian string quartet Four Play. This production was originally commissioned by Sydney Opera House for its Graphic Festival andContinue reading “A Night When Neil Gaiman – Quirky, Subversive, Whimsical – Held Us Entranced at the Barbican Hall, London”

Find Me at International Women’s Day 2014 Event in Leamington Spa

Watch out for me at the International Women’s Day event at the Sydni Centre, Leamington Spa on Saturday 8 March 2014 from 1-6pm.  This is a FREE women-only event. I’ll be showcasing my best blog posts, selling copies of Mystical Circles at the special reduced price of £5, & showing the official trailer. There willContinue reading “Find Me at International Women’s Day 2014 Event in Leamington Spa”

The RADA Student Who Felt Like Packing Her Bags and Going Back North

The BBC Radio 4 Today programme is often a source of inspiration to me. And today at 8.20am I heard an item about the party for former RADA students that the Queen will be holding in Buckingham Palace this evening (Monday 17 February 2014) I’m very interested in the life of an actor, partly because the acting world doesContinue reading “The RADA Student Who Felt Like Packing Her Bags and Going Back North”

Loyalty, Hope and Keeping Faith, in the Greatest Film I’ve Ever Seen: The Shawshank Redemption

We love listing “The 50 Top … Films, Books, Magic Tricks, Comedians”, etc. etc. And a list of the top films will always change from year to year. But to my mind, The Shawshank Redemption makes the top of the list. And I saw it again very recently on TV. I watched it for the first timeContinue reading “Loyalty, Hope and Keeping Faith, in the Greatest Film I’ve Ever Seen: The Shawshank Redemption”

Totally Devoted to Jane Austen

One of my favourite Christmas gifts was one I bought for myself for 10p in the late stock-clearance at my son’s school Christmas Fair – an audio book of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. I’ve been listening to it in the car over and over again. And despite Death Comes to Pemberley  on TV afterContinue reading “Totally Devoted to Jane Austen”

Why I Believe Mankind Can Never ‘Own’ the Moon

Nobody Owns the Moon. On Friday morning January 10th 2014 I heard Mishal Husain interview Ian Crawford and Nicola Triscott on this topic on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Nicola Triscott has mounted an exhibition on London’s South Bank called Republic of the Moon. She has transformed The Bargehouse at Oxo Tower Wharf intoContinue reading “Why I Believe Mankind Can Never ‘Own’ the Moon”

2013 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,700 times in 2013. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people. Click here toContinue reading “2013 in review”