Welsh Wednesdays: Llansteffan Literary Festival

Lots of excellent events and authors, definitely a date for your calendar!

https://www.parthianbooks.com/blogs/news/the-llansteffan-literary-festival-a-weekend-to-remember-june-8-11-2017

#IndiaWales, Dai Smith, Events, festival, Llansteffan, Natalie Ann Holborow, Parthian Books, Poetry, Siôn Tomos Owen, Wales– May 15, 2017

The Llansteffan Literary Festival – A Weekend to Remember (June 8-11 2017)

Prepare to be immersed in four days of Welsh literary splendour, as the Llansteffan Literary Festival takes place this June.

With the festival opening on June 8, an exhibition of famous writers associated with this historic village will be a sure-fire draw to literary and historical enthusiasts alike. Glyn Jones, Lynette Roberts and Dylan Thomas are some of the poets and novelists featured in this exhibition. Hosted by local historian Diana Bevan, readings of their works are included before the launch of Peter J. Jones’s new poetry collection A Fox in the Yard; what better way to begin celebrating Llansteffan and its literary heritage?

To truly celebrate Llansteffan and its rich history, you must see Llansteffan too. Saturday features a bus tour hosted by Peter J. Jones, where we will explore the hidden literary secrets of Llansteffan. Booking is essential, as it features not only work by Lynette Roberts and Glyn Jones, but a rare visit to the courtyard of Fernhill and Blaencwm, a must-see for Dylan Thomas fans, and refreshments between outings and upon return. Anyone who loves Welsh literature, or just a fascinating day out, will find something to enjoy here!

Friday begins with Dai Smith (CBE) discussing his fiction, and his transition from historian to author. Dai is followed by a showcase from the children of Llansteffan School, who will be putting their own creative talents on display.

The astounding India Wales event takes place on Friday evening, the fruition of a yearlong project between Indian and Welsh writers. Introduced by Gary Raymond, the event features a panel of authors, such as our very own Natalie Ann Holborow and Siôn Tomos Owen and collaborators Srijato Bandopadhyay and Aniesha Brahma. The evening ends with an illustrated talk from Hilly Janes and John Goodby, featuring photos from the book Ugly, Lovely by Janes’ aunt Ethel Ross, a contemporary and friend of ‘Welsh son’ Dylan Thomas.

To close a wonderful weekend of literature, Boyd Clack discusses his work on Saturday evening, and we have ‘Thirteen Poems of Llansteffan’ on Sunday morning, featuring readings from some of the very best of Llansteffan writing. Still want more? Siôn Tomos Owen and Natalie Ann Holborow will be working with Llansteffan School all week, and there’s a special event for kids, featuring readings from Eloise Williams and her books Elen’s Island and Gaslight, and Huw Davies’s Scrambled. Plus, Dylan’s Mobile Bookstore will be parking up to offer a selection of rare books for you to purchase.

All of this and more will be available at the Llansteffan Literary Festival from June 8-11. We promise a weekend to remember, and we intend to keep that promise.

Booking for the bus tour on Saturday June 10 can be made at The Old Pound Gallery, The Square, Llansteffan.

Do you have a question about the Llansteffan Literary Festival? Enquire at 01792 606605 or 01267 241057.

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The village of generals

historywithatwist

To outsiders, the village of Ballinalee, in Co Longford, might seem like no great shakes, just a bump in the road, a blink-and-you-miss-it spot that you’re through before you even notice. Were they to consult a map of the county, the seemingly inconsequential dot called Ballinalee might be ignored in favour of grander spots, like Longford town, Ballymahon, Granard or the pretty heritage town of Ardagh.

But that would be a mistake because lovers of history will find pure gold in its environs. For starters, it is the site of Ireland’s first convent – the remains of which are still visible – but that’s not what gets the juices flowing. No, the real interest lies elsewhere. Put it this way, how many tiny villages do you know that can claim two generals to their credit, and another military hero born just a five-minute drive away?

That third one, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir…

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Welsh Wednesdays: Llansteffan Literary Festival June 8 – 11

For those of you who – like myself – miss the Llandeilo Lit Fest – I have good news: A new festival just around the corner:

Four days of events in celebration of Llansteffan’s rich cultural history and many literary connections. 

Thursday June 8 at 7pm
Opening Reception, Pound Gallery, Llansteffan
Launch of A Fox in The Yard, a poetry collection from PJ Jones

Friday June 9 6pm
India Wales 17, Gallery Ozi, Llansteffan
Introduced by Gary Raymond.
Sion Tomos Owen, Srijato Bandopadhyay, Aniesha Brahma and Natalie Ann Holborow are here as part of a year long collaboration between Indian and Welsh writers – the Valley, City, Village project with the British Council, Wales Arts International, Parthian and Bee Books of Kolkata.

Friday June 9 7.30 pm
Ugly, Lovely, Memorial Hall, Llansteffan
Writer Hilly Janes gives an illustrated talk featuring the photographs that her aunt, Ethel Ross, took of the area in 1953 after the death of her friend, the poet Dylan Thomas.

Saturday June 10 10.15am & 2pm
The Outing starts at beach car park
Accompany Peter Jones and guests on a bus tour extravaganza to discover some of the hidden literary secrets of the Llansteffan peninsula including Fern Hill and St John’s Hill.

Saturday June 10 7pm 
High Hopes for Llansteffan, Memorial Hall, Llansteffan
Boyd Clack, writer, actor, singer, talks about his work on the stage and screen.

Sunday June 11 11.30
Thirteen Poems for Llansteffan, Llansteffan Church
A short poetry and prose reading of some of the best works of Welsh writing featuring Llansteffan and Llanybri. Guests

Thursday June 8 – Sunday June 11 11am-5pm
Literary Legends of Llansteffan, Ben Harries Institute, Llansteffan
A exhibition featuring many of the writers and poets associated with the village

 

For updates follow https://www.facebook.com/events/283198505464131/

And here is where it’s at:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Llansteffan,+Carmarthen/@51.773283,-4.3921777,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x486edcd12f8291d9:0xc7c2fc59901f8fc8!8m2!3d51.773283!4d-4.389989

The Smiling Villain – Ms Morton shares her thoughts re bad guys

Re-blog: #Bookreview THE LAST GODS OF INDOCHINE by Samuel Ferrer (@shaolinfez)

This looks amazing. Thanks to fellow blogger Olga Nunez for this review:
A beautifully written historical fiction novel about the Khmer Empire exploring fate, colonialism, spirituality and trauma.

Posted on May 16, 2017 by OlgaNunez

Hi all:

Today I bring you a novel whose description drew me in even if the topic was totally unknown. The author was kind enough to send me a sample of his writing so you can get a taster and see what you think…

The Last Gods of Indochine by Samuel Ferrer

The Last Gods of Indochine by Samuel Ferrer

The Last Gods of Indochine (422 pages, excerpt below) was nominated for the Man Asian Literary Prize (“The Booker of Asia”), making me the only non-Asian to have been nominated for Asia’s most prestigious literary award. It was also designated an “Editors’ Choice” in the current issue of the quarterly magazine, Historical Novels Review.
From the novel’s back-cover summary: “Jacquie Mouhot and Paaku the Lotus-Born are divided by six centuries but linked by a common curse. In medieval Cambodia, Paaku is an orphan whose community believes he may be a reluctant incarnation of a god, causing sectarian turmoil for the kingdom’s leaders. Meanwhile, in 1921, Jacquie follows the footsteps of her grandfather, a famous explorer, to Indochina, where she becomes immersed in the tragedy of Paaku’s history: a story simultaneously unfolding in the intertwined present and past, a story in which she still has a vital role to play.” The protagonist is female and the story includes romance.

Author Samuel Ferrer

Ferrer is a professional double bassist and member of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the band-leader and songwriter for Hong Kong’s largest original band, Shaolin Fez. He holds degrees from Yale and the University of Southern California, and as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, spent a year in Paris in between degrees. With the “The Last Gods of Indochine”, Ferrer became the only non-Asian to have ever been nominated for Asia’s most prestigious literary award, The Man Asian Literary Prize (“The Booker of Asia”).

 

Further bio info on the Amazon author page: “Born in California, Samuel Ferrer has lived in South East Asia since 2002, writing The Last Gods of Indochine in the bars of Bangkok, Saigon, Hanoi, the cafes of Laos, in the mountains of Sapa, and on location throughout Cambodia. Inspired by the real life of explorer, Henri Mouhot (1826-1881), this historical fiction novel centers around Mouhot’s fictitious granddaughter and uses excerpts from the journal that made Mouhot famous after his death in the jungles of Laos, published posthumously in 1863.”

https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Ferrer/e/B01JM9OX70/

 

Here is the publisher’s page for the novel: http://signal8press.com/indochine/

And here is its Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Gods-Indochine-Samuel-Ferrer-ebook/dp/B01H6ELZ56/

Novel Sample:

Prologue
“Farther India”, 1861 (Laos, Indochina).

It was hard to believe the human body could contain so much water, and yet, there it all was. Phrai twisted the cloth and watched it plop in dull patters on the ground, the pocked earth sponging up sound as well. Sweat had been seeping out his employer for weeks, and he had been at the dying man’s side all the while, pouring fresh water back into his mouth with the devotion of a nun. Phrai imagined nearly half the man had been absorbed and squeezed from these rags, creating small pools just outside the hut. In another part of the world, that half of him would evaporate out of existence, but here it could not; the thick air held eternity at bay.

Phrai returned and closed the flimsy door after himself. The explorer looked like a rag doll tossed upon a bed. He regained consciousness and requested a mirror; even in dying, he didn’t want to be denied the role of observer. Perhaps he wanted to put that in his book as well. Phrai resisted, thinking it best not to show him the thinly veiled skeleton who would have stared back. Instead, he wiped the fermenting body clean with a soapy rag. There was no dirt to wash off, just the fetid odor.

It was no wonder the white-ghost had succumbed to this condition whilst exploring here. They couldn’t take the heat; they gagged on the thick air. And this white-ghost was no exception. He had worked too hard and traveled too far. He had been away from home too long. Going up one river, he had hastened his young guides to lead him even farther up the next, and after that, yet another. But the jungle was too deep here, in Farther India, and he should have turned back long ago.

The door of the shaky hut popped open and Nion, the other guide, looked in, a bag under his arm. At the grey horizon, lightning flickered quietly, like the tongue of a lizard. Anxiety pulled long-wise on Nion’s face. He grimaced at the sight, approached and sat upon the edge of the bed. The explorer opened his eyes, straining to see. Nion opened the bag and pulled out a small packet.

“Monsieur, I’m back from Vientiane,” he said. “I made the trip as fast as I could. We have more quinine now.”

The man’s torso heaved, his eyelids closed again. Nion continued with the hopeless plan, unwrapping a packet and mixing the white powder with a glass of water. The man opened his eyes and watched, tongue peeping out the side of his mouth. As Phrai put his hands under his head and lifted, Nion poured the mixture in. With effort, he swallowed.

“Phrai, Nion,” he said, “my journal and drawings. That’s what’s most important. Get them to… Raymond Schomburgh. The British Consul in Bangkok. Also—the insects and shells.”

“We will. We promise,” Phrai replied, knowing firsthand all the effort put into them. The three went silent, solemn. When Phrai decided it was time to wipe down his body again, for the first time in several weeks the dying man gave a smile. His mouth twitched before he spoke.

“I have seen amazing things.”

“You have, monsieur.”

The words struggled off his tongue: “No one knows. I don’t believe anyone else has seen. How could a civilization so grand—so magnificent—become entirely lost? It must be the greatest the world has ever seen.”

“Monsieur,” Phrai said with a sad smile, “the ruins have never been lost. Our people avoid them. And never underestimate the will of the jungle. She simply reclaimed what was always hers.” Phrai thought, She is reclaiming you too.

The curtain of unconsciousness closed back over the explorer’s face. An hour passed before he opened his eyes again, half-mast. Phrai was sitting on a stool, fanning him. Nion had gone outside. Scrunching his brow, the man asked, “Are my children still playing in the forest?”

Phrai reflected, the fan stopping beside the explorer’s face. “No, they are in London, with your wife.”

“London?” he murmured. “All four of them?”

“No, monsieur,” Phrai said. “You only have two small children, a boy and a girl.”

“No, there are four. And what of the monkey-healer? Is he still here?”

The door nudged open and Nion entered. He approached and looked over Phrai’s shoulder.

The explorer asked, “Where did he go?”

“Who?” Nion asked.

“The Lotus-Born. The monkey-healer.”

Phrai whispered to Nion, “He keeps talking about a boy who heals monkeys.”

Groaning, the explorer began rocking from side to side. Phrai tried to pour more water into his mouth, but he turned and it dribbled off his face. Nion sat down on the bed. The man’s eyes, bolted with red, stretched wider.

“Do you see that?” he asked, eyes flitting across the roof.

“No,” answered Nion, not looking up.

“It’s so beautiful. Yet so dangerous to me. The Sea of Milk.”

The explorer’s face suddenly went limp, his chest sank, and wind sighed out of his mouth. Phrai quickly grabbed his flaccid wrist. There was still a pulse. Nion wiped his face off again, begging him not to go to sleep. Eventually, the man’s lips quivered again with life.

From the bottom of his lungs, he gurgled, “I have—I have seen it a number of times now. I have seen him a number of times now. Many lives. Many centuries.”

Phrai and Nion didn’t recognize this ancient voice; it came not from the pipes of his throat, but rather, a place much deeper.

His eyes rolled upwards, leaving two slits of white in their place. Phrai grabbed both of his hands and squeezed. “Don’t go to sleep, monsieur!”

“The Sea of Milk awaits me again. So beautiful to others, but so tragic to me!” he said. “And my poor, poor children—I’m sure I heard them in the forest!”

He lurched onto his side and Nion braced him from falling off the bed where he convulsed and gagged on air. A gurgle from the bottom of his throat rose, popped, and he vomited pure white fluid onto the floor. The puddle had the brackish smell of the sea.

He rolled onto his back, chin now lacquered. Breathing heavily, he looked past the two young men and declared, “He is here!” His eyes widened further, his breathing shortened, and he asked the last questions he would ever ask, directed at that empty space in the room: “Do not consider the suffering of others? What of the two children I still have left?”

 

                                                 1.

Paris, 1921.

The glassy surface of the Seine River flowed with civility, sundering in two at the Ile de la Cité. Like a citadel, tall walls rose from the water to join with its residential part. A quaint reading park, tucked away at the base of the islet where the water parted, contained a small garden and a pair of trees. With their autumn leaves blending, the willow and plane tree held each other like an elderly couple. Golden leaves butterflied between them.

Jacquie couldn’t help but feel she was saying goodbye to autumn as well. This was, after all, a goodbye to most everything familiar to her. Her focus came back to the glass, noticing the ghost of Great Aunt Adèle upon its surface, this woman who was both family and nearly a stranger. She studied Adèle studying her. Holding her bowl of coffee, Adèle’s hands had a slight tremble. Yet again, Jacquie was having to justify her decision.

“I want to feel as if I knew him,” she said to the window, fingers settling on the porcelain cameo at the base of her throat. She knew that would not be enough to satisfy her great aunt, just as it had failed to do with all the others.

 

My review: A beautifully written historical fiction novel about the Khmer Empire exploring fate, colonialism, spirituality and trauma.

Thanks to the author and to Rosie from Rosie’s Book Review Team for offering me the opportunity to review this novel.

I do not know much about Indochine or present day Cambodia, where this story is set, other than vague information gathered from movies, mostly about the war. Recently, I have discovered that reading historical fiction is a great way to learn (or at least wet one’s appetite) about places and historical periods one is not familiar with but feels curious about, in an engaging and entertaining way. This novel is a good example of this, even though the author clarifies at the end that he has taken many liberties with the historical figures and also with the period reflected. (I recommend that readers don’t skip the notes as they are helpful in sorting fancy from fact and also offer up-to-date information on current knowledge about the Khmer Empire and the reasons for its demise).

The story is narrated in the third person and, after an introduction describing the last moments of Henry Mouhot, a French explorer known for ‘discovering’ the lost civilisation of Angkor Wat (that was never lost and had already been known to Westerners, but he popularised with his journals), alternates chapters from the point of view of Jacqueline Mouhot, Henry’s granddaughter and Paaku, the Lotus Born. Jacquie is a fictional character and we meet her in 1921, shortly after WWI. She had helped at a field hospital in the Somme and we realise she is severely traumatised by an incident that took place while she was there. She clearly shows signs of PTSD but we get to learn more details of what happened and how it relates to the story later, although we know it was bad enough for her to be removed from her posting.

Her story is interspersed with that of Paaku the Lotus Born, another fictional character, a young man living in XIIIc Khmer Empire, whose identity and story seem to be the stuff of myths and legend. He does not know his true origin, as he is an orphan brought up by a Vishnu monk, and he seems to have been chosen (although by whom and what for is not immediately evident) and might have special healing powers.

At first, I felt it easier to identify with Jacquie’s story, as her point of view as a woman trying to get by in a man’s world at such a time, and her state of mind were more familiar to me (even if she is not always the most sympathetic of characters, complaining about minor things, like the lack of comfort of some parts of the trip, and she appears quite naïve as to what her experience travelling to Asia might mean). But Paaku’s story is so beautifully told and shares such unique world-views and experiences that it’s impossible not to become enchanted at first, and later increasingly worried as to what his fate might be. The more we read, the more we’re struck by the links and connections between the two characters, and a number of possible explanations are offered during the novel as to why this should be so, although the final twist is not easy to guess (I only realised what might be behind the story very close to the ending but I won’t spoil it). The story is complex and the changes in historical period, language style (fragments of Mouhot’s true diaries are included in the novel as his fictional granddaughter reads them) and character’s point of view demand attention and close reading, but the results are very rewarding. At first, the changes in point of view might be somewhat frustrating if the readers identify more with one of the stories than with the other but the reason for the choice of writing form becomes evident and in the end and it suits the subject perfectly.

The language and descriptions of places, historical and social periods and lifestyles of both eras are poetic and evocative, and despite the third person narrative we get inside the characters’ heads and body and, thanks to the vivid writing style, experience their lives fully with our five senses. The novel explores many themes: mysticism, spiritual questions, colonialism, the different roles of men and women, family legacy, PTSD, fate and destiny, romance and there is much to keep us thinking, while our  brains try to connect the stories at the same time as engaging with the language at a sensual level.

It might be something purely personal, but for me, one of the only things I wasn’t truly convinced about was the love story. Other than being there, having similar interests regarding the story of the area, and being a man and a woman, there seems to be little that connects them other than a romantic subplot in the novel, although it works as a way to humanise Jacquie, make her more vulnerable and it also facilitates the ending.

Both of the stories narrated in this novel are stories of discovery of spiritual truths, fate, friendship, love, the price to pay for one’s beliefs, fear and eventual peace. I am not at all surprised by the book’s nomination for the Man Asia Literary Prize. This is a beautifully written book about places and historical periods that captures readers’ imaginations and allow the mind to fly.

Thanks to the author and to Rosie Amber, thanks to all of you for reading and remember to like, share, comment and CLICK!

Mystery Mondays Review: “Remember No More” by Jan Newton

I’ve heard a lot of praise about Jan Newton’s novel and must say I was intrigued by the title and cover. Being published by the reliably quality-picking Honno Press I was gutted when I realised I missed getting my signed copy from the author at the Llandeilo Book Fair. Kindly, Jan send me a copy anyway and the sun shone in our garden last week, allowing me for a rare moment of literary indulgence. So her’s my review:

Maybe it is the setting in Wales or the layered setting up of the characters, but I immediately took a liking to this book.
The murder happens in a prologue, so for a while you don’t really know where this is going. You’re faced with a female detective whose private life is complicated, let alone the new job.
Enter a different narrative about a newly released prisoner with scores to settle and a tricky investigation with new colleagues and a new environment…
The book isn’t short of plot or ideas and with a great heroine to keep you company, this is a very rewarding and entertaining read that made hours whizz past me. Cleverly plotted with surprises and suspense until the end, this is a great read, one of many by this promising new author.

Buying Links:

Amazon.co.uk:  http://amzn.to/2k1kGJx 

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/2lWJ8gP

Honno:http://www.honno.co.uk/

Introducing Jan Newton with her debut novel to be published by Honno in March 2017. Jan grew up in Manchester and Derbyshire and spent almost twenty years in the Chilterns before moving to mid Wales in 2005. She has worked as a bilingual secretary in a German chemical company, as an accountant in a BMW garage and a GP practice and as a Teaching Assistant in the Welsh stream of a primary school, but now she has finally been able to return to her first love, writing.

She graduated from Swansea University with a Masters degree in Creative Writing in 2015 and has won the Allen Raine Short Story Competition, the WI’s Lady Denman Cup competition, the Lancashire and North West Magazine’s prize for humorous short stories and the Oriel Davies Gallery’s prize for nature writing. Remember No More  is her first novel.

The Blurb for Remember No More 

Newly promoted DS Julie Kite is at a crossroads. Her husband’s new job takes her away from urban Manchester and its inner city problems to a new life in tranquil mid-Wales. It is to be a new start for them both. On her first day at Builth Wells police station, Julie is thrust unexpectedly into the centre of a murder investigation in a remote farming community. At the same time, Stephen Collins is set free from HMP Strangeways. He immediately makes his way back to mid-Wales, the scene of his heinous crime, in order to confront those who had a hand in his incarceration.

The twists and turns of the investigation into the death of solicitor Gareth Watkin force DS Kite to confront her own demons alongside those of her new community and the lengths to which we’ll go to protect our families.

Happy Second Birthday, Mom!

A beautiful post about a survivor of WW2

Janna Yeshanova

My Mom (in a white dress) with her cousins just before the war.

Senior Lieutenant Malka-Galina Lerner, 1944

Today, May 9, I celebrate my Mom’s second birthday. I call this day her second birthday, as she did, because her actual birthday was on another day years earlier. She chose this second birthday herself because it represented a huge change in her life and the lives of everyone around her. It wasn’t that this was a beautiful spring day, or that the lilacs were in full bloom. May 9th is the day Russia marks as the end of World War II in Europe.

On 22 June 1941, the Germans broke their agreement and invaded the Soviet Union in ‘Operation Barbarossa’. It was a Sunday. The day before in Soviet schools there were graduation parties. When bands stopped playing, yesterday’s classmates, by tradition, went to meet the dawn. Young Muscovites headed to…

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Historical Saturday Review: “Until the Curtain Falls” by David Ebsworth

I had the great pleasure to meet the author at the Llandeilo Lit Fest last month and get a signed copy of this. David is a true authority on the Spanish Civicl War and held a great illustrated talk about it, almost forgetting to plug his great books at the festival over the enthusiasm in the discussion.
I’ve read and reviewed “The Assassin’s Mark” on this blog prior and to be honest, I didn’t think the excellent finale of “The Assassin’s Mark” with its unexpected twist could be continued with a second book. Well, David Ebsworth proved me wrong. There are more lose ends to tie up that I had thought of and new plot ideas, as well as a lot more to tell about the Spanish Civicl War. I love it when sequels don’t repeat a formula but dare to take different directions.
While book one took place in a very brief period of time in 1938, this novel takes its time, literally, and captures a wider spectrum of historical events and politics. Hero Telford finds himself in a hot spot following the finale in book one and needs to get out of it soon.
This takes us on a journey through war torn Spain from 1938 until the end of the war. He tries to escape to safety through a minefield of dangers and enemies, travelling across the country and on the way giving us insights into the situation in various locations, all of whom provide yet another perspective on the war: Areas occupied, besieged and captured, scenes of destruction and violence.
New characters bring also further perspectives on the war while the suspense and drama provide a gripping and engaging storyline. This is truly excellent, as a sequel, as a stand alone and as a portrait of the war. Historically astute and well researched this is highly recommended.

At the Litfest David discussed the Welsh involvement in the war; how the Spanish Civil War is still important; how it’s been portrayed in popular literature; and some of the stranger than fiction facts that inspire him to keep writing novels on the subject…

Wrexham based David Ebsworth has written six historical novels since 2009, when he retired as negotiator and regional secretary for the Transport & General Workers Union. Until the Curtain Falls is  his latest political thriller, set in the final months of the Spanish Civil War and a sequel to his 2013 best seller in similar setting.

http://www.davidebsworth.com/

David Ebsworth is the pen name of writer, Dave McCall, a former negotiator and Regional Secretary for Britain’s Transport & General Workers’ Union – which gave him a passion for people and political history that features so strongly in his novels. He was born in Liverpool (UK) in 1949, growing up there in the ‘Sixties, but has lived, since 1981, in Wrexham (North Wales) with his wife, Ann – who also happens to be his “ideal reader” and main mentor.

Since their retirement in 2008, the couple have spent about six months of each year in southern Spain. They have also been keen travellers to other parts of the world, including various other countries of Europe, China, Nicaragua, Colombia, the United States, Canada and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Dave believes strongly that you should never write about a place without having visited and checked out the locations.

He began to write seriously in 2009 and maintains a strict daily writing and marketing routine – though he still manages to find time for a regular morning swim, as well as for sailing. You can find him writing, most mornings, in Wrexham’s Caffè Nero, or Guardamar del Segura’s Pastelería Monge.

Dave is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the International Brigades Memorial Trust, the Anglo-Zulu War Historical Society, New Writers UK, and the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Bloggers Bash 2017 – an update

A must event for UK bloggers