Formed over forty years ago, our Writers Circle is based in Felixstowe, Suffolk. Meetings are held in The Room at the Top in Felixstowe Library, normally on the first and third Tuesday of each month commencing at 7.30pm and finishing by 10.00pm. Check this weblog for details of meetings.

There is an annual November to November fee of £30, April to November is £20 and June to November £15. For members preferring to pay at each meeting the charge is £5 per meeting. To contact Felixstowe Scribblers simply email scribblers.1@btinternet.com or the Secretary, catherine.stafford1@ntlworld.com

Saturday 30 March 2013

Balsall Writers


COMPANY OF WRITERS
The e-mail communicator for BALSALL WRITERS
Spring edition 1.


So who are we? We are a progressive writing group formed in
2011 in Balsall Common West Midlands - a village with no
outstanding features except it has 5 pubs, 4 hairdressers and
two barbers and lies in a supposed green-belt area.

We have 3 groups—Group 1 where members are writing for
eventual publication—Group 2 writing initially for pleasure
and Group 3 poetry writing. In addition to our three writing
groups we have now started a new group 'A Company of
Writers' or COW, this is for all groups to meet and from
time to time have a speaker to talk on a specific subject connecting
with writing.

'A Company of Writers' 'editorial/competition
team*' will also be starting a quarterly e-communicator as another
way of communicating and whereas our website is fairly
static a newsletter is more flexible. (*more details of our next
writing competition in our September issue.)

We hope you will send us a feedback to—
info@balsallwriters.org.uk and perhaps your views/
experiences in self-publishing, whatever is informative will be
put onto the next COW e-communicator end of June.
Regards,
Anne Santos


OUR
WEBSITE

There are many features in their newsletter and helpful words  on
Self Publishing amongst other things and helpful links too. 
It's worth investigating their website!


Friday 29 March 2013

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to the Scribblers and friends around the world. 

For many it will be time away from work, a time to reflect and a time to get your homework assignment completed for Tuesday's meeting. The theme is "Yesterday"... should throw up a few memories!!!

Keep Scribbling!



Tuesday 26 March 2013

The New Writer relaunches....


As a member of a writers’ group yourself, I thought you’d be interested in a sneak preview of our re-launch of The New Writer.

This link - http://www.thenewwriter.com/tnw-114-sampler/<http://www.thenewwriter.com/tnw-114-sampler/- takes you to 12 sample pages.

And here are click throughs to

• a half price introductory copy <http://www.thenewwriter.com/subscribe/> (mid-April) and

• a reduced price one year subscription <http://www.thenewwriter.com/subscribe/>

(Sorry, but both of these offers are UK only.)

We think we’ve made a promising start – sign up for one of our pre-launch offers now and you’ll be the first to see how we develop TNW.

Guy Pringle

www.newbooksmag.com
www.thenewwriter.com
facebook.com/newbooksmagazine
twitter.com/newbooksmag

Thursday 21 March 2013

Happy World Poetry Day 2013


www.wigtownbookfestival.com/poetrycomp

The website gives full details of this year's judges: Robin Robertson (Main); Meg Bateman (Gaelic); and Liz Niven (Scots).  You'll also find the blog post from 2012 Main Prize Judge, George Szirtes about his judging process.  A downloadable entry form is also available for postal entries.

Wigtown Spring Weekend

3-6 May 2013

Celebrate Wigtown's role as Scotland's National Book Town with the annual Spring Weekend, organised by the Association of Wigtown Booksellers.  Join us for a vibrant weekend including: theatre, music, workshops, exhibitions and events for families and book lovers - most of which will be hosted in our series of independent bookshops.
The Wigtown Spring Weekend programme is now available to view online:
http://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/year-round

Tickets are available from the box-office on 01988 403222 or in person at the Festival Office, County Buildings, Wigtown. Open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm.


'Festival Favourites' Recipe Booklet

A collection of favourite recipes from friends, festival-goers, volunteers and local businesses, is now available at £3.00 or £4.00 including post and packaging.  If you would like to order a copy, please emailclaire@wigtownbookfestival.com or telephone 01988 402036.


Spread the Word

Please help us to spread the word about the warm welcome awaiting you in Wigtown by forwarding this email to your friends.

'Like' our page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @WigtownBookFest

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Meeting Report for 19th March


Hi Scribblers

Last night's meeting was a reasonably populated one with eleven of us present. It was nice to welcome Cathy back to Scribblers again.

As usual the content was both varied and all was excellent. We had true stories and works of fiction on many subjects. It never fails to amaze me how one word can be used in so many different contexts.

We had apologies from Martin and Carolyn and those present included

Dave, Les, Dick, Caz, Liliane, Beryl, Angela P, Cathy, Tony, Barry M and myself.

Les was first to read with Dr O Connor. His story concerned the rise and rise of a shy man by the name of Sean O Connor. His career began at medical school, then he went to work for a GP in a small town and for seven years he delighted the patients  and his parents by growing to maturity under the tutelage of his mentor. The older doctor died and Sean wondered about his future but was surprised by the mayor, and by extension the townspeople, at a surprise meeting to offer him the job as the new town GP.

Caz was next with her short poem Road Rage, which told us how badly getting annoyed while driving affected the way we, ourselves behaved to other road users.

Next came Dick with his amusing story called Partying with the Borgias. This was an evening with the Borgias and the way Lucretia dealt with the groping Alfonso and how the evening with Leonardo da Vinci caused some amusement when Lucretia thought that  intricate sketches of his inventions were really cartoons..

Dave gave us another instalment in his Pauline story. This was called Breaking Glass and told of how Pauline was in a supermarket and noticed the ex wife of her policeman boyfriend shopping with the sergeant from the station. She tried to take surreptitious photos but was spotted, and later, while waiting for Bill to arrive home a brick was thrown through the lounge window.

My tale was of the time I was taken ill while on holiday in Italy and how I spent a few days at the Ospidale di Cecine.

Barry M gave us the story called Writer's Block concerning a reporter for a local newspaper telling of the young man who started as a tea boy and office junior and advanced himself to be an investigative reporter. This was to prove to be the cause of the young man's death while investigating dome dodgy dealing in the drug trade.

Tony gave us Following Wind, one of his usual, intricate and quite clever use of card games and explaining the game of Patience.

Cathy entertained us with a humorous tale of a lady determined to improve her self worth by attending a spa weekend which  developed into a well written and true to life story called Don't believe all you read , involving a down to earth lady who spent so much time at the spa resort she eventually could not pay the bill.

Angela P gave us Maureen's story, which was a continuation of her tale of four people  in a cafe where each had to recount a true story to the others. Maureen told of her first love and how a secretive assignation with a married man developed into a serious affair but which was cut short but revived after years apart when the man was very ill.

Beryl gave us part of a novel with a section from the 1900's concerning the convalescent home called the Herman de stern and of the friendship that blossomed from walks along the seafront in Felixstowe to a secure friendship of a woman teaching a Jewish friend how to speak English.

Liliane continued in her family vein with Family Doctor and told how the immediate and not so immediate family of this particular doctor imposed upon him a feeling of his being duty bound to care for them all at the expense of his normal 
patient list.

As I said, this was another excellent meeting and thanks to all who attended.

Next time the subject for the meeting on April 2nd is         YESTERDAY.

See you all then.

Barry.

Feeling like an author...

This email arrived earlier today from Angela P.

"Showing off a little - but I am pleased! this morning I was told that the attached review had been posted on-line with www.authorsonline.co.uk 
 
I actually feel like an author - even if that feeling only lasts for a tingly half hour!
 
 
Angela.
 
p.s. I would recommend this self-publishing outfit if you are ever thinking along those lines. They are not cowboys...Just make sure you read and re-read your final draft (or get friends to go over it with a nit comb....or use Maureen Blundell's excellent editing services*) before dispatching your baby. It is so easy to not see glaring howlers! Like I did!!!!!
* I can put you in touch.



Book Review

Never Forget, Angela Petch – review by Sam Merry
Angela Petch
Angela Petch’s intricate love plot is a good example of how fiction can give truth value-added. Set in “real” time during the tortuous Nazi retreat from Italy on the Gothic Front in the Apennines, 1944, (Churchill’s Third Front), it explores the ordinary lives of ordinary Italians caught in historically exceptional circumstances.
The war is merely the backcloth and the Never Forget of the title stresses the importance of family history in shaping our present, in this case throwing up cultural Anglo/Italian clashes in mixed marriages and the way different national temperaments and circumstances emerge.
Never Forget brilliantly captures ordinary life-loving Italians caught in the bloody mess of war. Petch nicely combines fictional characters with the real background through her Italian family connections and living in a present-day Tuscany home, (Il Mulino - the Mill) where she has studied oral, visual and written sources that give the novel convincing authenticity: the fictional characters are really lovingly-constructed composites of concentrated actual experiences, so that one imagines they are real people.
A youngest English daughter(Anna) thinks she has drawn the short straw when bequeathed her Italian mother and English father’s war time letters and diaries. She leaves stuffy, conventional, England, where she feels an outsider, for colourful Italy to investigate their war time past (he was an escaped POW; she helped the Partisans shelter him). For a reason made clear at the end, she falls in love, first with the country and then an Italian, duplicating her father’s experience in a pair of love stories one generation apart – one sad, the other happy. The tale alternates between present and past, which finally come together neatly in a surprising and satisfying end twist to a most skilful plot.
The central hero is Italy and the spirit of its people against the slumbering ghost of Mussolini’s war – “standing in the crisp sunshine, mountains soaring into a perfect sky, it is impossible to imagine such an appalling event” – but always the beautiful countryside and warmth of its people bubble up through every page, haunting the story’s duality of love and hate, a polarisation also reflected in the characterisation of cold, repressed England and life-loving Italy in a life and death struggle which is symbolised by the war-caused breakdown of the English father and violent abuse of his Italian wife.
But this story is ultimately about human hope and by the end, you will have fallen in love with Italy. As Francesco comments, “what is wrong with the idea of mixing up (national) differences...and creating a wonderful new recipe?"
You may even be desperate to visit Angela Petch’s 'Il Mulino' in the beautiful Apennines, where you may take a holiday
This review appeared today on the Authors on Line website on 20th March 2013

AESTHETICA CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION 2013: NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES!


The Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition 2013 is now open for entries, and we would love to hear from writers at Felixstowe Scribblers!  To ensure that they don’t miss this fantastic opportunity, would you be able to share the news with them?

The Aesthetica Creative Writing prize offers existing and aspiring writers the chance to showcase their work to a wider, international audience. We’re really keen to see more writers from across the UK involved in the competition and are looking for work across a wide range of themes, styles and subjects. Please find more information below, and for up-to-the-minute updates, join us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aestheticamag.

Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition is now open for entries! The competition celebrates and champions creative writing, nurturing talent and bringing work to international attention. Aesthetica is inviting all writers and poets to submit to the Aesthetica Creative Writing Competition 2013. There are two categories for entry, Poetry and Short Fiction, and a selection of fantastic prizes including:
·         £500 prize money – Poetry winner
·         £500 prize money – Short Fiction winner
·         Publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual
·         Complimentary copy of the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual
·         A selection of books from our competition partners

Submissions previously published elsewhere are accepted. Deadline: 31 August 2013.

Entry is £10 and allows for the entry of two works into any one category. For more information and to enter please visit: www.aestheticamagazine.com/creativewriting

I do hope that your writers and contacts will be interested in the opportunity, and please let me know if you have any further questions.

Eva Helen
Marketing
Aesthetica Magazine
PO Box 371
York, YO23 1WL, UK
(+44) (0) 1904 629 137


Tuesday 19 March 2013

Another eclectic evening

Our Scribblers meeting proved to be another evening of top class entertainment with some tremendous stories that would grace many a radio station...

The subject was patience or patient and was dealt with in so many different ways that it makes one wonder where all the ideas stem from.

For those interested in joining the Scribblers and, perhaps advancing towards publication, then email scribblers@btinternet.com  for details.

As we say here in Felixstowe...

Keep Scribbling!

Rushmere Players present... Blackadder















We are rapidly approaching the opening night for Blackadder and the cast are working hard practising their ‘quick change’ routines as we get into the dress rehearsals (it’ll be alright on the night!).  Ticket sales are going well and Thursday is almost a sell-out already, so if you are planning to go it will be a good idea to book early! 

Remember the dates are Wed 27th to Sat 30th March, the place is the Sir John Mills Theatre, Gatacre Road, Ipswich and the start time 7-45 p.m.  Tickets can be booked over the phone (01473 211498) between 10-00 a.m. and 2-00 p.m. weekdays or on-line at www.easternangles.co.uk. 

We hope you will be able to join us.

Best wishes,

Goff Hill and all the cast

It is worth noting that our friend Giles of The Lost Sock fame is acting in this production.

Sunday 17 March 2013

Patiently awaiting...

... our next meeting which will be held in The Room at the Top this coming Tuesday, 19th March, starting at 7.30pm. The homework assignment is for 1,000 words or less on "Patience" or "Patient"...

New members always welcome.

Hope to see you there so, until then,

Keep Scribbling!

Saturday 16 March 2013

Shortlisted for the Bookseller Industry Awards.


Dear all,
We are delighted to announce that Alma Books has
 been shortlisted for two of the Bookseller Industry Awards.

The first category is Independent Publisher of the Year, 
and the second is Imprint and Editor of the Year, with our 
publisher Alessandro Gallenzi flying the flag for independent 
publishers, against competition from the top four publishing 
groups in the UK: Viking (Penguin), Fourth Estate (Harper
Collins), Arrow and Yellow Jersey Press (Random House) 
and Weidenfeld & Nicolson and Hodder & Stoughton (Hachette).

Fingers crossed - and a big thank you for your continued support.
Elisabetta Minervini and Alessandro Gallenzi
Alma Books on Twitter  Follow us @almabooks on Twitter
Alma Books on Facebook  Comment on our Facebook page
  
COMPETITION: OUR EASTER TREAT
To celebrate our recent publications from great contemporary 
women writers we are giving away 3 sets of fantastic novels. 
Each set includes 1 copy of:

THE ART OF LEAVING by Anna Stothard
A haunting story about saying goodbye – showing that even freedom
may have its cost after all.

THE SCENT OF LEMON LEAVES by Clara Sánchez
A powerful account of self-discovery and an exploration of history and 
redemption.

THE GIRL BELOW by Bianca Zander
A tale of dark memories, secrets and human frailty.


and DANCING TO THE FLUTE by Manisha Jolie Amin
A magical, heartwarming story of the nature of friendship and the 
astonishing transformative powers of music.

To win simply follow us on twitter @almabooks and RT this 
competition.
Competition ends 28th March, open only to UK residents 
and you must be 18 or over to enter.
Good luck to everyone!
 

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Writing Festival Deadlines


I heard about your Writing Group and I thought I'd let you know about the upcoming Writing Festival Deadlines. Should be right up your group's alley. Hope to see some of you submit one of your great stories. 
 
WRITING Festival Deadlines - FULL FEEDBACK on all entries
- Submit your Feature, Short or TV screenplay. Play, Essay, Short Story, 1st chapter or full novel!

SHORT STORY CONTEST - Get FULL FEEDBACK on your short story. Winners get their short story read and shown online by a professional actor!

1st CHAPTER or FULL NOVEL CONTEST - Get FULL FEEDBACK on your book. Winners get their 1st chapter read and shown online by a professional actor!
1st ACT or FULL PLAY CONTEST - Get FULL FEEDBACK on your essay. Winners get their plays read and shown online by a professional actor!
ESSAY CONTEST - Get FULL FEEDBACK on your essay. Winners get their essay read and shown online by a professional actor!
POETRY CONTEST - All entries win and get their poem showcased on this popular website. Winners get their poem made into a film!
FEATURE or SHORT screenplay contest - Get FULL FEEDBACK on your script. Winners get their essay read and shown online by a professional actor!
TV PILOT or SPEC screenplay contest - Get FULL FEEDBACK on your script. Winners get their essay read and shown online by a professional actor!
FIRST SCENE (first 10pgs) SCREENPLAY CONTEST - Submit the first stages of your film and get full feedback!
Hope you take a look at what we have to offer. Either way, good luck. Heard you had a lot of talent.
Carrie Anderson
WILDsound

Monday 11 March 2013

Author Talk at the Library


Just a reminder about our next author event. Liz Trenow will be giving a talk in the library on Saturday 23rdMarch at 2pm.  Liz has already given talks at other libraries in Suffolk and we have had some very positive feedback.  Her novel, The Last Telegram, is set in World War 2 around the silk weaving industry. It tells the story of a family firm who turn their attentions to weaving silk for parachutes.  It is also the love story of the mill owner’s daughter and a German Jewish refugee.  I can personally recommend this novel which is all the more interesting for its local connections.  Signed copies of her book will be available to purchase. In her former career Liz was a journalist so I’m sure she will be talking about this too.

If you would like to come tickets are £2 (including refreshments).  You will need to buy your ticket in advance because we have limited spaces.  About half the tickets have sold already.  If you would like me to reserve you one please get in touch.

Debra Rowe
Felixstowe Library

Competitions

The following competition details have been forwarded to us by Jan McGeachie, who ran Online Scribblers a number of years ago. Hope these may be of interest and bring some success to those who enter.

http://dark-places.co.uk/writing-competition/


http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/nickdarkeaward



http://www.navegator.co.uk/competition.html



http://www.writeaplay.co.uk/about/



https://www.facebook.com/andrewcole2013?ref=stream



http://www.writersofthefuture.com/contest

New Book


HOTEL BOY by John Trythall
Price £7.99 Published by Austin Macauley, Ltd
Available at bookshops and through Amazon.

Hotel Boy 
Publisher's Press Release: Seen mainly from Michael's point of
view this story is set in wartime Britain, and all human life appears at 'Roselea' a seaside hotel, where Michael and his mother come to live following the death of his father. Life isn't easy for the two as they both miss Father dreadfully, but they begin to cope and gradually life becomes bearable for the two. The characters in this poignant, funny, charming book are believable from the start, they are beautifully observed and very human,making this book a sheer delight right to the very last page. This story isthe perfect antidote to the stresses of our modern world and cannot be recommended highly enough!
The author is a former headmaster. He is aged82 and is registered blind.

Custom Book Publications


CUSTOM BOOKS and our Hong Kong and International 
Editors are  proudly sponsoring the contest to select the 
best novel manuscripts for 2013 -- the inaugural  
EDITORS FAVOURITE NOVEL AWARDS  
Our mission is find the best manuscripts in each of FOUR fiction
categories.  
Prizes for the BEST and RUNNERS-UP in each category include a 
full professional Edit provided by our Editors, a traditional 
Publishing Contract with Custom Book Publications in both print 
and eBook formats,  personal Webpage, and marketing and distribution 
of your published book and ebook.              
In addition the winner in each category will receive a cash prize 
of $US300.
The competition is open to worldwide submissions in English 
from published,  self-published or unpublished authors alike.  
Books already self-published may be entered subject to conditions.

CUSTOM BOOKS © 2010-2013  Hong Kong                                                                                          
Custom Book Publications  
                                                         
We currently publish Authors from Hong Kong,  USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, Malaysia 
& New Zealand 


                                                           

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Wigtown Book Festival


Wigtown 'book tree'


Dear festival-goers and poets,

With a wide variety of fun, interesting and inspirational activities and events taking place in and around Wigtown, we wanted to share these with you and offer a few dates for your diary.


Virtual Cheese, Wine and Jamie at Home Party for Wigtown Book Festival
Thursday 7 March, 7-9pm

Due to low ticket sales for the physical event, we've decided to make this a virtual party! Join us from the comfort of your own home, participate in games for real prizes and order gorgeous products from the Jme range and from Wigtown Book Festival's selection of unique merchandise. Have a sip and a nibble at home whilst browsing the catalogue, keeping an eye on posts on our Facebook event page and on the Festival blog atwww.wigtownbookfestival.co m. Orders can be placed by posting on the Facebook feed, emailing (mail@wigtownbookfestival. com) or telephoning us during the party at 01988 403222. We hope you'll be able to join us.  You can view the catalogue in advance by clicking here and the new Spring range here.


Booktown Writers
Top Tartan Noir Writer Coming to Galloway
A rare opportunity to get top tips on thriller writing from one of the best in the business is coming to Galloway.  On Saturday April 6th, Lin Anderson will be leading a two hour workshop at the Creebridge House Hotel in Newton Stewart from 2pm.  Lin is the author of the popular Rhona MacLoud series of crime thrillers which includes DriftnetPicture Her Dead and Torch. She is the co founder of the Bloody Scotland Book Festival and is currently the chair of the Society of Authors in Scotland.  The workshop is being held as part of the Dumfries & Galloway Rural Literature Development Hub and the cost to any writer living within the region is just £5. This price, which includes refreshments, also applies to any writer living outwith the region but who is a member of a Dumfries and Galloway writers' group. The cost for anyone outside the region is £25.

The event has been organised by the Wigtown based Booktown Writers group and spokeswoman Anni Telford said: "We are absolutely thrilled that Lin has agreed to come to Newton Stewart. This is a marvellous opportunity with one of Scotland's leading crime writers but places are limited."  For further information or to book your place please contact Anni by e-mailing mail@booktownwriters or telephone 07501046501.


Wigtown Writers' Gathering
Friday 3 May, Main Hall, County Buildings, Wigtown

Arrangements are now in place for Wigtown Writers' Gathering.
Please find the provisional programme below: 
Time
Content
9.30
Registration
10.00
Welcome
10.10
Workshop: Louise Welsh Everything I Know About Writing in Two Hours! (limited to 12 delegates)
Workshop: Allan Guthrie The Art of Self-editing
Pre-booked one-to-one individual sessions with publishing professionals
12.15
Facilitated networking
13:00
Lunch
14:00
Workshop: Louise Welsh Everything I Know About Writing in Two Hours! (limited to 12 delegates)
Breakouts: facilitated discussion groups by genre (fiction; nonfiction; children’s; poetry)
Pre-booked one-to-one individual sessions with publishing professionals
16:00
Louise Welsh interview and Q&A session
17:00
Conclude
17:00
Informal drinks

For further information and to purchase a ticket (costing £9.47 including VAT and fees), please click here.


We are delighted to announce that the entries can now be accepted online at:
www.wigtownbookfestival.com/poetrycomp
The website gives full details of this year's judges: Robin Robertson (Main); Meg Bateman (Gaelic); and Liz Niven (Scots).  You'll also find the blog post from 2012 Main Prize Judge, George Szirtes about his judging process.  A downloadable entry form is also available for postal entries.


'Festival Favourites' Recipe Booklet
A collection of favourite recipes from friends, festival-goers, volunteers and local businesses, is now available at £3.00 or £4.00 including post and packaging.  If you would like to order a copy, please emailclaire@wigtownbookfestival.com or telephone 01988 402036.


Spread the Word
Please help us to spread the word about the warm welcome awaiting you in Wigtown by forwarding this email to your friends.

'Like' our page on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @WigtownBookFest


Wigtown Festival Company is limited by guarantee with charitable status.  Charity number SC037984
Wigtown Festival Company, County Buildings, Wigtown, DG8 9JH.  01988 402036.