Monday 22 August 2011

Bookshop Tour ...


The Poetry Bookshop
Hay-on-Wye
 When the ironing is finished, when all my children have left home, when my novel is complete, when my study is tidy, when all the paper-work is up-to-date, when I have been on a diet, and saved for enough fuel, I'd like to go on tour. To be more precise, I'd like to go on a UK Bookshop Tour ... calling at all the Special and Specialist Bookshops including The Poetry Bookshop, Hay-on-Wye ...


Maybe I could cycle around them all ?... No, not around them, I'd never get anywhere of course, obviously, from one to the next ... raise money for charity along the way ... call in at writing workshops, author readings, borrow library books from one library and return them to another ...

Maybe, when ...

Ebook ... ing ...

So, I've been researching ebook reading. Or rather, ebook publishing. 'It's reasonably simple', a quote from one ebook publisher's story. Try Lulu, Blurb, Smashwords ... another endless list. Where to start? With a pin and a map? Clearly not possible unless I wanted to ruin my laptop screen and maybe electrocute myself - although three days later, I might have considered it.

I decided not to try to finish 'that' novel in record time and instead, considered trying out the ebook-publishing process on a short story. 'Summer Indlugence' it was to be, and it was, in more ways than one. I had a list of operations to perform/translate/format files, notes to self, more lists and lists of lists of lists; mobi, epubl, eula, kindlegen. 'Summer Indulgence' comandeered most of the past week and was about to indulge the last of the summer if I hadn't given in and allowed two lucky ladies in the US of A to format my offering and design a front cover.

This process was much simpler. I emailed the formatters with my attachment[s] and they returned the files ready to upload onto Smashwords. I paid around 20 dollars via paypal and was ready to go.

That was three days ago. All I have to do now is upload the files. And hey presto ... my short story for the world to read on more-or-less any make of ereader. So the question I am asking myself ... is why am I indulging in blogging when 'Summer Indulgence' is waiting to be released, given a new life in ebook-world?

Am I scared of what people will say? Probably. I am worred no-one will buy the story? Yep. Am I concerned thousands will buy the story and want more? Hmm... What do you think ??

Better get off and upload 'Summer Indulgence', or we'll never know the end of this saga.

Gillian 


 

Books and more Books ...



Books, Books, Books,

Artisan Ice-creams,

Cappuccinos, Lattes, Teas,

Warm scones,

Luxury Chocolates,

Cards & Gifts.

What more can you want?

SilverDell of Kirkham has thousands of books in stock and offer more for next day collection.

61 Poulton Street, Kirkham, Preston, Lancs. PR4 2AJ

Must put a visit in my diary ... Gillian.

Friday 19 August 2011

Bringing Poetry Pamphlets ... to you ...

 
Women: Love & Frivolity ~ or ~  Urban Realities
 A delightful alternative to the card / gift problem ...

Women: Love & Frivolity and Urban Realites are beautifully hand-crafted 
collections of contemporary poetry to send to someone
when a card isn’t enough
and a present is too complicated.

Choose :~

Women: Love & Frivolity
Everyday happens to all of us. Gillian Hesketh’s collection; Women ~ Love & Frivolity, is a splash of truth-seeking contemporary poetry assigning spirit to everyday existence.

Urban Realities ...
Everyday happens to all of us. Gillian Hesketh’s collection of contemporary poetry investigates challenging situations and emotions inspired by the rhythm of life.


Each package includes Poetry pamphlet and Book-mark £2.99

For orders: email gmhesketh@yahoo.co.uk
[p&p please add 40p per order]


Stop Press ... ** !!
Poetry Pamphlets hand-made to your design ~ See Your Poems in Print ~ Enjoy, Share, 
Gift to Family and Friends or sell at Craft Fairs ~ Email for details, choices and prices. 
Orders completed within 2 weeks.

Gillian

Journaling to Clear Your Mind ...

Journaling ~ Ideas and ways to clear you mind ~ Chill out ~ Press that creative button ...

You can't get to sleep at night?

You keep waking up every hour? ... Your mind's too active?

You're stressed about an / event / exam / interview / deadline ?

It's time to get Journaling .........

Clearing your mind so you can concentrate on the main goal whether it be exams / work / relationships / other [don't you just love that option?]

Choose a small blank book, cheap and blaring with faint blue lines if you wish, torn and tatty from the bottom of a drawer or filing cabinet will suffice, hard back - using up a present, colourful [you may have bought it for your kids and borrowed it back], beautifully hand-decorated ... [ receceived it as a present] ... any sort of book will be fine if it feels right to you. Also, a pen, roller-ball, fountain, biro or pencil would be useful ...

Write for five minutes before bed / sleep ... or choose a time to suit you

Write non-stop about any topic that comes into your mind

Let your mind wander ... Don't stop writing

Write with big letters, small letters, shout! be messy ... but don't stop until the time is up ...

If you can't think what to write, write just that! Repeat yourself if necessary

This is Not a diary but Yes, write everyday

You don't have to read what you have written :)

You dont have to share what you have written :)

Your writing may seem like ramblings ... It doesn't matter :)

Now that all the spare information milling round in your head is on paper ~ you may even feel more free :) :)

Later, you may want to go back and read some of your literary ramblings ~ they may make sense ~ they may not. Either way, let's hope you can sleep longer, concentrate harder, feel better and enjoy a sense of freedom from over-thinking.

Gillian



Wednesday 17 August 2011

I want to go ... there ...

P & G Wells ~ 11 College Street, Winchester
I want to visit this bookstore, don't you?
This is the only historic bookshop in Winchester, close by Jane Austen's house in College Street. It includes the largest stock of childrens books in the region. We have been suppliers to Winchester College for over 200 years, and the University of Winchester since its inauguration. We are also booksellers to the bi-annual Wessex Children's Book Festival.

http://www.bookwells.co.uk/

Gillian

Sunday 14 August 2011

Book Shops ...





Another cute looking Bookshop:

The Edinburgh Bookshop
229 Bruntsfield Place
Edinburgh
EH10 4DH

Maybe I could take a tour of all the bookshops in the

UK and not visit Tesco once !!

Maybe I could do a sponsored walk around the UK

and take in all the local book shops?

I was looking for something to do ... ?? ,,, ??

Gillian

Saturday 13 August 2011

I Just Love this Bookshop ...

I do love this bookshop ...

You don't get overheated.

[Waterstones]

You don't get pushed about.

[WH Smith]

You don't feel rushed.

[Airport]

You're not overloaded with lights and titles.

[Sorry Borders, are you still there?]

Your eyes don't throb in their sockets.

[Amazon]

You can take your time browsing, make a stress-free choice; best-sellers, events, writing workshops, book groups.

The only problem might be travel. It is, of course, in London.

Shop online ... http://www.bricklanebookshop.com/

Gillian

Thursday 11 August 2011

Women: Love & Frivolity ... hot on the press ...



Things are getting hotter ...



Women: Love & Frivolity is getting warmer ... the laptop is over-heating ... the ink is evaporating ... the cover, racing through the printing system ...



We're just waiting for the ribbon ... yes ribbon ...


Watch this space ... I will be ...

Gillian

Urban Realities: Contemporary Poetry ...

Triple Glazing


No sound of bike bells ringing,
engines racing, buses droning
or wagons thundering,
over the A six three something

No sound of children laughing,
crying, arguing, not even birdsong
can be heard
through the triple glazing.


Gillian

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Social Stereotypes ... Just for fun ...

Not sure where this came from ... was just messing about, having a bit of a talk to myself; finish this, edit that - and five hundred words later ...

Social Stereotypes: The Mature Student

Pleased with her recent assignment and bibliography intact, Joanne relinquished it almost a week early, accepting the slip of flimsy pink paper which would confirm its whereabouts for the following six weeks. Postcolonial readings of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness managed to uncover more than a sufficient understanding of European nineteenth Century colonialism that Joanne had never, ever considered thinking about. A mature student, Joanne’s many commitments bargaining for her time, the hours and hours required for reading around subjects took the place of her friendships, an occasional night in the pub, even the ironing. Evaluating her efforts constantly, expecting to achieve only decent results, she promised she wouldn’t be dissatisfied with them.

Wanting to be as inconspicuous as visually possible, she adjusted her attire, choosing denims, flat pumps and chose from an assortment of plain tops from the high street. Her outerwear would have to be tamed too, nothing too ostentatious. Joanne blended with her colleagues, although she drew the line at riding a bike to the Uni campus. No, the people carrier would have to do. Besides, driving her three children to school before lectures was just part of her day.

Joanne was looking forward to her next module; Myth & Legend. An introduction to relentless debates on male oppression, dating back to … the beginning, she supposed. She began to over-indulge in the subject matter. She wondered, fingers poised at the keys, what exactly was myth? Images of an unwanted truths reverberated through time? Yes, that would be a start. Greek myth; poor Philomele, having been raped by her brother-in-law, the mighty King Tereus, physically silenced by having her tongue cut out. Joanne took some time to get her head around this one. Was she about to become a feminist? But the woman survived. Told the tale through dance. How innovative. Joanne hit the keys and as usual, didn’t stop till after midnight.

And what did she hope to achieve from all of this? Joanne had to admit, she was sick and tired of family, friends, acquaintances and people she’d just met in the pub on a Friday night, asking her the same question. She considered telling them she was going to be a teacher, just so everyone would leave her alone. But she didn’t. And the questions continued. What made you want to do a degree? At your age? What did you say you were studying? ‘English Literature’, she would say, watching their eyes roll to the back of their heads. ‘Linguistics’, she would add with rising intonation, hoping to gain a little interest. ‘Oh I see, French? German?’ This was the point where Joanne would wonder whether she was in the wrong pub with the wrong people. Then, maybe she was the one who was in the wrong place. ‘It’s the study of the nature, structure and variation of language’, she would reply, to a place where the lights were on but no-one was in.

Joanne seems to have found herself at last. She not only achieved a more than adequate honours degree in literature (not forgetting the linguistics) but an improved capacity to understand other human beings. She is looking forward to empowering other women. Opening one of her many charity luncheons, ‘Women need to become more certain of their identities and begin to take charge of their own destinies’, she began. ‘As the famous French philosopher, Helene Cixous states, Woman must write about women and bring women to writing from which they have been driven away … woman must put herself into the text – as into the world and into history.’

Right, now back to my real job!

Gillian



Tuesday 9 August 2011

Love new words ... Love words ... ?

Love Words?
I do just love words, their sounds, make-up, uses, etymology. There are too many words I honestly don't know the meaning of.

Sure, most of you will know the meaning of the following ... I'm not sure whether I'm ashamed to admit I didn't know the meanings ~ or just pleased that I had the opportunity to look them up [any excuse for more procrastinaton].  

These words were found in novels I've been reading over the last two months:


Veld - Yes I know it sounds like one, but didn't know it meant Field.

Toping - to drink alcohol habitually and to excess [!]

Knout - whip or lash sometimes with metal wires wound in [hmm sounds like knot/knots/knotted, doesn't it?]

Farinaceous - as a keen cook, I should have known it means food containing flour / starch

Apprise - to notify - not to be confused with Appraise - to estimate quality or Appease - to satisfy or relieve

Crepuscular - of, pertaining to or resembling twilight; dim, indistinct / appearing or active in twilight [as
certain bats or insects are].

Petit Trianon - small chateau in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, Paris. Petit trianon is also used to express an act of deliberately slumming [presumably in the small chateau ?]
Kowtowing - to act in a servile manner - yes, I knew that but found this interesting:
Kowtow is the act of deep respect shown by kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. An alternative Chinese term is ketou, however the meaning is somewhat altered: kòu originally meant "knock with reverence", whereas kē has the general meaning of "touch upon (a surface)".
Source:Wikipedia


So, send me your newly found word and we'll have a shared word-fest.

Gillian

Monday 8 August 2011

Book Shelves that don't take up floor space ...

Save floor space, try  http://www.shelfari.com/  [An Amazony thing]

Choose your books, add or edit information [more procrastination] - I've read it / I want to read it / review it / star it / and add the book to your shelf [Choose from a range of colours - the possibilities aren't endless, there are 4 to choose from - or just let Shelfari choose it for you]. Put the shelf on your blog or wherever you wish [not your carpet] and add info when you like. Click on the book for a resume. You can interact with other Shelfari users, read their reviews etc.

*Warning ... Can be seriously time consuming.

Gillian

Thursday 4 August 2011

Mslexia : For Women : Who Write ...

Packed with articles on How to Write, Why Write, Writers' Block, Rhyme, Rants and / or Raves, Features, Guest Authors, Short Stories, Competitons, Directory, Your Letters [even one of mine!], Interviews, Advice ... is that enough? No? Well there's more: New Writing, Books, Tweets, Guest Blogger, Inspiration, Masterclass Writing retreat advertisements, Publishing contacts, Monologues, Portraits, Poetry, Submission details ... Just like Eddie Izzard's re-cycling campaign, the choices are endless.
  
I've subscribed To Mslexia [4 publications per year] more on than off over the years and have to say the flow of ideas in each new magazine is always refreshing and motivational. A bargain at £24 [ish] per annum.

Enjoy,
Gillian

Eating Fire ...


Whilst searching for 'something specific' on the internet and finding 'something' else, clicking here and scrolling there, I came across 'Shelfari' - via via Amazon - you can see my starter collection of books on the right - yet another fun but time consuming activity to get involved with when practising procrastination, I found [crikey this is a long sentence] this on my bookshelf ... obviously it wasn't lost in the first place but I had completely forgotten about it: [not finished yet ~ very Marcel Proust] Margaret Atwood's 'Eating Fire', poetry which, according to Michele Roberts, 'sings off the page and stings.' Phew! Not for the faint hearted, Margaret Atwood, Canadian's most eminent novelist and poet, who is also the author of 'Blind Assassin' [booker prize winner 2000], offers 368 pages of elegantly pressented, powerful, imaginative, detached, symbolic, ironic, daring, thought provoking poems which she published between 1965 and 1075.  Beat that!

Well worth dibbing into.

Gillian

Monday 1 August 2011

Write Girl ...

WriteGirl is a nonprofit organization for high school girls centered on the craft of creative writing and empowerment through self-expression. Through one-on-one mentoring and monthly workshops, girls are given techniques, insights and hot tips for great writing in all genres from professional women writers.



Check it out :  http://www.writegirl.org/

Gillian