Four Wedding Stories and a Graveyard

"When are we going to be featured in one of your 'inspiration behind the story ' posts?" my lovely step-daughter, Emma, and her equally lovely husband, Phil, asked. 

It was just after I'd told them that another one of their stories had been published in this week's People's Friend magazine.

They were quite right to ask, of course, as from the day they told us they were getting married they have provided me with a grand total of four stories... all of which have been published in The People's Friend.

The first story, 'These Foolish things' was about a wooden spoon. A very important wooden spoon, as it happens. From the day Emma and Phil moved in together, they have had monthly 'meetings' to discuss any niggles or things that have been bothering them. The great thing about this is that only the person holding the wooden spoon can speak. What a great idea! (You can tell Emma's a teacher).

On the day they got engaged, Phil presented Emma with a spoon on which he'd had engraved, 'The Morris Family Spoon'. When a surprised Emma asked why he'd given it to her as she wasn't a Morris, it was his cue to ask her to marry him... how romantic is that? I just had to write a story based on it.

Two years later, at their wedding, my husband was presented with his own wooden spoon, which came in very handy for his speech!

The next story I wrote for them was, 'The Sailor's Waltz.' This came about after Phil confided to us that he was worried about their first dance as he wasn't much of a dancer. As it happened, after a few practices, they danced perfectly well but it gave me a story idea. My couple were also worried about that first dance but it was because the bride's late mother had been a ballroom dancer, they wanted to dance to the same music her parents had chosen for their wedding dance and it was really important that they get it right. What would help the groom to learn the steps? 

The third story was called, Dinner at the Majestic. On the night Phil proposed to Emma, they stayed at Amberley Castle in West Sussex. It was a beautiful romantic place but they decided to forgo dinner in the smart dining room for fish and chips in their room. I thought that was brilliant and just knew it had to be immortalised.

So that just leaves this week's story, 'Marriage vows', which is probably my favourite of all. One day, Phil confided to us that the only quiet place he could find to practise his speech was the local churchyard. I could just picture him walking up and down between the gravestones, his hands behind his back, with an attentive audience who wouldn't interrupt him! In my story, in this week's Friend magazine, the young man has gone to the churchyard to write his vows, rather than practise his speech, but the sentiment is the same.


So a huge thank you to Phil and Emma for providing me with such wonderful material... I'm expecting many more years of inspiration to come!

Holidays as Inspiration for Your Stories

This has been a good week for magazine stories. I have two in The People's Friend Weekly (very unusual as they don't often feature a writer more than once unless it's in the Special) and one in Take a Break Fiction Feast.

It was as I was reading them again that it occurred to me that all three had been written following a holiday. Two from this year and one a while ago.

My first story in The Friend is called 'Welcome to Paradise' and I'll tell you a little about how this one came about. In May this year, my husband and I went on a fantastic holiday to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. For the second part of the holiday, we stayed in the beautiful village of Positano.

When we arrived at the beach around the headland, we were greeted by a young man from the local bar. 'Welcome to Paradise!' he said. We thought that was rather lovely and it amused us when we heard him say the same thing to everyone. If a group of pretty girls came down to the beach, he was extra attentive. I just knew I had to write a story about him as soon as I got back. I sent the story along with the photo above to my editor who bought it. This is the lovely illustration that they put with it - rather arty don't you think!


My second story in The People's Friend is called 'A Walk on the Fells'. The original title was The Coffin Stone which was much more interesting I think - maybe they didn't like the word 'coffin'. I wrote it after I came back form The Lake District in April. It is absolutely one of my favourite places in England to holiday and I have written (and have had published) a story every time I've come home from a visit. This is my fourth Lake District story for The Friend and I've had one published in Fiction Feast too.

Fiction editor, Shirley Blair, asked if I would tell the readers the inspiration behind my story and here it is. Have any of you ever walked the 'coffin route?'

My final story this week is called 'Don't Rock the Boat' - originally titled, 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' (never be precious about your titles). It was one of my first stories and was written after my first canal boat holiday in 2012. It didn't sell then so I put it away in a drawer, revamped it and resent it four years later. I've had three more canal boat holidays since then.

I'm off to the Greek island of Ithaka soon... I feel another Greek story coming on!

Ever Built a Tree House? The inspiration behind my People's Friend Story

When my husband was a boy, he loved building things: dens, camps... you name it. His garden had a swing and a small lawn where he used to camp out on summer days but what it didn't have was a tree house and that was because it didn't have a tree.

Luckily for him, and his like-minded friends, at the end of the road was a wood and this was where they would go to play. Dens and camps were dutifully constructed and so too was a tree house, right in the arms of a chestnut tree.

I asked him what they used to build this house with its bird's eye view and he just said, "Oh, you know - old packing cases and stuff that was lying about."

Actually, I didn't know. Never having had a head for heights, a tree house was not something I'd ever wanted or considered building. I was happy playing with my Tressy and Cindy dolls on the safety of my lawn.

When my own girls were little, their father built them a Wendy House. It was just like having a tree house except it was not in a tree. I'd sit inside it with them and read them stories (something I'd never have been able to do if the house had been built in the boughs of the apple tree next to it).

This must all have been in my mind when I wrote my story, Magic Moments, which is published in the latest People's Friend Special. It's about a boy whose father builds him a tree house. It's his place of refuge - especially in the days after his father death. It's only when he invites a special someone to join him for tea in his special place in the treetops that his family can start to heal.


When I think about it, trees must be a thing of mine as I've written two other stories, The Willow Tree, and Up a Tree which have both been published in The Friend (under other titles). Another is with them at the moment!

Have trees featured in your own childhood at all?

All About the Setting

It's a while since I wrote an 'Inspiration Behind the Story' post but my story, 'The Love Boat', in this years People's Friend Summer Special lends itself perfectly to the series.

The story is set in Switzerland - more precisely Lake Brienz near Interlaken and the romantic Grand Hotel in Giessbach -the idea came to me during a boat trip on the lake.

It was a year ago in May and we had been holidaying in Wengen for my husbands fiftieth birthday (you can read more about it in my blog post Another Writing Break - oops). We'd had a whole range of weather, heavy snow on our arrival, brilliant sunshine for a couple of days and now grey skies with the threat of rain. We'd done lots of walking and thought the boat trip would be a nice way to spend a rather overcast afternoon.

We had a timetable showing where the boat stopped but hadn't brought a guidebook with us so had no idea what any of the places were like. We would have to play it by ear.

The lake was beautiful and despite the drizzle we went out on deck and took lots of photographs. Then, there was an announcement that we would be stopping at Giessbach. We looked over at the shore but couldn't see anything except what looked like a funicular running up the mountainside. 

As we got closer, we noticed, high up on the mountain, what looked like a fairytale castle. There didn't seem to be anything else there but we were so intrigued we knew we had to get off the boat and investigate. We were the only ones - everyone else apparently preferring to stay in the warm cafeteria.

We loved the funicular. Built in 1879, it travels for 345 metres from the little pier at Giessbach-See to the Grand Hotel (which was the building we'd seen on the mountainside). The ride took only four minutes but we travelled through woods, over bridges and alongside waterfalls.

Once we got there, we found ourselves totally alone. It was magical. Taking the little trail to the Giessbach Falls, we stopped underneath its cascade and looked down at the lake through a white haze. I could just make out the little boat making its way to the next stop.


We walked back and stood on the terrace of the Grand Hotel. Here is a quote from the hotel website: 

'Today, just as it was one hundred years ago, the historical hotel residence, by the celebrated silvery Giessbach Falls, high above Lake Brienz, is quite simply a world of its own. Surrounded by mountains, forests and alpine meadows, this fairytale-castle boasts a breathtaking view of the unspoiled landscapes of Lake Brienz.'

There was no one about, as the season hadn't yet started, and it felt very strange but magical. I knew I wanted to set a story there. 

My husband and I had shared the wonder of Giessbach together but what if things had been different? What if the woman in my story (Gina) longed for romance and a place in which to dream? What if her husband (Robert) was more interested in timetables, guidebooks and itineraries? What if she jumped off the boat when it arrived at the little pier and left her husband on board? 

So many questions - I couldn't wait to get home to write the story.

My story, The Love Boat, has it all: the mountains, the lake, the funicular, the fairytale hotel, the waterfall... and someone who shows Gina that dreams really do come true.

When the story appeared in the Summer Special this week, I rushed out to buy it so that I could see the illustration. I was extremely happy to see that it was by David Young - the same artist who had illustrated my People's Friend first serial, Charlotte's War. He gets it right every time.

It was a bit like going down memory lane, reading the story again... maybe it's time for another holiday :-) 

Waiting in the Wings - a musical inspiration

When fellow writer, Elaina James, asked me if I would like to participate in a blogging event (based around music) to link in with her guest blogs on the Mslexia site, I didn't hesitate to say yes. The only problem was, I was spoilt for choice as music is a big part of my life. I have been a member of my local Choir, Cantatrice, for over ten years and dancing (to a variety of different types of music) has been my hobby for even longer. Not surprisingly, music has featured in many of my stories in some form or another.

It was difficult to choose which to write about but then a piece of good fortune revealed itself. Elaina told me that her blog series was about chasing your writing dreams and that she'd written it from the perspective of a lyricist with stage fright (the final blog post focusing on the accidental chance to turn her words into a song with music). What a stroke of luck, for my story, 'Waiting in the Wings' had just been published in The People's Friend Special. It fitted the theme perfectly as the main character was a lyricist.

The story starts with Chris, a young songwriter, trying to write lyrics for a radio competition. He knows they want something upbeat but, because he has just split up with his girlfriend, the only words that come into his head are sad ones - words they said to each other during the breakup (I drip feed these random lines into the first part of the story). His mother sees the screwed up lines on the floor and tries to encourage him. 'Keep at it,' she says. 'Follow your dreams.'

In the second part of the story we are introduced to an older Chris who is now a successful lyricist for musical theatre. One of his best known musicals is being revived and he has been asked to write a new love song for it but once again he finds the words stalling - this time due to the death of his friend and composer, Ben.

I don't want to tell you everything, in case you intend to read it, but in the end Chris manages to write the new song for the show, using the lines he wrote (and threw away) all those years ago - but which his mother kept. 

This is the final verse:

I never knew that words could cause such sorrow

Don't tell me now, wait until tomorrow

You leave a trail of footprints on my heart

I know I loved you too much from the start

Maybe I should have been a lyricist!

So, moving on to the inspiration for this story. First of all, I love musical theatre - my mother and I have seen just about every musical over the years and some of our favourites are ones with lyrics by Sir Tim Rice (Evita being my all time favourite). In fact Joseph was the first musical I ever saw and I was even in a production of it when I was about eleven.

If you follow this blog, you will already know the story but last December I was adjudicator for the SWWJ short story competition and was invited to their Christmas tea in London to award the prizes. Imagine how delighted I was to hear that the other guest was none other that Sir Tim Rice. (You can read about the day in my blog post here.)

As the society's guests, we sat at the same table and it was lovely to have the opportunity to talk to him. During tea, Sir Tim asked me a lot about my magazine writing and mentioned that his mother had liked The People's Friend. I remember how even then a story idea was forming in my head.

After the tea, Sir Tim gave a speech about his early career and, when he talked about his musicals, I couldn't help wondering how he came up with such wonderful lyrics time and time again. Had he ever had writers' block? It made me think about my story again - what if the main character couldn't find the right words because he had a broken heart?

So there you have it - that meeting was the inspiration behind my story, Waiting in the Wings... Wouldn't it be lovely if Sir Tim read it!

This blog post is part of a music themed blog event organised by Elaina James, a guest blogger on Mslexia. 

Her author page on Mslexia can be found at www.mslexia.co.uk/author/elainajames.


Details of participating bloggers in this event can be found on Elaina James’ blog.

The Two Brothers - Inspiration Behind the Story

Last week's break from writing in the Lake District did the job as I've managed to write two stories since I came home on Sunday. 

I came home from the Lake District refreshed and have managed to write two short stories (you can read my post The Perfect Writing Break here) which is just as well as at the weekend, my husband and I are sneaking off to Hayling Island for our annual modern jive weekend... yippee!

Today, I saw that I had two stories in The People's Friend Fiction Special. Both of these stories have stories attached to them (if you see what I mean) and today I though I'd tell you the inspiration behind one of them, The Two Brothers, as it is particularly dear to my heart.

As most of you will know, the last year has been spent writing my novel. It's been a steep learning curve, getting enough done to submit it to the RNA New Writers' Scheme, finishing it, writing a synopsis, sending out submissions in order to find an agent for it and, most recently, doing considerable edits and writing a blurb for the agent who believed in me and my writing.

My novel, at present called The Marbled Book, is set mostly on the Greek island of Mystos. Now Mystos doesn't actually exist, but it is based on the islands of Skopelos and its smaller sister Alonissos (as well as parts of other islands I've visited over the years). When I wrote the book, I'd never been to either of these islands but pictures I'd seen of them during my research looked perfect. 

By September, when the novel was almost finished, my husband and I decided to visit the islands in order for me to complete the research. I would be able to immerse myself in the sights, sounds and smells of the two islands (you can read my blog post on it here).

Whilst on a day trip to Alonissos, I discovered there were two smaller islands off the harbour town of Patitiri. They were called The Two Brothers. All through the holiday, the question floated around in my head - why were they called the two brothers and could I make them into a story when I got home?

I didn't want the story to be contemporary (it would have encroached on my novel) so I decided to set it just after the second world war. A guidebook I'd bought had mentioned the failure of the grape harvests around that time and I decided to work my story around this. Of course, as the title suggests, the story is about two brothers. It's a love story but also one of sibling rivalry.

But what of the two small islands of the same name which I mentioned earlier? Well, legend has it that there were once two giants called Otus and Efialtes. When they were children they liked to play at skimming stones into the sea. From these pebbles grew the Sporades islands. I knew it would be a perfect story to weave into my own fiction.

The special will be out for the next three weeks if you want to find out more about the story.

The Sailor's Waltz - Inspiration Behind the Story

I thought it was about time I wrote another inspiration behind the story. This one, The Sailor's Waltz is in this week's People's Friend and was one I wrote for an illustration that had been sent to me by my editor (interestingly, the original illustration was never used but I have to say I like this one better).

The original picture showed a couple on a boat. What did I know about sailing... absolutely nothing! Now, of course, as writers, we often write about things we don't know. In fact, I find researching new things fascinating but I'm less likely to be enthusiastic about weaving a story around something I've not experienced before. 

I'd established that I didn't know anything about sailing but what did I know about? Those of you who have followed my blog for a long time will know the answer to this... dancing! 

It's six years ago, almost to the day, that my husband and I went to our first ballroom dance class and just over nine since we met at a salsa class. One evening, we were reminiscing about our salsa wedding dance and about our honeymoon cruise where we spent our evenings practicing the few ballroom moves we'd learnt in the few weeks leading up to it (probably pretty badly). 

Our wedding dance wasn't a problem, as we were fairly proficient salsa dancers, but we might have run into a few problems if we'd attempted the waltz. We pick things up fairly quickly but we could only begin to imagine what it might be like for someone with two left feet - how could they possibly learn? Here's our wedding dance for those who haven't already seen it.

The question was, could I mix the two things, sailing and dancing, in the same story? Luckily I could.

In my story, Cally wants to dance a waltz to Moon River, a song her parents danced to at their own wedding. Unfortunately, her fiance, Paul, cannot dance. The only thing he is good at is sailing a boat. When Cally's father (also a member of the sailing club) realises his difficulty, he uses sailing techniques and terms to help Paul learn.

I wonder whether using dancing techniques would help me to learn how to sail? Probably not!

Spread a Little Happiness - Inspiration Behind the Story

It's a while since I wrote an 'inspiration behind the story' post so thought I'd share one with you today. I am lucky to have four stories out in magazines this week: one in The People's Friend weekly, one in Take a Break Fiction Feast and two in The People's Friend Special. Interestingly, they are all very different - one is a ghost story, one is a medieval romance set in France and one is a contemporary story about temptation.

The final story, though, is about one of my favourite things - my grandson. He is the inspiration behind Spread a Little Happiness, which you can read in this week's People's Friend.

It all began when Tyler, had an inset day from school and I agreed to look after him as my daughter was working. It wasn't a particularly nice day but I thought it would be nice for the two of us to go on an outing. It needed to be somewhere where we could shelter if the weather got worse and one which had a cafe where we could have lunch. A place sprang to mind immediately - somewhere where I used to take my daughters when they were children. Amberley Working Museum. Its set in a 36 acre site in the Sussex Downs National Park and is one of those wonderful places that looks rather random and scruffy but is actually a wonderful hotchpotch of things to look at and explore: traditional craftspeople, a printing workshop, transport exhibitions, a narrow-gauge railway and vintage buses to travel on.

Because it was out of season, a school day and rather rainy, the place was deserted when we got there. It was also midday and we were feeling rather peckish. Luckily the museum had a lovely new cafeteria called The Limeburners which we decided would be perfect. Tyler and I chose our sandwiches and settled down to enjoy them while we waited for the rain to stop. The place was practically empty - except for an elderly couple at a table nearby.

I was just taking a bite of my sandwich when Tyler pulled at my sleeve. His eyes shone with excitement. 

"There's Grandpa in My Pocket!"

"What?" I said, confused.

"That man in the raincoat. He's Grandpa in My Pocket! He's on television."

I have to confess that I'd never heard of the programme but the man's voice sounded familiar. Where had I heard it before? It came to me then - the voice was from one of The Likely Lads. Might James Bolam also be Grandpa in My Pocket? Under cover of the table I googled his name and yes, Tyler was right, Grandpa in My Pocket was sitting just a table away. 

Now my grandson is a very friendly soul and immediately wanted to introduce himself to the man himself. I, on the other hand, was conscious of the fact that James Bolam and his wife were probably wanting a nice quiet day out so I wouldn't let him go over to talk to them.

We had a lovely day but all Tyler could talk about, when we got home, was seeing Grandpa in My Pocket. I started to feel a bit guilty. What harm would it have done to have let him say hello? Too late now though. I'd have to think of another way to make amends.

"How about I write a story about you and me and Amberley Museum? It won't be real, it will be made up, but in this story, you'll get to meet Grandpa in My Pocket. I'll send it to the magazine I write for and one day, hopefully, you'll be able to read it. Would that make up for not actually meeting him."

His eyes lit up. "My own story?"

"Yes. Just for you... and over a hundred thousand other people."

"Ok," he said.

So I wrote it, subbed it and sold it. The boy in my story is called Taylor, Amberley Museum has become Tambury Open Air Museum and Grandpa in My Pocket is now Grandpa Joe. The fabulous illustration is by Mandy Dixon.

Today, Tyler went with me to the shops. We bought the magazine and he got to read his very own story... well I did promise him, didn't I? Luckily he loved it!

Not Just a Shaggy Dog Story...

Someone said to me the other day that they hadn't seen much of my bad step-dog Bonnie on my blog recently - or Bob cat for that matter. Well, today I am going to remedy that by telling you the inspiration behind last week's story in The People's Friend, 'For Better For Worse'.

I've always been a 'cat person' and my sister a 'dog person'. I think it started the first year I found a cat calendar in my stocking on Christmas morning and my sister found a dog one. The same happened every year until I left home, so it's no surprise that when I eventually had a house of my own, I got a cat... and my sister a dog!

I've had many cats over the years and they've all been lovely but I have a very soft spot for my cat of the moment, Bob. He's fifteen years old, a great lap lover and a great dribbler. After my divorce, he, my daughter and I lived happily for several years - not expecting anything to upset our little family. But as John Lennon so cleverly put it - life is what happens when you are making other plans. What I hadn't expected was that life was going to be a whole new family - a husband, three step-children and... a step dog. 

A new husband was a blessing, my step-children a blessing also - but a dog? I knew nothing about dogs - except that they were big, hairy and often smelly. When I visited my sister, I would ignore her dog and refer to it as 'the hound'. Now I was going to be expected to live with one. Would I cope? More to the point... would Bob cope? 

'We'll have a trial,' I said, 'and if Bob is traumatized and leaves home then Bonnie will have to go.' Except that it wasn't as simple as that. When I told my colleague at work (who is a dog lover) what I had said, she warned me that the bond between a man and dog is a strong one. If Bonnie went, so might my future husband (although he insists this wouldn't have been the case). Also I felt sorry for Bon - she was, after all, the innocent party in all this. We would just have to try our hardest to make it work. 

Bonnie started by coming on day visits and then for sleepovers. She wasn't allowed upstairs, so Bob had a safe place to escape to, and we kept her on the lead in the first instance until Bob got used to her. And, you know what? It worked. The fights and the stand-offs never happened. For the first few days Bob stayed upstairs and then he gradually came down. Now they play together like the best of friends and if Bob gets agitated by something (like the cat next door) Bonnie comes to find me to let me know!

So what about me? How am I getting on? Well, for a start, a lot of the scrapes Cindy the dog gets into in 'For Better for Worse' are inspired by ones that Bonnie also got into. One of them is shown in the video below (which I know some of you have seen before but I just had to show it!).

TIme for dog-divorce? Actually no. The truth is, after five years, it is me who walks her and me who worries about her. I moan about Bonnie but I know I'd be the one to miss her if she wasn't there. My story is a tribute to my furry family.

Hmm...I wonder what calendar I'll be getting in my Christmas stocking this year?

Bikers, Truckers and The People's Friend

I am delighted to have not one but two stories in The People's Friend Holiday Special and thought I would give you the inspiration behind one of the stories, One Big Family. 

Bikers and The People's Friend magazine - not something you would expect to hear in the same sentence, I know!

In my story, we are taken out of the cosy café people might expect to see in the magazine, and into a transport café. A different setting maybe, but one where the story remains true to the magazine's values of hope, friendship and loyalty.

One Big Family is a story about Janice, who has never married and has no children - she hasn't time for a family as Woody's transport café, which she bought five years ago, takes up all her time. When the café is threatened with closure after a bypass is built, she realises that her loyal customers have become, essentially, her family.

The inspiration behind my fictitious Woody's Café is in fact a real transport café on the A281 near Cowfold, called The Chalet Café. It is set back from the road and often has bikers sitting on the wooden benches outside. The funny thing is, I've never actually been inside the café but have passed by hundreds of times on my way to visit my mum, in too much of a hurry to stop. It appears from the outside to be a traditional place: simple, functional and from what I've read on their website, serving the hugest breakfasts imaginable.

Every time I've passed The Chalet, I've thought that it would make a great setting for a story. One day, as I was driving by, I wondered what would become of the café if something happened to take away their passing trade? Would the customers be loyal enough to keep on coming?

It was a light bulb moment. That would be the story I would write.

Now I am imagining walking into the café with a copy of The People's Friend in my hand to show them. I wonder what the customers would think!

A Dance, a Date, a Garden Centre and a Cracking Deal!

A bonus post this week where I share the inspiration behind my stories in this week's People's Friend Weekly and the Special.

 First there is Dance Fever. It's a story very personal to me. As most of you will know, I love dancing - all types, but my first love was modern jive. I have written many stories about dancing and also many posts... you can read them....here

A few years ago, I went to a dance class and was saddened at the way some of the men showed off, throwing their women around and making out they knew it all. Although I was a competent dancer, I still wanted a courteous dance partner, someone who would make me feel special on the dance floor. I found him in Fred... who was wheelchair bound. This story is for him.

The man in the next illustration, in my story Sowing the Seeds  (in the People's Friend special) was someone who I saw in a garden centre while I was having coffee. He looked sad until the woman who was serving behind the counter went over and talked to him, and I wondered what his story was. I like to think that this was it.

My other story in The Friend Special, called First Night Nerves, was inspired by a friend of mine who had split up from her husband. After they had been separated a while, they started seeing each other again as if for the first time. This is the story of their first date nerves.

If anyone reading this would like to read more of my People's Friend stories, I have reduced the price of my romance collection, Room in Your Heart to 99p for one week only.

You can buy it here at Amazon