Showing posts with label Kate Blackadder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kate Blackadder. Show all posts

Sunday, 18 December 2016

My Writing Year 2016


Today, as tradition requires, I shall be looking back at all the lovely things I've been doing this year (excluding general story sales).

January - I started the year with the usual teacakes and goal setting with writing chum Tracy Fells and I shall be posting how I got on with them after Christmas. I re-joined the RNA New Writers' Scheme and Anita Chapman was my guest, talking about social media.

February - This month was the fifth anniversary of the day I started writing. I wrote a post on writing ghost stories and my blog guest Phillipa Ashley wrote about breaking writing rules.

March - Big news this month was that I was signed by the Eve White Literary Agency. I was interviewed by Helen M Walters in Writer's Forum about what I look for as a story competition judge. Debbie Howells was my guest, talking about writing psychological thrillers.

April - Went on a fabulous Lake District holiday.

May - Visited beautiful Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Elaine Everest was my guest, talking about the new novel, The Woolworths Girls. Had my first attempt at dumper truck racing!

June - Had an inspirational weekend in Florence. Went to the RNA summer party.

July - There were three lovely guests on my blog this month: Lynda Stacey (writing a debut), Becca Puglisi (show not tell your setting) and Helen Yendall (magazine writing).

August - Wendy's Writing Now had its 4th birthday. I was interviewed by Simon Whaley for an article in Writing Magazine about writing seasonal stories.

September - Had our annual holiday in Greece - this time the wonderful island of Ithaca.

October - Three guests this month: Julie Day (writing with asperger's) Cass Grafton and Ada Bright (successful co-writing) and Emily Royal (the RNA NWS). This month saw my story Too Good to Last published as an audio which you can listen to here. I was judge for the Nottingham Writers Group Rosemary Robb Ghost Story Competition and wrote another post on writing ghost stories.

November - This month, I  went to the RNA Winter Party. My blog guests were Kate Blackadder, Chrissie Bradshaw and Gill Stewart (writing cross genre). My story The Artist's Apprentice was published as an audio which you can listen to here.

December - The final month of the year saw a new updated version of Wendy's Story Timeline (interactive timeline). My final guest of the year was Patsy Collins talking about her new writing guide. Finally, I had four Christmas stories published in magazines and The People's Friend made an audio of another of my stories, The Girl in the Striped Sundress which you can listen to here.

All that's left is to wish you all a Merry Christmas... and I'll see you back on my blog after the festivities are over!

Sunday, 6 November 2016

I'm Dreaming of a Black and White Christmas - Guest Post Kate Blackadder


Today, I am delighted to welcome fellow magazine writer and author, Kate Blackadder, to the November spotlight. If you're anything like me, you might have started thinking just a teeny weensy bit about the seasonal 'C' word. With her new book 'Stella's Christmas Wish' just out, I asked Kate to tell us what she'll be wishing for this year.


Over to you, Kate.

This year I’m dreaming of … a Black & White Christmas, because Black & White Publishing https://blackandwhitepublishing.com/shop/coming-soon/stellas-christmas-wish.html
has just brought out my novel Stella’s Christmas Wish: myBook.to/Stella

Six days before Christmas a family crisis brings Stella home from London to the Scottish Borders and the man she left behind. Christmas is the last thing she’s thinking about but as the day draws nearer it begins to work its magic ...

These are a few of my favourite Christmas things (and some of Stella’s):

Carols

I can’t sing for toffee but that doesn’t stop me …  I love them all but am particularly fond of O Little Town of Bethlehem <hums tune to herself>

Earrings

I have some Christmas tree earrings which I love. I’ve had them for about 20 years. At a Christmas Eve party when Stella first got together with Ross she wore a dark red dress and fluffy snowball earrings.

Jumpers

Stella wears a silvery-green one with stars but my favourite has a Christmas pud on it – and my daughter inside it.

Food

There’s always smoked salmon with blinis (I made them from scratch one year). If we have the traditional turkey fest for me it’s got to include red cabbage and roast parsnips. When there are chocolates on the go no one else likes the coconut ones so, yippee, I get all of those, but we fight over anything that can be described as ‘solid chocolate’.

Drink

Prosecco while we’re opening presents, and a nice heavy red wine with dinner. Cheers!

Decoration

A friend painted a glass ball for me which I love. Stella’s granny has a collection of antique baubles with scenes of the nativity inside, but it’s the fairy on top of the tree – and her magic wand – that has special meaning for Stella.

Memories

My mum and dad gave me a girl’s annual every year; I always had them read from cover to cover well before breakfast. They inspired me to collect annuals – I have around 350 now.

More recently, I loved waking up early on Christmas morning just before the scampering of feet along the corridor heralded excited children clutching stockings. These days they still get stockings and there’s still a bit of excitement but no scampering.

Books

Every Christmas Eve I read The Night Before Christmas aloud to anyone who’ll listen. When my offspring were younger I read them A Christmas Carol most years and two terrific books by Paul Theroux, perfect for any age, A Christmas Card http://amzn.to/2ejr62N
 and London Snow. http://amzn.to/2eqtR3m

Films

As a family we are positively addicted to It’s a Wonderful Life. We have a DVD of it but that doesn’t stop us watching it when it’s on television or, joy of joys, when it’s shown at a local cinema in the run-up to Christmas.

My daughter and I (and Stella) love a slushy romantic movie on a winter’s afternoon, watching with a mug of hot chocolate and some Christmas baking to hand. My favourite is The Holiday with, amongst a starry cast, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Rufus Sewell. It’s set in gorgeous (if impossibly snowy) Surrey and glamorous Los Angeles.

Perhaps one day we’ll settle down to watch a film version of Stella’s Christmas Wish (I wish … ).


About Kate Blackadder

I live in Edinburgh with a view of the Castle. I’ve had around fifty short stories published and three magazine serials. Two serials The Family at Farrshore myBook.to/Farrshore and The Ferryboat myBook.to/Ferryboat are available in large-print library editions and on Kindle. Stella’s Christmas Wish, myBook.to/Stella set in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders, is my first full-length novel. I blog at http://katewritesandreads.blogspot.co.uk/ and can be found on Twitter @k_blackadder and https://www.facebook.com/KateBlackadderAuthor

Thank you, Kate. Now over to my lovely readers. What's your favourite part of Christmas?