Open Writing (openwriting.com)

I'd like to share something with you.I was put on to this website by one of writing friends, Joyce Worsfold.
It is a site called Open Writing.
It's a great place for authors and writers alike to share their work to a global audience. After getting in touch, I found the chap who runs the site, Peter Hinchliffe, is actually a fellow Huddersfield resident and he is fascinating. He's been a journalist all over the world and started this site as a hobby out of the love of writing. It has a global audience.
Coming soon, he is adding a section called Fishcake Words and will be putting selections of work from the authors of Fishcake Publications on there to share with the the world. (The header is already on the home page but no work has been put on - yet!)
So if you love to read new and interesting things, I recommend this site. You can follow the link below
Open Writing

Volunteer to read with kids...

Great day at the Royds Hall High School celebration day yesterday. Well done kids. I also got this. It's great to volunteer when you're passionate about something and I would encourage anyone else if they have time to do the same

Summer Workshops with Kirklees Library

This summer I am doing a Summer workshop for 8-12 year old kids in the Kirklees area. This is going to be great fun. As well having readings, games and creative writing and illustrating, by the end of the 4 weeks we are hoping to have something that we can publish as an ebook for the whole world to see - isn't that an incentive?
Here's a poster for the event. Please pass it on to anyone you know might be interested.

Things so far...

Launches, launches everywhere!!
County Tales by Fred Tidball is now out as an ebook and a paperback.
Souls of Darkness has been released as a paperback.
Sheep has been released as an ebook and will shortly be launched as a paperback (June 28th).

And if that wasn't enough I'm in discussion with 4 other authors about publishing their work and there's the in the pipeline is a sequel to County Tales and my own zombie novel.

Also, I've just done the booklet for the Holmfirth Arts Festivals launch event tonight, Eye of the Heron, that can only be bought at the event.
http://holmfirthartsfestival.co.uk/eye-of-the-heron/

Aside from that, I have just been offered a job as an Educational Teaching Assistant in the English Department at Royds Hall High School. This is something I'm really looking forward to and feel very passionate about as I'm keen that all kids should have a good grounding in English before they leave school and I'm hoping that I can make a real difference.

This is a really busy and exciting time for me. I hope it continues...

NAWG Wentworth Castle Writing Retreat

I just thought I’d let everyone know how good the Wentworth Castle Writing Retreat was this year as it was an entertaining, informative, fun, writing weekend.

We were lucky enough again to be blessed by the lovely, sunny weather as well as some excellent workshops run by Julie Bokowiec and Leonora Rustimova.

But best of all for me was meeting a bunch of new, enthusiastic creative writers who all got into the spirit of the event both literally and socially. It is a great way to network and share thoughts and ideas with like minded people and generally make new friends from other writers groups and see what they are up to. I had a great time.

A big thank-you to Chris Huck for organising the event, as usual he did us proud (except when he had us racking our brains for his literary quiz! Very painful, I have a lot to learn and read.)

And thank-you to everyone who sat and listened to my little presentation / book launch about Fishcake Publications. You were very patient and enthusiastic about the work I’d done and I hope you enjoyed it. I enjoyed getting your feedback.

I even managed to get some writing work done of my own (beware zombie novel coming soon!) This is a gift in these very busy times that we live in! But the surroundings and atmosphere certainly help.

If the event runs again, I’ll definitely be trying my hardest to get there.