Festival virgin makes it through the night

I was very nervous on Thursday as I was speaking at my first festival, about my journey as a writer since winning the Yeovil Literary Prize in 2006. I was privileged to be asked along to the inaugural Brympton Festival at the stunning Brympton House in Somerset. I had a lovely receptive audience and it was informal and relaxed. They were very gentle with me. And it was a cathartic experience, talking about my ups and downs until finally having The Generation Game published last summer, five years after the opening chapters won the Yeovil. It was particularly touching to have Margaret Graham there, as she organised the Prize the year I won and has been an encouragement ever since. 

In fact, I met lots of  great people, including author Katharine McMahon who writes novels about strong women in historical settings such as the Crimean War and the French Revolution. She was the speaker at the literary supper. Very glamourous evening. Too much champagne (if there is such a thing) in a gorgeous setting.

I wish the festival well for next year and the years to come. And I’ve got the festival bug. So I hope there are more to come…

Tags: Brympton Festival, Brympton House, champagne, crimean war, historical fiction, Katharine McMahon, literary festival, Margaret Graham, Sophie Duffy, The Generation Game

Wonder of the World

I’m at Toronto Pearson airport, having spent the week in southern Ontario in the Niagara region. I’ve been to Canada several times, and this was my third visit to Niagara. But this trip was different. I came as more than a tourist. I came as a writer, trying to see things I never noticed before, digging deeper and looking closer.

So first… Niagara Falls is a mad mix of powerful nature and man-made tackiness. The falls take your breath away, every time you look at them. They change according to the light, the wind, the time of year. But the aggressive beauty is constant. The skyscraper hotels, noisy garish tourist attractions, chain restaurants and Casino clash with this wonder of the world in a way that you either love or hate. I kind of love it. It’s like Blackpool on acid. Marilyn Monroe in the film Niagara captures the darker, seamier side of Niagara Falls in the classic 1953 film. Niagara launched her into superstardom and ever since she has been an icon of the last century, the beautiful, fragile women, used by the men who flocked around her. There’s nothing fragile about the falls, but they do lure us in…

Secondly… the history. I got to thinking about what is must have been like to be the first people to discover the thundering waters. We don’t really learn much about Canadian history in school in Britain. Maybe because we have so much of our own to handle. But I was fascinated by the War of 1812. Basically this was a war between America and Britain over Canada (which wasn’t yet Canada). Maybe it’s not part of our national consciousness because it was considered a sideshow to the main grabber of attention, the Napoleonic Wars. But it was a key war in Canadian history. What really impressed me is the part a young girl played.  There are myths and legends about Laura Secord but it is generally believed that she heard somehow of an impending American attack at Niagara on the British troops. Laura walked twenty miles over rough terrain to warn the British Commander. The result was that the British and the Mohawk contingent were prepared and defeated the Americans.

These days Laura Secord is probably better known for the chocolates…

http://www.warof1812.ca/laurasecord.html

And thirdly, I love ice wine! Niagara is famous for its wine but the Canadians keep it for themselves. And who can blame them? I went on a winery tour and did some tasting. Some of it was amazing, some of it was like nothing I have ever drunk. One of the Sauvignon Blancs smelt and tasted of cat pee but this was more than made up for by the ice wine. It’s incredibly expensive (because of the way it is harvested, when the temperature hits about -10 degrees) and it explodes with a whole range of flavours and sensations in your mouth. If you ever get the chance to try it, then do…

So just a few thoughts… I’m sad to be leaving this vast country behind as it grabs you by the heart and grips your imagination. But it’s back to dear old Blighty…

Au revoir, Canada…

Tags: Canada, ice wine, Laura Secord, Marilyn Monroe, Niagara Falls, Niagara wine, Ontario, thundering waters, Toronto Pearson, toronto pearson airport, War of 1812

Happy Easter

Your eye is a a lamp lighting up your whole body.

If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light.

Luke 11:34

Tags: Be My Everything, Happy Easter, Luke, Tim Hughes

The Generation Game

My novel The Generation Game is now for sale on Amazon for only £3.68.

Check out these fab clips from Brucie’s reign on the game show in the 70s.

Tags: Brucie, conveyor belt, The Generation Game

Castle Drogo

Sunshine helps, but Dartmoor is a beautiful place, whatever the weather. Today, spinning along the lanes and over the rolling hills, the hedgerows were blazing with sunny daffs, blackthorn fizzed in the hedgerows, and the granite moors stood out on the horizon, less menacingly than on a bleak winter’s day. We were headed for Castle Drogo, wielding our National Trust cards (so establishment, I know), mesmerised by the dramatic Teign Valley and looking forward to a cream tea in the cafe.

Castle Drogo is supposed to be the last castle to be built in England, around a century ago. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it was an uber-ambitious project that was never finished to its original plans but that is stunning and extraordinary nevertheless. It is a wild mix of Medieval and Arts and Crafts, grandeur and intimacy, with ambitious ‘modern’ plumbing and electricity powered by the Teign. Family portraits hang all around as well as exquisite tapestries, but what stays in the mind is the poignant shrine to a beloved son killed in action in Ypres.

If you are anywhere near the A30, go and see it. Have a stroll round the formal gardens, marvel at the view and the dreams of a family who had the vision to do such a daring thing. Explore this modern castle with its home comforts that include a throne of a loo. Be uplifted. Be inspired. And have a scone. Cream first, then jam, obviously. This isn’t Cornwall…

Tags: A30, Castle Drogo, Cornwall, cream tea, Dartmoor, modern plumbing, National Trust, scone, Sir Edwin Lutyens, Teign Valley, Ypres

Back to the 80s

I’m currently working on my third as yet unnamed novel. Part of it is set back in 1985 and during the course of research today (involving hours of distraction on the web) I was thinking about all those Hollywood Blockbusters from that decade. Some have become iconic, for good and not so good  reasons. Some have stayed with me personally for special reasons, bringing back happy memories of being a teenager (there were some). Others have become part of our national consciousness, the States’ popular culture really becoming enmeshed with ours so that language and looks and attitudes changed Britain as much as Thatcher.

So here is my top five faves and top five shockers (in no particular order).

Faves

1. Rainman: Touching and moving and a reminder that Tom Cruise could actually act, despite Top Gun, and before  Scientology made him a joke. Dustin’s acting ability has never been called into question. This film just confirmed it.

2. ET: Quite possibly the best family film ever, always guaranteed a smile and many tears. Introduced the concept of Hallowe’en trick or treating to the UK (not so good).

3. Beverly Hills Cop: Action, drama and laugh-out loud moments. And some bromance going on.

4. Fatal Attraction: The feminist in me shouldn’t like this portrayal of a woman who brought us the phrase ‘bunny boiler’. However, it’s exciting and the tension at the end is spectacular. And Glenn Close superb.

5. Back to the Future: Still amazing after all these years….

Shockers:

1. Rambo – Muscles and violence never did it for me

2. Anything with Swarzenegger for the same reason as above

3. The Breakfast Club: Boring and annoying

4. Porky’s – Sexist nonsense – can’t believe I watched it all the way through with a boyfriend who should have known better

5. Flashdance: Welder turns ballet dancer… I mean, really?

Gosh, I could go on and on but I’ll let you have your own memories of the days when it was cool to have big hair and big egos.

Tags: 80s films, Back to the Future, Beverly Hills Cop, ET, Fatal Attraction, Flashdance, Hollywood blockbusters, Porky's, Rainman, Rambo, Swarzennegger, Thatcher, The Breakfast Club, Top Gun

Glorious

 

 

http://www.gloriasteinem.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else. 

We need to remember across generations that there is as much to learn as there is to teach. 

We’ve begun to raise daughters more like sons… but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters. 

Gloria Steinem 

Happy birthday, Gloria.

 

Tags: activist, Feminist, Gloria Steinem