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2012: My year of rain, running, writing, and random chance…

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This time last year I had given up on ever writing for a living. Almost six years had passed since I completed my first novel and three years since I graduated from Staffs Uni with a first in English and creative writing. I had spent a good many months of those bright, hopeful years trying to find an agent and get work published.  I had some small successes – no less pleasing for their humbleness, I hasten to add – but as a viable career option, my writing was going nowhere. I continued to edit and enjoyed that, but knowing that the books I worked on were going into print and mine weren’t was a little depressing. And, I think, if many editors were completely honest, editing stories, despite being a worthy and necessary pursuit, is a small substitute for writing your own. As time went by I continued to tinker about on my laptop penning the odd tale, but it became more about my own enjoyment than the notion that it might be for anyone else’s. Resigned to my desk job, I started 2012 with other objectives on the horizon.

In March I ran the Stafford half-marathon.  When I say ran, what I really mean is hobbled and almost collapsed at mile twelve.  We had fundraising to do for my niece, Katie, who has cerebral palsy, to raise £60,000 for an operation in America that would help her to walk and my three brothers and I all agreed to run.  It was a family show of solidarity and love for Katie and there was no way I was going to miss it. Most people who know me, however, will freely admit that they thought I wouldn’t even complete half of it.  I’m overweight, middle aged, the furthest I had ever run before was three miles and that was two years previously.  Since then I had done very little regular exercise.  I had three months’ warning and not enough training sessions. But one thing that anyone who truly knows me will tell you – for me, there’s no greater drive to succeed than everyone telling me I will fail.  I did it in just under two and a half hours, the maximum time they keep the course open for. To this day, I honestly can’t remember anything about the final mile apart from the finish line that kept moving further and further away.  My reward was best McDonald’s milkshake ever and not being able to walk after I’d done.

The rest of the summer we packed bags in supermarkets, did bake sales and car boots, braving the regular weekend rain and called-off events, and eventually, by August, Katie was on her way.

Earlier in the year, I’d had an email asking if I’d like to contribute to the debut publication of a creative writing magazine called Indent.  I sent a story in called ‘What Billy Saw’ and was thrilled to see it finally appear in print in July. I hadn’t expected the email and I certainly hadn’t expected them to print the story.  I don’t really know why, I think I had just spent so long in a literary limbo that all ambition in that field had left me.  But it is tiny events that can sometimes change the path of your life, and looking back, this may have been one of them.

Newly charged and ready to dust off my laptop again, August saw me at a barbecue at the house of one of my uni lecturers. The conversation turned to PhD study and teaching and why I was doing neither of these things considering my BA grades.  I had always wanted to continue into post grad education, but money had always been an issue.  As the drink flowed money suddenly seemed less and less important and I left the gathering drunkenly tripping over my maxi-dress and promising to apply.  Which I did, and now I am a very happy (but poor) post grad student, able to pass on my knowledge to undergraduates and with the best creative writing teachers and fellow students I could wish for.

Remember that first novel I wrote all those years ago?  Weeks after the fateful barbecue I landed a deal to publish it.  Another moment of random chance from a conversation with Storm Constantine of Immanion Press.  I had done a lot of editing work for Storm over the years and we were talking about her new foray into YA fiction.  Storm knew I also wrote my own fiction but her area had always been adult fiction and mine YA and children so, although she had read some of my work and liked it, she was never able to offer me a contract before.  But a mutual friend had told her how much she had enjoyed reading my novel, Runners, and Storm wanted to know would I like to publish on her new imprint? We expect Runners to be ready for an April release.

Did someone say random chance?  Because it didn’t stop there.  My husband happened to pass me a newspaper one Sunday morning because there was an article I might be interested in.  Usually, I put the paper down, go and do something else, and then promptly forget about the article until it goes into the recycling.  But just this once, I picked it up and read about another writer from Stoke who lived literally a mile away from me.  How had I not known about this lady? I tracked her down on facebook and decided to get in touch – writing is a lonely business, as anyone who does it will tell you, and the more friends you can share it with, who really get it, the better. It is true to say that I have made, and continue to make, the most incredible friendships through writing; friendships that I sincerely hope will stand the test of time. And this one turned out to be no exception.  We met and hit it off straight away and I’m so proud to be able to witness her current success.  It is true to say that her perseverance in the face of many years of rejection has inspired me to keep going now, whatever happens.

2013 will be all about kindle too.  Sky Song, the first book of The Sky Song trilogy (which was planned for December 2012 release, but I’m terribly disorganised) is due for release January 2013, hopefully followed by the second two: The Young Moon and Not of Our Sky in February and April.

It’s been a gloriously busy year. And I can only hope 2013 is as random as 2012 was.

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My Little Italian Boy

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When I was about five or so, I had a friend at school.  He was an Italian boy, a head of thick, dark hair and eyes like melted chocolate.  He was funny too, I giggled constantly whenever he was around.  I had a massive crush on him, one of those kiddie crushes where you feel some sort of attraction to someone without really understanding what it is you feel.  Then, one day I got to school and he wasn’t there.  He never came back and I never found out where he went.  It was a long time ago, and I still think of him surprisingly often.  But Time, as is its cruel way, has faded many of the memories.  To my shame, I can’t even remember his name. So what does a writer do to keep the ones that are still left? I made him into a book character.

For Sky Song I grew my little Italian boy up and called him Luca.  That’s Gianluca to his mum, of course, who adores him. He’s gorgeous, naturally, an outrageous flirt with a razor-sharp wit.  His enthusiasm for life is infectious, as is his humour. He’s the class joker who doesn’t think beyond his next gag.  But he’s a loyal and true friend with the heart of a lion and a hidden depth of keen intelligence.  A boy just waiting for the right moment to be glorious. Exactly the sort of boy you want on your side when you’re saving the universe.

So, ciao, my little Italian boy, wherever you are.  I hope you like your imaginary self.

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream – RSC Stratford 15th August 2011

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Sadly (or happily, depending on your estimation of my ability) there are no photos as we weren’t allowed to take any in the theatre.

Daughter 1 and I drove to Stratford all by our big selves. Well, I drove, she navigated, and a fine co-pilot she was too. Weirdly, this was the first time I had actually seen Shakespeare done in Stratford, even though I really like to see a bit of Shaky, and I have the lovely Lou to thank as the tickets were a birthday gift.

So, to begin…

I really liked the way some of the actors got into character and came on stage about 10 minutes before the performance was due to begin and milled around interacting with each other, so the audience had this weird vouyeristic preview, as if we were watching the play before the play was in existence.  That might be a little bit of a hamfisted explanation, but it’s the only way I can describe it. Maybe when my brain kicks in I might edit this and make it sound clever. But when I was a kid, I always used to try to imagine what was happening before a story began or after a story had ended, or both, so this kind of indulgence was a treat!

The setting was 60’s grit, which I really didn’t like at first – all sharp suits and black dresses. I didn’t feel it was right for that play at all and was a little disappointed until we got to the forest. Then it became clear that it was actually a masterstroke because the contrast between the world of fairy magic and that of urban austerity was even sharper and more effective for it.  The director had obviously gone all out for humour and no bawdy joke was left untouched.  This was especially evident in the character of Helena and her ridiculous ‘plum in mouth accent’ and the workmen/players who were either just hilariously camp or dimwitted. Daughter 1 was falling off her chair laughing, which was a little worrying when she was laughing at such jokes as Bottom’s salami donkey penis.  I wondered if she was just laughing because everyone around her was laughing or whether she actually knew what she was laughing at. There was a scattering of other children there and really, it was a little rude at times, but I think it was ‘Carry On’ rude, which was fine by the seventies TV generation children so I guess it’s ok (?)

The set was cleverly dressed and planned. The acting, of course, was superb – nothing less than you would expect at the RSC, with some lovely audience involvment and clever ad-libbing.  And it was actually really exciting just being there at such an iconic location (plus the gift shop is awesome!).

details of tickets if you’re interested…

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Comedy of Errors @ Stafford Castle 28th June 2011

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Daughter 1 gets to see her first Shakespeare play and she loved it! Mister’s brother and Mister’s brother’s wife also came along – Mister’s brother’s second Shakespeare play in a week and also in his entire life! He loved it too.

This was such a lavish production. We seem to be on a run of Shaky at the moment – not deliberate but just how they’ve come along (next stop RSC for A Midsummer Night’s Dream in August). You could tell immediately from the quality of the staging and cast that the budget for this was much bigger than for Romeo and Juliet, which we saw a couple of days previously ‘al fresco’ at Trentham Gardens.  But I digress.

We loved the castle setting, it was like a posh little festival complete with food and bar tents and dodgy toilets. This was our first time at the Stafford Shakespeare festival.

View from the above the stage

 The woodland path leading up to the castle was strung with lights for the occasion so that when it went dark it felt like a journey into a fairyland. There was something just magical about it.  Whoever made the decision to set the play  in early 20th century Italy got it just right – the set and the costumes looked gorgeous and fitted well with that particular play. All the performances were faultless and the casting just right. If I’m honest, this was the first time I had seen this particular play and I wasn’t sure I’d like it (I usually go for the tragedies) but it was such fun and there was such a lovely atmosphere that you couldn’t help but get drawn into it.  There was a pre-show, well, um…show, which was also really entertaining – loads of ladies in swishy skirts and men in swishy shirt sleeves playing folk songs, dancing with tambourines and telling jokes in fake Italian accents – just so cute. Daughter 1 – usually a thoroughly bored 21st century kid, completely lost her sense of not being bovvered and was dancing and clapping with everyone else with a massive grin.

swishy skirts and frilly shirts...

She also really enjoyed the actual play -I did wonder whether she would struggle with understanding it because of the language but it was so well performed and directed that it was easy to follow and she laughed along with everyone else in all the right places.

The weather held for us, although it got very cold late on, but at least it didn’t rain.

OK, so the weather report was a bit boring, I admit. It’s just that it’s quite difficult to be objective and critical about this production because it was all very lovely! I had heard reports that the Stafford Shakespeare festival was under threat after poor attendances last year and, happily, this year being my first, I am glad to report that ticket sales had improved and it looks as though we’ll be able to go again next year. If you can get there, verily, I most heartily recommend it.

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Romeo and Juliet @ Trentham Gardens 25th June 2011

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Mister doesn’t like Shakespeare, so I was left to do this one with Mister’s brother and his wife. Mister’s brother had never seen Shakespeare performed before so this was really a voyage of discovery for him.  This production was staged by a company called Page 2 Stage. I had actually never seen Shakespeare done in a setting like this before – it was performed outside in the gardens while the audience sat with camping chairs and picnic baskets and layers of blankets to fend off the freeze of a British summer’s evening (although, not so many blankets for foolish, unprepared me, just frostbite).

Before I go on, a little apology – I seem to have lost the programme and so details like actors’ names will unfortunately be in short supply (i.e. zero). Apparently, the actor who plays Romeo, Darren Langford, has been in Hollyoaks, but as I don’t watch it, I can’t be certain…

We arrived early so we could get a good view (but, as you can see from my usual ‘quality’ photos, we were thwarted despite our efforts). The interesting outcome of this was that we got to see the company warm up before-hand and, personally, I found this whole ‘nuts and bolts’ behind the scenes sneaky peek fascinating.

Cast warm up.

I didn’t really know what to expect from a small and fairly new company, and with tickets at £12 a head, I don’t imagine their production budgets are huge either, but I was pleasantly blown-away!  It was a very youthful company and a vibrant and youthful production, fast paced, comedic and fun. Romeo and Juliet weren’t the earnest, angst ridden couple that I have seen in some productions, but flirty and irreverent; there was a humour to the characters that drew you in, made you love them so much that the tragedy of their eventual demise was all the more poignant.  The trio of Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio were absolutely hilarious together – the three performances witty, energetic and sometimes camp, a lovely three-way bromance.  I really liked the Nurse too. She is always a funny character and quite rude, and this particular incarnation had all that, but also tenderness with Juliet. All that said, there were one or two dodgy performances, but thankfully, only from fairly minor characters like the apocathery, so although you couldn’t help but notice them, it didn’t detract too much from the magic of the central performances.

There were some interesting production points too. It was set in a forest. The play programme explained this as making the two warring families seem less about money and titles and more about simple honour, but I suspect the real reason for this setting was the fact that the company were also staging a production of Robin Hood on alternate nights and the scenery would not need changing (ahem…).  If I had more time and money on my hands, I might have been tempted to test my theory.  I liked the choice of contemporary music too as a soundtrack to the performance, such as Max Richter’s gorgeous reworking of Dinah Washington’s This Bitter Earth, played during the final death scenes of the play; it served to heighten the emotion and had me crying like the proverbial baby.  The costume styling was very fresh and contemporary too (well, circa 1985 anyway as I couldn’t help thinking of Adam and the Ants/ Duran Duran every time Romeo tripped onto the stage) and I liked the splicing of a more traditional Shakespearean costume look with something quite punky. 

Wild Boys!

This production wasn’t without it’s faults. I’ve already mentioned some of the weaker performances. There were technical problems with the mics failing from time to time which jarred you back to reality. The Prince was played in a very strange way by a faceless shadowy figure dressed in a gold hooded robe who popped up on the balcony every now and again; there was an echo type reverb thing going on with his voice which just made it so you couldn’t understand what he was saying.  The same with Romeo’s dad, who was obviously played by an actor being used in another role, so he wore a red hooded robe all the time and you could never see his face- it just looked weird.  But  I really enjoyed it and would go to see another production by this company. If they come your way and the tickets are that reasonably priced, go check them out – (here is some info about them from This is Staffordshire).

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Race for Life @ Trentham Gardens 7th June 2011

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I’ve never seen so much pink in one small area. I’ve never worn so much pink all over my own small area. When people weren’t wearing head to toe, crazy day-glo pink, (which was rare) they looked like evil nazis in comparison to all the fluffy pinkness. Mister, daughter 1, daughter 2, Lovely Lou (the reason for running) and family, fossil girl, and Mr KA came to laugh cheer. KA ran with me. KA is loads younger, loads prettier and loads taller than me. Let’s dress up, she said. So we dressed as fairies. Only she looked like a gorgeous, groovy steampunk fairy and I looked like the Pixie from Merlin. At the starting line Cyndi Lauper was squealing at us about wanting to have fun. For a nanosecond it was a bit cheesy and funny but then it was like ‘just shut up!’ We lined up with the jogging group (hedging our bets, basically, too chicken to do the running group and too proud to do the walking group). KA warned me that she couldnt run very fast and I thought I was going to have to go really slowly and wait around quite a lot for her, then she proceeded to zoom off into the distance leaving only her lovely aura and vapour trail. 

At first I thought I was doing really well, a bit knackered but still going.  It felt like we’d been running for hours and I thought we must be near to the finish line now when a marshall shouted ‘you’re doing great, half way round now!’  My lungs felt like wind battered tesco bags struggling to escape the confines of my painfully bouncing chest and I thought my legs had left me for someone else.  At some point I think I might have started to hallucinate, but it could have really been three enormous bumble bees that ran past me.  All this time I was looking for KA in the distance, dodging the walkers, and I kept on running, despite the pain, because I knew I could not let that girl finish before me, no matter what the cost. The prospect was just too humiliating. It turned out to be a pretty good incentive.  The finish line shimmered in the heat hazed distance and so too did KA’s stripey knee high socks. I’d actually transcended my body at this point and had strange pins and needles in my arm that made me wonder, vaguely, if I was having a coronary. But I ran and caught KA up just about 200 yards from the finish line and we crossed it together. It was a lovely moment.

I’m writing this now from beyond the grave. Or at least that’s what my legs are telling me.