New Book Cover

Almost completed with the huge help of my Grandson. Still needs  work on the blurb, I see the ISBN number is incorrect -oops - but I do like what he has done for me, he brings it all to life.Oh, and the moon needs moving and Rags the dog needs highlighting. I love the night sky, stars, and the river looks as though it is moving!

An interesting Question from my Spiritual Director!

My  spiritual director called this morning. A lovely man who visits once a month and as I no longer take church services we spend the time talking about books and poetry.

 

After discussing Japanese poetry, we reached the subject of the Booker and the Nobel prize for literature. For many years I spent the week before the Booker Prize, at a college with others, trying to decide the winner. Lots of studying the short list and lots of fun.

 

Then S.D. said, 'I've been listening to  a programme where the guests are asked to name just one book that they would put forward for these prizes, what would you chose?'

 

After some hesitation and talking about the merits of various authors, and what we thought of as written excellence, (the selection can be from any century), I finally chose the work of William Golding. Then forced to select one of his books, I couldn't decide between The Spire and The Lord of the Flies.  Or what about Pincher Martin? But I could select only one book, so it had to be The Lord of the Flies.

 

But how could I reject The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell, or books by Tolstoy, or Nabokov, or...

 

Which book would you have chosen? I found this really difficult.

I've Finally Done It! Well Almost... what do YOU think?

Plan A 

Sophie Bignall drew three little characters for my next book cover and I then tried to use an eighteenth century painting of the famous Ironbridge as the background. But whatever I tried to do, and however much my Grandson, James Brinkler, manipulated the cover in Photoshop, the painting just would not sit happily with the charcoal drawing, (Sophie used charcoal so that this book cover would be in the same style as the one she drew for book one of the series).

This problem was ignored for a month or two, but I couldn't hide my head in the sand for ever. So....

Sophie Bignall's little people and me with paper and scissors!

Plan B

Change the painting into a black and white version, so that it matched the charcoal. Then to obtain permission to use it. Several weeks of enquiries and the same answer... 'Yes, I can't see any problem, but..' Now totally frustrated, I suddenly thought - 'Wait an minute, you made a cover from a six year old's crayon drawing which you cut round with scissors and then glued down on various levels of card to give a three dimensional look. Then you photographed it and made a cover out of it. Why not do the same again?' 

So what do you think? Tried to make it childlike, three dimensional, and an abstract suggestion of the river and the famous Ironbridge. Now I await my Grandson's verdict!

Book Excerpts Friday

I'm adding weekly book excerpts on Fridays to my blog - together with special book offers - to celebrate the completion of my new website my Grandson has completed for me. This Friday I have added an extract from 'First Wolf', my children's book about the first Viking attack of Lindisfarne and an Anglo-Saxon's quest to find his father and save his family.

http://caroleannecarr.co.uk

 

The Journey of Ninety Days Begins!

Some of my little characters - River Dark - illustration by Sophie Bignall

Welcome author Glynis Smy and obtain a copy of her latest book!

A year ago saw the debut launch of Ripper, My Love by Glynis Smy. 

Today, the sequel makes its presence known: Ripped Genes.

Ripped Genes will be at a special launch price of 99c/(77p approx) for the ebook version, until end of May. 

The descriptive blurb holds a spoiler for those who have not read the first book. If you would like to read, Ripper, My Love, first, then contact Glynis at: glynissmy at outlook dot com, and put FREE BOOK PLEASE in the subject line. You will be sent a code for Smashwords, where you can download a copy in any format you please. This offer will finish at the end of May, so spread the word.
 

Growing up in late nineteenth century East London, Kitty Harper’s life is filled with danger and death – from her mother, her beloved neighbour and the working women of the streets ... Read more.

PURCHASE and Review Link to all books by Glynis Smy

The author has lived for eight years, in Cyprus. Her historical novels carry a twist in the tale, and she creates strong female characters who struggle in life.

In June 2013, Glynis returns to her hometown,Harwich, Essex,in the UK, where she will gain inspiration for her next novel, The Man in Room Eighteen. 

Find Glynis on:
Twitter: @ghunibee
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glynissmyauthor

Glynis also runs a site where she showcases, (not reviews), books for authors. It is free of charge, with no catch: New Book Blogger (not just for newly published books). She actively encourages self-published authors to submit to the blog.

Frances Horovitz - one of my favourite nature poets.

by Frances Horovitz (1938-1983)

New Year Snow

For three days we waited,
a bowl of dull quartz for sky.
At night the valley dreamed of snow,
lost Christmas angels with dark-white wings
flailing the hills.
I dreamed a poem, perfect
as the first five-pointed flake,
that melted at dawn:
a Janus-time
to peer back at guttering dark days,
trajectories of the spent year.
And then snow fell.
Within an hour, a world immaculate
as January’s new-hung page.
We breathe the radiant air like men new-born.
The children rush before us.
As in a dream of snow
we track through crystal fields
to the green horizon
and the sun’s reflected rose.

 

Ted Hughes - another nature poet of outstanding ability

Yorkshireman - Ted Hughes

 

An Otter by Ted Hughes

Underwater eyes, an eel's
Oil of water body, neither fish nor beast is the otter:
Four-legged yet water-gifted, to outfish fish;
With webbed feet and long ruddering tail
And a round head like an old tomcat.


Brings the legend of himself
From before wars or burials, in spite of hounds and vermin-poles;
Does not take root like the badger. Wanders, cries;
Gallops along land he no longer belongs to;
Re-enters the water by melting.


Of neither water nor land. Seeking
Some world lost when first he dived, that he cannot come at since,
Takes his changed body into the holes of lakes;
As if blind, cleaves the stream's push till he licks
The pebbles of the source; from sea


To sea crosses in three nights
Like a king in hiding. Crying to the old shape of the starlit land,
Over sunken farms where the bats go round,
Without answer. Till light and birdsong come
Walloping up roads with the milk wagon.


The hunt's lost him. Pads on mud,
Among sedges, nostrils a surface bead,
The otter remains, hours. The air,
Circling the globe, tainted and necessary,


Mingling tobacco-smoke, hounds and parsley,
Comes carefully to the sunk lungs.
So the self under the eye lies,
Attendant and withdrawn. The otter belongs


In double robbery and concealment --
From water that nourishes and drowns, and from land
That gave him his length and the mouth of the hound.
He keeps fat in the limpid integument


Reflections live on. The heart beats thick,
Big trout muscle out of the dead cold;
Blood is the belly of logic; he will lick
The fishbone bare. And can take stolen hold


On a bitch otter in a field full
Of nervous horses, but linger nowhere.
Yanked above hounds, reverts to nothing at all,
To this long pelt over the back of a chair.

A Wonderfully Creative Morning in Newport

Had a wonderfully creative morning at the Pop Up shop in Newport learning to make jewellery. Such a relief after hours working at the computer, restored my sanity.  It is a regular workshop run by Angela Smith whose jewellery designs are beautiful and so original. The shop is well worth a visit, lovely hand made art and craft items, hand made chocolates, perfumes, silk scarves, together with a coffee bar. Very pleased indeed with the necklace I made, thank you, Angela.

http://angelasmithjewellery.blogspot.com/