The Novel

I've been asked on a few occasions how the novel is coming along. Well, not too bad actually. It's been re-written about four times and edited umpteen times.
Thanks to the generosity of my dear friend Paula Martin who has edited, proof read, given lots of advice and made invaluable suggestions. All the time working on her own novel, the next one in her 'Irish Series' Irish Deception. This is going to be a fantastic read.
http://paulamartinromances.webs.com/ Go and have a look at her website.

Back to Resolution. After Paula had put me on the right track and I added her suggestions and took out the padding or unnecessary scenes - the odd tear was shed here - the book was ready to be formatted in the hope it will be digitally printed in the not too distant future. I had 'typed' the manuscript in a pretty old-fashioned way, the way I was taught to type. This, of course, is not suitable for digital publication.

I've had a play with a photo and paintshop, plus a lot of help from a friend. Just trying to give myself an idea of what it could look like one day.
It is now with my beta readers and waiting for their comments is very difficult. I know they will be honest with their opinions and thoughts, so long as they are gentle!

I have also written a brief blurb, not quite a synopsis.  So if you're interested here it is.

Carly Mitchell returns to the small town of Yeardon in Yorkshire almost a year after running away on her wedding day. Now she wants to try to make amends with Steve, his family, and the townspeople who had prepared a huge party to celebrate her New Year’s Eve wedding.

She intends to stay only for a few days at the Resolution Hotel, owned by Steve’s parents. However, her plans change when Steve’s father is taken ill, and she feels obliged to step in and help with running the hotel. This also means having to deal with Steve’s antagonism since he has never forgiven her for humiliating him.

Another more pleasant complication comes in the form of Ben Thornton, the local doctor, to whom Carly feels an immediate attraction. They enjoy getting to know each other and falling in love, until a famous model turns up in the town, and monopolises Ben.

At the same time, Steve attempts to get his revenge on Carly by driving a wedge between her and Ben, and by threatening to reveal what he knows about Ben’s troubled past unless Carly leaves town.

The resolution lies in Carly’s hands as she struggles between wanting to flee from the town again and wanting to stay with the man she has grown to love.

What do you think?

Nostell Priory

 Nostell Priory is the nearest National Trust property to where I live, so, it's an obvious choice for a lovely place to go for a stroll.

 The house is surrounded by extensive parkland and gardens, including three lakeside walks.  Benches are placed in convenient spots and its always a joy to watch the swans, geese and ducks, especially when accompanied by their young.

Lovely to see a swan settled on its nest having a doze on a warm afternoon.

 The house itself is an eighteenth century Palladian style built for the Winn family.

Inside, is a remarkable collection  of Chippendale furniture built especially for the property.

Of course, after all this walking, it's compulsory to stop at the cafe

for some coffee and cake.

Writing


Despite rumours to the contrary I am writing away at my novel. I should say 'reading' away at my novel, Resolution.  On very good advice I have read the whole book, out loud, preferably when no one is around to hear me! It's actually a very good way to 'hear' your mistakes, such as duplicated words, wrong tenses and 'clunky' sentences.  I have also been brave enough to pass it on to two readers, who promise to come back to me with honest opinions and not just say 'nice' things. When they finally give me their assessments maybe I'll be ready to take the next step and seriously consider submitting it to a publisher.  Fingers crossed.

Whitby

I recently had the good fortune to be able to visit Whitby for a few hours. I love going there and I'll let my photos show you why.
Whitby is the setting for Bram Stoker's Dracula and now welcomes many Goths during the year. It has many connections with famous literary folk and hosts many festivals. It is the home to many museums, the most famous probably being the house where James Cook served his apprenticeship. Whitby is also famous for its Jet jewellery.

 After crossing the river and strolling through its narrow streets there is a climb of 199 steps up to the abbey.  It's well worth the effort for the view.

 On the edge of the North York Moors, Whitby is steeped in history. There is the gothic abbey, destroyed by Henry VIII, although there has been a Church or Monastery there for over 1400 years The Abbey was well known in the 7th century when St Hild was the abbess. It is in a beautiful setting as it perches above the North Sea.  The white house is the Captain Cook museum and well worth a visit. I spent only an hour there as time was pressing but could have spent much longer. Of course I should add that Whitby has a myriad of fish restaurants (the famous Magpie) and lovely individual cafes serving scrumptious cakes.

WRITING

Resolution is being subjected to more editing and revising. Every time I look at it I find more wrong with it and at the moment don't feel I'll ever be able to let it go. However I'm assured by other writers that this is a 'normal' stage to go through!
I was delighted to be named in the monthly Writing Magazine, when I gave my views on how social media, and the friends I have made, have helped my writing.  Thanks to the author of the piece Simon Whaley, for inviting me along.

Blazing June!

It's hardly been that.  So far, this has been a wet, cold and miserable June.  As we were looking for a short break we decided to take Sam the dog for a holiday to Scarborough on the East Coast. Normally I love going there, however, we needed our thermals, hats, gloves and general winter wear. And, this was June 1st!

The weather was grey, unwelcoming and the east wind coming off that North Sea was little short of vicious.
Happily Sam thoroughly enjoyed his long walks and playtime on the beach, even if we felt it was more like January than June.

 Scarborough is two resorts in one. On the South Bay, there is the old town, harbour and castle. All interesting and full of life. The castle has over three thousand years of history and well worth a visit.  There is only one way to travel at South Bay and that is the old funicular tram up and down the steep cliffs

The North Bay is the quieter side with the lovely Peasholm Park and Northstead Manor Gardens. However, this time I didn't take any photos of there as the weather was so wild.

WRITING
Resolution, the novel, is still in the deep editing phase, although there is light at the end of the tunnel and I hope to be writing The End, very soon.

 Meanwhile I am also involved in reading and judging short stories for a competition run by HysteriaUK, run by the Hysterectomy Society. No, you don't need to have undergone that operation or to be a woman to enter. The competition is open until August 31st, so if you fancy having a go, please do.  http://hysteriauk.co.uk/.  There are three categories: short stories; flash fiction and poetry. I notice one of the blogs I follow, that of the prolific writer Simon Whaley, is giving useful advice on his blog about writing for competitions. There is a link to his blog on my sidebar. Please go and have a look.

Spring Festival

Our village holds a festival every May, that is a mixture of folk music, morris dancing, entertainment and participation.  This year the weather was not kind. Some sunny moments but a cold wind, rain and a tremendous hailstorm with hail the size of small pebbles.  This meant the field was muddy and slippy. This meant that some of the Morris and Sword dancing had to be postponed.

Nevertheless, it didn't stop the music, the beer swigging, ice-cream eating and lots of food from candy floss to chips being consumed.  Children disregarded the weather and had a good time on the fairground rides.

Some of the music was free to listen to. Grab a beer and sit and enjoy. Other events were ticketed and held on site or in venues around the village.

The Morris dancers and bands gathered around the pubs. Always popular venues whatever the weather!  http://www.shepleyspringfestival.co.uk/

May 16

A Saturday Stroll.

Occasionally we buy a day-rover train ticket and take ourselves off, first catching the train from the village. At Huddersfield we catch a train to Leeds and from there take the next one leaving to somewhere within the West Yorkshire boundary.

This particular Saturday it was Ilkley.

Ilkley is a lovely town nestled into the moors. Yes, it's the famous town of the song - On Ilkley Moor Bhat 'at. (On Ilkley Moor without a hat for those unused to the local dialect!)

We strolled close to the moor without actually walking on it this time.

This was followed by a walk around the lovely town. In summer there is a band playing most weekends. A great place to stop for an ice cream and tap your foot along to the music.

Follow this with a stroll by the river and you have the makings of a perfect day. We follow this with coffee and cake of course. There is a Betty's in Ilkley but I'm going to confess that it's not my favourite cafe. It's always too crowded and busy with long queues. I prefer the local, individually owned cafes, with their welcome and delicious baking.

Writing

Hmm. This is where I confess to not managing much writing or editing of the novel, recently. We have had a few difficult weeks with a serious plumbing problem, which may mean the kitchen floor having to be lifted. It's not been a conducive time to writing.
However let me tell you a little about 'Resolution'. Initially I wanted to set the book in the U.S. because I wanted Resolution to be the name of the town. We simply do not give our British towns names like that. Unfortunately it didn't work. Despite lots of advice and help I had to accept that I wasn't 'getting' the American idiom and 'feel' right. 

After some thought and heartache I moved the story from the USA to the U.K. cr a location from two or three local towns. It has made the writing much easier. For example when I described hurrying down a steep cobbled street in the rain, I knew exactly how slippy that can be. I have managed to keep the name and change the setting to The Resolution Hotel. 

May Day Village Fete.

We have just enjoyed a village fete complete with maypole dancing, 'old fashioned' fairground games, a band playing and lots of cake to eat.

This particular celebration was arranged to celebrate the fact that, after years of bureaucracy, our small village green was finally registered and protected from development.

The children seemed to really enjoy their dancing, we certainly enjoyed watching them.

There was plenty for everyone to do

Including a large steam train running around a garden to the delight of every child large and small!

Fortunately the rain stayed away and although it was cloudy and chilly it didn't spoil anyone's enjoyment.

RESOLUTION -the novel

I'm still busy editing, looking for repetition and areas where the story doesn't flow...and I'm finding plenty of them! I have been asked to give a few hints about the story. I will, very soon, well, when I feel brave enough.  One little tidbit to keep you going is that my four main characters are Carly Mitchell, Ben Thornton, Steve Sinclair and Emily Anderson. The story is centred in a small Yorkshire Mill Town called Yeardon and in the Resolution Hotel within the town. Enough for now!