Saturday, 30 April 2016
Friday, 29 April 2016
All the info you need for the Llandeilo Book Fair 2016
Event time table and Programme
Book Fair held on Saturday April 30th 2016
at Llandeilo Fawr Civic Hall Trust, Llandeilo
10:30 am - 4:30 pm
Crescent Road, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire SA19 6HN
at Llandeilo Fawr Civic Hall Trust, Llandeilo
10:30 am - 4:30 pm
Crescent Road, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire SA19 6HN
10:30 Judith Arnopp: talk on Tudor History
11:00 Blogger Hugh Roberts reading from "Last Train To Aldwych, a ghost/time-travel story. 11:00
11:30: Sharon Tregenza: a fun, interactive workshop with games for parents and younger children which would include prizes.
12:20 Will Macmillan Jones reading for children
12:50 Announcement of Short Story Competition Winner (main hall)
13:00 Judith Barrow (workshop for adults) about building characters in short stories and novels
As well as talking about how to form characters, Judith will have handouts, and there'll be short writing exercises. Around half and hour to three quarters in duration.
14:00 Wendy Steele talk about 'Fantasy and Magical Realism'
14:30 Carol Lovekin reading from her novel "Ghostbird"
15:00 Olga Núñez Miret talk about translations
15:30 Julie McGowan reading from one of her novels set in Wales
16:00 Q&A with panel of authors for aspiring writers
16:30 Raffle draw (main hall)
Sunday, 10 April 2016
For Booklovers and Aspiring Authors: Llandeilo Book Fair 30 April 2016
http://carmarthen.fyinetwork.co.uk/my,30022-For-Booklovers-and-Aspiring--Authors-Llandeilo-Book-Fair
For Booklovers and Aspiring Authors: Llandeilo Book Fair
30 April 2016
5 hours ago in Community News by Philippa Davies
Event details here: https://www.facebook.com/Llandeilo-Book-Fair-2016-428923113964907/
Just 16 miles from Carmarthen, the cosy town of Llandeilo is hosting a book fair, on April 30th.
With free entry, and something for all the family, 24 Welsh authors of every type of genre, including history, children's books, psychological thrillers and non-fiction will be there, ready to chat and give insights into their craft.
Set up by author Christoph Fisher, and helped by Thorne Moore and Judith Barrow, all in the photo above, the fair will offer a Short Story Competition, readings, workshops and talks, and a panel for aspiring authors.
And there are more treats ahead for Welsh booklovers later in the year.
The Tenby Book Fair, part of the Tenby Arts Festival is in September: http://www.tenbyartsfest.co.uk/
The Rhondda Book Fair, run by local author Colin Parsons is on September 3rd:https://www.facebook.com/events/928391347257948/
And for those of you who are serious about writing, then Abergavenny has a writing festival from the 21st - 23rd April https://www.facebook.com/abergavennywritingfestival/
Great to see Wales getting so bookish!
Thursday, 7 April 2016
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES: AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH CHRISTOPH FISCHER
Spotlight on Llandeilo Book Fair organiser Christoph Fischer and his books.
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES: AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH CHRISTOPH FISCHER: I am overjoyed to announce that author Christoph Fischer features next in the series. As you may be aware I asked authors on my face...
Hi Christoph, thank you for featuring here today.
When did you start writing and why?
About 7 years ago I began some ancestry research and read a lot of history books about Czechoslovakia during and after World War 2. I learned a lot that I hadn’t known and combining those facts with some ideas about my family’s roots in the region resulted in my novel “The Luck of the Weissensteiners”. Although this is not the story of my ancestors, the book is quite close to my heart.
Are you self-published or traditional?
Self-published, out of choice. With all the changes in the publishing industry authors are called upon to do a lot of their marketing work anyway. I prefer having the control over cover design, who edits my novels and how it is marketed.
If you can make it work, then fantastic. It's hard work, that's for sure. Lonely, sometimes and I wonder whether an agent would help champion my work or not? I have mixed feelings.
How many books have you written?
I’ve written ten novels so far. Here are some of them:
Five historical novels, all set in the 20th Century: “The Luck of the Weissensteiners” (Slovakia during WW2), “Sebastian” (Vienna during WW1), “The Black Eagle Inn” (Germany after WW2), “In Search of a Revolution” (Finland between 1918 and 1956) and “Ludwika” (A Polish Ostarbeiter in Germany during World War 2).
Three contemporary family dramas about mental health and Alzheimer’s.
Two thrillers: “The Healer” and “The Gamblers”.
Brilliant! I've just picked up Ludwika. What a story!
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a sequel to “The Healer” and on a comic rural murder mystery.
Who is your favourite character of your books and why?
Jonah Weissensteiner is a very jovial and caring father figure with a great sense of humour. He’s close to how I saw my father and how I imagined my grandfather, whom I never got to meet.
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES: AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT WITH CHRISTOPH FISCHER: I am overjoyed to announce that author Christoph Fischer features next in the series. As you may be aware I asked authors on my face...
Hi Christoph, thank you for featuring here today.
When did you start writing and why?
About 7 years ago I began some ancestry research and read a lot of history books about Czechoslovakia during and after World War 2. I learned a lot that I hadn’t known and combining those facts with some ideas about my family’s roots in the region resulted in my novel “The Luck of the Weissensteiners”. Although this is not the story of my ancestors, the book is quite close to my heart.
Are you self-published or traditional?
Self-published, out of choice. With all the changes in the publishing industry authors are called upon to do a lot of their marketing work anyway. I prefer having the control over cover design, who edits my novels and how it is marketed.
If you can make it work, then fantastic. It's hard work, that's for sure. Lonely, sometimes and I wonder whether an agent would help champion my work or not? I have mixed feelings.
How many books have you written?
I’ve written ten novels so far. Here are some of them:
Five historical novels, all set in the 20th Century: “The Luck of the Weissensteiners” (Slovakia during WW2), “Sebastian” (Vienna during WW1), “The Black Eagle Inn” (Germany after WW2), “In Search of a Revolution” (Finland between 1918 and 1956) and “Ludwika” (A Polish Ostarbeiter in Germany during World War 2).
Three contemporary family dramas about mental health and Alzheimer’s.
Two thrillers: “The Healer” and “The Gamblers”.
Brilliant! I've just picked up Ludwika. What a story!
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a sequel to “The Healer” and on a comic rural murder mystery.
Who is your favourite character of your books and why?
Jonah Weissensteiner is a very jovial and caring father figure with a great sense of humour. He’s close to how I saw my father and how I imagined my grandfather, whom I never got to meet.
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Programme
Programme
Book Fair held on Saturday April 30th 2016
at Llandeilo Fawr Civic Hall Trust, Llandeilo
10:30 am - 4:30 pm
Crescent Road, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire SA19 6HN
We have readings from
at Llandeilo Fawr Civic Hall Trust, Llandeilo
10:30 am - 4:30 pm
Crescent Road, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire SA19 6HN
We have readings from
Will Macmillan Jones (for children)
Carol Lovekin from her novel
Julie McGowan (for adults) from one of her novels set in Wales
and from short story blogger Hugh Roberts "Last Train To Aldwych", a ghost/time-travel story.
Talks:
Olga Núñez Miret about translations
Wendy Steele about 'Fantasy and Magical Realism'
Judith Arnopp on Tudor History
Workshops
Judith Barrow (for adults) about building characters in short stories and novels
As well as talking about how to form characters, Judith will have handouts, and there'll be short writing exercises. Around half and hour to three quarters in duration.
Sharon Tregenza: a fun, interactive workshop with games for parents and younger children which would include prizes.
Our two workshops are proving to be very popular already. Spaces, however, are limited due to space restrictions.
To avoid disappointment You can to book your FREE space
by commenting here, messaging the page https://www.facebook.com/Llandeilo-Book-Fair-2016-428923113964907 or via email
Panel of published writers answering questions of aspiring writers
Award ceremony of short story competition at 12:30
Prizes: Kindle Fire
Heavenly Chocolate Cakes
Book Token
Raffle in aid of the Air Ambulance
Monday, 4 April 2016
English Historical Fiction Authors: Henry VIII and the Break with Rome by Judith Arnopp
Judith Arnopp will be holding a talk on Tudor History at the Llandeilo Book Fair at 10:30 on April 30th
Here is a taste of her expertise on the matter
English Historical Fiction Authors: Henry VIII and the Break with Rome: Judith Arnopp There are many unanswered questions about the Tudors but probably the most asked is ‘What makes the Tudors so fascinati...
Here is a taste of her expertise on the matter
English Historical Fiction Authors: Henry VIII and the Break with Rome: Judith Arnopp There are many unanswered questions about the Tudors but probably the most asked is ‘What makes the Tudors so fascinati...
Sunday, 3 April 2016
Review of Motherlove by Thorne Moore
Review of Motherlove by Thorne Moore
I can’t remember the last time I read the final paragraph of a novel and then immediately turned back to the first chapter and started reading all over again. But that’s what I did with Motherlove by Thorne Moore. I loved this book – I mean I really loved it!
Where do I start? I suppose, firstly, I should say how much I admired the author’s style of writing: the pace is fast but steady, moving seamlessly from one scene to the next. The language, the metaphors, the clever mix of sentence lengths, all draw out the tension of this heart-breaking story. And keep the reader gripped and having empathy for each of the characters
My favourite genres are family sagas and thrillers/ mystery novels. Motherlove is contemporary fiction but holds both these genres within its pages, together with a psychological theme cleverly woven throughout. The title says it all; there are many ways to be a mother, a myriad of ways to show the love that comes with that label. I think this novel reveals the diversity of those ways.
Best of all, for me, the story is written from various points of views, each chapter, subtly and gradually revealing each of the characters; three mothers and two daughters, whose lives are initially inexplicably linked by a dreadful incident in the past.
An incident I won’t reveal here; I don’t like giving spoils in my reviews. And, anyway, the reader is plunged in straight from the beginning, so why spoil things?
But I can speak, briefly, from a constructive criticism point of view.
The intricate plot is skilfully threaded with a number of sub-plots, all intriguing, all necessary to the story..
The descriptions of the settings, from rural Wales to the streets and buildings of a run-down town to a soulless council estate, are subtly drawn and provide a poignant backdrop throughout the two decades that the book travels through, and reveals the social and cultural milieu of these eras.
The characters are strongly drawn to elicit emotions in the reader; from sympathy to fear, to distress, to hatred, to horror, to empathetic understanding.
Both the internal and spoken dialogue cleverly reveals each character, with their different nuances. There is never any doubt whose perspective we are reading.
Anyone who has read Thorne Moore’s first novel A Time For Silence and have been waiting with anticipation for her next, won’t be disappointed; Motherlove is a brilliant successor and if I could give more than five stars for this novel, I would.
I don’t only want to recommend Motherlove; I urge all those who enjoy excellent contemporary fiction to find a copy of this novel. And submerge themselves in it.
My favourite genres are family sagas and thrillers/ mystery novels. Motherlove is contemporary fiction but holds both these genres within its pages, together with a psychological theme cleverly woven throughout. The title says it all; there are many ways to be a mother, a myriad of ways to show the love that comes with that label. I think this novel reveals the diversity of those ways.
Best of all, for me, the story is written from various points of views, each chapter, subtly and gradually revealing each of the characters; three mothers and two daughters, whose lives are initially inexplicably linked by a dreadful incident in the past.
An incident I won’t reveal here; I don’t like giving spoils in my reviews. And, anyway, the reader is plunged in straight from the beginning, so why spoil things?
But I can speak, briefly, from a constructive criticism point of view.
The intricate plot is skilfully threaded with a number of sub-plots, all intriguing, all necessary to the story..
The descriptions of the settings, from rural Wales to the streets and buildings of a run-down town to a soulless council estate, are subtly drawn and provide a poignant backdrop throughout the two decades that the book travels through, and reveals the social and cultural milieu of these eras.
The characters are strongly drawn to elicit emotions in the reader; from sympathy to fear, to distress, to hatred, to horror, to empathetic understanding.
Both the internal and spoken dialogue cleverly reveals each character, with their different nuances. There is never any doubt whose perspective we are reading.
Anyone who has read Thorne Moore’s first novel A Time For Silence and have been waiting with anticipation for her next, won’t be disappointed; Motherlove is a brilliant successor and if I could give more than five stars for this novel, I would.
I don’t only want to recommend Motherlove; I urge all those who enjoy excellent contemporary fiction to find a copy of this novel. And submerge themselves in it.
Friday, 1 April 2016
Event time table and Programme
Book Fair held on Saturday April 30th 2016
at Llandeilo Fawr Civic Hall Trust, Llandeilo
10:30 am - 4:30 pm
Crescent Road, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire SA19 6HN
We have readings from
at Llandeilo Fawr Civic Hall Trust, Llandeilo
10:30 am - 4:30 pm
Crescent Road, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire SA19 6HN
12:50 Announcement of Short Story Competition Winner (main hall)
16:00 Q&A with panel of authors for aspiring writers
16:30 Raffle draw (main hall)
We have readings from
Will Macmillan Jones (for children) 12:20
Carol Lovekin from her novel 14:30
Julie McGowan (for adults) from one of her novels set in Wales 15:30
and from short story blogger Hugh Roberts "Last Train To Aldwych", a ghost/time-travel story. 11:00
Talks:
Olga Núñez Miret about translations 15:00
Wendy Steele about 'Fantasy and Magical Realism' 14:00
Judith Arnopp on Tudor History 10:30
Workshops
Judith Barrow (for adults) about building characters in short stories and novels
As well as talking about how to form characters, Judith will have handouts, and there'll be short writing exercises. Around half and hour to three quarters in duration. 13:00
Sharon Tregenza: a fun, interactive workshop with games for parents and younger children which would include prizes. 11:30
Our two workshops are proving to be very popular already. Spaces, however, are limited due to space restrictions.
To avoid disappointment You can to book your FREE space
by commenting here, messaging the page https://www.facebook.com/Llandeilo-Book-Fair-2016-428923113964907 or via email
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