Llandeilo Lit Fest: The Book Hunt

On Saturday 29th of April Llandeilo will be the scene of a town wide book / treasure hunt.

A map with all the festival locations will include markations for participating businesses and notable town locations.

Books and / or clues for the hunt will be left in those businesses and locations all over Llandeilo for you to find literary treasures and some other surprises.

More details will be released nearer the time via the Facebook page of the Llandeilo Book Fairy. https://www.facebook.com/Llandeilo-Book-Fairy-328261400907790/

The hunt will be a collaboration with the Llandeilo Book Fairy who recently brought the fabulous idea of the Kidwelly Book Hunters to town.

Here is an article about the idea

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-38295191

What's new with the Llandeilo Book Fair 2017 #LlandeiloBookFair #LlandeiloLitFest

As previously stated, this year the Llandeilo Book Fair will be running for two entire days (April 29 and 30) and be part of the Llandeilo LitFest.

This means the Civic Hall will be hosting 30 authors and publishers a day, some familiar faces and some will be joining us for the very first time, making sure that there is something for everyone. We'll be introducing the authors on this blog in the run up to the event.

On the Saturday, April 29th,  the focus of the festival and therefor of the book fair will be on children's books, family entertainment and poetry (although this is not binding and you should be able to find good books of all genres on both days).

The authors present on Saturday are:

Angela Fish, Wendy White, Colin Parsons, Kate Murray,  Will Macmillan Jones, Dafydd Wynn, Ant Lavisher, Jean Gill, Graham Watkins,

Penny Luker, Carol Lovekin, Jan Newton, Thorne Moore, Sue Moules, Kathy Miles, Sally Spedding, Alys Einion, Carole Ann Smith, Sion Tomos Owen, Lisa Shambrook, Phil Carradice, Sarah Jane Butfield, Mary Powles, Haydn Corper, Julian Dutton, Sarada and John Thompson, Christoph Fischer and Kate Glanville.

On top of this, we have tables from Honno Press, Accent Press, Cyfoes, The Library of Wales, Seren, Iconau books and Three Throated Press.

On Sunday the festival and book fair focus is on writing as a craft, historical and literary fiction.

Additional authors are Charles Griffin, Cheryl Rees-Price, Dave Lewis, Alan Goodwin, J A Corrigan
Josephine Hammond, Nicola Beechsquirrel, Greg Howes, Judith Arnopp, David Evans and Richard Foreman.

Also present will be: ThunderPoint Publishing, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Siop Y Cennen

Opening hours are 11am to 4pm. The address is   Crescent Rd, Llandeilo SA19 6HW
http://www.carmarthenshirehalls.org.uk/hall.php?hall_id=8

Directions

Approaching Llandeilo from the bridge end proceed through the town to the C.K.'s cross roads and turn right – the hall is about 200 yards down on the left hand side.

From the A40 roundabout end, proceed through the town to the C.K's crossroads and turn left, the hall is 200 yards down on the left.

Meet the participants of the #LlandeiloBookFair / Hwyl Llandeilo LitFest: Julian Dutton

Like the pervious two interviewees in this series, Julian's appearance at the Book Fair in Llandeilo will be his first.
However, after the event I doubt that he'll be a stranger to many of you. Besides his table at the Book Fair, Julian will be part of an expert panel on scriptwriting for TV and Film on Sunday, 30th April 3pm in the Angel Inn.

Welcome Julian. Please tell us about the books you’ll be bringing to the Book Fair.

KEEPING QUIET: VISUAL COMEDY IN THE AGE OF SOUND.

Keeping Quiet is a love-letter to the modern sight-gag on film and television, tracing the history of physical clowning since the advent of sound. Taking up the story of visual humour where Paul Merton’s 'Silent Comedy' leaves off, it charts the lives and work of all the great comedians who chose to remain silent, from Charlie Chaplin – who was determined to resist the ‘talkies’ - right through to the slapstick of modern-day performers such as Rowan Atkinson, Matt Lucas and Harry Hill. Spanning nine decades, it shows how physical comedy, at first overshadowed by dialogue-films in the 1930s, reinvented itself and how this revival was spearheaded by a Frenchman: Jacques Tati. I draw on my own experience as a comedy writer and performer to give an analysis of the screen persona and the comedy style of dozens of the screen’s best-loved performers including Laurel & Hardy, Buster Keaton, Harpo Marx, Norman Wisdom, Jerry Lewis, Benny Hill, Peter Sellers, Eric Sykes, Marty Feldman, Ronnie Barker and many more. This book is aimed both at the serious student of film, television and theatre - including those aspiring to write or perform comedy - and to the general reader and comedy fan.

Which genres do they belong to? 

NON-FICTION, HISTORY OF FILM,THEATRE & TV.

Tell us about your newest book.

My latest book is a novel for children, ‘The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys, aged ten and three quarters.’ It’s the fictional journal of the great diarist when he was a schoolboy, at the outbreak of the English Civil War.

Which of your books are you’re most proud of, and why?

I think I am most proud of my history of comedy, as it seemed to fill a gap in the market, as no other book had been written that traced the history of visual comedy after the advent of sound to the present day. It has bought by quite a few university libraries, which I’m proud of.  

What is the best thing that has been said about your books?

Harry Hill said my book is ‘A brilliant history of modern slapstick,’ which I count as something of an accolade, coming from one of the finest comedians in the country.

Why did you decide to come to the Llandeilo Book Fair?

I think this is a fantastic initiative that will boost the cultural life of the whole area and am delighted to be part of it.

Do you have a special connection to Wales?

Yes, my Grandparents were Welsh, and all my aunts and Uncles, and since childhood Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire has been my second home, in particular Llandovery. Now it’s my main home.

What is your personal background?

I have worked as an actor, comedian and comedy scriptwriter for TV, radio and film for thirty years.

Who are your favourite authors?

P.G. Wodehouse, Dickens, Chesterton, Jerome K. Jerome, Alison Uttley, William Sansom, Joseph Conrad, Graham Greene, John Le Carre.

Please share your social media links and buy links to your books.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keeping-Quiet-Julian-Dutton/dp/1909183776/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1425305781&sr=8-10&keywords=julian+dutton

http://www.chaplinbooks.co.uk/all_books.html

https://twitter.com/JulianDutton1

Meet the participants of the #LlandeiloBookFair / #LlandeiloLItFest 2017 : Kathy Miles

Welcome to this blog and to Llandeilo Kathy. We're very happy that you could join us this year. Please tell us about the books you'll be bringing to the book fair

I'll be bringing my two latest poetry collections The Shadow House and Gardening With Deer to the Llandeilo Book Fair. Gardening With Deer was published in 2016, and represents a considerable shift in style and subject-matter from my previous collections. Whilst I have a continuing interest in the landscape – both urban and rural – and in some senses would describe myself as a 'landscape poet',  since giving up my day job I have been able to develop my other passions for  archaeology, history, astronomy and science, all of which have fed into my poetry. I like to explore and write in 'other voices', whether it is from the perspective of an historical or literary character, an animal, or even a non-animate object. I love the intense research involved in this process, and the chance to broaden my knowledge and learn new things. My poem Re-Entry, for example, which is about the astronauts' return from the Apollo 11 Moon Mission, gave me the opportunity to read the NASA voice-transcripts from the mission, and opened up a whole new world of language and imagery. Of all my three poetry collections, I think I am the most proud of Gardening With Deer because I felt I had been able to marry these diverse interests together in a much better and more mature way than in my previous books.

Why did you decide to come to the Llandeilo Book Fair?

Well, the obvious answer to this is to sell books! It is not easy for a poet to flog their wares on the open market. There are a lot of extremely good and prolific poets out there, all publishing amazing work, and the buying public would very much prefer to purchase a good novel than a book of poetry: in the main, poetry tends to be bought by other poets. Publishers also expect you to try and sell your books, and to be proactive in obtaining readings and other events where you can showcase your work. I had already attended both the Carmarthen and Tenby Book Fairs, and enjoyed them very much, but wanted to come to Llandeilo because I had heard great reports of the Christmas Book Fair which I had been unable to attend.

Do you have a special connection to Wales?

I have lived in Wales since 1972, but I would say I was a typical 'Liverpool Welsh', having been born in the city of mixed Irish/Welsh ancestry. Part of my decision to come to a Welsh university was because I felt a very strong connection to Wales and to its history and culture. I don't speak Welsh, but grew up among relatives who were Welsh speaking, and so I always felt an affinity with that side of my heritage.

What is your personal background?

I first came to Wales to do a BA in English Literature at Lampeter (now the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David), and then worked in the university library there for many years. I gave up my job in 2014 to do an MA in Creative Writing at the university, and now work as a full-time writer. Apart from writing, I am a keen gardener. My partner and I have a garden with a large pond, which attracts frogs, dragonflies, and a raft of wild mallards who fly up from Aberaeron to rampage round the flower beds. We also have visiting badgers, foxes, and hedgehogs. It's a perfect life for a poet!

Who are your favourite authors?

An impossible question to answer! My favourite writers are those that I happen to be reading at the time, whether it's Seamus Heaney, Garcia Lorca, Elizabeth Bishop or Mary Oliver. I read poetry all the time: current favourites are Jo Shapcott, Alice Oswald, Katrina Naomi and Paul Henry, simply because those are the ones I currently have open on my bedside table. I've just finished Cynan Jones' latest book Cove, which is simply stunning. I also love the work of James Rebanks and John Lewis-Stempel. I think, though, that in terms of the novel, Kazuo Ishiguro is the one that I go back to time and time again, for the sheer beauty of his language.

Links

http://www.cinnamonpress.com/index.php/products-listing/product/205-gardening-with-deer-kathy-miles

http://www.poetrypf.co.uk/kathymilespage.shtml

https://twitter.com/kathym974?lang=en

Meet the participants of the 2017 Book Fair / Hwyl Llandeilo LitFest : Kate Glanville

Today we're kick-starting a series of short interviews to introduce to you the authors participating at this year's book fair. Some are familiar faces, while others are going to showcase their work for the first time in Llandeilo.

Don't tell anyone, but today is Kate's birthday! 

Happy Birthday Kate! Please tell us about the books you’ll be bringing to the Book Fair.

I have written three novels A Perfect Home 2014) Heartstones (2014) and Stargazing (2016)

Which genres do they belong to?

They are contemporary romantic thrillers though Heartstones is partly historical - the story of a young girl in 1940’s Ireland is intertwined with that of her granddaughter in the present day.


What are the characters and plots like?

The books tend to have central femail leading characters. I try to create believable, feisty woman as the heroines with many flaws and weaknesses,  but though none of them are perfect I hope they are all likeable and that their journey is compelling!. The plots contain life's inevitable search for love but I try to incorporate mysteries that need to be solved and aspire to create page turning suspense. I try to incorporate humour but also cover topics such as domestic abuse, adultery, divorce, bereavement and it has been pointed out that cakes feature rather alot!

Tell us about your newest book. 

 Stargazing is about a marriage that collapses after forty years. It is told from the perspective of  three women - the wife, the daughter and the lover of the husband who leaves the beautiful home he and his wife have created to live with a younger woman with a mysterious past. His daughter is determined to get her parents back together again and find out the secrets of her father’s mistress. Her investigations put the whole family in a life threatening situation.

Which of your books are you most proud of, and why?

I am proud of them all - A Perfect Home because it was the first and I proved to myself that I could finish writing a novel! Heartstones because I created a village in the South West of Ireland that I would love to visit myself and it touched on stories from my own Anglo- Irish family. Stargazing because it tackled gritty issues around domestic abuse and adultery but still manages to be funny and uplifting! I also enjoyed the challenge of writing three different heroines and seeing situations from their alternate points of view.

What is the best thing that has been said about your books?

I wrote A Perfect Home in longhand. No one even knew I was writing a book so it was with trepidation that I  gave it to someone in my village to type up - when she gave me back the manuscript she said ‘it’s better than the library book I’m reading at the moment.’ - I was thrilled!

Why did you decide to come to the Llandeilo Book Fair?

Because it’s lovely to meet readers and other authors and Christoph is so fantastic at organising and getting everyone inspired!

Do you have a special connection to Wales?

I have lived in Wales for 25 years this year - longer than anywhere else Ive ever lived. I can honestly say that I hope I stay here for the rest of my life - beautiful countryside, coastline and people - why would I ever want to leave?

What is your personal background?

I was born in Sierra Leone to Irish parents and grew up mostly in Bristol. I did a degree in fashion design at St Martins College of Art in London and for 25 years have had a business painting pottery. I have always love writing and my head has always been full of stories but I was terrible at spelling and couldn’t type and the stories just seemed to get stuck in my head rather than on the page. When I became 40 I decided to try really hard and actually try to achieve my literary dreams - and now I am achieving them it’s wonderful.

Who are your favourite authors?

Ive always been a big fan of Maeve Binchy and Edna O’Brian. Ruth Rendell and PD James fuel my darker side and Isabel Allende always manages to touch my heart.

Please share your social media links 

https://www.facebook.com/kateglanvilleauthor/
https://twitter.com/kittyglanville

Kate will not only be part of the book fair both days, Sat and Sun April 29 and 30th in the Civic Hall, but she will also talk about her books with fellow author Brenda Squires on Thursday 27 April at the Angel Inn at 7pm

https://llandeilolitfest.org/2017/01/14/is-romance-dead-bringing-depth-to-romance-novels-a-discussion-with-kate-glanville-and-brenda-squires/

https://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/is-romance-dead-bringing-depth-to-romance-novels-a-discussion-with-kate-glanville-and-brenda-squires/