I have just had the most wonderful news. My novel, Divorcees.biz, has been accepted for publication and I have signed a contract with Salgad Publishing If that is not exciting news, then I don't know what is!!
I am still pinching myself as it all happened very quickly'. After reading the opening chapters, the publishers were back to me within three days asking for the full manuscript, which must mean enjoyed it. Now they are keen to publish on Kindle in time for Christmas. Hopefully printed copies will follow, as I have already had people, who I know don't have readers, asking me for details.
How refreshing it is for a publisher to get back to the author so quickly. Usually it is a long drawn out affair and by the time they respond, if they do at all, the author has begun to lose the will to live. So well done, Salgad Publishing.
Briefly, the novel is about four divorced women, who decide to set up an online dating agency for divorcees. Set in London, the story is more about the four women rather than the agency itself and I have tried to keep the whole thing light, fun and quirky, a complete contrast to my last novel, The Trojan Project, which was a thriller.
Now I am waiting for the editors to sort it out and for the art dept to come up with a lovely cover to match the story. I guess that is all I can say about that at the moment, but I will keep you up to date with events as and when.
Meanwhile, we are home from a ten day break in Herefordshire, where we stayed at Holme Lacy House Hotel. We were so lucky with the weather, beautiful blue skies every day. Therefore we were able to take advantages of the lovely gardens surround the hotel. The hotel also had some wonderful lounges, where you could relax and read a book while sipping a glass of wine or a tea or even coffee. I guess you already know which I chose. :-)
I think that is all for the moment
I hope your day is going as well as mine.
Cheers!
Monday, 24 September 2012
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
New Title for my Divorcees Novel!!
I have not only finished writing my novel, but I have also changed the name. Divorcees.com that was, is now Divorcees.biz
A friend pointed out that, as divorcees.com is already a registered name for a Website, I might have a few problems if my book was ever published and became an overnight success (overnight success, wow - got to smile here). Anyway, I sought the advice of The Society of Authors and they agreed, there could be a problem.
That being the case, I decided the wisest course of action was to change the name. I have also bought the domain name for two years, so this can't happen again. Once I get the Website going, I will use it to promote my novel Divorcees.biz
Meanwhile I have been through the whole manuscript twice doing some much needed edits and will probably start going through it again. Then the next big thing will be to try to find a lovely publisher, who will be delighted to read the novel and decide to publish. If a publisher just happens to stumble on this blog post and would like to take up the challenge, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Is it only me, who feels a little sad when they reach the end of a novel? Strange how I feel as though I am losing old friends.
In my last blog, I told you all about my new phone. (The old one stopped working) Well since all that happened, we had to buy a new fridge freezer as the old one suddenly decided it had had enough. Or perhaps it was simply playing up because I was paying too much attention to my new phone. Whatever the reason, we now have a brand new one, which meant more money being spent. I am holding my breath in anticipation of what is going to go wrong next.
It's amazing how all these things happen together. Do they simply have a little conference in the night and decide they want to play havoc with our lives and then pull straws to see which one is going to play up first. That might sound crazy, but how do we know what goes on in the other rooms while we are sleeping? Anyone who read my short stories in The Lady magazine will recall I wrote one called "The last Pea on the Plate" and another named "The Number 57 Bus", where I told stories how both a bus and the peas on a plate had feelings.
Okay best I leave it there, after all I do write fiction. :) However, if you want to read the two stories mentioned, they are now on my website Eileen Thornton under the heading Short Stories. All the stories there have been previously published in magazines.
I think that is all for the moment. I have given Newcastle a miss this week, but will be there next week to meet my sister and cousin. I think there is also going to be another lady from my past. So, as you can imagine, there will be lots of catching up to do.
Have a great day all, (I just heard a roll of thunder here)
Cheers!!
A friend pointed out that, as divorcees.com is already a registered name for a Website, I might have a few problems if my book was ever published and became an overnight success (overnight success, wow - got to smile here). Anyway, I sought the advice of The Society of Authors and they agreed, there could be a problem.
That being the case, I decided the wisest course of action was to change the name. I have also bought the domain name for two years, so this can't happen again. Once I get the Website going, I will use it to promote my novel Divorcees.biz
Meanwhile I have been through the whole manuscript twice doing some much needed edits and will probably start going through it again. Then the next big thing will be to try to find a lovely publisher, who will be delighted to read the novel and decide to publish. If a publisher just happens to stumble on this blog post and would like to take up the challenge, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Is it only me, who feels a little sad when they reach the end of a novel? Strange how I feel as though I am losing old friends.
In my last blog, I told you all about my new phone. (The old one stopped working) Well since all that happened, we had to buy a new fridge freezer as the old one suddenly decided it had had enough. Or perhaps it was simply playing up because I was paying too much attention to my new phone. Whatever the reason, we now have a brand new one, which meant more money being spent. I am holding my breath in anticipation of what is going to go wrong next.
It's amazing how all these things happen together. Do they simply have a little conference in the night and decide they want to play havoc with our lives and then pull straws to see which one is going to play up first. That might sound crazy, but how do we know what goes on in the other rooms while we are sleeping? Anyone who read my short stories in The Lady magazine will recall I wrote one called "The last Pea on the Plate" and another named "The Number 57 Bus", where I told stories how both a bus and the peas on a plate had feelings.
Okay best I leave it there, after all I do write fiction. :) However, if you want to read the two stories mentioned, they are now on my website Eileen Thornton under the heading Short Stories. All the stories there have been previously published in magazines.
I think that is all for the moment. I have given Newcastle a miss this week, but will be there next week to meet my sister and cousin. I think there is also going to be another lady from my past. So, as you can imagine, there will be lots of catching up to do.
Have a great day all, (I just heard a roll of thunder here)
Cheers!!
Friday, 17 August 2012
My New Mobile Phone!
Two weeks ago my Blackberry broke down. I wasn't sure why, but I simply couldn't get any signal on it. Not wanting to mess around, I decided to buy a new phone, but chose not to have a Blackberry this time. I found one I liked and thought all I had to do was go into the Orange shop and buy a phone. I assumed everything would be set up and ready to go before I left the shop. However, it wasn't as simple as that.
I had been on pay-as-you-go using the plan where I could have so many free texts and internet providing I added £10 every month. I was quite happy with this plan and I would have carried on with plan, no problem at all. But as I had £75 in credit, the lady in the shop was horrified I was letting this money accumulate every month and suggested I should change to the pay monthly plan. That way, I wouldn't have to pay anything until the credit was used up.
After a great deal of persuasion, I changed my plan, but it seems because I wanted to keep my old number a spanner was thrown into the works. No, that's not strictly true. Actually a great number of spanners were hurled into the works. I did indeed have my old number changed while in the shop, but all mail I received from Orange about my new phone quoted the number on the sym card, which was in the new phone before it was changed. I telephoned Orange and got that sorted out..
Next I found after two weeks, my 'free' internet was finished, which meant I had to contact Orange on Wednesday evening to sort it out. What 'free internet' I asked. I thought the internet came with the package. However, it seemed the whole thing hadn't been explained properly in the shop, because the email button I was told to use came with an extra £5 per month after a two week trial.
After talking for one and a half hours to two different people, it was established that by using a different button, the emails would be included in the plan without paying another £5 per month. The second man explained it all very carefully and together we changed it. He said would ring me the next day, to make sure it was okay because it took a few hours to reset itself.
When he rang me on Thursday, it still wasn't allowing emails in or out. So we spent another hour going through it again. But later that Thursday afternoon, it was receiving emails, but not sending them. So I emailed the guy and he rang me back. After another 30 mins, where he talked me through saving contacts etc so we could reset the phone to factory status and start all over again, we finally cracked it. By this time, I was almost having a nervous breakdown and heading for the gin bottle.
I have to say this lovely guy has the patience of a saint. I had to tell him he was dealing with a complete idiot at this end, as I had absolutely no idea how to set up the thing. I tell you I was all fingers and thumbs, I also had to keep reading out what it said on the phone so he could slowly talk me through each stage.
Perhaps I should now set myself up as a mobile phone expert!!
Apart from that, all is well here,
Cheers!!
I had been on pay-as-you-go using the plan where I could have so many free texts and internet providing I added £10 every month. I was quite happy with this plan and I would have carried on with plan, no problem at all. But as I had £75 in credit, the lady in the shop was horrified I was letting this money accumulate every month and suggested I should change to the pay monthly plan. That way, I wouldn't have to pay anything until the credit was used up.
After a great deal of persuasion, I changed my plan, but it seems because I wanted to keep my old number a spanner was thrown into the works. No, that's not strictly true. Actually a great number of spanners were hurled into the works. I did indeed have my old number changed while in the shop, but all mail I received from Orange about my new phone quoted the number on the sym card, which was in the new phone before it was changed. I telephoned Orange and got that sorted out..
Next I found after two weeks, my 'free' internet was finished, which meant I had to contact Orange on Wednesday evening to sort it out. What 'free internet' I asked. I thought the internet came with the package. However, it seemed the whole thing hadn't been explained properly in the shop, because the email button I was told to use came with an extra £5 per month after a two week trial.
After talking for one and a half hours to two different people, it was established that by using a different button, the emails would be included in the plan without paying another £5 per month. The second man explained it all very carefully and together we changed it. He said would ring me the next day, to make sure it was okay because it took a few hours to reset itself.
When he rang me on Thursday, it still wasn't allowing emails in or out. So we spent another hour going through it again. But later that Thursday afternoon, it was receiving emails, but not sending them. So I emailed the guy and he rang me back. After another 30 mins, where he talked me through saving contacts etc so we could reset the phone to factory status and start all over again, we finally cracked it. By this time, I was almost having a nervous breakdown and heading for the gin bottle.
I have to say this lovely guy has the patience of a saint. I had to tell him he was dealing with a complete idiot at this end, as I had absolutely no idea how to set up the thing. I tell you I was all fingers and thumbs, I also had to keep reading out what it said on the phone so he could slowly talk me through each stage.
Perhaps I should now set myself up as a mobile phone expert!!
Apart from that, all is well here,
Cheers!!
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Back Home
Last week we went to Chelmsford, Essex for a few days to visit some old friends. We all first met when we lived down there forty years ago. Forty Years! Where have all the years gone? We have moved to several other places since then, but they have stayed put.
Staying put has never been my thing. Moving house was a hobby of mine. I loved looking at different houses, packing up and then moving on. Of course back then it was easy to buy and sell houses. Nowadays, once you get into a chain, you get stuck and no one can do anything,
But I digress. I was going to blog about our visit to Chelmsford last week. We had a lovely time. Our friends took us all over the place. One day we went to Aldeburgh in Suffolk. It's a lovely little seaside town. I gather fishermen go out to catch the fish and then sell it in small huts on the sea shore. Another day we went to Clacton, to see some people we had met a few years back. They have a small zoo of kid goats, alpacas, rabbits, guinea pigs, hens, chickens etc, which run around freely at the base of the Watch Tower on the see front. Visiting children adored it and I understand local kids come back regularly to see how the animals are getting on. There is also a cafe, where you can have something to eat while the children look at the animals.
We also went to hear an excellent Jazz Band, a quiz night, and, somewhere in between, we saw the movie, Salmon Fishing on the Yemen, which I really enjoyed.
Considering we ate and drank like there was no tomorrow, I was surprised to find I hadn't put any weight on. Anyway, we are home again now and enjoying the rest. Now back to editing my novel and hoping it will get published.
Tomorrow I am off to Newcastle. Hopefully the sun will shine, but if not, then what the heck, I'll enjoy the trip anyway.
Have a good day wherever you are,
Cheers!
Staying put has never been my thing. Moving house was a hobby of mine. I loved looking at different houses, packing up and then moving on. Of course back then it was easy to buy and sell houses. Nowadays, once you get into a chain, you get stuck and no one can do anything,
But I digress. I was going to blog about our visit to Chelmsford last week. We had a lovely time. Our friends took us all over the place. One day we went to Aldeburgh in Suffolk. It's a lovely little seaside town. I gather fishermen go out to catch the fish and then sell it in small huts on the sea shore. Another day we went to Clacton, to see some people we had met a few years back. They have a small zoo of kid goats, alpacas, rabbits, guinea pigs, hens, chickens etc, which run around freely at the base of the Watch Tower on the see front. Visiting children adored it and I understand local kids come back regularly to see how the animals are getting on. There is also a cafe, where you can have something to eat while the children look at the animals.
We also went to hear an excellent Jazz Band, a quiz night, and, somewhere in between, we saw the movie, Salmon Fishing on the Yemen, which I really enjoyed.
Considering we ate and drank like there was no tomorrow, I was surprised to find I hadn't put any weight on. Anyway, we are home again now and enjoying the rest. Now back to editing my novel and hoping it will get published.
Tomorrow I am off to Newcastle. Hopefully the sun will shine, but if not, then what the heck, I'll enjoy the trip anyway.
Have a good day wherever you are,
Cheers!
Monday, 9 July 2012
The End of the Beginning
The end of the beginning! I think I have got that right.
Last night I finished writing my novel - Divorcees.com. But this not the end, is it? Surely this is only the beginning. Now I have to go back and edit the whole thing, before trying to find a publisher willing to take it on. So, yes, I have only reached the end of the beginning.
Of course when I reach the stage of finding a publisher, then I can say I am at the beginning of the end, which really means I still have some way to go. But in the meantime, the end of the beginning will have to do. Best I leave it there before I confuse myself.
Anyway, the story is about four divorced, thirty something women, who decide to set up an online dating agency for divorcees. I have tried to make the tale light and quirky - a total contrast to The Trojan Project. So if any of you out there have any ideas of finding a publisher for this type of book, then please let me know.
The rest of my news is like the weather, dull and wet. The only highlight is that I have bought a netbook, which is how I was able to finish my novel a little earlier that I thought I would. I have been sitting beavering away, while watching repeats on TV.
I suppose that's the one good thing about repeats on TV. When you have seen a programme so many times, you kind of know what's coming. Which means you don't need to have all your wits about you to be able to follow the plot. By the way, if you are wondering why I am watching repeats on TV it's because there is absolutely nothing else to watch. I am sick of Food Shows. If another cookery show starts up I will go bonkers. The way the chef prepares and cooks meals puts me right off. Does anyone really feel like eating the food when it's cooked? I certainly don't. For a start, I wonder whether it has been cooked long enough. Another show I have never watched is Big Brother - ugh! Or I'm a Celebrity - Get me out of Here. And the list goes on.
Enough about the TV. In fact I think that is enough about everything for the being.
I hope you are all having a great day, wherever you are.
Cheers!
Last night I finished writing my novel - Divorcees.com. But this not the end, is it? Surely this is only the beginning. Now I have to go back and edit the whole thing, before trying to find a publisher willing to take it on. So, yes, I have only reached the end of the beginning.
Of course when I reach the stage of finding a publisher, then I can say I am at the beginning of the end, which really means I still have some way to go. But in the meantime, the end of the beginning will have to do. Best I leave it there before I confuse myself.
Anyway, the story is about four divorced, thirty something women, who decide to set up an online dating agency for divorcees. I have tried to make the tale light and quirky - a total contrast to The Trojan Project. So if any of you out there have any ideas of finding a publisher for this type of book, then please let me know.
The rest of my news is like the weather, dull and wet. The only highlight is that I have bought a netbook, which is how I was able to finish my novel a little earlier that I thought I would. I have been sitting beavering away, while watching repeats on TV.
I suppose that's the one good thing about repeats on TV. When you have seen a programme so many times, you kind of know what's coming. Which means you don't need to have all your wits about you to be able to follow the plot. By the way, if you are wondering why I am watching repeats on TV it's because there is absolutely nothing else to watch. I am sick of Food Shows. If another cookery show starts up I will go bonkers. The way the chef prepares and cooks meals puts me right off. Does anyone really feel like eating the food when it's cooked? I certainly don't. For a start, I wonder whether it has been cooked long enough. Another show I have never watched is Big Brother - ugh! Or I'm a Celebrity - Get me out of Here. And the list goes on.
Enough about the TV. In fact I think that is enough about everything for the being.
I hope you are all having a great day, wherever you are.
Cheers!
Friday, 29 June 2012
Long Time - No Write
I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted on here. Where are all the weeks going? And more importantly, why are they going so fast? There are things I want to do, things I want to see, but at this rate, the year is going to be over and I will be still thinking I am still in the month of June!
Last week we went away for a few days to Nidd Hall, near Harrogate. We love going there, as it is place where you can do as much or as little as you want. This suits me perfectly. I can spend the day, watching the more energetic as they stride out to the golf course, the shooting range or even the archery targets, while I quietly sit back and sip an extremely large wine. And then at the end of the afternoon, I enjoy a dinner, which I have not even had to think about preparing, before going to watch the entertainers in the Pavilion. It is a blissful way to spend a few days,
But then, I came home!
Don't get me wrong, I like my home. It gets a little untidy at times - okay, it gets a lot untidy most of the time, but it's lived in and it's ours and that's what counts. No the untidiness wasn't the problem. The problem was the company who I use to host my Website, have, what they call, upgraded and now I find I haven't got a Website at all. Yes, the domain is there and it says it is mine, but I am not there at all. Instead, what you see is where to look for comparisons for insurance.
From the emails I received before they embarked on their mission, I was under the impression that after about a week, all would be as before. However this is not the case. My husband, who set up the site for me in the first place, filled in one of their online forms, asking what was going on. But except for an online acknowledgement, he hasn't heard from them again.
So yesterday, I took the helm and wrote again and this time, I got a reply within a few hours asking for certain information for security purposes. I have now sent that on; therefore I am waiting with bated breath to see what transpires. So anyone logging onto my Website will need to be patient for a while longer. Watch this space!
On Wednesday, I went to Newcastle to meet my sister and cousin. We tend to meet up once a month, just for a coffee and a chat. The weather wasn't too bad, so I quite enjoyed the day. However, yesterday it rained and it rained and forgot to stop. How thankful I was I hadn't chosen that day to go to Newcastle, as I gather roads had to closed and trains were forced to stop running. The drains in the road where my sister lives, couldn't cope and the water lapped mere inches from her front door. She and her husband must have been worried it would pour into their house.
I think that is all the excitement for the moment,
I hope it is dry wherever you are,
Cheers!
Last week we went away for a few days to Nidd Hall, near Harrogate. We love going there, as it is place where you can do as much or as little as you want. This suits me perfectly. I can spend the day, watching the more energetic as they stride out to the golf course, the shooting range or even the archery targets, while I quietly sit back and sip an extremely large wine. And then at the end of the afternoon, I enjoy a dinner, which I have not even had to think about preparing, before going to watch the entertainers in the Pavilion. It is a blissful way to spend a few days,
But then, I came home!
Don't get me wrong, I like my home. It gets a little untidy at times - okay, it gets a lot untidy most of the time, but it's lived in and it's ours and that's what counts. No the untidiness wasn't the problem. The problem was the company who I use to host my Website, have, what they call, upgraded and now I find I haven't got a Website at all. Yes, the domain is there and it says it is mine, but I am not there at all. Instead, what you see is where to look for comparisons for insurance.
From the emails I received before they embarked on their mission, I was under the impression that after about a week, all would be as before. However this is not the case. My husband, who set up the site for me in the first place, filled in one of their online forms, asking what was going on. But except for an online acknowledgement, he hasn't heard from them again.
So yesterday, I took the helm and wrote again and this time, I got a reply within a few hours asking for certain information for security purposes. I have now sent that on; therefore I am waiting with bated breath to see what transpires. So anyone logging onto my Website will need to be patient for a while longer. Watch this space!
On Wednesday, I went to Newcastle to meet my sister and cousin. We tend to meet up once a month, just for a coffee and a chat. The weather wasn't too bad, so I quite enjoyed the day. However, yesterday it rained and it rained and forgot to stop. How thankful I was I hadn't chosen that day to go to Newcastle, as I gather roads had to closed and trains were forced to stop running. The drains in the road where my sister lives, couldn't cope and the water lapped mere inches from her front door. She and her husband must have been worried it would pour into their house.
I think that is all the excitement for the moment,
I hope it is dry wherever you are,
Cheers!
Friday, 8 June 2012
Jubilee Celebrations
I do hope everyone enjoyed the Jubilee Celebrations last weekend. How wonderful it was to see how many people turned out to celebrate with Her Majesty The Queen. It was such a shame the weather turned so bad on Sunday for the River Thames Pageant. Yet despite the rain soaked streets of London, people stood on the embankment and watched until the very last boat sailed past. The Queen was outstanding. She stood in the cold and wet until the very end.
While all that was going on, we were at a lunch with forty-one friends and neighbours. It was held in our social club and I have to say the committee did a wonderful job serving a three course hot meal without the aid of a cooker. Don't ask how they managed it. But it was brilliant and a big Well Done to them all. We had a brilliant afternoon. The photographs were taken at the Lunch. One shows me and a friend, while the other shows a member of the committee. You can tell we were all in good spirits.
My niece and her husband were at the concert in the Mall on Monday evening. They were fortunate enough to have tickets. Thankfully the weather stayed dry and I believe they had a wonderful time. I saw the whole thing on TV. But I think it must have been absolutely fantastic to have been there among the crowds. The atmosphere must have been electric.
Now everything has quietened down and we are back to normal. Well, as normal as we can can be with the world being in the state it is. But that is another story!
However the whole weekend Celebrations were perfect and made me very proud to be British.
I hope you enjoyed it wherever you were,
Cheers!!
While all that was going on, we were at a lunch with forty-one friends and neighbours. It was held in our social club and I have to say the committee did a wonderful job serving a three course hot meal without the aid of a cooker. Don't ask how they managed it. But it was brilliant and a big Well Done to them all. We had a brilliant afternoon. The photographs were taken at the Lunch. One shows me and a friend, while the other shows a member of the committee. You can tell we were all in good spirits.
My niece and her husband were at the concert in the Mall on Monday evening. They were fortunate enough to have tickets. Thankfully the weather stayed dry and I believe they had a wonderful time. I saw the whole thing on TV. But I think it must have been absolutely fantastic to have been there among the crowds. The atmosphere must have been electric.
Now everything has quietened down and we are back to normal. Well, as normal as we can can be with the world being in the state it is. But that is another story!
However the whole weekend Celebrations were perfect and made me very proud to be British.
I hope you enjoyed it wherever you were,
Cheers!!
Saturday, 26 May 2012
A Nostalgic Trip!
We spent a few days in Newcastle earlier in the week. I wanted to go back to visit the place of my birth and then go on to another town where I spent my teens.
The photo shows me standing next to my sister (in the pram) I must have started school as I am wearing a gym slip. My hair is in ringlets and note the large bow of ribbon - how could you miss it?
It was good to go back, but the street wasn't at all how I remembered it. It was longer and wider back then, at least that is how it seemed at the time.
We had a large back garden complete with a hill, where we played Cowboys and Indians or whatever else we had seen at the Saturday morning matinee. It was fun running around on make believe horses or jetting off with Flash Gordon to stop Ming the Merciless taking over some planet or another. Do children ever do that anymore?
When we moved to Whitley Bay on the North East coast in 1953, we only had a back yard. But that didn't stop us. We had the beach to play on, though as I was reaching my teens, cowboys and Flash Gordon were a thing of the past.
*
This was the street I lived in until I was married. I took this photo on Monday, when we stopped off to take a look at what they had done to the place. The street hadn't changed at all. However, it's a pity I can't say the same for the rest of the town.
In its heyday, Whitley Bay was a lovely seaside resort. The golden sands stretched for miles until they reached the lighthouse. People came from Scotland and Yorkshire to spend their summer holidays there. The beaches were always packed. Cafes selling food or ice cream, were dotted along the Promenade, while the Fun-fair was a great attraction to the youngsters.
Today all that has gone, A school now stands in the grounds where the fun fair was. It replaced the one I went to, as they pulled it down - I'm not sure why as they haven't built anything else on that piece of land. And the shops that are left look as though they could do with a good coat of paint. The whole place needs brightening up. It's all so very sad. Best I leave it at that.
*
The Quayside - Newcastle-on-Tyne
On the other hand, the changes they have made to the Quayside have been for the better. At one time it was like almost any other shipbuilding area - dirty and dismal. However, today, the place has a Continental feel about it.
People were sitting outside in the sun enjoying a glass of wine or beer, while others were wandering around the market, something which has been held on a Sunday morning forever!
Opposite is the New Sage building and the Baltic Art Gallery - once a Flour Mill.
Isn't it amazing how something so ugly could be given a new lease of life, while Whitley Bay, which was such a lovely, thriving town, could be allowed become so... tawdry and lifeless.
I think that is my rant for the day
I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine
Cheers!!
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