For those who are following the saga of my new-found family - I met another of my sisters last night over dinner in London.
Sally lives in Boston USA, and was over for a week. No I didn't take a camera - I am beginning to feel like a zoo exhibit.. suffice it to say we looked very simlar, only she is far slimmer and prettier. She was wearing an amazing jumper from Chanel (a mix of breton sweater and gorgeous decorative chains. Smashing!)
In honour of the jumper, and the fact that we ate at a restaurant called Chez Gerard, we ate snails. Yum. I love them - little snerberts of wellington boot softened in garlic and parsley and butter.
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Friday, 6 March 2009
ONE WORLD!!!!!
Not even launched yet, and a school in New Jersey is ordering 600 copies of our anthology for their students to read next term, and asking for authors to come and speak to the students in the autumn.
One school. ONE.
The issues in this anthology are fundamental to our world. Our ONE WORLD.
I am delighted that New Internationalist are publishing us. I support their ethos, and it is a privilege to join their publications.
I think we've got a winner. A real winner.
All royalties are going to Medecins Sans Frontieres. (Doctors Without Borders if you are in the US.)
Thursday, 5 March 2009
SHORT FICTION COMPETITION - Closing 30 March
SHORT FICTION is running their third short story competition;
From their website: Prize is £300 plus publication in Issue 3 of Short FICTION (due out September 2009). Writers without fiction book publication (of novel or short stories) are eligible. Entries must be of previously unpublished work (in magazine or online). Submitted stories must be under 5000 words. There is no theme restriction.
Go on!!! Nice comp. They give you two options for entry. £5 for a story, or (much better, this...) £10.00 for one story plus a copy of the edition in which the winning work is published. And as the mag costs £9.50 anyway - seems like a good deal to me.
Good luck!
Full details on the website: HERE http://www.uppress.co.uk/shortfiction.htm
The comp info is a bit hidden - the link is on the right of the home page, near the bottom, in pale grey print.
READING AT WATERSTONES WITH ALISON MACLEOD
Fab evening yesterday. As part of the World Book Day celebrations (or on the eve of it, World Book Day is TODAY, link HERE) Alison MacLeod and I read at Waterstone’s Brighton. 
Find out about Alison and her novels, and short story collection HERE
Waterstone's bookshop made a lovely venue, they use the space normally inhabited by their coffee bar on the third floor, set out into an intimate and perfect reading arena. We had lovely squashy leather chairs, our books were beautifully set out on a coffee table, and the audience sat in a semi circle round us.
I met Alison for coffee beforehand and we planned who was going to do what, as well as nattered about our writing, and my Salt book for which Alison is writing a chapter - ( her chapter provisionally: Taboo and Tension in the Short Story… can’t wait!).
I read first, The Carob Tree from my collection Words from a Glass Bubble. Guaranteed to bring a lump to my throat, even now. So I followed it up with a daft flash entitled Barry Island Double Glazing, hamming up the accent something chronic and getting lots of laughs.
Alison read from Fifteen Tales of Modern Attraction Amazon Link HERE, choosing a story set in a riot in Ikea (fact… the riot happened a few years back...) and has everyone on the edge of their seats as a heavily pregnant shopper had an interesting time.
Lovely to see people I knew in the audience, Jac and James who have joined The Fiction Workhouse recently. Elizabeth Rutherford-Johnson and her husband Tim down from Lunnon, and intrepid follower of this blog and others, faithful supporter of Salt Publishing and the short story form, Pierre L. All the way from Reading.(Good to meet you Pierre! Thank you so much for coming.) And last but by no means least, another contributor to the Salt book, the lovely Sarah Salway. Find her HERE.
But especially lovely to meet Sue Roe again. Sue taught me for one term in 2002, was my very first Creative Writing tutor. It was extra nice to be able to sign a book for her… that was very special. (See her latest book HERE…reviewed on Vulpes Libris– The Private Lives of the Impressionists.)
Big thanks to Sara Crowley– who blogs HERE. She works at Waterstone’s, is a great champion of the short story form, and a talented writing friend too.
Signed a few books, then a bunch of us went off for supper. It was a pleasure to meet novelist Jeff Noon, and to share a tapas meal. He doesn’t like squid, but does like prawns so that was OK. This morning I have bought his Falling Out Of Cars. Jeff Noon HERE on Wikipedia… I must get out more.
Find out about Alison and her novels, and short story collection HERE
Waterstone's bookshop made a lovely venue, they use the space normally inhabited by their coffee bar on the third floor, set out into an intimate and perfect reading arena. We had lovely squashy leather chairs, our books were beautifully set out on a coffee table, and the audience sat in a semi circle round us.
I met Alison for coffee beforehand and we planned who was going to do what, as well as nattered about our writing, and my Salt book for which Alison is writing a chapter - ( her chapter provisionally: Taboo and Tension in the Short Story… can’t wait!).
I read first, The Carob Tree from my collection Words from a Glass Bubble. Guaranteed to bring a lump to my throat, even now. So I followed it up with a daft flash entitled Barry Island Double Glazing, hamming up the accent something chronic and getting lots of laughs.
Alison read from Fifteen Tales of Modern Attraction Amazon Link HERE, choosing a story set in a riot in Ikea (fact… the riot happened a few years back...) and has everyone on the edge of their seats as a heavily pregnant shopper had an interesting time.
Lovely to see people I knew in the audience, Jac and James who have joined The Fiction Workhouse recently. Elizabeth Rutherford-Johnson and her husband Tim down from Lunnon, and intrepid follower of this blog and others, faithful supporter of Salt Publishing and the short story form, Pierre L. All the way from Reading.(Good to meet you Pierre! Thank you so much for coming.) And last but by no means least, another contributor to the Salt book, the lovely Sarah Salway. Find her HERE.
But especially lovely to meet Sue Roe again. Sue taught me for one term in 2002, was my very first Creative Writing tutor. It was extra nice to be able to sign a book for her… that was very special. (See her latest book HERE…reviewed on Vulpes Libris– The Private Lives of the Impressionists.)
Big thanks to Sara Crowley– who blogs HERE. She works at Waterstone’s, is a great champion of the short story form, and a talented writing friend too.
Signed a few books, then a bunch of us went off for supper. It was a pleasure to meet novelist Jeff Noon, and to share a tapas meal. He doesn’t like squid, but does like prawns so that was OK. This morning I have bought his Falling Out Of Cars. Jeff Noon HERE on Wikipedia… I must get out more.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Warehouse of abandoned books....
Well, I for one will not be looking too closely at the titles on the floor... look at this... the closeure of a warehouse operation that supplied Amazon has led to a free for all as people are invited to take what they want, for nothing.
One side of me says this is good. the other shivers.
DAILY MAIL ARTICLE HERE WITH LOTS OF AWFUL PICCIES. AWFUL IF YOU ARE A WRITER!
One side of me says this is good. the other shivers.
DAILY MAIL ARTICLE HERE WITH LOTS OF AWFUL PICCIES. AWFUL IF YOU ARE A WRITER!
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
My Little Writing Comp - Picture prompts... go on... WRITE!
Write a story of less than 500 words, inspired by my photo above.
Story has to be fresh. Only you know if it is. Unstale. And certainly unpublished.
I will send the writer of the best story a copy of my collection, with an additional flash story hand written inside. UNIQUE!
Deadline, April 7th 2009.
Stories to be emailed to me at vgebbie (at) gmail (DOT) com
Monday, 2 March 2009
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