First, I’ve got to say I loved Phil’s photo that accompanied Monday’s post. Keswick is one of my favourite places and it’s hard to beat Castlerigg stone circle early in the morning when you’ve got it all to yourself.

Next, Thursday is World Book Night when 20 books are selected and then 80,000 copies are distributed to people who wouldn’t normally read for pleasure or own books.  It’s run by The Reading Agency, a national charity, and an army of volunteers distribute books in their communities.

Have a look at the books that will be given out – they’re quite an eclectic mix. So why have these particular books been chosen? According to the organisers they have been selected because they are all ‘good, enjoyable, highly readable books with a strong compelling narrative’. Just the sort of thing to get someone who’s not a regular reader hooked!

Incidentally, you might win yourself a set of all 20 if you tweet them (@worldbooknight   #reading journey) and tell them about your own reading journey – the book that first turned you on to reading, the books that have inspired you and how reading has shaped you. Read the rest of this entry »

I’d always loved writing short stories, ever since I was a little girl and as I grew up I kept on writing. I was fortunate enough to win a couple of small competitions but when I tried to write for the women’s weeklies and other national magazines, I received rejection after rejection. So I put my dream of being a writer to bed and focused on my career as a bank executive.

After an accident, I couldn’t carry out my job anymore and had to spend a long time recuperating. It was then that I saw the ad for The Writers Bureau. Read the rest of this entry »

Carole Taylor’s a stubborn lass. Even back at school she told everyone that, one day, she was going to write a book. Now, granted, she did get a bit side-tracked raising a family (and with her daughter the deputy head of a London primary school, son a departmental leader in an international bank, I think we can assume she put a reasonable amount of effort into that.) More recently, there’s been a major health scare with her heart. And now, as well as working part time for a TV production company, her first grandchild’s appeared on the scene … Nonetheless, she never did give up on that book thing and, in the end, didn’t just write one, but five. They’re not only written either, she’s had them all published as ebooks by an American online publisher. So, if any of you out there were thinking it was too late to get started on a writing career – read on. Read the rest of this entry »

A friend of ours got a new job last week – Senior Copywriter for one of the big banks. I’m not sure what the salary is, but it’s more than her last post (also copywriting) and comes with all the perks of full-time employment – holiday pay; sickness benefits; pension plan, etc. Understandably, she’s delighted, and though she’s not planning a mansion on Millionaires’ Row just yet, she may well take an extra holiday some time in the new year. Read the rest of this entry »