WHAT IS A WRITING MENTOR?

Lin Treadgold

Mentoring supports and encourages people to manage their own learning. This will help you to maximise your potential, develop your skills, improve your confidence and become an expert writer. I will show you how to increase your knowledge and make your novel ready to send to a publisher. I am qualified in editing and proofreading and will help you move your novel forward. If you have any questions please send me a mail.  lin.treadgold@yahoo.co.uk 

Through the advent of Zoom and my skills in editing, we discover what works for you. I provide this in a one-on-one session because I know writers often lack the confidence to share their work with anyone else. We build on what you wrote in your first chapter. Through this, you will gain confidence to improve the following chapters, and I will edit those chapters as an example of how to make the rest of your book work for you. All writers need feedback, but mentoring is more than that. It’s all about making your book the best it can ever be. 

 With my 25 years of experience, teaching in the driver training industry, I had many successes. I want this to work for you too. I have been there and understand the frustrations when it comes to writing a novel.

When I first began writing in the 1990s, I  often wished I’d had a mentor to help me understand the skills. I read lots of ‘How to’ books and I am an avid reader, but I was engrossed in my own story and never considered there was a way of gripping the reader or the skills that were needed to ‘show and not tell’, or how to contact a publisher. I have to say I was young and naïve in those days; I learned the hard way. Having a mentor to help improve your book and keep you on track can make a difference in your morale and success in becoming an author. Many publishers will advise mentoring before submitting your work. 

If you are seeking help with your book and would like a list of services with prices, please contact me. lin.treadgold@yahoo.co.uk

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Help for New Writers

After receiving several requests for help with writing a novel, I came to the conclusion that my teaching skills could be put to better use. Mentoring is a sensible way of leading new writers into novel writing. I have been there and understand the difficulties of knowing which direction was the right one for me. Is your writing good enough to be published? How do you write a submission letter or a synopsis? Have you sat at your desk for the last half hour with a blank page? The role of a mentor is to suggest interesting alternatives to improve your writing skills and beyond.

25 years of my life was spent teaching adults how to succeed in their work. They did succeed, and I became one of the top instructors in my profession as a trainer of driving instructors. You can imagine the importance of teaching people to drive safely. Instructors have to be able to teach in a sympathetic way as well as having exceptional driving and teaching skills. My skills were tested to the limit during my own training. I can do the same for writers by helping you succeed the first time around. It’s not what you do, but the way you do it.

For the last 12 years, I have worked as an author, and I am now writing my fourth novel. My role is to assist new writers to move into the world of novel writing without the pain and stress of wondering which way to go next. I can read your work and provide feedback by suggesting improvements in your grammar and structure before you consider an editor. It could work out cheaper if the editor has to make fewer edits. I cannot write this book for you, but having someone there who can show you the way, is probably the most sensible direction to go. I advise all writers to gain professional help before they send their work to a publisher or agent. Many publishing houses ask the question where did you seek help for your novel? You never see your work as others see it. Family and friends are too polite, and unless you seek help with a literary mentor, you may carry on wondering why you are always rejected.

Yes, I do charge for the privilege but it will be worth it when you see the light ahead. Please note this is for UK applicants only.

How does this work? First, I agree on the number of hours you would like to undertake—a course of 3, 6 or 10 sessions via Zoom or Messenger. You will send me your work, I will read it, and then we can discuss the best direction for you. It all depends on what you are looking for and how I can help. I want to see your book in the shops! Please note that there could be a waiting list, but I will supply a deadline date for your sessions.

I am a member of the Society of Authors and The Romantic Novelists’ Association. If you wish to contact me: lin.treadgold@yahoo.co.uk

I look forward to helping you become an author with a published book.

Life in 2021

There is really no need for me to say ‘what a year it’s been’, but I’ll say it anyway. My own thoughts are that we are in this place for at least another three years or more before we see any improvement worldwide. Covid 19 is here to stay a while, and longer than first thought in March 2020. Some said it would be over by the summer. (A bit like WWII, ‘it’ll be over by Christmas!’ ) How wrong could we be. We all know that life will never be the same; the environment needs sorting too. Now that the students are in lockdown this week, if they don’t comply, there may not be enough staff to teach them. At least that’s what I heard on the news today. It’s one huge mess, but humans are resilient and we need to pull together to improve life for the year 2021.

I’ve been writing my fourth novel with a working title of ‘Sulmona, the Forgotten Years’. My third, the ‘Trail to Freedom’ is in the process of perusal by publishers. I am told it’s a great story and I hope that when I find a publisher it will do well. I think it could be my favourite.

Some of you may remember that I was traditionally published in 2013. However when a publishing house goes belly-up, you have to be prepared to withdraw ten years of your work and start again. It happened so many times to publishing companies during the financial crisis in 2014. Quite a lot of my author colleagues were caught out too. I did start again and self published in order not to lose momentum on sales.

When I moved from Holland to England, it was like starting over. I spent a lot of time decorating the new house and had two operations for knees and hip. It really does set you back both in health and confidence, and it took me a while to get myself moving again. However, I never gave up. The RNA Exeter Chapter kindly invited me to become their group organiser and I feel it is my friends in the group who have kept me sane during a difficult time.

So, where do we all go next? The social media app, Zoom, has kept us all together along with Messenger and other weblinks. It’s been a godsend for many people. Me? I’m staying home and writing as much as I can and also supporting new writers. As I have adult teaching qualifications and mentoring experience (25 years) I am now supporting new writers to get started and guide them on the road to success. There has never been a better time to do this. New writers need confidence to keep going and someone who understands what it’s like to be a complete beginner. I was there once, although I have to say I wrote my first ‘radio play’ at the age of eleven. So there is a writer in all of us, but for some, it may take until retirement before you actually do something about it. If I had my time over, I would have done it sooner. If you need mentoring help, please contact me for further details. lin.treadgold@yahoo.co.uk

I do hope you will continue to support my already published books, The Tanglewood Affair and Goodbye Henrietta Street. If you would like to visit the Isles of Scilly or enjoy the Dorset and Devon coasts, I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading the books.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lin-Treadgold/e/B00BK5YD5W%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Plenty To Write About

After many hospital appointments during 2019, I hope I’m finally back on track. Blogging has never come easy for me, but here I am, one year on and doing well.

Firstly, I must bring you up to date with the changes.  I have been writing my new novel, ‘The Trail to Freedom’.  This is a wartime historical novel based in Yorkshire, Scotland and Italy.  I recently finished writing it, and I’m now seeking an agent or publisher.

My father was a prisoner of war and for many years, I have kept a box of wartime letters which he sent to his mother, while a soldier in The Green Howards.  Harry Twidle was posted to Dunkirk and then captured in North Africa. His mother kept all his letters and when he died in 1995 I was given those letters, but foolishly didn’t realise the historical importance of the information therein.

I moved house from Holland where my husband worked until 2015 and found the letters after I had settled into the house in Devon.  It dawned on me how historical war novels have gained popularity, and perhaps I should actually read the letters.  I felt very moved when I came across the words ‘Sorry I haven’t written to you for such a long time, but I have been wandering the countryside, trying to get home.’   Over the coming months I became very attached to his words and knew that his story, despite it also being similar for many sons and daughters, it was not well-known and perhaps needed reviving.

Sulmona is an historic town in Italy. Campo 78 served as a POW camp in both world wars.  During World War II, it was home to as many as 3,000 British and Commonwealth officers and other ranks captured in North Africa.

While all this was taking place, back home the ATS girls were helping to keep the country together. In the book,  my character, Ellie, is sent to Scotland to work on a secret mission.  The love of her life is her friend Harold and when they are parted for six years, so much has changed and it seems evident that they will never see each other again.

I shall be forever grateful to my grandmother who couldn’t bear to throw the letters away, and who could blame her?  She collected about fifty of them.  Most are personal but there was a lot of clues within as to how my father was feeling at that time.

I feel that Harry Twidle has written this book with me.  His thoughts and feelings are reflected within the battles fields of Dunkirk, North Africa, and later on within the prison camps in Italy and Germany.  This was a book that had to be written, he inspired me to the point where there would be no excuses for me not to do it. This is a work of fiction inspired by those letters.

I was due to visit the prisoner of war camp in Sulmona (Campo 78)  I had my flight booked and a lovely self-catering house in Bugnara. However, it was not to be and I hope to go there in 2021. In the meantime, I am now writing a sequel to ‘Love Letters from Sulmona’.  I will keep you updated in the coming months about the journey to get this book published.  I already have two published novels ‘Goodbye Henrietta Street’ and The ‘Tanglewood Affair.’  The first one is a love story from The Isles of Scilly in Cornwall and the second is a rather ‘tongue-in-cheek’ cult saga.  I do hope you will follow my journey with all my books and I promise to keep on writing for many years to come.

Lastly, I want to thank all my friends at the Romantic Novelists’ Association, especially those members of the Exeter Chapter for all your wonderful support.  We meet every second Wednesday in the month at the Farmers’ Union pub for lunch and committee meeting afterwards. UPDATE we are now meeting on line with Zoom every second Wednesday in the month

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lin-Treadgold/e/B00BK5YD5W%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lin-Treadgold/e/B00BK5YD5W%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

After a long break/UPDATE Nov. 2018

After a long wait with the NHS, I finally had a new hip and four weeks on, doing well. It takes a lot of effort to get out of bed in the mornings but each day is a bonus after three years of being in pain.
My new book, The Tanglewood Affair was finally published but unfortunately,  my operation was two weeks earlier than planned and the rush to get the book ready for publication was not well timed.
I do hope you will support me in the coming months with the new novel, although it could be after the new year before I can start the marketing process despite being a little late. Thanks to all for helping me get through all this.

It’s been a while since I used my blog page, but I am sure you will forgive me when I tell you why.

In 2015 I moved back to the UK from Holland. It took me quite a while, after spending 15 years in The Netherlands, to learn how to be British again.  My husband was unable to follow me to the new house as he wasn’t due to retire until Christmas of that year.  When we finally became a family again, we had a host of renovations to undertake. It was worth it, but my writing time was taken up with building work and gardening.  After about 18 months I discovered I had osteoarthritis and in 2017 I attended many hospital appointments with very painful limbs.

Writing a novel in between so much activity presented me with a few dilemmas.  However, I was able to carry on regardless, although more slowly than I was used to, and with the help of Silverwood Books, I pushed the novel into the next stage.  My colleagues at the Exeter Chapter of the Romantic Novelists’ Association supported me with feedback and without their support and motivation I don’t think I would have got this far.

Finally, The Tanglewood Affair has a cover and will be available on Amazon in September 2018. This is an unusual novel set in 1976 around the time of the famous drought and  a long hot summer. Slight deja vu?

Lord Augustus Hannings has disappeared, following the
drowning of his wife in the lake at Tanglewood Farm.
Ten years on in 1976, a young woman, Jess Stamp, rents
a room at the farm, living alongside the other residents, who are
known as ‘The Household Cavalry.’ Jess is drawn into an
unlikely alliance with the herdsman, and together they set
out to solve the mystery of her landlady Connie’s clandestine
lifestyle and the disappearance of her wealthy cousin, Lord
Hannings.
Caught up in a world of intrigue and secrets, cults and
romance, can Jess survive at the farm amidst all the uncertainties
surrounding her?

I hope you will enjoy reading this book.  Keep an eye on Amazon and don’t forget to read my first novel Goodbye Henrietta Street whilst you are waiting.

https://www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk/product/9781781323465/goodbye-henrietta-street

 

 

Victoria Cornwall – A story of success.

I have just finished reading The Thief’s Daughter by Victoria Cornwall.  In between writing my own book and editing out all the words which were not relevant, I managed to squeeze some reading time in between. I found Victoria’s book about the Cornish smugglers to be a fascinating read, which led me to wonder how much research the author had to do to produce this novel.

Eighteenth-century Cornwall is crippled by debt and poverty, while the gibbet casts a shadow of fear over the land. Yet, when night falls, free traders swarm onto the beaches and smuggling prospers, but young Jenna Cartwright has seen it all before and knows the dangers of the trade, her parents were thieves.  She is faced with the same poverty but knows her boundaries. When her ruthless husband is about to be hanged, Jenna takes an extraordinary stance to fulfil a promise not to allow him a lingering death on the gallows. Will her covert identity be found out? We have some very interesting characters as Jenna follows her new life after the death of her husband.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thiefs-Daughter-Victoria-Cornwall-ebook/dp/B01MT550QT/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496584690&sr=1-1&keywords=victoria+cornwall

As the story unfolded, I couldn’t help but feel the ‘Poldark’ era, and so I had to find out more. Today I am delighted to introduce you to my guest, Victoria Cornwall. Welcome to my blog.

 You certainly kept me reading this book, and as I read on, I realised how well- written it was.  How long did it take to write The Thief’s Daughter?

Thank you for having me on your website today, Lin. I began writing The Thief’s Daughter in September and finished it in the following March, so it took about seven months to complete the first draft. Several months of editing followed before I felt happy to submit it to a publisher.

I realised how much research you had to do to make this book into something special. Can you tell us more about your research and any difficulties you may have encountered during the writing stage?

 I enjoy learning about the past so the research phase of writing a book is not a chore for me. I spent the prior summer reading about the Cornish 18th-century smuggling trade. I also visited several museums in Cornwall which featured this part of the county’s murky past. Those visits were particularly helpful and provided the little details that you don’t always find out about in books, such as a smuggler’s lantern that has three sides blacked out or the farm implements which were used as weapons.

Are the 1700’s a favourite era or are you a future ‘all rounder’. Do you see yourself writing contemporary romance or will you continue to write historically?

 I usually write Victorian romance, so the 18^th century was a departure for me, however, I am a Poldark fan, have been since I was a child, so writing about the same era was probably inevitable for me. It was the first book I had accepted by a publisher and they will be publishing my Victorian novels in the near future, so it’s an exciting time for me at the moment. I think I would enjoy writing a contemporary romantic comedy or a thriller, but for now, I am very happy writing in my favourite genre, historical romance.

 What do you find intriguing about historical romance? What attracts you to that era?

It is my preferred reading genre, probably due to the fact that my mother loved it and used to pass her books down to me when she had finished reading them. I think I like it because you are escaping the present. Their clothes, environment and problems may be very different; but their emotions, self-doubt and character development are very recognisable and easy to empathise with. The stories are different to the life we live in now, yet not so very different that we do not recognise it.

 Can you tell us about choosing names for your characters and how you do this?

 Names of characters are so important. I think we have all read books where the hero or heroine’s name is not right and sticks out like a sore thumb. I chose Jenna because it is the Cornish version of Jennifer. As it is based in Cornwall, it seemed appropriate to have a Cornish name. The name also sounds gentle and kind, which is what Jenna is. She is a great heroine and I am very proud to have created her. I chose Jack for the hero because it is ordinary and direct – with no frills, just like the hero. Yet, there is a soft side to the hero, just like the letter J sounds soft when spoken. I think it suits him very well.

How do you plan your novels? 

 Often, I am inspired by a location, then spend quite a while in a daydream thinking up the basic story. The next step is writing down the time-plan and the basic bones of the story. I also make notes on each character, which include their looks, their motives, the payback they will get if they succeed, the cost if they fail etc. Then I elaborate the story, add sub-characters and plot the storyline. When I have a rough idea of the beginning, the middle and the end, including any twists, I finally sit down and start to write.

 During the writing of this novel, did you become emotionally involved with the characters?  I know many writers that do.  Were you in the story, fighting on the beaches with the smugglers?

 I think you have to imagine yourself as the character if you are going to portray them accurately, particularly if you are writing from their point of view. I could identify with Jenna in some incidences, but I also identified with Jack and Silas too.

Do you have another book in progress and what have you learned from writing The Thief’s Daughter?

 I have three more books that will be published over the coming months and years, all of which are historical fiction set in Cornwall. The Thief’s Daughter was a story that demanded to be told, however, it needed to be coaxed into the world and did not flow easily. Writing it has taught me to not give up on writing a book if the going gets tough, because sometimes the completed novel is worth the labour of love that went into it.

 As you have a book published, what advice would you give to new writers wishing to write historical romance?

Learn about your market as writing for the American market is very different to the UK market. Also, different imprints expect different things so choose which fits best for the sort of historical romance you want to write. Choose what is best for you, as once you are published, you might just be writing the same type of historical romance for a while.

 When can we expect to see your next book published?

 I am currently waiting for the edits for my next book to come through, so I assume it will be published later this year. However, I can confirm that The Thief’s Daughter will be released as a paperback on 3rd October and is available to pre-order now.

 Thanks for visiting my blog and good luck with your future novels. 

 I have enjoyed answering your questions and thank you, Lin, for having me on here.

http://victoriacornwall.com/

THE FAYE WYLIE STORY

 

Today I have Faye Wylie, aged 27 years, as my guest.  I met her around 2009 with her mum at The York Festival of Writing and we chatted.  Faye was in a wheelchair and to me, it seemed she was too young to be in that situation in her late-teens. I didn’t really question why, but it was obvious that Faye was dealing with serious health issues. She is a good writer and I immediately liked her. We have been Facebook friends ever since. Faye has always enjoyed writing and poetry, but unfortunately, things have changed for her over the last few years and I think it best we allow her to tell her own story. I am sure you will find it both inspiring and heartwarming.

I learned that Faye has Mitochondrial Disease. When a person has this awful illness, it means that the mitochondria in the cells are not producing enough energy. Sometimes they are not very efficient or they do not work at all. http://www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk/mi/mitochondrial-disease/

There is a huge variety in the symptoms and severity of Mitochondrial Disease. It depends on how many cells are affected and where they are in the body.

Every person with Mitochondrial Disease is affected differently. For Faye, Mitochondrial Disease came into effect in adolescence, but it is much more common for it to present in children. Each individual will have a different combination of mitochondria that are working and not working within each cell.

However, there are times when particular body systems are affected in a recognisable pattern and these have particular names, for example, Alpers, Leigh’s disease, MELAS and MERRF.

The commonest parts of the body affected are those that have the highest energy demands; brain, muscle, liver, heart and kidney- when these systems are affected Mitochondrial Disease is usually progressive.

Available Treatments

Unfortunately, there is no cure for Mitochondrial Disease at present.

WHEN I discovered all this information, I realised that Faye was going to need all the support she could get, not only from friends and family but around the world. She informs me that people generally do not understand this debilitating disease. Faye is the founder of Leigh Network, a charity to help, educate, and support families with Mitochondrial Disease. She named this charity after the type of Mitochondrial Disease she has: Leigh’s Disease.

One of the saddest things is that this disease has caused Faye and her family a lot of loss. Leigh’s Disease caused Faye to lose her sight in 2013. Sight loss is just one of the things that effect people with this awful illness. Faye is now classed as being severely-sighted and her life is not what she expected it to be like when she was first diagnosed at twelve years old. Below, Faye tells her story.

Welcome Faye,

1. At what age did you realise you were ill and unable to fully engage in everyday life?

The symptoms began when I was around seven or eight. I was walking to school with my mum, when I had to stop to rest. The muscles in my legs seemed to need a little recuperation time to revive themselves. They felt like they were fizzing and this was probably the first time I noticed I got tired. But I just felt normal in myself and carried on to school. Episodes like this became more frequent to the point where when I was twelve I had a muscle biopsy, lumbar puncture, MRI scan, CT scan, kidney scan, blood tests, eye tests and ultrasounds. I walked into the hospital and, because of the strain of the testing process, left the building using a wheelchair. I thought I would get better (any child who goes to into hospital would), but I am still a wheelchair user today. I never really perceived myself as being ‘ill’, I just took life for what it was, but I think I had always had optimism that things would improve for me. Unfortunately, my health has deteriorated further over the years.

I try to engage as fully as possible in everyday life: I study college courses, visit friends and family, go shopping and to the cinema and I still enjoy my poetry evenings and writing classes. I can go to the local shop independently and enjoy this freedom immensely. If travelling further afield, I need someone to help me and I feel very fortunate that I have such a supportive family.

2. I know you lost your young brother to the same disease. When did this happen and can you share with us about him, how old you were at the time and how it has affected you and your family?

Sam died aged 19 months in 1993 when I was three years old. For the first year of his life he seemed perfect but when he was twelve months old his eye began squinting. My parents took him to the hospital where they reported that he had a neurological problem. They told my parents that their baby boy would not see his second birthday. At this stage, they hadn’t diagnosed Sam with a Mitochondrial illness, as the science behind Mito research was in its infancy.

He had big brown eyes and light brown hair, like Dad’s. We always wonder what Sam would be like now. He would have turned twenty-five last New Years Eve. Any family that loses a child would understand the impact a loss like this has on the family. My parents have been amazingly strong, especially as they have had to deal with my diagnosis too. Grieving for Sam had been even more difficult for them as they hadn’t known what caused his death or if it was genetic because at the time Mitochondrial Disease was relatively unknown.

 

3. When I first met you, you seemed to be enjoying yourself despite the challenges you face. What has changed since that time?

I have always felt I had more ability than disability. For example, just because I use a chair doesn’t mean that I can’t take steps. I dislike the term ‘disabled’, preferring to refer to myself as ‘differently-abled’. I strive to be as independent as possible. I do become exhausted very easily, often after just a few steps, so my chair is brilliant for when I do need to rest. Admittedly, I can’t go very far without my chair but I will keep my independence for as long as I can. I am generally happiest when I am doing things that I’ve always loved doing, so when we met at the writing festival, I was in my element.

4. You were learning to drive and were close to passing your test, so when you woke up one day to find that your eyesight had changed, I bet you felt very disheartened. Tell us what happened and what this meant for your future.

I loved learning to drive and the freedom it promised to bring. I was very good at it too. I was about to have the car adapted but something told me not to.

On my twenty-third birthday, I had a very serious chest infection and my body needed the mitochondrial energy.  I did have to fight this off. The doctor said that as a result, my eyes suffered. Any kind of infection could be fatal to me now as my body needs to use the remaining mitochondrial resources I have to fight it and these can’t be replenished.

The sight loss happened gradually. Three years ago, after I went for an eye test in February. I had to get new glasses. In April I noticed my sight wasn’t right and I thought it was the prescription so I went back for another test and was rushed to A&E where they ordered many tests (including another round of lumber-punctures, MRI’s etc). Eventually, in the July of that year, they found the optic nerve had swollen, then reduced and was permanently damaged. They couldn’t do anything to fix this. I was then registered ‘severely-sighted’ in November.

In the last year I have noticed that some mornings when I wake, my sight has 100% gone. This is obviously terrifying and although it never lasts long, I never know if it is going to come back. People often ask ‘what does a blind girl see’? This is impossible to answer as every visually impaired person can ‘see’ differently. For instance, I have a friend who is 100% blind and can’t distinguish between bright light or pitch-black darkness. For me, colours are faded and images appear immensely pixelated (blurs really). Sometimes images are impossible to distinguish and technology has recently been a great asset.

5. Your work with your charity, Leigh Network, is proving to be a success and I know how important it is for you to keep going to create awareness for the charity. Do tell us what Leigh Network is all about and what others can do to help you in your quest.
   

After speaking to the doctor and learning more about the impact that Leigh’s Disease would have on my life, I then took a year to absorb it all and try and find ways to cope with what I had been told: that there is no cure, my health will only get worse, and it is genetic. I then studied counselling skills, mental health awareness, psychology and mentoring. Using all these combined skills I am now able to support families who may be facing a new mitochondrial diagnosis or dealing with any uncertainty around it. We also support those who have lost members of their families to mitochondrial diseases and we are there to support them throughout their journey.

I set up LN because being diagnosed with an unheard of, but not rare illness meant that I felt isolated and I didn’t have anywhere to go for information or support. In 2010 I had been going to The Brain Charity (previously named Neuro Support) as part of their young person’s group. I noticed they had the facility to room hire and I was inspired to organise the first ever meeting for those affected by Mitochondrial Disease. After sending off letters to every hospital and hospice in the country, we managed to get a specialist from both Manchester Children’s Hospital and Alder Hey Hospital to come and meet some of the families we had reached out to through Facebook and email. We had a fantastic meeting and since then we have had more across the country. Over the years, we have met many fantastic and inspiring people, from children to adults, all facing different struggles associated with mitochondrial disease. These people are my inspiration and why I do what I do. We carry out fundraising events to raise money for our meetings and for fun family days out for the children. I would like to register Leigh Network as a formal charity, but unfortunately, at this time, it would be too demanding for me to manage.https://www.facebook.com/groups/171119526321329/

6. What annoys you most about being wheelchair reliant? How do people treat you when you go into the town? Are there enough facilities for wheelchair users? I know you have some stories to tell, would you care to share them here?

I do struggle sometimes with people’s ignorance. For example, I went to the cinema with a friend, similar in age to me and on the way home bumped into an older lady that my mum used to work with (I didn’t know her). She was very sweet but said ‘Oh, you’ve got a carer with you’. It upsets me that people assume, however innocently, that anyone with me must be a carer, that I wouldn’t possibly have friends. Another time, my mum and I were going to London for a charity event and needed to call a few hotels first to make sure their access was adequate. When mum asked if they had wheelchair access, One said, “Yes we do! You’ll just have to go up two steps to get to your ground-floor room!”…that’s not wheelchair access. I get quite upset with public transport sometimes. I was particularly annoyed when I went to the library with a friend and at the bus stop on the way home a bus pulled in but went too far ahead so I had to turn my wheelchair to move towards it. Rather than wait 5 seconds, the driver seemed to decide he didn’t have time to deal with me, so he just pulled away. My friend and I were speechless. We had to wait a while for another bus. Sometimes people in the public can be gems but sometimes it’s as though they see the chair and cane but not the person. Modern areas are much better as planners have a legal obligation to consider different-abled facilities. However, older places can be a real struggle.

7. Is there a routine to your life on a day to day basis and what is most important to you each day?

Because of my charity work, I have to plan ahead. For example, if I have a busy day, I have to rest the whole day before and a few days after. Luckily my memory is quite good so I can memorise things like bus times and routes. I taught myself how to get to the Brain Charity building and the shared Henshaws and RNIB building in Liverpool, as I do a lot with these organisations. I like to be as independent as possible and can afford to be fairly flexible at the moment as long as I take my medication and get rest when I need it.

8. How do you cope with losing your sight? Do you have the technology to help you read etc? How do you manage to write your messages on Facebook?

Luckily, I have an iPad and a smartphone which both have voiceover software which reads out what is on the screen. I write my posts on Facebook on an iPad by turning the voiceover off, then I guess where the touch-keys are and type and hope I have got the spelling right. I turn the voiceover back on to check the spelling and if it sounds ok I will post it, if not I delete it and try again. The voiceover reads out any received posts or messages. Unfortunately, I have not yet mastered how to use a computer, but I like how I can move the iPad closer to my eyes so this works for now. In the future, I hope to find a PC that meets my needs as I still enjoy writing and would love to edit my own book, which is a semi-autobiographical novel that I have written.

9. Are you satisfied you receive good support from the medical profession?  If not what would you like to see improved for others in your situation and what research is being done for MD.

As I said earlier, Mito research is in its infancy. I’ve heard that MD research is currently where Alzheimer’s research was twenty years ago. Interestingly, MD research has suggested that Mitochondrial malfunction could be linked to more commonly known diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and some Autism-Spectrum Disorders. There is an awful lot of work to be done. At the moment in the UK, there are three main centres for research;, in Newcastle, Oxford and Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. There is some hope for future generations since the development of Mitochondrial Donation IVF Technique ( http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/three-parent-babies-what-is-mitochondrial-donation-and-what-are-the-techniques-involved-10021567.html ). My charity tries to raise awareness of these research centres. I think it would be a big help for hospitals to have a support facility in place for families diagnosed with MD. I particularly struggled with the lack of emotional support from the medical profession after my diagnosis. I have a good relationship now with some doctors involved with the research.

10. What is your favourite book and are you getting help to access audio books?

That’s a very hard question to answer as I love so many books. As my sight has changed, the genre of the books I like has changed. When I could see I used to like light-hearted fiction, the kind that has a happy ending. As my sight has declined and as I’ve matured I tend to now enjoy darker, more mature-themed stories as I feel they are more reflective of real life which is not necessarily ‘perfect’ all the time. I love thrillers such as ‘The Girl on the Train’ and Edward Marston is my favourite writer at the moment as his books are fast-paced, funny and set in historical times. I find that darker themes tend to be written with more description. Luckily I live in an area where the libraries will try to order audio books if I request them.

11. Do you have any plans for the near future and what would you like to see improve?

For the next year, I have set myself a few different goals and challenges; personal, professional and educational. I want to complete the new course I am on at college. I am arranging our next Leigh Network meeting in Glasgow in June and I want to dedicate more time to my social life. I will always continue to try to raise awareness of Leigh Network and MD and I live in hope that the general attitude of the public will alter greatly towards differently-abled people.

12. Finally, what can we do to help you with Leigh Network? As this is a charity do you need more financial support? How can we donate?

Unfortunately, I am not in a position to take Leigh Network forward as a registered charity at this time, so, for now, we continue to be affiliated with The Lily Foundation and research bodies so any donations towards Mito research can be sent directly to The Lily Foundation. For Leigh Network, we continue to fundraise to run our meetings (and family days out). For example, at Christmas, I sell cards I make and we sell home-made goods at craft fairs. If anyone has any ideas for fundraising for LN, I would be delighted to hear them. If businesses which would appeal to families would like to offer a discounted day out for the families we support that would be great too. If people simply want to donate to Leigh Network to help us fund our days out, we have a GOFUNDME page (https://www.gofundme.com/leigh-network-family-mito-meetings) and all donations are gratefully received.

Anyone can follow us on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Leigh-Network-203975279619098/

Thanks for your interest and support.

Faye x

I know you enjoy writing poetry. If you wish you can share it here.           

The Canvas

A canvas so full of potential.

The crisp white rectangle,

So fresh like untouched snow.

The possibilities of how to fill it are endless.

As you tap the canvas,

the cotton twangs.

Which colour will you choose?

Lemon, crimson, navy?

You open the acrylic tube,

Hearing the satisfying pop and the familiar squelch.

As the paint comes out,

You evaluate how you feel,

What emotions are bubbling through your blood?

Is it a passionate pink or a fiery red?

Or maybe violet is powering strength into your veins.

As you blend the colours all together,

The brush gets faster as the vision becomes defined,

Becomes reality on the canvas.

Each time you stand back,

Appraise your creativity,

You notice the slight imperfections.

Where you could tweak.

You give a contented nod,

A sigh of contentment.

At last, it is done.

Thank you for providing us with an insight into your life. Good luck and keep strong, you are doing such a good job. 

 

New Beginnings

Since I returned to England from the Netherlands, so much has changed for me. I had to learn how to be British again and start afresh. I took a break from writing and I am now pleased to say I am back on track with my latest novel.

In August 2016, I collaborated with award winning author, Sue Moorcroft, and she conducted a very informative writing weekend with ‘Fiction on the Taw.’ Her support was invaluable and we had many new writers who needed that push to improve their skills. Sue provided the motivation  and her teaching skills impressed me. I am sure we will be working together again in the future to organise another venue.

Now is the right time for me to help others succeed. This has been my forum for many years and  I want to take it further in the world of writing. I used to teach new driving instructors to pass their exams and had a very good record of success. A driving instructor has to undertake a proper teaching course with the Driving Standards Agency and the standards are very high indeed. Instructors have to prepare lessons as any school teacher would do and mentor individual students to make sure they succeed.  I had the pleasure of teaching for 25 years and wrote my own training course to enable my students to make the grade. I have also written newspaper and magazine articles on driving and other related subjects and had them published. In the 1980’s I undertook a creative writing course with the University of Leeds on Teesside.

When I moved to Holland (due to my husband’s job)  I had to start over and was not able to teach driving there, unless I took my exams again and I didn’t have a full grasp of the Dutch language. So I gave up and became a writer instead. The Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors had many courses to learn how improve my skills.  I later moved on to writing a novel which was published in 2013. Goodbye Henrietta Street is doing well in Cornwall and The Isles of Scilly and also on Amazon.  I now have another two novels waiting publication in the coming months. I have been writing since 1980 and now editing my second and third books.

What I want to do now is help the new writers gain confidence in their writing skills and use my teaching experience for mentoring and provide them with a critique service. I will not be editing their work, but will assist in helping the new writer to move forward. This is a pleasure for me and I already have a few people in the fold who are now writing due to my support. I feel new writers often need guidance to improve their work.  If I can set them on the right track and provide a report on their ideas and how to make their work more presentable, then I will have done a good job.  There is no such thing as a bad writer, it’s all down to obtaining the correct information and guidance.

What will I provide?

A service for new writers to gain a positive and helpful report on their work in progress. This will include the first three chapters of their novel and their proposed synopsis; I will even look at the basic idea and comment. I am prepared to offer a report on a full novel, but at this stage I recognise that new writers’ finances are usually limited.  So this is why I want to help with the first stage of the process, to encourage and show them how it can be done if they have the help and support of someone who understands their needs. Writing is a bit like learning to drive a car; you have to understand the controls before you can take it on the road. I want to give an honest, yet positive report on their work and assist them with their successes.

If you think this could be you, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can e-mail me  at lin.treadgold@yahoo.co.uk for further information. Each writer’s requirements will be charged according to their needs, but we aren’t talking hundreds of pounds as you may imagine.  I charge by the hour and for the first three chapters and synopsis, I will  provide you with an estimate before I begin. We would then agree to continue the work. No work, no fee and everyone’s needs are different. All information and work in progress is confidential and I hope to build a rapport with each of my students.

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

My Year in Progress with Jean Fullerton

Author, Jean Fullerton has to be one of my favourite authors. I first met her in 2011 when she offered to do a workshop for new writers in Yorkshire.  Nothing is too hard for Jean.  Her work in the nursing profession shows, not only through her writing, but in the support she provides to new writers and also new authors.  Where she finds the time to write and work alongside her ecclesiastical husband, as well as looking after her growing family, I shall never know.  The main thing is she always has a smile on her face and I really do admire her drive.

Jean’s books are very good.  If you follow the TV nursing  series of a similar style, you will love ‘Call Nurse Millie.’  I have yet to read her latest book of which the information is at the bottom of this page, but if you want to read something different in a romance novel, try going back to the 1950’s with Millie Sullivan, it was a lovely story I just couldn’t put down.  Here are the reviews:

‘A delightful, well researched story that depicts nursing and the living conditions in the East End at the end of the war’ (Lesley Pearce)

‘…The writing shines off the page and begs for a sequel’ (Historical Novel Society)

‘…you will ride emotional highs and lows with each new birth and death. Beautifully written with some sharp dialogue.’ (THE LADY)

I hope you will enjoy reading more about Jean and her year in progress.

 

 Thanks for asking me to be a guest on your blog, Lin, to talk about my writing year.

My writing year actually consists of two years running concurrently, one for the book I’m writing and the  second is the book being published that year. Readers like to follow character through a number of books and so series are very popular at the moment. As a writer I like them, too, as having built my post-war East London world with the St Georges and St Dunstan’s Nursing Association, I only have to pick up where I left off. However, alongside familiar and much loved characters like Millie Sullivan and Connie Byrne, I try to find new angles on stories and fresh characters for each new novel.

The East London world where I’ve set Millie and Connie’s stories, was a place with a bomb site on every corner and with a chronic housing shortage. Families of six or more children were commonplace and often had to share houses condition often with only cold running water and an outside lavatory.
War-time East London had a flourishing black market and with the close proximity of the docks this undercover economy was soon taken over by criminal gangs in peacetimes. As today, there was a diverse community made up of Chinese, Maltese, Greeks, Turkish, Poles, Irish and the native Cockneys.
In her limited spare time – one day per week – Connie and her fellow nurses would visit the cinema and lose themselves in the latest releases with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers or go dancing on Saturday nights in the various dance halls ‘Up West’.

Social attitudes were changing and the many men who returned expecting to find the little woman content to spend the day cleaning the house were disappointed. But running alongside these new ideas were the much more rooted ones such as helping your neighbours, bringing children up to respect their elders, ‘bringing trouble home’, looking after your parents, not owing anyone anything and not taking charity.

Becoming pregnant outside marriage was taboo. Young women were not allowed any sexual liberties before they were married or else be labelled a tart. Young men were expected to be wild and aggressive, sort out their problems man to man and stand their rounds but if they did get a girl in trouble they were expected do the right thing.
My writing year started for me at the beginning of September 2014. This is because I’ve usually just handed in the book due out the following year. I try to take a break in the summer although sometimes it’s to do another project like writing a novella or a short story. However the serious heads-down writing year starts in earnest in September.
I spend the first week plotting the various strands of the new book on a spread sheet and then I write the immortal words, ‘Chapter One’. As any writer will tell you, the opening pages of any novel are crucial for capturing the reader, so I take a lot of time over the first chapter to set the scene, as I’m aware that new readers will be coming fresh to my post war East London world.

By October I’m well into the book but it isn’t long before the edits for next year’s books arrives. I have to take my head out of the book I’m currently writing and get back into the one I finished a few months before. Thankfully these days the edits are small changes they only take a couple of weeks then I’m back to the new book and try to get as much done the copy edits arrive in December.

These are much quicker and I try to turn them around in a week and then back to the 2015 book to get another couple of chapters completed before Christmas. Somewhere along the way I’ve got the cover for the 2015 book through for approval, and so we get to Christmas. As I’m aiming to get the book to my publisher by the middle of July I try to be at least a 1/3 of the way through by the festive season . It doesn’t always happen as life sometimes intrudes.

As the 2015 book will go into production in April the page proofs arrive sometime in Feb. These are just the tiddly little comas and wrong word read and I’m lucky that my Hero-at-Home does these for me so I can plough on with the book I’m currently writing, which will be published in June 2016. That’s usually the end of my involvement with the current book until a month before it’s released when I have to spend time publicising it. So now, somewhere around March, I’m free to get on with the current book. I aim again to have the first draft of this complete before the new 2015 book comes out. I allow myself a week of publicity before going back to the first draft and editing it so I can get the book to my agent by the end of July before collapsing again.

Fetch Nurse Connie.
Connie Byrne, a nurse in London’s East End working alongside Millie Sullivan from Call Nurse Millie, is planning her wedding to Charlie Ross, set to take place as soon as he returns from the war. But when she meets him off the train at London Bridge, she finds that his homecoming isn’t going to go according to plan.
Connie’s busy professional life, and the larger-than-life patients in the district, offer a welcome distraction, but for how long?
Available from Orion Fiction on kindle, paperback and hardback on 4th June 2015

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fetch-Nurse-Connie-Jean-Fullerton-ebook/dp/B00S53JGXQ/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1XF0R2F4QWSNJQ8XFE19

Life after Bitter Disappointment – Goodbye Henrietta Street Is Back!

What do you do when your publisher writes to you one day, out of the blue, and informs you after less than a year of publishing my book, that they can no longer keep the business open? I had just got the sales rolling in 2013/14 and was beginning to feel, at last, I was an author after ten years of learning how to do the job. It was all going well. After several weeks of decision making and wondering where to go next I suddenly realised that to find another publisher was going to take a lot of hard work with very little reward. Thanks to a fellow author (we girls have to stick together) I got a tip-off to contact Silverwood Books.  I never wanted to self publish and hated the idea of getting tangled up with all that computer jargon to get myself on Amazon.  Yes, they say it’s relatively easy, but I wanted more than that, I still needed an editor. I’d read the book too many times to see my own mistakes. Due to legal restrictions in my first contract I was not allowed to used the edits from the previous publisher.  Okay, whose words are they in the book anyway? However, if the words in the book were identical edits to those done by them, then I would be in breach of contract.  So, rather than be beaten by the powers that be, I took it on myself to re-edit the whole book and get some help to check it out.  The result – an amazing improvement with a slightly new twist in the tale. After my first contact with Silverwood Books, I noticed the difference in attitudes and the helpful way in which the staff talked me through all their procedures.  I have to say they were marvellous.  It wasn’t like self publishing at all, it was more of what I should have had the first time around. It was wonderful working with a team again, I had been rescued! Yes, I had to pay for the work, but in this situation I had to keep my book up there and it had to be an improved version, so it has been worth it.  So, take a romantic trip to the Isles of Scilly with Pippa, Sven, Rob, Joan, and Terry. Where did it all go wrong?

After weeks of working with the team, I arrived at my final draft and all the loose ends were in place.  I was delighted with the new cover and very soon I shall have a better photo for you but in the meantime I just wanted to let you all know that Goodbye Henrietta Street is being released again on 16 March 2015. I will keep you  informed about the links to Amazon, but in the meantime I do hope you will support me by sharing my posts and retweeting on Twitter. Thanks to everyone who supported me, you have all been amazing. I got two book shop orders already!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=lin+treadgold&sprefix=Lin+Treadgold%2Caps%2C197