Home Thoughts Weekly

K icking off what turns into a whistle-stop of a fortnight, Ma’s blood pressure goes through the roof due to a misunderstanding over her medication. Tom’s dad – suffering from a troublesome infection – is required to take a sample to hospital, but as he and Tom’s mum cross the road to get there my mother-in-law misses the kerb, falls flat on her face and ends up in A&E. Then Rose rings to tell me she’s tried a spot of self-trepanation by slipping against the corner of her car door and boring a hole in her forehead. As fate would have it, we have a funeral to attend in the south east which means we can do an extended relly-check while we're there. From west Wales we drive to Surrey to see Ma, who’s back in rude health (very rude, eh Ma, with that naughty quip!) and looking very perky. We then drive to West Sussex to find DiL on the mend, but poor MiL looking very bashed about. The following morning we drive to Canterbury for the funeral, Herne Bay for the wake and then...

A small group of women is gathered by the entrance of our branch of Tesco armed with copies of a widely read west Wales newspaper. ‘Half price Carmarthen Journal?’ they offer, ‘only 37p today?’ When we decline, one of the women introduces herself as the editor and asks why we’re not buying to which we explain that we can read most newspapers, including theirs, free online.  As we walk away to do our shopping, it occurs to me that it’s a sign of the times when a newspaper editor is standing in the freezing doorway of a supermarket trying to drum up interest so I pop back for a quick chat. I explain that I can’t get this particular store - my local Tesco - to stock my books (central ordering), that - like her on this wintry day - I’m also constantly trying to find new and innovative ways to reach readers and finally that the main effect of giving digital content away is that consumers have come to expect it. In the early days of Kindle, a special offer on one of my books was...

Sacha Ferrier's Transcience exhibition ‘I know you’ve worked really hard on this,’ Tom begins cautiously, ‘but I prefer the first version…’. Tom’s always the first person to read my work, usually when it’s finished, so it’s rare to run anything past him at this early stage. The thing is, having finished my first chapter of the new novel, I keep having a mental ‘tickle’ that has to be scratched; what if I write this in the first person?  We’re inclined to trust first person narratives and are often seduced by their immediacy, that sense of having direct access to a character’s thoughts, but I also liked the idea that first-person narrators are unreliable; memories change every time we retrieve them, or we may gloss over events and deceive ourselves about what really happened. The re-write proves to be an interesting experiment; I learn a great deal more about my protagonist, but I can’t quite tell why the story isn’t quite working until Tom gives me his reaso...

‘But, Chris,’ Si, my son-in-law, tells me gently, ‘it’s only you who thinks that way.’ We’re sitting at the kitchen table where I’ve been moaning away about my professional disappointments in 2014 and awarding myself a Could Do Better grade for my efforts. ‘Anyone else would be pleased to have just one novel published - ever – you’re just comparing yourself to others in a very small circle.’ I’ve thought about our ‘turning of the year’ conversation a lot since then because it helped me to see that the only person giving me a hard time, is me. Some of it’s due to panic; I’ve had several writing projects in mind and started them only for my Inner Critic to rise up and savage them. Some of it’s due to a sudden urge to put everything in order, a frenzied outbreak of cupboard tidying as if I’m trying to create a sense of calm so I can concentrate in peace. And a lot of it’s because I’ve been ill, in pain, busy with other commitments, worried about other people, irritabl...

A view from the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path After our mountain of visitors – nine over two weeks, eight of us altogether at peak times and, believe me, we have a dormer bungalow not a country mansion – I have a few mountains to climb (washing, ironing and putting bedding back in store) before I’m back in the swing of blogging. However, I also have heaps of very happy memories to treasure; like the sight of Ma’s face when she discovered that Santa had left a Christmas stocking on the end of her bed. We had a sharp reminder of how very precious moments with family are at the end of December when we heard about a very bright light going out in this world. Her story is not mine to tell, but it certainly made me hold my loved ones closer.   But there was good news too ; a reprieve, hopefully, even, an ‘all clear’ for my mother-in-law, new jobs, new plans and lots to look forwards to in this fresh new year. And after The Bad Back from Hell that drove me to the doctor, ...

We're going to be travelling and catching up with family so I will take this opportunity to thank you for reading Home Thoughts Weekly.   Like any other year, 2014 has brought its share of ups and downs but I'm going into the New Year thinking of all the happy times.   All best wishes to you and yours for Christmas and the New Year.

Got a book inside you? Thinking of making 2015 the year you let it out? Here’s your author specification so you can hit the ground running. Essential Information Before you begin, ask yourself whether or not you’re completely and utterly in love with what you’re writing. If you don’t care about your work, why should the reader? Besides, it’s a long old slog writing 90,000 words. If you want to make a career out of this you’ve got to find the stamina to complete this journey not just once, but over and over again. Qualifications None. Anyone can do it, can’t they? Please note; excuses about not having enough time are not acceptable. Everyone is busy. Experience and Knowledge Proven evidence of writing skills is desirable though not, unfortunately, essential. However, useful examples include writing for publication in magazines and newspapers and competition wins. Have you stamped all over the internet? Left your digital footprints on the blogosphere, Twitter, Facebook, Pi...