A REAL PAGE-TURNER: AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ROBERT FEAR

This year saw the launch of the UK’s latest literary prize – the Page Turner Awards. Created with the goal of “changing writing careers”, the eBook Award sought out the very best work by national and international self-published authors, and the Writing Award searched for unpublished writers actively looking for a literary agent or publisher. Entrants from both awards were picked over by a prestigious judging panel comprised of bestselling authors and publishing industry veterans.

Among the winners in this year’s inaugural Awards is Eastbourne-based travel writer Robert Fear, who received a special commendation from the judging panel for his captivating memoir, Summer of ‘77: Beaches, bars and boogie nights in Ibiza.

We spoke to Robert, who was the top scoring UK author in the eBook Non-Fiction Award category, about his achievement and his writing.

Check out the full interview on Reader's Digest (Online) by clicking here.

Our final contribution in the 2020 Authors Showcase is from Vernon Lacey, well known-author of South to Barcelona: A New Life in Spain, which is a highly recommended memoir.

​You can read and enjoy Vernon's story Espressivo by clicking here.

Thank you very much to everyone who has contributed to this year's showcase. If you missed any of the 55 inspirational true stories, you can catch up with them here.

Vernon Lacey

Vernon grew up in Cheshire, England and studied Applied Linguistics and Literature at Liverpool University. He qualified as a teacher and worked in schools in Liverpool and London before setting off for Barcelona to learn Spanish and teach internationally. He now lives in Munich where he has taught English and Philosophy. He is currently taking paternity leave and studying classical guitar with the German virtuoso Johannes Kreusch, fulfilling a long-standing musical dream. He is married to a German native and they have three children, two girls and a boy. 
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Our second last-minute contribution in this year's Authors Showcase is a very inspirational piece from another welcome newcomer to the blog, Carolyn Muir Helfenstein.

This is her introduction to the story:

This story takes me back to farm days in the ‘70s every time I read it. Our children did not sense how tough life was because our little family was filled with love. I’ve written several stories already about our life on that farm and one day of course I suppose I will turn it into a small book but for now, this is one that I have told our grandchildren as a bedtime story many times. Recently I found the picture of Bruce with a ladder! 

You can read Carolyn's story Family Love by clicking here.

AUTHOR’S BIO

NAME:
Carolyn (Muir) Helfenstein
St. John’s, Newfoundland 1937 Scottish Descent
 
MARRIED:
61 years. Children: Twins: one son, one daughter; and - one more son
and 7 grandchildren.
 
EDUCATION:
1955: Toronto Teachers’ College: highest academic standing-600 students.
1980: On-line lessons: Lawrence Hill (later author of Book of Negroes).
An eight-week French immersion program through Western Ontario University held in Quebec. Total immersion in French  for 8 weeks.
2010-13: University of Waterloo. I graduated with a “Bachelor of Independent Studies.”
 
CAREERS:
1955-59;
Teaching in a one room rural school, 5 grades: I was  17 the first year.
Also four years teaching in larger schools, including teaching one year helping “forgotten” children (a story in itself).
Most recently in my seventies I turned to serious writing.
 1986-1998:
After dairy farming, we had turned to a new career, the opportunity to buy the local community newspaper: I had been their freelance writer.
I received several top awards Ontario-wide over the 10 years owning the paper.
Like many small Canadian newspapers, we were forced to close our paper due to lack of advertising. Our town lost most of its stores.
 
TWO BOOKS PUBLISHED:
 
WHY NOT?
It was published in 2018. Even today readers enjoy reading Why Not? Some call it a love story.
 
ROCK SOLID
This saga came out my trying to find my Newfoundland identity that I lost when we left Newfoundland—I was 6-7 at the time and my dad died age 46 two years later. We were living so far away from Newfoundland near Toronto. I needed to find out what was a Newfoundlander? And how do I regain a sense of being a Newfoundlander? I was a lonely child, I think.

Writing Rock Solid in my seventies and researching through U. of Waterloo I received a degree, my saga continued to grow in degrees and has now been published. I am exploring having it published in England and as well if possible as a TV series. With writing Newfoundland characters into my saga, along with actual historical events, Rock Solid becomes a unique book, a one of a kind. 

You can find out more on Carolyn's website, hosted by her writing club in Canada:
https://spiritofthehills.org/project/carolyn-muir-helfenstein/
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At 11:00 pm UK time last night, I thought that I had received all the contributions for the 2020 Authors Showcase. However, I was to be pleasantly surprised. Within the next hour, and before the midnight closing deadline, I received another three entries.  These will all be featured on the blog today.

​The first inspirational story is from ​Liliana Amador-Marty and is entitled In Caring for my Ficus. You can read it by following the link here.

Liliana Amador-Marty is a Colombian-American author. She has been writing since the age of ten honing her writing skills at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Liliana continued post-graduate work in Memoir Writing at The New School in New York City. Currently living in London, United Kingdom, Liliana writes personal narratives, travel stories and poetry, meeting weekly with an international collective of women writers, Primrose Pens where she develops her narratives. She is currently working on a Memoir. Her travel story, Blood Memory was featured in Fred's Blog, 2019 Authors Showcase, fd81.net and was selected for an anthology, 40 Memorable Life Experiences in 2020 Edited by Robert Fear. Liliana's personal narrative, Gypsy Curse is published in ​thecreativessoulcollection.com. Her latest story, Return Trip about her visit to Havana, Cuba will be featured in a new Blog set to launch at the end of October 2020.
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I thought we had received our last entry for the 2020 Authors Showcase, but the following contribution from Alison Alderton arrived in my inbox earlier today. Welcome to the blog Alison and many thanks for your inspirational piece of writing and lovely accompanying photos..

You can read Alison's story It came from above by clicking here.

Alison Alderton was born in Chichester, West Sussex, and educated in the county, studying art, design and photography at the West Sussex College of Design in Worthing and later creative writing with NEC, Cambridge. For over 20 years she has been a freelance writer-photographer working mainly for boating associations and inland waterways publications. 

Alison has cruised extensively through the inland waterways of England, Ireland, Northern Europe and Scandinavia on her Dutch barge Lily, contributed to several books and written over 120 articles for various publications.  Accompanied by her beloved Buster on many voyages these exhilarating travels are the subject of her debut book ‘Boating with Buster – the life and times of a barge beagle’, which was published in 2018.

Boating with Buster Amazon Link:  https://bit.ly/38qDfOz

After living and travelling overseas for the past 12 years, Alison and her husband along with their beagle puppy, Maksi, have recently returned to the UK where they are currently planning for the next chapter in their lives.

Alison does not blog but the travels of ‘Lily & the barge beagles’ are recorded and offer a rare glimpse into the world of those who dare to be different:

Website: http://alisonalderton.com/

Public Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/lilyandthebargebeagles/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilyandthebargebeagles/

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alisonalderton/

Buster with Alison and their boat Lily

On the final day of the 2020 Authors Showcase, it is wonderful to be able to feature a newcomer to the blog, Lizzie Jewels.

​Read and enjoy her inspirational contribution The Dinner Party Guest by clicking here.

Lizzie Jewels

​Adventures were never on the wish list for me, but nevertheless that’s just what’s happened. Born in North Staffordshire in the UK, home of Arnold Bennett’s ‘Five Towns’ ( there are actually six), I brought up three wonderful children, weathered more than a few storms and grief and navigated several peaks and troughs, but also enjoyed a long career in a senior post in a Midlands university. Then, looking for a new life, picking myself up and dusting myself off, I realise now that was just the start. I took the opportunity to move/escape to France full time to a home, a former walnut oil mill, previously used for holidays. My short mémoire piece is a gentle snapshot of my life changing years in France. There are many more stories to tell! There was great happiness and turbulence, bringing also an unexpected period of personal growth and change. I went onto spend five years living by the sea in wonderful Wales, rediscovering my love of art and textiles, the sea, the mountains and the elements and meeting more lifelong friends, but never quite leaving France behind. Now back nearer to my roots and my family I have realised I love creative writing, especially mémoire writing and poetry. A couple of my mémoire pieces have been published in the anthologies of a local writing group and a community magazine. If I can sum up the confidence, maybe all the stories will be finally revealed in a book. As my best friend has said, ‘You couldn’t write it!’

With only one day left in the 2020 Authors Showcase, it is a pleasure to feature this fourth contribution from Robyn Boswell. I am sure she will not mind me sharing the following comments from her e-mail to me, "This was certainly the trip that inspired me to travel further. It’s actually the first chapter of my memoir I’m trying to write about our trip to Europe on a bus that kept breaking down at regular intervals."

After reading her introduction below, take a trip back in time with Robyn in her latest inspirational story entitled Gertrudinous. You can read it by clicking here.

Robyn Boswell

​Perhaps living on two islands at the bottom of the world, two and a half hours flight from the nearest country that makes New Zealanders inveterate travellers. Ever since listening to my Aunty Margaret’s exotic traveller’s tales when I was a little girl, I wanted to travel. Discovering friends who shared my dreams was the icing on the cake and we reunited after Teacher’s College to take a holiday to Australia. We had so much fun that by the time we arrived home we were hooked on travelling and planned to meet up again in two years to explore the wider world. One fell by the wayside by getting caught up in marital bliss, but the other four of us headed to Europe. Little did we know that Gertruidnous’s foibles were the hint of what was to come….but that’s another story!

Today we have the fortune to feature a favourite author of mine, Lally Brown, in the 2020 Authors Showcase. I have read two of her books: High & Dry in the BVI and The Volcano, Montserrat and Me. They are both thoroughly enjoyable memoirs. I have included the links to my 5* reviews of them at the bottom of this post.

You can read Lally's contribution Haitian Boat People, which she has written especially for this showcase, by clicking here.

Lally Brown

Born and bred in Yorkshire, England, Lally embraced the Swinging Sixties with naïve enthusiasm. As a teenager in search of adventure she trekked overland to war-torn Israel, working on a small kibbutz driving a tractor and picking oranges to earn her keep. She managed to hitch-hike around the country staying in Haifa, Jerusalem and Acre. This amazing, and occasionally dangerous experience, was the spark that ignited her lifelong love of adventure and travel.

Lally has lost count of the number of homes she has had over the years but says her most memorable are those on remote St. Helena Island where ex-Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was imprisoned and where he died; Montserrat in the Caribbean when the volcano erupted, Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

Now, in her twilight years, Lally is writing about her adventurous life using the journals she kept at the time. Her books prove that truth can indeed be far stranger than fiction, with erupting volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, evacuations, abduction, drug smugglers, people smugglers, armed robbery, hangings, stowaways, bribery, corruption, political intrigues, riots, and much, much, more.
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​Lally Brown’s books:

Links to Amazon reviews by Robert Fear

​​High & Dry in the BVI
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/RU37OVFA66J8O/ 

The Volcano, Montserrat and Me
 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1A4XJBZSM9PZ3/