Fred's Blog

All in a Day’s Work by Robyn Boswell

18/4/2019

It gives me great pleasure to feature the latest contribution in our 2019 Authors Showcase.

Todays memorable life experience is from Robyn Boswell, a regular supporter of our competitions over the past couple of years.

I am sure you will enjoy Robyn's story as much as I have. You can catch up with it here.

Robyn Boswell

I am lucky to live in beautiful, historic Northland, the long, thin, northernmost part of New Zealand, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, known for its gorgeous beaches and ancient forests.

For the last 21 years of my career, I was an adviser in schools, supporting teachers with their professional development. Many of the schools in Northland are tiny - 2 or 4 teachers - and are along hilly, winding roads; often metal (dirt) roads where you have to look out for everything from wandering cattle to fully loaded logging trucks thundering towards you. I drove most of these roads over the years, enjoying some of the country’s most beautiful views and working with interesting people. Every day on Northland’s roads was an adventure!

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My First Hostel Experience by Kelly Reising

12/4/2019

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The third contribution to our 2019 Authors Showcase is from Kelly Reising, a long-time supporter of this blog and its competitions.

You can read her story My First Hostel Experience here.

Kelly Reising

Kelly Reising is an author and accomplished sports writer with a long history of articles in print and online.

Her specialties include, beauty, travel, and of course everything MLB. Currently, she lives in South Beach, Florida and is working on her second book.

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A Day in Eger by James Robertson

8/4/2019

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The second submission to our 2019 Authors Showcase is from James Robertson, a regular contributor to our travel writing competitions last year.

You can enjoy his story A Day in Eger here.

James Robertson

James Robertson is a 20-year-old writer and traveller from Melbourne, Australia.

He is the founder of the Plain English Theatre Company where he writes and directs new plays.

He is also a writer of short stories, travel pieces and works as a music journalist for Beat Magazine.

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Resilience tested by Roger Knight

5/4/2019

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It is my pleasure to feature the first submission in our 2019 Authors Showcase.

This story is from Roger Knight, a regular contributor to our competitions last year, and is entitled Resilience tested. You can read it here.

Roger Knight

I have lived and worked in around 15 countries and having recently retired, I have finally got around to writing about some of my experiences spent in several exotic and far flung destinations. I have spent a third of my life in Australasia, so consequently have quite a bit of varied experience to draw from, as regards that region of the world.

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2019 AUTHORS SHOWCASE STARTS TODAY

1/4/2019

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A new era starts today on Fred’s Blog…

Our brand new 2019 Authors Showcase is open for submissions.

SUBJECT: Memorable Life Experiences.
WORD COUNT: 800 – 2000 words.
SUBMISSION TIME: April 1st until September 30th 2019.
GENRE: Non-Fiction - Memoir (including Travel).

This is an opportunity for authors, writers and poets to share their writing with a wider audience and receive feedback from readers and fellow writers.

Find out more details here.

I look forward to reading and sharing your contributions.

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HUGE BOOK SALE FROM JOHN SEARANCKE STARTS TODAY

31/3/2019

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A rescue mission originally thought of as lasting for a year or two turned into a 35 year lifetime love affair with a beautiful old building.

There were to be battles royal with neighbours not wanting their status quo to be altered, and with the local fire authority who sought to impose draconian new safety measures.

John Searancke came to the role of hotelkeeper almost accidentally, and most definitely with much reluctance. After his parents’ marriage fell apart, he was dragooned in, at the age of 22, to pick up the pieces of their new venture, a barely-trading country house hotel that had, frankly, seen better days. Not only was it posting an annual loss, but the fabric of the building was crumbling and there was no money left to make improvements.

Over the years, and with the steepest of learning curves, the grand old building was renovated and transformed to meet the requirements of the modern discerning traveller. Accolades for the hotel and its restaurant were won; together they became a well-regarded destination for a number of celebrities – and those that deemed themselves to be celebrities but were not. Stories abound featuring idiosyncratic guests, overbearing public bodies, fractured family life and animals of all shapes and sizes. The local fire station next door was demolished one foggy night, people were frightened by flying dogs and snakes in the long grass, and there were, as befits a country house, strange goings on in the night. Many were the guests who checked in who really should not have been seen together.

This is a tribute to all the people behind the scenes who helped to make the hard-won transformation into a great success.

Now Available in wide distribution!

https://books2read.com/b/ReluctantHotelkeeper

A SAMPLE

Meanwhile, for my part, I recalled the tale of how one morning, on the way to the new kitchen, and walking through what remained of the old original hotel kitchen, I thought that I had been transported into another lifetime, a cross between Dante’s Inferno and a Victorian Christmas. I had stopped dead in my tracks.

There at the far end of the room was an unrecognisable person covered almost entirely in feathers. Any feathers not attached to that person were swilling around the room like a cloud, all but obscuring the far doorway, before landing softly to form a light covering on the floor tiles, much as I imagine the interior of a duvet to be.

On closer inspection, the mystery person turned out to be my mother! What had got into her mind I do not know, but she had, unbeknownst to anyone else, decided that her contribution to that particular Christmas was going to be the plucking of all of the pheasants that had just been delivered. Swooping on the box of birds and snatching them away from the hapless potboy, she maneuvered herself into a spare space, which happened to be adjacent to the top of a chest freezer. Clearly, tidiness was not going to be her watchword during this process. Feathers were pulled out, legs and heads were chopped off with gay abandon, and finally, the right hand was plunged into the bloody interior, emerging clutching a large handful of intestines, slimy heaps of which adorned the top of the freezer. Cleaning up after her was a bit of a trial, but I was glad that she had made the effort. I suppose that she could identify that with long bygone times and tasks that she had undertaken all those years ago.

"The Reluctant Hotelkeeper by John Searancke is an engaging memoir that takes readers into the life of the author who ended up reluctantly being a hotelkeeper, and how his rescue mission ended up being a love affair with an old building. His parents had bought the place in the countryside to save their crumbling marriage, and the author was pulled into this venture when he was just 22. The role of a hotelkeeper is not as easy as many think because the reality of life in a hotel is very different, and the hours required to make it a success are punishing. The memoir is also a tribute to all the people who worked behind the scenes and helped in making this grand transformation a huge success.

The memoir is straightforward and honest, entertaining and insightful, and the author opens up about the difficulties he faced, and how he managed to keep his faith in long-term planning. There are a lot of interesting stories about eccentric guests, how many guests who checked in should not have been seen together at all, and how it ended up being one of the favored stops for a number of celebrities. The author goes through the entire process, speaking about transforming the hotel methodically and in detail, taking readers along with him and his experiences while getting the old building renovated to cater to the needs of a modern traveler. There is not one boring moment in this memoir and the positive narration and outlook make this memoir an encouraging and motivating read. The author's story and experiences are enriching, and the ups and downs of his life and the accolades he received for the hotel and its restaurant will encourage many readers out there to become hotelkeepers." - Readers' Favorite(Mamta Madhavan)

‘Many years after the deaths of my parents, my aunt handed me a box filled with letters that my father had written to my mother over the period from 1940 to 1945. This was the starting point of a journey for me to rediscover the father I had never really known...’

This is the story of John Searancke’s parents, told mostly from the side of his father, Eddie Searancke, from the time of his calling up in early 1940 to his release from a prisoner of war camp in Germany in 1945, thence his return to England to try to pick up the pieces of his old life. Nothing could ever be quite the same afterwards.

The letters take readers through five captivating years, telling of the ups and downs, the plots and counterplots, as Eddie rose through the ranks to end his war as a captain, elevated to that rank in the field as his troops faced the formidable might of the SS Panzers. The letters also reveal where his battle came to an abrupt end, in an orchard surrounded by the enemy and captured after a series of bloody skirmishes as the British army spearheaded its way from the beaches of Normandy. The journey as a prisoner across France and Germany in a truck, with comrades dying each day, may be as hard to read as it is to tell, particularly when a new life and new harsh rules had to be learned and rigidly enforced in a prison camp in northern Germany, the final destination.

This is written as part memoir, part fictionalised retelling and partly in letter format; John draws together all sources to recreate the five years of war and hardship that the letters span.

Available in wide distribution:

https://books2read.com/b/Prunes

On the brink of retirement, John and his wife Sally are determined to end a life at the grindstone in grimy and wet Lancashire. Together with their beloved Jack Russell/Staffie cross, Freddie, a rescue dog from the local RSPCA, they embark on the journey of a lifetime and relocate to the island of Tenerife.

Selling up, they make the move to the north of Tenerife, a part almost unknown to the casual tourist – their very own hidden paradise, a world away from the 'tourist trap' that is the south of the island. Relaxed and surrounded by stunning coastal views, life in their new home, set amidst orange groves and banana plantations, is very different indeed! The weather is fantastic, the temperature idyllic, the people so friendly and the cost of living outrageously low… what more could they ask for?

Adjusting to life abroad, and all of the costs that come with it, are explained in the book – from buying a new home and sorting out living taxes, to integrating into the local community and taking the dreaded Spanish driving test. Follow John and Sally as they learn a new language and take on a couple of new hobbies, while Freddie takes off on some unbelievable (but true!) exploits with his new canine friends.

With a colourful collection of characters, travelling anecdotes that stretch from the English Midlands and all the way through mainland Spain in an old classic car, and some not so perfect moments that bring us back down to earth from time to time, this is a series of adventures that you will not want to miss.

Dog Days In The Fortunate Islands is an ideal read for those contemplating retirement, moving to the Canary Islands or an extended trip through Spain. The book will also appeal to any dog lovers and holidaymakers who enjoy an interesting story.

Available in wide disribution:

https://books2read.com/b/DogDays

To learn more about John Searancke www.johnsearancke.com

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Guest Blog - Graham Higson

28/3/2019

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It is a great honour to feature our second Guest Blog of 2019, from well-known author Graham Higson.

Graham has just released his third book in the 'Little Screw' series. It has the intriguing title of Bobo and the Burglars. I have already downloaded my copy and look forward to reading it. I hope you will do the same,

Graham's blog describes the fascinating history behind this trilogy and gives a fresh insight into how the books came about.

You can read his Guest Blog titled: The Little Screw Books - Memoirs or Novels? here.

Graham Higson and Gerald

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2019 COMPETITION UPDATE

1/3/2019

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I am sorry to let you know the following…

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the annual travel competitions I have run for the past four years will not take place this year. I hope to resume them in 2020.

Instead, I plan to host an Authors Showcase on my blog from April until September 2019.

This offers an opportunity for authors, writers and poets to share their writing with a wider audience and receive feedback from readers and fellow-writers.

If there is enough support, I aim to publish the best contributions in a book at the end of the year.

The theme for the Authors Showcase will be: Memorable Life Experiences.

I will give more details as the April 1st start date approaches.

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Travel Stories and Highlights – now available as a 3-book series

22/2/2019

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176 Stories (500-1000 words)

156 Highlights (50-100 words)

111 Authors, Writers & Poets

A great way to spend coffee breaks for weeks to come

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07NZ65PMP

US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P4M8LL5

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Valentine’s Offer

12/2/2019

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All three Kindle editions of Travel Stories and Highlights will be available for only 99c/99p each during the next week (Tuesday 12th - Monday 18th February).

If you haven’t already got a copy of these fantastic compilations, now is your chance.

This is an offer that will not be repeated.

Follow the links below to get your copies:

2017 Edition: getbook.at/TravelStories2017
2018 Edition: getbook.at/TravelStories2018
2019 Edition: getbook.at/TravelStories2019

Buy all 3 and save $9.50/£6.50.

Please help support this promotion by sharing on social media.

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