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  • Reviews

AYE AYE CAPTAIN by Malcolm D. Welshman

19/7/2018

1 Comment

 
A warm welcome back to Malcolm Welshman with his second entry in this year's competition.

Read and enjoy Malcolm's latest travel story AYE AYE CAPTAIN  here.

Malcolm Welshman is a retired vet and author of three vet novels, the first of which, Pets in a Pickle, reached number two on Kindle’s bestseller list. His latest book, An Armful of Animals – due out this September – is a memoir of encounters with creatures as diverse as a cow stuck in a tree and a red-footed booby. Jim Wight, James Herriot’s son, says of it, ‘A most enjoyable insight into a fascinating life.’ While author and columnist on The Daily Mail, Bel Mooney, states, ‘A witty take on a young vet’s life that pet owners will find endearing.’

Check out Malcolm's website for more information: www.malcolmwelshman.co.uk

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​Malcolm & Dora
1 Comment

Metaphysics in the mountains by Celia Dillow

18/7/2018

0 Comments

 
With under two weeks left in this year's competition it is a pleasure to feature this latest entry from another newcomer to our travel writing contests, Celia Dillow.

I hope you will enjoy her travel story as much as I have. You can read Celia's entry Metaphysics in the mountains here.

Celia Dillow

Celia spent 5 years in South America; it changed everything.  Now settled in SW Britain, she reads and writes travel stories, is the author of an award winning local wildlife blog and is proud that her story about taking a shaggy dog to Argentina is included in Bradt's most recent anthology. She is a specialist dyslexia teacher during term time and a traveller, writer, birdwatcher and hiker during the school holidays.
​

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THE ROAD HOME by Syd Blackwell

16/7/2018

4 Comments

 
A warm welcome back to our June winner, Syd Blackwell. His latest entry is the fifth he has entered this year. This comes on top of his five entries in last year's competition. Thanks for your incredible support Syd and for sharing your fascinating travel experiences with us.

Read Syd's most recent travel story THE ROAD HOME here.

Syd Blackwell

I was born in a little ski town that used to be a gold mining town in the mountains of southeastern British Columbia.  I also lived on the coast, on Vancouver Island, in the north, and even in northern Alberta for a decade.   I visited every province and territory in Canada, and more than 40 other countries.  I was an educator, an innkeeper, and an assisted living facilitator.  My life was rich with experiences before I left Canada less than two months before my 61st birthday.
​
Uruguay, has been our home for more than a decade.  My wife and I share our home with our five dogs. And quite a few visitors.   We have found time in our retirement to do things we never seemed to find time to do before.   I have found time to be a writer and an artist.  Both give me great pleasure.  We have continued to travel, particularly in South America.
​
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4 Comments

Walking Mdina to Valletta by Lee P. Ruddin

14/7/2018

1 Comment

 
As the 2018 competition enters its last couple of weeks, we are being treated to some great entries, a lot of them from newcomers. Our third featured entry today is also the third from a new contributor. A warm welcome to you all.

Enjoy Lee P. Ruddin's travel story Walking Mdina to Valletta here.

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Lee P. Ruddin

​Lee is a Birkenhead born, Birmingham-based perennial student who currently works in the security industry in the UK.

​He wrote his first travel piece five years ago on crossing the Atlantic (westwards) aboard Queen Mary II and now, aged 35, aspires to be master of one trade rather than a jack of all by entering the travel industry.


<<< Lee in Iceland (2018)
1 Comment

Mexican Apples by Cat Jenkins

14/7/2018

2 Comments

 
Our second featured entry today is from another newcomer to our travel writing contests, Cat Jenkins. 

Read and enjoy her travel story Mexican Apples here.

Cat Jenkins lives in the Pacific Northwest where the weather is often conducive to long hours before a keyboard. Her stories in humor, fantasy, speculative fiction and horror have been published both online and in print. Her first novel, “Sara When She Chooses,” was published May, 2018.
​
On Twitter: @CatJenkins11
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2 Comments

THE AMAZING TOURISTS VIEWS OF “OBU GAD” by Anierobi Maureen Ogechukwu

14/7/2018

1 Comment

 
It is a pleasure to welcome another newcomer, Anierobi Maureen Ogechukwu, to our 4th Annual Travel Stories Competition.

Read her entry THE AMAZING TOURISTS VIEWS OF “OBU GAD” here.

Bio

My name is Anierobi Maureen Ogechukwu, from Omor, a village in Northern zone of Anambra State, Nigeria. I am a lover of creativity. I do graphics designing too. I am very tall and ebony in complexion. I am the only girl and the last born in a family of two.

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1 Comment

Of bicycles, maps, and mail drops by Dede Montgomery

12/7/2018

0 Comments

 
With under three weeks left in this year's Travel Stories Competition, it is wonderful to welcome another newcomer, Dede Montgomery.

Read her fascinating account about cycling around Europe in the early 1980's here.

Dede Montgomery is a sixth-generation Oregonian who writes about past and present Oregon in her blog, Musings on Life in Oregon, and her 2017 memoir, My Music Man. Dede’s first novel, Beyond the Ripples, will be released in 2019. Dede is also a certified industrial hygienist with more than 30 years of experience working in occupational safety and health in Portland, Oregon.
 
Follow Dede at:
http://dedemontgomery.com
https://twitter.com/D2Montgomery
https://www.facebook.com/d2montgomery/
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Dede biking to work today
0 Comments

No Take Away from Cuenca by Valerie Fletcher Adolph

10/7/2018

8 Comments

 
It is a pleasure to feature this second entry from Valerie Fletcher Adolph. She describes it as one of the oddest days of her life.

Read and enjoy her story No Take Away from Cuenca here.

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Valerie Fletcher Adolph

Bio factoid: Val lives in British Columbia where she tries hard not to believe that she is old enough to know better.
​
8 Comments

A City on Pretty Waters by Parishka Gupta

10/7/2018

1 Comment

 
It is great to welcome back Parishka Gupta, our youngest ever contributor, with her second entry in the 4th Annual Travel Stories Competition.

Enjoy her story A City on Pretty Waters here.

Parishka Gupta lives in Faridabad, India and is born in Delhi, India. She is fourteen years old and has been passionate about writing as well as travelling since the age of seven. She has travelled to Black Forest in Germany, Venice, Switzerland, Paris, London, Goa, Delhi, Haridwar and Rishikesh. On growing up, she combined her writing skills as well as her love for travelling when she was ten years old. ​
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The next year, her English teacher appreciated and encouraged her writing skills. Parishka is also interested in writing poetry. Her teacher also helped her in publishing one of her pieces in the Times of India Student Edition.

Parishka went on to win them Sverdlovsk Regional Public Children's Organization "Lotsman" (Russia) twice in a row. She also has a travel blog of her own which is just the beginning - ilovetraveliting.weebly.com.
​
She now wishes to grow up to become a freelance travel writer and travel the world.​

1 Comment

The Cape St Vincent (Portugal) by Angie Clifford

7/7/2018

2 Comments

 
A warm welcome back to Angie Clifford with her first entry in this year's competition.

​Read and enjoy her travel story The Cape St Vincent (Portugal) here.

Angie Clifford

Angie was born south of the river Thames on the 6th March 1951; therefore she considers herself a Londoner, (her great grandfather acted alongside Charlie Chaplin on the London music hall theatres in the early 1900’s). 


Her mother; abandoned as a three week old baby, and subsequently raised by her grandmother and a spinster aunt, was a   naive twenty three year old when she married.  Having no idea where babies came from, Angie’s birth was a momentous occasion, so much so she thought her new child was an Angel, so she called her Angela, which translates as Gods messenger and was also a popular name in the 1950’s.

As every generation does Angie rejected the lifestyle of her parents and made a vow to be different...maybe perfect, the arrogance of youth! She married at nineteen to Jerry, four years older than herself, she saw him as mature, her knight in shining armour...And the rest as they say is history.

Angie and Jerry have four children and five grandchildren; so far! They are now retired and live between UK, and Spain, enjoying the indulgent life.
​
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