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/

Our featured story today in the 2020 Authors Showcase is the second from James Robertson this year. Although shorter than the guidelines, I wanted to share it anyway because of its interesting content and accompanying photos.

Enjoy reading James' contribution Every Culture’s Cuisine at Brick Lane Food Market by clicking here.

It is always fantastic to welcome newcomers to Fred's Blog and today it is a real pleasure to feature Ronni Robinson in the 2020 Authors Showcase.

You can read her inspirational true story Life Changing Moments by clicking here.

If you have been thinking of contributing a story to this year's showcase, then please don't forget that entries will not be accepted after the deadline of September 30th. You can find a reminder of the guidelines here.

Ronni Robinson is a writer and indoor cycling instructor in the suburbs of Eastern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband in their newly minted empty nest, as both kids are off to college.

Ronni has been freelance writing since freshman year in college (a long time ago) and has appeared in aSweatLife, Ravishly, The Temper, 50 Shades of Aging, Healthy Women,  The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Courier-Post, The New Brunswick Home News, and Parents Express magazine.

Ronni’s passion is helping others who are struggling with eating disorders. She lives on Instagram, but you can also find her on the Facebook page “Overcoming Food Nonsense,” where she serves as an administrator. She also does public speaking about eating disorders and emotionally abusive relationships.

She has competed in dozens of triathlons, including three IRONMAN triathlons and four half distance IRONMAN triathlons. When not writing or perched in front of her laptop, you can find Ronni in the gym. Out of the Pantry is Ronni’s first book, but hopefully not her last.

You can read more of Ronni’s writing on her website https://www.ronnirobinson.com/ or buy Out of the Pantry: A Disordered Eating Journey here: https://bit.ly/3b2fayU.

As we approach the last couple of weeks of the 2020 Authors Showcase, it is a privilege to feature this sixth contribution from Ronald Mackay. That is one for each month! Thank you so much for your tremendous support Ronald - it is hugely appreciated.

You can read and enjoy Ronald's latest story O’er the Bridge that Spans the River by clicking here.

Ronald Mackay 

Ronald, his elder sister Viviana and his younger brother Euan, all attended the Morgan Academy in Dundee in the 1940s and 1950s. In those days, a school demanded a great deal of pupils, their parents and the teachers. All pulled together, knowing that it was in everybody’s best interests to do so.
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This brief true story is a way of Ronald offering thanks to the teachers at the Morgan Academy, to his fellow-pupils who like him did their best to take advantage of the demanding education that was provided, and to his mother for having the wisdom to encourage her children to take school seriously and to always show the teachers the respect they so rightly deserved.

Vivian (sister) and Ronald (brother and author)
visiting the Morgan Academy in 1998
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Author  Bio

Canadian born Captain Denis Dextraze started traveling internationally at age 18 when he hitchhiked around Europe during the summer break.  After graduating from two U.S. universities, he specialized in international high-tech marketing which took him around the world.  He retired early to enjoy sailing his 45 ft. ketch.  Between his career and his port-o-calls on Aventura, he visited more than 80 countries.

“Once upon a time in Cuba” is being written so that an interesting two years capsule of Cuban history, starting in May of 1998, will not be lost forever. All events reported in this book really happened no matter how ludicrous, illogical or incredible they appear.
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These years were times of changes and uncertainty for the Cuban authorities. They wanted our money but did not want us because we were “contaminating” the communist indoctrination of their controlled population. We were living interesting times, sharing the docks in Marina Hemingway with an array of adventurers not representing any normal and organized society in the world.  They ranged from millionaires, drug smugglers, Hells Angels members, pedophiles, smugglers, tough Vietnam vets, world class sailors, escaped refugees.  We were pioneers living interesting times and loving it!

During those days as it is still today, the Cuban society was segregated into two categories.  On the 0.3% upper side, the communist ruling party composed exclusively of militaries whether in uniforms or not were living in incredible luxury ironically just like their ousted predecessors of the Batista regime.  On the down side were the other 11 millions slaving Cubans living in desperate conditions.  We, as visiting foreigners, were odd-balls in this two class system.  Since we did not belong to either class, we were tolerated and generally allowed privileges that were reserved to the Cuban military elite and forbidden to the population.     dextraze@yahoo.com

It is a pleasure to feature this second contribution from Syd Blackwell in this year's Authors Showcase.

I am sure you will enjoy Syd's inspirational mixture of prose and poetry as much as I have. To read Syd's story DOG DAYS IN URUGUAY please click 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.
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Uruguay, has been our home for more than a decade.  My wife and I share our home with our five dogs. Prior to 2020, we had international visitors every year. We also continued to travel, particularly in South America.  In fact, we returned from a vacation in Brazil in March, re-entering Uruguay five minutes before the borders were closed.   They have not re-opened.   We will just have to remain in our wonderful home in our adopted country for the time being.

As we move into the last month of the 2020 Authors Showcase, it is an honour to feature a second contribution from Susan Mellsopp.

Her story, My Year of Nothingness, was written at the end of last year and describes the trauma she went through after an undiagnosed heart condition caused blackouts resulting in falls which severely concussed her. As Susan explains, "I wrote it because people did not seem to understand the reality of concussion and what a long journey it involved in recovery. It’s not the quick fix in a couple of weeks promoted by the rugby world. 

You can read My Year of Nothingness by clicking here.

Susan Mellsopp is retired and lives with her now retired golden retriever guide dog Jay in Hamilton New Zealand.  Much of her life has been spent as a dairy farmer and also working as a librarian, archivist and accessible transport researcher. She runs a writers group and is constantly being challenged to write in genres other than travel and memoir. She has published two school histories and writes for a national magazine which is published monthly. Susan is a voracious reader, loves to travel, listen to classical music, cook, and enjoys learning to use modern technology.