May 2008
I have so much exciting news to share.
My Arthurian Trilogy, The Kingmaking, Pendragon's Banner
and Shadow of the King, has been picked up by the small independent United States mainstream publisher Sourcebooks, and will be re-published in the USA and Canada sometime soon, subject to
exchange of contract.
I am really excited about this as the publishing team seem to be a lovely
lot of people, having met a couple of them at the London Book Fair a few
weeks ago. So, I'll be having new covers and a fresh start with some of my
historical fiction on the other side of the Pond. And, talking of
that…
I have several friends in the USA and Canada on various message boards. Recently, one
group have become involved with helping actor Marty Klebba with his
charity. Marty is the "little pirate" in the Curse of the Black Pearl and
the follow-up P.O.C. series of movies. To aid Marty's charity CODA, which stands
for Coalition for Dwarf Advocacy, the group are
organizing a special showing of the first Jack Sparrow movie in Salt Lake
City on August 16th 2008.
The difference with this event is that
pirate fans can come along in full regalia, if they so wish, and take part
as an "interactive" with the movie. The Interactive Project originated in Southern
Ontario, Canada, in September 2003. It quickly spread throughout
North America, the idea being to create a different viewing experience for
Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl
fans, reminiscent of the Sing-Along Sound of Music and The
Wizard of Oz idea, only they'll be "yo-ho-ing," not "hills-are-alive-ing
or "yellow-brick-roading."
They are also going to have
an auction of donated items and several of the actors from the movie will
be there. It all sounds great fun. Such fun, in fact, that I have decided
to attend! Yes, I have made up my mind to visit America, albeit
somewhat shakily because I will have to go on a 'plane. I haven't flown
since I was knee high to a bi-plane in the days of Amy Johnson. Well, okay,
maybe that is a wee bit of an exaggeration, but believe me, when you reach
55 the distant age of 13, when I last flew, seems a long way back in the
past. First off I will be playing pirates in Salt Lake City and meeting my
cyber-friends for real.
Then I am going to San Francisco to stay with a good
friend, Connie, who lives near there. From California I intend to take the
train back across the States to stay a while with another very good
friend, author Sharon Penman. Yes, the train will be
slower but I like trains and have always wanted to travel on a sleeper. Plus I
get to see more of the Country. It isn't tornado season or anything in
August though, is it? I don't want to be chuffing across Kansas and
suddenly find I'm also re-enacting with Dorothy, Toto & Co! The Lion, the
Scarecrow and Tin Man I can handle. Wicked Witches of the West are another
matter.
I am toying with the idea of spending a few days in
Virginia near the Chesapeake Bay - it seems a pity to go all that way and
not see for myself where my Jesamiah Acorne sprung from. Wondering
too if it would be viable to sail home across the Atlantic, stopping
off at the Azores for a bit of research for Book Four of the "Sea Witch"
Series, On The Account? I think a trip to the Travel
Agent is on the agenda.
Then all I have to do is find my passport.
I will not need it for July when I go to Liverpool for a long weekend, to
see the start of the 2008 Tall Ships Race. My hotel is booked and I am so
excited at the thought of seeing dozens of Tall Ships congregating on the
River Mersey. I'll take lots of photos, promise.
More good
news; Kathy has qualified for the UK Trailblazer Show Jumping finals which
will be held at the Royal Agricultural Showground, Warwickshire in early
August. After so much difficulty and sadness this year it was nice for her
to be placed in the second round competition and therefore qualify.
Even nicer was the judge at that event speaking to Kathy and
praising her for how well the horse looked. Izzy, who's registered name is
Elswyth, is in the peak of condition. I tried leading her the other day,
but have come to the conclusion that trying to lead a 16.2 Irish
Thoroughbred mare from stable to field with a dodgy hip is not a good
idea. Horses, especially ones which are "on their toes", do not walk
slowly and quietly while the poor old girl on the other end of the
leadrope is hobbling along with her trusty walking stick.
Mind you,
I'm getting some good practice in for the pirate do. "Arrr, yo ho, Jes
lad!"
Now then, where are my red shoes. Just in case…
Lege feliciter
(read happily).
April 2008
I thought reaching the age of 50 was bad
enough - that was five years ago! At least my hairdresser cheered me up
about the signs of advancing age. I mentioned that my hair was now
distinctly grey. Her immediate answer was "Oh no it isn't -
it's just a much paler shade of blonde."
My mum also has a birthday in April, when she
will be 90. We've booked a posh restaurant in Epping, Essex to celebrate.
Not sure where we will be going for my birthday. Probably that well known
place Stop-at-home, as Kathy is likely to be show jumping earlier in the
day and by the time I get home I am usually exhausted. Feet up in front of
the TV. That will do fine.
Several other birthdays: My editor Jo Field, who
is about to be published by Discovered Authors with her English Civil War
novel, Rogues and Rebels, as one of their select Diamond
Mainstream Imprint. The novel is set in Devon and it's a fabulous read.
Can't wait to see it in print.
It is also Raven Dane's
birthday in April, and her new book Blood Alliance , about the superb Dark
Kind (vampires,) will be out in early summer. That's a wonderful read too,
if you like Goth fiction or fantasy. And yes, my next novel is also well
under way.
A piece of sad news, though. One of the horses at our
stable yard had to be put down a few weeks ago. Bruno. He was about 35,
which is a ripe old age for a horse. He was a credit to his owner, Wanda,
who was devoted to him. Bruno could be a miserable so-and-so; I still have
a scar on my hand where he bit me years ago, but his ill temper was all
human-created as he had been badly treated. Wanda took him on about twenty
years ago and cared for him with kindness and patience. Despite his
snapping teeth and "I could kick you any moment" attitude we were all very
fond of the old boy. He is sadly missed.
As I write I am glancing out of the window at one of the trees in next door's garden. A pair of
blackbirds had been busy building a nest recently, and now I assume the
eggs have hatched as they are flying in and out as if training for the
London Marathon.
What beautiful creatures garden birds are. There is a
little wren that hops around in the
ivy, great-tits are nesting in the wooden nest box Kathy gave me as
a present; a pair of doves are in another tree… and thankfully my two cats are now too old to catch birds.
Scrabble and Kitty are both around 17 years old, but Scrabble
is getting very slow and stiff. He can't jump now, and spends most of the
day asleep in the dog's basket or on Kathy's bed. He has also gone deaf,
so meows at the top of his voice to let me know it's dinner time. That's
the cat equivalent of shouting.
I had a lovely day with Robin Jacob, producer
of 1066 the movie. We were mostly discussing the script, which is about
to be read by several A-List actors. Sorry, can't divulge any names. We
then drove to the town of Waltham Abbey, about 15 minutes away, to look
at the Abbey and eat lunch. Harold II, of course, founded the first Abbey
when he was Earl of Essex. Robin then went on to South Wales to look at
locations and talk to various people.
We still need the funding to
get this movie into pre-production, but Robin is determined to make it and
we have a lot of people interested and many well-wishers.
If you have a MySpace account please pop across to the 1066 MySpace and join as a friend - we need as many "friends" as possible.
Got very excited when Robin suggested one well-known actor to play the part of William. He told me to go and take a cold
shower and calm myself down.
Okay - I'm calm. Can I get out now?
Lege feliciter (read happily).
March 2008
According to the Bible, various people at various times
suffered from fire, flood, pestilence and plague. Well the Hollick family
had the fire back in 2006. The flood visited us this February when, with
the upstairs flat being emptied, the removal men didn't turn off the water
properly as they disconnected the washing machine. "Did you know the
ceiling's dripping?" said my daughter. "Err, no."
Ron managed
to get in upstairs by climbing over our fence and beating back the
overgrown jungle that is their garden to reach the back stairs which lead
to the ex-neighbours' kitchen. Of course it was dark by then and could we
find a torch? Still, he managed to sort it out and the lake of water
remained upstairs, apart from the drips coming through. Major flood, with
disintegrating ceiling and resulting mess, averted just in the nick of
time. I had noticed that our kitchen floor was wet … but Rum does dribble
so when he has a drink.
As for the plague, we have just gone through the worry of a
nasty equine illness putting the stable yard where we keep the horses in
quarantine. Strangles. The disease can spread like wildfire and can kill
horses - though with modern veterinary practice that is not so common
nowadays. Strangles is the equine equivalent of human plague, the mild
stage develops to a discharge where phlegm pours from the nose and the
glands swell. Horses can literally be strangled as the windpipe is
crushed.
Observant on-their-toes fans of my novels will
remember that Arthur's horse Onagar had strangles in Shadow of the King .
The Romans were indeed all too familiar with it.
The good news, as
I write this the last horse that went down with it is now fully recovered
and there are no new cases, so we're clear and out of quarantine. Modern
knowledge of using antiseptic handwash and not spreading germs paid off.
Having been in quarantine, Kathy has almost missed the
qualifying rounds for some of the summer show-jumping finals. One last
chance in early March. What's the betting Elswyth (stable name Izzy) loses a
shoe or something so we can't go? I have to admit I've not missed getting
up early on a Sunday to go jumping though. Still, the long dark days and
nights are over. The clocks change at the end of this month - huzzah!
British Summer Time. I wonder if we'll get the weather to match?
The sad news is that we lost all three ducks. I miss them dreadfully. A fox got the lot at about 6 in the evening a couple of weeks ago. I'd gone out to give them their supper and decided to leave them out for a few more minutes as it was a nice evening. Went back to usher them into their overnight house - no ducks. A few feathers, that's all. I know foxes also have a right to live, but these are mangy, scruffy, moth-eaten horrible urban foxes, not the beautiful sleek creatures you see in their proper countryside environment. They make a dreadful noise at night, dig up gardens, leave the stink of their "calling cards" everywhere and eat people's pets. Including my ducks. The good news is that the fish in my pond are getting enormous; notice to herons, foxes and prowling cats - stay away from my pond!
The daffodils are peeping up from the ground, my solar
lighting in the garden is sometimes on of an evening … and just in case
the Biblical scenario continues I have been Googling for "how to deal with
locusts".
Mind you, I am
quite expecting the pestilence to manifest itself in the form of slugs and
snails. Sigh, and I now have no ducks to help with pest control. I hate
slugs. I remember as a child going down the garden one night to get my pet
rabbit's feed dish. I walked up the garden with it, came into the light -
and found it crawling with slugs. The scream could be heard in Scotland I
reckon. I think I was about 10. Bunny got moved to the top of the garden
the next day.
I'd be no good in an Indiana Jones movie, would I?
Talking of which, I hope
to have some news of 1066 next month as Robin Jacob, the producer, is
coming over to London.
And yes, I am busy writing the next Jesamiah book,
Bring It Close. Haven't had much choice. The internet computer,
known as Quarterdeck, fell sick with the cyber version of
strangles, despite all my firewalls. Thank you to Mal and colleague Pete
who valiantly fixed it. Thank goodness I write on a second computer,
Atelier, that is not connected to the 'net. Jesamiah is
delighted that he's had my undivided attention, but oh, catching up on the
back-log of e-mails!
Maybe spam e-mail is the modern-day equivalent of pestilence?
Lege feliciter (read happily).
February 2008
I have some difficult news to share this month.
Sadly, my
daughter Kathy has had to start legal proceedings to dissolve her
marriage. As a family we find it bewildering to understand how someone can
change so much after the formality of vows and moving into a new home, but
for possible future legal reasons I cannot say much here on a public
Internet site. Our close friends do know the exact reasons and
circumstances.
Suffice to say, for her safety Kathy had to get out. In the end she had to
summon the police who arrived within minutes, aided her in retrieving her
personal belongings and then placed an injunction of non-contact against
her now ex-husband. We also have been told to not make contact unless through
legal channels. Suits us fine.
Kathy has returned to live with us, although I have mixed feelings
about that as I had just started getting used to the convenience of having
a spare room and being able to get into the bathroom! She has elected to
reinstate her maiden name, and has bravely put the bad experience behind
her.
I am so very proud of her - and so sad for what might have
been. All I can do is support her, help her rebuild her life, walk with
her into the future and in the meanwhile, help her grieve. But then, is
that not what Mothers are for?
For those who have the early editions of Pirate
Code
, would you mind altering the first sentence on the
very first page to read: "Author Helen Hollick lives in London with her
husband and adult daughter." Then blank out the second sentence which
refers to a son-in-law.
Thank goodness for the quick-change
ability of Print On Demand; the typeset will be altered, and no more original
copies will be printed. I remember reading about a famous author who dedicated
a novel to his wife, only to divorce under heated circumstances soon after
publication. Being a bestseller there were thousands of copies printed
which stated "to my darling beloved…." Morale of the story? I don't think
I'll include any more "about the author" pages!
The worrying thing
about this situation is that since the break-up I have heard from so many
of our acquaintances who have had a similar experience. From what I have
now learnt, one in four women fall victim to domestic violence and/or
abuse and bullying, often the cause is drink or drugs, and the abuse
rarely becomes apparent before the wedding; in other words, once
"possession" has been achieved.
Symptoms, apart from the physical
ones of actual violence, include utter denial of anything being wrong,
with the abuser finding fault and making destructive criticism;
manipulation to gain control - not allowing the woman to see family
or friends, attempting to stop her hobbies and interests etc. Control over
her money and actions, threats, especially against children and
pets, and general harassment.
The abuser often denies
responsibility for their actions by placing the blame for everything on
the victim and attempting to make the woman - and others - believe she is
solely at fault. These abusers are often those who were themselves abused
one way or another in childhood, but that is no excuse for continuing
and perpetuating the abuse, be it verbally in the work place or physically
at home.
Bullying is vile. Domestic violence is unacceptable and,
in the UK at least, illegal. Of course it is not always men abusing women
- the opposite is also known - but on the whole it is men who make
the lives of women a misery, purely because of their greater size and
strength.
If you think
you or a friend need help, link here now
to Women's Aid, who we have discovered are extremely supportive and helpful, or Hidden Hurt, a site that has detailed information
and lists all the UK National Helpline phone numbers.
If you are
outside the UK please Google for 'Domestic Violence'. I'm sure the
information you need will come up.
The hurt and disappointment in
another person's behavior and choices is bewildering, and often hard to
understand, but the ability to move forward through another door, and
close one behind you, comes from not being blinkered to the truths of your
own failings and immaturities.
Maturity and wisdom, and the
ability to accept and understand the choices of others, walk hand in hand
with being totally honest and at peace with yourself.
We are not
judged by our actions, but by the consequences of the choices we make. We
are all free to make our own choices; whether they be for good or bad, and
in understanding what were the wrong choices we made, and in subsequently
attempting to make the right ones.
Real freedom comes with turning
away from the influence of others, and making your own choice.
* * * * *
On a lighter note; I have managed to get a few "must do"
jobs done. Cupboards have been sorted, the duck house re-floored, and
twenty-five rather spindly copper beech hedge saplings planted in the
garden. I'll post a photograph when they appear more like a hedge, rather
than the boney array of sticks they are at present.
I have always wanted a copper beech hedge.
They look so splendid in the autumn, but our previous garden, being half
the size of a postage stamp, was never suitable. Here at Number 32 we
have a long garden which is somewhat, err, "rustic" in appearance. The
hedge will look wonderful with the wild roses, honeysuckle, ivy and the
generous supply of weeds; ahem, I meant wild flowers!
Our dog, Rum, made a choice of his own the other
day. Fed up with mooching around the stable-yard in search of elusive mice
and rats, he decided to take himself off for a walk. All well and good,
but we wonder how far into the 6,000-odd acres of Epping Forest he would
have got had someone not spotted him gaily trotting down one of the sanded
horse rides. Fortunately this person called Kathy on her cell phone and
reported he was out on a jaunt, all on his oncey.
Had Rum been
carrying a stick with a spotted, knotted handkerchief over one shoulder
and wearing big boots I would have been convinced he was off to London
Town to audition for a part in the pantomime Dick Whittington and his Dog.
Poor Rum, he was very
disappointed to discover that the part was written for a Cat.
Lege feliciter (read happily).
January 2008
Christmas morning arrived and it was pouring with rain; my ducks loved it. They did not think much of the ice
on their pond the other day though. Nor that I laughed when they went
sliding, tail over beak, all the way across it.
I missed my little
girl dreadfully on Christmas Eve. Ok, so she's nearly 26 and not so little
- but this was my first Christmas without her; I did not have to tip-toe
into her room without waking her and fill the stocking at the end of her
bed with goodies from 'Santa'.
One year, when she was about
five, one of the toys was a tiger that growled when you pressed it's
tummy. Of course the parcel somehow got squashed and it started to make a
noise. 3 a.m. and I was trying to desperately hush a present as Kathy
began to stir. On second thoughts, maybe Christmas Eve without the trials
we parents put ourselves through does have it's compensations.
My stress levels have been soaring higher than a pirate flag
lately. St Jude, I am told, is the patron saint of lost items. I have been
very grateful to him, although he still has to fulfill one of the two
outstanding requests I have asked of him. I lost my pirate locket on the
19th December. I was rather fond of it, but as I could have lost it
anywhere I suppose it is unreasonable to expect Jude to find it. He came
up trumps with my sapphire ring though. I lost that and another ring on
the 14th December. We'd had family to dinner to celebrate my husband Ron's
73rd birthday. I had not had a good day. My worn-out hip was hurting as I
had tried to put all the Christmas decorations up on my own - let it
be known that climbing ladders with a dodgy hip is not a good idea.
The potatoes wouldn't roast, the brussels wouldn't sprout and the gravy sort
of flopped onto the plate instead of flowed.
I took my rings off
to wash up. That was the last I saw of them. I knew they were in the house
somewhere, but when you find yourself looking in the same place for the
umpteenth time in case they are there after all... Well, let's just say
Saint Jude became a necessity for the maintenance of what remains of my
sanity.
My mother, an aunt and uncle and my Webmaster and
his mother were coming to lunch on Boxing Day. Nothing fancy, just
soup and sandwiches. Even I can manage soup and sandwiches. Sort of. Since I
had put it away right at the back of the cupboard, it was not worth
rummaging out the tin that contained the best cutlery, I thought. Then a
small voice whispered, 'Oh, go on. Use the best stuff.' I'll leave you to guess where the rings were finally found.
I
have proof that my mental state is declining to a hamper short of a picnic. I
went to the Olympia Christmas Horse Show in London with Kathy and had a
super time; the Cossack display and the show jumping were wonderful. On coming
home, having been out all day, we collapsed into a seat on a Victoria Line
Underground train.
Now it may be because of stress, it may be because I am very short-sighted and
when I have my distance contact lenses in I can't see anything close up
without wearing reading glasses, and I had been in a hurry to get ready
and also yes, I am cultivating the image of being eccentric. Whatever the
explanation, I felt a right chump. I had been walking around all day with
my skirt on inside out. Perhaps no one noticed the seams, or the label, or
the ragged inside hem? I certainly hadn't! Perhaps I ought to bother Saint Jude again and ask him to
find my lost sanity?
** I have some boons to beg **
My Webmaster wants some new readers' reviews to put on this site. I would be very grateful
for anything you care to send - especially for Pirate Code and
Harold the King...
He has also suggested I re-write some of the
"out-take" chapters that I deleted from the early drafts of Sea
Witch and Pirate Code - a sort of Author's Cut which would
be exclusive to this website. These will not be short stories, but more
like glimpses behind the scenes of the novel that finally went to print.
I assume you would be interested in the idea? Please let me
know.
Also, if anyone would like to send me their own Jesamiah
story, I would be delighted to include the best on his "fan" page on
MySpace. You don't have to be a MySpace member to view
the page, only to join as a friend. So far Jesamiah is proving very
popular; he had 1,600 friends the last time I looked and over 7,000 people
have viewed the profile. I have had quite a few nice compliments about the
site as well.
Pity not everyone has bought the books though. My aim
is to get Jesamiah Acorne to become the next most famous fictional pirate.
You can help by spreading the word about him, and any other suggestions to
achieve my goal will be appreciated.
Does anyone know how I can
get an invitation to be a special author guest at the New Orleans
Pirate Con next April? I wish someone would organize a UK Pirate
Convention. Why should the USA have all the fun eh?
I will be at
the Whitby (Yorkshire UK) Goth festival in October 2008, and I am hoping
to attend the start of the Tall Ships Race in Liverpool UK in the
summer.
I faithfully promise, cross my heart and poke my eye, that
I will wear my skirt the right way out this time.
Lege feliciter (read happily).