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“What about me?” says Jolene’s mother.

colorful_peace_bugHiya, I’m Georgina, Jolene’s mother in Just Two Weeks. She doesn’t give me a name in Just Two Weeks, so I thought I’d tell you it. This is a picture of the car me and my soul mate Milo went to Amsterdam in when we got married in 1968. He was a lovely guy and it was a great little car – shame it broke down in Amsterdam. We had to sell it as scrap metal and then go overland to India on buses. It was so different in those days. There wasn’t the danger then. Afghanistan was no problem. It was a passing point to India. Milo and I were married for thirteen years and it’s not entirely true what Jolene said about  his passing. He wasn’t a heroin addict and he didn’t die from an overdose. I was told he died from a heart attack. He died in Bombay, or Mumbai as they call it now. And yes I remember him giving Jolene that silver carving just before he died. I never realised what happened to it until I read Just Two Weeks. It was a  very  hard time  for me after Milo died. I think I went a bit berserk. I can’t remember what happened that well, but there I was with a three year old daughter, Jolene and I was completely lost. I have to admit we did stay in some dumps like she said in Just Two Weeks, but I had very little money then so I didn’t have much choice. But it wasn’t as bad as Jolene makes out and I wasn’t permanently on the look out for a man, though there were one or two, I’m sure. It was too bad for Jolene –  I know she had a bad start, but I always loved her.  Like she says, I had a bad start in life too.  Don’t tell Jolene this – she’ll only get uppity, but I reckon  I was worse off than she ever was. My dad was in the theatre. He died of pneumonia when I was two and my mother didn’t really care for me or my sister plus we were always broke. My sister’s name is Sally. I’m not going to waste precious time telling you about Sally, but I will say she lives in London and is married to a politician. I’ll leave it at that. Except to say he is not in a party I would vote for and I’m a committed socialist and proud of it.  I never see her. Neither does Jolene.  One more thing Baz never hit me.  Despite what Jolene says in Just Two Weeks. He was a bit of a rogue, but I know how to look after myself and I got out before  any harm could be done.  And even though Baz only met Jolene once, he thought she was highly intelligent and an asset to me. At least that’s what he told me.  And I will say one final things. I know Jolene  thinks I think of no one but myself, but she’s wrong. I think Jolene is a really clever girl, got ,my looks too. But I was never keen on Mark.  I preferred…well you’ll have to read Just Two Weeks to find out who I’m talking about. Ta ta for now. I’ll blow a couple of kisses.

JUST TWO WEEKS v7 FINAL FINAL Cover front only

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Behind the scenes of Just Two Weeks

 

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I said my next post would be about the inspiration for my novel Just Two Weeks. Well true to my word here it is. I will start off by saying it was a visit to Sri Lanka which inspired me.  Raven Reviews offered me a guest post about the inspiration for my book. They posted it on their blog and included  some excellent photos which really depict my words well. You can read it here.

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Here’s another wonderful review of ‘Just Two Weeks’.

JUST TWO WEEKS v7 FINAL FINAL Cover front onlychampagne

One of the best psychological  thrillers she’s read, the reviewer said. Praise indeed! Read it here.

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Radio Interview about my novel on BBC Radio Sussex

On Friday 18th October I will be interviewed on the radio about my forthcoming novel ‘Just Two Weeks’

I will be interviewed by Sarah Gorrel live on ‘Drivetime’ at 4.00.

Why not listen!  95.3 FM    104.5 FM Digital

Book Cover

Book Cover

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Another novel?

Image After I’d spent two years (well actually it was more than that) sweating, tearing my hair out, despairing, I decided that was it. No more. I’d spend the time doing other things. Have some fun! But no, A plan began to form in my brain. Another idea. The bug has returned. Or maybe it never went. Perhaps it was just fooling me and lying dormant. So the hard work starts again….

 

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My short story ‘A Mother’s Love’ is published in an anthology ‘The Dark Bard’

My short story ‘A Mother’s Love’ is published in an anthology ‘The Dark Bard’

A Mother’s Love’ is a story about a mother’s long train journey to visit her son in prison.
She believes he is innocent and sees the man she thinks stitched her son up during the journey.

What should she do?

The Dark Bard

Buy the book!

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A good review of my book. Thanks to http://carolesbooks.blogspot.co.uk

Eloquence of desire front cover reduced

Saturday, 16 February 2013Book Review: THE ELOQUENCE OF DESIRE BY AMANDA SINGTON-WILLIAMS
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2010 by Sparkling Books
Source: Author

About the Book:

Set in the 1950s, The Eloquence of Desire explores the conflicts in family relationships caused by obsessive love, the lost innocence of childhood and the terror of the Communist insurgency in Malaya.
Richly descriptive and well-researched, the story told by Amanda Sington-Williams unfolds as George is posted to the tropics in punishment for an affair with the daughter of his boss. His wife, Dorothy, constrained by social norms, begrudgingly accompanies him while their twelve year old daughter Susan is packed off to boarding school.
Desire and fantasy mix with furtive visits, lies and despair to turn the family inside out.

We first meet George, travelling home on the tube, after his meeting with his boss where he learns of his ‘promotion’ to Malaya. Both he and his wife know it’s anything but a promotion.
His wife Dorothy feels powerless to do anything but go with him as she feared being frowned upon and shunned by other people if she divorced George. “The alternative to divorce, thought Dorothy, was to grit her teeth and depart for Malaya.”
She hates Malaya and they are both bored, Dorothy starts to fantasise about having an affair and their relationship is tested by other people and the frightening Communist threat to their lives.
Each chapter is written from a different person’s perspective and I thought this gave an added dimension to the story. The chapters also moved the story along so I was made to really think about what must have happened as the author quite often just gave clues and it was left to me to work it out, most of the time this worked okay.
Overall, I did like this style of writing, it flowed very easily. The descriptions of Malaya and the people seemed real and believable and I could easily picture them.
I enjoyed this story and would happily read another book by Amanda Sington-Williams

Saturday, 16 February 2013Book Review: THE ELOQUENCE OF DESIRE BY AMANDA SINGTON-WILLIAMS
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2010 by Sparkling Books
Source: Author

About the Book:

Set in the 1950s, The Eloquence of Desire explores the conflicts in family relationships caused by obsessive love, the lost innocence of childhood and the terror of the Communist insurgency in Malaya.
Richly descriptive and well-researched, the story told by Amanda Sington-Williams unfolds as George is posted to the tropics in punishment for an affair with the daughter of his boss. His wife, Dorothy, constrained by social norms, begrudgingly accompanies him while their twelve year old daughter Susan is packed off to boarding school.
Desire and fantasy mix with furtive visits, lies and despair to turn the family inside out.

We first meet George, travelling home on the tube, after his meeting with his boss where he learns of his ‘promotion’ to Malaya. Both he and his wife know it’s anything but a promotion.
His wife Dorothy feels powerless to do anything but go with him as she feared being frowned upon and shunned by other people if she divorced George. “The alternative to divorce, thought Dorothy, was to grit her teeth and depart for Malaya.”
She hates Malaya and they are both bored, Dorothy starts to fantasise about having an affair and their relationship is tested by other people and the frightening Communist threat to their lives.
Each chapter is written from a different person’s perspective and I thought this gave an added dimension to the story. The chapters also moved the story along so I was made to really think about what must have happened as the author quite often just gave clues and it was left to me to work it out, most of the time this worked okay.
Overall, I did like this style of writing, it flowed very easily. The descriptions of Malaya and the people seemed real and believable and I could easily picture them.
I enjoyed this story and would happily read another book by Amanda Sington-Williams

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Story Accepted for inclusion in an Anthology

I have just heard that my short story, A Mother’s Love’ has been selected for inclusion in an anthology DARK BARD published by Indigo Mosaic. I wrote this a few months ago and had forgotten I’d submitted it! A story based on a woman’s journey to visit her son in prison

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Short story selected for inclusion in an antholology

Good news!
I’ve just heard that my short story, ‘A Mother’s Love’ has been seleceted for inclusion in an anthology, DARK BARD, published by Indigo Mosaic. A story set around a mother’s journey to visit her son in prison

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Click on link to read more about: SALA anthology 

A brilliant anthology to be published on 1st December

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October 8, 2012 · 9:34 am