Your very good health

The word of the week is healthful. It means 'conducisive to good health' and 'beneficial'. I think it's a much better word than 'healthy' which has been stolen by marketing people. They get something natural, such as butter, and stuff it with colours, preservatives, salt, water etc etc and then try to convince us it's better for us. It isn't. It is lower in calories, but then so is a slightly smaller portion of butter.

Where was I before I started ranting? Oh yes, healthful. What's conducisive to your good health? A nice sunny day encourages me to get outside, be active and to eat more fruit and veg and less cake.

 Here's a picture I took in my sunny garden yesterday. (Promise I wasn't eating cake as I framed the shot)

When it comes to writerly health, a deadline or rewrite request always gets me working.

A free to enter competition with a £200 prize might tempt me, especially if I only needed to write 500 words and could email it in. Oooh look, I've found one.

Fabulous flowers

 My last post wasn't very cheerful - let's have something pretty to make up for it.

 Do you like my Aquilegia's? I grew the original batch from seeds and since then have saved the seeds from my favourites and removed the plants that didn't fit my scheme (a bit like editing a novel) and now have a selection I'm pleased with.

Aquilegias are a cottage garden classic. If you prefer literary classics to floral ones, try this competition.












Rather have a book to help with your writing? OK then. Just email in your name and address for a chance to win the Writers' & Artists' Guide to How to Write.  

 I may have got carried away with the aquilegias (the pictures I mean - not the plants in the garden)





I expect most of you are far too busy writing to sit in the sun reading or to wander about looking at flowers (aren't you?)

 This competition is for humorous stories about public administration.  You can write true stories, fiction or even anecdotes - as long as you do it quickly. The prize is 1,000 euros and a diploma.

Looking hard

I have a list of words to use for my Wednesday word of the week. Sclerotic is on it. It's not in my handwriting.

Sclerotic means 'of or having sclerosis, of or relating to sclera'. Sclera is a white membrane coating the eyeball. Sclerosis is an abnormal hardening of body tissue. Nice. There are full multiple or disseminated types, but I think you've already learned more than you (and my whiteboard elf) wanted to know.

I'd like to say I've been looking hard for competition links, but actually I went to the allotment and then the beach. All I've got for you is a link to somewhere that buys children's stories.

I'm a poster girl!

Well, my name's on there at any rate.

Have you ever been to a book signing?  I think I just have to smile and pretend I don't mind sitting there all alone ... If you're in the area, do pop in and say hello. Don't worry, I'll keep banging on about this remind you again nearer the time.

Here's a competition for romance writers. The prize is publication of your book in eformat.

And here's an opportunity to have shorter work published electronically.  There are different themes each month.

Want something to read electronically? Try Shirley Blane's book, The Widow's Revenge which is currently free to download.

A dog's tail

 No, not those dogs. Actually, it's not tail either, I mean tales. Lots of them and they'll all be available on the Alfie Dog site which goes live tomorrow (my mum's birthday - although that's not relevant)

Stories from dozens of authors in a wide variety of genres will be available to download. Prices start at 39p.

If you'd like to submit work to the site, it's not too late. New stories will be added regularly, so fresh submissions will always be welcomed.

If ewe zubmitt tu Alfee dawg yule nead two spel fingz rite. Butt iv yu zubmitt toe zis conpitishun, yu shood spell evreefink ronglee.

Gud luk. Eetz mush ardor tu du thann yu mite fink.

Book news

Today I'm giving you the chance to, win a set of books by Catherine Alliott, enter your book in a competition and win editing, publishing, publicity etc, win '100 of the best novels in the English language', get your book rejected without having to go to the trouble of writing and submitting it. If that's not enough, then here's the latest news on Escape to the Country' and you can read all my great Amazon reviews here. (If you've read and enjoyed my book, please feel free to add your own review *flutters eyelashes*)

Here's a picture of a tree. (Of course it's appropriate - books are made from trees.) I think cookery books should be made from fruit trees, romances should be made from trees where lovers have carved their initials or kissed in it's shade and that when this ones time comes, it should be used for a gothic fantasy.

What kind of tree would you like used for your books?

Radio

I was on the radio this morning. In case you missed it and want to know what I said, here's the link. My interview starts about 2 hrs and 18 mins in.

As well as the book, I mention my day job. If you're curious about that and fancy a nose around, take a look here and here (Not my photos!)

Here's a picture of sea urchins (taken by me in Zakynthos). I know my day job and sea urchins don't seem connected to my writing, but hold on just a minute and I might come up with something to tie it all together.

Thinking ...

How about this competition? The prize is to have 50 copies of your book published (which is relevant to writing) There's no set subject so you could write something historical or nautical or travel related. You wouldn't be likely to be able to give up the day job after winning but there are other reasons for wishing to sea(sic) you book in print. I'll stop now before I'm tempted to refer to your children as urchins and suggest you give them copies of your book.

I got distracted

I was looking for a particular photograph I took that would have perfectly illustrated a point I was going to make, but I got distracted by these photos of wild flowers in Rhodes. Still, I've got lots of competition and links, so the picture and the point can wait.






First there's a crime writing competition. The winning short story will be epublished and the winner will get tickets to a writing festival and the W&AYB conference.







Then there's a poetry competition with £100 prize.






















Then another crime writing competition. For this one you need to submit the start of a novel and could win a £5,000 advance. Unfortunately I'm not eligible for this one because I've already had a novel published.


You'll need to be quick to enter this short story competition and win £1,000 but at least it's been started for you.





Finally, here's a link to BBC Radio Solent if all goes to plan, I'll be on air at 8.25 tomorrow morning. I hope I don't get distracted and forget what I want to talk about.

In case you hadn't noticed

... I'm back (although most of my clothes are still in cases!) Thanks to wifi you didn't get a chance to miss me, but that won't get you out of looking at loads more of my holiday snaps. I'll be challenging myself to tie in as many as possible to writing related posts*.

We did have a wonderful time visiting Spain, Greece, Italy, Egypt, Cyprus and Portugal. There were a few days when rough seas meant we felt a little unwell, but it was worth it to touch a pyramid, see the ruins of Herculaneum, climb a wildflower studded hill on a Greek Island, smell and taste all manner of interesting food and drink, feel the sun on my skin, sand under my toes and well, you get the idea.

I even did some writing. On each sea day I went somewhere quiet and worked until my laptop battery was almost flat. Away from the internet and thinking about what to cook for tea it's possible to get rather a lot done in a few hours. From now on, I'm going to make an effort to close the door on the outside world and concentrate just on my writing - but not all the time, just for a few hours a day, most days.


 
Fancy shutting yourself away on a writing retreat? Then enter this competition.


* Which is why these are all doors and entrances. (you did know winning competitions can open doors?)

Please pop over to Rosemary's blog  and read her interview with the author of Escape to the Country!