And he's back!

Just got back from a trip to Germany via Holland. We enjoyed a river cruise down the Rhine, going as far south as Rudesheim and stopping off at places like Koblenz, Boppard, and Andernach, with a trip down the Moselle to visit Cochem too.

Even managed vistis to Cologne and Dusseldorf as well.

Had a great time, lovely scenery, friendly locals, good wine, bier and food. We journeyed on the MV Virginia, one of the older and smaller vessells that ply their tourist trade on this famous river, but it seemed all the more enjoyable just for that. Only a hundred passengers but that made it easier to get to know people.
I must say that I liked what I saw of Germany very much. The people we met were friendly and shamed us with their ability to speak several languages, being typically Enlgish we could only speak one between us!

Now to get back to the real world!

Taking a break

Today I am going to travel to Germany for a cruise down the Rhine! The journey starts with a ferry crossing of the North Sea to Rotterdam and then a coach trip to Cologne where we pickboard the MV Virginia. I expect to see pleny of castles and majestic mountains as we head south sipping drinks on the promenade deck. I have not done this kind of thing before so the fact that it is something new makes it all the more exciting. Got my camera ready but intend not to spend every moment behind the view finder. There will be wine tasting trips as well as the obligatory visit to medieval towns, and of course trying out the German food and beer!

Hopefully I might get some inspiration for a story or two to write about as well; I can see it now...'Death on the Rhine'! Probably been done anyway!!

Aufwiedersehn! Back in about 10 days!

Taking the Plunge

When I started writing my novel my dream was to see it in print, a dream that is shared by probably every writer. The idea of e-publishing did not occur to me then, I only saw the traditional route of getting an agent interested in my work and then them getting a publisher interested and, finally, my book going to print.

 It has been a couple of years since then and I have to say that my pursuit of this dream has been fraught with much more frustration than I had expected. I appear to have failed in interesting a literary agent. Forget JK Rowling’s famous ’12 rejections’, I’ve reached 20! And yet I still have faith in my work.

 Of course there have been moments of doubt, times when I have questioned whether or not I have turned out something that is both credible and enjoyable; maybe it really is not that good after all? In answer to this self-doubt I load up a copy of my manuscript on my laptop and sit and read it through, not a proof-reading session, just a sit down and read for enjoyment episode. And I keep finding that I do enjoy reading it!

 If I enjoy reading it why wouldn’t anyone else?

 A story about 1066 might not prove as big a literary hit as one about a boy wizard but that really is not the point; the reason for writing is the hope that someone you do not know might pick up your book and enjoy it! Of course making lots of money would be nice but writing just to make lots of money is not my point of inspiration; I want to tell a story and I want others to enjoy it.

 As following the traditional path to getting a book published has proven so fruitless I have changed tack and looked at e-publishing and I like what I see. I have looked at it closely and I find the level of control that an author can exercise in the e-publishing market is much greater than that enjoyed by all but the most successful of traditionally published writers. There are pitfalls of course, those exist in almost every human undertaking, and there are no guarantees of success, but there is a clearer route to the day when your work enters the literary world.

 It is very inviting but I have not been seduced, that is, I have not rushed head long into e-publishing. I did indeed take a long hard look at e-publishing and then went away and planned my new approach. I reviewed my manuscript to make sure that the format would suit e-publishing for one. Researching the various platforms and what they offer was another area that occupied me. This basically falls into two camps, Kindle and all other e-readers. Which one you choose, if you are interested in e-publishing that is, is of course a very subjective choice, but it is worth reading all the FAQ’s that you can find on the subject; boring sometimes but very necessary.

 So, in September I will cross my literary Rubicon and submit my manuscript for e-publishing. As the date approaches I find myself feeling both excitement and apprehension; that magic buzz! I have put a lot of work into this project, not just the writing and editing and submissions to uninterested literary agents but also the building of a social media network to help spread an awareness of my book. There may be more control in e-publishing but there is also more work required to make a go of it but then if you love what you have created and really believe in it then the long hours should not be a bind, they should be part of the creative process!

 How will I judge if I have been successful? Easy, if one person I do not know buys my book and has the kindness to drop me a line saying that they enjoyed reading it that will be enough, anything else will be a huge bonus!

The Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon Treasure

The Staffordshire Hoard was discovered in July of 2009 by Terry Herbert who had asked for permission to search a farmer’s field with his metal detector. The field had only recently been ploughed and also other people had searched it only a little while ago but Mr Herbert was keen to give it a try.

The results were amazing!

Over a period of 5 days Mr Herbert recovered an enormous amount of gold and silver articles. He realised that there was too much for one person so he contacted the authorities and handed over his finds, and the responsibility that went with them, to the professionals.

A thorough exaction was carried out by Birmingham Archaeology with the approval of the land owner, Mr Fred Johnson. Over 3000 pieces were eventually recovered. The scale of the find and the variety of the pieces has captivated the imaginations of the public and the academics ever since.

It is not just the amount of precious metal and gemstones that is included in the treasure-trove, it is the high standard of the craftsmanship evident in many of the individual pieces. The period of Anglo-Saxon Britain was for so long presented to the public as the ‘Dark Ages’ where very little was known until England was once again civilised by the Norman Conquest. However, there has always been those who have fought against this representation, pointing to works like Beowulf that hint at a culture much richer than post Norman England tended to acknowledge. The Staffordshire Hoard repays their conviction.

Words cannot do the items justice, the old adage ‘a picture worth a thousand words’ is true so instead of me trying to describe this beauty you can visit the official website here http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/ and see this wonder for yourself.