The world from my window

This past year in Corfu, I've had the time and discipline to get on with various writing projects which have been languishing around for far too long. And those characters who have lain abandoned like the toys in Toy Story , with bits of things missing, back story only sketched, motivation and desires just outlined, have at last taken on a life of their own. Earlier this year, I was able to bring out my novella, A Year in Lush Places , a light-hearted, affectionate look at English country life based on an election year's worth of blogging from Dorset. Sales are going well and the reviews on Amazon have been lovely, thank you. And now there's  A Town Like This , a comic romp inspired by my early days as a local newspaper in small towns in Devon and Dorset. Likened by one reviewer to Porterhouse Blue in places, the novel is being launched alongside two other debuts by West Dorset writers. You can read more about that on The Bridport Press website , where you...

We've only been home in Dorset a week and my feet haven't touched the ground. There's been the surprise party, a midweek grouse or two, a book club meeting, a village fete meeting, a big band spectacular, afternoon tea and a re-run of the harvest supper video, trips into Bridport, Beaminster and Sherborne - three lovely Dorset towns - and a meeting of The Bridport Press to discuss an exciting new venture. There have been haircuts and dental appointments, a car to service and a falling out with and then a falling back in with a village stalwart when she and I realised we were talking at crossed purposes. There has been freelance work to do, two business meetings and an outrageous, laugh-a-minute Sunday lunch with two old friends. There have been family and friends to catch up with, children to hug and animals to stroke. There have been waves and smiles and kisses. There has been a fantastic local reaction to   A Year in Lush Places , the novella based on the Dorse...

At last, my blog book,  A Year in Lush Places: Tales from England's Rural Underbelly , is out in paperback. It's been available in Kindle format for a little while now and I've been like an ant with a overdose of formic acid as I waited for the 'proper' book to arrive. And now it has, thanks to the good folks at FeedaRead .  It will also be available from leading booksellers. It's a slim little number - it's a novella, you see. Sneeze and you might miss a vital bit of the plot. But if you enjoy the Dorset part of this blog, I think you'll enjoy the book. Here's the blurb: Immersed in a sea of Barbour wearers and waves of Daily Mail readers, Maddie Grigg charts the highs and lows of a Dorset year as she attempts to swim against the tide in the lively and lovely village of Lush Places. From singing groups, book clubs and point-to-point, not to mention election wars, the village has it all. A quiet rebel, Maddie is married to a charmer, a m...

A Year in Lush Places: Tales from England's Rural Underbelly is now available on Kindle , published by The Bridport Press. It comes out, appropriately, on the eve of Lush Places fun weekend and, as my blog readers will know, the Dorset village where I lived before moving to Corfu for twelve months is the epitome of fun. And weird. A work of fiction, it is inspired by and taken from the blog, so much of it will be familiar to you. But read on, there is a twist at the end. It's set in 2010, when  The World from my Window  became a  Blog of Note . The novella charts the highs and lows of a Dorset village and a nagging case of misunderstanding, which is resolved on New Year's Eve at a Wild West showdown. For those of you have been with me along the way, thanks for your support. It's not exactly Pulitzer Prize, more Pullet Surprise, but it will certainly make you think twice before eating a pasty. The paperback version will be available in a couple of weeks...