S.C Newland - Writer

 

I am delighted to say I have three stories in a new anthology called 'In-Between Dartmoor' by the Tavistock Writers Independent Group (TWIG). They are: Killer Instinct, The B-Word, and Nanny Tea. For the publicity we notified several local newspapers and magazines, and had an Open Evening for the launch.  General reader reaction has been very good. The book is available as a Kindle E-book and a Paperback via Amazon.  In-Between Dartmoor, Amazon

Heritage Open Days, meant a trip to Greenway House, near Torquay, once home of the famed crime and detective novelist Agatha Christie. The house is part of the National Trust, and usually an astronomical fee prevents us from visiting, but for a week or so at this time of year, their properties are free to visit (although this one required reserving a parking spot online for a couple of quid).  What was it like? In a nutshell, a large white house with dark rooms, high ceilings and a lot of dated furniture, which somehow seemed out of date when she was living there. Lots of her baggage from the twenties, thirties. Stacks of books penned by her, and others she and her husband at the time - Max Mallowan - might have read.  Rooms with items of unexpected interest: The Kitchen - a peculiar cockerel umbrella stand. The Sitting room: Two magpies on the mantle-piece. The Toilet - a wooden seat with a hole in it - I kid you not - apparently she loved it and dragged it around Afric...

  Just started a new job delivery driving to get a bit of an income. Still giving me enough time to write. So, I wondered what kind of jobs famous writers might have had to make ends meet. Here are a few: JK Rowling – had several jobs before the arrival of Harry Potter, including working as a bilingual secretary and researcher at Amnesty International, for the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and in Portugal teaching English. Stephen King – the prodigious horror/fantasy author once worked as a janitor in a school. His novel ‘Carrie’ was allegedly based on the said experiences. Harper Lee – worked as an airline booking clerk before her famous Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill A Mockingbird took off. Kurt Vonnegut – famed for works like Slaughterhouse-Five – one time opened a Saab dealership in Cape Cod with limited success. By his own account, he made a terrible salesman, but the lack of customers gave him time to write The Sirens of Titan . The dealership even inspired t...

Hah! In the local newsagents and discovered Grand - The Journal of One Grand Books. Very enjoyable read. Fiction, Poetry, Memoirs and interesting biographies - Edna O'Brien the standout read.  Now, interesting aside - the article shows a black and white picture of Edna sitting by a window in her Chelsea home in London, in 1971. That's just about the time I used to travel to see my grandparents in the same area. Not saying I saw Edna, but in a peculiar way, it's comforting to know a writer of her literary talent was just around the corner. Sad to read about her soured relationship with husband Ernest Gebler (an author - yes, I had to look him up). Turns out, Ernest was a divorcee when he met Edna in 1952. His fame was a novel which became a movie starring Spencer Tracy: The Plymouth Adventure. Edna was working in a pharmacy. He became a Svengali of sorts - introducing her to publishers, perhaps encouraging her writing and probably wished he hadn't when her debut novel Th...

  I'm pleased to announce that the Tavistock Writers Independent Group - TWIG - have released their first anthology - an E-book exclusively available from Amazon Kindle. A couple of short stories of mine are featured together with some excellent fiction from other members of the group including poetry.  In-Between Dartmoor on Amazon