Good News and Bad News

I had a wonderful time on Friday  when I visited Bridlington Library and spoke to their Writers’ Group.  The turnout was great – the librarian told me that they had the most people attending than at any other meeting in the past. So thank you to everyone who came. I hope you enjoyed the afternoon as much as I did.

As an added benefit, the sun shone and the day was warm so the Babe Magnet and I enjoyed a day beside the sea, strolling along the seafront and relaxing. We even found time to visit Bempton Cliffs to see the huge gannets whirling in the air high above the sea as they feed their chicks which were perched in nests in what seemed like tiny cracks in the cliff.

This will be my last Writing Talk/Workshop for some time – that is, unless any events are planned for the So You Think You Can Write. But that reminds me that I need to bring you up to date on the news about some of my other planned events – which is why the good news/bad news scenario.

Bad news first – Sadly, the week-long writing course at The Watermill in Posara has been cancelled. I’m really disappointed about this, but the decision was out of my hands.  It seems that they didn’t feel they would get enough bookings even though there are still two months before the course actually starts (and they actually cancelled some weeks earlier than that.) So I’m sorry if you were hoping to attend . I’m really sorry too, as I had a great course planned out and I was very much looking forward it.

But the good- the great news is . . . Remember this post back in June?

That was when I feared- dreaded  - the possibility that the wonderful Caerleon Writers’ Holiday might be coming to an end. When the Babe Magnet and I – and the organisers Anne and Gerry Hobbs thought that this fantastic week might not happen ever again – ort if it did it wouldn’t be on  the campus of the University of Wales Caerleon and in  the lovely surroundings of  Caerleon village and its fantastic  Roman remains.  

But the good – the great news will be that Caerleon Writers’ Holiday will be back again next year. Everyone involved was so relieved and so thrilled that we’ve been smiling ever since we heard the news.  The details of next years’ event will be posted  here just as soon as Anita gets the details, but one thing I can assure you of and that is that I will be there, running my COMPLETE INTRODUCTION TO WRITING ROMANCE course in July 2013.  Which reminds me that I must just send a special wave to everyone   who was on my course this year. They were a great group, we had a lot of fun as  well as learning a lot (well, I  always learn a bit more each time I teach.)  We had a wonderful week with blue skies and warm sunshine – the temperatures went up to 26 on two days  - with all the usual great Writers’ Holiday events, the courses, the speakers, the poetry reading, the Male Voice Choir. And  I’m looking forward to seeing so many of my students  back again at Fishguard for the Advanced Contemporary Romance  Workshop in February 2013.

Because of course these two workshops are linked and students need to have attended the Introduction course in order to be able to apply for the Advanced. In Fishguard. Numbers for the Advanced course are strictly limited to 15 and I know that at least half of those places are already booked up. So if you’d like to attend, the sooner you get  your booking in the better.

For me, it’s great news that I will be able to be back in Wales, with my dear friends , and enjoying the warmth of their hospitality, in both February and July next year – and hopefully for many more years to  come.  Not for nothing are  Caerleon and Fishguard two red-letter dates in my calendar. 

Oh yes – and if you’ve visited Caerleon this year or before, we now have a special Writers’ Holiday page on Facebook. There are lots of great photos of this years’ event up there.