It’s countdown time to the October 10 publication of the short story compilation ‘Stories for the Road’ written by by myself and Jude Lennon. It has been a great collaboration and wearing my interviewer hat, here are a few questions to my fabulous co-writer…
You love travelling around in your VW campervan ‘Buttercup’. What is the best and worst thing about holidays on the road?
‘The best – you don’t really need a plan. You can get up each day and decide where you fancy visiting. You can also find some beautiful, tucked away places off the beaten track. We’ve recently discovered a new campsite on the Welsh Coast which we’ll definitely return to. It’s also lovely to enjoy the great outdoors and eating meals with a beautiful view.
The worst – not surprisingly the weather! We had to abandon one holiday half way through because the rain was never ending. There’s only so many days you can stand continuous downpours!’
Which character did you have the most fun creating for ‘Stories for the Road?’
‘I think it would have to be the lead character from Lord Ryton’s Long Lost Library. In the story, we don’t actually find out her name but she’s called Emma. I loved seeing her change from quite a shallow, ditsy character into one with more depth and appreciation for the world around her. The other character I really loved developing was Marcus from The Bridge. He’s quite dark and I knew I needed to find his vulnerability’.
Music features in a good number of our stories. What is your all time favourite album?
‘This is sooooooo hard!
Either Abbey Road by the Beatles or Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. I’d be happy if either of those were stowed away in my luggage’.
What have I enjoyed the most about creating your short stories for this collection?
‘I’ve really enjoyed meeting the characters. They are a varied bunch with different tales to tell. Just like we all are. I’ve also enjoyed the settings I’ve used. I like to think of them as ‘characters’ too’.
5. Cornwall is one of the locations featured in our stories. Where is your favourite Cornish place?
‘I love the beach at Polzeath and I love Tintagel when it’s not too busy. We’ve never taken Buttercup (our van) to Cornwall but it’s definitely going to happen’.
Our four-legged pets are everywhere – have you noticed how many advertisements and dramas now have a pet dog or cat at the heart of their story-lines?
Of course the same is true of books, including the forthcoming collection of short stories, ‘Stories for the Road’, written by myself and Jude Lennon. Not long now until publication date on October 10th!
Our stories include a sassy spaniel, who accompanies one-time radio agony aunt Pamela, as she takes to the road in her motorhome hoping to solve a few everyday life problems.
There is a therapy dog who attends art classes and another who is preparing to say a good-bye to her owners after a life well lived.
A dog also features on our book cover and…ahem…bears a resemblance to my own cockapoo dog, Bonnie, who this year is celebrating a milestone 10 years as a visiting Pets as Therapy (PAT) dog.
So cheers to all our four-legged fur friends and on that note I’m looking forward to reading ‘Man and Dog’ by one of my favourite writers, Tony Parsons.
Thanks to Jackie Hague for her great feedback on the short story ‘Pippa’s Last Hurrah’ from ‘Stories for the Road’.
“Although I found this story moving and sad, it is uplifting too. I’d like to think that our dogs do prepare us for their last journey and I’ve no doubt that dog lovers will find it as comforting as I did.”
How to collaborate on a book of short stories when you have different styles of writing and distinct author ‘voices’?
Although the stories written by Jude Lennon and myself differ in style and subjects, they sit alongside each other well.
A bit like these two versions of the same Hydrangea plants growing side-by-side in my west Cornwall garden – the delicate ‘lace head’ (darker one) and the bolder pink one with a more striking floral display. A great contrast!
On another note, it has been good to get feedback from a few readers who’ve had an early peek of our collection ‘Stories for the Road’, due to be published on October 10th.
We’ve both been pleased with the response and grateful to all those who agreed to be our ‘beta readers’.
We’ll be featuring more reader comments over the coming weeks. Meantime thanks to Lucy Hamilton-Aherne for these lovely words on the short story ‘The Do Gooder’:
“I was gripped by this tale of redemption and repercussions. The main character, Gabby, shows that it is never too late to do the right thing, even if it means breaking some rules!”
What to read when you are on holiday? If it is a beach get-away, with hours to lounge on a sun bed, then airport shop blockbusters or easy escapist novels come to mind.
As for myself and co-writer Jude Lennon, our holidays are spent touring in a campervan and motorhome. Here is a snippet of a recent chat we had as part of Indie Author Week UK where we discuss why short stories like our forthcoming collection ‘Stories for the Road’, (out on October 10 2026), are perfect for road travel.
My tribute the late great Birmingham based press photographer MJ Niels McGuinness.
His press photography, spanning several decades, included capturing the scenes of devastation following the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings. Throughout his career he managed to combine gritty social realism with photographing celebrities, politicians and local characters in the city he loved.
Niels’ work deserves to be better recognised. Thanks to Professor Carl Chinn for introducing me to his family during research for the commemoration book to mark the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham bombings.
Many of us treasure memories of a key person, event or simply a ‘thing’ that caused us to take a particular path in our working or personal lives.
Someone or something igniting a spark, generating enthusiasm and energy, taking us in a direction that we may not have thought possible.
When talking about influential people, the catch-all term is ‘mentor’ – an experienced and trusted adviser. Whether it be a teacher, family member, colleague or a chance meeting, the result can be life changing and the start of something special.
That’s why giving the gift of time, passing on experience and knowledge, is important and even more so for people who don’t have easy access or links to a particular profession – in my own case print and broadcast journalism.
As a child growing up in a Birmingham working class community, I didn’t know anyone who wrote for a living or worked in broadcasting. Libraries were a place to escape, somewhere to lose yourself in books and marvel at the sea of titles and author names. A library ticket was a key to another world, a sanctuary but at the same time a special place to visit.
Later on when we moved to a house right opposite a library, I got to know some of the people there who were always helpful and often shared their own favourite books. They didn’t call themselves ‘mentors’ but that is exactly what they were, fostering a love of words and writing.
Knowing where you want to go is one thing but getting there is quite another and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of those inspirational people who have helped along the way.
Sharing some book space with other short story writers – ‘The Brumology’ is a selection of Birmingham themed stories published on April 14 2023
Over the years I’ve often been approached about giving advice to young people who are interested in TV production or print journalism careers
Having already contributed to a magazine aimed at young people in the care system, this gave an ideal opportunity to share my work experience with some of them too, their glimpse into the world of print and broadcasting.
Using humour to get across a point about misconceptions of young people in care
At the time I was working on a demanding TV series which meant long unpredictable hours with lots of travel, so was reluctant to promise something that would inevitably be subject to last minute changes – they had already gone through enough of that in their lives.
In the end it was a case of reaching out to other industry contacts to arrange studio/location visits while offering advice where possible. After leaving care, some of them went on to take part in news and documentary programmes shedding a light on their real life stories.
It was a stark reminder that just because you can’t always do a lot it doesn’t mean that you should do nothing. At the same time it’s important to only promise what you can deliver.
Giving even a small bit of time isn’t just about ‘do gooding’ to use that perjorative term. It is about passing on knowledge and helping to open doors for people who might otherwise not get a look in.
Whether you use the terms ‘mentor’, ‘adviser’ or ‘career buddy’, it’s really about being dependable, willing to share your experiences both good and bad, and appreciating the needs of the person seeking advice. A healthy sense of humour always comes in handy too!
On the subject of humour, former GB gymnast and brilliant performance poet, Sally Crabtree, (aka the ‘Poetry Postie’), shares her own childhood inspiration – the Beano comic! – and how it has led to a fantastic work collaboration.
Sally Crabtree
‘I loved reading books as a child – anything from children’s classics to modern fiction. But in truth, what filled me with the most excitement was my Beano comic which was delivered every week through the letterbox! I can remember being at the top of the stairs having heard it land on the mat and the feeling of utter happiness and excitement as I rushed down to pick it up. Little did I know that I would be working with Beano Cartoonists Nick and Fran Brennan from Cartoonfun later in life, collaborating with them to create our very own comic inspired by the ‘Parcel Pets’ – who are the mascots of my Poetry Postie project. You can find out more about it all here www.thepostalserviceofhappiness.com ‘
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