Woking Writers' Week 2022

Welcome to the 2nd Woking Writers' Week which runs from Sunday 15 May to Saturday 21 May 2022.

Since hosting the event last year, the Woking Writes book blog has gone from strength to strength and has enabled many local writers to bond by meeting up, sharing publishing ideas and ultimately helping promote each other's work.

The authors are all independently published which means self-promotion is a necessity. Woking Writes, is simply here to help by providing an essential platform for them to give their latest published titles some extra exposure. In doing so, many readers and potential readers have explored our pages and discovered the work of some true local talent.  

The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine author HG Wells

Sunday 15 May

Meet former Salesian nun and writer Marion Dante. Marion is the author of three books including the aptly titled, 'Dropping the Habit'.

Monday 16 May

Mal Foster talks about the therapeutic use of writing as a tool to help ease mental health issues. In the evening, everyone is invited to the book signing of his latest novel, 'Fluke's Cradle'. The event starts at 7pm at the Garibaldi pub, High Street Knaphill. DETAILS

Tuesday 17 May

Sue Mackender gives an insight into her writing journey so far which has led to the publication of her compelling novel, 'Girl on the Hill.'

Wednesday 18 May

The bard of Byfleet, Greg Freeman, offers up four of his poems for your enjoyment, following the publication of his, Marples Must Go, and The Fall of Singapore poetry booklets.

Thursday 19 May

Lelita Baldock, author of the Cornish set, historical fiction drama, When the Gulls Fall Silent, tells us more about what inspired the book and her other writing.

Friday 20 May

Woking folklore? We look at the impact of H.G.Wells' writing in Woking and whether his legacy is deserved after what was a seemly short stay in the town. After all, he certainly left his mark, Martian machines et-al.!

Saturday 21 May

Some of Woking's fabulous independent authors

This is the last chance for any new authors to come forward and join us. We would love to feature your latest book(s)! We'll also be highlighting Woking's new independent Lionsheart bookshop which is currently stocking titles by many of our featured writers.

#wokingwrites 

Mal Foster talks about his new novel 'Fluke's Cradle'

 KEEPING HIS FEET FIRMLY ON THE GROUND

Mal Foster, talks to Kathy Kelso, about his publishing journey so far, and a little about his superb new psychological thriller, ‘Fluke’s Cradle’…

Mal Foster, an author of the ordinary man? “Too bloody well right I am”, he says, grinning widely from behind his raised pint of rapidly disappearing Hells lager. Mal and I have known each other since we were teenagers. We used to indulge ourselves in contemporary poetry, Leonard Cohen, Hart Crane, Douglas Dunn, Jack Kerouac, Robert Service and the Mersey Poets, et al etc., whilst sipping long-lasting cappuccinos in an upstairs coffee lounge at the top of Camberley High Street. I’m delighted to say Galinis as it was known, has miraculously crept into Mal’s intriguing new book, ‘Fluke’s Cradle’ as part of its storyline. In those hurdy-gurdy days of the 1970s, a cappuccino was simply called frothy coffee and we both knew how to make it last, and for those of us who didn’t have two 5p pieces to rub together, it was a godsend.

While I gazed down onto the street outside, Mal would concentrate on scribbling fragments of poems in a little green notebook he always carried around in the inside pocket of a well-worn fake leather jacket. Often, he’d be found at his usual table, with three other budding writers, Alan Guest, Jez Goodwin, and Sean Duffy… all four poor misguided souls had their own ideas on how their writing could change the world. Fortunately, naivete eventually gave way to reality and they all moved on to negotiate the rest of their lives quite differently from one another.  Mal though is still in contact with Jez, who is now, a successful TV chef and food resource expert who resides in Houston, Texas in the U.S.

Fast-forward 50 years and Mal prides himself on his independent author status…“If I’d sent any of my manuscripts to a traditional publisher, they would still be gathering dust and would never have seen the light of day. Thousands of fiction books are published each year in this country alone. I soon realised that the self-publishing option was probably the best way of getting my books out there.

What, if any, are the benefits of self-publishing? "Firstly, the author is in complete control of the whole process, including the book's promotion. The key thing is, is not to let your expectations be too high. Any self-published indie author who exceeds sales of 200+ copies in all formats will probably celebrate even though they will never get their initial investment back – that sadly is commonplace with self-publishing, but it’s a small price to pay for something that is so rewarding. If you treat writing as a hobby, you have nothing to lose."

Keeping his feet firmly on the ground, Mal adds, "I’ve always written for my own pleasure, not the money, if I did, I would be bitterly disappointed. That said, when a book is published, there’s nothing more pleasing than someone stopping me in the street and asking about one of my characters. It proves that people really can immerse themselves in what I write.”

Are there any downsides? “Yes, of course. Whilst I enjoy researching and writing my books. I find the editing process quite arduous. It can also be a potential minefield. It's where the manuscript is most vulnerable. For instance, there is nothing more annoying than when something gets missed during the final proofreading phase. Although errors can easily be fixed, through a quick Amazon edit, a missing question mark or a stray apostrophe can bug the hell out of you... something I know all honest authors will admit they go through. Also, after publication, the first few weeks can be quite nerve-wracking until the first pieces of feedback filter through. Luckily, most reviews I've received have always been quite positive.”

This all brings me nicely back to Mal’s exciting new novel 'Fluke’s Cradle’, a paranormal/psychological thriller that has already been heralded by early reviewers as his best writing yet...

About the book…

Eddie Noble had always wondered who his father was. His mother had died shortly after childbirth, and those shielding him from life’s future challenges were not always forthcoming with any answers.

Following a mysterious medical episode whilst searching for his mother’s grave, Eddie becomes increasingly convinced he is the person he was in a previous life. He then undergoes an enforced period of regression therapy to aid his rehabilitation. 

Enter Marianne Borg, a beautiful psychic medium, Nathaniel Bream, a quirky psychiatric paranormal research scientist, and Professor Allan, a mental health specialist who all take a particular interest in Eddie’s plight.  

‘Fluke’s Cradle’ is out now and is available from Amazon in, hardback (£13.99), paperback (£8.99) and Kindle (£3.39) formats.

 

·         Publisher ‏ : ‎ Publish Nation (23 Mar. 2022)

·         Language ‏ : ‎ English

·         Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages

·         ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8428566093

·         Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.19 x 22.86 cm

 

BUY NOW

A book signing event is also taking place in Knaphill, Woking on 16 May.

CLICK HERE for full details.

  

You can find out more about Mal’s writing at www.malfoster.co.uk

 

From Woking to Benidorm? Yes, seriously!

It's an absolute privilege to welcome Tony Harrison and his first book Benidorm Seriously!! to #wokingwrites. When possible (or necessary) Tony still divides his time between Woking and the notorious Spanish resort. 

 

About the author, and the book… 

Tony Harrison is a former Woking resident, well, Knaphill to be precise. A successful local business entrepreneur, he was once featured in a national women's magazine as one of the country’s most eligible 'bachelors'. He is now happily married to his wife Jane and runs a busy hotel in Spain.

Tony escaped from what he describes as the ‘grey skies of the UK', to one of Europe’s No1 tourist resorts, Benidorm, to start a new life.

He went on to buy and manage a gay hotel in the old town, something he never expected to do. Far from being gay himself, he has witnessed the crazy, strange, and downright bizarre behaviour of tourists and hotel guests. From gangsters to prostitutes, from chickens to S&M, he says his life would never be the same or normal ever again 

Labelling himself as a new author, Benidorm Seriously!!, his debut book, is dedicated to all those that love Benidorm and all those that have ever wondered what it would be like to run a business in Spain.

Benidorm Seriously!! is available in both paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.

 

Tony Harrison

Top Amazon Review: 

The writer’s warts and all look at life in the touristy Spanish resort of Benidorm is a cracking read. As you turn each page you’ll feel as if you’re sitting in a friendly Iberian bar sharing a beer with the author and him talking to you personally revealing anecdote after anecdote, many of them extremely funny, and his personal battle(s) to revive the fortunes of a run-down hotel in Benidorm he’d had the courage to purchase.

The fact he succeeds is mainly through the support of his immediate family, friends and many of the gay community who live and reside in this buzzing resort. Enroute you’ll meet many larger-than-life characters and wonder at the vagaries, often hilariously related, between the Spanish and British way of lives.

Along with the many laughs, there is great personal sadness and heartache, but Mr Harrison never seeks sympathy from the reader and at the book’s end he simply invites you for a chat, if you’re passing by, with him and his wife at their Babylon Hotel. After reading this terrific and often funny book, I feel certain that you won’t be disappointed at meeting them both. – David Hunt.

BUY THE BOOK 

 

 #wokingwrites

(formerly 'Writers at the Gate')

Welcome...

 

Yes, the name of the blog has been changed
to better reflect our commitment
to promoting the newly published books
of Woking’s fantastic indie authors.

Meet the authors HERE

#wokingwrites

First Anniversary

I'm pleased to say, WOKING WRITES (formerly Writers at the Gate) has quickly become an important platform for authors living in the Woking area who wish to showcase their various titles.

In our first year, we've also been able to oversee the stocking of books by our authors in the Lionsheart Bookshop in Woking's Commercial Way. My special thanks to Patrick and his team at the popular shop/café for kindly helping to support us.

Our authors were also recently featured in the February issue of Writing Magazine, the UK's top selling writing mag. 

Carol Hedges

At the outset, together with our local writers, the blog invited a number of guest authors in conjunction with The Coffee Pot Book Club to help enhance its profile and get things off the ground.

Some successful indie authors including Carol Hedges (pictured) and Judith Cranswick also agreed to participate for which I am very grateful.

The blog will be hosting the 2nd Woking Writers’ Week in May. The 'event' proved very successful last year and brought many authors together. Many have since become firm friends.

If you are an author (or know of any), who are yet to appear on the blog. Please get in touch by email at: admin@malfoster.co.uk  We look forward to hearing from you.

Name Change. The blog has now undergone a ‘subtle’ name change to better reflect its local status. Links to pages, however, should not be affected!

You can check out all our authors and their latest published titles HERE

Best Regards, Mal

#wokingwrites

New poetry collection by Woking poet, Greg Freeman

Greg Freeman's latest poetry collection, The Fall of Singapore, marks the 80th anniversary of the Allied surrender at Singapore to numerically inferior Japanese forces, which led to thousands of deaths of prisoners of war and local workers forced to build the infamous Burma-Thailand ‘Death Railway’. The poet’s father was a railway survivor, and his words can be heard in this book.

(Click on image to read 'blurb')

About the book...

February 15 2022 marked the 80th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, the surrender of numerically superior Allied forces to a Japanese army - a moment that has gone down in history as Britain’s biggest military capitulation.

Woking poet Greg Freeman’s father Ted Freeman was one of the huge number of Allied soldiers taken prisoner. With many others, he was later forced to work on the infamous Burma-Siam ‘Death Railway’. Many thousands did not survive its hardships and brutality.

Greg Freeman

Greg’s father died in 1989, and since then he has been trying to find a way to tell his father’s story. This month he has published a pamphlet collection of poems, The Fall of Singapore, that includes a sequence about the railway. As he says, it has been a long journey and writes... 

“Soon after my father died I went to the Imperial War Museum and asked to see war veterans’ accounts of the Death Railway. I was brought a couple of shoeboxes full of individual memoirs, maybe a few typed sheets, the odd published book. I spent several sessions at the museum going through these, making notes, assembling a picture of what it had been like.

My father had given me some information. In the late 1970s and early 80s we would sometimes talk late at night, and before I slept I would always transcribe what he had said. His words are interspersed with poems in The Fall of Singapore.

Beginning in the 1990s, I was always trying to find a way of telling his story. I tried writing a novel – I had tried writing a few novels over the years – but that didn’t work. Then I attempted to encapsulate the whole thing in a little story which made the shortlist at a Guildford literary festival competition. In 2008 during a brief stop in Thailand, we made a day trip – by train – to Kanchanaburi and the bridge over the River Kwai. After I turned to poetry I wrote a sestina about the Death Railway called ‘Learning By Heart’ which was commended in a Wilfred Owen Association competition. In 2020, around the 75th anniversary of VJ Day, a poet friend suggested I publish a sequence. I thought no more about it until late last year when I realised the 80th anniversary of Singapore was fast approaching. Could this finally be the moment?   

It’s thanks in great measure to Guildford publishers Dempsey & Windle, who have turned it all around with remarkable sympathy and speed, that it has finally happened. Like so many others, my father never expected to find himself in the jungle in Thailand. A line in one of the poems says: “The call of the empire? He had no dreams.”

Dad worked in a succession of Southern railway ticket offices before the war. As it turned out, he worked on the railway before, during, and after the war. I’m not sure that he ever particularly appreciated the irony.

This collection also includes other poems with wartime settings. Thus there is one about the Islamic peace garden outside Woking – formerly a burial ground for Muslim soldiers from both wars – called ‘A Foreign Wood’. But the heart of the collection is the experience of those prisoners of war in Thailand. My book is intended as a tribute to them all – to those who survived, and to those who sacrificed their lives.”     -  Greg Freeman 

ISBN 9781--913329-69-3

Copyright, Greg Freeman, 2022

​Paperback, 210x148mm

50 pages

RRP £8.00

 

 BUY HERE

"...written with reverence and candour and without a judgmental eye, which allows the experiences of everyday civilians to shine clearly through the darkness of war." - ​Antony Owen, Peace poet

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