Monday, June 19, 2023

Introducing Woking writer Andy Caulfield (aka Cory Y. Standby)


Local author and long-term Woking resident 
Andy Caulfield writes and publishes his work under the pseudonym Cory Y. Standby. Interestingly, his pen name is an anagram of StorybyAndyC!

50! THE LIFE, LOVES & PSYCHE OF A MALE MID-LIFE CRISIS:
Volume 1 - The Journey 


Andy Caulfield writes as Cory Y. Standby


With a second book ruminating on the horizon, Andy tells us about his debut auto-biographical book, 50! THE LIFE, LOVES & PSYCHE OF A MALE MID-LIFE CRISIS: Volume 1 - The Journey which he originally published in 2015. The book received some great exposure upon publication and was the subject of a Daily Mail article which you can view HERE. Regular readers of this blog are advised to prepare themselves for something very different! 

 

About the book:



This is the story of life. It is about love and relationships, the importance of family, about how real life and human emotions invariably mess each of these up. It looks at death, divorce and dating; losing loved ones; family feuds and other intertwined issues; grief and stress and how we seek to cope (or spectacularly fail to do so) with all that fate and fortune throw at us on our journey through life. It is a series of personal anecdotes intertwined with the author's view of the world, both as it happened and especially now that he is older and hopefully much wiser. It is written with the benefit of hindsight. If he had had such clarity and understanding at the time, much of it would never have happened. But he didn't. As we all know: "To be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid."

 

·         Publisher‏ : ‎ XLIBRIS (5 Mar. 2015)

·         Language‏ : ‎ English

·         Paperback: ‎ 284 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎ 1499095880

·         ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1499095883

·         Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.8 x 22.86 cm

 

 BUY HERE 

  

Review of the book

One of the many delights of this book by ‘Cory Y Standby’ – a memoir about his life and lessons to this point of being – is that it is related as a second-person story. British author Andy Caulfield makes his literary debut with this book using Cory Y Standby as a nom de plume, and that is one of the reasons the book works so very well in communicating those aspects of making it to midlife – it is near reportage and thus credible and forgiving at once. And it is hindsight in bloom.

Or as ‘Cory’ explains in the Prologue, ‘The concept of writing this book has been swirling around the author’s head for years. The transition from random thoughts to some kind of outline structure and then actually committing to paper and recounting the tale itself makes an elephant’s gestation period seem like the blink of an eye by comparison. Although it is at the very least a semi-autobiographical tale, all real names have been changed to protect the innocent, especially the extremely guilty. As the saying goes, ‘the truth will out’. Fortunately, the truth is (from a legal perspective) a defence. There is some poetic licence in the telling of the tales, but the facts are accurate, and the incidents recounted are all real events which occurred. No doubt many will speculate as to who, what, when, where, and probably even why – but that’s all part of the fun, isn’t it? This is the story of life. It is about love and relationships, the importance of family, about how real life and human emotions invariably mess each of these up. It looks at death, divorce, and dating; losing loved ones; family feuds and other intertwined issues; grief and stress and how we seek to cope (or spectacularly fail to do so) with all that fate and fortune throws at us on our journey through life. It is a series of personal anecdotes intertwined with the author’s view of the world, both as it happened and especially now that he's older and hopefully much wiser. It is written with the benefit of hindsight. If he’d had such clarity and understanding at the time, much of it would never have happened. But he didn’t. As we all know: ‘To be old and wise, you must first be young and stupid’ (Anonymous). The aim has been to strike a balance between the book's main themes and recurring messages, alongside some kind of chronological overview of his life events, particularly his relationships with women. The purpose is to seek to explain why he did what he did, why he made the decisions he made, and if possible, to understand and explain it all more clearly now, looking back with a more rounded view of the world. It is not intended to be hugely introspective or overly personal but more a series of examples to show how to paraphrase the saying, rarely does each element of your life go well at the same time. Many people endure far worse in life; he knows that he has been lucky.’

That is a sample of the manner of the style of communication this book of significant quotations from a wide variety of people along with personal observations/confessions/lessons follows throughout. 

He divides his thoughts much as his life has been parcelled: Childhood and Teenage Angst, Deaths and Births: Marriage and Divorce, Drinking and Dating: Secretaries and Strippers, Growing Older: The Penultimate Chapter? But in the end, we know that this confessional/memoir-esque novel will continue as the title names it as Volume 1.

Very fine writing, filled with as much wit as angst, humour as hurt, and so often resulting in ‘Oh yes’ type responses from the reader. Read, reflect, laugh and learn from a man who knows how to communicate – even through a moniker! -  Grady Harp, November 2016 

See more reviews at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25515792-50

 

 

Quickfire Interview

 

1) When did you start writing 50! THE LIFE, LOVES & PSYCHE OF A MALE MID-LIFE CRISIS: Volume 1 - The Journey?

Late 2014/early2015

2) What was the inspiration behind the book?

My emotional roller coaster ride through life! 

3) Can you describe your route to publication from concept to completed novel?

I was told to find a literary agent but got pro forma thanks but no thanks from so many I decided to self-publish, having been recommended to look into it. I just kept writing over the months while I was waiting to hear back, so by the time I looked at the self-publishing route, I was nearly finished with the manuscript. 

4) What ideas do you have for any future books?

Further Volumes of the story as it unfolds! 

5) Which publishing services (if any) would you recommend?

I used Xlibris. I don't know how they compare to others, but they did a decent job of what I wanted then. 

 

 

Friday, May 26, 2023

Dave Foker, local wildlife photographer releases new book

 

Dave Foker, a British Wildlife Photographer and former Richmond College lecturer from Knaphill, has just released a book of his rather breathtaking wildlife photographs.



Dave Foker


The book Photographing British Wildlife contains 390 pages of Dave's stunning photographs and retails at £20.00, plus p&p. Copies of the book are currently exclusively available from behind the bar at the Garibaldi pub in Knaphill, Woking. Other outlets to be announced!



All the photographs include captions depicting where the shot was taken and the camera and method used to capture each image. Dave has a weekly column in the Woking News & Mail and is already considering a follow-up book.



His photograph of a roaming badger was featured on the front cover of the 2013 BBC Children in Need calendar after winning a nationwide competition in conjunction with the BBC's Countryfile programme. 

 

ISBN : 979-8-21-180105-9

Website: www.davefoker.co.uk

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Introducing Alice Fowler, and her short story collection, 'The Truth Has Arms And Legs'


The Woking Writers’ Collective is delighted to welcome Alice Fowler to the fold. Alice is an award-winning writer of short stories and longer fiction. 




Alice won the Historical Writers’ Association short story competition in 2020 and the Wells Festival of Literature short story prize in 2021. Other stories have been short- and long-listed in prizes and printed in anthologies. Her historical novel was longlisted for the 2021 Stylist Feminist Fiction Prize.

Alice has a degree in Human Sciences from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and worked as a national print journalist until 2006.

She lives with her husband and teenage sons in nearby Guildford and loves theatre, tennis and walking in the Surrey Hills.

You can visit Alice Fowler's website @ www.alicefowlerauthor.com

Twitter: @alicefwrites

Points of sale: www.flyonthewallpress.co.uk Waterstones and Amazon

 


The Truth Has Arms And Legs


About the book:




Delve into a world of change and reinvention. Where relationships are as delicate as turtle eggs and just as easily smashed.

This poignant short story collection explores pivotal moments that transform our lives. Jenny, whose life is defined by small disasters, discovers a more generous version of herself. A traveller girl might just win her race and alter her life’s course. A widow cut off in a riverside backwater opens her heart to a stranger.

In this captivating collection, readers will be moved by the raw vulnerability of human connection and the resilience that enables us to thrive and grow. In change, Alice Fowler’s characters find the ability to be truly free.

The Truth Has Arms And Legs will be published by Fly On The Wall Press on 14 July.

 

Brief Interview

When did you start writing your new book?

I started writing short stories around 2017, a couple of years after I moved to Guildford. At that point, my sons were still quite young. I’d been trying to write a historical novel for some time and was stuck. I’d say that as a writer, I was ‘blocked’. What changed all that was discovering various Creative Writing classes in Guildford. I attended the class run by Ruth Brandt (a successful Woking writer) at the Surrey Adult Learning Centre. Then I went to Stella Stocker’s long-running class at the Guildford Institute. I put the novel in a drawer (where it still lies!) and began writing shorter pieces for pleasure and reading out at the classes. My confidence grew thanks to the helpful feedback I received and listening and responding to other people’s work. I became aware of writing competitions through Twitter and started sending my stories off just to see how they got on! 

What was the inspiration behind the book?

I take inspiration for my stories from tiny details all the time. Writers are continuously gathering ideas, even when we don’t realise it. I certainly find the setting is very important for short stories. One of my stories begins on a stretch of downland inspired by Merrow Downs in Guildford. Another story, ‘The Race’, came about through my interest in local history. I read a local news feature about the gipsy encampment at the Hurtwood in the Surrey Hills during the 1920s. The uneasy relationship between local residents and the gipsies (as they were referred to at that time) helped me find the ‘voice’ for that story. 

Can you describe your route to publication from concept to completed novel?  

My route to publication has come through entering competitions. I sent my first story to the Harper’s Bazaar short story competition in 2018. It was shortlisted. The following year I entered again and again was shortlisted. At the time, I wasn’t yet on social media and didn’t realise that any short- or long-listing is a big achievement. I just shrugged and thought, oh well, I didn’t win! Joining Twitter was a turning point for me. It has a lively and supportive writers’ community and helped open my eyes to the many competitions out there.  My story, ‘The Race,’ won the Historical Writers’ Association short story prize in 2020, and another story in my collection won the Wells Festival prize the following year. Of course, there were setbacks too, but I certainly received enough encouragement to keep going. By the summer of 2022, I felt I had written enough stories to form a collection. I submitted them to Fly on The Wall Press, an indie press with a good reputation based in Manchester. I couldn’t have been happier when The Truth Has Arms And Legs was accepted for publication. 

What ideas do you have for any future books? 

While working on my short stories, I’ve also been writing another historical novel, ‘The Awakening of Lily Ash’. It’s loosely inspired by two real-life characters who lived in Victorian Guildford. Early chapters were longlisted in the Stylist magazine Feminist Fiction Prize, and it’s received some great feedback. My next task is to finish editing and then submit the novel to agents. Of course, I’ll keep writing short fiction as well. 

Which publishing services (if any) would you recommend? 

I would certainly recommend Fly On The Wall Press, run by Isabelle Kenyon. As well as being an excellent editor, Isabelle offers a lot of marketing support to her writers, which is invaluable. 

There are many other ways to get published, which I have yet to explore. For example, my writing buddy, the historical writer Joanna Foat, recently self-published her novel very successfully. It seems to me the main thing is to get your work out there and being read. That can be through open mics, literary journals, competitions, online, as well as in print. As writers, we’re always finding new, exciting ways to get our work to readers.


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Friday, March 24, 2023

Two years and going strong...

The Woking Writers’ Collective blog is now two years old. Thanks to everyone who has got themselves involved and shown their continued support.



Originally launched by Mal Foster as Writers at the Gate in 2021, the intention has always been to help promote recently released books by locally based independent authors from the Woking area.


Joint book signing with Woking Mayor, Saj Hussein


CLICK HERE to explore the latest books by Sunny Angel, Lelita Baldock, JRC Cox, Alan Dale, Mal Foster, Greg Freeman, Jacquelynn Luben, Sue Mackender, Marisa Noelle, Carla Scarano D’Antonio, Harriet Steel, and more. 


Promoting books outside a local bookshop


Saturday, March 18, 2023

Carla Scarano D'Antonio

It is with deep regret that we have learned of the passing of one of our own. Woking writer, poet, artist, crafter and reviewer Carla Scarano D'Antonio.

The Woking Writers' Collective offers its condolences to Carla's family, friends and, of course, the many people who have admired her work in recent years. MORE




Carla Scarano D'Antonio

1963-2023






Saturday, March 11, 2023

New book on the horizon for Marisa

Fight For Freedom is the 3rd book in Woking author Marisa Noelle’s The Mermaid Chronicles series. 


About the book...


THE MAINLAND IS DESTROYED

Cordelia, Wade, and friends return to the mainland to find a nuclear junkyard. With the human population drastically reduced, most blame the mermaids and selachii for deserting them and hiding in the sanctuary of Atlantis.

When a new prophecy says they must unite with a third, a human, Wade and Cordelia open their land to the survivors. But sharing Atlantis comes with a price. Prejudices are rife, and many are out for revenge. And the third in their trio is anything but cooperative.

Distracted by the politics on the island, Cordelia misses the creeping return of Wade’s old flame, Stephanie. Seeking vengeance, Stephanie transforms into a sea witch and evokes the hound of the ocean, a terrible beast from the ancient depths that kills without prejudice.

With Atlantis threatened, Cordelia’s powers misfiring, and a betrayer among their ranks, mermaids and Selachii are once again at risk of extinction. Only if they can remain united with the humans and vanquish the hound and Stephanie will they have a chance to reclaim their island.

Perfect for fans of the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo, Crush by Tracy Wolff, Mermaid’s Return by A.L. Knorr.

You can pre-order your copy HERE

 

 

About Marisa

MARISA NOELLE is the writer of middle-grade & young-adult novels in the genres of dystopian sci-fi, fantasy, horror & mental health. She is a mentor for the Write Mentor program that helps aspiring MG & YA authors. When she’s not writing or reading or watching movies, she enjoys swimming. In the pool, she likes to imagine she could be a mermaid and become part of some of her make-believe words. Despite being an avid bookworm from the time she could hold a book, being an author surprised her as she was a bit of a science geek at school.

Marisa had plenty of ideas for her career and still regrets not moving to Hawaii to train dolphins and pretend the real world didn't exist. Struggling with anxiety led her to the field of psychology. Heavily influenced by underdog movies such as The Karate Kid, she realized her mission in life was to help other people through any medium. Embarking on a psychology degree, she wanted to emulate her hero, Jodie Foster, from Silence of the Lambs and actually tried to secure work experience at Broadmoor. Thankfully she left the idea of criminal profiling behind but uses many of these aspects in her novels.

Now a full-time novelist, she lives in Surrey, UK, with her husband and three children.


WEBSITE