A life-long musician, I am a late-starter in identifying as a writer. I am a pianist, singer, song-writer and even sometimes an amateur music director, so I have always been involved in ‘words and music’. Since 2019, ‘words without music’ slowly took over, though interspersed with phases as a composer of songs, rounds, chants. I’m also a retired Unitarian Minister, briefly serving congregations in Lancashire, then in York. Hence my songwriting tends to focus upon gatherings/life/encouragement.
While living in New Zealand and aware that I was about to move back to the UK (2019), non-fiction tales about my youthful rambles, spewed forth: TELLING TALES from a Corner of Lancashire was published in July 2023, through QUACK BOOKS (a truly ancient establishment in a warren of rooms and courtyards in York). I did little to circulate and publicise the box of books – an exercise I shan’t repeat. However, quite a few appeared in North Regional magazines.
Since 2022, I signed up for several fiction-writing courses through ICE (now re-branded as PACE: University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education). As a result, I have a potential collection of 20 short stories ranging from 250 words to 7000 plus. As an unknown author, it is a pointless exercise inquiring to publishers. Instead, I currently submit stories to anthologies and competitions.
I am booked to attend PACE Summer School, about moving forward one’s stuck novel!
Happy to join Cambridge Writers.
