@janette
Active 6 days, 9 hours ago-
Libby posted a new activity comment 2 months, 2 weeks ago
Hi @Janette Thanks for your note. No need to apologise. I’m intrigued about what news may be coming up!
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition October 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 months, 2 weeks ago
What fabulous entries, all of them fantastical, brilliant and captivating. Halloween has prompted very good stories.
@jillsted – here was an enticing mystery with a comic touch. Told with great pacing and a strong atmosphere of folk tale, it hooked me from start to finish.
@purplewitch (Terrie) – what wonderful creepiness. I loved the rich lan…[Read more]
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly Comp – July 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 9 months, 2 weeks ago
Thank you for indulging my ‘tearful’ requirement and apologies again for being so late with the results.
@Jill – Good to see you back, and thank you for diving back into the monthly comp with your tale of Lucia. I confess to knowing nothing about Vestal Virgins, but your entry has definitely piqued my curiosity and I’m sure there’s a much larger…[Read more]
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Congratulations, Sandra and fellow entrants. All excellent stories which touched me and brought tears to my eyes. Sandra’s image resonated with my own recent experience and sadness as my husband had to go home alone for nine days, tired and worried when I was in hospital. I chose not to write a personal story as enough personal emotions w…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition April 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year ago
Sandra, this is an atmospheric depiction of the personalities within a family, all so economically written. I’d never heard of furanocoumarins. What an interesting thing to discover! You built tension with all the possible problems resulting from letting children loose in the kitchen, then there was a fine twist at the end. Very e…[Read more]
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Libby posted a new activity comment 1 year ago
Hi @janette , I immediately liked (Don’t) Call Me Graceless and
My Growing Chain of Big Fat Lies. Is Fibs an alternative title?
The first title suggests character, the second plot. They both have voice.
I’m not keen on Fibs. It feels vague.-
Thank you, Libby. Your comments are very helpful.
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Libby posted a new activity comment 1 year, 1 month ago
Thankyou, @janette ! And I’m pleased you had a lightbulb moment.
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly Competition – February 2025 in the forum Monthly Competition 1 year, 2 months ago
I was mooching around the bookstore with my daughter when I read the dedication in Onyx Storm, and it immediately brought to mind my eleven-year-old self – pink, NHS framed glasses, front teeth that I still had to grow into, and a passion for escaping into some book or other, looking for adventure. I posted the dedication as the monthly comp in…[Read more]
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Thank you for your kind comments, Sea. However I think such a subject would maybe better suited to @johnt3, or perhaps another Welsh writer whose genre is children’s stories.
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Libby replied to the topic Is a social media Christmas appeal worthwhile? in the forum Blogs 1 year, 5 months ago
This links to a short piece in The Bookseller:
The main message is:
“The SoA is asking publishers, celebrities, booksellers, festival organisers, agents and all involved in the industry to recognise and reward all…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic The latest in vanity publishing in the forum Marketplace 1 year, 5 months ago
Hi @janette
I agree it could bring self-pub into disrepute though the large number of self-pub books on Amazon that seem not to have had human editing, regardless of the availability of AI, is already doing that.
The publishing industry can seem very off-putting. I’ve never tried to be published by it so I haven’t been through that particular…[Read more]
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Philippa East posted a new activity comment 1 year, 6 months ago
Hi Libby and @janette.
Here below is a copy of my original letter to the society of authors.
I think that a “Christmas appeal” letter, encouraging readers and book-buyers to support ordinary authors by avoiding celebrity titles would be great! I’ve been chatting loads about this issue in my various writing networks, so I think that if we were…[Read more]-
I saw your letter, Philippa, and I’m really pleased you voiced what so many of us are feeling.
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Libby posted a new activity comment 1 year, 6 months ago
Hi @janette, thank you for sharing this. As I’m not on FB I can’t read the whole letter on screen. Are you able to copy and paste it here?
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Hi Libby and @janette.
Here below is a copy of my original letter to the society of authors.
I think that a “Christmas appeal” letter, encouraging readers and book-buyers to support ordinary authors by avoiding celebrity titles would be great! I’ve been chatting loads about this issue in my various writing networks, so I think that if we were…[Read more]-
I saw your letter, Philippa, and I’m really pleased you voiced what so many of us are feeling.
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Libby posted a new activity comment 2 years, 2 months ago
Hi @janette, I grew up close to Manchester in the 1970s. I don’t know a great deal though can remember the atmosphere and what it looked like. There was a sense of desolation despite the moneyed suburbs. I don’t know anything about the theatres – a memory of the Library Theatre but that’s all. But if you think I can help, send me a private message…[Read more]
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Thank you, Libby, I’ll bear that in mind. It’s mostly theatre life I’m interested in, but I may want to pick your brain some time when I come to refining descriptives.
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Hi @janette, feel free 🙂
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Libby posted a new activity comment 2 years, 5 months ago
Um, fingers crossed and a fair wind …
It might be more of a description than a story. My brain is full of other stories at the moment. But I’m interested in the task you’ve set @Janette -
Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – October 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 6 months ago
Congratulations @Janette . I loved this excerpt. It feels so realistic. I could really hear her voice too in your brilliant dialogue.
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Thank you, Libby. Like Sea, I loved yours and Sandra’s too. It’s remarks like this that tell me not to give up on Grace, so thank you.
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly comp – July 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 9 months ago
What terrific stories. So much horror too. I began to wonder if the topic of building work had raised deeply traumatic memories!
@clebs ‘Behind Closed Curtains’ is very atmospheric, rich in detail and perfectly titled. I felt a few words could be cut, such as the second mention of Jimmy’s bowl, and I wasn’t sure if I got the story’s message.…[Read more]
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Wow, Libby, and thank you, a big surprise, especially as I’d already identified winners 1,2 and 3 and, my laptop having died and been taken away, and only having my ancient, over-full and steaming one, I wasn’t checking as often as I have been. I’ll try and come up with something as interestingly challenging as the last few have been.
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Congratulations, Sandra. And thanks, Libby, for the challenge. Didn’t expect the critique too.
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Libby posted a new activity comment 2 years, 10 months ago
@janette
Don’t worry. Post your tidied-up version and I’ll ignore your first submission.-
Thanks to Ath, I’ve been able to delete and try again. Sorry for the kerfuffle!
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Libby posted a new activity comment 2 years, 10 months ago
Lovely to read your story @janette . Good luck with your recovery <3
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Thank you, Libby. I loved your story too.
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Sandra replied to the topic Monthly Comp – March 2021 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 1 month ago
Thank you @Athelstone and @seagreen. Also thanks @Janette for a prompt which enabled me to try out a reason for a murder.
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly comp – February 2021 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 2 months ago
Congratulations, @janette . Two shivers for the price of one. A very enjoyable story.
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Thank you, Libby x
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