@janette
Active 6 days, 10 hours ago-
JaneShuff replied to the topic Indie publishing deal in the forum Podium 5 years, 5 months ago
Thank you @athelstone @janette @raine @thea @libby @sandradavies.
Verve are a small imprint of an indie press so there’ll be no books on shelves in Waterstones but they’re lovely people and the fit feels so right. The indie press route has worked very well for me and is well worth a try. They’re often more open to books that don’t quite fit into…[Read more]
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Raine posted a new activity comment 5 years, 5 months ago
Ah @janette, but its the winter solstice! That’s how I see it – and all the build up excitement is just a way of making the dark bearable!! Although I do wish it meant we could celebrate on the actual solstice (early presents!) but I guess that’s a step too far!
@dougk when my mini was at primary school (4-11yrs), we mums used to just call it…[Read more] -
Raine replied to the topic Monthy Comp – September 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 7 months ago
Just remembered to check in… Well done @seagreen!! It’s a fab story! And thank you @janette for the kind feedback and giving me a lunchtime prompt! 😊
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly comp: July 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 8 months ago
Congratulations to all (of us), especially @Janette 🙂
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly comp: July 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 8 months ago
Congratulations @Janette! I really enjoyed your story. And I loved @Athelstone‘s too. So creepy …
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Squidge replied to the topic Monthly comp: July 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 5 years, 8 months ago
Well it was a small select number of entries this month…well, two months! But they were none the worse for being that.
@Athelstone – a tale with sinister overtones… having been on the business end of a cat’s claws more than once, I’m glad my scratches didn’t end up this way.
@Janette – such a poignant story. I fully expected this to be linked…[Read more] -
Raine posted an update in the group
CoronaMo 6 years, 2 months agoI did the decluttering exercise the other day, @janeshuff. But yes @janette, I might try the monthly prompt as a mini-challenge next week. I’ve actually just speed-written 1,300 words of a brand new wip with NO PLANNING WHATSOEVER, which is Very Not Me! I figure in the absence of an ability to concentrate, maybe I should give pantsing a go! 😀
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@Raine, I feel very guilty about this, but my meeting with the agent today has left me with quite a list of ‘to do’s’ she wants done quickly, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to make the comp.
Re the new wip, best of luck, though I feel it is in very capable hands and sometimes no planning comes up with surprising results! -
@Raine – sounds liberating. Long may it continue.
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JaneShuff posted an update in the group
CoronaMo 6 years, 2 months agoI am going to try @janette to combine the monthly comp and the decluttering exercise somehow. Maybe it will be a mistake!
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KazG replied to the topic Good news this time – finally! in the forum Podium 6 years, 2 months ago
I can’t tell you how delighted I am to hear this, @janette! SO well deserved! I love that short story and look forward to reading the full length version. congratulations and crack out the bubbly (I’m sure you already have) xx
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Elle replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 2 months ago
@Hilary – I know we talked about this before but I will say it again. That age comment from this agent is rubbish, plenty of authors have their debut later in life. I’m quite sure Kit de Waal was over 50 when she published My Name is Leon.
There are still plenty of agents out there to submit to and the number of full request you’ve received shows…[Read more]
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Mad Iguana replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 2 months ago
Jeez that’s shocking behaviour. Both from your agent @Hilary and @janette.
I’ve never got that close – I mean, I’ve had full requests but no more than that – but I’d have thought you could at least rely on agents to be honest.
We’ve all been blanked on a submission – which is par for the course, even if I don’t particularly like it. But to bring…[Read more] -
Hilary replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 2 months ago
Thank you everyone for your solidarity and kind comments about my writing, and for the encouragement to realise all the positives in this tale as well. And, @janette, for someone not to reply properly having suggested revisions – that is, indeed, unprofessional.
I am taking a step back from that experience and that novel, and working on the…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – February 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 2 months ago
I really enjoyed these stories. Each one had a compelling premise, good narrative drive and strong writing. All were serious contenders. In these circumstances picking a winning comes down, in part at least, to personal preferences.
I’ve added a few editorial points in my comments in the hope these are useful if you’re going to be developing the…[Read more]
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@raine – you are in there! Apologies for misspelling your name.
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Great competition, Libby, and thank you for your comments. Much appreciated. Congratulations John. It is a wonderful story and a worthy winner out of a group of fab stories.
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KazG replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 2 months ago
I’m astounded by all these badly behaved agents, because bad behaviour it is. It’s just rude, and they must understand how galling it is for an author to get their hopes up needlessly – or maybe they don’t. And as for not replying after requesting a full – well, it’s appalling. @janette your experience in particular has me fuming. How can he gush…[Read more]
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Recent agent experience in the forum Blogs 6 years, 2 months ago
Oh Hilary and Janette, I feel for you. Somehow it’s much harder when your hopes have been raised. I guess they’ve got further to fall.
@Janette. I understand that agents receive zillions of submissions everyday and can’t respond personally to each one but I do think, when they’ve requested a full or asked for edits to be made, they could at leas…[Read more]
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Libby replied to the topic Monthly competition – January 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 3 months ago
Thank you, @Janette !
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JaneShuff replied to the topic Monthly competition – January 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 3 months ago
Thank you everyone. And sorry for the delay. We’re away for a few days from tomorrow and I had quite a few things that had to be done before we went.
A cracking bunch of entries. I hope you enjoyed writing these as much as I enjoyed reading them. As usual I was struck by the many different ways they all responded to the theme.
1) @johnalty. I…[Read more]
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Raine replied to the topic Monthly competition – January 2020 in the forum Monthly Competition 6 years, 3 months ago
Just reading through these, and much fun it is. 🙂 Thank-you all for brightening up my lunch break.
@johnalty – that sneaky wee twist made me laugh. 😀
@sandradavies – erk!! Love the ‘not fat – not quite – not yet’ line, instant image of the man!
@seagreen – wow, hard and powerful, and I am totally siding with her!
@libby – impressive world…[Read more] -
Philippa East posted a new activity comment 7 years, 3 months ago
Gah! WoW @janette, that is fantastic news!!!! Well done! I’m keeping fingers crossed that she loves it….
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Raine posted a new activity comment 7 years, 3 months ago
@janette, I had to do some serious door-wrestling too. Whilst thinking ‘how hard can you yank on a door handle before you snap it off?’
And @athelstone, glad to hear the foxes are feeling spring-like, despite all evidence to the contrary! - Load More

Aha, Jesmond. My brother lived there in the early/mid 70s. Lily Avenue. I visited a couple of times. Don’t remember much about it – but we were young.
We moved away when I was three so I remember nothing!