Old grandfather rhyme has an
ear for a story...
 BUDDING
AUTHOR: Bryan George, 86, has just written
his first book,
Fifteen Easy Tales and Strange Stories.
Leyland grandfather is celebrating a first –
writing a book at 86!
Retired businessman Bryan
George, from Ulnes Walton, says that
becoming an author with his book Fifteen
Easy Tales and Strange Stories is proof
that age is no barrier to following your
dreams. The book's 15 stories include tales
from everyday life to supernatural events
and have been derived from the author's time
abroad and travelling in the UK. "They were
all written after retirement while living
here at my home," he said.
Byran George's book is available on
www.amazon.co.uk
at the price of £7.99.
Published by Diadem Books.
Read more about Bryan George
on the RNID website. Click here.
This news
item appeared in the Lancashire Evening News
  A
new book by a one-time World War fighter
pilot, Richard Swale, has just been
published under the imprint of Diadem Books,
titled
Watch the wall, My Darling. The book
is not about the World War or about flying
fighter aircraft, however—but about
smuggling! As Michael Williams says in a
recent review of the book (in the Cornwall
Guardian Country) puts it: ‘Richard
is…the author of a book called Watch The
Wall, My Darling, a tale based loosely
on his great, great, great grandfathers,
John Andrew and James Law, two smugglers who
worked the North Yorkshire coast. …A
fascinating cocktail of fact and fiction, it
is a page-turner about men and their loyal
women who survived as “Free Traders,” a
theme striking an affinity with many Cornish
readers—in tune with smuggling stories
around the jagged coastline of Guardian
Country.’
The
Guardian Country reviewer goes on to
discuss in some detail the wartime
experiences of our author, who flew against
the Germans in Italy and Greece, flying
Beaufighters. (Read
more here.)
Beth Richards
publishes her seventh book!
 Charles
Muller, CEO of Diadem Books, travelled down
to Clowne, in Derbyshire, in August 2009 to
be with author
Beth Richards on the occasion of the
publication of her seventh book:
Darkness to Light. The occasion
might be described as worthy of a lifetime
achievement award! The new book, sub-titled
'Further
Enlightening Poetry and Prose',
brings together the latest collection
 of
Beth's poems and prose pieces, and the front
cover appropriately features her latest oil
painting of a lighthouse, one of her
favourite subjects, for like a lighthouse,
her writing projects new light on many
aspects of the human dilemma. As she says, "My
aim in this book of poems and prose is to
reach out to a number of readers – therefore
I’ve written about many different subjects,
which will almost certainly touch the hearts
of many. Maybe some of the subjects will
even help someone with a similar problem in
his or her life to find a solution – a form
of self-help!" The book has now gone live
and can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and
Noble, and all major on-line bookstores,
including Tesco's where, as they say, "Every
little bit helps!" The book is published
under the new imprint of Diadem Books.
Announcement:
Diadem Books now publishes under its own
imprint.
 In
July 2008 Diadem Books published the first
two books, The Nowhere Man and
Journey Towards Himself by Roy Holland,
under its own imprint of Diadem Books. Prior
to this, for eight years, Diadem Books
partnered with the Print on Demand Publisher
iUniverse, in Nebraska, USA, during which
time over 200 books were published, all of
which can still be found in this website.
The books published by Diadem Books will be
of a high quality, both paperback and
hardcover, and as before, the books will be
available in all on-line bookstores like
Amazon and Barnes & Noble, including Tesco!
All will have their own unique ISBN number
and will be searchable through Google. As
before, the publishing package will include
all necessary editing at no extra cost.
The launch of Elizabeth Nel’s
book on
Winston Churchill
at the
Churchill Museum, Cabinet War Rooms in
Whitehall, in February 2008, was a great
success, thanks to the enthusiasm and energy
of Celia Murray, who did all the hard work
for the occasion and, in fact, made the
event possible. As she herself said, it was
graced with “wonderful people, excellent
speeches and superb Nederburg top wines”,
and Celia Murray finished off the event with
a toast to Elizabeth Nel (with glasses of
Amarula, which the late author used to enjoy
diluted with milk). I am very indebted to
Celia for organising the event, and a
particular pleasure for me was being able to
meet many of the Diadem Book authors for the
first time! I asked Celia to write a few
paragraphs about the event, and her report
is given here in full. I am indebted to her,
too, for the photographs. —Charles
Muller, Diadem Books.
Lady Soames,
daughter of Winston Churchill, who answered
questions on her father
at the launch of Elizabeth Nel's book
Winston Churchill by his Personal Secretary
The Story of an
amazing book launch in honour of Mrs.
Elizabeth Nel - to read the full report by
Celia Murray,
click here.
AUTHOR
Nick
Armbrister
with
his
book.
Picture
by
the
Waltham
Forest
Guardian
FORMER
Counthill School
pupil Nick
Armbrister
promises
everything from
fantasy and
horror to war in
his latest book.
The writer
describes “A
Nation in Flames”
as a series of
short stories
based around
extreme
situations.
He draws
inspiration from
his own
experiences, the
news and media
and explained:
“It’s of an
adult nature
about a range of
topics. It’s got
stories from
horror to
warfare to
fantasy.”
It is the third
book by the
36-year-old
factory worker
who started
writing in 1996
and moved from
Oldham to London
in 2005.
“I like music
but I am a
failed musician
so I thought I
would give
writing a go
because I find
it interesting,”
explained Nick,
who now lives in
Chingford.
“A Nation in
Flames”, like
his two previous
poetry
anthologies, is
self-published
and reflects his
interests which
include Gothic
culture,
aircraft,
history, science
fiction,
fantasy, tattoos
and other
cultures,
He writes in the
evening and at
weekends and his
fourth book will
be published in
November, while
he is also
working on a
novel.
Girlfriend
Xochitl (24)
lives with the
couple’s
10-month-old
son, Alex, at
her mother’s
house in
Chigwell, and
Nick added: “My
ambition is to
write full-time,
to have my own
writing business
and to have a
home for my
family.
“Because things
are so expensive
in London we
live apart even
though we are a
family.”
OLDHAM
EVENING CHRONICLE Tuesday Feb 05, 2008
Nick
Armbrister on 209radio Cambridge 105fm.
209radio.co.uk Cassies rock show.
 The
second volume of contemporary poetry (Skeward
Images) on various subjects from
poet/writer Nick Armbrister recently
appeared, and a few photos from the book
launch can be seen here. The following
review by D J Tyrer appeared in The
Supplement:
"This is Nick
Armbrister’s second volume of poetry. A
regular contributor to our titles, his
poetry will likely be familiar to many
readers. This collection ranges from the
darkness of Racist Attack to the
pleasures of Scotland. Saddam and the
chaos in Iraq inspire two poems, Nick’s life
and unwillingness to conform many more.
Perhaps the most touching is Spitfire
Bride, a tale of stillborn hope in the
heart of a lost pilot’s lover. As ever, Nick
writes with skill and passion, whatever
themes he tackles. If you are a fan of his
poetry then you will want to buy this book."
Nick likes to
write simple poems that convey his emotions
and thoughts first hand, to be shared with
his readers and audience. Music, life,
aviation, gothic culture, and more besides,
inspire his poetry in which he dares to bare
his heart, soul and mind—in brittle,
startling poems that touch the raw nerves of
life, yet a life that throbs with positive
energy. As one reviewer put it, he “sees the
dark underbelly of the world but
counterpoints it with hope and warnings
about falling into the same traps” (D. J.
Tyrer in The Supplement).
July
3rd, 2006
a review by Jessica-Lee
Bowman
 Many
people like to read
about other people’s
lives even if it’s a sad
story. If you are one of
those people who enjoy
books like, A Child
Called “It”, Why Daddy
Why by Emelia Dion Hardy
would be a great book
for you to read. This
book is similar to, A
Child Called “It”. It is
about a father who
abuses a young girl and
her siblings. This book
talks about losing a
mother and having to
live with pain every
day. I recommend this
book to many people to
show how bad it is to be
abused and if you know
anyone who is getting
abused to tell someone
to help them get out of
that situation. This is
a true life book that
states events from
Emelia’s life and the
troubles her father put
her whole family
through. Reading books
like this will give you
a whole new perspective
on how people live and
find it is wrong to
abuse other people.
'Tunnel
tiger' turns author to
travel down memory
lane
By Calum
Macleod
Published:
03 August, 2007 in the Inverness Courier
A review of
TIGERS UNDER THE TURF by Bert Scorgie
 BERT
Scorgie has always been a worker. By his
calculation, over the course of his working
life he has had some 56 jobs, including one
he stuck with for 16 years.
So when a
heart attack seven years ago brought a
premature end to his working life at the age
of 62, he was never going to remain idle.
Having worked
with computers before his retirement, Bert
invested in a new computer which he
describes as his pride and joy, and put it
to use.
After writing
fiction based on his own childhood in the
north east, which was accidentally erased
from his computer and which he is now in the
process of re-writing, Bert then set to work
on his own life story, which has just been
published under the title "Tigers Under the
Turf."
Bert, of
Drynie Avenue in Hilton, was also inspired
to write about his life by his concerns
about Iraq. War has cast a shadow over
Bert's own life. His father, who served with
the Gordon Highlanders on India's North-West
Frontier and in Palestine in the pre-war
years, was killed in France in 1940 before
his son had a chance to remember him.
"My father was
one of those told 'don't move until you are
relieved' and they never were relieved.
There were 40 of them killed in one day,"
Bert said.
"My mother was
left with nothing. They were living in
married quarters in Aldershot and when my
father was killed my mother was sent home to
Scotland with what she had in her suitcase."
Moving between
relations and jobs, Bert's mother eventually
found employment as housekeeper to a crofter
near the village of Gamrie in Banffshire.
"I must have
been about four when my mother remarried,"
Bert said.
"A
step-father's not a substitute for your real
father, but he gave me a home and never
treated me any different from any of my
stepbrothers."
Writing about
his childhood for the book, Bert said he
came to realise that much of it was now
history which might not be recorded anywhere
else.
"I remember
coming home — it must have been 1943 — we
heard this plane spluttering and looked up
and saw it gliding in. We thought it was
going to hit us, but it landed 30 yards
away," Bert said.
"The pilot
opened up the canopy and climbed out on the
wing. He said he was sorry and hoped he
hadn't frightened us much and asked where
the nearest telephone was."
When Bert was
10, his stepfather gave up the croft and
moved from farm to farm as a hired hand and
Bert travelled with him until he was old
enough to follow in the footsteps of his
father and grandfather, who had been a drum
major with the Gordons in World War One, and
enlisted as a boy soldier in the regiment on
5th January 1953. But his military career
was to last just 18 months before he broke
his leg on an assault course and was
discharged as medically unfit.
His short time
in the army did make a lasting impression,
however, and Bert went on to join the
Infantry Boys and Junior Leaders Association
and through its website is in contact with
people around the world, including a prison
governor in the US and a man who runs an
adventure school in Australia.
"When I was
discharged it was one of the most
devastating periods of my life," Bert said.
"Going from a
room with 29 other guys, I went to work
where it was just a man and myself and he
didn't even speak to me. At the age of
16-and-a-half, I was too old to get an
apprenticeship so I couldn't do anything
other than the most boring jobs."
After a four
month stint on a pig farm, Bert eventually
found his first job on the hydro-schemes at
Aultguish.
"I started off
illegal," Bert confessed.
"I was 17 and
you needed to be 18 to be in the camp. My
stepbrother was there and when they asked
what year you were born I was 1937, but my
brother said '36. Every day I worked there I
lived in terror that I was going to be found
out."
However, his
secret remained safe for five weeks until
severe winter weather forced the closure of
the camp.
The post-war
programme of road building also provided
Bert with employment, working on roads in
the west Highlands and Skye.
"The road from
Balmacara through to Kyle, I drilled every
inch of that one," Bert said.
"I also worked
on the Invermoriston/Glengarry road. That
was 15 miles built complete though virgin
territory. That was some job. It was
straight in line with the Atlantic and see
when the wind was blowing... But it was a
good job and the weather was just something
you had to put up with."
Bert returned
to the hydro-schemes and in 1958 became a
tunnel miner, the tunnel tigers who gave his
book its title.
"It was the
best paid job on the site — the worst, but
the best paid," he explained.
"For an 80
hour week you would go home with £27 clear
after tax and bonuses. That was for 12 hours
work every day. Once you went far enough
underground, you didn't get out again until
you had finished your shift.
"There was no
health and safety in those days either. We
had helmets and that was about it. The
conditions we worked in wouldn't be allowed
today. I injured a young man one night
myself. I opened the end of the compressed
air pipe and there was a pebble in it. It
shot out like a bullet into the side of his
head and burst his eardrum."
If moving from
job to job was part of Bert's life, then his
home matched his peripatetic working life.
He and wife Jess, with whom he will
celebrate their golden wedding anniversary
in December, spent 12 years living in a
caravan as far south as Corby in
Northamptonshire and as far north as
Ullapool, raising both their daughters in
the caravan until an insurance pay out to
Jess allowed the couple to buy their first
flat in May Court in Inverness in 1964. They
have lived in the city ever since.
Bert, who says
he was always looking for a job where he
could use his brain rather than his back,
was among the beneficiaries of the 1970s oil
boom and in 1972 at the age of 35, the man
who was too old for an apprenticeship at 16
began training as a welder at McDermott's
fabrication yard at Ardersier.
"I never
thought I would get that opportunity," Bert
said.
"I spent the
next 27 years in oil related work. On the
welding side I got up as far as group
manager, but due to ill health I had to give
up that job and started at the bottom of the
ladder again, this time in quality control."
After 16 years
at Ardersier, by which time he was chief
fabrication inspector with Ardersier, Bert
left to go freelance, working offshore and
on in the UK and Europe.
Then on 4th
July 2000, Bert suffered a heart attack.
"That was the
end of my working days, at least for full
time employment," he said. "I just wasn't
fit for it."
Even so, Bert
still works, carrying out occasional
gardening duties and has had time to devote
to other interests, including his
grandchildren and great granddaughter and
becoming associated with the Normandy
Veterans Association, taking photographs and
videos of their reunions and memorial trips
to Europe.
It was on the
first of these that Bert was able to visit
his father's grave at the war cemetery in
Longueval almost 50 years after his father
was killed in action, an experience which
Bert says made him feel there was no longer
something missing in his life, a life he has
been able to take a fresh look at in writing
his autobiography.
"I enjoyed
writing it. It brought back a lot of
memories. You can't write down everything,
but what I can say is that everything in
there is true," he said.
* "Tigers
Under the Turf" by Bert Scorgie is
published by iUniverse Books, through Diadem
Books, priced £9.
c.macleod@inverness-courier.co.uk
A review by
Sarah Foster of Dorothy Lewis' two books
appeared in The Northern Echo on the
20th March, 2007:
 She's
been a teacher and a healer, now as she
nears her 80th birthday, Dorothy Lewis is
writing books. She talks to Women's Editor
Sarah Foster about her interest in the
spiritual and how she's trying to pave the
way to greater happiness in old age.
'Arriving at
Dorothy Lewsis's house, in a small village
just outside Richmond, I find I've slightly
missed the boat. The book I'd gone along to
chat about,
Ageless Spirit, is no longer
Dorothy's latest and as we settle at her
table, her Yorkshire terrier at our feet,
she starts discussing
Edrin's Quest, the fourth to issue
from her pen. A work of fiction, it marks a
definite departure. "It's a children's story
for children from ten to 100," says the
79-year-old. "It's fiction and it's like a
layered sweet with
toffee on the top and chocolate underneath.
It's about a boy who lives in a company of
warlocks and he has to complete a quest
before his 13th birthday so he can be
accepted by the council. He learns to use
his intuition, that he has to stop and be
still. He also learns about healing and used
magic all the time." It may have shades of
Harry Potter, but
Edrin's Quest is not designed to be
a simple children's story. What Dorothy
hopes is that the book will take its readers
on a kind of spiritual journey. If this
seems fanciful, it's pretty clear it's not a
whim. In fact, this premise has become the
central purpose of her life...' Extract from
The Northern Echo, 20 March 2007.
This
interesting piece of news, or 'experiment'
(from the Australian writers' magazine
Australian Author), which shows the
likelihood of your masterpiece being
recognized for what it is, was sent to me by
Australian author
Filton Hebbard:
An old
trick…
but it keeps
working… The list of distinguished authors
or prize-winning books passed over or
rejected after submission to contemporary
editors and publishers just keeps growing,
and now includes V. S. Naipaul’s In A
Free State
and Stanley Middleton’s Holiday ,
both earlier winners of the Booker
Prize. In a London
Sunday Times experiment reporters
‘tested’ 20 British publishers and literary
agents by sending them typed copies of the
first chapters of these books. Authors’ and
characters’ names were changed in the usual
way of this sort of ambush, so that the
works appeared to have come from unknowns.
Every submission was rejected, the only
glimmer of hope coming from one agent who
said they would like a few more chapters....
Copying the
Sunday Times, The Weekend Australian in
May sent an extract from Nobel prize-winning
author Patrick White’s novel The Eye of
the Storm to various Australian
publishers and agents. Result? Not a single
submission brought any joy. Is this an
indictment of modern publishing and agenting,
where editorial insight and the ability to
spot talent have eroded dramatically? Or
merely what you might expect in a world with
too many prospective authors and mss.,
bombarding too few overloaded publishers and
agents? Or is/was White just no good...?
Reader, you decide!
- from
Australian Author magazine, April 2006.
The
writings of Poet and Author
Beth Winchcombe featured in Clowne
Enterprise (Issue 3, May 2006), the
Newsletter of the Bizfizz Programme in
Clowne:
Boffin
Philip Bladon's scientific reference book
hits the press!
This
dictionary provides information for
everyone; trivia and scrabble buffs can
enrich their vocabulary; symbologists and
symbolists can ponder over the character
sizes. Students, especially those studying
science, will find this dictionary a
valuable reference book throughout their
careers.
 Review in
It's Fate, Issue 3, April 2006:
Eileen
writes her book
Spiritual Food for Thought merely as
a medium—a channel for her spiritual guide
Silas to impart basic information that we in
this often misguided world need to know. If
Silas, through Eileen, succeeds in reaching
out to just one person, then this whole
project will have been worthwhile. With its
wisdom and revelations from one who lived
before, this book is proof of a world beyond
the grave.
Where Birds Flock Together!
 The
launch of
Bellbolttoms and Blackouts, by
Louisa Jenkins, about the time when she was
a Wren serving in Scotland during the second
world wa r,
took place at the Thistle Hotel in Edinburgh
on Saturday, 19th February, 2005. Dr Charles
Muller, of Diadem Books, was privileged to
give the introductory address, and it was
gratifying to see so many present who
eagerly queued up to purchase signed copies
of the book (around seventy copies were sold
during the two-hour launch). The occasion,
indeed, was living history, for there were
many ex-Wrens present. Dr Muller drew
attention to the author's sparkling style
and disarming sense of humour with which she
recalls her very human (and amusing,
sometimes hilarious!) experiences of being a
Wren.
 But
the book is also a significant record of
history, for it tells us many things so many
people don't know—that the Americans, for
instance, were in fact secretly present in
Scotland (in a civilian capacity) in
preparation for their involvement long
before the official announcement of their
entry into the War; and also, how many
realise that 'Blackouts' do not necessarily
refer to the heavy material used to black
out the light from windows, but to a certain
garment of a Wren's underwear? Dr Muller
concluded: "Louisa's first book (The
Tree that Grew in St James Square,
launched last year) belongs to Edinburgh,
but this book belongs to the world"—for the
Wrens surely played a significant role in
ensuring the values of freedom and
democracy, not only for Scotland and the UK,
but for the world.
Charles Muller, of Diadem Books, addresses
the Wrens
SIX WEEKS
LUCKY!
  Click
here
for an
article on Rudi
Kratschmer and
Jill Martin's book which appeared in the
Sheffield Star
on Saturday 29 Jan 2005, by journalist Fiona
Firth. The headlines read: "He fled
Czechoslovakia to escape the Nazis and
eventually forged a successful career as an
engineer in Sheffield. Now Rudi Kratschmer
has told his remarkable story in a new
book." Jill Martin adds:
"Since the article appeared,
we have had several phone calls from people
who knew Rudi and who would like a copy of
the book, and also a call from a lady in
Sheffield
who has never met him but believes in the
importance of telling such histories; it's
been lovely to get such a response."
 Book
from beyond the grave...
Eileen Babb's bookis unusual in that its co-author has been
dead for almost a century. Eileen Babb's
Spiritual Food for Thought was
reviewed and the author interviewed by Mike
Buckingham, whose report appeared in the
South Wales Argus on Wednesday, January
19, 2005. Some of the photographs that
appeared with the article are reproduced
here. The photo on the left shows Eileen,
who is a medium, consulting her crystal. The
photo on the right shows Eileen with her
dreamcatcher. Caption: "Psychic Gift: Eileen
Babb has written a book for a spirit called
Silas."
Eileen and husband Colin with a white hawk
dreamcatcher.
Final
frontier for sci-fi fan
A science
fiction fanatic from
Swindon has had his first novel published! Read the full
report from the Evening Advertiser:
click on the report!
 New
release:
Cry Havoc by Toby Bishop, MBE.
Toby Bishop, MBE, is a retired mercenary,
formerly of the Royal Military Police. The
following review appeared in The Royal
Military Police Journal, August 2004:
You can
imagine your editor's surprise when sent a
book to review written by a friend and
former Corps officer. In fact not just a
book, but a novel! New novelist, Toby
Bishop, known to most as Roy, has written a
tale of derring do in Africa. Its sub-title
says much of the author and the book: "A
trip to Hell for a group of ageing
mercenaries who should have known better."
The fiction is based on a mercenary
operation in Mozambique. The story is spiced
with scenes of horror and violence and is
told with humour. In fact, the sort of story
that one would expect from a former soldier
and told in a language we can all relate to.
Roy, a former Major RMP, having joined the
Corps in 1956, was commissioned from the
ranks in 1977. He left the Army in 1986 and
worked in Ghana and on contract in other
African countries. He says he has now given
up his wanderings and has settled back into
life in Kent.
  Louisa
Jenkins’ autobiographical book
The Tree that Grew in St James Square,
was held in
Edinburgh at the King James Thistle
Hotel on
4th September, 2004 .
Charles Muller of Diadem Books travelled
from the
Highlands to Edinburgh
for the occasion by train, and it was well worth the trouble! Louisa
is 82, a very slender, tall, elegant woman,
and was dressed immaculately in a long black
dress with pearls—a lovely woman with an
angelic smile. She is the only surviving
member of her family that constitutes the
“family tree” that grew in
St James Square ,
now a hyper-modern shopping complex in lieu
of the old tenement buildings and apartments
where many working folk lived in the
thirties and the war years. Her husband
Tom (six years younger than Louisa—she
calls him her “toy boy”) and their son
Llewellyn were present, plus an enormous
amount of interested relatives
and visitors! Llwelleyn is an IT man and he
had rigged up a huge screen linked to his
computer, displaying the book’s cover,
followed by a slide-show presentation of the
pictures in the book and a movie of old-time
Edinburgh with background hit songs
from the thirties.
The cheese
and wine presentation was in a large
reception room of the hotel and it was
crowded! Charles Muller sat next to Louisa
and volunteered an impromptu speech,
recalling many of the funny and sad parts of
the book, saying that it read like a novel
and that one very quickly felt part of this
wonderful family with its old-time values
and lived through the history it enfolded.
(There was the risqué detail of the ‘magic’
ointment Louisa had bought by mail order
when she was thirteen—“You’ll have to read
the book to find out what that’s all
about!”; the information about “auld
teabread” & “coo-s paps” (everyone nodded
and smiled knowingly) and the historical
verisimilitude, about Mrs Simpson,
 for
instance, who was thought to be “a
fascinatingly dangerous woman”.) He
challenged anyone to read the moving account
of Louisa’s sister’s Teeny’s death (she died
at 22 of consumption) with a dry eye.
Louisa had
ordered one hundred books which thankfully
had arrived in time, three days before. Then
came the book signings, and the queue
stretched around the room. “We should have
ordered two hundred!”
Tom, Louisa’s husband, said.
  The
launch of
They Kill Bears by Lee Vernon took
place in Luxembourg at the 'Chapter 1'
bookshop on 19th June 2004. The launch of
David Robinson's guide to Luxembourg (An
Expat's Life, Luxembourg & The White Rose)
was also launched on Saturday 19th June at
the English Shop in Limpertsburg between 11
am and 2 pm, and between 3 pm to 5 pm at the
White Rose pub in the Rue Dicks, in
Luxembourg.
Charles
Muller, of Diadem Books, was able to attend
the launch of
An Expat's Life in Luxembourg where he
was royally entertained by the author and
his friends, some of whom came as far afield
as London and Holland. By clicking on the
pictures below (by Rob Biekmann)
more scenes from the day of the launch
can be seen.
 Swindon
writers' group 'Penpushers' held a
seminar (June 5th, 2004, St Andrew's Hall,
Walcot, Swindon, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at which
experts gave talks about everything from how
to find an agent to self-publication. Among
them was Diadem Books author Jean Morley
whose
 historical
romance
Talley Girl has been recently
released. Jean Morley is seen here
displaying both her novels
Black Pearls and
Talley Girl in a news article that
appeared in the Wiltshire News.
Working with the Dead
by
Josephine Price Powell
 A
must for those with an interest in Death.
Working with the Dead provides a
readable and true account
of the author’s encounters with Death,
before and after she became an embalmer.
Without a doubt this sometimes humorous, yet
sensitive and caring approach to death and
embalming, will keep the reader gripped on
every page. Anecdotes from her personal life
and experience make the book engrossing, sad
and sometimes funny—but it is not for the
faint hearted.
Working with the Dead opens doors to
modern embalming and caring for the dead in
a way that is easily understood by those
wishing to follow the art. Make yourself
comfortable, lock the door, and…prepare to
be surprised...
Frank Binns
makes his debut in Luxembourg as a crime
writer. The launch of his novel
An Odyssey of Murder received full
coverage in the February 2004 edition of the
Luxembourg journal "352":
 Diadem
Books visits Florida. Editor Charles
Muller, of Diadem Books, visited Florida in
early December where he was the guest of
author Lisa Ammerman and her husband Terry
Henderson. Lisa is the author of two
excellent literary novels,
Love in a Nutbag (published in 2001)
and
Hunger Hill (just published), and is
presently working on a new groundbreaking
novel, Death by Cucumber. Terry
Henderson, a talented writer and a former
BBC engineer, will be working on a
refreshingly different, if startling
documentary guide to Florida, especially for
the expat. The visit to Florida was a 'nutbag'
experience. (Read
Love in a Nutbag and 'nutbag' is
guaranteed to become a household word;
indeed, Lisa's innovative us of language
will enrich the reader's vocabulary!)
See more photographs from the Florida visit!
Launch of
Diana Button's novel in Luxembourg - an
unqualified success!
 Diana
Button recently launched her novel
Marrying It All which was published
through Di adem
Books in September. The booksigning at the
Chapter1 bookstore in Luxembourg was a great
success, readers standing in line to have
their copies signed while three readers,
Charles Muller of Diadem Books included,
read passages from the novel. Over 130
copies were sold in just over two hours, the
bookstore having to remains open after hours
to cater for the stragglers! The Luxembourg
National Cultural Radio Station (100,7)
presented an excellent
review (in English); Diana was
interviewed on Luxembourg ARA city radio as
well as on private TV (Tango TV), and the
book and pictures have featured in the
English-speaking newspapers and the English
online website
www.station.lu. The National Centre for
Literature has purchased copies and the
National Library will catalogue it.
See potographs from the book launch
 Helen
Cardwell (24), of Waltham Rise (Melton
Mowbray, Leicestershire), has hit the local
press with her female "Harry Potter" novel!
She started writing when she was just six
years old, and now her first book,
Amber Janusson: Protector of the Magic Lands,
has been published. "When it arrived I felt
like I had wandered into a dream. It was
unbelievable, I was acting like a lunatic,
jumping up and down." Her heroine Amber is
from a long line of witches, and is destined
to save the human world and the magic lands.
She has been inspired by fairytales, myths
and the work of CS Lewis. The scenery around
Alnwick inspired the author. Helen has been
visiting north Northumberland for a decade
and says the magic, beauty and mystery of
the area persuaded her to put pen to paper.
Alnwick is of course no stranger to magic
with the castle used in the first two Harry
Potter films.
See news
report in the
Lochaber News, October 4, 2003:
"Book Speaks Volumes of Mick's
Determination."
Stroke victim
tells story of his fight for recovery.
Emma Hardy
writes of new author Susannah George:
"Her story is worthy of the pages of a novel
and that is exactly what Susannah has drawn
inspiration from in her first book,
True Colours, which goes on sale in
the Cambridge branch of Heffers on Trinity
Street in September."
From the
Cambridge Evening News, August 27, 2003.
Extract from the Editorial Opinion:
Inspirational book shows way forward
AUTHOR Susannah George is an inspiration
to us all.
Although the book she has written is a
novel, she has drawn on her own experiences
for the storyline for
True Colours.
As a schoolgirl Susannah, like many
young people, was bullied by fellow pupils.
Because of her unhappiness, she
developed a hatred for school and stopped
eating. She got thinner and thinner and
became anorexic.
When she was started at a new school
Susannah was given counselling but found
this did not work for her and instead
battled her way through her problems with
the help of her family.
Susannah's determination and approach
shows that there is a way through the
problems that often beset our teenagers.
Encounters with many famous people!
How to mingle with the rich and
famous!
Read the announcement in the CP Press,
Wednesday, December 18, 2002:
click here.
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Bruce with train robber Buster
Edwards |
With Norman Wisdom |
With Peter O' Toole |
Author Emelia Hardy makes
headlines with her new book
Why Daddy, Why?
Booksigning at Stroudwater
Books, Sept 14
From
the Berlin Reporter, June 26,
2002, by Sara Young Knox:
On
Saturday, June 22, Emelia Dion
Hardy signed copies of her
autobiographical book "Why
Daddy, Why?" at Gill Park in
downtown Berlin from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m.
"I
want this book to reach out to
people," she said in an
interview earlier this spring.
"I want," she continued, "to let
people know 'You can go on.'"
Though when she sat down to
write this book the words flowed
easily, the life from which they
sprang was anything but easy.
The daughter of a father who was
quick to find fault with his
children and his wife, quick to
use his physical force against
them, Hardy endured a long
separation from her mother who'd
fled in fear of her life.
Several years ago Hardy, whose
father, Gerarld Dion owned the
Columbia Hotel when she was
growing up, began experiencing
anxiety attacks. She was in a
new job, having been laid off
after 25 years at a factory in
southern New Hampshire, and felt
that God had something in store
for her but questioned whether
dying shoes was it. She also
began having flashbacks, seeing
the same scene over and over
again.
One day, while listening to a
radio call-in show, she heard
the advice that would be her
salvation. "Write it down on a
piece of paper," the radio host
counseled the caller.
Hardy sat down and wrote a few
paragraphs, then went out and
bought a typewriter. She also
prayed.
"My hand wouldn't stop for two
months," she said. Though the
writing was emotionally taxing,
she kept at it. "God let me feel
everything, so I was able to
describe it word for word. I
feel blessed as I was able to
write down all these things."
When she finished the book she
went on the Internet and
searched for publishers. She
found Charles Mullar, who edited
the book which was then
published by Writers Club Press.
"If it weren't for him," she
said, "I would not have gone
through with it. He's the one
who talked me into going on."
Of
that early part of her life -
the book begins when she is five
- she said it was "awful, a
nightmare." No one, she said,
was supposed to find out what
was going on, about the physical
abuse that came from a closed
fist or belt strap, or the
psychological abuse. Her father
constantly accused her mother of
being unfaithful, denying that
he was the father of the
children she bore him.
The book is not all darkness,
though. There are acts of
kindness that stand out in stark
relief against the daily abuse
Hardy and her siblings suffered.
A border at the hotel buys her
brother, Jerry, a new bike.
Another border carves miniature
furniture for Hardy. A nun at
the convent in Gorham to which
she and her older sister,
Cecile, are sent, provides her
with a new dress. The physical
manifestations of these simple
acts of kindness are destroyed
by the meanness of others - her
father hocks the bike and
smashes the delicate furniture,
another nun gives the dress to a
different girl - but the
meanness can't destroy Hardy's
spirituality, her deep faith in
God.
The world in which Hardy, her
mother and siblings, suffered
abuse has changed. Though many
still suffer in silence behind
closed doors, teachers, nurses
and doctors are required to
report any suspected abuse. And
those who fear for their lives
can escape to the shelter of a
safe house. There will always be
abusers, but now the abused
don't need to remain victims.
In
the Berlin/Gorham area victims
can call Response to Sexual &
Domestic Violence at
1-800-852-3388 or 752-5679. This
is a 24-hour crisis line for
information and advocacy around
family violence and sexual
abuse/assault.
Hardy's book, which chronicles
other trials and tribulations in
her life, is available at
Wunderland Books in Gorham and
on line at
amazon.com.
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From the Berlin
Reporter--On
Saturday Emelia Dion
Hardy held a
booksigning in Gill
Park in downtown
Berlin N.H. Shown
left to right is the
author; her mother
Irene Letourneau,
her sister Cecile
Smith, and cousin
Arthur (Junior)
Dion, having his
copy of her book
signed. |
From the Berlin
Daily Sun--Emelia
Dion Hardy displays
her book with her
mother Irene
Letorneau (center),
and sister Cecile
(right) at Hardy's
book signing
Saturday, Main
Street. This was
Hardy's first
published book,
which she began just
a year ago. The
Berlin native, who
now lives in Dover,
NH, plans to write
children's books.
'Why Daddy, Why?' is
now available at
Barnes and Noble as
well as Amazon |
|
Published Categories
Diadem
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