Saturday 25 February 2012

Nina Whyle and other Tunbridge Wells Writers


I was excited to receive an email this week from my publisher/editor/salesman/gopher, he had been sent communication from a writer in Tunbridge Wells who has self-published her novel on Amazon. What? I thought. Surely I am the only self-publisher on Amazon from this Portmeirion style ‘Village’ they call Tunbridge Wells (you know, from The Prisoner, you can’t get out however much you try?). I did some research and there it was, an author, self-published, with a blog, and (to my utter shock!) TWO BOOKS!!

Yesterday I was distraught; how can a mother who only writes on a Sunday have two books on Amazon where I, a father, who only writes intermittently between all the odd jobs that I have, can only manage the one?

But then I thought, hey, we writers are not competing with each other, it’s all about encouragement. So it is with great pleasure I present to you the name of the author and her books that I have been asked to review in my capacity as Arts Editor for Staying In/Going Out magazine; a magazine that is growing from strength to strength and one that surely will get me noticed in the near future by some powerful editor or agent who simply MUST sign me to a lucrative contract.

By the way, I have just read A SINGLE MAN by Christopher Isherwood; what a beautiful book. It has so much emotion and tenderness, with wonderfully descriptive prose and such a melancholic heart. I was gripped from the first page.

I digress; but let me just explain that we in Tunbridge Wells do have a very rich history when it comes to writers. The following writers were/are all Tunbridge Wells-ians:

Nick Wallace
William Makepeace Thackeray
Horace Smith
Tim Pears
Caroline Fry
Chris McCooey

Some you will have heard of, some you may not have done; but all have made it on to the fountain of all knowledge, Wikipedia.

And there is a goal to aim for: Wikipedia! How can I call myself a writer if I am not mentioned in the same breath as those names above? At least there is one saving grace, neither is the author I have been asked to write a review for. Ha! So, two books but no Wikipedia mention, the playing field is levelling!

But I haven’t mentioned who it is have I? I’m sure that by now you will have realised that I am attempting very badly to put off mentioning the author’s name or publications. Before I do, let me just say that I am in the process of writing another book, current title is:

SEA OF RIBBONS (in bold and larger font obviously!)

So congratulations (cough) to Nina Whyle; author of Moving Up On Manolos and Fighting Love; both available on Amazon as an E-Book and coming soon on other devices. As Is my book, Pirates Vs Fairies…

Think I’ll leave it there!

1 comment:

Glenn said...

Like the new title. :)