Category Archives: Welsh Writing Wednesdays

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: JAN BAYNHAM ON CONTEMPORARY NOVELIST CAROL LOVEKIN

Posted on by

I first met author, Carol Lovekin at Tenby Book Fair in 2015. We’d been following each other on Twitter and it was so good to meet in person. It was just six months before her wonderful debut novel, Ghostbird, was published by Honno, the Welsh Women’s Press. A feminist writer based in west Wales, Carol writes contemporary fiction exploring family relationships and secrets, but for me it’s the fact that her writing is interwoven with myth, fairytale, ghosts, and mystery that makes her novels so special.

‘My stories touch on the Welsh Gothic & its most powerful motif: the ghost. They concern the nature of magic & how it threads through the fabric of our lives. I explore possibilities: the fine line between the everyday & the time-shifting world of enchantment. My books are also firmly rooted in reality. I write about family relationships: how people, women in particular, respond to loss & how they survive. I set my stories in Wales, where I’ve lived for several decades: a place whose legends & landscapes inform my writing.’

Carol’s own words sum up the very essence of her writing. When reading her novels, there is no doubt as to where they are set and she takes you into the innermost thoughts of her characters. I love the poetic nature of the prose and its figurative language that does not in any way detract from the plot and pace of the novels.

Carol’s next novel will be published by Honno in 2022. Entitled Only May, she describes it as her ‘lockdown novel’ when she said writing kept her sane. ‘With no distractions, I listened for the word birds, cracked on and wrote it.’ It’s written in the first person present and involves a girl who could tell when people lied to her. If, when they looked her directly in the eye and told lies, she knew.

‘I’m the girl who sees beyond the glint in your eye, around your over-confidence and through to the truth and I can hear the earth hum, the way the bees do. Ever since I was a tiny baby and they started talking to me, it’s seemed rude not to take notice.
Bees don’t lie.’

 

Published works:

Ghostbird (2016)

Described as ‘Charming, quirky, magical’ ~ Joanne Harris, the book was chosen as Waterstones Wales and Welsh Independent Bookshops ‘Book Of The Month’ for April 2016. It was longlisted for the Guardian ‘Not the Booker’ prize 2016 and nominated for the Guardian Readers’ Book of the Year 2016.

Snowsisters (2017)

Author, Louise Beech, said of this novel, ‘Lovekin’s words soar like the birds, who see everything’. It was selected by Books Council of Wales as their October 2017 Book of the Month.

Wild Spinning Girls (2020)

‘A timeless tale of grief and belonging… haunting and hopeful.’ ~ Mags Phelan Stones. This third novel was selected as Books Council of Wales Book Of The Month for March 2020 and was shortlisted for Literature Wales Book of the Year/ Rhys Davies Fiction Award 2021. This was a huge accolade for not only for Carol and her fellow Honno author, Judith Barrow who was also shortlisted alongside her but for Honno itself. Congratulations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: JANE CABLE ON HER FATHER POET, MERCER SIMPSON

Posted on by

As I have written in Frost before, my formative years were spent in and around the vibrant Anglo-Welsh poetry scene. Writers such as Tony Curtis, Dannie Abse and Gillian Clarke were taking over the mantle from the Dylan Thomas generation and my father Mercer Simpson was in the thick of it.

First as an expert on the genre – he wrote the section on it in The Bloomsbury Guide to Literature – and a reviewer. Then as poet himself. Except he wasn’t Welsh by birth – he was English, although in the end he lived in Cardiff for the last 55 years of his life. His first – and last – collections were through Rockingham Press in East Anglia, but I think the one of which he was always most proud was Rain From a Clear Blue Sky which was published by Gomer with the help of Welsh Arts Council funding.

Having a poet as a father gives a unique insight into their lives. This is not to say all poetry is autobiographical – it’s certainly not – but my father was very clear that some of his were and there is a section in Rain From a Clear Blue Sky that deals with childhood memories. All this was easy to accept as my father’s past, but when the present reared its head, it could be harder. Or simply incredibly beautiful, like these lines about a rose bush that stood in my parents’ garden.

Fruhlingsgold
shakes her
curling-papered head,
the wind’s
premature blow-drier
scattering news
of dispersed beauty,
the white petals
leaving the golden heart
on each stem…

But there were certainly times when the insights seemed far too close to home and I still find parts of his last two collections difficult. Not just because I helped him to correct the proofs of the last one when he was in a nursing home, dying. It wasn’t a bad time – apart from the obvious – we became even closer over those galleys – and we were able to discuss what was going to happen surprisingly easily.

Six months before the Welsh Academy had put on an eightieth birthday reception for him in the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay. For him it was the pinnacle of his acceptance as an Anglo-Welsh poet and I will never forget how much it meant to him. I was more than proud to be at his side as we listened to Tony Curtis, Ruth Bidgood and others read from their own work and celebrate my father’s. And he read himself – of course he did – he had been a lecturer, had even taught public speaking, so he was a consummate performer.

There was a humour in his work, even in the most serious of subjects, particularly in Honest to God, a poem he read that night and I read at his funeral. And pathos too. As the child of a poet, there are times you get to look inside your parent’s soul.

Dear God
I hope I’ve got your correct address:
with so much mail going astray these days I wouldn’t want this letter
to get lost in the post.

I hope you don’t mind me leaving the writing of it rather late
but I felt I had to thank you for letting me stay in your house for so long.
I know I haven’t been the easiest of guests,
stealing your son’s bread and helping myself to his wine…

…Now that my time is nearly over
I insist on having the last word which must be gratitude:
gratitude for the miracle of your world that I, who might have died at birth,
was spared to live in…

…So please forgive me if I seem impertinent
in asking if I may come back and visit you again some time?

 

 

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: HELGA JENSEN ON WALES AS A SETTING FOR COMMERCIAL FICTION

Posted on by

When I was planning my debut novel, Twice in a Lifetime, there was only one place for me to set it in. Having been brought up in West Wales, I was determined that any book I wrote would focus on some of the stunning areas around us. How you could possibly put those scenes into words was a completely different challenge! However, I knew that I wanted to promote Wales and see it featured in more commercial fiction. We have many women’s fiction books set in Cornwall or Ireland, so why not Wales?

When I first queried my book and sent it to agent’s I had a mixed response. Some loved the idea of a different setting, but one agent stated that perhaps Cardiff would be acceptable for my romantic comedy, but nothing further west. I was quite surprised at this. We often see Cornwall with its beautiful beaches, so why not West Wales with its similar beauty?

Whilst I was surprised at this observation, as always, when someone tells me something might not be possible, it makes me more determined. Therefore, I persevered and, although my book is also set in New York, I finally saw success with my romantic comedy that features the beautiful township of Laugharne.

After all, Laugharne is famous for many things, including the more recent television series, ‘Finding Faith,’ which has helped put it further on the map. But, of course, the association with Dylan Thomas is probably the most famous claim to fame that Laugharne has, so as Dylan spent his time in New York too, I felt a setting for a book with Laugharne and New York were the perfect marriage for my debut novel.

Since Twice in a Lifetime was released, I have had lovely messages telling me how refreshing it is to have a romantic comedy set in Wales. Naturally, I was thrilled at this feedback, as this is precisely what I set out to achieve.

I am now working on book two, which will have a combined setting of Wales and Denmark. It remains my ultimate goal to promote Wales in the world of women’s fiction. There are so many opportunities for the glorious parts to be shown to the world that I simply can’t help promote it through my books. Just as there are many prolific Irish writers, such as Maeve Binchy, with her incredible story, ‘Circle of Friends,’ I hope there will be similar best-selling commercial love stories and adventures coming out of Wales.

Trends are certainly changing, and more and more books are getting published in the mainstream from the region, but I would still like to see Wales in more romantic comedies. We have ubiquitous books traditionally set in mining villages or used in historical fiction, so I would now like to see it featured as a setting in comedies and romance. After all, welsh men can be funny and romantic when they want to be!

So, there might be many tales of Wales in books on folklore, myth and magic and eras gone by, but here’s hoping for a future filled with books set in Wales for romantic comedies and similar commercial women’s fiction.

 

 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HelgaJensenF

 

 

 

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: INTRODUCING DEBUT ROMANCE WRITER, HELGA JENSEN

Posted on by

As a young child, I was an avid reader, and I was very fortunate that my mother bought me many books. They were beautiful hardback copies of books such as The Waterbabies, Enid Blyton classics, and many books by Hans Christian Andersen. I particularly loved The Princess and The Pea and The Little Matchmaker. Although I grew up in West Wales, as I am half Danish, I was privileged to visit Hans Christian Andersen’s house in Denmark (Odense) many times. It was always a magical feeling when you walked out of there with a new book stamped with the official stamp from his house.

With my love of books, I dreamed of one day becoming a writer, just ‘like Enid Blyton.’ However, there were two dreams I had and being cabin crew was my other dream. Therefore, as soon as I was old enough, I applied to a few airlines for a job. My first dream came true when I successfully got a position with a great airline in Bahrain called Gulf Air. They were some of the best days of my life. I also went on to fly on private jets for royalty which was a fantastic experience.

Having had these experiences, the writer within me started to niggle away at me. So, I did a journalism course through the London School of Journalism in 2002 and started writing. My dream was to write a book, but I thought perhaps if I had published work in magazines and newspapers, it would put me in good stead to get a book published. This led to a successful career as a freelance journalist and I still write for publications in the Middle East.

As I lived in Dubai for almost 25 years, I was extremely lucky to have access to the Emirates Literary Foundation and their annual Literary Festival. At the festival, you had the opportunity to enjoy meetings with prominent writers and agents. At one of the meetings, I met a fantastic agent who encouraged me to keep writing. So, I did, and the following year, the first chapter of my debut novel was a winning entry in the Montegrappa First Fiction competition. Winning this gave me the confidence to believe that I must be doing something right. I then embarked on a BA Hons in English Literature and Creative Writing, which I finished last year. As covid hit, my degree ended a little earlier than expected, which gave me the chance to edit and polish my debut and submit it to publishers. I was delighted when I received two separate two book publishing contracts! I chose to publish with Hera Books, and my debut, Twice in a Lifetime, was released on June 23rd 2021. I am now working on a Creative Writing MA at Bath Spa University, and my second book is due out around spring next year. Both books include settings in Wales. Twice in a Lifetime is set in Laugharne and New York, and my second book will be set possibly in Llanelli and Denmark. I have a few meetings with agents coming up through the Romantic Novelists’ Association, so I am unsure what I will do next, but I still have lots of ideas bubbling away!

 

Follow Helga on Twitter @HelgaJensenF

 

 

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: ALEXANDRA WALSH ON APPLYING MYTHS TO FICTION

Posted on by

Wales is a land rich in mythology and here Alexandra Walsh explains how she researched and applied some of it to her latest novel.

In The Wind Chime, my main character Amelia Prentice is sent on a quest by her dying mother, Joan. Requesting Amelia should tidy the attic of their family home before she made any decisions about selling it, Amelia discovers a box of Victorian photographs, with a hand-drawn family tree. The annotations on the back of the images names them as the Attwater family from Cliffside in Pembrokeshire.

Amelia has never heard this name before but she is intrigued by the family and is drawn to the youngest daughter, Osyth Attwater. When she discovers Osyth’s journal among her mother’s papers, she feels compelled to visit Cliffside and find out more.

The Mythology

At night, the Attwater family of old would gather on their veranda, listening to the wind chime and watching the sun set into the roaring ocean. They told each other stories and Osyth revelled in the tales her Uncle Noah wove around them, using them as a guide to her life.

In order to make to create Osyth’s interior life, I drew on tales far and wide. These included old fairy stories, local legends and Celtic mythology. At the beginning of the book, Osyth is in her late teens and is letting go of her childhood as she enters the adult world, yet she cannot fully abandon the magical world of her childhood. Throughout, I was aware the tales needed to fit in with Osyth’s story rather than distracting from it, so the fairies invited to join the party were chosen with great care.

Tylwyth Teg was the most important tale. This is the Welsh translation for the Fair Folk or Fairy Folk and their magical home can take a number of forms, from the underground land reached through the doorways of the Celtic stone circles or in mysterious green lands that can be glimpsed off the Welsh coast. Osyth is fascinated with Tylwyth Teg and it is from here she draws on other magical creatures who are her talismans and protectors as she discovers bitter family secrets.

It is during the celebrations of a family wedding, Osyth’s aunt, Hannah, tells the story of how the world of the Fair Folk was created. It is the tale of a woman who hid her children from Jesus when he visited her home as she was ashamed of her fecundity. However, when she searched for her family later, there was no sign of her children. She was told God had taken them as a punishment for hiding the gifts he had bestowed upon her. In the legend, these children were taken underground and became the ancestors of all the creatures in the Land of Tylwyth Teg.

While dressing for this wedding, Osyth references Gwenhwyfar, the fairy of the White Moon Shadows. This fairy dances through the world leaving tiny white flowers in her wake. White flowers became a theme throughout the story, including the name of her perfume, White Rose, from the perfumiers, Floris.

The most interesting creature I discovered was the gwrach-y-rhibyn, the witch of death from Welsh mythology. This terrifying creature with her red eyes, green-tinged skin and dark leathery wings, gathered the souls of the dead and would visit houses whenever a death was imminent. It calls to mind the Irish banshee, which considering the close proximity of the two coastlines is unsurprising.

I hope this small insight into the fairies and their world will make your reading of The Wind Chime – and Welsh mythology – more interesting.

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: INTRODUCING ALEXANDRA WALSH

Posted on by

West Wales has always held my heart. Although I was born and brought up in London, I have family in Milford Haven and St Ishmaels – Tish to residents and locals – in Pembrokeshire. My memories of holidays here are wide, varied and full of laughter.

My writing, like my links to Wales, have been life-long. There was never any question about what I would do but, as it was necessary to earn a living while trying to fulfil my ambition of being a published author, I toyed first with the idea of acting and writing for theatre. At the age of 18, I set up and ran a touring theatre company, however, acting was not for me and a few years later I closed the company.

Instead, I moved into journalism. My first job was on a local newspaper, from here I progressed to women’s magazines, national newspapers and prestigious launches.

Yet still, I wrote fiction. For a while, I focused on scripts, both film and TV. I sold three film scripts and, for a while, worked in the British Film Industry but it’s an unpredictable and strange place. In the space of two weeks, due to the large companies who were producing my scripts suffering internal upheaval, I saw my dream vanish. My response was to run away to Pembrokeshire.

Using the last of the money from the script debacle, I took the summer off and wrote my first novel, returning to London to find a new agent and sell my masterpiece. Sadly, it didn’t happen, so it was back to freelancing as a journalist.

Things changed again, I became seriously ill, losing my ability to walk for nearly 18 months. My solace as I battled to regain my health was to write. A new manuscript, a new agent, new hope but still no publishing deal. Another book languished.

Then a new idea arrived, in a direction I had never before explored: an historical thriller.

It centred on the Tudors and as I lived not far from Hampton Court and worked near the Tower of London both places issued a siren call. On my commute to work, I researched the historical thriller, then began writing it every morning in a notebook. The Tudor link to Wales, to Pembroke, to the area I knew and loved spurred me on, even leading me to set the book in St Ishmaels.

Life changed again, resulting in a move to Milford Haven. Settled in my purpose-built writing hut, a few miles from my cousins, I took the story from my notebooks and began to polish it. A new agent made all the difference and The Marquess House Saga was born.

Then, one day, the first book I’d written popped back into my mind: The Wind Chime. Rethinking and restructuring it, I pitched it to my agent and publisher and suddenly, I was in the Victorian era, weaving my own family history into the story. The same happened with the book that had sustained me through my illness, The Music Makers. This, too, became a Victorian time-shift with both drawing on the Welsh countryside, the myths and folklore of Pembrokeshire and the endless backdrop of the sea.

Wales is the land of bards, story tellers, of Merlin, Druids and the Fair Folk. The landscape holds magic in its rolling hills, its jagged mountains, its sparkling streams and rivers. It was the place that always held my heart and is now the place I call home and it has helped me make my dream come true.

 

 

 

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: JUDITH BARROW ON HONNO PRESS

Posted on by

“Great Women, Great Writing, Great Stories”

Honno Press was set up in 1986 with four core aims: to provide a feminist perspective, to give Welsh women writers an opportunity to see their work published, to get earlier important, but neglected, writing by Welsh women back into print and to provide employment in publishing for women in Wales.

At the time, none of the publishing houses in Wales were particularly interested in promoting Women’s literature or writers, especially not in English.  There was a practice of publishing Welsh-language material by winners of competitions in the National Eisteddfod by the traditional presses, who would then pursue those particular authors. But the thought of going out to look for new female talent and female voices was not a priority

The establishment of Honno, their active search for women writers in both languages in Wales widened opportunities for women and saw all the Welsh publishers take women’s writing and the subjects women write about more seriously.

When asked why there is such a great variety in the books published by Honno, Janet Thomas, former editor of Honno and now on the committee, says, “I think a key reason for the vitality of Honno’s list that we are run as a group, with a variety of tastes, enthusiasms and expertise.  Honno tries to be open to all the broad range of writing that Welsh women want to write, looking for talent as widely as possible, Welsh and English, in all different kinds of fiction and non-fiction. As long as the skill is there, whatever the genre, style or subject matter, Honno will consider publishing their work.”

The commitment to provide opportunities for women in Wales in the publishing world is still at the heart of Honno. As well as the experienced staff, who appreciate the chance to work in publishing in mid-Wales, over the years there have been many volunteers in the Honno office, allowing them to gain practical experience and an insight into how publishing works. Volunteers generally take part in marketing activities, read manuscripts, help with general office procedure, and work on other projects as required. Gaining experience at Honno has helped many to go on to work in various areas of publishing.  (Of course, at the time of writing, due to the pandemic, this is on hold.)

Throughout the years the Press and its titles have garnered many awards including Wales Book of the Year. Even so, as Caroline Oakley, Editor for Honno says, “For independent presses to survive and compete against the big publishers they need strong customer support and to build a community of enthusiastic readers – a lot of which recent tech advances enable. Social media is vital to creating a groundswell of interest in any new title from a small press with ‘word of mouth’ (or more likely ‘tweet’) becoming an essential viral marketing tool.”

Finally, when asked to sum up what Honno have done, Janet says, “It’s hard not to see all we haven’t done – the writers we want to find, the histories we want to tell. I have a note my late father once wrote out for me, a quote from Ecclesiastes: ‘And of the making of books there is no end.’ I think he gave it to me as a comfort when I was feeling overwhelmed by one project or another, but it’s also optimistic. We keep going. Books matter. They last. The books we haven’t published yet are, with luck, the books we will publish next year. For Honno to have survived thirty-five years is a great achievement and a testimony to all the women who’ve been part of it.  It’s also, hopefully, just the beginning.”

https://www.honno.co.uk/

 

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: INTRODUCING JUDITH BARROW

Posted on by

As a child and into my teens I wrote voraciously. I wrote for competitions, wrote for the school magazine, wrote for the sheer joy of making images through words.

Then I entered the workplace; the Civil Service – where words meant facts, policies, rules – and I met my future husband.

We were young and infatuated with one another – we married – writing flew out of the window; there was no time to live in the imaginary world; we had the real world to explore, to live.

Seven years later, with three children under five, an old cottage half renovated, and my husband’s small business that took up a lot of time, we decided to get off the treadmill. At least for a fortnight.

Pre children, cottage and business, we holidayed abroad. Too expensive, too ambitious with three children we decided to go to Wales. David’s grandfather originated from Four Crosses, near Welshpool; we’d call there on our way to Pembrokeshire. Though, in nineteen seventy-eight, there was no easy route from the North of England to West Wales, it was still easier than going abroad.

And it was to change our lives.

We found a lovely big house that needed TLC – or so husband decided. We could afford it – or so husband thought. And with Pembrokeshire’s wonderful beaches for the children, how could we not put in a bid?

One cold, wet, miserable November, we moved from England to Wales.

Years passed, Husband started a new business, it flourished, the children had many hobbies, in the spirit of giving something back I was on every committee (usually as the secretary). We had two aunts living with us in the flat attached to the house (both of whom eventually developed dementia). We did a stint at B&B.

But I realised I was yearning to write again.

I hadn’t been allowed to stay on for the sixth form in school so, in my forties by now, I took my A level in English Literature, completed various creative writing courses, took a script writing/drama course at Swansea University, and started a BA degree course with the Open University. This took longer than I expected due to contracting breast cancer halfway through the course.

During those years I had short stories and poems published, a play performed at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea and one play filmed.

Eventually I gained a MA degree at what was then, Trinity College, in Carmarthen.

Shortly afterwards I was asked if I would tutor some creative writing classes for Pembrokeshire County Council, under an adult Lifelong Learning Scheme. Something I’m still doing. I will be so glad to get back to the classrooms once we can carry on in ‘real’ life.

I write family sagas which crosses various genres, and, over the last twelve years, I have been published by Honno, the longest-standing independent women’s press in the UK.

I made many friends in the writing world. One of those was Jan Baynham. Although she lives some miles away, we managed to meet up to ‘talk writing’. She is one of the original members of the Cardiff Chapter, now renamed the Cariad Chapter. I became a member of the RNA. Unfortunately, I was unable to go to the meetings as they were held at the same time as I was teaching, Still, I kept in touch with all the news.

The lockdown brought many problems, one of which was keeping in touch online. Eventually I bought a new laptop to replace my ancient PC which enabled me to be on Zoom and join in with RNA and Cariad Chapter meetings, and the courses and workshops.

And who knows, one of these days I’ll be able to attend one of the Romantic Novelists’ Association conferences. Certainly something to look forward to.