PENspiration! Come forth the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness this September as we usher in Autumn.
Virginia Betts is a tutor, writer poet and actor from Suffolk. An eternal optimist and mid-life-creative advocate, she’d like to point out that it’s never too late to live the dream. And with this month’s blog, some ink to inspire and ignite your creative fire.
A little timeslip as the 14th Century Lady uses her Laptop
I always feel like the onset of Autumn is like a time to take stock and begin again. Having spent many years as a teacher, and now tutoring, I still work to a mid-year calendar; my year started on September 1st. Almost everyone I know seems to be born in September too, so it heralds the season of change in so many ways. And right on cue, the nights draw in, the weather takes a sudden chilly turn, and I wake before the sky begins to lighten, to misty, drizzling rain.
I love this time of year. I have the perfect excuse to hunker down inside, wrap up in a light blanket and start my new projects. Today, for instance, I have had a shower and returned to my pyjamas to take care of the loose ends: meetings, my blogs and articles, a short story idea and outstanding emails. September this year though, is a bit like the calm before the storm – The end of the month and the whole of October promises to be very busy indeed!
It started with the heritage weekend in Felixstowe, where I dressed as one of the Trimley Two Sisters and discovered some rich Felixstowe history. Historian, Liz Rastrick, displayed some of the vast collection of historical photographs she has curated regarding the history of Trimley in the Trimley Historical Photographic Exhibition earlier this month at Trimley St Mary Church / aka Two Sisters Arts Centre. I had the privilege of playing the part of Lady Alice Montecue, with Suzanne Hawkes playing my sister, Margeret. The sisters’ story has passed into Trimley folklore due to the proximity of the two churches of St Mary, and St Martin. The boundary between the two is said to lie through the middle of the churchyard, and legend has it that the sisters quarrelled and had to have a church each.
In fact, evidence seems to contradict his theory: The Two Sisters Arts Centre, Trimley St Mary’s, was built in the early 1300’s by their father, who, being the son of Edward 1st, was of noble blood, and became Thomas Brotherton, Duke of Norfolk. The doorway bears his coat of arms. There were three children, Margeret, Alice and a brother who died. Margeret and Alice married at the tender ages of 12 and 14 when their father died; women were not able to inherit and when married their husbands took away their rights of ownership anyway. Their husbands were tyrants, and Margeret even tried to annul hers, but was refused permission by the Pope. Luckily for her, her husband died, and she married another, Sir Walter, an older and much nicer man. She outlived him and inherited everything, becoming the Duchess of Norfolk and the richest woman in England after her sister, Alice died. It seems unlikely they quarrelled, as Alice’s husband beat Alice nearly to death, and Margeret nursed her until she died of her injuries. Perhaps the fight was a rumour manufactured by men – after all, pitting women against each other, and damaging their reputations would ensure justice was never done when it came to the wife-beating Sir Edward, husband of Alice, and made a far more dramatic tale. The St Martin’s Church was built later, and we like to think it was in memory of Alice – a far nicer interpretation. The ghosts of a World War One soldier, (risen from the commonwealth graves perhaps?), The 18th Century Sir George Nassau and Colonel Tomline from the Victorian era. Here we all are en masse:
On 20th September, I performed poetry with Lady J’s Autumn Marvels in the same place, which is the eclectic quarterly show hosted by and then in October I reprise the role of Patricia Highsmith, in Writing Crime in Akenfield, by Suzanne Hawkes, which tells the story of the unlikely friendship of Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr Ripley) and the poet Ronald Blythe, (Akenfield) when Patricia spent some time writing a novel in Suffolk. This runs from October 9th to 17th.
Tickets now available: click here.
I’m also busying myself as a guest speaker at the WI Literary Lunch on 10th October tickets available here to see both myself, Virginia Betts, and the wonderful Russell Webb, also a local author. And I’ll be appearing at WAMFEST, celebrating women in the creative arena, at Harvest House the following week, chatting to my friend and fellow author, Ruth Dugdall, both events before rushing off to be Pat on stage in the evening. Well, it keeps me going!
Another play which might be of interest is being performed at The Headgate Theatre in Colchester. Don’t miss this production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, with a great cast! Tickets available here.
I have been keeping my ear to the ground for any other things to see or do in our local area for the final week of September and October, and apart from the above, here’s a selection of things which have caught my eye:
Snape Maltings, Snape, IP17 1SP
When: Saturday, September 24th, 9.30am - 5pm, Sunday, September 25th, 9.30am - 4pm
The Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival
Kentwell Hall, Sudbury, CO10 9BA
When: Thursday 13th to Saturday 23rd October
Anyone who likes a fright would have been relieved to see Scaresville return as it is widely recognised as a must-do in the run up to Halloween.
Stonham Barns, Pettaugh Road, Stonham Aspal, Stowmarket IP14 6AT
When: Saturday 29th October, 12pm to 8pm
Stonham Barns will host an homage to the Dark Ages next month, as it brings the Saxon & Viking Festival to Suffolk. The one-day event will feature battle re-enactments, a torchlight parade and the ceremonial burning of a Viking boat.
Tickets cost £10 per adult and children under 12 go free.
Takes place every month at Dial Lane Books from 5pm, Ipswich. I am going on October 19th when the book in question is by Mark Gatiss, and I am wondering if he might put in an author appearance? Whatever the event though, get yourself down to the best bookshop in town at every opportunity! Support the Indies!
And, of course, the usual Klinker Club, Bards Aloud and Get on the Soapbox events will be running for live spoken word, as well as Justine de Mierre’s online World Storytelling Cafe events all every month in their regular venues. Click on the names for details.
Don’t forget to book your Halloween events early!
This month, my mini-interview slots go to the wonderful author, Winnie M Li, and author Frances Quinn.
I attended Winnie’s talk at Primadonna and I have since chosen to read her book, the semi-autobiographical Dark Chapter, with my book group, the David Lloyd Book Club, Ipswich. I found it to be very brave, powerful, and also very generous and understanding, (without being too forgiving) of her assailant. (Winnie’s story is based on her real-life attack). Winnie was kind enough to speak to me about her book and her other work, and also to join the group remotely.
Winnie, thank you for speaking to me. Many authors, (me included), have said that they have always been ‘a writer’, since they were very young. Is that true in your case?
Yes, I’ve been writing since I was six-years-old, when my mother made me keep a diary. I hated it at first, but I soon grew to love writing and I was always dreaming up stories. I wrote a lot throughout childhood and into my teenage years, but I didn’t take writing seriously as a possible profession until my late-20s.
What motivates you to write?
Partly a desire to lose myself in another story and another world. But partly also the thrill of creating something from scratch and getting the chance to explore an issue or a situation that interests me.
I have just read your book, Dark Chapter, which was incredibly powerful and brave, and I had the benefit of hearing you speak at Primadonna. For those who don’t know, it is a fictional account based on true events. Would you like to tell us a bit about this book here?
Dark Chapter is a fictional re-imagining of my real-life stranger rape, which took place when I was 29. I was walking through a park on the outskirts of Belfast, when I was followed by a fifteen-year-old boy, who violently assaulted me. I was left with thirty-nine separate injuries, according to the police report, but for me, the real damage was psychological. I tell the story equally from the perspectives of the victim and the perpetrator, because I really wanted to try and understand how someone that young could be so violent. I wanted to make sense of what had happened to me — and also ‘do justice’ to the survivor’s experience: to show a rape victim as a fully three-dimensional human being, with a life before and a life after the trauma. It was also important to me to envision the perpetrator as three-dimensional, too, as someone who, under different life circumstances, may not have become so violent and left such damage on others. The book really connected with readers, because yes, unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who have suffered sexual violence in real life, or know someone who has. And I guess I’m lucky: the book was translated into ten languages, and I was commissioned to adapt it into a screenplay.
What are your other books about, and are you working on something at the moment?
For my second novel, Complicit (2022), I drew partly upon my experience working in the film industry in the early 2000s. I wanted to show what it was like to be a young woman trying to forge a career in a male-dominated workplace, while also taking you behind-the-scenes to see how a film actually gets made. I enjoyed writing Complicit, and I especially enjoyed writing my third novel, What We Left Unsaid, which comes out next summer. It’s about three estranged adult siblings who are forced to go on road trip across America to see their ailing mother in California. Along the way, they witness a different side of America and uncover some family truths. And the best part is I had to drive Route 66 as research for that novel.
What do you like to read and why?
I read pretty widely. I like literary fiction that deals with complex characters and big themes. I’ll read suspense if I want something a bit pacier. Poetry if I want to admire the way other writers work with words. I really like reading travel and nature writing, because it helps me escape.
Describe yourself in just one sentence!
I always like exploring, whether that’s exploring new places through travel, or exploring new situations and characters through reading and writing.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to people who are just starting out as writers?
Keep writing! Even if you’re just writing ten minutes a day, you’re dedicating that time to improving your writing. That’s how novels get written – by working on it a little each day.
If you want to know more: website: http://winniemli.com
My Twitter: @winniemli
My Instagram: @winniemli
COMPLICIT: Click here.
DARK CHAPTER is being re-issued next year with a new publisher, so it's sort of between editions right now.
And now, Author Frances Quinn, who was kind enough to speak to me as well...
Tell us a bit about yourself and your books...
I'm originally from east London, but live in Hove now, with my husband and three Tonkinese cats. I trained as a journalist and worked in women's magazines for many years.
My novels are all historical fiction, but they've been described as 'historical fiction for people who don't read historical fiction'. They're primarily about characters, usually people who are in some way outsiders and have to fight - sometimes with themselves as much as with others - to find their place in the world.
When did you start writing? Have you always been a ‘writer?’
I wrote my first novel at the age of seven or so, the story of a squirrel with a girlfriend called Susie and a liking for pork chops. It was plagiaristically called 'The Adventures of Squirrel Nutkin' (sorry Beatrix Potter). I overheard my teacher telling my mum that it was almost good enough to be published. I've read it since, and it absolutely wasn't! But the seed was sown then. I am however the queen of procrastination, and I was 57 before I actually got a novel published.
How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
Living proof of better late than never.
What are you currently/next working on?
I've just read the proofs for my next book, The Lost Passenger, about a passenger on the Titanic who seizes the chance to escape an unhappy aristocratic marriage by getting herself and her son listed among the dead and stealing another woman's identity to start a new life in the tenements of New York. That will come out in February 2025, and in the meantime, I'm working on a new book about women in Victorian England fighting to be allowed to play football.
I am very excited to hear about those! Now, have you got a memorable moment from your writing career, either funny, makes you cringe or hold your head in your hands you can share?
The time someone in a book group asked me if I'd considered wrapping up the story in 200 words, because she thought it was too thin for the 350 I'd given it was quite memorable. I'm not sure what she expected me to answer really! But then several people came to my defence and said they thought it was just the right length, so that was nice.
Oh dear, there’s always one…Finally, words of inspiration or wisdom in one line…
The single most useful thing you can do to improve your chances of having a book published is to write one.
What excellent advice! Thank you so much Fran, and once again thank you to Winnie for this, and also for joining us at David Lloyd Book Club this month.
That leaves me to sign off now and give you some final ‘recommended reads’ for this month. Our local authors have been very busy since I last mentioned some new releases!
Ruth Leigh has just released her fourth Issy Smugge book.
The Red Barn by L M West (historical fiction)
Morag Liffen has written the third book in her ‘Holyfield Stables’ series, Mending hearts and Pastures New (romcom).
Don’t let the Peas Touch the Mash by Elisabeth Sherriff has been re-issued, along with Moondust (poetry for children and neurodivergent understanding)
And A J Deane has released an amazing collection of Sci-fi Poetry, Portals.
I am pretty sure there are more, and apologies if I haven’t mentioned them here, but I will next time!
AND WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations to Sarah Nicolson for winning the Ink Award for Non-fiction with her book, In search of Lost Glitter (memoir) .
And finally, I have not only released That Little Voice, a second poetry collection, but I give you advanced notice of the release of Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets, my debut novel: ‘Four Punks; Four Decades. Friendship May Survive, But Will They?’ This will be published by Urban Pigs Press and officially launched on December 20th at Dial Lane Books with drinks and nibbles so save the date and I will keep you posted on socials!
Until then, have a brilliant new season,
Love, Virginia.
Virginia has written numerous articles and fiction, written for stage and radio, and published three books, The Camera Obscure, Tourist to the Sun and That Little Voice. Her fourth books is a Punk Novel, Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets, coming at the end of December 2024!