Monday 23 March 2015

Sheryl's Lovely Blog Hop! #LLm #HLP

I’ve been challenged by Sue Moorcroft to join in the Lovely Blog Hop to share some of the things that have helped shape my writing and my life.

You can find links at the end of the post to other writers I find inspiring. Firstly though, I’d like to thank Sue, not only for the nomination, but for being one of those inspiring writers. Sue’s novel, Starting Over, was one of the first Choc Lit books I read. From there I devoured a fair few. Good job Choc Lit’s heroes are like chocolate – irresistible. Thanks to Sue and those other Choc Lit authors, I discovered the perfect ingredients to make up a Choc Lit book and I’m super-pleased to now be following in their footsteps. My own book, The Rest of My Life, comes soon – from Choc Lit!   

First Fond Memory 

Lying on my back in the garden on a warm sunny day, making castles in the sky. I think I was about five. I was obviously a dreamer, even then.

Books 

Ah, books. My love of books, or rather awe of, came from my father. An avid reader, he could often be found scowling over the cover of one of his books if you dared look as if you were about to turn over a corner of a page on the book you might be reading. Aaaargh! Sacrilege! Books were to be treated with respect and woe betide anyone who did otherwise. I must admit I can empathise with that now I know the many, many hours of love poured into the writing. My dad's favoured author, though, Charles Dickens, was perhaps a bit heavy reading for a five-year old dreamer, so I tended to go more for Enid Blyton and, dare I say, the ‘Just William’ books by Richmal Crompton, which I borrowed from the library. I have no idea why, except that I was perhaps a bit of a tomboy (my football was tucked under my arm while I was lying in that garden dreaming). From there I went on to read such books as Lord of the Flies by William Golding and A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines. Yup, definitely a bit of a tomboy.

Lately, a book that stays with me is The Memory Book by Rowan Coleman. When I first picked this up, I peeked under the cover, read the first few pages, and then snapped it shut and stared at it as if the contents might leap out and bite me. The subject matter is early onset Alzheimer’s Disease, a subject I have close personal experience of and one which is terribly difficult to write engagingly about. I was intrigued to see how the author handled it. I am pleased to say she did it with sensitivity, tenderness and quiet humour. It’s a beautiful, poignant story turning around the love that binds mother and daughter together, and one I would love to have written, though I doubt I could have done it quite so skilfully.

Libraries 

Heaven, particularly when you come from a large family. There wasn’t a lot of money to splash about between six children, so the library was my lifeblood and my sanctuary. It was there that I seized upon a book by Marika Cobbold: Guppies for Tea (I was a bit older then!), at the forefront of which is a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother. That book stayed with me. I remember thinking, I want to write like that. I found my first Kathy Lette book soon after, which led me to buy all of her sharply witty books, and from there I went on to read such fabulous authors as Marian Keyes, whose first book, Watermelon, I simply loved. Her books tend to deal with modern ailments, but are always written with compassion and humour, which is now something I strive to do myself. Without libraries to hide away in, I doubt the writing bug would ever have bitten.

What’s Your Passion?

Apart from writing, dogs. Disabled dogs, to be precise. I foster all sorts of odd dogs. Three legs or four, one eye or two, they’re all the same to me. I simply give then what they need: love.


Learning

I was lucky enough to get chosen to attend an art and design school when I was eleven (art was my thing – good job really. I was hopeless at maths!). I was terribly shy, however, and didn’t think I particularly excelled at anything. It was there that my English teacher, possibly seeing someone who needed a little confidence boost, marked up one of my essays as excellent. It worked. I started to believe in myself and my writing then. Early motherhood meant further education was cut short but, being determined (or stubborn, I’m not sure which), I have finally now completed my MA in Creative Writing. It’s only taken me the odd bazillion years or so!

Writing 

To quote Sue, I truly think writing is a compulsion. While some might not have a burning desire to put pen to paper, everyone has a story to tell. As a writer you get into the habit of people watching, wondering about their lives, loves and passions. For instance, while I was at a hospital recently, where I found myself having to wait around a lot, I encountered an elderly gentleman. Nothing spectacular about that you might say, but … Well, let me describe him. His hair was gunmetal grey, streaked silver. He wore a blue, pin-striped suit, a waistcoat, from which dangled a gold pocket-watch chain, a white shirt and tie. He used a walking cane, but didn’t have a limp. What struck me most, though, were his shoes. Highly polished and neatly laced, the sole of one of them hung loose and flapped as he walked. Now, he surely has a story to tell.

Thanks for reading!

Other awesome authors I’ve nominated are:




Keep safe all!

Lots of love,


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20 comments

  1. You are one of life's natural storytellers, Sheryl and your passion and zest for life shines through in everything you do. This is a super post. Thank you for including me in your list of awesome authors. I feel most honoured.

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    1. I reckon you could out-zest anyone, Carol. Is it running to keep one step ahead of Mr Grumpy that fuels it? Thanks for stopping by, sweetie. I look forward to reading your Lovely Blog Hop! :) xx

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  2. I absolutely LOVED the Just William books, Sheryl, and everything that Enid Blyton wrote. Whenever I read the Famous Five books, there were actually six of them in my head - I was at the front of the group, holding the torch!

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    1. Haw, haw! A girl after my own heart, Liz. I wonder what we'd make of Just William now? ;) xx

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  3. Lovely post, Sheryl. Enid Blyton for me, too. My daughter is in possession of my copy of The Folk of the Faraway Tree :-) x

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    1. The family heirloom, Laura! EB was definitely popular. She's probably got a lot to answer for. ;) xx

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  4. Aw Sheryl, you're just so wonderful! What a great blog hop--and thanks for tagging me as well! #AmHonoured--it's been great to find out what got you writing. I love your books, and you, like your idol Rowan, have a fantastic way of putting life with all its funny twists and wrinkles on the page. You rock!
    Incidentally, we share a love for Enid Blyton. I think it's fair to say she got me reading, writing, and--eventually--moving to the UK. LOL!
    Thanks for this lovely blog hop. I look forward to picking up the baton soon. :-) XXX

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    1. In which case, Enid did us a service, Nicky. Cannot wait to read your next: 7Yrs Bad Sex. Oooh, am feeling the frustration already. Thanks for stopping by, sweetie. :) xx

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  5. Great post, Sheryl – it’s so interesting to read about the background to your writing life, and what inspires you. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks so much, Clare, I think we can surprise ourselves when we write our blog posts from the heart. :) xx

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  6. Lovely post and it's good to find out more about you and your writing life. I'm a big Marian Keyes fan too. Angela Britnell

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    1. Aww, thanks so much, Angela. Marion Keyes - I just simply adore her writing. Impossible to put down. :) xx

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  7. Awww I love how you look after doggies as well as everything else. You must get so much love back form them. And I adore Just William - even now! x

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    1. Do you still read him, Kirsty? Do you know, I might just have a revisit. Thanks for stopping by, sweetie. Oh, and, yes, they give me more back than I could ever give them, that's for sure. :) xx

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  8. I loved Enid Blyton too, especially The Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair! I used to stare up at big oak trees in the hope that Dame Washalot's dirty soapy water would come swishing down!

    Fabulous post, Sheryl :) xx

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    1. Looks like we were all shaped by Enid, Berni. Good shapes I think. We got swished. :) xx

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  9. I still have some Enid Blyton on my shelves Sheryl. Look how many people's lives were (and still are) being touched!

    Love the older gentleman in the hospital. Will we be seeing him in one of your novels?

    I tend to notice body language more than anything else and intuit those emotions.

    Great post x x

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    1. I think he has to be in a book, Shaz. I so wished I'd caught up with him and talked to him. I had a feeling he visited often but not as a patient, do you know what I mean? There was something very intriguing about him. Yup, a character, definitely. Thanks for stopping by, sweetie. :) xx

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  10. I grew up on Enid Blyton and Just William too - in fact, I've downloaded the Richmal Crompton books on to my Kindle to re-read one day. I also loved Worzel Gummidge. I used to read the Enchanted Wood and the Wishing Chair series to my kids, and use their names instead of EB's ones.

    Liv x

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  11. Lovely post Sheryl. Totally empathise with your about not feeling you could read The Memory Book. I have it on my Kindle but, as yet, haven't been able to read it - too close to home at the moment.

    And there, good old, Enid Blyton gets another mention. If only she knew how much influence she would have.

    xx

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