The Launch of Haunted Worthing

Haunted Worthing was launched yesterday at British Bookshops in Montague Place in Worthing, and many thanks you all who came, and a special thanks to all who bought a copy. It was a very successful day and I do hope you will enjoy finding out a little more about Worthing and its surrounds. Worthing is noted for its seaside and 'fresh air' qualities and is relatively new as towns go, so at first glance you may not even consider it a spooky town. But think again! The ghosts who reside at Worthing are quite a friendly peaceful bunch, so it is obvious that they are content to life in harmony with their surroundings. So next time you wander into the town keep a lookout for the ghostly figures of two children peering from an upstairs window onto the main street, or you may catch a sighting of the tall ghost dressed in white that once frequented the Dragoon public house, the scene of a brawl that ended in murder. Some say it's his ghost that used to frequent the pub before it was demolished, so where is he now? Perhaps you have even caught a glimpse of the 'Grey Lady' making a fleeting appearance in the Connaught Theatre? If walking is your pleasure then on your travels you may encounter the 8ft hooded monk studying his prayer book, or perhaps you may see the flickering candles in the middle of road, possibly connected with the Knights Templar. Just 'down the road' at Littlehampton a visit to the Dolphin Hotel, declared to be the most haunted building in the town, is a truly freaky experience, and not one for the fainted hearted. Here live a whole family of ghosts, including a nursery full of mischievous children who love to play games together, run around, make plenty of noise and are known to throw the odd item or three, but don't stay in room number 2. as you may meet the top half of a lady!
However launch over, no time to rest as I am putting the finishing touches to Shipwrecks of Sussex, so watch this post for updates. Meanwhile I am eagerly waiting copies of The Story of Pembrokeshire which is due for release on 15 November. This is a greatly updated version of the book that came out in 1993, and has been in print every since. This edition will have two sections of coloured photographs, and will be approximately 50% longer. If you enjy this beautiful historic part of the world, so look out for a copy.

Touched by Kindness

Most people reading my blog will know that besides my writing, I run a support group for people suffering from Stickler Syndrome. One of our members Emma Sykes whose son has Stickler Syndrome and is now registered blind, has put a team together to endure and sponsor the 'Three Peaks Challenge' on 11-12 September 2010. They will be climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon all in a period of 24 hours! What a challenge! The gruelling climb will start at 12 noon on Saturday with a 5 hour hike to Ben Nevis, then they will drive down to Scafell Pike for a 4 and a half hour hike, through the night and ending at 3am, finally finishing off their marathon with Snowdon starting at 8am through to mid-day on the Sunday. The team consists of members and staff from Broadoak Construction who are currently based on a project in London. They are Iain (Project Manager), Jeff and Joss (Site Managers), Emma (Health and Safety), Carl (QS) and Lukas (Site Security). Good luck to them all!

All proceeds will go towards the next SSSG conference that we hope to hold in May 2011. These conferences are vitally important to our members as they have the opportunity to learn about current research, talk to the medical professionals about the condition and their worries, but far more importantly they are able to meet and network with fellow sufferers, and at this conference we hope to hold a mini conference within the main conference for the youngsters. This is most important so that they can discuss their hopes and fears for the future, peer pressure, relationships, self esteem and much more.

Daniel, pictured above on the far right in a pink top at our last conference, was born with badly torn retinas and had to undergo emergency surgery when he was under a year old, the first of many operations this young man has to face. Emma is very grateful for finding the support group when she most needed it, and I feel very privileged that she has chosen to support us in this way. I have seen Daniel grow from a toddler, into a very capable happy teenager. Like many of our youngsters now and again Daniel gets upset and frustrated with his condition, and who can blame him, especially as he will never be able to drive. This is such a disadvantage in today's society, and I am sure will be one of the 'hot subjects' on the conference agenda.

If you can, please donate generously to this worthy cause, as any amount will help the group. The charity is run solely on donations, so our members will benefit directly. The more we can collect the cheaper we will be able to make the weekend, so that it will be accessable to more families, especially those on low incomes through no fault of their own. Any messages of luck and encouragement to the team will also be gratefully received, because they will definitely need all the support they can get! If you feel moved enough to donate anything, however small, please visit Emma's page at http://www.justgiving.com/Emma-Sykes. Thank you.

Another Busy Week Bites the Dust

As another busy week draws to a close I reflect on what has turned out to be a very busy and productive week for me in pursuit of shipwrecks. Tuesday I went along to Seaford Museum, which is not open to the public on a Tuesday, but is one of the days when voluntary workers for the museum have a chance to update the archives or repair artifacts that have been donated, and for those like me, by prior arrangement, who have the opportunity to study their archives. These include an array of referenced documents, pictures and articles, as well as a register of houses in the town, which must be unique and a great asset for family tree researchers. The museum is housed in one of the Martello Towers built when Napoleon threatened to cross the English Channel in 1803. It is nicknamed the Tardis by visitors due to its deceptive 5,000 sq ft of display area spanning three floors. 103 Martello towers were built from Aldeburgh in Suffolk around the coast to Eastbourne in Sussex, although many have now disappeared. This one is number 74, and well worth a visit, but do check out the website as it is not open every day. Seaford Museum is open on Heritage Open Days, Saturday 11 September 2.30 to 4.30 and Sunday 12 September from 11am. to 4.30pm, so why not pop along? Many thanks to the working team on Tuesday who not only made me a cup of coffee, but helped with the photocopying.

Wednesday saw me a little nearer to home at Malipins Museum in Shoreham, housed in one of the oldest domestic buildings in Sussex, and sitting proud on the High Street. It has a fascinating collection of maritime history as well as local history for this part of Sussex and Shoreham Film Industry.

Thursday turned into another productive day when a visit to Littlehampton Museum proved most interesting. Not only did I learn about another wreck I have not discovered before, but I had the wonderful opportunity of handling some of the artifacts from this wreck. Many thanks to the museum staff who were so helpful.

With a mass of notes and photocopied material you can guess what I will be doing this weekend!

Shipwrecks and Meeting The Authors at Selsey

What a hectic week, but a very productive one, with visits to the martime museums at Newhaven, Seaford and Shoreham in pursuit of information for my next book Shipwrecks on the South Coast, which is now taking shape and leaving me with a dilemma! There are so many shipwrecks that I think I will have be very selective, but a very enjoyable situation for an author to be in.
The highlight of the week for me was on Friday when I went along along to the 'Meet The Authors' event organised by Selsey Writers as part of the Selsey Festival. There were around 22 authors there, all eager to talk about their books and meet their readers. Pictured above is me with my very dear friend Josephine Chia who amongst other things has written an excellent book as a tribute to her mother. It has a most unusual title 'Frog Under a Coconut Shell', which is a Malay idiom that likens someone to a frog that lives under a coconut shell and who believes the shell to be its entire world. It refers to Josephines mother who although herself uneducated and living a parochial existence in a small village believed in and struggles for a greater vision - the right to educate her daughter and is a wonderful testament to the love and courage of a mother that changed Josephine's life forever. If you only buy one book this year, make sure it is this one. Do visit her website and learn more about her work

Time Flies!

It is well over a month since my last posting. Where does the time go? For me it has been an extremely busy time.

On 6 July I spent a most enjoyable day at Selsey Writers talking about using folklore in your writing. The group were all asked to put some ideas on paper and the feedback session showed that most had come up with some really good original idea to work on. Well done Selsey Writers and thank you for inviting me.

I have managed to finish updating The Story of Gower, which is now 50% larger than the original, and like the The Story of Pembrokeshire will have two sections of colour photographs. This is now with the publishers, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch. The manuscript of The Story of Pembrokeshire was returned so that I could include an index, which I am very pleased about. Since this book was first published in 1993 I have had some super letters - always godo for a writer to receive - but several had said that an index would have helped, especially when they were exploring the area.

Nearer home I have been working hard on my next book The Shipwrecks of Sussex, which is proving to be a fascinating subject. So far I have meet some super people who are willing to share information with me, and I have several visits lined up in the coming couple of weeks with Marlipins Museum in Shoreham and Littlehampton and Seaford Museums. A visit to the visitors centre at Beachy Head ealier this week proved most useful, and I fear my problem will be choosing what to put in the book. At the same time I am also working on The Story of Carmarthenshire, which will form part of The Story of ... series. So a busy few months ahead for me! What's new I hear my readers ask.

I am also waiting with anticipation the arrival of Haunted Worthing, which should be available from September, so watch this space for details, book signings, etc.

This morning the proofs of my next book, Haunted Worthing arrived for me to check and return. This is always an exciting time for any author when finally you see your book set out on the page with all the photographs in situ. At last you feel that all your hard work is worth it. So... with the sun blazing down on my garden, now an array of colour, I shall be sitting under the shade of an umbrella to read and check my book with the slight interruption of the seagulls. Several weeks ago we discovered a seagulls nest wedged against the chimney on the roof. Presently we noticed two little chicks had hatched, and over the coming weeks we have watched them take their first steps as 'mum' stands poised to pounce if anything should go wrong. It has been an interesting experience, and now the chicks are much bigger and their feather seem to be changing colour, I am assuming that it will not be long before they learn to fly.
I have an interesting event lined up for Tuesday 5 July. I have been invited to talk to Selsey Writers about using folklore in their writing. I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and gaining a few more writing friends. I have drawn on folklore in most of my books, especially the Story of... series where I tell the story of the county from the beginning of time to present day. Watch this space as the updated book on The Story of Pembrokeshire will be published any day now. This book was first published in 1993 and has been in print every since, but I am sure this updated version, together with many colour photographs will be welcomed.

Exciting News!

Today I was thrilled to receive a copy of the cover of my book on Haunted Worthing, being published by the History Press. I must say I am absolutely delighted with it. This book is due to hit the bookshops in early September, so watch this space for more inforamtion. Meanwhile I am working on my next book, Shipwrecks along the South Coast, in between enjoying the glorious sunshine. At last the warmer weather has arrived.