Tag: Writing

Books · Life · Self-publishing

Round-up of the week 24/2/2019

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Round up of the week

World

A forty-seven-year-old woman who was told her tissue was too similar to her husband’s had to be made allergic to his sperm in order to have a successful pregnancy.

Kathryn, a laboratory manager from Derbyshire who’d had four miscarriages turned to the help of her colleagues when normal channels came up blank. The couple was found to be tissue type matched which meant her body wasn’t seeing the sperm part of the embryo as foreign so as a result the pregnancies weren’t being nurtured.

After injecting her with her partner’s white blood cells, her body was able to recognise it as a foreign body. The couple now have a beautiful baby girl

My thoughts: After looking at many depressing news stories this week, I found this and thought I would spread this beautiful story of hope.

London

There was chaos on the streets of Hounslow on Thursday 21 February after a what is described as a severe accident closed off the A4 westbound road from Sutton Lane to Vicarage farm road.

My thoughts: I was told about this by a friend who’d sat in this traffic and said that everyone was executing crazy and dangerous manoeuvres in an attempt to access other routes. This kind of thing can be very frustrating for us having to deal with in our daily lives but I tried to consider how much worse it could be, there but for the grace of God and all that.

Me

Week 2 successfully completed in my new job and still really enjoying it. To complement the fantastic training I went to the office I’ll be mainly based at and was able to start helping my new manager. The team is so supportive and I feel like—fingers crossed, touch wood and all that—I have found the place I want to be.

I woke up Saturday morning with a stinking cold/sinus infection like I didn’t have enough of those last year to last a lifetime!!!!

Every year my friend Jules and I make each other Christmas presents which could be something simple which hasn’t taken long or a long and complicated craft project—this year I’ve plumped for the complicated one and this is going to take me a long time. The supplies I needed arrived this week so I will be starting today. Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about it as she might read this blog!

I got up early (ish) Sunday morning so that I could take my slot in the online book event “Our books are not free” which is the second of its kind. It’s a great event aimed at promoting the value of paying for books which as an author is something I am very passionate about. Check it out. A whole bunch of awesome authors who are not giving away the products that they’ve laboured hard on and paid much for.

https://www.facebook.com/events/565616523906689/

https://www.facebook.com/events/565616523906689/577292512739090/?notif_t=admin_plan_mall_activity&notif_id=1551019190416927

Writing

I have to admit I haven’t reached my writing targets this week. Need to crack on my April deadline is fast approaching to get this book to the editor.

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Round-up of the week

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World

Gary Martin, 45 from Illinois who was being fired from his job of 15 years, shot dead five people and injured several others at his workplace. He was then killed during an exchange of fire with police officers. Five officers were shot and wounded.

My thoughts: “How sad that someone who has worked all those years for a company is pushed to such terrible and tragic actions. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of his victims and his own. We can never know what hell a person is going through, even someone we know well. Be kind to each other. ” Maria

London

The police were called to Tesco’s in Osterley, West London on Sunday at midnight after reports of forced entry into the store. Brazen thieves carried out a ram raid on the store, making off with the safe from the bureau de change. Police are still looking for the culprits who left disarray in their wake.

My thoughts: “This is a little close to home for me, being less than four miles from my home and the place where my parents shop each week.” Maria

My week

I started a new job this week after being out of work for 6 weeks. It’s early days yet but my first impressions are favourable. The training schedule is better than any other role I’ve been in and the team has been warm and welcoming, making me feel as though I’ve been there for ages as I’m so comfortable. The role is varied and will take a lot to learn but it has captured my imagination and I’m excited at the prospect.

Watch this space!

Saturday was spent riding about on my motorbike and catching up on chores & Sunday writing and family meal.

I’ve also been extremely fortunate to be allowed to beta read for one of my favourite authors Sherri A Wingler for her new book which will be released soon.

My writing

So, I’m working on book 5 of a 6 book series. Children from the Streets has tugged at many a heart string for both books 1 & 2 which have been published and the feedback on books 3 & 4 from editor and beta reader is that they will cause the same reaction. However, for book 5 I’ve had to take a detour and get my evil on, which I’ve found myself enjoying immensely.

I’ve set myself some tight deadlines so I have held books 3 & 4 back and will finish the edits on them at a later stage to enable me to do a rapid release on the rest of the series.

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Round-up​ of the Week

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globe-1290378_640News from around the world

Large bushfire hits Australia, hundreds of firefighters are tackling a blaze that has reportedly affected homes in the southern suburbs of Sydney. Some residents have been instructed to seek shelter as evacuation is now too dangerous. The fire service is concerned that flying embers could spark new blazes ahead of the advancing fire front.

 

LondonNews from London

A man has died in hospital, just two days after a suspected hit-and-run in Cricklewood Broadway on Wednesday 5am. The police are appealing for any information about what happened to the 67-year-old.

 

Me.1My News

I’ve been off work all week with what started out as a viral infection in my throat and progressed to a bacterial infection, so I have spent the week relaxing. My sister and niece came over on Saturday and we went for a meal with Mum and Dad although the exertion did take it out of me!

 

Me.2Writing News

Sins of the Father came back from the editor and I’m working on the edits. I also typed up the beginning of book three which has a working name of ‘The other side of the Streets.’ I also typed up a children’s book which I wrote a while back, ‘When Tommy Tiger Lost his Stripes.’

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Work/Life balance

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Work_Life Balance.png

 

Does it exist? It would seem to me that the scales tip firmly on the side of work – so where is the balance?

Work takes up the majority of our working hours but it seems that employers are taking up more of our leisure time as working hours and stress levels increase. Where does that leave downtime? I can tell you that is doesn’t. We’re so caught up on this endless treadmill of trying to earn a living to put a roof over our heads, pay the bills, support a family etc… that we end up spending so much time at work to pay for it all. When you get home, chores, eating and head to bed so that you can face the next day. Weekends are the time you catch up on chores and can maybe indulge a little in whatever passes for leisure for you. Then on a Monday morning, barely refreshed we step back onto that treadmill of life again.

Many years ago my brother said, “You either work to live or live to work. ” this has always resonated with me. I don’t live to work. Don’t get me wrong, I have to work and I want to enjoy what I do. I have a strong work ethic and believe in giving my all to work, but all that results in is burn out. Over the last few years, I’ve experienced and heard more and more about horrendous work conditions. Now bearing in mind that maybe 50% of the population (this is a guess – see the maybe!) work to live then how have we allowed ourselves to end up in places that tear at our sanity, rob us of our sleep and make us dread going to work? Now I’m not suggesting that everyone experiences this, for all those people who love/like/enjoy going to work, I’m very pleased for you – that is how it should be.

Now, this really isn’t just a post about personal experience, this is something I’ve been hearing from people around me. Some very capable people, who work hard are being undermined, bosses, managers are chipping away at people’s self-confidence. I hear you say, well why do you stay? Good point. Except when they leave they find themselves in a similar situation in another company.

Why are things so dire? Have they always been that bad? Or as we get older do we struggle to deal with it? Are we worn out by it all?

I’m 44 years old and I know that I can’t take another 20 years of this but I have a plan for an exit strategy, which is a few years down the line but maybe not quite 20. My intention is to eventually be able to give up full-time work and live off what I earn from my writing. A long way off as I might have already mentioned. But with this in mind I have to spend a lot of my spare time writing, this is no hardship as I love writing, which brings me back to my earlier point of having fewer leisure hours in which to do it. Now let’s add into the mix, lack of sleep, messed up mind and inability to switch off from a demanding job and you can see what a challenge I have set myself.

“Take Care Of Your Employees And They’ll Take Care Of Your Business,” Says Richard Branson, Founder Of The Virgin Group.

Check this out 

ACAS: “Look after your staff and they’ll take care of the rest”

Check this out

ACAS has even published a guide on how to get the right balance to look after staff.

It isn’t just me saying it: when the leading employment law specialists and a man as successful as Richard Branson are recognising the importance of a good workforce and looking after them, why is it so hard for employers to do it?

If you compare yourself to a rechargeable battery for a moment (go with me) and you keep running that battery to empty and then put it on change for the bare minimum of time, you’ll only get the bare minimum back. If, however, you keep that battery topped up you get the best from it. (You see where I went with that?) Workplace empowerment creates a good environment where staff want to strive to be the best. Constant pressure and micromanagement create a stressed workforce who try to do their best under trying circumstances but invariably they burn out. We spend the best parts of our days at work, we should be able to feel safe there.

If you are a manager/boss and you’re reading this, think about this truth: People rarely leave their job, they leave their boss. Empower your staff don’t drain them.

Leaving you with one small thought: If 15,000 people picked up a copy of one of my novels, I could give up working for a year.

If 30,000 people did – I’d have two years grace.

If that were to happen I could leave my stressful work environment behind and write full-time.

Let’s get this trending #helpMariagiveupwork 😉

If you’re tempted in the US:

If you’re tempted in the UK:

 

I’d love to hear back from you on the following.

Do you live to work or work to live?

What are your experiences in the workplace, good or bad? Feel free to share experiences.

 

 

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Round-up of the week:

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globe-1290378_640News from around the world

A couple in Kuwait was sentenced to death for killing a Filipina maid. A Lebanese man and his Syrian wife were convicted in absentia. The body of the maid was dumped in a freezer in their abandoned apartment and it was discovered over a year after the murder.

London.jpgNews from London

A paralysed man is hoping to become the first paraplegic male to walk the London Marathon. Simon Kindleysides, 34, from Norwich, was diagnosed with a brain rumour which left him paralysed from the waist down. It will take Simon, 37 hours to complete the course wearing an exoskeleton suit.

What an inspirational man.

Me.1.jpgMy News

Work has been busy and has seen me at two different sites with two different sets of challenges.

My son came home for Easter on Good Friday and will be going home Easter Monday. We went out for a meal with my parents and my sister and niece on Saturday and on Sunday went to Mum and Dad’s for dinner, spending some time with my brother and nephew.

It has been a lovely chilled out weekend.

My sister and I have finally signed up for the half-marathon that we’ve been talking about for the last couple of months. Training to start in earnest now. It won’t be until September, so enough time to do this sensibly.

I’ve been working at challenging a particular fear of mine this week. I have a fear of going around the Hammersmith Roundabout and this week I did it, twice. I won’t say I’m not scared still but I did feel an amazement sense of achievement and if I continue to do it this will be one fear I can say goodbye to.

Me.2Writing News

Sent out March’s newsletter with a sneak preview of my new cover for Sins of the Father which everyone else can see shortly.

I’ve spent my free time working on the edits on Sins, I have reached 68/122.

 

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My Review of “The Debt & the Doormat” by Laura Barnard

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I’ve had this book on my kindle for a while now, my TBR list is immense. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I dipped into this book but I got more than I bargained for. Poppy and Jazz are best friends, they know each other inside out and back to front as good friends do. But therein lies the only similarity between them. Poppy is clumsy and has given up on life after a disastrous relationship, she reclines in life like an old-fashioned heroine from a bygone age would on chaise longue. Jazz, on the other hand, is the rich daughter of a now dead millionaire who made his fortune in the porn industry. She wears revealing clothes but has the freedom of a hippy at heart. On a drunken night in they decide to swap lives and that is where the fun starts.

Poppy can’t help but do everything wrong, she falls flat on her face, she makes plans to help people that backfires spectacularly and she has a pushy mum into the bargain. I laughed out loud on the London Underground because of this book, I also cried in public (think I might have been hormonal at the time!). I rated this book so highly that I rushed out and bought the next book in the series and read that straight away too.

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Round-up of the Week

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News from around the world

Mexican authorities have launched criminal proceedings against four police officers over the disappearance of three Italian men. The men were last seen at the end of January in Tecalitlán, in the western state of Jalisco. The officers had allegedly arrested them at a petrol station and they have confessed to handing the Italians over to a local criminal gang.

Makes me glad I live in the UK.

News from London

A gas explosion at a property in north-east London forced about 100 people to have to leave their homes. No injuries have been reported.

My News

We saw snow this week, not major amounts here in London but enough to ensure that I wasn’t going to risk riding my motorbike so I trudged through the snow, ice and slush to get to work. Tuesday saw me viewing the snow from central London and the next day from the cab of an 18-tonne truck as I waited for the driver to offload 5 pallets of salt on site. I did end up with black marks all over my tights lol.

On Thursday I was supposed to see my son who was due to come down from Lincolnshire for his birthday but he was snowed in.

I’ve almost finished decorating my living room and picked out a new carpet and sofa over the weekend. I also put my old sofa up for sale on Gumtree and had someone attempt to scam me with a fake Paypal payment.

Today I met up with the family for a meal to celebrate my parents’ 53rd wedding anniversary. We went to a local restaurant where we proceeded to take pano pictures on our phones of the family making each other look horrendous into the bargain, my sister ended up looking like Nanny McPhee without warts. Needless to say, she reciprocated with an equally unflattering one of me.

I finished reading Christmas in Holly Springs by Rose Castro this week, a lovely short story. Watch out for the review, coming shortly.

Writing News

My editor has started work on Sins of the Father and I’ve heard from her that she is liking it so far. Phew.

I’ve been working on Illicit Love again and getting very excited about where it’s going.

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Round-up of the Week

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Chuckles-3

News from around the world

China’s governing Communist Party has proposed removing a clause in the constitution which limits presidencies to two five-year terms. This is in an attempt to allow the current President Xi Jinping to remain as leader after he is due to step down.

News from London

A Letter containing a substance sent to St. James’s Palace is being treated as a ‘racist hate crime”. The substance was tested by the Met Police and was found not to be harmful. The letter is said to have been addressed to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

My News

I have finally finished decoration my living room at home, which has taken quite a while being a weekend only job. I now need to replace the carpet and furniture but really pleased with how it’s looking so far.

Writing News

This week I’ve focused on the last minute tighten up of Sins of the Father which is due to head to the editor on Thursday which will be a nail-biting experience. I even managed to get a newsletter out for the first time in about 5 months.

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Round-up​ of the week

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Chuckles-3

News from around the world

A helicopter crashed in Mexico killing at least 14 including a baby, two senior officials who were on board were unharmed. The pilot lost control as it was coming into land. They had been up assessing the damage from the earthquake which occurred on Friday. The military helicopter is said to have crashed on top of several vans carrying earthquake survivors.

This is heart-rending, to live through the earthquake and be killed by the team sent out to assess the damage beggars belief.

 

News from London

Ride-by moped thefts on London’s main shopping streets have increased six-fold over the last two years. Oxford Street is the worst hit with 291 offences in a year.

These moped thieves aren’t just resorting to bag snatching and the like but any biker in the London area will tell you that bike theft is now off the scale. At least three people I know have had their bikes stolen in the last couple of years. The ped scum are going out tooled up so they can deal with disgruntled bike owners trying to protect their property.

 

My News

Another busy working week which has kept me extremely busy and terribly tired at the end of the day. This weekend I planned on finishing decorating my living room but was disrupted today when I had to take my motorbike to the garage to get my front brake fixed. I managed to squeeze in a visit to my lovely Mum and Dad and saw my brother too which is always a pleasure. I have managed to get on with some wallpapering but don’t think I’ll finish it this weekend.

 

Writing News

Another quiet writing week but have managed to work through a little bit more of Illicit Love and I’m quite excited about where it’s going. I’m also doing my last read through of Sins of the Father before it goes to the editor.

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Round-up​ of the Week

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News from around the world

Something a bit lighter today.

North and South Korea joined together to compete under the same flag as the women’s ice hockey team competed against the Swedish team. The Swedish team beat them 3-1.

News from London

Serial sex attacker John Worboys is believed to have been moved back to HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire prison having been moved from HMP Belmarsh in south-east London.

Worboys was jailed for a minimum term of eight years in 2009, convicted of 19 offences. Police believe that he may have committed over 100 rapes and sexual assaults. The parole board announced last month that Worboys would be released from prison. Sir Brian Leveson and Mr Justice Garnham will consider whether to allow the mayor of London and two of the victims’ to apply for a judicial review.

I’m a believer that when someone has served their sentence they should be allowed to re-enter society, however 9 years for 19 confirmed assaults, really? Crimes of this magnitude, on this scale, should not allow the perpetrator to see the light of day ever again. That equates to about half a year per victim – or at least all those he was convicted of. When the victims get to live with the effects of the abuse forever then so should the perpetrator.

My News

It’s been another busy working week which has taken up most of my energy and concentration, so much so that I forgot to take my disk lock off my motorbike when I left work on Monday. Needless to say, I ended up lying on the floor in the carpark and my bike suffered a broken mirror. We were both ok though despite the “lovely” gentleman who pulled up in front of us, looked at me and then drove off without even ascertaining whether I was alright.

Managed to get a gym session in, need to step these sessions up though in order to start my training for the half marathon.

I have started redecorating my living room, this is going to be a slow process with so little available time, I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed doing this.

I’m currently reading, and enjoying, “Banker’s Town.” by Joel Hames.

Writing News

This week hasn’t seen too much writing but I have added a little bit more to Illicit Love and I’m getting very excited about where it’s going. If you want to find out a bit more about this series.

Click here to pick up a copy of Is this Love?