10th June
After the course – and of course by now I’m so funny that everytime I pass someone in the street they burst into laughter, I went to stay with a cousin who lives in a vineyard.
4th June
I’m going to have to complain about this comedy course – I haven’t got any funnier and nor have my books! Damn! Should have had more suffering; harder beds and an even more all inclusive wet room.
3rd June
The course has not only moved it’s been updated. It was comedy writing now it’s Adventures in Comedy Writing – and adventures it was – load of laughs. I even did some stand-up comedy – although sitting down.
2nd June
Still able to swim every morning – but this has a better ambience and I don’t even have to clean off the leaves and pigeon poo before I swim.
1st June 2024
So, the Skyros course – well it was a writing course and it was comedy. But wow. What a difference from my expectation – no longer in Skyros town – owing to the lack of participants throughout the season – it was moved to a hippy commune over the other side of the island. The commune was started in the 1970s to allow the hippies to live with nature.
But, like all of us the hippies got older and 2020s hippies like their creature comforts – fabulous food, en suite room.
Oh dear not really suffering, but the 1970s hippies would definitely have approved of the hotel shower (ugg, my bete noire a wet room) and the beds (painful but oh you feel so good as you toss and turn on the horse hair mattress) and if any were here to tut tut I could explain the balcony with its gorgeous views of the sea was good for drying your swim suit.
25th May 2024
I will shortly be going on a writers’ course on a Greek island called Skyros. Half-way into the Agean Sea it looks fascinating. The only problem appears to be the lack of participants. I have been told of two and a facilitator (presumably giving another course) who may be travelling with me from Athens airport to the hotel. I hope there are other participants but a lack of numbers has led to the course venue being changed from Skyros Centre on one side of the island to Atsitsa quite near the airport. Let’s hope it still means a lot of interesting input…
Here’s hoping that rather than a Murder on the Cards we have a good laugh…
More later xx
22nd July 2023
Rather a long time since I updated this blog, but then I have a feel that no one reads it, so I’m talking to myself.
There are so many things to do in self-publishing and I’m not good (or even average) at any of them. At the moment I need to:
- update back matter
- do a mailing list – this would be easier if it wasn’t that my mailerlite account has just been rejected. Why? Who knows? All these computer related things are so random. I’ve already been rejected by Facebook Business who insist I don’t exist!
- Then I should be doing sales and promotions. Things on Bookbub, on Goodreads and all the myriad of sites that have popped up to make money out of writers.
- All the other things that life composes of that have nothing to do with writing.
- Ah well. When in doubt find a picture of a dog and post it.
To listen to the podcast about making the Murder in the Cards audiobook:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Sz6UU4YkJcuD4eHNRMNkZHVdm75gwLcH/view?usp=sharing
September 30th 2022
Last day in September and hurrah, I now have an audiobook of Murder in the Cards wonderful fun. I loved making this and it was so much fun. Have a listen: https://bit.ly/GinaCheyne
September 12th
Sad time because the Queen died a few days ago. We have also had some deaths in the village. Sad.
On a happier note I have a new book with the editor and the other two are making slow but constant sales.
July 23rd 2022
Starting a few marketing pics in FB. Hope it works.
May 23rd 2022
Wonderful Rooby Lane has made me a dress of my books. So excited. I’m going to wear it tonight at a cousin’s art show.
May 17th 2022
Now thinking of ways to promote Murder in the Cards. We have been kindly allowed to visit Petersfield Bridge Club in two weeks time to publize the book. Let’s hope my costume dazzles them.
May 11th 2022
Wonderful book launch on my second book, Murder in the Cards, at One Tree Books in Petersfield. Very successful day. Thank you Tim O Kelly and Sally Jay.
March 2022. Here I am in my other incarnation as a pilot and aviation writer mucking around after receiving the HAI Lightspeed Salute to Excellence Communications Award
Sunday 20th June, I am looking at competitions to enter. Slipped into the Women in Comedy Competition just as they were closing the doors. I’ve got the nasty feeling it might have been better if I’d had time to dress up first, my rather smelly just out of bed wear might not make the grade.
So now I’m looking at the upmarket OAPs comp. I’ve got more time to prepare for this one but I’ve always been a rather downmarket girl, perhaps I should disguise myself in more expensive clothes. That might at least get me past the auditorium.
Thursday September 2nd
There are lots of different reasons why we write. One is certainly to express oneself but another is to communicate, and I wonder if sometimes we don’t forget the first one in the struggle for the second. We are so keen to publish that we forget what we want to express in the first place. However, the wonderful thing about self-expression is even when we are publishing in a totally different sphere, it keeps popping out. For thirty years I wrote about helicopters, and yet I couldn’t help just a little mad fantasy seeping in, so I had a small article about Helicopters on Mars (this was before we actually did have a little helicopter on Mars). Perhaps I have the gift of foresight!
Getting nearer
I have now had The Mystery of the Lost Husbands both copy edited and proof read. The designer is now making a fantastic cover for the book, and I am learning how to use Vellum (formatting software) brilliant fun. Once everything is in place, I am going to upload the books onto Amazon and IngramSpark and that too will be a learning experience.
Book Launch of The Mystery of the Lost Husbands on 29th November 2021.
