A Ghostly Sample

A couple of weeks ago I made an appeal for your stories and experiences of the paranormal kind for possible inclusion in forthcoming volumes covering my native Staffordshire and also the city of Birmingham and its suburbs. Having produced three ghostly books in the past I thought I'd share a sample from each to give an idea of the sort of thing I'm looking for - and maybe whet your appetite for more!

From Black Country Ghosts published by The History Press Ltd in 2008,

comes The Miner and the TV

"An anonymous tale from the early 1970s was thought to be a memory of an incident which occurred in 1872. Workers at Pelsall Hall Colliery, by Knights Hill, accidentally broke into an old unrecorded working . Unfortunately this working was flooded. Water rushed into the new tunnel, cutting off the miners. When their bodies were recovered, nineteen men and boys had died from inhaling carbonic acid gas and two had drowned.

Traditionally the twenty-one souls recovered were seen walking down Knights Hill on the anniversary of the tragedy to begin their fateful shift. However, there were actually twenty-two individuals lost that night. Perhaps we finally know what happened to the missing body.

Two clergymen had to be called in to remove the ghost of a miner who was terrifying a husband and wife in a house built not far from the location of the old pit. Their daughter had seen the man on the upstairs landing; later that week he was discovered sitting in an armchair in the l;iving room, apparently watching commercials on the television set. In every appearance he was wearing the same clothing, very grimy and dirty and yet not once did he leave a single mark behind as a reminder of his visit.

When the local clergymen was sent for, he began praying in an upstairs room where the man had last been seen. At theat very moment, the ghost spontaneously appeared in the kitchen. Thus it was that a second clergyman was summoned. Armed with a crucifix, prayer book and a mixture of salt and water, which was sprinkled liberally around the place, they worked together to try and rid the home of its unwelcome guest.

It seems to have worked, for after several weeks of the man hanging around in working clothes, they never saw him again."

Borrow one of my books!

This week I received the PLR statement for the year 1st July 2008 to 30th June 2009. For those who have never heard of Public Lending Right, this is a system introduced in the UK some years ago to provide a nominal sum of money for authors/illustrators for every book of their's borrowed from public libraries. The amount varies from year to year, indeed it is increasingly slightly every year because the 'pot' is shared by less books (library stocks are nowhere near what they once were) and hence less numbers are being borrowed. This is also reflected in my books, for it is the earlier books which are still on shelves that are being borrowed. The newer releases have either yet to get there or were not released in time for the year in question.

Payment will be made next month, won't take me on holiday but I should get a couple of nights out on the proceeds. This year the rate is 6.29 pence (up from 5.98 last year) per book, payment being made for a minimum of £1 and a maximum of £6,000 per author.

Similar schemes already exist in a number of European countries, most recently the Republic of Ireland. So if you have contributed to a book in some respect you should register and list each piece which may be borrowed, after all it costs nothing and is something every author and illustrator is entitled to receive.

Further information can be found at https://www.plr.uk.com and includes information on those schemes overseas.

Paranormal Experiences?

A new year and thoughts turn to new projects and book ideas. Whilst I am always fascinated by place names, I also enjoyed producing three books on the paranormal. These books enabled me to produce a series of what amounted to about a hundred short narratives, something I rarely get the chance to do with anything else I write.

The paranormal books were a nice balance of traditional and/or well known examples, with a number of new stories and personal experiences. I have never had any such experience and thus must rely on those of others and thus I would like to hear from anyone who would like to contribute a story of their own. I am interested in hearing your experiences within the areas of Birmingham (that's the UK one if you're reading this elsewhere in the world) and also the county of Staffordshire - and if you have a photograph I will bite your hand off to use it! Sadly there will not be any payment, although I'm sure we can come to some arrangement regarding seeing your story in print. Furthermore, if you wish to remain anonymous or be known by some pseudonym I can certainly guarantee your name will not appear in print.

So please do get in touch as without personal experiences the finished article will suffer greatly.

A New Book and the Old Year

In the last two weeks leading up to the Christmas period, my latest offering on place names hit the shelves - Gloucestershire Place Names. As in the past the so-called 'blurb' is reproduced here - (Blurb is the technical term for the introduction on the back of the book).

Ever wondered why our towns and villages are so named? Were they a deliberate creation

by our ancestors or did they evolve naturally over time? Which town is named for its early

production of soap? Why would a field be known as Four Days Math? How long have

Barcelona and Montserratt been found in Gloucestershire? And where is there a street

recalling a fat, boisterous and loose woman?

In these pages we examine the origins of the names with which we are otherwise so familiar.

Towns, villages, districts, hills, streams, woods, farms, fi elds, streets and even pubs are examined and explained. The definitions are supported by anecdotal evidence, bringing to life the individuals and events which have influenced the places and the way these names have developed.

This is not just a dictionary but a history and will prove invaluable, not only for those who

live and work in the county, but also visitors and tourists, historians and former inhabitants,

indeed anyone with an interest in Gloucestershire.

Should anyone like to get hold of a copy (signed if you desire), drop me a line and I will provide you with same - remember it's never too early to start buying Christmas presents!

On the subject of the 'season', as this will be my final planned post of 2009, allow me to wish you and yours a Happy 2010 - and let's hope the financial problems which were the major talking point of 2009 are well behind us all very soon.

An Odd Word

An overheard conversation the other day got me thinking about old words which have fallen out of general use, even within my lifetime. Writing on the subject of place names, I do come across some old terms for creatures with which wa are so familiar.

Many will already be aware of the halcyon being an alternative name for the kingfisher, it is still used by poets and, of course, gave us the phrase of 'halcyon days'. Often seen alongside motorways hunting its prey, the kestrel certainly merits its earlier name of windhover. The badger is invariably named 'brock' and yet to the Saxons broc was the word for a badger. However the fox, invariably named Reynard today, was tradtionally known as Tod. The Old English for a toad also meant a frog, while the eft is still used in crosswords as the alternative name for a newt. Regional words are manyfold. Around the borders between Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire I came across several references to a 'nicker' in place names. Although no longer in general use, until quite recently this was the regional name for a woodpecker. I did consider including the names of fish and insects, but discovered these are more numerous than anything.

As this will be my last post before the festive season, may I take this opportunity to wish you and yours everything you would wish for yourselves.

All Done and Dusted

With every word edited and checked and every image captioned, the final two manuscripts will arrive on the editor's desk this week. An oddly mixed feeling of satisfaction and disappointment at completion, however I hope to have more targets to aim for before my next post. These odd feelings do remind me that I always require a challenge, a deadline, a target. As a child I recall being given a stopwatch for Christmas. The new year saw the start of term and every day I attempted to beat my own best time walking to school. When that became an impossible barrier to break I counted my steps, less each day was the target (as my legs grew longer should have been easy, or that was the theory). Since then I've tried to beat my best score at all kinds of quiz shows and competitions. Hopefully I shall have some more targets to meet before next week.

As Deadlines Approach

As the season of goodwill approaches, the weight of schedules and deadlines are starting to tip dangerously against me. In the UK the business year fundamentally ends on 23rd December this year, except for retail which will re-open the day after the event.

As far as books go the two final contracts for 2009 are almost complete, indeed will be by this time next week. Of course this will mean no more book contracts to fulfill, however it does not mean no more irons in the fire on the book front, indeed with three different publishers I have eleven proposals currently waiting a response. This may sound a lot but is not something I can't cope with, for I always make sure my deadlines are not something I can't meet - almost without exception my deadlines are not only met but beaten.

Of course not everyone can write as many, most just don't have the time or the desire, although I am sure there are just as many who could produce more. If it were not that I have already done much of the groundwork for most of these proposals I could not hope to submit eleven manuscripts next year.

Note I said three different publishers. I would always advise keeping as many feet in as many doors as is humanly possible. Whislt there is a lot to be said for loyalty, it does not offer as many guarantees or chances as versatility. While it also provides a wealth of experience and helps in the ongoing education of any writer.

Talking of having many strings and a wealth of experience, one man who has shared his knowledge lives not too many miles from away. Nick Dawes has many tips and offers guidance in the form of his blog which can be found at http://www.mywritingblog.com/ and for those with the desire there are links to a newsletter, Twitter, and Facebook. I would recommend all with an interest in writing to sign up to this most excellent blog.