Linda Parkinson-Hardman's Blog, page 12

Anonymous donor doubles Hysteria Writing Competition prize pot

Thanks to a kind donation from a benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous, the prize funds for each category winner have been doubled to £50 each.

The donor said, “I had some happy writing news today and felt like paying it forward”. What a lovely way to celebrate some good news about your creative efforts.

The competition is FREE to enter for anyone writing in English on the theme Hope and Unity. There are three categories:

Short stories – up to 600 wordsFlash Fiction – up to 100 wordsPoetr...

The happiness factor

To be or not to be, that is the question?

The opening line of Hamlet’s soliloquy is a memorable piece that you probably remember from school days. But it is the beginning of a personal consideration about the merits of suicide; it’s no wonder the play is one of Shakespeare’s tragedies.

I like to think that perhaps Will could have improved it just a little by the addition of one simple word.

To be happy or not to be happy, now that is an even more interesting question?

Perhaps in changing the ton...

The Thursday Throng

‘Throng’ n. – A multitude of persons or of living beings pressing or pressed into a close body or assemblage; a crowd.

This section of my website is called The Thursday Throng in honour of the throng that waits eagerly at the bookshop door when a new author book signing or speaking.

It takes the form of a ‘Meet the Author’ online event with some information about our author’s latest book and an interview. Some authors also offered giveaways of their books and others have reviews I’ve writte...

Is it a threat?

You know what it’s like to encounter something new for the first time. There’s a moment of surprise, perhaps even shock, before the eye starts roving around, exploring. What your subconscious brain is trying to do is place this ‘thing’ in context; can I eat it, should I run away or does it pose no threat? Your conscious brain isn’t aware that this is playing out in the background.

When you’re satisfied there’s no threat you’ll notice that things become a little more inviting; perhaps colours bec...

In conversation with Jenny Jaeckel

Jenny Jaeckel is the author of House of Rougeaux, her debut novel, winner of an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award for Hisorical Fiction and was named one of Bitch Media’s 25 Must Read Books of 2018; and the forthcoming companion book Boy, Falling, to be published by Black Rose Writing in July 2021. In our time together we talked about how the art of being more real is one of Jenny’s core themes in her work and life.

Listen to the interviewhttps://healthyhappywoman.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/...

The guru, the hero, the lover and me

Back in 2012 I was a member of Toastmasters International at my local club, Casterbridge Speakers, in Dorchester. I’d written and given many speeches in the years I was there, but this is one, titled ‘The guru, the hero, the lover and me’, I wrote but never delivered. I thought it might be nice to share it here, just in case there is anyone out there thinking (or fearing) giving a presentation sometime soon.

I’d like you to think about the following question. What do Bill Clinton, Winston Churc...

Whose truth is it anyway?

I woke up this morning with the title of this blog post pounding a drumbeat in my head and had to write it down immediately. It was born out of a need to focus on this elusive thing we call ‘truth’. In light of recent events in the United States, and closer to home personally, I felt it was time to embrace the conversation that starts something along the lines of ‘there is no such thing as truth’.

Then I read Claire Montanaro’s blog post, Freedom of Expression, and she said much of what’s been r...

Setting yourself free and finding your voice

The period between Christmas and New Year is an odd hinterland of non-doing for me. The celebrations of Christmas pause and wait until the celebrations of New Year begin. In that space between one year and the next its when I try and get through tasks that would normally be difficult to do, not because they’re hard, but because they require discipline and time – not something I’m normally abundent in!

This Christmas has been the same, and yet different from those of the past. Yes, I’ve spent a l...

Happy new year 2022

Looking back, I knew that 2021 was going to be a corker of a year. It just felt ‘right’ somehow. And after all the trouble we’d had during 2020, it certainly needed to earn its keep.

It was during February I first noticed that something had changed, not just changed really, transformed. I couldn’t put my finger on it at first and it took a while before I realised that somehow the colours of the landscapre were brighter, more vibrant seeming to shimmer and glow whenever the sun shone brightly – w...

In conversation with Emma K Lea

How does a dyslexic become a writer? Having inspirational teachers at school helps, as does parents who won’t allow it to become an excuse. Emma K Lea talks about her journey from ghostwriter to self-publisher, her work as a tutor for others who are also dyslexic and selling children’s books on Etsy. She reflects on the impact COVID-19 has had on her tutoring business and her love of hens.

Listen to the interview

https://healthyhappywoman.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Emma-Lea.mp3
Takeaways ...