Allison Symes's Blog
September 27, 2025
Comfort Books
Often when the weather is gloomy, or the news is grim (and right now both of those things apply), I will turn to what I consider to be my comfort books.
It’s when I will often turn to Wodehouse, Pratchett, Austen, knowing I’m going to need something to make me smile.
Ironically, something to make me smile doesn’t preclude serious issues. Pratchett was a master of tackling these with humour in his Discworld series. (Do check out his Raising Steam. It has a strong take on terrorism especially that done in the name of faith).
One of the purposes of reading, for me, is to escape. I’ve never seen any harm in books written for “just entertainment”. Indeed, I feel there is a snobbery about books like this, which would include my own, and naturally I am against that.
The important thing is people read. Some of my special memories are associated with books too so there is comfort in them too.
Sometimes that is just what you need.
It’s when I will often turn to Wodehouse, Pratchett, Austen, knowing I’m going to need something to make me smile.
Ironically, something to make me smile doesn’t preclude serious issues. Pratchett was a master of tackling these with humour in his Discworld series. (Do check out his Raising Steam. It has a strong take on terrorism especially that done in the name of faith).
One of the purposes of reading, for me, is to escape. I’ve never seen any harm in books written for “just entertainment”. Indeed, I feel there is a snobbery about books like this, which would include my own, and naturally I am against that.
The important thing is people read. Some of my special memories are associated with books too so there is comfort in them too.
Sometimes that is just what you need.
September 20, 2025
Fiction Acrostic
F = Fiction can take you into the fantastic or the everyday.
I = Imagination can show you worlds that can never be or more about the one we are in, thanks to fiction.
C = Characters grip you, intrigue you, terrify you, make you laugh, but they all hold your attention.
T = Testing times for those characters are what keep you reading to the end of the story - will they make it through?
I = Inventiveness by those characters is often what resolves their problems.
O = Originally, stories were told orally - our love of fiction goes back a long way.
N= Novels, novellas, flash fiction and short story collections - plenty of fiction to enjoy.
I = Imagination can show you worlds that can never be or more about the one we are in, thanks to fiction.
C = Characters grip you, intrigue you, terrify you, make you laugh, but they all hold your attention.
T = Testing times for those characters are what keep you reading to the end of the story - will they make it through?
I = Inventiveness by those characters is often what resolves their problems.
O = Originally, stories were told orally - our love of fiction goes back a long way.
N= Novels, novellas, flash fiction and short story collections - plenty of fiction to enjoy.
September 13, 2025
Discovering Favourite Authors
How did you discover your favourite authors? I suspect we all have several ways here.
I discovered the works of P.G. Wodehouse thanks to the television series starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, as many have done.
Everything about that adaptation was wonderful including the titles and theme music. So apt. (Do check it out. I suspect you may be able to fine some of this in YouTube).
I found Sir Terry Pratchett thanks to a mooch around my local independent bookshop, now sadly long gone due to retirement by the owner. But I found Jingo here. Liked the look of the cover. Bought it. I then read everything by Pratchett I could get!
As for Jane Austen, my late mum had some of her works at home and then Pride and Prejudice was set as s school read. Loved Austen ever since (with the exception of Mansfield Park).
As for The Lord of the Rings, I just knew, from what I’d heard about the books, I wanted to read it so went and got myself a copy. Wonderful.
Knowing about the books is so important and this is where libraries, authors, reading groups etc play such a wonderful role, as do the bookshops.
Let’s celebrate all of these and look forward to finding more favourite authors in the future.
I discovered the works of P.G. Wodehouse thanks to the television series starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, as many have done.
Everything about that adaptation was wonderful including the titles and theme music. So apt. (Do check it out. I suspect you may be able to fine some of this in YouTube).
I found Sir Terry Pratchett thanks to a mooch around my local independent bookshop, now sadly long gone due to retirement by the owner. But I found Jingo here. Liked the look of the cover. Bought it. I then read everything by Pratchett I could get!
As for Jane Austen, my late mum had some of her works at home and then Pride and Prejudice was set as s school read. Loved Austen ever since (with the exception of Mansfield Park).
As for The Lord of the Rings, I just knew, from what I’d heard about the books, I wanted to read it so went and got myself a copy. Wonderful.
Knowing about the books is so important and this is where libraries, authors, reading groups etc play such a wonderful role, as do the bookshops.
Let’s celebrate all of these and look forward to finding more favourite authors in the future.
September 6, 2025
Weather and Reading Moods
Does the weather change what you choose to read at all?
I must admit as we go into autumn here in the UK with the longer darker evenings drawing in so rapidly, I do find myself more drawn to the lighter side of fiction.
P.G Wodehouse comes into his own here - his works always put a smile on my face. There is a wonderful book of letters from him edited by Sophie Ratcliffe which is also a fantastic read. This is aptly titled P.G. Wodehouse - A Life In Letters. It does do what it says on the cover, folks!
I guess it is the light levels with me, As the light drops, I want fiction to amuse me. I don’t have a lot of time for dystopian fiction as it is (and even less so now, the news is grim enough) but I want books to lift my mood, cheer me, up, entertain me, so the weather and the seasons can have a bearing on what I read when.
One thing I am liking right now is I play some word related games on my phone and naturally there are adverts, which I generally ignore. Having said that, Amazon are showing some really good adverts about encouraging reading by showing how books bring stories to life.
They did this last year in the run up to Christmas. Between now and then is the biggest market for book sales. Wish Amazon did these adverts all year around though as this is always true - books do bring stories to life.
I must admit as we go into autumn here in the UK with the longer darker evenings drawing in so rapidly, I do find myself more drawn to the lighter side of fiction.
P.G Wodehouse comes into his own here - his works always put a smile on my face. There is a wonderful book of letters from him edited by Sophie Ratcliffe which is also a fantastic read. This is aptly titled P.G. Wodehouse - A Life In Letters. It does do what it says on the cover, folks!
I guess it is the light levels with me, As the light drops, I want fiction to amuse me. I don’t have a lot of time for dystopian fiction as it is (and even less so now, the news is grim enough) but I want books to lift my mood, cheer me, up, entertain me, so the weather and the seasons can have a bearing on what I read when.
One thing I am liking right now is I play some word related games on my phone and naturally there are adverts, which I generally ignore. Having said that, Amazon are showing some really good adverts about encouraging reading by showing how books bring stories to life.
They did this last year in the run up to Christmas. Between now and then is the biggest market for book sales. Wish Amazon did these adverts all year around though as this is always true - books do bring stories to life.
August 30, 2025
Stories In Holiday Locations
Do you like stories set in holiday locations?
I’m not specifically thinking about holiday reads as such, though they’re fine, but more along the lines of a regular character being taken out of their usual locale for a vacation. Naturally something happens on that vacation to drag them back to their usual day job.
Two good examples of this happen to Jane Marple, Agatha Christine’s fabulous creation, with At Bertram’s Hoteland A Carribbean Mystery.
The latter leads on to my favourite Marple book - Nemesis. And that too involves a holiday - a coach trip in this case. Excellent books, all of them. Also makes a nice change of murders not happening in Marple’s St. Mary Mead!
Even in fantasy, holiday locations can crop up. In Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld for example, Sam Vimes is sent on what is meant to be a holiday in Snuffbut naturally he uncovers something rotten in the state of the countryside and simply has to sort it out.
Do you prefer main characters to be in their usual setting or do you like it when they are taking out of it for a while?
All I want is a good strong storyline with characters I care about, regardless of where they are set, but these books are great examples of what I see as holiday books.
I’m not specifically thinking about holiday reads as such, though they’re fine, but more along the lines of a regular character being taken out of their usual locale for a vacation. Naturally something happens on that vacation to drag them back to their usual day job.
Two good examples of this happen to Jane Marple, Agatha Christine’s fabulous creation, with At Bertram’s Hoteland A Carribbean Mystery.
The latter leads on to my favourite Marple book - Nemesis. And that too involves a holiday - a coach trip in this case. Excellent books, all of them. Also makes a nice change of murders not happening in Marple’s St. Mary Mead!
Even in fantasy, holiday locations can crop up. In Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld for example, Sam Vimes is sent on what is meant to be a holiday in Snuffbut naturally he uncovers something rotten in the state of the countryside and simply has to sort it out.
Do you prefer main characters to be in their usual setting or do you like it when they are taking out of it for a while?
All I want is a good strong storyline with characters I care about, regardless of where they are set, but these books are great examples of what I see as holiday books.
August 23, 2025
Key Story Elements
I lost count years ago of how many books and/or stories I’ve read.
I include flash and short story collections here deliberately, partly because I write them, have featured in them but, in any case, they are still as much of a book as a novel or novella. They’re just a different format, that’s all, and I’ve found them useful for another reason.
If I like an author’s short work, it’s a good bet I will like their longer works too. So sometimes I have tried out an author’s short form work before buying any of their novels.
But regardless of story type, every work of fiction has to have key story elements.
For me, these include characters I can relate to, an interesting plot, and an ending which fulfils the promise of the book.
I have to feel that the ending was right. If there was a twist (and I love these), I need to be able to look back at the story on a second reading and see how it could only be this twist and it had to be the way the writer portrayed it.
No matter what the setting, the characters have to be believable too. There has to be something in their portrayal I can relate to and naturally this acts as a wonderful challenge for me to do the same with my own creations.
Reading encourages writing. Writing encourages reading. Behind it all is a love of story and the key story elements are what readers crave and what writers long to create.
I include flash and short story collections here deliberately, partly because I write them, have featured in them but, in any case, they are still as much of a book as a novel or novella. They’re just a different format, that’s all, and I’ve found them useful for another reason.
If I like an author’s short work, it’s a good bet I will like their longer works too. So sometimes I have tried out an author’s short form work before buying any of their novels.
But regardless of story type, every work of fiction has to have key story elements.
For me, these include characters I can relate to, an interesting plot, and an ending which fulfils the promise of the book.
I have to feel that the ending was right. If there was a twist (and I love these), I need to be able to look back at the story on a second reading and see how it could only be this twist and it had to be the way the writer portrayed it.
No matter what the setting, the characters have to be believable too. There has to be something in their portrayal I can relate to and naturally this acts as a wonderful challenge for me to do the same with my own creations.
Reading encourages writing. Writing encourages reading. Behind it all is a love of story and the key story elements are what readers crave and what writers long to create.
August 16, 2025
An Author's Dilemma
There is one dilemma no author minds that much. This is where you go to a writing event and bring home as many or more books than you took of your own to sell!
I have done this again this year having just returned from The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick.
Mind you, my trip this year has also enabled me to add to my growing collection of books signed for me by my author friends. Whenever I pass the shelves these books are on, I smile and recall where I first met the author. I like things like this.
Books are important for more than just the stories or interesting non-fiction between their covers, vital though they are. They can encourage positive memories.
For example, I still have The Readers’ Digest Collection of Fairytales. Both volumes were given to me by my late father. I loved looking at those books long before I could read them for myself. Wonderful illustrations and lovely memories to go with them.
Books, stories, memories - lovely things as a rule.
Incidentally, the only thing which did stop me from going completely overboard with how many books I brought back from Swanwick was knowing I was travelling by train and had to be able to put them in my suitcase! Sometimes you need the discipline of that!
I have done this again this year having just returned from The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick.
Mind you, my trip this year has also enabled me to add to my growing collection of books signed for me by my author friends. Whenever I pass the shelves these books are on, I smile and recall where I first met the author. I like things like this.
Books are important for more than just the stories or interesting non-fiction between their covers, vital though they are. They can encourage positive memories.
For example, I still have The Readers’ Digest Collection of Fairytales. Both volumes were given to me by my late father. I loved looking at those books long before I could read them for myself. Wonderful illustrations and lovely memories to go with them.
Books, stories, memories - lovely things as a rule.
Incidentally, the only thing which did stop me from going completely overboard with how many books I brought back from Swanwick was knowing I was travelling by train and had to be able to put them in my suitcase! Sometimes you need the discipline of that!
August 9, 2025
Books at Writing Events
When this post goes live, I will be at The Writers' Summer School, Swanwick again.
It is a major highlight of my writing year because I get to spend a few days fully immersed in the writing world with wonderful folk who understand the drive to write.
The School also has that most wonderful of things - a Book Room. Authors can put their works out there for sale and I am looking forward to seeing my two flash collections in there again.
I'm looking forward even more to Swanwick 2026 when my third book, Seeing The Other Side (Bridge House Publishing), will be in there too!
Naturally I shall be a customer too! It is a lovely privilege to support other writers like this and I do get my purchases signed for me too. I am always thrilled when someone asks me to sign a copy of my books for them.
So if you are going to writing events this summer, and I hope you are, I hope you bring back plenty of signed new material so you have lots of good reads to be getting on with.
It is a major highlight of my writing year because I get to spend a few days fully immersed in the writing world with wonderful folk who understand the drive to write.
The School also has that most wonderful of things - a Book Room. Authors can put their works out there for sale and I am looking forward to seeing my two flash collections in there again.
I'm looking forward even more to Swanwick 2026 when my third book, Seeing The Other Side (Bridge House Publishing), will be in there too!
Naturally I shall be a customer too! It is a lovely privilege to support other writers like this and I do get my purchases signed for me too. I am always thrilled when someone asks me to sign a copy of my books for them.
So if you are going to writing events this summer, and I hope you are, I hope you bring back plenty of signed new material so you have lots of good reads to be getting on with.
August 2, 2025
Balancing Writing and Reading
I would be most surprised if any author doesn’t find it tricky, at least sometimes, to balance their writing and reading lives. I know I do.
One way I get around this issue to ensure I do read at lunchtimes - usually a magazine - but it all counts! I can sometimes be far too tired at bedtime to read then.
I do sometimes find if I have had an intense period of writing, I will read less. Or I will read something totally different to what I’ve been working on.
So if I’ve been writing a lot of fiction, I will crack on with my non-fiction reading. If I fancy fiction but have been writing lots of short stories and /or flash, I will read a novel.
As well as being a good idea anyway, because you get to read more, mixing up the types of reading I do helps here. It means I am nearly always reading something, And that is always a good idea!
One way I get around this issue to ensure I do read at lunchtimes - usually a magazine - but it all counts! I can sometimes be far too tired at bedtime to read then.
I do sometimes find if I have had an intense period of writing, I will read less. Or I will read something totally different to what I’ve been working on.
So if I’ve been writing a lot of fiction, I will crack on with my non-fiction reading. If I fancy fiction but have been writing lots of short stories and /or flash, I will read a novel.
As well as being a good idea anyway, because you get to read more, mixing up the types of reading I do helps here. It means I am nearly always reading something, And that is always a good idea!
July 26, 2025
Authors and Story Links
By the time I post this, I will have returned from a Jane Austen exhibition at The Dorset Museum in Dorchester. This was called Jane Austen - Down To The Sea and looked at her links with the coast.
Confession time - I was only aware of the one link, that being The Cobb at Lyme Regis. It is a major scene in Austen's Persuasion.
I've not read The French Lieutenant's Woman which I believe also uses The Cobb as a setting.
I do always think of Persuasion whenever I visit Lyme Regis though.
The exhibition was an eye opener, fun, and I am so glad I went.
So if a favourite author of yours has an exhibition on, why not check it out? They can be another way of helping you enjoy even more from the books you love. That has to be a good thing!
Confession time - I was only aware of the one link, that being The Cobb at Lyme Regis. It is a major scene in Austen's Persuasion.
I've not read The French Lieutenant's Woman which I believe also uses The Cobb as a setting.
I do always think of Persuasion whenever I visit Lyme Regis though.
The exhibition was an eye opener, fun, and I am so glad I went.
So if a favourite author of yours has an exhibition on, why not check it out? They can be another way of helping you enjoy even more from the books you love. That has to be a good thing!
