S.C. Skillman's Blog, page 53

Rain Soaked Odyssey of Delight Round Highgrove Garden

Drenching rains accompanied our tour round HRH the Prince of Wales’ intriguing garden at Highgrove but with so much to wonder at, we all kept going and completed the tour.

Highgrove Garden made me think of the plot of a children’s book, quirky, fun, playful. At every turn there is a new surprise, like something dreamed up by Lewis Carroll or Edward Lear. It was an odyssey through a quirky and unpredictable environment.

Vistas and views and angles, abundant ferns and eccentric topiary, temples, thatched tree house and giant slate pots abounded.

The downpour intensified as we went round, yet everyone was so entranced by the garden, it remained a minor issue – even when we waded through deep puddles on the unmade paths.

Moving through the garden is like progressing from one chapter to another in a beguiling story. If fairies inhabited this garden they would be the wild, anarchic spirits Shakespeare portrays in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I particularly loved the juxtaposition of wilderness and artistry.  HRH The Prince of Wales has invited artists and sculptors to run wild with their imagination; everywhere you may see the evidence of free expression and creativity.

In summary, this is a unique and profoundly inspiring garden.

Filed under: Art, British, design, dreams and dreaming, SC Skillman Tagged: creativity, dreamed, free expression, garden, Highgrove, imagination, inspiring, Prince of Wales, SC Skillman author, spirits, story

Great Time at the Sherlock Holmes Prom

Even lovers of Sherlock Holmes may have learned something new about the great man on Sunday 16 August at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

The Sherlock Holmes Prom, Royal Albert Hall, 16 Aug 2015

Matthew Sweet, BBC Radio 3 presenter, and , actor, and co-creator of the Sherlock TV drama series, together presented  a fantastic programme of music related to Sherlock Holmes.  Mark Gatiss read several passages from the original Conan Doyle stories alongside the music. I learned that the original Holmes was a lover of the opera and especially Wagner; and that Irene Adler, “the Woman” (the one person who outwitted Holmes) was an operatic contralto who had performed at La Scala Milan. In addition to this, although Conan Doyle himself was not much of a musical buff, nevertheless his creation Holmes had a very abstruse taste in and knowledge of music; he was an expert on the “polyphonic motets of Lassus.”

Additionally, Holmes’ gift for playing the violin was one aspect of the great detective which Mark Gatiss and chose to adhere to firmly when they re-created him as Sherlock for the twenty-first century. The deerstalker cap came much later; but the violin was a necessity from the very beginning.

Once again I wondered at and rejoiced in the fact that when we create fictional characters we may give them skills and abilities and awareness far beyond our own; and when they come to take on their own life in the minds of our readers, then who would ever guess the limitations of their creator?  An uplifting thought indeed for novelists!

Filed under: About Books I love, Authors I love, British, classical music, creative writing, culture Tagged: creator, Mark Gatiss, music, novelist, Prom, Royal Albert Hall, SC Skillman author, Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes, Steven Moffatt, uplifting

Calais Refugees – re-blogged from Jaz O’Hara’s Facebook Post

Originally posted on Lance Greenfield:

I wish more people would write like this. The British media and the majority of postings on social media just stir up anti, well anti-fellow-human-being feelings, if we are honest. This depresses me  deeply.

These are people! People like you and me.

Put yourself in their place. How does that feel?

See the original post by Jaz O’Hara here.

I’ve been thinking about how I can find the words for what we experienced yesterday.

An hours drive from my house, then half an hour on the Eurotunnel, and we were in the world’s worst refugee camp in terms of resources and conditions, yet we were welcomed with open arms. It’s amazing how only the people who have nothing really know how to share.

The ‘jungle’ (as the camp is known), is loosely and naturally divided by country, with every one of the worlds warzones represented. We walked through ‘Afghanistan’, ‘Syria,’ ‘Eritrea’…

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Away in the Lake District this week!

I’ll see you back on this blog on Monday 17 August.

Watershead, Lake Windermere

Right now I’m taking a break in one of the most scenic places in the world: England’s lovely Lake District.

View of Lake Windermere from the garden of Brockhole Visitor Centre

Filed under: British, British landscape, British psychological suspense writer Tagged: blog, England, Lake District, Lake Windermere, lovely, SC Skillman author, taking a break

People of Inspiration: JK Rowling

I’ve long admired JK Rowling, and not simply because she’s one of the world’s most successful contemporary authors.

JK Rowling

Although it’s true I love all the Harry Potter novels, and followed the stories as each was published, and saw every film as it was released, I have special reasons for finding JK Rowling a source of inspiration.

I feel that in her HP series she has gathered up many of the greatest treasures of world folklore and mythology into a new creation that stands as a reference point in itself.  Her imagined world has entered our consciousness. For instance, a few days ago I was in a boarding school looking at an ornate list of names on the wall and I immediately thought of Hogwarts’ Past Headmasters. Another recent example was my visit to Ham House, Richmond; whilst studying one of the many portraits, I half expected the lady in the portrait to shout, “Password!” at me.

And I have on a number of occasions found myself in conversation with someone, saying things like, “Oh, I wish I had Hermione’s Time-Turner” or “I could do with Hermione’s bottomless bag”, certain that the person I was speaking to would immediately know what I meant.

I’ve only recently read the book Very Good Lives which is JK Rowling’s speech to Harvard graduates in 2008.  And for the first time I discovered she had worked in Amnesty International during her early twenties. As she described her experiences in Amnesty International’s offices, I could see at once the influence this had had on the Harry Potter stories – Dolores Umbridge cruelly punishing Harry, Voldemort torturing then executing Charity Burbridge, Lucius Malfoy and his abusive relationship with Dobby (before he became a free elf, of course), and of course many other examples.

It also amused me to read of how JK Rowling had chosen to study Classics, against her parents’ wishes, as they thought it a subject that could never lead to a decent job that would never pay a mortgage let alone secure a pension.

I could also see very clearly why JK Rowling felt she had to write The Casual Vacancy. I identified with and recognised what she wrote about in its pages.

I find JK Rowling inspiring not only as a successful author, but also for her own personal qualities. In this world we often see the power that great wealth bestows concentrated in the hands of the wrong people. To my mind, we can be very thankful that JK Rowling is one of the people in whose hands that power is concentrated.

It is clear from her Harvard speech where her heart lies, despite all her wealth and success: Poverty is not an ennobling experience… I am not going to tell you failure is fun… but failure means a stripping away of the inessentials… I stopped pretending I was anything other than what I was and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me…. Failure gave me an inner security I never attained by passing exams… I discovered that I had a strong will and more discipline than I’d suspected.

I must admit that after reading her Harvard speech I do wonder how many of those young graduates she spoke to went away and subsequently empathised with the poorest in the world, and lobbied their government to change its polices? For that was what JK Rowling urged them to do.

Meanwhile, all we who admire  and love the Harry Potter stories, can be very glad that JK Rowling, in defiance of her parents’ wishes, ‘nipped off down the Classics corridor’ to study a useless subject that  nobody ever believed would win her a job.

Filed under: About Books I love, book reviews, Books, British, creative writing, empowerment Tagged: admire, contemporary authors, creation, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, love, people of inspiration, SC Skillman author, successful

Lance’s Coach Tour #6

Originally posted on Lance Greenfield:

The voting is over and my passengers are boarding for the sixth grand coach tour.

Welcome aboard!

The front two seats are quickly occupied by Sheila and Colleen, who are all ready singing  even before the expected arrival of Howard boards with his trusty guitar.

Following her success with the cake for Beethoven on the last tour, Teagan skips up the steps with another delightful cake for whomever we will visit today. She may be in for a shock!

I am very happy that doctors Lucie and Victo Dolore are on board. We may need medics before the day is out.

Donna, Hugh, David, Alka, Ritu, Vashti, Francis and Ane dash past me and on up to the back of the bus to form a new singing group in competition to the bunch at the front. I can already see that this is going to be a very…

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My Reflections on ‘In Love With Greece’

The Temple of Apollo, Delphi, Greece

On BBC Radio 4 on 26 July I heard Peter Aspden give his Point of View on Greece, especially in relation to the current financial crisis and the question that has been hanging over Greece’s continued EU membership.

As I listened I found myself tuning in to the heart of what he was saying. I realised he was articulating what I feel about Greece, which has been running along in the background of my thoughts as I’ve listened to the agonising saga of the recent months’ negotiations between Greece and Germany.

Peter Aspden spoke about “the fun-loving spirited” character of Greece, “contemptuous of material things”. He referred to the Greek people’s most prized quality of hospitality, and their most self-defeating weakness of tax evasion. And by contrast, he characterised the Nordic mind-set as “the way of rigour, high discipline and control.” These two world-views must necessarily conflict, and I can vouch for this from my own life, in many different areas.

I listened carefully as I realised that in describing the symbolic power of Greece in our hearts and minds, he was expressing something that I find profoundly relevant to my own sense of identity, my own personal story. And why despite all the words that have been expended over this terrible financial dilemma, I have in my heart of hearts remained mystified that such a situation could have arisen for a country which has given such riches to the world in terms of wisdom, romance, poetry, history and many, many other joyous, life-affirming things. I speak as one who has visited Greece and some of its islands and for whom Greek music, dancing, food, ambience, culture, philosophy, mythology and literature all hold an enormous romantic and idealistic power.

My first (unpublished) novel (the manuscript of which currently lies in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet) centres around a Classics Professor who really believed in the ancient Greek gods, and I had great fun – and considerable empathy for him – as I worked this belief of his into the way he handled conflicts in his personal life.

I studied Ancient Greek tragedies and comedies at university, and once attended a performance of ‘Agamemnon’ at the outdoor theatre below the Acropolis Mount in Athens. Peter Aspden speaks about a performance of an ancient Greek comedy which he attended at the theatre in Epidauros. He notes the contempt of politicians and those in authority which is evident in the humour of Aristophanes, and is part of the Greek national consciousness. All this I could affirm from my personal experience of Greek people, of Greece itself, and from my studies of ancient Greek history and philosophy.

I could say much more of my feelings for Greece and all it represents in my own heart, but suffice it to say here that I believe Greece’s unpayable debts should be cancelled. This country has given far more to the world than any monetary value can match.

Filed under: culture Tagged: BBC Radio 4, Greece, hearts and minds, love, Peter Aspden, poetry, point of view, romance, SC Skillman author, symbolic power

A Fresh Sense of Perspective From the Sea

Eastbourne view

Here are a few views from our recent visit to Eastbourne.

Eastbourne Pier

Living as I do in the Midlands, I cannot help missing the seaside!  There’s nothing like water – be it river, lake or sea – to make us feel open and free and to give us a fresh sense of perspective.

Now I’m back in Warwick I’m continuing to edit my new novel ‘A Passionate Spirit’ before it goes to be typeset. I have some sharp and perceptive comments from beta readers; their own perspective is invaluable, and I’m just about to go through the ms making changes according to their guidelines.

This editing work will be finished by the time we go to the Lake District at the beginning of August – and then there’ll be more opportunity for reflection among lakes and mountains.

view across to Beachy Head

view above Holywell Retreat, Eastbourne

Filed under: Books, British, British coastline, creative writing Tagged: a passionate spirit, beta readers, Eastbourne, editing, free, fresh, novel, perspective, sea, sense, water

Progress on Marketing of A Passionate Spirit

I’ve just heard from Matador that my front cover for my new novel A Passionate Spirit is now approved, and I’ve just seen the final drafts of my marketing material for the novel.

A Passionate Spirit, the new paranormal thriller from SC Skillman, due to be published by Matador on 28 November 2015

My “Advance Information” sheet will shortly be mailed out to retailers, library suppliers and local bookshops.   My Press Release marketing will begin once copies of the printed book are available, when the marketing controller at Matador will contact me with the PR list that they’ll draw up for my book. All very exciting!

In addition I’ve just received back a report on my copy-edited ms from one of my 4 beta readers, with some useful insights and observations which will help me tweak the novel and sharpen it up, even now, at the last moment before it goes for typesetting!

I’ll soon have some promotional A Passionate Spirit Bookmarks ready too which I’m looking forward to being able to hand out to any of my target readers – those who love reading paranormal thrillers!

Filed under: book reviews, Books, British, creative writing Tagged: a passionate spirit, advance information, book review, fiction, marketing, new novel, paranormal thriller, press release, promotional, SC Skillman

Believing in Dreams

It is a dream… of what has never been… true, it has never been, and therefore, since the world is alive, and moving yet, my hope is the greater that it one day will be… dreams have before now come about of things so good… we scarcely think of them more than the daylight, though once people had to live without them, without even the hope of them.

William Morris Strawberry Thief design

These words are from William Morris the great Victorian designer. His dream was that everyone would “have his share of the best”; he longed to see art at the centre of everyone’s lives so that they might “always  have pleasure in the things that they use.”

Right now (June-September 2015), there is an exhibition of the work of William Morris and his contemporaries at Compton Verney, an art gallery very close to where I live in Warwick, a place I love visiting.

I love William Morris designs (as you’ll see from a former post on this blog) and have just bought a tapestry shoulder-bag with the Strawberry Thief design on it.. True, art and design in our lives often has a monetary value; this seems to be the nature of human life.

But to me, William Morris’s dream of everyone having his or her “share of the best” is the ultimate democracy, the democracy of ‘value’ and quality of life, above all else, whatever our circumstances. As we know this dream is very far from being realised in our world. But how inspiring William Morris’s words are, and how encouraging his vision, for those of us who dream, and have high ideals.

Filed under: Art, art exhibitions, design, dreams and dreaming, SC Skillman Tagged: art, beauty, Compton Verney, design, dreams, high ideals, human life, SC Skillman author, Strawberry Thief, vision, William Morris