Simon Duringer's Blog, page 12
January 2, 2016
Dawlish Storms!
I’d like to start this piece by saying Happy 2016 to you all and thanks, since you’ve made it this far, for visiting my blog!!
Those who know me won’t need reminding that I’ve had a turbulent year, which came to a dramatic end on December 31st 2015 when Storm Frank hit the Dawlish coastline in Devon, UK. The last major storm to hit Dawlish (two years ago) took out an entire piece of railway line and the sea wall, and left a house dangling over the sea, its foundations washed away from under it! Said house was about six doors or so down on the same road that I now live…
I must admit I had been looking forward to watching the drama of a good storm, and thought that breakfasts outside the front of the house were merely a dream not to be realised until spring 2016! But how the weather changed. Below I have posted two videos and a small gallery of pictures which, for me, have captured the raw power of nature: the beauty and the beast! A change in the wind direction provided an opportunity for me to take some spectacular stills of the Dawlish coastline from the comfort of my breakfast area in front of my apartment. I could hardly believe what I saw once I uploaded these shots, taken on my HTC android phone, to the computer. I hope you will enjoy them too! And is it just me, or in the third shot down doesn’t it look like something is holding up the sun!?
That’s editor Jennifer Lyon’s long-suffering car facing horizontal rain!
I guess some may think of me as some sort of adrenaline junkie, and the next video may convince them further… I attempted to live up to those expectations by having a wander outside during the beginnings of the full on storm of 31st December 2015. Less than three minutes after stepping outside in dry clothes I was soaked through from head to foot, regardless of wearing waterproofs!
While I didn’t stay indoors to record this next video, I did have my trusty webcam recording much of the event from the bay window of my front room. I’ve edited it to create a compilation of the first hour or so of Storm Frank as it hit us in Dawlish! I apologise for the windows, which sadly do not come with wipers provided… Aptly (well, I thought so at the time anyway) I added Mozart’s Requiem as a tune to accompany the video. It’s worth a view even if it is just to remind oneself of his awesome talent as a composer. Jen’s car provides a pretty good backdrop in terms of scale of what’s going on methinks…
Short but sweet (one hopes)… Enjoy it, share it or simply move on to the next post. Ermmm… or you could head off to Amazon where all my books are free to download on Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited. Links are below! Either way have a great 2016! Simon.
Simon Duringer
is an award-winning blogger, interviewer and author. His own books can be found on Amazon too by clicking any of the following icons…
Beyond all else, don’t forget to bookmark the site to come back and hear more from the award-winning authors interviewed by Simon… Jennifer Lyon is a highly respected proofreader, editor and translator. Expect to hear much more from this duo in the not-so-distant future!
December 30, 2015
High Tide at Dawlish!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOPWP...
December 25, 2015
Reindeer? No it is Rain - Dear!
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December 24, 2015
Reindeer? No it’s Rain, Dear!
It was the day before Christmas Eve. Suddenly, the idea of walking sounded good… Nothing unusual about that, surely?
But when one has another hiker staying over the idea of a walk soon turns into a discussion about a yomp and then delusions of grandeur set in. “Heck, let’s nip out and up Ten Tors on Dartmoor”. We checked the weather and there was a window of around five hours before the rain was due to set in. The OS maps were checked, and sure enough we found at least Ten Tors in the vicinity of Haytor (well, you can’t visit Devon and expect not to be dragged up Dartmoor’s biggest ‘Tor’ attraction at least once!).
A bit ambitious, perhaps, to do Ten Tors in a single morning… so nothing was set in stone. Daysacks were packed and discussion continued over the customary full English breakfast.
Now, before I go any further, I should perhaps mention that the Ten Tors I will speak of are ‘nowt’ to do with the legendary Ten Tors Annual Event managed by the Commander 1st Artillery Brigade and Headquarters South West (1 Arty Bde & HQ SW), who is the Ten Tors Director. Information on that event can be found on this link; The Official Ten Tors Website.
We – that is, Jennifer Lyon and I – created our own little event spanning just a single day, rather than two, and covering Eleven Tors. The only ‘entry’ requirement for this one-off hiking extravaganza was that each willing participant had previously scaled at least one of the UK’s largest three peaks! With rules agreed over a cup of hot filtered coffee, we vouched for each other and duly entered ourselves into said challenge. An hour or so later we arrived at the start/finish line i.e. The Saddle Tor car park.
Ermmm, is it just the two of us that have noticed there tends to be a car park about 50 meters below Dartmoor’s most popular Tors? We’re all for access to the majority etc, but it makes for rather dull walking in comparison to the rather more challenging peaks of the Lake District. Suddenly the prospect of climbing Ten Tors seemed rather more achievable, even with the first peak more or less ‘thrown in’. I can always rely on Jenny for a solution (sorry, sir, I left my SMEAC responsibilities behind me years ago!) so we adapted the plan and decided to go for eleven… You know, on the basis that there’s no such thing as a free lunch and all! “But, hey, won’t we encounter grockles (tourists to my USA friends!) on this trek?” The conversation stalled for a moment… “Heck, ok, let’s go off-piste!”
Ready, Steady… Ermmm Tor! Okay, already at the top of Saddle Tor and the first victory photograph (above pic: Haytor from Saddle Tor). Saddle Tor stands at some 428 meters. The car park at some 375-400 meters. But, I did say we were to get a freebie!
So, we headed off to what may well be the most visited Tor on Dartmoor: Haytor (457 meters). It certainly has some of the best views of the area and we climbed to the top, assisting a grockle damsel over some of the rocks before we reached the peak… and so having done our good deed for the day, and with Tor 2 conquered, we pulled out the OS map and figured out where we might actually go next. Well, actually, Jen did the figuring whilst I sat back, stoked my pipe and took in the views. 23rd December and it felt like Spring (for the time being anyway!).
Tor 3 – Holwell Tor stands at 402 meters. At this point we began to lose the crowds and headed out to what one would consider open countryside. The top of Holwell offers a superb panorama of its surrounding Tors, and as we feasted our eyes on the view we were, *ahem*, Jenny was already planning how to hop from one summit to the next (pictured above). We opted for the nearest, and two questions sprang to mind: one, how do we get down all these rocks? and two, once down, what’s the best route across the valley? Probably not the one we chose, as we realised a few minutes later when we were ankle-deep in marshy water…!
On a positive note, it was quite fun and the earth beneath our feet made like a waterlogged trampoline. Slightly more worrying at the time was the feeling that if the metaphorical trampoline canvas were to rip, we might suddenly have found ourselves floundering neck-deep in water. As it happened, this was just the warm-up before we reached a flooded brook! We had a half-hearted search for the footbridge, but without success, as we were working against the clock. With time and weather due to let us down within hours, and muddy wet feet weighing us down, there was only one thing for it… In for a Penny, in for a Pound…
Thankfully we didn’t sink too deep whilst traversing the brook; it was only around knee height, just enough to ensure our clothes and shoes were heavy and wet enough to make the walk uphill through bracken and barbed wire fences that bit more challenging! We were on our way to Greator Rocks (Tor 4 at 371 meters) when the drizzly rain started. One thing I do know about Dartmoor is that when the weather closes in, it can get pretty miserable fairly quickly. We didn’t hang around for the views, as Hound Tor (Tor 5 at 414 meters) was not too much further up. It was our lunch stop and potentially the halfway point. We found out it’s another popular destination Tor for the grockles, and it’s not hard to understand why. Great views on a clear day… It was not that clear whilst we were there but one could still make out the outlines of the Tors in the middle and far distance. It was worth the climb over slippery rocks to get to the top before seeking shelter for lunch…
We discovered a sheltered area… a cave to some, perhaps, but more a cluster of huge rock slabs forced together, probably during the ice age. Now they provided us with a roof and walls, and kept us free from the worst of the wind and rain. Perched on makeshift stone chairs we then settled in to enjoy some delicious sandwiches! I remain unsure whether squished sandwiches really do taste good, or it is just that they always seem to emerge from a daysack when food is most yearned for? Perhaps the mind switches off the eyes’ desire for the aesthetic and allows smell and taste to rule the day! They were good, anyway, and washed down with more hot coffee while we pored over the OS map spread across a very handy stone table, which also happened to be the chair!
Gazing at the dreary conditions we wondered, do we go back now? For a moment I did think it was time to make a beeline back to the car – by now several kilometers away – but as luck should have it, as we reappeared from our little prehistoric dining room the weather uncharacteristically changed, and we agreed that our Ten Tor objective was back on the menu… a pleasing dessert!
Our route took us back down and along the road for a short while, via the grockle car park where people had taken shelter in their cars. Most had packed up and left for the day, but a few remained determined to get up that one Tor… in order to justify their upcoming festive feasts perhaps?
With tummies full and thirsts quenched we continued towards a morale-boosting cluster of Tors: 6, 7 and 8! Honeybag Tor (445 meters), Chinkwell Tor (455 meters) and Bell Tor (400 meters) sit close together in a line, like ducks in a shooting gallery. The bad weather had eased off, so we decided to contour across the three and start at the far end, giving our limbs time to warm up, our clothes time to dry out a little, and providing more opportunities to soak up the far-reaching views. From Honeybag Tor we would essentially be heading (via a further five Tors) back towards the car.
Perhaps it was festive spirit, perhaps the warmth of that extended walk to the furthest point of the day… Either way (and do I look bothered which?!) I was rewarded, whilst taking a selfie from the top of Chinkwell (Tor 7) with a big old kiss! *Yayyy*. (Ties note to big toe for future reference – at the point of no return, look war-torn and weatherbeaten for best results!).
From Bell Tor (Tor 8) we headed off to Top Tor (Tor 9 – 432 meters). One may be forgiven for thinking that its name is derived from being the highest Tor in the surrounding area; not so! Many Tors on Dartmoor do not actually have names, and despite digging around I have been unable to discover the reason behind Top Tor’s name. I did come across a blog suggesting Top Tor is also referenced as SX 736763… If anybody can assist with how the names of Dartmoor’s Tors were established, please feel free to leave a comment at the end of this post! Anyway, I digress…
Is it of any surprise that on the homeward leg of our hike we began to feel a little time pressure? A murky and quite dramatic cloud appeared, literally drawing a line between good weather and bad, and we wondered if we would complete our own challenge before darkness set in! Cold horizontal rain caught us off-guard in an area of open ground just after we had bagged Top Tor and were on our way to Tor 10… but within seconds a rainbow appeared, and for a moment I thought I saw reindeer… The editor in Jennifer Lyon surfaced right on cue as she remarked;
“Close – but I think it’s just the rain – dear!”
It was of course a herd of the Dartmoor’s famed wild ponies that I had seen through the mist and rain… *Doh!*
The excitement was starting to hit home now… Pil Tor, the tenth of the day at (400 meters), was in sight. There wasn’t much the weather could do at this stage to make us bypass our remaining Tors rather than climbing them. For a moment, I felt a hint of the thought process that must kick in so often when people tackle huge, once-in-a-lifetime challenges. I felt that if ever Jen and I were climbing companions on a ‘killer’ mountain such as Everest, we may become two of the many to allow our hearts to rule our minds… I understood how the goal can seem so important that you might ignore safety considerations in order to achieve it. Not making Tor number 10 (which just a few hours earlier seemed a highly ambitious ask) would have been overwhelmingly disappointing, even though this was no competition or ‘official’ challenge but just one we’d set ourselves that morning! But we did reach it and were delighted at doing so. From yet another area of cover provided by these ancient stones, we celebrated with the last of the coffee, a couple of biscuits and…
…what achievement could be celebrated without stoking that pipe with a cool blend of Borkum Riff tobacco mixed with Cherry Cavendish… (Sorry Jen, it had to be done!).
WAIT! No sooner did we think it was all over, when from the mist emerged a mighty fine sight. Yes, we know it was time for a victorious retreat to the car, but this ‘bonus hill’ was kind of on the way! Tor 11, Rippon Tor, stands at 473 meters… We looked at each other and without a word of confirmation being required, we both knew which route we’d be taking back to the car: via the trig point at the top of Rippon! Eight fingers, two thumbs and a tongue later (it’s the only way she could signal number 11 on her own!) and we were there!
…and that was that! From a standing start at breakfast in Dawlish, we dreamt up a walk, a hike, a slog or yomp and a challenge that would make us wet, cold and a little hungry for sugar. We covered 19.6 km over 3 hours 20 minutes moving time (approx. 5 hours including stops for lunch and map reading). According to my STRAVA app we had burned around 2,000 calories each, and I knew exactly where and how we would replenish those stocks. Even though we’d been well prepared and are quite used to hitting adverse weather conditions, it was a relief to get to the car and pull on some dry shoes and socks. After that, we headed straight to the famed House of Marbles in Bovey Tracey, where we deftly avoided proper nutrition and headed straight for the pudding counter! I wonder if we can make a Tor out of that pile of sugar…. that would take the day’s total to twelve, ha ha!
After that, we headed straight to the famed House of Marbles in Bovey Tracey, where we deftly avoided proper nutrition and headed straight for the pudding counter! I wonder if we can make a Tor out of that pile of sugar…. that would take the day’s total to twelve, ha ha!
A great day was had by the both of us… Happy Christmas to one and all!
Simon Duringer is an award-winning blogger, interviewer and author. His own books can be found on Amazon too by clicking any of the following icons…
Beyond all else, don’t forget to bookmark the site to come back and hear more from the award-winning authors interviewed by Simon… Jennifer Lyon is a highly respected proofreader, editor and translator. Expect to hear much more from this duo in the not-so-distant future!
December 15, 2015
Flat Out Flat Broke - The Original STIG
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Flat Out Flat Broke
2015 has been an interesting year all told…
So, the highlight? Well, I am honoured to have worked with Perry McCarthy, Top Gear’s Original STIG, and we achieved a few ‘Tops’ in 2015…
Top in the Motor Sports genre for the Kindle edition of his autobiography:
‘Flat Out, Flat Broke – The Original STIG’ in the UK, USA, CA and AU. Not bad for a book that had already sold over 250,000 in paperback!
Amazon USA Ranked Number #1 in Motor Sports as at 15 December 2015 (1500hrs GMT)
Well, as the year wore on I forged new relationships, and as always I am most grateful to those 7,000+ followers on Twitter, and 20,000+ FB Book Lovers members, who I have yet to meet but who continue to support my Social Media rants and promos! I promise to get back to those and will be doing some more of Simon’s 10Q Interviews soon!
(Just need a few Bestselling volunteers… Mua-ha-ha!)
As for Flat Out Flat Broke? We scooped another ‘Top’ just a few weeks ago by winning the 2015 AuthorsDB Best Cover Award in the genres of Biography and Autobiography. I am delighted to have played a small part in that little creation too, but it couldn’t have been achieved without, first, the awesome photographic skills of Tim Booth who provided the centrepiece for the cover, and second, the incredible attention to detail that Perry insists on in all that he plays a part in! If you haven’t seen his self-promo video I suggest you take a look (link at the bottom of the page) as it is a mini-thriller in its own right and is also his own creation! *AWESOME*
So, what’s on the cards for 2016? Well, Flat Out Flat Broke still has a lot of mileage left in it (pun intended). Perry has also been a Top 10 author within the AuthorsDB community! Wouldn’t it be a coup if one of those film directors had a read and saw the book’s potential for reaching a wider audience? *Ahem, that’s a hint*
Who should read this book? In short, EVERYBODY… I can say that with candour as, whilst I assisted with the cover design and publishing, it doesn’t contain my words but does continue to inspire me!
Every one of Perry McCarthy’s successes has been achieved through his grit and determination. It didn’t always work, though! Whilst his autobiography examines his ‘largely self-financed’ career path, his approach is relevant to anybody with a strong desire to succeed in any walk of life. In fact, Perry’s experiences, and how he chose to deal with them, apply to many of life’s situations (that we can all relate to).
It’s that time of year when we are all racking our brains about what to give to our loved ones. If you know anybody, in any walk of life, with a desire to succeed or indeed who is struggling and battling to achieve what they desire, I would suggest considering this Kindle book as a gift for them. It’s the kind of present that would suit someone at any stage of their life, as it follows Perry from childhood through to his retirement from racing, and onward to the beginning of another successful career as a motivational speaker. The key difference between this book and other ‘motivational’ works is that Flat Out Flat Broke will make you laugh… a lot! It will also make you cry… hopefully not too much! You will be drawn in by Perry’s successes and failures and you will shout aloud for him to achieve what he deserves and dreams of! For anybody in need of inspiration, a giggle, or simply a damned good read, Flat Out Flat Broke is a great example of what the STIG has achieved and how he dealt with challenges along the way and emerged on the other side still smiling.
Don’t take my word for it; feel free to read the reviews! Many of them appear below but most have been taken directly from, and can be found on, Amazon!
Last but not least, once again, congratulations to Perry McCarthy and Tim Booth for winning the 2015 AuthorsDB Best Cover Award, and thanks to all those who voted in order to make that happen.
Wishing all readers the best for the holiday season and the New Year.
Below is a collection of reviews about Perry’s autobiography; Flat Out Flat Broke – The Original STIG
SAMPLE OF MAGAZINE/NEWSPAPER REVIEWS:
‘ … this book is hilarious’
Autosport
‘Perry McCarthy does for Formula One what Bill Bryson did for travel writing. But beneath the black humour and wisecracks – funny enough to make you laugh out loud in public – lies an inspiring and at times poignant tale of that rarest kind of racer: one who never gave up and was, literally, prepared to die trying.’
The Independent on Sunday
‘Perry McCarthy has always been excellent at describing his career in a series of memorable anecdotes, and here they are, strung together in book form. The reader is frequently left racked with sympathy at the author’s outrageous misfortune, or in convulsive sobs of laughter. This is an utterly fantastic read.’
MotorSport magazine
‘Sometimes books, like cigarette packets, should come with a surgeons health warning. Flat Out Flat Broke is a case in point, not just because it contains photographs of the author in the long forgotten days of his early childhood, but because it will make your stomach ache from laughing.’
F1 Magazine
‘…. A fantastic funny story’
(Book of the week) The London Evening Standard
‘His engaging story of a less-than-smooth life in motor racing exudes his own cockney energy and enthusiasm and is a charming feel good tale that shows you can get what you want if you want it badly enough’
Scottish Sunday Express
‘The James Hunt impressions, the Ayrton Senna pizza delivery, the Rat Pack stories – the laughs come thick and fast in Perry McCarthy’s fantastic new book, Flat Out Flat Broke …’
Daily Express
‘The third edition of Perry McCarthy’s autobiography is a brilliant read’
Auto Express
SAMPLE OF AMAZON CUSTOMER REVIEWS:
‘Fantastic’ Mr. J. W. Wood (Grimsby, UK)
‘Brilliant!’ By True Reader’ “Brock” (London, England)
‘Fantastic very funny!’ By S. Shepherd (UK)
‘Brilliant’ By Trevor Waldock (Maldon, Essex United Kingdom)
‘Flat out, Flat Great’ By C. M. Killa “Cat1984” (Llanelli, South Wales)
‘Superb read’ By MR PAVS (United Kingdom)
‘Superbly Entertaining’ By M. McCall “otto-mate”
‘Perry you are one in a million!’ By A Customer
‘Let’s cheer him at Le Mans’ By “yn0711”
‘When’s the continuation book coming out?’ By “tcp8”
‘Stretch out, relax and enjoy!’ By: Mrs. P. L. England. (STAFFORD, Staffs. United Kingdom)
‘Flat Out, Flat Broke – but not Flat…’ By Bernard McMinn
‘Hilarious account of bizarre motorsport career!!’ By “jamie@f1rejects.com”
Perry is available for personal appearances (contact via his personal website)
Perry McCarthy: Amazon UK
Perry McCarthy: Amazon USA
Perry McCarthy: Amazon AU
Perry McCarthy: Amazon CA
Simon Duringer is an award winning blogger, interviewer and author. His own books can be found on Amazon too by clicking any of the following icons…
Beyond all else, don’t forget to bookmark the site to come back and hear more from the award winning authors interviewed by Simon…
Now y’all have a nice holiday season and come back soon… Wishing all my readers a happy and prosperous 2016!
November 30, 2015
Danger in the Lakes!
I’m not talking about swimming here (I’m sure that carries its own set of perils) but of course being up in the clouds in one of my favourite places… the Lake District!
Earlier this year my good old hiking partner (Jennifer Lyon) and I went up there (in fact as we do at pretty much any opportunity!), fairly well equipped too, but as it was such a nice summer’s day we made that cardinal error: left most of our kit in the car!
We had a great day, well… until we found ourselves a couple of mountains away from the car, a little disorientated, off the path we’d been aiming for, out of water, and I think I can speak for both of us to say we were pretty damned exhausted and relieved to reach the car! We’d walked around 21 km in total. I must admit the weather had been beautiful at the start, and indeed throughout, and therefore also largely responsible for the major dehydration we were suffering by the end of the trek…
Never again would we be unprepared to be out so long, I decided! So, I upgraded the first aid kit and survival kit, and bought an emergency GPS beacon, none of which I am glad to say have ever been left behind since. The weather on the day of our last visit and trek proved to be beautiful once more, but heck that stuff was still coming with me up the hill. We’d checked the forecast and were hoping to be back at the car (or nearly!) by about 3pm, as that’s when heavy rain was likely to sweep in – and this was the best day of the week, the only one that seemed to promise a few decent hours of sunshine! Which is often as good as it gets in the Lakes in October. So all the usual warm gear was packed to take with us, and we set off… a bit late, oops, but all smiles at the prospect of a good walk.
Expecting bad weather over the coming hours, we’d decided to tackle our route clockwise, starting with the hardest part. So for the outward leg we’d be climbing on not-so-obvious paths which would be slippery / boggy / rocky in places, and where we’d need good visibility (several hundred metres) of where we were aiming for. If we did the route this way, the latter half of the walk would then be all downhill on an obvious path straight back to the car, which we agreed would help if we got caught in the rain!
So we started from where we’d parked in Longsleddale and took a bridleway running northwards along the river Sprint… We then followed a track to the south of Wray Crag before following a long wall that led upwards to its peak, and continuing on to Shipman Knotts, then Rough Crag with the cliffs of Goat Scar falling away to the right. It was great! Though as we looked behind we could see clouds sweeping up the valley… eek, hurry, hurry! We made it to Kentmere Pike at around 730m and then to the cairn at the top of Harter Fell. At this point the original plan had been to nip a hundred yards to the left, slightly closer to the edge, to enjoy the views of Nan Bield Pass, Mardale Waters, Mardale III Bell and High Street… Brilliant, we thought!
But it actually wasn’t such a brilliant idea… we could see the clouds closing in fast, and we’d probably only gone about 10 metres before they landed on us! And it was only 2pm… which goes to show that weather forecasts in mountain areas are never set in stone. So there we were at the highest point of our walk, with freezing horizontal rain suddenly lashing down on us. Funnily enough, we decided to skip those views (which were invisible now anyway, lost in the clouds!). We knew the bad weather would be in for the rest of the day, so it was time to make a beeline for the car… about 10 km away!
So we kept following our route – thank goodness we had a solid fence boundary across the top of Little Harter Fell, leading us south east-ish towards our path back down to the valley floor, Gatescarth. Each of us had a hat, neck buff, gloves, a fleece and a waterproof jacket, so our top halves stayed warm but our legs were soaked and very cold within five minutes. It may be time to invest in a second pair of waterproof trousers… Jen had a pair, but we both refused to put them on, insisting that the other should instead! We now freely admit that that was taking politeness a bit too far… somebody really should have been wearing them!
We reached the narrow path down to Gatescarth, and that’s when the winds hit HARD. The kind of gusting winds that you either lean your entire body into or get blown off your feet! We fought our way onward and eventually reached the more gently-descending Gatescarth Pass, which took us back to the valley road and all the way back to the car. We had expected the valley walk to be nice and sheltered… a bit of a respite, we imagined, from whatever the weather might be doing at that point. But no! The wind drove the rain into our faces all the way… never mind. The bit we can giggle about now (but not at the time) was that Jen’s boot decided to start complaining i.e. the front half of the sole gave up the ghost and flapped around for the last five kilometres! We were both amazed (but very glad) it stayed on… great effort Jen for making it back at all!
We arrived back at the car very wet and cold (but nothing a good long cuddle couldn’t cure… he he he!). The trek had taken us 4 hours and 35 mins, with “only” about two of those hours in a downpour! Without taking height differentials into consideration, we walked about 18.5 km, the highest point of the day being Harter Fell cairn at 778m.
Point being you can never control nature, and the weatherman is frequently a tad wrong when it comes to mountains, so ALWAYS go prepared.
Enjoy the pictures; they’re in a very random order, as this new photo app behaves as oddly as the weather, but they’re fairly self-explanatory! (I just wish I had the one I took of Jen’s talking shoe!)
Simon Duringer is an award winning blogger, interviewer and author. His own books can be found on Amazon too by clicking any of the following icons…
Beyond all else, don’t forget to bookmark the site to come back and hear more from the award winning authors interviewed by Simon… Jennifer Lyon is a highly respected proofreader, editor and translator. Expect to hear more from this duo in the not so distant future! (although all/any mistakes here are mine as I wrote this at stupid o’clock in the morning and she’s hopefully getting some beauty sleep!)
Now y’all have a nice day!
November 2, 2015
AuthorsDB Cover contest 2015
If you haven't heard then the 2015 AuthorsDB cover contest semi-finalists have now been announced!
My good friend and Original BBC TV's Top Gear STIG's autobiography Flat Out Flat Broke has been voted into those semi-finals.
It's one person one vote throughout the contest making it a fair contest to enter as an author and ensures a true result!
Voting for the finals has now began so if you haven't already voted then please consider giving Perry McCarthy your vote for what I consider to be the most inspirational autobiography I have ever read, backed up by a fantastic and dynamic cover!
You can use the link below to vote, it simply requires your name and email address and hit the vote button... No questions and no spam!
If you have voted before from that IP address you will not be offered a 'Vote Now' button.
Simple, Easy and honest! Not very often we can say that :-)
All votes appreciated.
http://authorsdb.com/2015-cover-conte...
October 18, 2015
Interviewing Soap Star Jacqueline Leonard
http://simonduringer.com/latest-news/...
October 17, 2015
Interviewing soap star Jacqueline Leonard
Whilst relocating to the South of the country meant my stint running the Chorley 102.8 FM Art and Lifestyle show would be brief, my last live show was a real humdinger!
Having received an email from the station director asking if I would attend a press conference in Preston’s guildhall I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect… The press conference was planned to announce this years pantomime season, with the added potential bonus of meeting the cast of the headlining show. So, I agreed.
Phoning ahead I organised two interviews on the day; Richard Simkin (Head of operations) and Susan Burns (General Manager)… but having watched the press conference it struck me that there were further opportunities both for the guildhall and indeed the radio station! After the conference I got the necessary memorabilia shots with the two most attractive ladies at the event; soap and film star (below left) and CBBC Newsround presenter Hayley Hassall (below right).
Following the cheeky photocall I couldn’t stop myself from asking the highly talented and stunning actress Jacqueline Leonard for an interview, she agreed, and the rest as they say is history! So, for those fans of Eastenders, Corrie, Doctors, Peak Practice and the like, brace yourselves for this fantastic interview. I should add that the Jacqueline Leonard interview by no means caters only for soap fans. With Christmas coming so is panto season! If you are based within travelling distance of Preston guildhall do they have a treat for you this Christmas. So, listen in to the interviews and check out when the star studded cast of Sleeping Beauty will come together for the 2015/16 panto season and don’t miss the panto teaser video at the end of the show!
Enjoy…
Tickets are limited folks (Oh yes they are!), so why not get across to the Preston Guildhall website by clicking on the poster below and secure your tickets today!
Simon Duringer
is an award winning blogger, interviewer and author. He is the presenter of the Chorley 102.8 FM Arts and Lifestyle Show and a member of The Lancashire Authors Association. His books can be found on Amazon by clicking any of the following icons…
