Simon Duringer's Blog, page 15
June 17, 2015
Interviewing author Jill McDonald-Constable MA
It was alright on the night! The technology worked and we all went home to celebrate with tea and cakes…
Having recently won several awards and trophies at The Lancashire Author’s Association’s annual prize giving for her short stories, author Jill McDonald-Constable was the key guest on the Chorley 102.8 FM Arts and Lifestyle show on the 09 June 2015. The show, for those unfamiliar, runs every Tuesday night between 6-8pm (UK time) and can be heard across the globe using the Chorley FM internet player!
In addition to Jill’s phone-in interview, I interviewed none other than co-presenter Hannah Winstanley on her passion for anime and gaming and John Winstanley, Secretary of one of the most well established writing groups in the UK The Lancashire Author’s Association (Est 1909) came in to discuss why people should consider joining the LAA and indeed to assist in reviewing a number of books that as a group we are currently reading.
Other authors that were discussed on air included; Colin Denby, Morgan St James, Rachel Abbott, Matt Haig, Rosie Garland, Perry McCarthy and many more…
But let’s tell you a little more about our main guest; Jill McDonald-Constable…
Born in Liverpool, Gill has been writing for many years in a variety of genres, she had some poems and articles published over the years but never achieved her dream of getting a real book out there. Until a series of strange events occurred. A DNA test posted on the Ancestry website led to the discovery that her late husband, Chris’s real father had been an American Airman. He was also the great-grandson of a Chippewa Indian chief!
At around that time, Gill states that she woke one day from a vivid dream and had to start writing straight away. It turned out to be a Western! The resulting book was sent off to the only publisher Gill knew in the UK who published Westerns. Robert Hale published The Ghosts Of Poynter (Linford Western Library)
in 2012. Gill decided she needed to take a male name for her Westerns, and using relatives names Amos Carr was born. Her second book for Hale, Crazy Man Cade (Linford Western Library)
came out later the same year. The Secret of the Silver Star is due out in August. Her first two are now out of print but still readily available at your local Library. Silver Star will be available on Amazon in August. Gill is one of only four women in the UK who write westerns for Hale, and they all write under male names!
Gill sent one manuscript off to Hale who decided that one wasn’t for them, then she found out about a publisher in the USA who were looking for submissions and sent it off to them. Prairie Rose Publications published Saint or Sinner
in 2014, with the addition of a little more Romance! For PRP Gill uses the name Gil McDonald. Her second story for PRP was Hearts and Red Ribbons, a long short story in a Valentine’s anthology, which is coming out as a single sell short book later this year. Her latest book, Eyes Like The Sea
came out in May. All of these are (or will soon be) available on Amazon.
Gill is delighted to be able to say she is published on both sides of the Atlantic, and she sells cowboys to America!
When Gill’s Mum discovered she was going to be published, her Mum asked what the books were, after Gill told her, Mum’s mouth dropped open, it turned out that her father had never read anything but Westerns! So what with that, and Chris’s news about his heritage, surely it was meant to be that she should write Westerns!
She has two more Westerns on the go at the moment, and has a contemporary romance and a children’s novel out with agents at the moment. Fingers crossed for Gil, Gill, Jill and Amos!
You can visit Gill’s author pages by clicking the following links;
The Gil McDonald Amazon Author Page
The Amos Carr Amazon Author Page
Finally, here is what we’ve all been waiting for… The full Chorley 102.8 FM Art and Lifestyle Show aired on the 09 June 2015 Presented by Simon Duringer and Hannah Winstanley. Enjoy!
102.8 FM Art & Lifestyle Show 090615 by Simon Dusty Duringer on Mixcloud
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 Treasurer of The Lancashire Authors Association. His books can be found on Amazon by clicking any of the following icons…
Top Gear and The STIG
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June 16, 2015
Interviewing Author D J Harrison
He is the publishing partner of prolific writer and global bestseller Stephen Leather and I am delighted to introduce the DJ Harrison interview recorded live on air and in the Chorley 102.8FM studios on the 02 June 2015...
http://simonduringer.com/?p=4716
Author D J Harrison on Chorley 102.8 FM
A bit like the Titanic; my third Chorley 102.8 FM Art and Lifestyle Radio Show seemed at the time (02/06/2015) to be one that should never have happened. However, unlike the titanic we survived, teeth gritted but sparing our blushes. One might say the show sank in terms of what should have happened but what transpired through misfortune was quite incredible!
For one person our disaster turned into an opportunity and, boy oh boy, we covered some ground! Listeners will be glad to know that we have also since resolved the phone-in issues and occasionally even get Sky News to play on the hour so… everybody’s happy!
What did we learn…? Well for one thing our guest author, the one of three we did successfully interview on air on the night, endured a marathon interview and came out smiling. Remaining with us for the entire two hours and, watching on in amazement as we dealt with one technical crisis after another, author D J Harrison exposed a quite remarkable past that we were unaware of and may not have become aware of had it not been for all of the issues that kept him in the hot seat for so long…
Author D J Harrison, or David as he is known in social situations, is the publishing partner to prolific writer and globally bestselling author Stephen Leather. He has published three books known as The Jenny Parker series; Due Diligence (Jenny Parker Book 1)
, Proceeds of Crime (Jenny Parker Book 2)
and Limited Liability (Jenny Parker Book 3)
. There is also a fourth book currently on the editors desk, so watch this space on that front!
Click on any of the covers below to go straight to the Amazon book pages…
So, without wishing to offer any further spoilers for listeners, by giving away those little known secrets of David’s past exposed on the show, let’s move directly on by allowing you the pleasure, and it certainly was one for this interviewer, of listening to the D J Harrison endurance interview recorded live in the Chorley 102.8 FM studios on the 02 June 2015.
Limited Liability (Jenny Parker Book 3) has not only been nominated for a best book award but also for best cover award in the ‘Books Go Social’ awards 2015. Please consider offering your support by voting for Dave. It costs nothing and no personal details are required. It’s simply a tick box and submit… 1 per IP address… VOTE HERE. Dave assures me that everybody who votes for him will get to meet the Queen who has been invited to the post-winner party, but is yet to confirm or deny whether or not she will attend! LOL.
Simply click on the Mixcloud play button below, kick up your feet and enjoy…
102.8 FM The D J Harrison Author Challenge by Simon Dusty Duringer on Mixcloud
Simon Duringer
presents The Chorley 102.8 FM Art & Lifestyle Show with co presenter Hannah Winstanley. Simon is an award winning blogger, interviewer and author. His own books can be found on Amazon too by clicking any of the following icons…
June 9, 2015
Interviewing JFK's Bodyguard author Colin Denby
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Interviewing JFK’s Bodyguard Colin Denby
There were three interviews on the Chorley 102.8FM Art & Lifestyle show on 26 May 2015… What a great show with debut author and Special Operations Soldier Colin Denby. Colin was a bodyguard to US President John F Kennedy, involved in The Cuban Missile Crisis and posted to SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe). During his interview Colin speaks in depth about his childhood, the last days of National Service in the United Kingdom and the love of his life who he has now been married to for over 50 years.
The Price of Freedom
is in essence an autobiographical account of his life and is already being sold in; Waterstones, W H Smiths and most major London book stores. Published by Austin Macauley the book is characterised under the Fiction (Thriller) genre, although having interviewed Colin both on and off air, there appears to be more fact than fiction. This story has been largely subject to The Official Secrets Act for over 25 years. Great interviewee.
Interviewee number two was the musician and sound engineer Jalokier due to perform in a Chorley 102.8 FM live lounge the following day Jalokier came to the studios to give an entertaining and interesting insight into his love for and production of a fairly unique genre of music. Click on play below to hear Jalokier in action with Gum Void…
Interviewee number three was another valued author from Lancashire Stephen Jansen
. Stephen over the years produced a number of works of fiction. He is a commissioned playright and screenwriter. Stephen Jansen brought an interesting slant to the show having literally just been signed by a US publishers…
Click on the MixCloud links to listen to the entire Chorley 102.8 FM Art and Lifestyle show and don’t forget to tune in to The Chorley 102.8 FM internet player to listen at your leisure to all future shows aired live on the player between 1800-2000hrs (6-8pm) UK Time on Tuesdays. Anything could happen… and usually does!
102.8 CFM Colin Denby, Adam Digman and Stephen Jansen Interviews by Simon Dusty Duringer on Mixcloud
Simon Duringer presents The Chorley 102.8 FM Art & Lifestyle Show with co presenter Hannah Winstanley. Simon 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 day!
May 28, 2015
Leigh Russell on the Art & Lifestyle Show
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Art & Lifestyle Show with Leigh Russell
At last! The debut of my Chorley 102.8 FM Art and Lifestyle Radio Show has taken place. The first show aired on May 19th 2015 with Co-Presenter Hannah Winstanley and will be ongoing every Tuesday night from 6-8pm!
You can listen in from anywhere around the world using The Chorley FM player.
With a follow up on the ‘What’s Your Story Chorley?’ literary event this show was really quite interview intensive. Combing the streets of Chorley and talking to Groups such as The Chorley and District Writers Circle and The Lancashire Authors Association, we also caught up with spectators, authors and playwrights who had given speeches and readings, street dancers and of course the organisers from both The Council and The Creative Network!
Photograph by: Michael Leigh
But the highlight of the show for me had to be the three part interview with Internationally Bestselling Crime Writer Leigh Russell who has just brought out a new novel Killer Plan
. I caught up with Leigh and her husband Michael at a hotel outside Leeds where she had been participating on a Crime panel at the Leeds Literary festival. You can order any of Leigh’s books by clicking on the thumbnails below or by visiting the Leigh Russell Amazon Author page.
Leigh has had another incredible year; She has sold the TV Options for The Geraldine Steel series and Ian Peterson spin off series to Avalon Television Ltd to be made into a TV series. She remains signed with No Exit Press, Harper Collins US and has just signed a new four book deal with Amazon. Her track record speaks for itself… Last year a finalist in The People’s Book Awards, She has also been shortlisted for the coveted CWA Dagger Award. She has held overall sales positions as follows… #1 iTunes, #1 on Amazon Kindle, Top 20 WH Smith’s. Leigh’s work has also been voted #1 Women Sleuths, Top 10 Miami Examiner, Top Read Eurocrime!
But it doesn’t stop there! Here are a few reviews from other authors readers may have heard of (smirk!)…
‘Leigh Russell is one to watch’ – LEE CHILD
‘A brilliant talent in the thriller field’ – JEFFERY DEAVER
‘Taut and compelling’ – PETER JAMES
So, without further ado here is my first official show at Chorley 102.8 FM with a 3 part interview with Leigh Russell!
102.8 CFM Leigh Russell and WYSC Interviews by Simon Dusty Duringer on Mixcloud
Simon Duringer is an award winning blogger, an 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 day!
May 12, 2015
The Lancashire Author's Association (Est 1909).
http://simonduringer.com/?p=4665
The Lancashire Author’s Association (Est. 1909).
Recently I have taken over as Treasurer of The Lancashire Author’s Association (LAA) and wanted to share some of the history and indeed merits of becoming a member of such an organisation! So, let’s start at the beginning…
The Lancashire Author’s Association is open to everybody, not just those living in Lancashire in the United Kingdom. In fact there are members far and wide spanning the globe! Established in 1909 the LAA boasts former members such as Dame Gracie Fields. Below is a picture of some of the LAA original members…
On a day to day basis The LAA is run by an Executive Committee voted in by its membership. Those currently serving and their positions are as follows;
Chairman: Mrs Pauline Hutchinson
Treasurer: Mr Simon Duringer
Secretary: Mr John Winstanley
Editor of the Record: Mrs Pauline Hutchinson
Membership Secretary: Mrs Jill McDonald-Constable
Librarian: Mr Brian Foster
Competitions Secretary: Mrs Olive Riley
Publicity Officer: Mrs Rita Jones
Website Administrator: Mr Peter Jones
Minutes Secretary: Ms Maeve Fagan
Committee Member: Mr Dana Nadeau
The committee meet monthly to discuss Association Business and the minutes of said meeting are circulated throughout the membership. There is also a regular printed Newsletter namely ‘The Record’ sent out to members.
In addition to Regular and Committee members, there are a number of patrons to the Association. These are individuals who have paid for life membership which currently stands at £200 GBP (subject to change). The membership year commences on 1st of January and other available subscriptions are as follows;
Individual Annual Membership: £15.00 GBP
Joint Annual Membership: £19.50 GBP
Annual Membership for Libraries: £15.00 GBP
Junior Members: £7.50 GBP
Currently, competitions are held exclusively for members, although one might be hard pushed to gain entry into any serious writing competition these days for less than the LAA annual subscription payment and the rewards and prestige associated with LAA competitions are far higher than many! A selection of the cups and silverware associated with the competitions is below.
Details of the annual competitions are as follows;
The Batty Cup: Any poem in STANDARD ENGLISH not exceeding 100 lines.
The Scholes Cup: LANCASHIRE DIALECT WRITING. Any piece of prose not exceeding 1500 words or poem not exceeding 100 lines.
The William Baron Cup: An article on any theme other than Lancashire not exceeding 1500 words.
The Douglas Townsend Cup: An article on a Lancashire theme not exceeding 1500 words.
The Mercer Cup: A short story in STANDARD ENGLISH not exceeding 1500 words.
The Brian Mitchell Cup: WRITING FOR CHILDREN – a Piece of prose or short story not exceeding 1000 words or poem not exceeding 40 lines, in STANDARD ENGLISH . In addition to the number of words/lines, the author MUST state the AGE GROUP for which it is written.
The LAA Writer of the Year Rosebowl is awarded to the most outstanding entry chosen independently from the winners of the Cups.
As readers will see the prizes are fairly prestigious and have passed through the hands of some household names over the years… So to recap…
ABOUT LAA: The LAA has been promoting the reading and writing of Lancashire literature since 1909.
Fellowship and Friendliness are prime features of our Association and new members are assured of a warm welcome.
MEMBERSHIP: Anyone interested in Lancashire Literature and History can join, the Association is not solely for writers. All membership enquiries should be directed sent to the following email: membership@lancashireauthorsassociation.co.uk
OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the Association are to foster and stimulate public interest in all aspects and forms of literature, both Lancashire orientated and general, as well as preserving an interest in Lancashire History and Traditions.
Readers who are considering joining a credible, friendly and well established writing association with great competitions, newsletters and events should seriously consider joining the LAA. Did I mention we have our own library too? Any detailas I have missed can be found on the LAA Website at: http://www.lancashireauthorsassociation.co.uk
I hope to see you there soon!
Simon Duringer
Treasurer LAA
