My friend and fellow Ward Wood Publishing author, Joe Stein’s latest book, Through Another Night, is a finalist today for The People’s Book Prize. This is terrific news especially as the award is given purely on the vote of general readers. Joe’s book is the latest in his series of novels following the troubled life of ex-boxer turned bodyguard, Garron. I’ve read them all so far and admire them enormously not just for the excitement and realism but also for their psychological depth.

Joe Stein, a Londoner and ex-boxer obviously knows what he’s writing about so I thought I’d take this space to encourage you all to read it if you haven’t already. If you have read it, it’s not too late to vote for it on-line. Be quick though because the results will be announced tonight at 8.20pm  in the UK on Sky News. It’s worth turning on the programme even if it’s too see the unlikely sight of Joe in tuxedo and black bow-tie.

If you want to vote then follow this link:

http://www.peoplesbookprize.com/finalist.php

If you want to buy the book, follow this link:

http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-joe-stein-through-another-night.htm

Good luck tonight, Joe.

The post My friend, Joe Stein, man of the people, is up for The People’s Book Prize appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

It was a full house at the very welcoming Greenwich gallery, Made In Greenwich yesterday when I and three of my Ward Wood Publishing colleagues gave our first collective reading together. Like a band on the road, the four of us had a great time and have vowed to do this again in the spirit of The Beatles movie, A Hard Day’s Night.

An idea dreamed up months ago in a conversation at London’s Poetry Café finally came to its very enjoyable conclusion last night in front of a large and encouragingly receptive audience (many of them were poets from the Greenwich area) hosted by the wonderfully informal and enthusiastic Irena Hill, co-owner of the gallery who stepped in at the last minute to replace our publisher, Adele Ward, who had become a victim of the London Underground strike. Thanks, Irena, you were great.

First up was Peter Phillips who fully engaged the audience right from the start with his wryly humourous and yet passionate readings from his two Ward Wood poetry collections, No School Tie and Oscar And I.

The No School Tie poems provide a vivid poet’s impression  of a boarding school childhood as well life as a writer,  a husband and a grandfather. Then Oscar And I, the confessions of a fictional minor poet George Meadows who experiences all the fragile hopes and stoically received disappointments of any writer’s life but with irony and honesty and humour. If you have read the poems but not heard Peter read them then you’ve missed a treat. Once heard, his voice always sounds in my head when returning to these delightful collections.

Next was American-born but London-based novelist and poet, Sue Guiney who is working on a series of novels set in Cambodia where she has founded a writing workshop for street children in Siem Reap and now spends about two months each year teaching there.  Her most recent novel, Out of the Ruins, the second in her Cambodia series, was published by Ward Wood in January. 

Sue read from Out Of The Ruins continuing her exploration of what happens when East meets West, in this case when two European doctors set up women’s clinic in Cambodian town of Siem Reap with the passionate assistance of a young Khmer nurse. Sue read this and some of her new Cambodian poems with the real passion and commitment she feels for this much put-upon country. She also read from her Ward Wood poetry collection, Her Life Collected, my latest “loo read” – a collection of wonderfully direct and personal poems that are my current inspiration.

Then there was Joe Stein, Ward Wood’s impressive crime writer, who is much more than that. He is a terrific writer who draws on, amongst other things, his life as an amateur boxer and professional bodyguard. His main character, Garron, is a body-guard with a philosophical soul and an ever-questioning attitude that gives the Garron books their special quality – I would say literary quality if that didn’t sound dull which the books most certainly aren’t.

Joe read from his latest Ward Wood novel, the third in the series, That Twisted Thing Called Truth and then, a special treat for people like me, hooked on what is going to happen next with the intriguing existentialist Garron, Joe read from his new novel, Through Another Night due to be released in October. I can’t wait.

And then there was me, the newest of all the Ward Wood novelists. I read some extracts from my book Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love enjoying the contrast between my hapless young fogey character Stephen and Joe’s much more muscular Garron. Afterwards, Joe and I pondered what it would be like if the two of them met. As Made In Greenwich usually hosts poetry events, I read part of my Fibonacci poetry sequence, Brief Encounters, a work still in-progress, but one day, I hope, a collection in the spirit of the Romantic song cycles by two of my heroes, that I used to sing as a young music student, Schubert’s Winterreise and Schumann’s Dichterliebe.

Peter, Sue, Joe and I are enthusiastic about doing this again. Our work is so contrasted that collectively the readings really do add up to something greater than it’s individual parts. More important than that though, it was fun.

STEPHEN DEARSLEY’S SUMMER OF LOVE BY COLIN BELL

My novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, was published  on 31 October 2013. It is the story of a young fogey living in Brighton in 1967 who has a lot to learn when the flowering hippie counter culture changes him and the world around him.

It is now available as a paperback or on Kindle (go to your region’s Amazon site for Kindle orders)

You can order the book from the publishers, Ward Wood Publishing:

http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-colin-bell-stephen-dearsleys-summer-of-love.htm 

…or from Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stephen-Dearsleys-Summer-Love-Colin-Bell/9781908742070

…or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stephen%20Dearsley’s%20Summer%20Of%20love

The post Four have fun in Greenwich – the Ward Wood Writers hit the road. appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

It’s today, folks. I’m reading from my novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love and my fellow Ward Wood Publishing writers are reading from their work too. Come along and lend us your support – come and say hello too.

For more information here’s the link to my previous blog on this event:

https://wolfiewolfgang.com/2014/04/im-join-some-of-other-ward-wood-writers.html

STEPHEN DEARSLEY’S SUMMER OF LOVE BY COLIN BELL

My novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, was published  on 31 October 2013. It is the story of a young fogey living in Brighton in 1967 who has a lot to learn when the flowering hippie counter culture changes him and the world around him.

It is now available as a paperback or on Kindle (go to your region’s Amazon site for Kindle orders)

You can order the book from the publishers, Ward Wood Publishing:

http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-colin-bell-stephen-dearsleys-summer-of-love.htm 

…or from Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stephen-Dearsleys-Summer-Love-Colin-Bell/9781908742070

…or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stephen%20Dearsley’s%20Summer%20Of%20love

The post Come and see me and my writer friends today in Greenwich. appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

I’m getting ready for next Wednesday when I’m off to Greenwich for a reading from my novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love with some of my fellow Ward Wood Publishing writers, Peter Phillips, Sue Guiney,  Joe Stein and Adele Ward (the Ward in Ward Wood).

I hope Peter Phillips will read from his latest poetry collection, Oscar And I, a funny and poignant collection telling the story of a very minor poet and his dog. Peter always makes me laugh – he can make me cry too. Joe’s latest novel, That Twisted Thing Called Truth is the third in a series of novels about the ex-boxer, Garron and his fight to survive in London’s criminal underworld.He has a new one coming out this Autumn and, who knows, he might even give us some clues about what’s next for the fascinating and much put-upon, Garron. In the meanwhile, I’m hoping to finish Sue’s new novel, Out Of The Ruins, the second in her absorbing series about the problems and joys in being a Western ex-pat in modern day Cambodia where tradition collides with science when two European doctors try to set up a clinic for the poor women of Siem Reap – I’m already a fan of Joe’s and Peter’s books and of Sue’s previous Cambodian novel, A Clash Of Innocents, now I’m hooked on Sue’s latest. I shall read from my novel Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love and I might decide to give some of my new novel an airing – it’s called Blue Notes, Still Frames and it too is set in Brighton.

We’ll be at the Made In Greenwich Gallery and Meeting Place at 7.30 on Wednesday along with some regular Greenwich poets so it would be good to meet some of you there. I’m hoping we can persuade Adele Ward to read from her novel too. It will be fun so come along if you can.

——————————————————————————————————–

STEPHEN DEARSLEY’S SUMMER OF LOVE BY COLIN BELL

My novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, was published  on 31 October 2013. It is the story of a young fogey living in Brighton in 1967 who has a lot to learn when the flowering hippie counter culture changes him and the world around him.

It is now available as a paperback or on Kindle (go to your region’s Amazon site for Kindle orders)

You can order the book from the publishers, Ward Wood Publishing:

http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-colin-bell-stephen-dearsleys-summer-of-love.htm 

…or from Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stephen-Dearsleys-Summer-Love-Colin-Bell/9781908742070

…or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stephen%20Dearsley’s%20Summer%20Of%20love

The post I’m joining some of the other Ward Wood writers for next week’s Greenwich readings. appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

I was up in London on Tuesday evening for a bit of performing at the Phoenix Theatre in Charing Cross Road – well, anyone who knows me thinks I’m a bit of a show-off so I’m sure you’re not surprised to read this.

This theatre opened in 1930 with the premier of Noel Coward’s play Private Lives starring Noel himself along with Gertrude Lawrence and the young Laurence Olivier but today it’s showing Once – The Musical, billed as ‘the musical of the decade’.

Adequate as my song and dance routines are, I wasn’t actually appearing in Once. No, I was downstairs.

I was underneath the theatre in the splendidly atmospheric Phoenix Artist Club that many years ago had once been used as the theatre’s original dressing rooms and rehearsal studios  – so the space retains some of the spirit of dear Larry, Noel and Gertie. They linger on here especially after a few or even a few more drinks.

The event soon turned into a party and, against all expectations, I actually enjoyed myself.

My thanks to poet Peter Daniels for taking these photographs of me doing my party-mingling which, that night, was refreshingly free from small-talk.

I also got the chance to meet a number of people who have known for some time but who now, like James Grant,  became virtual friends turned to flesh.

Peter Daniels also took some photographs of me on stage where I read a short section of my novel to a generously receptive audience.

Afterwards I was kept busy signing copies of the book – here with the award-winning American poet  Patricia Averbach….

..and here with my son Adam who also wanted an inscribed copy. At this little corner table I could not only sign books but do a bit of palm-reading too even if no one actually believed my predictions.

Adele Ward filmed part of the reading for which I’m most grateful as I don’t sound nearly as bad as I thought I did. The next-door bar joviality much noisier on the video than it was in reality – the atmosphere was informal and intimate considering we were right in the centre of London. Thanks to everyone who came along that night – it was terrific to see you all.

After such a truly enjoyable and memorable evening, I couldn’t just go off afterwards to my hotel bed. Luckily London’s Chinatown is genuinely a 24 hour experience and the Red Dragon Restaurant in Gerrard Street served a leisurely and very good meal a long time after midnight –  bed was considerably later.

After all the socialising, enjoyable though it was, it was also great, the next morning, taking an almost empty train home from London to Lewes. Trains make great decompression chambers. It’s now back to work on the new novel.

——————————————————————————————————————–

My novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, was published  on 31 October 2013. It is the story of a young fogey living in Brighton in 1967 who has a lot to learn when the flowering hippie counter culture changes him and the world around him.

The post My novel is launched in London at the Phoenix with friends, colleagues and the spirits of Noel Coward and Laurence Olivier. appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

Last night I finished reading Irish writer, Noel Duffy’s two novellas, The Return Journey & Our Friends Electric published by Ward Wood Publishing http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/
who, I’m proud to say, are also going to publish my novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love,  later this year.

 Reading and enjoying, Noel’s book, brings me to an important and slightly nervous moment in my own writing career, as it brings me to the end of reading Ward Wood’s impressive fiction list. Doubly impressive considering the company has only been running since 2010. Nervous for me, because I believe that I’m next in line and it’s a hard act to follow.  I’m still emerging from Noel’s two novellas, a lovely form, this the short novel or long short story especially when two of them are co-joined like these in one neat little volume. The novellas are stylistically contrasted but both reflect Noel’s poet’s sensibility and concision of language. They wear their erudition lightly too whether it is philosophy or 1980’s rock music. Also, dare I say this, they express his charming sense of hard-won optimism too. I’m still waiting to give his Hermann and his Tom a well-earned high-five.

So I’ve got to the end of the current list of seven paperback and two Kindle-only novels by this interesting group of writers who are rapidly in danger of becoming friends. I’ve now met five of them, Joe Stein, an ex-boxer, who is WW’s intriguingly existentialist crime writer, Noel Duffy, who is also an award-winning poet,  Sue Guiney who writes movingly about her life in Cambodia, and Shauna Gilligan, the stylishly adventurous Irish writer and, of course, Adele Ward herself – she is the Ward in Ward Wood. I’ve also got to know and laugh with the other two, the Finland-based Mike Horwood and the fellow-Sussex writer and a funny stand-up comedian, V G Lee on Facebook. I’m truly proud to be joining their number especially as we seem to know how to have fun together too.

I’ve now moved on to Ward Wood’s poetry books starting with Noel Duffy’s In the Library of Lost Objects, excepts from which I heard him read in a recent London event and Peter Phillips’ No School Tie. Peter is one of the regular poets at the Camden-Lumen Poetry events  http://camdenlumen.wordpress.com/  that I try to take part in on the first Friday of every month. I’m going tomorrow when Ward Wood is hosting the event with readings by Sue Guiney (my companion on an entertaining London underground journey) and Camden Lumen prize winner, Caroline Squire but the event is also launching Peter Phillips’ newly published collection, Oscar and I. I’ve heard some of the poems from this book already and enjoyed Peter’s wonderfully dry sense of humour which, I’m pleased to say, is very evident when you meet him too.

So I’m still on my way through all the Ward Wood publications adding Peter’s and Noel’s collections to previously read books by Bob Cooper, another Camden-Lumen prize winner and an ever vigilant eye on Birmingham inner city life, and Ward Wood’s own Adele Ward. Adele’s Never-Never Land was my introduction to her work and to her herself. It’s a moving autobiographical collection – a memorable way of getting to know the energetic and highly perceptive soon-to-be publisher of my own work.

Meanwhile, I’m getting into gear for the imminent publication (in October)  of my novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love, the story of a young fogey living in Brighton in 1967 who has a lot to learn when the flowering hippie counter culture changes him and the world around him.

You can already pre-order the book from the publishers, Ward Wood Publishing:

http://wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-colin-bell-stephen-dearsleys-summer-of-love.htm 

…or from Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stephen-Dearsleys-Summer-Love-Colin-Bell/9781908742070

…or from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Stephen%20Dearsley’s%20Summer%20Of%20love

The post I feel like I’m joining a club – reading and meeting Ward Wood Publishing’s writers. appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

This was my road in Lewes, UK, at three o’clock this morning. No much going on but that was OK because I was on my way to bed after a highly entertaining evening in London where I’d been to a reading by two Irish writers, a poet and a novelist, both published by the publisher of my soon-to-be-published novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer Of Love.

http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-colin-bell-stephen-dearsleys-summer-of-love.htm

I love to go to these writer events because, as I wrote yesterday, the business of writing is a solitary and often intense experience only undertaken by a particular type of person and not always understood by people who don’t get a kick out of spending hours absorbed in mental puzzles alone at a computer keyboard for hours at a time.

I am lucky to have Ward Wood Publishing http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/ as my publisher because not only does it do a great job but it is also small enough to be personal. Over the last year, I have meet a number of the other Ward Wood writers but last night was the largest gathering so far when six of us sat around a table with some wine talking and telling stories in the way that writers do. It was one of those rare occasions when I didn’t feel that I was that odd after-all. When the readings, highly enjoyable, were done, we retired downstairs to the bar and a fine old writers’ conversation began which was fueled with wine but not drowned in it. I did however end up on the last night train feeling that the journey has been more than worthwhile, it marked the beginning of a feeling of belonging to what really does feel like a family of Ward Wood writers. It is strange how well we all seem to get on – I think that is due to the personality of Adele Ward, herself, who chooses everyone on her list and who seems to have gathered together a group of writers who don’t  go in for competitive one-up-manship but who enjoy talking about the crazy thing called writing.

 I’m pleased to confirm, by the way, that I may feel a bit tired today but I have no hang-over apart from the pleasant glow of a night well spent.

So these were my companions from last night:

The event was in honour of Ward Wood’s two Irish writers.

Noel Duffy, the poet and author of an award-winning poetry collection, In The Library Of Lost Objects, who manages to communicate vividly intelligible thoughts with imagery inspired by insects, myths and physics without losing a scientific ignoramus like me.

http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-poetry-noel-duffy-in-the-library-of-lost-objects.htm

and novelist, Shauna Gilligan whose novel, Happiness Comes From Nowhere has received, as they say, glowing reviews. I’m not surprised. Her book is an ingenious collection of short stories around a few central characters that builds into something substantial,  full of insight and humour.

http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-shauna-gilligan-happiness-comes-from-nowhere.htm

It was great to hear them reading from their own work in the elegant environment of the London Irish Club and it was doubly enjoyable sitting in a row with other Ward Wood writers too.

Joe Stein, author of Ward Wood’s Garron crime series, an ex-boxer who shares my interest in things martial

http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-joe-stein-that-twisted-thing-called-truth.htm

and poet Peter Phillips whose collection No School Tie is full of his characteristic wit and phlegmatic humour and who has become a friend now that we both read at the monthly Camden/Lumen Poetry meetings.

http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-poetry-peter-phillips-no-school-tie.htm

and of course, Adele Ward, herself, publisher, yes, but who is also a poet and novelist and, I feel, a friend.

http://www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/titles-fiction-adele-ward-everything-is-free.htm

The post A great evening with some of the other Ward Wood writers appeared first on Wolfie Wolfgang.

On Friday night I was in London’s Camden Town for what seems to have become my regular date on the first Friday of the month, Camden Lumen Poetry where I can read one of my poems and listen to other poets reading their work too. It’s a great event and all the money taken goes to the Camden Lumen charity. I can also meet up with my publisher friend, Adele Ward of Ward Wood Publishing www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk/ who is not only publishing my novel, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer of Love, later this year, (thanks Adele!) but also serves wine and the latest news from her drinks table at the event.

The latest Ward Wood Publishing news is that they are experimenting with giving away Kindle versions of some of their novels on Amazon for a limited period and clocking how these offers seem to benefit the sales of their other books, both print and kindle versions.

The latest of these offers is Ward Wood author, Joe Stein’s thriller, Another Man’s World. I have already read and enjoyed his first WWP book That Twisted Thing Called Truth, another thriller about his main character, Garron,  an ex-boxer (like Joe Stein himself) who works, rather dodgily, as a bodyguard. I’m a fan of crime fiction especially when there is a continuing character like the troubled but martially gifted Garron.

I have already met a number of Ward Wood writers at the Camden Lumen events and I’m enjoying the family feeling of camaraderie. I haven’t met Joe Stein but I took advantage of the free Amazon offer on my way home on the train last night and I’m looking forward to the next Garron adventure. if you’re interested, here’s the link:

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