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Roving Press – December Newsletter This month’s Newsletter has suggestions for stocking fillers, presents and thank-you gifts (don’t forget the postman!), as well as Literary Snippets and Events. Ho, ho, Happy Christmas! Facebook Twitter Website Email Pinterest Why our books make great presents: all local (Dorset authors, writing about Dorset, published in Dorset) thoughtful and unique for each person delivered free within the UK (no p&p to pay), to any address of your choice longer lasting than wine or chocolates they share a love of reading and knowledge about Dorset affordable! something for everyone – just take a look at our range. The Portland Chronicles series of books is aimed at children 7+, but even adults are fans of author Carol Hunt: ‘Carol has the knack of bringing to life the local myths of the island, in such a way that a girl of 66 can enjoy the fantasy of it all. In this story, Suzie even shares my enthusiasm for cats!’ (Barbara aged 66)     Carol researches Portland’s local history and folklore and uses this as the basis of her stories. For what inspires her to write see interview with Cyderscribes and our latest blog post. Cover designs by local artist Domini Deane. Fancy a rip-roaring sea adventure? Then try Paul Weston’s Weymouth Bound, set in 1800. Paul has been likened to the next Patrick O’Brian, and his first novel is set locally.     He has extensive sailing experience, including a trip from New York to Lymington in a home-designed and built 26-ft boat. His book is inspired by his love of the sea and history.     As a sailor, Paul brings a wealth of sea-faring knowledge and reality to his writing. Or read about the Roman assault on Maiden Castle, then visit the Dorset County Museum to see some of the artefacts that are woven into David Macpherson’s factional storyDefenders of Mai-dun. It makes any visit to Maiden Castle so much more interesting and alive. For a post about Roman Dorset see thisblog spot and for a reminder of just how awesome the place is visit-Dorset-TV.  Dorset Voices: A Collection of New Prose, Poetry and Photography Featuring 37 Dorset writers and over 20 unusual shots of Dorset people, places and things to capture our changing modern county, which is still a traditional rural place beloved by so many. With a Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales, it brings together diverse voices and different forms of writing – dark, imaginative and socially aware – with something for everyone. This is one of the photos from the book (thanks to Jessica Knight from Thomas Hardye School). Discover the Dorset countryside with Andy Case’s A Dorset Country Calendar. Beautifully illustrated with the author’s own pen-and-ink drawings, farmer and countryman Andy lives near Milton Abbas and describes the countryside month by month. 'That morning there was snow as I went with the milk can to get the milk. The hawthorns lining Birmingham Lane were crowded with 200 fieldfares. They needed their breakfasts and so did I.' His book is reminiscent of a gentler place and time and would appeal to anyone who loves the countryside. Incidentally, the Dorset Wildlife Trust is looking for volunteers to help record wildlife. EVENTS 6 Dec – Kingcombe Centre Xmas Fair, with our books for sale and more! Plan your next literary year with Literary Festivals, including a first for Dorchester. Reading and writing events at Dorset Libraries.  LITERARY SNIPPETS ‘A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people’ (Thomas Mann – German novelist and 1929 Nobel laureate)   Want to Write Better? Start Reading, a Lot [Infographic] Don’t ignore reading, because it really makes our lives easier. It helps us understand feelings and events, makes us better, teaches us to respect people, broadens our minds, and opens our hearts to everything new. UK Publishing Pros Ask: “Is Publishing Cool Any More?” : Publishing Perspectives  (precis) ‘We’re not helped by a media that talks the industry down, that is full of stories about the death of the book and fewer stories about how this is an industry full of imaginative people and brilliant ideas that can change the world.     ... But just as important, the panel agreed, is the nose for a good story. The real challenge is the same as it always was: how to communicate the existence of that good story; how to make it discovered. That’s the same as it was in 1970 and 1980, and will be in 2020 and 2030. The difference of course, is that thanks to digitization and the internet, the tools by which that communication can be made are very different, and are constantly evolving.     Perhaps the one constant, the never changing aspect, is the desire for a good story, which has remained the same. It’s the medium and the message cliché again. We’re not gathered around campfires anymore listening to the village griot, our faces bathed in light from the flames. The light now is from the tablet or e-reader (and still the bedside anglepoise!). But we still want to be transported, just as much as we ever did.’ Dorset Reading Partners need volunteers. One-day retreats for writers with The Write Day. Resources to help you write, publish and market your book at The Creative Penn. Learn from other authors – see Dorset Writers’ Network. Creative writing and script writing courses at Arts University Bournemouth. If you've enjoyed this newsletter, please let your friends know, join us on Facebook andTwitter and subscribe to our blog. We’ll do our best to keep posting interesting things about Dorset people, places and literature. And remember to order your books from us before 18 Dec (last posting date for Xmas).             Happy Christmas from Roving Press. Share Tweet Forward +1 © 2014 Roving Press. All rights reserved. 4 Southover Cottages, Frampton, Dorset DT2 9NQ, tel 01300 321531, info@rovingpress.co.uk, www.rovingpress.co.uk   unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences