JUNE/JULY 2022
I’ve been busy completing the draft of the second book in The Uist Girl Series ready for editing and am happy to report that I finished it at the weekend. Normally, I do all the editing myself and friends and family help by reading the book and giving their opinions, which I always find helpful. However, this time I’ve decided to invest in a professional editor. I’ve never done so before as I always thought it was too expensive, but The History Quill was offering their editing services at a reduced price, so I decided to go for it. I’m not sure what to expect but apparently it is quite a rigorous process, so I’ll need to grow a thick skin.
In terms of a name for my book, I’m still unsure. I wanted to call it The Sins of the Father, but there are several other books with that title, so I need to find an alternative. I have two suggestions; the first is His Bitter Seed, and the second is The Vengeful Daughter. I would love if you would give me your opinion on which one appeals to you or if you have any other suggestions.
I got a fantastic review for No Song in a Strange Land from a reader in the US, so was delighted about that. You can see it above.
Since I last wrote, Charlie and I have been away to Huddersfield for a Ukulele Festival and to Whitby to do some walking. The festival was excellent, and the performances fantastic. The ukulele is an amazingly versatile instrument. Whitby was an excellent base for doing some of the Cleveland Way, so we walked from Staithes to Whitby one day and then from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay another day. They were beautiful walks but much more challenging than Norfolk, as Yorkshire is hilly. We also spent a couple of nights in Barnard Castle, which became infamous because of Dominic Cummings during lockdown. It was a lovely little market town and well worth the visit.
While there we spent a morning in the Bowes Museum. One highlight was a clockwork swan which was developed in the 18th century. It moves and looks as if it’s picking up a fish in its mouth and eating it. The story of the owners, John and Josephine Bowes, would make a good plot for a book. John Bowes was the illegitimate son of John Bowes, the 10th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and he married the boy’s mother, Mary Milner, the day before his death to legitimise him and let him inherit his estate. Apparently, there was some fighting over the estate but in the end he got it but not the title which went to his uncle. I’ve put some photographs up above.
Finally, we went to see Elvis. It was a fantastic film. Austin Butler and Tom Hanks were excellent. It was sad how Elvis was exploited, and it reminded me of a poem I wrote when Charlie and I visited Graceland about six years ago.
If you would like to receive a copy of the poem and the short story Always on my Mind, written after our trip to Graceland, click here and complete the form, putting Elvis in the message box.
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MARION MACDONALD 