As many of you know I announce my intended posting schedule and the topics I will cover for the New Year ahead of time.

For 2016 I will be incorporate the following:

Saturday – I will pose a writing prompt for my followers and other writers to attempt and share. Each shared response will be collected and voted upon. The winners each week will be collated for a quarterly prize.

Monday (Jan-May) – Lost words – I have been given permission by the host of The Phrontistery – http://phrontistery.info/
to share a lost word and utilize it as the subject of my post.

Monday (Jun-Dec) Still to be determined. I am open to suggestions on topics! Send me a message!

Wednesday – For the first half of 2016, I will be editing and revising my speculative fiction novel, Life in Slake Patch. It is set in an alternative future under a matriarchal rule system. To carry the theme into my blog, I will share details of alternative living options from around the globe. I hope you will find them interesting.

For the second half of 2016, I will be editing and revising my timeslip romance, The Twesome Loop, which centers on several characters finding their reincarnated soul mates. This will give me the opportunity to share details on reincarnation, life after death and other phenomena and possibly a dash of romance!

I hope you will join me and enjoy the interaction.

Happy Writing to You All for 2016. May your writing goals be successful.

WordPress.com presents

https://mandyevebarnett.com/2015/annual-report/

Onward and upward for 2016!

A fellow author reciprocated a blog interview with me and I almost missed it! The interview went live on 8th December. Follow this link to find it.

Thank you, Claire Luana and happy writing to you all in 2016.

http://claireluana.com/?p=733

Featured Author: Mandy Eve-Barnett
Occasionally I post features and interviews with different authors I’ve met in my online adventures. I’m pleased to introduce Mandy Eve-Barnett, author of novels and children’s books, through the interview below!

Interview with Multi-Genre Author Mandy Eve-Barnett

How many books have you written?

In total, I have written six books, two children’s and four adult. I also co-wrote two, one an anthology and the other a guidebook for memoir writing.

Which is your favorite? Is there one book in particular you have written that has a special place in your heart? Please share why.

A difficult question as they are all special in different ways. If I only wrote one genre, it would be easier to choose. Rumble’s First Scare is special because it was the first one, but Ockleberries to the Rescue reflects the wonder of the natural world, which was encouraged by my parents and passed down to my children. My adult romance time slip, The Twesome Loop, as yet unpublished is a favorite because it incorporates reincarnation, which is a lifelong fascination for me.

Do you have a specific writing style?

The short answer is no; I enjoy testing my writing skills with multiple genres and styles. I have written speculative fiction, fantasy, romance, suspense, and business writing as well.

What does fantasy enable you to do in your writing that other genres do not?

It is escapism in its purest form. There are no barriers, ideas, or concepts that cannot be created. Although the ‘worlds’ and ‘creatures’ must have their own rules, within the story’s plot, fantasy allows me to experiment without limits to my imagination.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

When an idea comes to mind, I begin writing without any planning or plotting. It is free flowing concept from mind to finger tip.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

To be honest from anywhere and everywhere, overheard conversations, a photograph, a news story even prompts.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

Rumble’s First Scare formed from a Halloween prompt as a short story. With some persuasion, I refined it and had illustrations created to enable Rumble to become a children’s picture book. I was early fifties!

Why did you begin writing?

When I immigrated to Canada, I promised myself a creative outlet. When I was younger, I tried out lots of crafts from pottery to painting to textiles, for whatever reason I never really dappled in writing. One short story was about it. I found a leaflet at the local library for a writers group and decided to attend a meeting. As the saying goes, I was hooked.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

With such a broad spectrum of genres, I have discovered each genre has its own rules and researching for the stories has uncovered some surprising topics – strict for research purposes only you understand. One such example – how does a body desiccate?

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

When am wrestled away from my writing, I enjoy time with my family and friends, mini vacations and writing retreats. However, writing is usually my constant companion.

What book are you reading now?

I just finished Finders Keepers by Stephen King, The Lake House by Kate Morton and as my library visit is not until later in the week I am re-reading Stig of the Dump by Clive King, a childhood favorite. I find returning to favorites evokes an innocence in my Muse and therefore inspires my imagination. Subsequently, to this interview I have read Angels All Over Town by Luanne Rice and am almost finished Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. Next on the pile is Mariana by Susanna Kearsley and The Bazaar of Bad Dreams…

Tell us your latest writing news?

Last year I set myself a goal to complete two manuscripts by the end of 2015. Both were the culmination of NaNoWriMo madness. Some may say it is difficult to write and revise one manuscript let alone two but, as the genres were vastly different it was easy to switch back and forth. One is a western romance, Willow Tree Tears now submitted to Harlequin. The other, a suspense novel called The Giving Thief, is now in the hands of a beta reader. During the year, a chance Steampunk contest gave me the opportunity to submit a short story, now contracted for an anthology.

Do you have any new books in the works?

Always! The final edit of my suspense novel, The Giving Thief, has gone to beta readers. I will return to The Twesome Loop, a time-slip romance and a speculative fiction, Life in Slake Patch. These two novels have been on the back burner for some time and need to be completed. I also have a new children’s story formulating in my mind and have made copious notes on it already.

What advice would you give for amateur writers who are just starting to dabble in the world of creative writing?

Trust your instincts and allow your ideas to formulate without comparing it to preconceived impressions of what you should or should not write. Your writing is personal, special to you. Don’t restrict yourself in your creativity. Find a constructive critique-writing group, where you can share your words without fear of being pigeonholed and have positive support.

Where can readers find you online?

I connect with other authors, and readers to share my writing journey on my blog, http://www.mandyevebarnett.com. I use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ for announcing future events, book readings and special contests and progress on projects.

My Christmas morning began at 7 am, which for some may sound early but in terms of Christmas past it was late! As we are pet sitting this Christmas for two little dogs and a cat, I had to be up to walk the dogs and give them all breakfast. Then I made a crockpot special recipe given to me by a good friend. It is meatballs in a tangy, spicy sauce – delicious – and part of a combined breakfast brunch made with my son’s girlfriend, who supplied a breakfast bake, there was more than enough to go around. We ate, wished each other a merry Christmas and hugged before commencing with gift opening. It was a civilized affair with everyone watching as each gift was unwrapped and enjoyed.

Gone are the days of all seventeen of us crowding into one house for Christmas morning after waking at 4 am and joining in the enthusiasm of small children, delighting at their gifts. I must admit I was always awake extremely early as a child and apart from the later teenage years when sleep was preferred, I have always woken up early and continued to do so with my children were younger. There is magic in the air on Christmas morning.

Now my children are young adults (23 years & 19 years) and both have partners, whom I love and cherish as my own. Having them with me on this special morning was my most precious gift. As we grow older our special moments are more about who rather than what.

Empty nest syndrome may be on the horizon, but I will ensure I have special moments with my children and expand my own interests in the coming years. I will always be a loving, supportive mother and enjoy the ‘new’ things in life as they come.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and all the best for 2016

Many people know of the famous Christmas Eve truce in World War 1 in 1914 – 1915. Days prior to this event both sides were determined to kill each other. Soldiers endured the extreme conditions of weather and psychological harm, day after day, week after week. All of them, no doubt, wishing to be home with their families and far away from the trenches.

During some genealogy investigation performed by a good friend of mine, I found out my grandfather was taken P.O.W. in Croislles, a small village eight kilometres south-east of Arras. This village is just over an hour’s drive from Ypres, the site of a Christmas truce. My grandfather was part of that truce, although he was not forthcoming with many details. After all part of the truce was to retrieve the bodies of friends and fellow soldiers from both sides and bury them. It must have been a bitter-sweet relief during such horrors for those men.

The singing of Stille Nacht (Silent night) began the truce as the British troops responded with the English version, Silent Night. Candles decorated the trees and seasonal greetings were shouted across no man’s land. Eventually, gifts were exchanged between the two sides.

How must those men have felt face to face with an ‘enemy’, who was a man like himself. Told that they were fighting for their country but deep down wanting to be at home, safe and in the heart of their families.

Without my grandfather’s account, I have no idea what happened after the truce and if any of the soldiers he enjoyed Christmas Eve with were those who captured him in Croisilles on 16th June 1917. We do know he was wounded in his left hand by shrapnel and was initially taken to Dulmen P.O.W. camp and later transferred to Sultan P.O.W. camp. He was part of D company of the London regiment (Royal Fusiliers) from 1914 to 1919. He battled for Bullecourt in June 1917 prior to his capture.

If war can stop for a moment, why not forever?

My wish is for everyone to stop and look at your family, your neighbours and the faces of those suffering and ‘stop’ – we are all the same under our skins. We all want those we love to be happy, healthy and safe no matter the season.