Author: patsy

patsy

Wednesday word of the week – nyctitropic

Nyctitropic is the movement, of plants, at night. Yep, daisies and cabbages are going to crawl out their beds and murder you in yours!

Nah, not really. This phenomenon is caused by changes in light or temperature. Usually it’s no more alarming than leaves drooping or flowers opening at different times. For example mirabilis jalapa and nicotiana sylvestris flowers tend to be droopy in the daytime, but perk up in the evening and overnight. That’s handy if you’re pollinated by moths.

I admit it’s not an easy word to drop into a story or casual conversation, but I’m sure you’ll find a way.

patsy

You Just Have To Try

When I was learning to swim in the sea at the start of last year my coach who calls herself The Sunny* Mermaid kept telling me to ‘just try’. I did my best to follow that advice, and I can now swim. Not brilliantly, but those few lessons were a big help to my ability and confidence.

Being me, I then wrote a story, very loosely, based on the experience. (If you’re thinking of taking lessons with Deb, I promise that she only has my character’s good points, and is most definitely not intimidating.) That story is in the current (1st January) issue of Take A Break’s Fiction Feast.

Coincidentally I saw her walking her dog this morning. I didn’t know then that the story was published, or I’d have told her.

We can’t achieve everything we’d like to do just by trying, but there’s not a lot that’s worth doing which doesn’t require a bit of time or effort, or both. If there’s anything you’d like to do, whether it’s swimming, having a story published in a magazine or something else entirely my advice is to give it a go!

*It may have been sunny on a couple of the lessons, but being April it was also VERY cold!

patsy

Wednesday word of the week – Futurity

I’d never heard of the word until my friend Anne Rainbow sent me the definition, saying she thought I might like it for this blog. She was right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

As futurity means ‘time to come’ the start of a new year seems the perfect moment to mention it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s also a plural form of the word – futurities – which refers to future events or prospects.

 

 

 

 

 

I do hope that 2024 holds many wonderful futurities for us all. With luck, some of mine will involve travelling to interesting historical sights.

patsy

December reads

I read and enjoyed these books in December. I particularly recommend The Twyford Code. Don’t let the way it’s presented put you off – it’s very clever, original, engaging and kind of uplifting.

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett

Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves

After The Funeral by Agatha Christie

patsy

Almost…

My new book, the first in the Little Mallow cosy mystery series has been written, re-written, edited, formatted, proofread and uploaded to to Amazon and Ingram Spark (who distribute to bookshops and libraries). The official launch date is January 19th (it was my Grandma’s birthday, and she loved reading cosy crime stories) but very soon it should be possible to place orders.

If you’d like to read it before that, for free, you could join my ARC team. For that you need a kindle, or other way to read the ebook file and an Amazon account which allows you to leave reviews – and to commit to reading the (80,000 word) book and leaving an honest review on the launch date (19th January). If you’re interested, please email me at patsy@patsycolins.uk

patsy

Free reads and cover reveal

Next year I’ll be releasing the first book in my cosy mystery series – Disguised Murder And Community Spirit In Little Mallow. Today, I’m revealing the cover!

As part of the marketing plan I’m trying to build up my newsletter mailing list. To help do that I’m taking part in a joint promotion with other authors of mystery, thriller and suspense books. Around 70 of us are offering a free book (some samples. some full novels) to those who join our lists. If you’re interested in reading that genre, take a look here and pick up some freebies. You can take part whether or not you’re on my mailing list and can sign up for as many, or few, as you wish – and of course you can unsubscribe from any of them at any time.

patsy

Wednesday word of the week – rummage

Campervanners often have to rummage. It can mean to search untidily and unsystematically. It doesn’t matter how tidily and systematically you pack your van, that kind of approach never works when it comes to finding the corkscrew and chocolate.

A rummage can be a confused miscellaneous collection. A rummager is someone who rummages. Once you’ve finished rummaging you will have rummaged for long enough.

To rummage out is to find amongst other things. To rummage about is to disarrange. (That’s another good word)

Rummage also refers to the arrangement of casks in the hold of a ship. That definitely needs to be done tidily and systematically or the ship will become unstable. Also it’ll mean the sailors have to rummage about to find their rum.

patsy

Based on a true story

My story Stop Thief, which is in the current issue of Take a Break’s Fiction Feast is based on a true story. At least, it’s based on a true story to the extent that many historical films and TV programmes seem to be – extremely loosely!

I once worked somewhere which had security on the entrance/exit. One day a random* search revealed a member of staff had stolen some toilet rolls. It wasn’t even good stuff, but that awful tracing paper type stuff. They got the sack.

This was thirty years. Nothing I’ve ever witnessed is safe from being turned into a story!

Naturally I’m pleased the story has been published. Fortunately one of the illustrations provides a suggestion of how to celebrate.

*We were told it was random, but I’m not sure. Almost every random search seemed to reveal someone was up to no good, so I expect there were a few tip offs.

patsy

Wednesday word of the week – Craggy

A crag is a steep or rugged rock. Craggy can refer to a human face or the landscape and means rugged or rough textured. There are other versions of the word, for example in Scotland* the scenery got craggier as we approached the highlands, it was craggiest on Skye where the landscape is craggily magnificent.

Btw the pictures are all to illustrate craggy landscapes. It’s purely coincidental that the same photographer just happens to be in all of them not long after remarking on the size of my bum.

*yes I have been to Scotland. I have some pictures if you’d like to see them …

patsy

My Weekly made my day!

I have a story in the current My Weekly Special. Isn’t that a fun illustration?

 

Of course I’m very pleased to have a story published, but it’s actually something in another issue which has really made me happy. A reader has written in to say that a different story of mine, published in My Weekly fairly recently was ‘fantastic’ and ‘brought a lump to my throat and was such a feel good story’. 

It’s wonderful to know that my short stories have had the desired effect!

The story referred to is about the relationships between cousins and the grandmother they share. If you like feel good family stories you might be interested in one of my collections of 24 short stories on this theme. There are 5 books in total, including this one.