#BlogTour The Girls' Book of Priesthood by Louise Rowland

It is a pleasure to take pat in the BlogTour for The Girl's Book of Priesthood by Louise Rowland. book has a title, which may steer readers away from what is an entertaining, realistic and honest approach to what is simply a woman doing a job, which is 'owned' by men. Leaving aside faith and religion for a minute, this could apply to any career considered to be a purely man's domain.

About the Author
Louise Rowland grew up in Bournemouth and studied English at Cambridge. She went on to work as a speechwriter, journalist and copywriter - including 11 years in Munich, Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam. She has a Masters in Novel Writing from City University, where she won the course prize. She lives in London with her husband and has two grown-up daughters. The Girls’Book of Priesthood is her first novel.

Follow @louiserowland20 @MuswellPress
Buy The Girls' Book of Priesthood

About the book
Meticulously researched, The Girls’ Book of Priesthood is being published to coincide with the anniversary of women’s ordination in March.
‘I mean, you know, someone says “woman priest” and you think the whole grey-hair-bobbly cardigan-house-full-of-cats thing, right?’
Margot Goodwin is a young curate struggling to survive her trial year in the parish, when everything and everyone seems hell-bent on stopping her. Success would mean becoming a fully-fledged priest, something she feels profoundly called to do. Failure would not only prove her father right, but would also delight all the antis who consider women priests at best a joke, at worst, an abomination. But from the very start, Margot faces a multitude of challenges, both personal and professional, from the hostile teenage daughter of her host family, to the married parishioner she is hopelessly drawn to. Can she convince everyone - herself included - that she’s more than a lipstick-wearing, part-timer with a PhD, and realise her long-held dream of becoming a priest.

Louise Rowland on writing The Girls' Book of Priesthood

What inspired you to write the book? I started writing the book as part of the Novel Writing Master’s at City University. Initially, I was very keen to do something around the idea of the cuckoo in the nest’: a stranger renting a room with a dysfunctional family and the tensions that would create.

The ‘stranger’ then became a male curate (a character loosely inspired by a young trainee priest friend). That in turn opened up a whole raft of new questions. What kind of person would choose to be a priest? Where would his personal boundaries lie, living cheek by jowl with a messy family set-up? How would he be treated by the teenagers in the house –, by everyone he met in the ‘real world’?Could he ever check out and simply be himself? But it was when I decided to make the central character female that the whole book really came to life. If the role of priest is a tough call for men, try doing it if you’re young and female and likely to encounter a whole extra layer of prejudice and stereotypes (and that’s just from your colleagues).

I wanted to explore who exactly this young woman was; what motivated her; why she didn’t just go off and live a ‘normal’ life; what kind of sacrifices she’d have to make. Would she be able have a relationship without feverish prying eyes?

What research was involved in it? 
I was lucky enough to be able to interview around twenty female priests around the country: some of them right at the start of their journey at theological college; some knee deep in training on the job in parishes; and one or two who had been amongst the small initial batch in the mid 90s – including a woman who had marched down Whitehall, banner aloft, like a clerical suffragette.

Did you uncover anything surprising when talking to these women? All the time. How diverse they were as people and how far they confounded the lazy stereotypes: women priests as earnest, frumpy, make-up and men-free zones - well-meaning but completely out of step with the modern world. The women I spoke to shared a razor-sharp intelligence - and most revelled in a robust gallows humour, underpinned by a very clear-eyed appreciation of just what they were letting themselves in for. And several of them were exceptionally glamorous – even in a dog collar!

This is not a 'Christian book' - but does it stem from some form of personal experience of
the Church or religious faith? I didn’t set out to write a ‘Christian book’ in any sense. What gripped me as a writer was the potential internal conflict of a young woman who desperately wants to fulfil her profound sense of calling - but who also craves the things that most other mid-20s millennials want. A loving relationship, a sense of personal freedom, control of her own identity … fun.

My family and I are part of the congregation at a socially liberal Anglo-Catholic (ie choir, robes, female and gay priests) church in central London. As one of the current church wardens, I help out on a voluntary basis on the administrative side.St Mark’s is an entirely fictional creation – but its depiction undoubtedly draws on insider knowledge of how that whole world works, its rhythms and challenges and some of the personalities that tend to inhabit it.

Faith itself is a very private matter for me – and always been subject to constant questioning, as I think it is for many people. One of the women I interviewed talked about her branch of the Church of England as being very comfortable with ‘not knowing all the answers or having all the certainties’. I’d put myself firmly in that middle of the road camp –sometimes hesitant but still hanging-in-there. I once read an interview with David Cameron where he compared his religious belief to the radio signal in the Chilterns: it comes and goes, at times falteringly weak, at others, clearly defined. To me, that’s the perfect analogy!
(Q&A provided by Muswell Press and Louise Rowland)

Review
Although it may be a blasé and sweeping stereotypical statement - the role of women as the listener, the advice-giver and the problem-solver, is one that has always been attributed to our gender. Perhaps unwillingly when it comes to the same traits in leadership roles, and it is most certainly met with distrust in the role of leadership as it relates to religion and faith.

Revered in the role as the nun, the subservient celibate mistress of the faith and married to God, but regarded as too emotional, not level-headed enough and well let's just say way too female to lead a flock to their salvation. Always in the supporting role and never in role of the hand of God.

At times I felt this was more about the way society perceives women in general, than just the adjustment and acknowledgement of women in priesthood.

Adding to that particular sentiment is the attitude of her friend Clarissa, who seems to be trying to squeeze Margot into the role society expects her to inhabit, instead of supporting her attempt to win over the patriarchal religious institution and the attitude of both the members of her church, her family and the leaders of said institution.

What resonated with me was the notion that the flock believes the priest belongs to them in some way. A special in-the-flesh messenger straight to God, which automatically means they can infringe on privacy and try to dictate attitudes, clothes and behaviour. Perhaps more so when the vicar/priest is a woman. They forget the person is doing a job and because faith is all encompassing and a 24/7 job, it leaves no room for self-thought or even just the occasional stint as a free person.

I think perhaps the expectation of this book is one of a preachy heavy-handed attempt to look at our existent or non-existent relationships with faith, and the difficulty society has in accepting women as leaders of faith and religion. The latter is true, but Rowland is clear on the notion that this isn't in any way supposed to be a book about Christians or Christianity, and it isn't.

It is a story of a woman trying to combine her career choice, and the opposition she faces in a job made-up by men, ruled by men and where the rules are set in stone by men. At the same time she is a normal woman, who wants to have a relationship within the confines of those strict rules, and is trying to navigate the difficult stormy waters of her own emotions and the expectations of her family.

In a way it reads like a sleuth come rom-com with a hefty portion emotional turmoil and political side-stepping thrown in for free, and let's not forget the sanctimonious attitude of the church towards enlightenment and progression. Just as DNA changes and evolves to withstand and survive environmental changes, so must society and the people within it.

This book has a title, which may steer readers away from what is an entertaining, realistic and honest approach to what is simply a woman doing a job, which is 'owned' by men. Leaving aside faith and religion for a minute, this could apply to any career considered to be a purely man's domain.

Rowland surprised me with this subtle and realistic portrayal of Margot. It has the charm of Father Brown combined with a contemporary voice. It is also a reminder of humanity, of simplicity and of kindness, and yet it is also a wake-up call to chisel away at the archaic systems still at the helm of our ships. It's time for diversity and equality to infiltrate the crumblings walls of years of patriarchal oppression and automated obedience.

Buy The Girls' Book of Priesthood at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
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#BlogTour A Mind Polluted by Martin Geraghty

Today it is my turn on the BlogTour for A Mind Polluted by Martin Geraghty. A disturbing tale of anger, revenge and emotional turmoil. As a reader you may ask yourself who the real culprit is, and who should be carrying the burden of blame. Read it and see what you think.

About the Author
Martin Geraghty is a forty-five-year-old from Glasgow. He is a self-employed Private Investigator who claims his profession is not remotely as interesting as it may seem. Human beings and how they react to the various curveballs that life throws at them is generally what inspires him to write. He has had work published in various litzines including Razur Cuts and Glove. When not writing or playing amateur detective, he can be found on a golf course or indulging in his chief passions, food, wine and music. A Mind Polluted is his debut novel.

Follow @MartinGeraght1 @crookedcatbooks
Visit martingeraghty.co.uk
Buy A Mind Polluted

About the book
His world falls apart…

Triggered by overhearing a confession from his mother's lips when he was a young boy, Connor Boyd carries the burden of the secret through his life.

Is falling in love his saviour? Or will he embark on a journey down a self-destructive path which ultimately leads to his version of justice?

Will he concentrate on his future, or be consumed by his past?

Review
I could talk about this book for pages. It is controversial in a sense that not everyone is going experience or evaluate the story of Connor the same way, and I don't just mean the subjective reading experience each reader has. However first just let me say kudos to Geraghty for the ending. Talk about way out of left field, but in a way it creates an even bigger platform for discussion.

Imagine hearing something as a child that changes your entire outlook on life, your family and your attitude in general. The kind of comment that buries into your head like a parasite. A worm munching away at the stability of your temperament and personality, the stability of your relationships and inevitably changes your path in life.

Although the story gives you that initial perception I would also argue that Connor may have made the same choices irrespective of being privy to a comment made in anger or haste. The majority of kids and teens experience, see and hear things they aren't supposed to, and yet it doesn't automatically set them on a path of destruction.

The volatile aspect of his personality may have appeared eventually, and towards the end of the story someone does confront Connor with his constant need to blame others. He is always the victim and never the one at fault. No matter how controlling, how insulting or how abusive he is, he always blames the other person. In fact, a tree could fall on him from a great height in the middle of a desert and he would always blame his mother. The woman who has become his personal demon, the sat nav in his destructive life.

Someone give the child, the teen and the man a hefty slap, and tell him to take responsibility for his actions. His actions, his choices and ultimately his decisions. Although the story veers into the issue of mental health at one point, and he could certainly have done with a lot more support, especially as a child, I personally think the last pages speak to an altogether different evaluation.

The irony of A Mind Polluted is that at the end Connor and his mother probably have more in common than either of them are willing to acknowledge. The scales of nature vs nurture are weighing up equally by the end of this dark tale of anger and regret.

I have to hand it to Geraghty, you can read this and feel empathy or read it and feel the underlying current of aggression. It is a two-way path, a crossing, depending on your personal frame of reference. Is it a mind polluted by emotional turmoil or is the mind polluted from the get-go, a seed that grows when watered sufficiently with the right or wrong kind of nourishment?

Buy A Mind Polluted at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Paperback available now, E-book release 10th May 2018 Publisher: Crooked Cats Books

#BlogTour Medium Wave by Rose

Today I am delighted to take part in the BlogTour for Medium Wave by Rose Zolock. Medium Wave is the story about a woman who makes the mistake of sneering at the dark by using it to make money and herself famous, then the dark comes looking for her...

About the Author
Her Irish grandmother first told Rose about the Banshee when she was just a small child. How the wailing sound of the spirit of the dead and dying could be heard when someone was about to pass.
It was family folklore that the women in the family had ‘the touch’, the ability to see spirits and other dimensions. Rose listened and grew up fascinated by those who claimed to have supernatural or psychic abilities.

Rose does not claim to have those powers. Take her to Venice in February when the mist swirls over the canals, walk by her side along the darkened streets of Greenwich Village in New York City in high summer, listening to a ghost walk tour guide tell the stories of death, murder and the unexplained – Rose would say those stories and our belief in them gives her a power to see into the shadows within our imagination.

As a journalist, Rose takes every opportunity to explore and investigate strange stories, myth and folklore. Living in rural Yorkshire, with a rich library of ghost stories and literary tradition, Rose also has a sceptical and forensic insight into those who peddle the stories which feed our imagination but of which we have yet found no proof. She has listened to the debunkers who argue against those believers who are convinced that sand the dark side exist.
Rose’s mind is open. Is yours?

Follow @RoseZolock @caffeinenights
Visit rosezolock.com

Buy Medium Wave

About the book
Becky Moran has built a career claiming to talk to the dead. A successful clairvoyant medium, a Cambridge graduate with her own radio show ‘Medium Wave’ and a team dedicated to crafting the celebrity myth – because Becky Moran is a fake. Until, one night, something supernatural, inexplicable, breaks through live on air as she is broadcasting. Becky Moran discovers the paranormal is real, the dead can indeed speak and she is being pursued relentlessly towards a battle for her very survival.

‘This thing has no defined shape. Whatever energy exists within it, it cannot settle on a shape. The strands of darkness curl out and then wrap back inwards. The bulk of the shadow becomes concave, then bulbous, the height building in on itself but lacking any skeletal structure to wrap itself around. There are no eyes, no clearly defined head shape. It is creating itself from darkness, like a swirl of ebony ink dropped into a vat of putrid water, spreading silently….’

Review
Scientists will tell you there is a logical explanation for every unusual occurrence or events very often described as psychic, unexplained or mystical. The majority of us want to believe in entities beyond our reach or in a higher power we cannot see or hear, and yet feel as if we it-they-him-her is there with us. It's what faith and most religions are based on.

Fact and logic based arguments will apply scientific knowledge to any experience termed as impossible or mystical in nature, but the truth is not even scientists know or can explain everything, so perhaps there is some small avenue for the unexplained or mysterious events none of us have stumbled upon as yet.

Mediums and so-called psychics make a profitable career out of scamming the vulnerable. Let me say this though, some of their clients want to believe the dead can speak through someone, despite knowing it isn't true. They want to be comforted by the thought that their loved ones are at peace and happy on the supposed other side.

Becky Moran is one of the really experienced cold readers, who makes a lot of money and celebrity from her status as a medium. It is kind of ironic that she ends up connecting with the dark side that she has sneered at in the past, and doesn't exist according to her.

The dark, the occult and the evil finds a path to her via an ancient object, and after that door is opened Becky finds herself inundated with visions, images and new perceptions. Suddenly she can pass on real messages and interact with the other side. Sounds like a good business venture right, except for the fact evil seems to be trying to find a way to take control of her.

Zolock combines a gothic horror vibe with a paranormal urban fantasy. She plays with the aspect of our hidden fears and shadows in the dark like a violin virtuoso. Do you believe in monsters in the dark? Have you ever invited them in to play? Well this author invites them in, plays with them, and then hands them back to the main character and asks her to deal with them instead.

Buy Medium Wave on Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Days of Wonder by Keith Stuart

I absolutely adored A Boy Made of Blocks by Keith Stuart and I have recommended his work quite often, because it is a great read, but also for its emotional and educational value in regards to the topic of autism and a father seeking a connection to his son.

I was genuinely interested to see of he could bring the same kind of emotional inner turmoil and tug-of-war to the table with Days of Wonder.The answer to that is yes, but in a completely different way.

The focus in Days of Wonder is on the relationship between Tom and his daughter Hannah, however the difference is the connection between them is already there. Instead the author explores the difficulty between father and daughter as she comes of age, with the added tragic factor of a future she may never be part of.

The topic of a child with heart disease is one I found easy to relate to. Being told that your child has joined the inner sanctum and group of children suffering from or affected by a terribly frightening disease, especially when it comes out of the blue, is devastating and incredibly traumatic.

Luckily for my child, who was a guinea pig for a new procedure nearly 25 years ago, the medical world had a solution and she is now a healthy young woman. For Tom and Hannah the reality is a lot more dire. They both know that their time together is limited and on a timer.

Tom decided a long time ago to make every birthday Hannah manages to celebrate an event to remember, and there is no limit to his imagination. I loved the ideas he prepared for his child, especially the fairy parade. What a wonderful memory and experience to give to your child. This is the kind of parent Tom is, but he is also a typical father who has trouble letting his beautiful caged bird fly and experience the world for herself.

Days of Wonder is an ode to the relationships between fathers and daughters. The majority of stories focus on mother and daughter bonds or dysfunctional family relationships, which makes this a refreshing change of tempo and a smorgasbord of emotions.

Stuart manages to change a tragedy into a warm, heartfelt coming-of-age story. He portrays the father as a man willing to go to any length to ensure his daughter experiences each moment to the fullest, even when she decides it is time to cut the cord between them. Kudos to the author for giving Days of Wonder the ending it deserved, and not falling prey to the scenario some readers may want to see, as opposed to the brutal reality it needed.

Keith Stuart offers up his heart, mind and part of his soul, which is part of his style and it's what makes his books so memorable. He invites the reader to sit down at the table with his characters and become part of the family. At the end of Days of Wonder you may just see the fairies dancing in your garden at night too, and that is the magic Stuart creates.

Buy Days of Wonder at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Published by Little Brown Books Uk of 7th June 2018

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Read A Boy Made Of Blocks

#BlogTour Girl Fighter by Cyan Night

Today it is my turn to host the BlogTour for Girl Fighter by Cyan Night. It is a harsh look into the world of women in a so-called male dominated sport, whilst taking a closer look at the person behind the fighting fists.

About the Author
Cyan Night is a self-professed martial arts junkie with training in Chinese Martial Arts (Wushu), Thai style boxing (Muay Thai), Brazilian Ju Jitsu, Judo, Fencing and MMA. She grew up in Asia, holds degrees in Design and IT from universities in London (where she lived for 6½ years) and currently lives in Melbourne.

Follow @girlfighterbook  and @CameronPMtweets on Twitter and girlfighterbook on Facebook
Visit girlfighterbook.com View the trailer at:  youtu.be/oiucOuDOtqA
Buy Girl Fighter

About the book
A novel that goes behind the scenes in the life of a female MMA cage fighter - the training, the dedication, and the danger. Written by a former competitive martial artist who can talk about the life and motivation of women who fight.

- Fighters are rarely the brainless thugs we imagine. Many are intelligent, highly-qualified and looking for an outlet. Most are marginalised, have experienced tremendous hardship and are looking for the only way out of poverty and/or abuse.

- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a real risk and fighters who suffer repeated head damage often show symptoms such as a negative shift in temperament and a severe reduction in productivity. While writing the novel Cyan Night joined several forums and support groups for TBI survivors and caregivers and included their experiences in the book.

Aliyah, a mixed race Australian lives a solitary life as a computer specialist in London. She is born with an exceptional intelligence but her gifted mind does little to alleviate the pain she carries inside since her childhood.

One day Aliyah stumbles upon a mixed martial arts gym. Like many fighters before her she finds peace in a sport that is seemingly violent. She takes on training with a military discipline as an easy substitute for any meaningful bond in her life. Her journey to her debut cage fight is challenging, but
it does nothing to prepare her for the biggest fight of her life.

Girl Fighter explores the motivations of a mixed martial artist, the challenges of women in combat sport and the unseen struggles of a brain injury survivor.

Review
This has such a personal feel to it from both an emotional and professional sports perspective. As a reader it is fair to wonder how much of Cyan Night is infused into the story of Aliyah.

A reader wouldn't be wrong in thinking that Girl Fighter is all about the journey Aliyah takes in the art, control and power of the sport, and her personal journey after it changes her life. However, it is also a long hard look at loneliness and the way people in society co-exist without really knowing each other at all.

Aliyah spends the majority of her time alone. The only time she interacts with other people is at work and in the gym, but even there she is isolated and spends her time doubting herself. Everything leads back to a motherless childhood and a father who drank to drown out the pain of losing his wife. She often wonders what it would be like to have memories of a loving mother, to have a family member who actually cares how she is feeling, but what she really wants is someone to share her life with. A partner, a confidante, a lover and a friend.

You can't see or feel it when someone is lonely, especially not when we are all caught up in our own lives. Suspicions are usually waved away with phrases like 'I'm fine, I am ok' and we are happy to hear it, because we have enough on our own plate.

The most honest and realistic aspect of this story is the inner rage. The type of rage a person is often unaware of, as it simmers just below the surface waiting for the opportunity to break free and rain down upon someone like an angry vicious beast.

Neglect, trauma and a lack of human interaction can cause a brain that is still developing to rewire and make connections a happy content brain doesn't make, so  I would throw that theory into the arena before Aliyah receives a hammering in the cage. The rage is a result of the past, the pummeling provokes the uncontrolled reaction and causes physical pre-damage to the brain, before the actual accident.

It is a dire set of circumstances that come together and end up changing the way Aliyah deals with situations and her emotions. One could argue that the groundwork for the reaction was already set in stone long before the accident, and that her impulse control vanishes after the event in question.

I think a first person narrative would have been better for Girl Fighter, and there are minor editing issues. Aside from that it is an emotional and often dismal read with a brutally frank approach to mental health, sexism in sports, racism and the chauvinistic attitudes in men.

Cyan Night comes down hard on her character, herself and society's response to her in this particular situation. It's not an easy ride, in fact it's a fast bicycle ride through the busy streets of life, during which you have to watch out for car doors waiting to catapult you through the air. Like the fallible humans we all are, sometimes these doors catch us by surprise.

Buy Girl Fighter at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

#BlogTour Saving the World by Paola Diana

Today it really is a pleasure to host the BlogTour for Saving the World - Women: The Twenty-First Century's Factor for Change by Paola Diana. It should be made in pocket size, so all women and men can read it on the go.

About the Author
A top ten bestselling author and political activist in Italy, Paola Diana is a mouthpiece for female equality in a country that has some of the worst work place equality in the world ranking 118th out of 144 countries in terms of women’s participation in economic life and 126th for wage equality for similar work according to the 2017 Global Gender Gap Index, with Italy lagging behind India and Iran in wage equality.

A London based entrepreneur and campaigner for equal rights Paola has dedicated her life to championing sexual equality in business and politics in the UK and Italy. In Italy, Paola is the founder of the organisation PariMerito (Equal Merit), which she used to lobby the Italian Government to pass new equality laws in the work place, including a new bill requiring every company board to have minimum 30% female representation.

Prior to starting PariMerito Paola ran a Think Tank in support of the former Prime Minister and President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi’s political campaign, which had a particular focus on issues including welfare, female employment and structural policies in favour of the family and equal opportunities.

Paola is also an entrepreneur starting her first business as a single mother of two, her hugely successful Diana Group, comprises three separate businesses and has established itself as a market leader in recruitment and lifestyle services, recognised as one of London’s most influential service providers for high net worth individuals, families and corporations around the world.
Follow @paoladiana_ @quartetbooks @midaspr
Buy Saving the World

About the book
“I write about history to free us from the past, I write about the present to strive for alternative destinies and I write about the future because the world we live in is not the only one possible.”

Part manifesto for change part historical and sociological essay, Saving the World charts women’s condition through the centuries, analysing their treatment within political, religious, economic and societal contexts to form a bigger picture of their place in the world; and explores what needs to be done in 2018 to create a truly equal world. Having already broken the glass ceiling for women in Italy, where she introduced a new bill requiring company boards to have 30% female representation, Paola turns to the Gender Pay Gap and puts forward her vision for how we reach an equal society, one in which all women are set free from fear, violence and oppression. Paola Diana impresses on us that this world we inhabit, dominated by men and often seemingly immutable, is far from the only one possible.

Already a bestseller in Italy, this translation has been extensively revised by the author to incorporate recent UK events that impinge on women’s rights and the struggle to achieve equality. A clarion call for change, Diana’s polemic should be read by all who hold powerful positions in government, industry and the arts.

Review
There is a paragraph in the preface that gave me food for thought. The author believes she was born with certain instincts, which have made her more attuned to the injustices and discrimination against women, although she does point out that she would have reacted and felt the same if those were directed towards men.

It really made me think about my own tendencies to stand up for the oppressed, the vulnerable and those who have to deal with injustice and discrimination. Our temperament is already shaped within the womb.  Are we perhaps genetically pre-wired to be more of a 'save the universe and the downtrodden' kind of person? Scientists have proven that there are links between genetics and violence, is it so far-fetched to believe a social justice warrior gene could be embedded in our DNA? It isn't just a 'I feel more empathy' kind of emotion either.

I guess we end up back with the old nature vs nurture argument. I, for instance was privy to an upbringing, which some would now call liberal thinking. Nowadays liberal is perceived to be some kind of insult and associated with an anti-authoritarian free-thinking no rules kind of upbringing. I had rules and was taught discipline, but I was also taught acceptance and tolerance.

Admittedly I think the word tolerance is probably the wrong one, because I wasn't taught to tolerate anyone, I was taught that we are all equal. No matter the skin colour, education, origins, socio-economic status, gender or religion. Sounds very flower powery - far from it, because I was also taught that an arsehole is an arsehole regardless of race, colour, gender or religion.

The patriarchal system is the main reason the systemic abuse, oppression and discrimination against women is still alive and kicking. Old habits die hard and a leopard doesn't change its spots or rather refuses to change them at all.

'There is no religious justification for female subjugation.' Diana couldn't be more right about the way religion is used to control, weaken and oppress the rights of women. To the point of women being so brainwashed by centuries-old man-written rules to keep the opposite gender quiet and submissive, that they dare not question the need for ten wives for one man. The need to support hebephilia and ephebophilia, so men can marry children or the need to obey or be punished, because God says so. Men wrote the rule books, not any entity of faith.

There are so many examples throughout history and many countries, of women standing up to the institutional oppression. Sometimes individuals have been able to bring about change. Women have been tortured and killed to allow us the same rights as men. It is often apparent that 21st century women and girls don't really have a clue what some women have achieved in history to ensure we can cast a vote in an election for instance.

Among many controversial topics that make me stand up for women's rights is the topic of our bodies. No man should be allowed to determine what I can or can't do to my body. You don't own me, you don't own my physical appearance and you certainly don't own my uterus or anything which may reside in it, so your opinions are unwanted and invalid.  Women shouldn't have to return to the dark alleys of medieval times just because men, religious institutions run by men and governed by rules written by men and interpreted by men, decide they own the rental space in my uterus and yours.

Let's be clear, the majority of the male gender of our species believes us to be inferior, albeit often a subconscious thought process, which is why we don't deserve equal pay or equal representation in the world of politics or business.

What becomes abundantly clear in Saving the World, is not only the need for change, but also how unaware the world really is to the daily injustices against women. We need to educate those, who have been raised to perceive a rift between man and woman. The people who expect obedience and subservience instead of acknowledging the need for equality. For me the change must start in the cradle. Mothers must teach their sons to respect women instead of teaching them to treat women as a sub-humans, they must also teach their daughters to want more than just a life dictated by a patriarchal society.

On the stage of the world we must fight for and insist upon equal representation. It's time the old boy, and especially the old boy white club mentality, disappeared. We need more female role models for younger women to not only emulate, but also so they can see there is a change on the horizon. Locker room humour, chauvinistic and sexist attitudes should be relegated to the dusty pages of the history books.

There are a lot of negative connotations when it comes to the umbrella phrase of feminism, which is a term I tend not to use to describe myself. I believe in women. I believe in equality, and I believe in justice for the oppressed and those who are discriminated. That is just common sense, which doesn't need a blanket term or stereotype, so others can box me in by trying to invalidate my arguments.

If there is one thing you take away from this strong encouraging voice of empowerment, then let it be that women should work together and not against each other. When we are critical of women in positions of power, we undermine ourselves and them, and automatically fall back into the trap laid out by men. Not that I am saying women shouldn't be challenged, by all means challenge them on the topic they are speaking on or their opinions if you disagree, but never do it to undermine in an attempt to be one of the boys. You will never be one of the boys. We are woman, and it is time to hear us roar.

Kudos to Paola Diana for roaring for all of us.

Buy Saving the World at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

#BlogTour Nothing Is As It Was: A Collection of Climate Change Fiction

I am delighted to be taking part in the BlogTour for Nothing Is As It Was. It is a collection of short stories about climate change – edited by Amanda Saint & Gillian Walker. I believe it is an incredibly interesting topic, which these authors have managed to make relatable and interesting. Using flash fiction and short stories to get their point across is an effective way to engage the reader without them losing interest, especially because each one of them has such an individual approach.
Buy Nothing Is As It Was

About the book
A collection of short stories and flash fictions on the theme of climate change from established and emerging authors who all care about our planet.

A schoolboy inspired by a conservation hero to do his bit; a mother trying to save her family and her farm from drought; a world that doesn't get dark anymore; and a city that lives in a tower slowly being taken over by the sea.

These stories and many more make up a poignant collection that is sometimes bleak, sometimes lighthearted, but always hopeful that we can make a change.

Review
This is a collection of flash fiction and short stories on one of the most important topics of our time - climate fiction. This collection is raising funds for the global climate action group, Earth Day Network. In the foreword Amanda Saint speaks about the importance of climate change and getting more people or readers to comprehend the importance of this topic. We are living in a world split down the middle when it comes to this particular topic. Many people, including those in the highest political positions in the world, are climate change deniers. No matter what scientific evidence is presented or even actually being able to see the difference in weather patterns, some people would rather leave the planet to self destruct instead of implementing changes to ensure our survival.

With an anthology it is important to get a flavour of what you're getting and who you're getting it from. I think the choice to focus on flash fiction and short stories pieces is very much in line with the topic. Just as the weather now hits us with a fierce vehemence and a violent brutality, so do these individual pieces of work. Here is just a taste of what to expect from Nothing Is As It Was:

Mirror Image by Anna Orridge
'Give Nature a chance, and she will return.Head held high.' Mirror Image is anything but a pretty flash into the future we can expect. One in which the malice of our base human nature shines through in the guise of survival.
Me and the Mountain by Vicky Ridley
'Earth's guttural cries of agony'- An interesting premise. Is earth speaking to us? Crying out for attention? Pleading with us to stop destroying her, using her voice to communicate the frustration she feels at the destruction.
Portal by Philip Sobell
This is definitely a tongue-in-cheek sign of the times story, and the sad thing is I can see this happening. Without any shadow of a doubt the human race would, after determining no real value or solution for the Portal, use it to dispose of a problem. Sad, but true.
No-Car by David McVey
Separating the wheat from the whey, the poor from the rich. Unfortunately this reality is already upon us. When the car becomes the luxury item, as opposed to the common item to own. Public transport being re-delegated to that of the poor, and class structures taking on more immense proportions. Begs the question, whether those who choose to save the environment now with a no-car choice and inadvertently manoeuvring themselves into that position already. Food for thought.
Sun by Wiebo Grobler
Will it descend into complete chaos? Good question, but what is more intriguing in Sun is the fact that we just stand by and accept our fate. Isn't that what we are doing already?
Warrior by F E Clark
I love the Author's Note on this: Written in response to reading that The Oxford Juniour Dictionary had deleted nature words - particularly the names of flowers. The eco-warrior will become one of the most important elements of our future. Just saying.
Graduation Day at the Fishmonger's Institute by Anne Summerfield
This doesn't just speak to climate change, it is already indicative of the times we live in now. So many career paths have disappeared and become extinct. It is a downward trend when it comes to survival. One day there will only be holographs or pictures of certain species perhapswe will be one of them.
The GoodLuck Camera by Kimberly Christensen
This story is prophetic. This is what will befall the majority of us if the water levels continue to rise. Our grandchildren or great-grandchildren may never know the abundance of food and water, or the feeling of sand between their toes.
The Other Side of Me by Norman Coburn
How important are the people who can envisage the future and are trying to change the outcome for every one of us?
Bottleneck 2048 by Neil MacDonald
'It was too late for precautions, much much too late.' This is the reality of our situation. Even if everyone was less interested in profit and making the rich even richer, and the deniers were finally taken to task, the process is already well underway.
Nothing Is As It Was by Nick Ryle Wright
Nobody can protect us from Mother Nature, and there is only so much we can predict. 'Doing nothing is not an option.'
Healng AthaBasca by Keygan Sands
Poetic and sad, with the ultimate grand gesture, albeit an empty one, but at least it is one that ignites the fire inside of the girl who sees the destruction around her.
The Arctic Commandments by Cath Barton
The desperation of knowing there is no solution, and when nature takes over is it not better to let it take you and end that sense of  your inevitable demise?
I am Stealthy, I am Swift by CJ Conrad
Is this what awaits us in the end. Will we return to the hunter, gatherer mode? Will extreme survival remove generations of societal norms?
New Moon by Dave Murray
We are complacent and we are in denial, at least a fair number of us. At the moment we are at a stalemate, that period in time just before the next wave comes.
Like a Captain of Old, Going Down with the Ship by Fiona Morgan
We will become a collection of memories and executable files. The far-fetched notions from popular space fiction movies, where they watch back history on recorded tapes. That will be us one day.
Blue Planet Collection by Jane Roberts
It starts with one boy. Imagine if we all did our part to make sure the fish can swim unhindered in the oceans. The oceans filled with waste and plastic.
Come and Gone by Angelita Bradley
'Like a chance to make things better has come and gone.' That is it in a nutshell really. We have been given enough warnings and plenty of opportunity to change the result.
The Warming by Karen Morrow
The land is being consumed by the oceans. Without it we become Waterworld. Salvation is the object we poison, and in return poisons us.
Plenty More Fish in the Sea by Luke Strachan
The thing with evolution is that the majority of species adapt to their environment, so it isn't to far-fetched to think that some may survive over others. In that there is potential and hope.
Hasta La Vista, Babsy by Fee Johnstone
This is a cute little story, and perhaps one that explains more than just whales getting lost and being beached because the currents are changing. Species securing their survival by making their genetic strains more adaptable to the changing environment. Perhaps animals are a lot smarter than us,because they trust their instinct.
Walking with the Weather by Rob Walton
Short, poignant. What good is a petition, a piece of paper or electronic trail that no person pays any attention to?
Too Late by Ros Collins
The empty promises of politicians, who are too concerned with fame and notoriety than with the facts of the situation. You are doing yourselves a disservice if you are governed by a politician who chooses to ignore the inevitable.
Where Lies the Line by Taria Karillion
'Two sides of the same tool of change.' Unfortunately the human species is a selfish one and one that secures survival before that of others. Not even faith can change instinctual behaviour patterns.
Airpocalypse by Rachel Rivett
The air we breath may soon become a commodity, an illegal one at that. Even now there are cities and countries covered in smog so thick you can cut through it with a knife. We take it for granted.
New Shoes by Charlie Hill
This story is indicative of our society and the way we place property before lives, millennial are especially guilty of this. What matters the nice pair of shoes when death is looming at the front door?
Thirst by Lorraine Wilson
Wouldn't you do anything to save your child? Break the law and steal from others to secure their survival. In a world full of bureaucrats who care nothing about black and white names on paper.
Deluge by Susmita Bhattacharya
Deluge remembers the victims of the unpredictability of Mother Nature. Climate Change is reaping lives like a wanton seeker of souls. Collecting his dues for supposed past indiscretions. She takes the innocent, the young and the blameless.
Fireworks by David Barker
The animals are encroaching upon our territory. The hunter becomes the hunted, especially when the race for survival becomes an equal one.
Ophelia Rising by Elaine Desmond
The banality of life in general supersedes the overall concern we should have for our survival. Affairs, betrayal and emotional upheaval all blitzed by the majestic power of Mother Nature risng to challenge us.
The Window Box by Stephen Connolly
This is a chapter from his current novel-in-progress. I can honestly say that based on this short introduction it is one I would pick up to read. The setting is a drab dystopian world of dog eat dog. Survival of those who abide by the rules of big brother and are threatened by the steady presence of the almighty Poseidon.
Up Above the World so High by Rose McGinty
'The distinction between night and day is disappearing in the most heavily populated regions of the Earth.' Knowing what we do about biological clocks and the impact it has on physical and mental health, I am surprised this isn't a better known fact or discussed fact.

Although the stories have a common denominator, they are all incredibly different. The fact that they are short actually helps the reader to take on board more information. It is like watching an art display of flashbacks or photographs being projected onto a wall for five minutes at a time.

In a time where the masses are being given conflicting information about climate change, and it has certainly fallen prey to the false news propaganda groups, it is important to try and change the perspective of this issue.

The global companies who control our energy resources are really invested in trying to convince the common man and woman, that climate change doesn't exist. That the extreme weather, the change in seasons, the change of climates is but merely a natural evolution of earth.

It isn't. We are destroying our habitat, our species and other species. We have probably already passed the point of no return and the inevitable, but that doesn't mean we should give up. We should at least try to sustain the planet we live on for future generations.

Nothing Is As It Was is an ode to the planet and at the same time a call to rise up and do something, even if it is just that one small thing you can do for your environment.

Buy Nothing Is As It Was at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Published by Retreat West on 3 May 2018
Follow @RetreatWest

Retreat West Books is an independent press publishing paperback books and ebooks.
Founder, Amanda Saint, is a novelist and short story writer. She’s also a features journalist writing about environmental sustainability and climate change. So all Retreat West Books publications take advantage of digital technology advances and are print-on-demand, in order to make best use of the world’s finite resources.
Retreat West Books is an arm of Amanda’s creative writing business, Retreat West, through which she runs fiction writing retreats, courses and competitions and provides editorial services.
Initially started to publish the anthologies of winning stories in the Retreat West competitions, Retreat West Books is now open for submissions for short story collections, novels and memoirs. Submission info can be found here.

Nothing Is As It Was - About the Authors

Mirror Image by Anna Orridge
Anna Orridge has a BA in English Literature from York University and an MA in Creative Writing with Distinction from the University of East Anglia. Her short story, "Rook", was shortlisted for the Bedford Prize in 2013. The synopsis and opening for an adult novel "Assemblage" made the shortlist for the 2015 Flash 500 competition. Another story, "Number Four", appeared in the Spring edition of Mslexia in 2016. She is currently writing a Middle Grade novel and was a winner in this year's #pg70pit competition, which judges the strength of the voice of a novel's 70th page. The novel has also been selected for the longlist of the 2017 Flash 500 competition. Anna has worked in Spain, Slovakia and Bolivia as an English language tutor, but now lives with her husband and two children in Croydon.
Follow @orridge_anna

Me and the Mountain by Vicky Ridley
Vicki Ridley is an author of speculative and young adult fiction and is currently studying for a Masters in Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University. She has worked for twenty-five years in schools, youth and community organisations, and universities and is now following her ambition of writing genre and graphic fiction. A passionate advocate of protecting the environment, Vicki is a member of the Scottish Green Party. She avoids writing dystopian climate fiction, remaining hopeful that we can achieve a positive environmental future if we work together in the here and now. Vicki is currently working on her first novel, which will feature utopian climate fiction as well as dead Romans.
Follow @VickiRidley1

Portal by Philip Sobell
Philip Sobell has been writing short stories (science fiction, horror and fantasy) for several years. 'Portal' is his first publication and he recently joined Retreat West as an intern, working on the social media platforms and contributing content ideas.
Follow @PhilipSobell

No-Car by David McVey
David McVey lectures in Communication at New College Lanarkshire. He has published over 120 short stories and a great deal of non-fiction that focuses on history and the outdoors. He enjoys hillwalking, visiting historic sites, reading, watching telly, and supporting his home-town football team, Kirkintilloch Rob Roy FC.

Sun by Wiebo Grobler
Born in South-Africa and raised in a small farming community, Wiebo only had his imagination to keep him occupied, till he discovered the magic of books. He fell in love with the characters within from an early age. Soon he created his own worlds and stories in his head. These stories developed voices, which clamoured to be heard. So, he writes. Shortlisted for his Flash Fiction and Poetry for the Fish Publishing Prize he has various stories published in Molotov Lit, National Flash Fiction Day, Reflex Fiction and more.
Follow @WieboG

Warrior by F E Clark
F.E. Clark lives in Scotland. She writes and paints, and takes much inspiration from the natural world where she lives. The changing weather and seasons are of great concern to her. A Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, read her words at: Molotov Cocktail Literary Magazine, Poems for All, Occulum, Moonchild Magazine, Ink In Thirds, Poems for All, Folded Word, Ellipsis Zine, Story Seed Vault, Luna Luna Magazine, and The Wild Hunt.
Follow @feclarkart
Visit feclarkart.com

Graduation Day at the Fishmonger's Institute by Anne Summerfield
Anne Summerfield writes short and long fiction and poetry. Her most recent publications include stories in Sleep is a Beautiful Colour (NFFD Anthology 2017) and Flash Fiction Festival One. She has work online and forthcoming in Spelk, Ellipsis, New Flash Fiction Review and Jellyfish Review. Her story 'Lamb' was nominated for Best Small Fictions 2018. Se is based in Hampshire, England.
Follow @summerwriter

The GoodLuck Camera by Kimberly Christensen
A resident of the Pacific Northwest, Kimberley Christensen writes about all things sustainable-from organic gardening to breastfeeding to waste reduction. After a number of years working for CoolMom, Seattle's first climate nonprofit focused on women and families, she recently left her position to write in climate fiction. She hopes to introduce readers to the personal side of climate change.

The Other Side of Me by Norman Coburn
Norman Coburn is a novelist and short story writer based on the East coast of Scotland. Steering clear of crime fiction, he writes mystery stories anchored in nature and Scotland's rich mythology. Living and working by the sea he's watching the gradual affects of climate change through changing patterns of bird and fish migration. He likes his stories to be gritty but seasoned with hope.

Bottleneck 2048 by Neil MacDonald
Neil MacDonald has published short stories in Structo, Gold Dust, and other magazines, and articles about writing in Writer's Forums. His historical fantasy novel A Prize of Sovereigns was serialised by an online publisher. He won the 2017 Plot of Gold competition and was awarded a Cinnamon Press mentorship in 2018 for his novel The Tears of Boabdil. He is the creator and administrator of the Farnham Short Story Competition. Drawing on experiences working in international aid, he has also published six non-fiction books. Born in Scotland, he was raised in Jamaica, and has lived and worked in England, The US and South Africa. He now lives in a cottage in Surrey, England together with his wife and the obligatory cat and dog.
Visit neilmacdonaldauthor.wordpress.com

Nothing Is As It Was by Nick Ryle Wright
Nick Ryle Wright is a writer of short fiction, currently based in the New Forest, Hampshire. He has had stories published in various magazines and journals, both online and in print, and is a first reader for The Nottingham Review.
Follow @nickrylew

Healng AthaBasca by Keygan Sands
Keygan Sands is an MFA candidate at the Iowa State University's Creative Writing and Environment Program. Prior to that, she earned a B.S. in marine science and was a naturalist at a cave. Her writing explores the reciprocity that exists between human and natural systems. She has previously been published in Cold Mountain Review. Follow @dracoaestas

The Arctic Commandments by Cath Barton
Cath Barton is an English writer who lives in Wales. She won the New Welsh Writing AmericCymru Prize for the novella 2017 for Th Plankton Collector, which will be published in September 2018 by New Welsh Review under their Rarebyte imprint. She has been awarded a place on the 2018 Literature Wales Enhanced Mentoring Scheme and is currently working on a collection of short stories inspired by the work of the sixteenth century Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch. Active in the online flash fiction community, she is also a regular contributor to the online critical hub Wales Arts Review.
Follow @CathBarton1
Visit cathbarton.com

I am Stealthy, I am Swift by CJ Conrad
CJ Conrad is a deaf, overweight forty-something who believes he will be forever seventeen. He likes dogs, food and welding but not in combination! C also believes that tea is the greatest drink in the world, and that the world would be a far more peaceful place if everyone made room for a brew and a biccy!

New Moon by Dave Murray
Dave Murray is a Manchester based writer of plays , poems and short stories.

Like a Captain of Old, Going Down with the Ship by Fiona Morgan
Fiona Moran is a reluctant lawyer by day, n enthusiastic writer by night. She loves common sense, history, and bee. She doesn't like anchovies or climate change deniers. She is currently working on her first novel about a woman who becomes a pilot for the Air Transport Auxiliary in WW2
Follow @gosquatkey

Blue Planet Collection by Jane Roberts
Jane Roberts is a freelance writer living in Shropshire, UK. Her fiction is published  in a variety of anthologies and journals including; Litro, Bare Fiction Magazine, The Lonely Crowd, Wales Arts Review, LossLit Magazine, Flash: The International Short Story Magazine, NFFD Anthologies, 100 Stories for Haiti, Stories for Homes, Refugees Welcome Anthology, and Unthology 9 (2017); Bridport Prize Flash Fiction (2013/2016), Fish Short Story Prize (2015/2016) and Flash Prize (2016). She is one third of Literary Salmon (Saboteur Awards Longlisted, "Best Anthology" 2016) and is a participant in the Writing West Midlands' Room 204 Writer Development Programme 2017/2018.
Follow @JaneEHRoberts
Visit janeehroberts.wordpress.com

Come and Gone by Angelita Bradley
Angelita Bradney is the winner of the 2017 National Memory Day story competition. Her short fiction has been published by Litro, Stories for Homes, Retreat West, Ellipsis Zine and The Occulum, and has also been shortlisted in several competitions including the Fish Prize. She lives in south east London and is currently writing a novel at the Faber Academy.
Follow @AngelBradn

The Warming by Karen Morrow
Karen Morrow is a writer from the South Coast of NSW, Australia. Along with essays and articles, her short fiction has been published in a number of literary journals including Vine Leaves, Kindling Vols 1 and 2 (Writers Edit), Great Ocean Quarterly and Kids Book Review.
She has appeared on several literary award short lists including: Launceston Tasmania Literary Award (2014), Shoalhaven Literary Award (2013), Cowley Literary Award (2013) and Writer's Web Literary Award (2013). Karen has a degree in Social Science, is a member of the Shoalhaven City Council Arts Board and Director of the Shoalhaven Writer's Festival.
Visit karenmorrowwriter.com

Plenty More Fish in the Sea by Luke Strachan
Originally from the highlands of Scotland, Luke Strachan is a London-based illustrator, artist and author. Luke has a deep love of nature and wildlife, enjoying trekking, scuba diving and anything else that immerses him in the natural environment. A keen traveller, Luke has spent time working and living in Tibetan Monasteries in India and the remote coral atolls of the Marshall Islands. Since moving to London, Luke has published his first graphic novel as well as founding an art and design business.
Follow @lucasstrachan
Visit rooftopfox.com

Hasta La Vista, Babsy by Fee Johnstone
Fee Johnstone is managing editor of a medical journal and lives in Scotland. She enjoys writing short stories and flash fiction and came third in the Magic Oxygen Literary Prize, 'the greenest writing competition on the planet' in 2016 but is still convinced this was an admin error. She has a few pieces scheduled for publication in some awesome zines (Paper and Ink, Razur Cuts, Ellipsis and Ghostland). To combine her love for cats and craft beer, she's working on teaching her feline friends to pour the perfect stout.

Walking with the Weatherby Rob Walton
Rob Walton grew up in Scunthorpe, and now lives in North Shields. His short fiction and poetry for adults and children appears in various magazines and anthologies. His flashes have been published by 101 words (US), Bangor Literary Journal, Flash Frontier (NZ) Ham, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Number Eleven, Paper Swans, Popshot, Pygmy Giant, Reflex, Spelk and others. He is a past winner and current judge of the UK's National Flash Fiction Day micro-fiction competition.

Too Late by Ros Collins
After twenty-five years of teaching, Ros retired to the seaside town of Felixstowe with her husband, where she enjoys her hobbies of writing, reading, tennis and blustery walks. She as been short listed in several competitions and came second in the inaugural Reflex Fiction competition. The subject of climate change holds both a fascination and a horror for her.

Where Lies the Line by Taria Karillion
Taria Karillion grew up in a tiny cottage in the grounds of a castle, and is supposedly descended from an infamous pirate ( much to the amusement of her fencing coach at the time of discovery). Despite her historical background, however, and thanks to an accident involving the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galay, a staircase and a nasty attack of gravity, she became a thoroughly addicted fan of science fiction. Her work has won a Hagrid-sized handful of awards and enough publications to fill his other hand. Her future plans include a solo collection and a quest for World Peace and a calorie-free chocolate. Not much to ask, really...

Airpocalypse by Rachel Rivett
Author of three picture books, Little Grey and the great Mystery, Are You Sad, Little Bear? and I Imagine, and shortlisted for SCBWI's Undiscovered Voices 2014, Rachel Rivett has an MA in Writing for Children. Her short stories appear in the Mother's Milk anthologies, The Forgotten and the Fantastical and she is currently working on several projects - in snatched and borrowed moments - while she home-educates her children.
Visit writewild.weebly.com

New Shoes by Charlie Hill
Charlie Hill is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, a pamphlet of short stories and a novella, about which Nicholas Royle - writing in his introduction to Best British Short Stories 2017 - said: 'An engrossing piece that...were the author French and his readers all French, might well have been regarded as a worthy late edition to the school of existentialist literature.'
Visit charliehill.org.uk/about/
Visit wordsforthewild.co.uk/?page_id=935

Thirst by Lorraine Wilson
Having spent many years working in remote corners of the world, Loraine Wilson now lives by the sea n Scotland and writes stories that are touched by folklore and the wilderness. She has had her short stories published in magazines and anthologies, and tweets about science, writing, cats and weirdnesses.
Follow @raine_clouds

Deluge by Susmita Bhattacharya
Susmita Bhattacharya was born in Mumbai. She teaches creative writing at Winchester University and leads the SO: Write Young Writers project in Southampton. Her debut novel, The Normal State of Mind (Parthian), was published in 2015. Her short stories, essays and poems have been widely published and also broadcast on BBC Radio 4. She won the Winchester Writers Festival Memoir prize in 2016. She lives in Winchester with her family.
Follow @Susmitatweets
Visit susmita-bhattacharya.blogspot.co.uk
Fireworks by David Barker
David was born in Cheshire but now lives i Berkshire. he is married to an author of children's picture books and they have a daughter who loves stories. david spent 26 years working in the City as an economist, trying to predict the future. His first novel, Blue Gold, was published by Urbane last year and the sequel, Rose Gold, comes out in May. the final part of the trilogy is due in 2019.
David appears on Radio Berkshire's monthly show, Radio Reads, discussing books with host Bill Buckley and author Claire Dyer. He loves reading, especially adventure stories, sci-fi and military history. Outside of family life, his other interests include tennis, golf, surfing and board games.
Follow @BlueGold201
Visit davidbarkerauthor.co.uk

Ophelia Rising by Elaine Desmond
Elaine Desmond is a full-time author based in Ireland. She holds a degree in Psychology and Business, as well as a PhD in Sociology. Elaine is the author of a number of academic articles on risk and democracy and, in 2017, published a non-fiction book with Palgrave Macmillan. Legitimation in a World at Risk: The Case of Genetically Modified Crops in India is based upon a year's research in the politically volatile and economically vulnerable region of Telangana. She lectures on Environmental Sociology and Globalisation and Development at University College Cork, and is affiliated with the Centre of South Asian Studies at Cambridge University. Details of her academic work can be found at cambridge.academia.edu/ElaineDesmond

Elaine has a Certificate  in Creative Writing from the Writers Bureau in the UK and has had articles published in newspapers and magazines. Her short stories and poems have been runners-up in a number of literary awards. In 2008, she wrote a one-act play entitled A Footprint of Roses about WOZA, a women's civil movement in Zimbabwe. This was produced throughout Europe and the United States and is available online. Elaine is a member of the Virgin Slate Writers Group and the Corccodorca Theatre Development Company, both in Cork.

The Window Box by Stephen Connolly
Stephen Connolly grew up in Canada, Scotland and the Republic of South Africa. He has published a number of short stories and his pays have been performed in Bath, Brighton, London and Salisbury. In 2015 he graduated with an MA in Scriptwriting from Bath Spa University. Off The Rock Productions will record his radio play 'The Destiny of Shoes' in 2018. He was at school with the Proclaimers who probably don't remember him. His story The Window Box is a chapter from his current novel-in-progress.
Visit stephenconnollywriter.com

Up Above the World so High by Rose McGinty
Rose McGinty is the author of Electric Souk, published in 2017 by Urbane Publications. Rose lives in Kent and works for the NHS in East London, and has worked overseas, including the Middle East. She is an alumni of Trinity College, Dublin, and the Faber Academy. Rose has won several writing competitions and had short stories selected for anthologies. She's now working on he second novel, a thriller that has taken her to some rather gothic hospital corridors.
Follow @rosemcginty

edited by Amanda Saint Follow @saintlywriter
and Gillian Baker