Unbound Diary Part 8 – A Medieval Knight With An I-phone

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Beach Hut Writers, Brighton, crowdfunding, crusades, dreams, Exeter Street Hall, medieval, Myriad, Myriad Editions, publishing, Rattle Tales, reading aloud, short stories, spoken word, Umi Sinha, Unbound, writing

As I write I am 44% funded. This means that well over a hundred of you have supported my book. To my new supporters I want to say a massive thank you, you are making this happen. I have until the end of May to reach 198 pledges, it’s time to take it up a notch.

Regular readers will know that I am a Director of the spoken word group Rattle Tales. We have a show coming up at Brighton Fringe Festival and we’re selecting stories for it now. Last night I had a dream that only five people turned up to our show. Our previous Fringe shows have all been sold out, sometimes we’ve had to turn people away, and the show has been a Pick of the Fringe by The Independent newspaper. It’s extremely unlikely that no one will turn up. In my dream not only did no turn up but I forgot my story and when I tried to phone home to get someone to bring it to me my i-phone snapped in two, the venue staff were busy jousting in the back garden and the only person in the bar was a medieval knight dressed in crusader armour – he didn’t know what an i-phone was.

I’ve been trying to analyze this dream all day. I think it’s to do with the event I did recently to an audience of seven. It’s definitely to do with asking people to pledge to my collection and most of them resembling a medieval knight with no knowledge of i-phones when asked. Lots of people have said they are happy to help and will definitely pledge but then don’t. Some people have been very affronted to be asked. In response to a recent mail-out through Rattle Tales one person accused us of begging and hoped the project failed. You can just ignore the request you know, or just say no. I’m not begging. I’m asking you to choose to buy a book in advance, in much the same way as you would choose to buy a book in a book shop – you don’t have to but you might want to. The same mail-out brought me ten new pledgers and for that I am very grateful

I have a few events coming up and I really hope that a. people will come and b. some will pledge to the book. I will be appearing at Exeter Street Hall on May 13th with lots of other Beach Hut Writers, ten in fact, all talking about the when, why and what of writing for a living. I’m also going to talk at Brighton University on May 10th with the author of Belonging,  Umi Sinha, and Vicky Blunden from Myriad Editions and then I will be reading Sourdough (recently published by New London Writers) from In The Future Everyone Will Be World Famous For Fifteen Minutes at the Rattle Tales show on May 26th. Please come along to any or all – don’t leave me alone with the medieval knight.

For the rest of the week I will be sending out press releases, pitching articles and generally trying to get my book notice in the hope of attracting more pledges. Thanks again to my new supporters – you really are making a difference!

Creative Gifts At Forty Two Brighton

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ALarm Girl, Alexa De Castihlo, Alium B, AOH, Artists Open Houses, Christmas, Forty Two Bright, gifts, Hannah Vincent, Ian Williams, Lark Rising, Maria Tilyard, Modern Love, Myriad, One Must Dash, Penguin, Rattle Tales, Readings, Rob Mettler, salons, starlings, The Good Doctor, The Mysteriious Affair at Castaway House, Vivienne Ridley

This Christmas I am very proud to be a part of the creative community exhibiting at the Artists Open House known as Forty Two. Every year the city’s artists set up shop in their homes to provide an alternative to the mass-produced Christmas shopping experience. This year I am taking part in the house carefully curated by my good friend Vivienne Ridley. Vivienne (formerly of jewellery designers Ridley & Dowse) has launched her new collections at Forty Two. I am particularly pleased because one of these collections is a collaboration with me. I adore Vivienne’s jewellery and she has been nothing but supportive of my writing career, I’ve hardly done a public reading without her present. In the summer I suggested that we could combine jewellery and creative writing to produce stories inspired by unique pieces or vice-versa. I was sure she wouldn’t be interested but to my delight she was very interested and 6 months later we have The Riddler Collection.

The Riddler Collection consists of four stories paired with precious charms in the form of necklaces or cufflinks. They make truly unique presents. We have tried to connect each piece to life events, Sunflower makes a great gift for new mothers or anyone embarking on a new career. The Greyhound could be a retirement gift or a good luck charm. Indian Summer would make a beautiful heart-felt present for the man in your life, combining as it does etched silver cufflinks and the amusing tale of a doctor discovering the meaning of life. Especially for Christmas we have The Christmas Monkey, a pretty silver marmoset and a seasonal story of snow and charity. The jewellery is beautifully packaged in a deep blue box with the story printed on sumptuous heavy card, this is no ordinary Christmas present.

Vivienne’s other collections include Gumball Grandeur in which she takes low value 1950s gumball machine prizes and transforms them into lifelong treasures. With Buttons & Coins everyday vintage items are re-imagined as rings and necklaces and histroy is made current and wearable. Vivienne says, ‘ when I don’t know the history I like to imagine one.’ This is the ethos behind our collaboration. Forty Two is getting loads of local press attention (The Argus, Ect Magazine, We Love Brighton) and it’s no wonder, because it’s not only The Riddler Collection that offers the opportunity to pick up a unique gift. There is gorgeous jewellery from Alexa de Castilho, bright and bold pieces reminiscent of exotic holidays featuring gold and silver palm trees, sharks teeth and animal etchings. There’s plenty to wear with the jewellery too as local fashion labels Modern Love and Alium B are selling their much loved originals. Both labels already have a fond following locally and Forty Two stocks their current collections as well as discounted one offs. Lark Rising provide utterly unique knitwear, no one else will have a winter cardigan like it. Dress your new outfit with vintage wooden decoupage from Use & Take Care, who combine modern and traditional techniques to produce incomparable items.

Maria Tilyard makes heart-stealing creatures from re-cycled materials – foxes, greyhounds, the gorgeous elephant shrews, almost everyone left last week’s private view with a new pet under their arm. The same can be said of the monochrome prints from One Must Dash, who give us posters, T-towels, cards and bags, all in their distinctive quirky modern style. Take it to the other extreme with a handmade bird from Amanda Lawrence, her collection of tiny avains recalls the treasues of Victorian drawing rooms and prove very popular with all who see them. In keeping with the clever naturals theme are De Casa Limited Editions, showcasing bold silk print cushions, tea towels, lights and even deckchairs.

The sell out starat the private view was the work of Vivienne’s seven year old daughter Kitty with her still life collection Kitty Blossom – almost all gone I’m afraid.

I may be biased but my husband Robert Mettler is exhibiting his photographs at Forty Two and they really do have a rare and wonderful beauty. Rob reinvents Brighton’s familiar images by giving them a new and usually unseen quality. The West Pier is bared down into monochrome in Filigree Pier, floating like an apparation over an almost white sea. Scooby Doo Pier captures the modern one from below so that we see what is underneath the surface. Robert has prints that make particularly thoughful presents for locals, showing them a different side to the place we all share, far better to open one of these on Christmas morning than a pair of socks. Robert has collaborated with Rattle Tales on a number of times when we have asked members of Brighton & Hove Camera Club to provide images for the stories read at our events always with unexpected and striking results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the next two Sundays several authors will be reading at Forty Two. I will be reading stories from The Riddler Collection, Stephanie Lam will treat us to an extract from her Penguin published debut The Mysterious Affair At Castaway House, and Myriad Editions authors Hannah Vincent and Ian Williams will be reading from their latest books. You can also buy my Brighton-based novel Starlings. There are how to craft books on embroidery and print making from Super+Super. Come to these salons to hear inspiring tales, sample the refreshment provided by Brighton craft brewer Goldstone, scoff homemade cakes and afterwards meet the authors and stock up on signed books. We really hope you can join us in this very special shopping experience.

www.fortytwobrighton.co.uk