Available on Kindle….

Have you ever experienced something that you know to be real but, somehow, it just doesn’t feel that way? That was how I felt when I received an email this morning which said “Congratulations, your book is now available for purchase on Kindle.” I’ve had my Kindle for years and it stores around 450 books, all of which I have downloaded and taken great pleasure in reading. The fact that someone may now do with my book is almost unfathomable but it has happened and I think, once the shock has worn off, I will be beyond thrilled.

I joined WP because, frankly, I needed something to do. I needed to busy myself as I tried to settle in a new country and  live with the grief that had crippled me for three years. I figured that I would post something, I’d read other people’s posts and try to learn from them so that I could gather a following; I honestly expected nothing more. What actually happened was that I discovered a community, a real community that exits in harmony because all the members have a common interest – a love of reading and writing. In the ‘real’ world there is so much hatred, bitterness, cynicism – all things that crush self-esteem and make us doubt ourselves at every turn. On WP there is openness, vulnerability, humour, support, honesty and kindness, especially kindness and spending time here restored my faith in human nature.

Beyond that and, arguably less importantly, it gave me the inspiration and courage to write from my heart without fear of derision. The acceptance and encouragement that I have received here on WP opened my mind enough for a book to escape and end up on Kindle. I can’t thank you all enough, sincerely, you have given me a new lease of life which, for a long time, I thought was impossible. There are a few people that I’d like to give special thanks to:

Mike, who asked me to write a synopsis for his book and first made me wonder if I might be able to write a book one day

Peter, who is wise, kind and funny and so positive about life that you can’t help but be swept along

Fandango whose FOWC one word prompts inspired me to start writing short stories – one of them ended up turning into a book

Lorraine, who, despite having her own challenges, is unfailingly kind and generous

Darren, who is one of the first people I connected with on WP and is an all round lovely guy

River, who rekindled my interest in poetry and inspired me to write with an open heart, as he does so well.

Rory, because he puts so much of himself into WP and his openness really inspired me

Brian, simply because he never fails to make me laugh and I’ve needed that (a lot) over the last couple of years

There are so many others – Wendi, Sadje, Billy, Tom, Boo, Deborah, Ivor, Brandi, Mike…..the list just goes on and on and I appreciate every single one of you. You have helped to make a long held dream come true with your support and kindness and I toast all of you with this rather insipid virtual champagne (it’s really not as good as the real thing!)

Lisa x

My First Sale!

As you all know, I finished writing my first book a few months ago and decided to go the self-publishing route using Kindle Direct Publishing. It will be published on 31st July so is only currently available for pre-order but someone (who I shall hug should I ever meet them) has bought a copy!! I am beyond excited!!!! Sending happy thoughts out to the entire Universe and especially my wonderfully supportive blogging friends who helped me become a writer – love and hugs to you all!

Lisa x

Spotlight

Those lovely people over at Spillwords who’ve been kind enough to publish a few of my poems asked me to do a brief interview and, if you follow the link, you’ll be able to read assuming you’ve nothing better to do ;O)

Lisa x

Apparently, my link isn’t working so…..

1. Where, do you hail from?

I am originally from Essex in the UK but I relocated to the Cote D’Azur just over three years ago as I felt the need to make a significant change in my life following the death of my husband.

2. What is the greatest thing about the place you call home?

The fact that the only thing I can see from my apartment is the sea! Added to that we have around 300 days of sunshine a year here but we still have seasons so the landscape is constantly changing. I live about 30 minutes from Italy, the nearest ski resort is about an hour and a half away and I can lay on a beach or walk in the mountains on the same day if I want to – what’s not to love!

3. What turns you on creatively?

I suppose the simplest answer is that I love words, what we can do with them and how they can make us feel. The fact that words can provoke extreme and complex emotions is an endless source of fascination for me. Other than that, I find that I am often inspired whilst taking a shower; I have no idea why.

4. What is your favorite word, and can you use it in a poetic sentence?

Just one?! Wow that’s tricky! OK here goes:

The faceless behemoth that was the weight of his loss, finally came to rest beside him, still and silent.

5. What is your pet peeve?

It’s probably not politically correct to say this but political correctness. Self-expression is something that’s very important to me and I feel as though it’s being stifled by the perpetually offended.

6. What defines Lisa Keeble?

I guess I would define myself as ‘curious’ – I have spent most of my life asking ‘why’

In Print!!

Well, it will be by the end of the month anyway. Yes, that’s right, my book, From His Perspective will soon be available for you to read (and I’d be incredibly grateful if some of you did ;O)). After having received about 20 rejections from literary agents and because I have the patience of a gnat with ADHD I decided that I would ‘do it myself’ and publish via Amazon Direct Publishing. It doesn’t have quite the same cache as being touted by an agent as ‘the next JK Rowling’ but I am feeling pretty damned pleased with myself; if you’d have told me a year ago that I’d write a book I’d have thought you were mad!

I know I’ve been conspicuously absent just lately (I can blame that on the second book that I’m writing – this is becoming a habit!) but without the support of the blogging community I don’t think I would ever have done this. It was you guys that gave me the confidence to write and then to write from the heart and I owe all of you a huge, huge thank you for your unfailing kindness and encouragement. You’ve helped me through some very dark times and I will be eternally grateful.

Book Update

As you may (or may not) have noticed, I haven’t been around too much over the last few weeks and that’s because I’ve had my nose to the grindstone (actually fingers on the keyboard but you know what I mean. Several weeks ago I felt the thrill of ‘finishing’ my book (writing not reading) and in a fit of over-exuberance immediately sent it off to a dozen literary agents. This was followed by a nail biting wait to see if anyone would contact me and tell me I was going to be the next J K Rowling; oddly, no-one did.

However, surprisingly, what I did get was some incredibly useful advice, the most useful being that my book was far too short. As I’d only ever written short stories before I figured that 42,000 words was an epic tale – I was wrong, so now I am re-writing, improving and adding news chapters. Currently I have written 56,000 words and, somehow, they just keep on flowing and, whats more, I am still loving it!

All this means that I still won’t have much time to spend with my lovely blogging friends but I do hope that you’ll bear with me :O)

Lisa xxx

I Did It!

Morning fellow bloggers, how are we all today? I hope you’ve all had a really great week! My news? Well, here’s something that I never thought I’d say:

I FINISHED MY BOOK!

A few months ago I despaired of ever making it past 3,000 words but yesterday I hit 42,000 and the end of the story. What’s more, in the spirit of grabbing bulls by horns and striking irons while they’re hot, I sent it to two literary agents in London and I’m going to keep sending out until I can find someone to represent me.

None of this – the writing, the desire for publication, the confidence, the creativity – would have been possible without you guys. Your encouragement, kindness and support has helped me achieve something that I never thought I would be capable of. In a World where people are all too ready to bitch, moan and criticise this blogging community is an absolute haven for those of us who have lost ourselves or felt alone and it’s amazing.

I suppose what I am trying to say is

 

Lisa x

P.S. If you’re wondering why I used the Rocky gif – my husband’s name was Adrian; I think he’d be proud of me.

Sunshine Blogger Award

What a nice surprise for a Sunday morning; the lovely Rory has gifted me the Sunshine Bloggers Award! If you don’t know Rory, do pop over and say hello, he is so much fun and a really great guy – I just know that you’ll get along :O)  So, what’s this all about?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is an award for bloggers who are creative, positive, and inspiring – people who spread “sunshine” to the blogging world!

How nice is that!? We all need a little bit of sunshine in our lives and there is so much to be found in the Blogosphere, we can all bask in its rays :O)

Rory has posed some questions and I will attempt to answer them as truthfully as I can without getting in any trouble:

If you could do something a bit naughty every day and not get caught, what would you do?

Definitely speed, no not the drug, driving at speed. Around here the limit is 50kmph (30 mph) unless you’re on the motorway and even then, in places, it’s only 90kmph (55 mph). There’s a good reason for it – the mountain roads are very winding and downright dangerous in places but I do just long to be able to put my foot down without being flashed by a speed camera (which is there for my security apparently and not to make money for the Government).

What are the unwritten rules to blogging?

1. Don’t make it all about you
2. Be nice to other bloggers
3. Don’t forget rules 1 and 2

What kind of cult would you like to start?

I don’t know about starting one but I would have liked to belong to the one started by Osho, mainly because he said things like this:

“Nobody can say anything about you. Whatsoever people say is about themselves. But you become very shaky, because you are still clinging to a false center. That false center depends on others, so you are always looking to what people are saying about you. And you are always following other people, you are always trying to satisfy them. You are always trying to be respectable, you are always trying to decorate your ego. This is suicidal. Rather than being disturbed by what others say, you should start looking inside yourself…

Whenever you are self-conscious you are simply showing that you are not conscious of the self at all. You don’t know who you are. If you had known, then there would have been no problem— then you are not seeking opinions. Then you are not worried what others say about you— it is irrelevant!

When you are self-conscious you are in trouble. When you are self-conscious you are really showing symptoms that you don’t know who you are. Your very self-consciousness indicates that you have not come home yet.”

Is a HotDog a sandwich, a roll or an overheated K9?

Sausage inna bun :O) I’m not sure if it qualifies as a roll or a sandwich – it’s a bit like the debate: ‘Is a jaffa cake a cookie or a cake?’, there are arguments for both sides

What is the most creative, inventive and imaginative insult you can come up with?

None of these are actually mine but I find them to be very satisfying on the rare occasions that I feel the need to insult someone:

“May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits”

“It’s like having a battle of wits with an unarmed man”

And, when I’m really miffed:

“Fuck you and the horse you rode in on”

Right that’s it for my answers, now to come up with some questions:

1. What’s the daftest thing that you’ve ever said?
2. If you knew that you couldn’t fail, what would you try?
3. What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you on a date?
4. Who would you spend your last hour on earth with and why?
5. What’s the funniest scene you’ve ever seen in a movie/series (and please share a video as we all like a good laugh)

I’m going to gift this award to the following bloggers but anyone is more than welcome to answer the questions either in the comments or with their own post:

Darren is one of the first bloggers I followed and still one of my favourites

Billy is the ultimate ‘cup half full’ guy and always has a sunny attitude

Brian has an amazing sense of the ridiculous and his posts always make me chuckle

Have fun guys, I really look forward to reading your answers ;O)

Lisa x

 

 

Published!

I am absolutely chuffed to little mint balls because today my short story has been published over here at Literally Stories. Honestly, these guys absolutely rock; unlike many sites, they respond quickly and, more importantly, they actually give excellent constructive criticism. I’ve sent a few stories off to them over the last couple of months and this is the one that they’ve chosen for publication. I couldn’t be more thrilled or proud :O)

Not only that and, I confess I had to read the email 3 times this morning to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, my poem The Promise has been nominated for Publication of the Month by the lovely people at Spillwords. The award will be decided by public vote so, if you’re not busy and can spare a minute I’d be really grateful if you could put a check in my box (if you see what I mean).

Lastly and, most importantly, I like to give a big virtual hug to all the wonderful people in the blogging community who gave me the confidence to submit my writing in the first place :O)

Lisa x

What-Ho!

Morning Everyone :O) How’s your week going so far? I hope that you are having more good than bad, more ease than struggle and that it’s not raining (unless you happen to love the rain of course). You may or may not have noticed that I have been around less over the last few days, not because I don’t love being here (which I do) but because I have finally gotten around to starting a novel.  I have been playing with the idea for a few months but I am now 10,000+ words in and the ideas just keep on flowing.

When I joined the WP family a year ago I couldn’t have imagined doing this but the support and encouragement I have received from all you lovely people has given me the confidence I needed to try and I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am. The community here is incredible and I think it is born of a common desire: to write and it’s fired something in me which I never really knew existed. After a few years of bumbling through life I have finally found a passion again, a purpose if you will, and I want to launch myself into it. Unfortunately that means I won’t have so much time to spend with you guys, the people who helped me get to this place which makes me kind of sad.

Anyway, there is one last thing I wanted to say before I pop off for a few days and that is:

Lisa x

 

#BlogBattle: Loss

At her age, she had never expected to find the man of her dreams but here he was, standing before her and, better yet, he was smiling and that beautiful smile was only for her. All her life Sarah had been overlooked or, worse, ignored; she was unassuming, deeply sensitive and incredibly kind but she was plain and she knew it. She always described herself as nondescript; her hair lacked bounce or shine, her eyes were a clear blue but small, her nose far too strong for her face and her mouth a tiny rosebud. No individual feature was unappealing but together they just didn’t work.

The man before her, on the other hand was, in her opinion, magnificent. His hair was very dark, almost black, his eyes twinkled a deep green and his smile, oh that smile! The crows feet and the lines at the corner of his mouth showed her, immediately, that he was someone who laughed a lot, who loved life and Sarah was drawn to him in a way she’d never felt before. It was for this reason that she felt no hesitation when he held out his hand to her; she rose from her seat and walked into his arms. A perfect gentleman, he put one hand on her waist and the other on her shoulder and then he led her into a dance. Sarah moved with an easy grace that was new to her. She had always been, what her mother referred to as, ‘cack handed’ but with this man guiding her steps she felt as though she was floating.

“Will you stay with me Sarah?” his deep, melodious voice floated on the air and delivered the words that she had longed to hear for so many years. They were filled with the desire to really know her. She looked into his eyes and saw her face reflected there but, for the first time, she did not shy away from the image because, in his eyes, she was beautiful.

“I will stay with you gladly Michael” As she said the words she tried to remember when he had told her his name but she just couldn’t recall, how strange! ‘No matter’ she thought. Their dance ended as her body twirled around his, their fingertips just touching, her skirt flowed around her legs and she laughed with the joy of it all.

“Shall we go?” Michael asked her when she glided to a halt before him. He took both her hands in his and smiled; she was ready to go anywhere with this man and she walked with him gladly into the darkness.

David sat beside Sarah’s bed, her frail hand in his, and he wept. He had loved this woman for 50 of his 75 years and now she was gone. Painfully shy, he had never summoned the courage to tell her how he felt and now he cursed his weakness. Just before she died, Sarah’s face had lit up; he would have given anything for her to look at him like that, just once. He supposed he should be grateful for the fine friendship they’d had for all those years but it was to late now; she was with the angels. All he had left were his memories and, now, a profound sense of loss, for her and for the love that they’d never shared.

I’ve never taken part in a Blog Battle before but was intrigued by the challenge set by Jaye and Anita (do pop over and visit their blog, I am sure they’d love to see you) so this is my offering.

Lisa x