FOCUS ON: North West Chapter (Sandpipers)

Today we are delighted to welcome Freda Lightfoot who answers our questions and gives us an insight into this long-running chapter

How long has your chapter been running?

Sheila Walsh started the North West meetings way back in the early 1980s being very involved in the RNA. She was RNA chairman and then a Vice President. She held these meetings twice a year at her house. Sheila was also president of Southport Writers’ Circle. She also attended Swanwick, where I can remember her giving me lots of advice and encouragement when I first started writing back in the 80s.

Following the conference at Stoneyhurst College where regional chapters were discussed, it was then that June Francis and I agreed to organise the one in the North West. Sheila Walsh continued to come to our meetings and to organise Southport Writers Circle even though she had to stop writing to care for her sick husband. Sadly she then fell ill and died a few years ago. She was a most helpful, lovely lady.

How often do you meet?

We meet about four times over the course of a year, generally on a Wednesday late in the month of February, May, September and November. Although it does change on occasions for various reasons.

Do you have a regular meeting place

Our venue has been the Scarisbrick Hotel and then the Latin Lounge. This has changed recently because of various problems and is currently at The Office, a good and friendly restaurant. We always have a good lunch and a chat.

How many members attend your meetings?

Our full list of members is over 30, including a considerable number of RNA members. These include Lyn Andrews, Katy Flynn, Lynne Connolly, June Francis, Roger Sanderson, Sheila Riley, Annie Burrows, Val Williamson, Mary Wood and many others. We used to have Anne Baker too before she moved south to her family.

Is your chapter open to non-members of the RNA?

We do welcome non-RNA persons, some from other writer groups in the area, some who were into book selling or are starting to write. Some newbies do then join the RNA.

Do your meetings include a meal?

We do generally have to order the menu in advance, but it’s always good and reasonably priced. What members choose to drink is their choice, not ours.

How long are your meetings?

We generally meet up around 12 noon, start lunch at 12.30 and depart by three o’clock after a good chat or perhaps a speaker.

Can you give an outline of speakers/guests you've had in the past year?
We have had the privilege of many excellent speakers over the years. Recently we’ve had Leah Fleming, Diane Allen and Lyn Andrews.

What do you have planned for 2017?Our next meeting will be May 24, and then a summer break before two in the autumn. We are still looking at other possible locations, in case we find one with more privacy. Right now The Office is most accommodating, friendly and not too expensive. We fill a large table at one end.

What would you say makes your chapter of the RNA so special?The importance of our meetings is to be able to get together with writer friends. Members can promote their latest book, sell or give away freebies, and we have a round-robin chat about how things are going for them. We can also discuss any problems we have and be given good advice and support. We have named it the Sandpipers after a special type of bird who live in Southport.

Does your chapter have a website, Facebook page or Twitter account?We have a Facebook group called the Sandpipers. It’s a closed group where we can exchange information on what we are writing, and when we can meet up again. We also have a Yahoo group, useful for those who are not on Facebook. I have a full list of members and can contact them direct as well, to make sure they are informed of the next meeting.

Who is the contact for new members?

freda@fredalightfoot.co.uk

Or

valwilliamson18@aol.com

Your chapter carries a lot of history and will surely serve as an inspiration t some of the newer groups. Thanks so much for joining us. Wishing you and your members a successful 2017 and beyond.

Natalie Kleinman writes contemporary and historical romantic novels and has thrown a bit of a mystery into the mix in her recently completed Regency. She is now working on a new contemporary. Her next novel set in the beautiful Cotswolds is with Harper Collins HQ Digital and is due for publication at the end of June. You can follow her blog at http://bit.ly/2mDF99I

If you would like to write for the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

FOCUS ON: NORTH DEVON CHAPTER

We welcome Jean Fullerton with this month’s edition of Focus on RNA Chapters.

It gives me great pleasure to feature one of our long-established Chapters of the RNA blog and I'm very grateful to Sheila Daglish for taking the time to tells us about the North Devon Group.

'Small and (almost) beautiful' possibly best describes our North Devon Chapter as we gather for coffee, cake, and a two-hour working session in the spacious and pleasant cafeteria at St. John's

Garden Centre, Barnstaple. We meet approximately every six weeks, although winter dates are flexible since our (currently seven) members must tackle ninety-minute drives across Exmoor, Dartmoor or sometimes-stormy coastal roads.

Our Chapter was formed about ten years ago and we welcome new members, whether or not RNA, because fresh ideas and experiences are always appreciated. We agree and are reassured by the fact that, for all of us, holiday weeks, home demands and crises are inevitable, sometimes rendering a daily writing routine impossible. Family life is so often at the core of what we write anyway and, importantly, we know that, whether actively writing or not, all our members make a valued contribution to discussions around the table.

The last few months have brought successes and new adventures. Patricia Fawcett attended the Writers' Summer School at Swanwick in August, brought us news of current short story writing requirements and has plenty of ideas for these - a temporary change from her regular novels. In the summer she gave a talk at Buckland Abbey, one-time home of Sir Francis Drake, where her audience particularly liked the supporting visual aids she used. Frances Evesham's first two Exham mysteries can now be obtained in paperback, and she reports that internet sales of her other books are doing well. At Ilminster Literary Festival she presented a talk on her other love -

Victorian fiction.

Amanda Robinson is writing regularly, an erotic romance which now needs to be finally pulled together. Anne Holman is working on a Regency tale, having had previous success in this genre, and was happy to see 'The Art of Love', her 24th pocket novel, published in July, hopefully also in Large Print. A further pocket novel is currently awaiting a result - preferably acceptance! Lucy Alexander, our newest recruit, attended the RNA Lancaster Conference and, after a one-to-one session with a M&B editor, was asked to submit the next two chapters of her medical romance. An autumn writing course with Kate Walker at Swanwick should help with the final polish. There's one last success for our Chapter to record and that's Sheila Daglish's 'Dangerous Waters' - a My Weekly pocket novel published in May, and accepted for Large Print.

Our North Devon location and cafeteria venue mean that we can't realistically invite guest speakers but, between meetings, through e-mails we always have someone ready to offer encouragement, sympathy, ideas or opinions. Our Chapter does not have a website, nor has it ventured onto Facebook or Twitter, although individual members often find these useful.

For 2017 we plan more of our well-tried recipe - friendly, supportive meetings, always receptive to new trends and movement in the publishing and self-publishing worlds. 'Small and (almost) beautiful', as you'll see from the above success stories, is a concept that seems to work!

Contact for North Devon Chapter is:

Sheila Daglish, 01271 850006.

E-mail: themalthouse94@ gmail.com

Thank you so much, Sheila, for that comprehensive overview of the North Devon Chapter.

Jean x

About Jean: 

Jean was born in East End of London and spent all her career as a district nurse in East London but is now a full-time writer. Wedding Bells for Nurse Connie, is her current release. Her next novel Pocketful of Dreams, set in the turbulent years of WW2, is due for release in June 2017 and is the first in next East London series. 
Her first series with Orion Fiction was set in the Victorian period after which she jumped forward to post-war East London.

She is a proud graduate from the NWS and passionate about the local chapters, which is why she has taken on the role of Chapters Liaison. 

Thank you to Jean and Sheila for this month’s blog contribution. 

If members would like to be featured on the RNA blog please contact the team on elaineeverest@aol.com