Day 185 of my Duolingo Latin streak, and the little green owl, Duo, mascot of this popular language learning app, has just emailed me to say he sees a 186-day streak in my future.
He’s right. The concept of the streak plays a huge part in Duolingo’s success. Once you get going, you dare not miss a day of practice for fear of cutting your streak short, although if you practise a lot, you’ll earn a Streak Freeze allowing you to take a very occasional day off. The longer the streak, the harder it is to lapse, especially when Duo is constantly stalking you with reminders.
If the green owl graphic wasn’t so cute, he’d seem positively sinister.
This is the second time I’ve built up a long Duolingo Latin Streak. Over the years, I’ve spent so many hours with Duo that I’ve completed the Latin course several times over. However, it’s far from comprehensive. I know I’d learn much more if I spent the same amount of time studying the Cambridge Latin Course. I first came across this course at secondary school, and the course book is currently Amazon’s bestseller in Latin. Even so, I can’t seem to escape Duo’s clutches.
I was astonished to find my old school Latin textbook is currently a bestseller on Amazon – bestseller n the Latin category, anyway!
We all know that apps are designed to be addictive, applying streak mechanisms to keep you hooked. The concept of the streak was around long before the invention of the app. Inevitably at my age, my earliest experience of the grip of the streak is analogue: the yellow attendance card for Scripture Union club at primary school. The A6 card was ruled into neat squares, and each time we attended the after-school club, the kindly Mr Linton stamped a little star into the next blank square. A row of stars earned the cardholder a bookmark, a full card a book. Gaining stars was a powerful motivator for attendance, as was Mr Linton’s obvious pleasure at our progress.
Perhaps I should apply the same psychology to housework, never high on my list of priorities.
I need my own Duolingo as my personal cheerleader for housework
I could easily make up a Scripture Union style card and reward myself with a stamp for every completed task. But it wouldn’t feel as fulfilling without the personal endorsement of dear old Mr Linton or Duolingo’s winsome little green owl.
As Mr Linton retired to Norfolk when I was 11, I can’t look to him for help now. Clearly I need my own version of Duo. So, if you come across a small plump green owl with domineering tendencies in need of a good home, please send him my way.
In Other News
No sooner is my latest book done than I’m writing the next!
Death at the Old Curiosity Shop was launched last month and has been very well received, with a 4.4* average on Amazon and over 120 reviews and ratings so far. This book is the start in a brand new series, initially planned as a trilogy, set around Alice Carroll, the new proprietor of a derelict bric-a-brac shop in the Cotswold village of Little Pride. I had such fun creating the new setting and characters that as soon as that book was in production, I set to work on the sequel. Death at the Village Chess Club will be launched on 3rd March 2025, and is already available to preorder. I’ll share the cover here as soon as I can.
Just some of the kind reviews of my latest book so far
In the meantime, I’m getting in festive mood as I organise the next Hawkesbury Upton Village Literature Festival event – the now traditional Christmas Special. This will include readings of classic favourite Christmas poetry and prose, as well as readings and talks by local authors. Three of the guest speakers will be sharing stories written for this occasion. The Festival is very honoured! For more information and to book tickets, visit the HULF website at www.hulitfest.com, or book your tickets online via Eventbrite here. Advance booking is essential to make sure we’ve got enough refreshments and chairs to go around!
A post celebrating the late author, poet and artist Clare Weiner, who wrote as Mari Howard
Last autumn, when I was planning my priorities for 2024, I decided that I’d post on my blog every Wednesday, and that the last Wednesday of each month would be a guest post by or about author friend. I never imagined that the first of these posts would be a tribute to author, poet and artist Clare Weiner, who published her books under the pen-name Mari Howard, following her untimely death from a sudden heart attack on 7th December 2023. The following post is an amalgam of tributes by our mutual friends within the writing community.
I first met Clare about 10 years ago when I was manning an exhibition stand at a writers’ event in London for the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) (affiliate link). Clare approached me and introduced herself, buttonholing me for some time as she described her work and also questioned me at length about how joining ALLi might help her achieve her writing ambitions. I was immediately struck by her intelligence and tenacity, and how thoroughly and deeply she thought things through.
She joined ALLi, and in the years that followed we became good friends, although the distance between our homes meant that we met in real life only occasionally. My first impressions held true, as I discovered when I read her debut novel, Baby Baby; her second, The Labyrinth Year; and then last autumn her third, Farewell Fifteen, which completed her planned trilogy, The Mullins Family Saga. In these contemporary family saga novels, she explored complex ethical issues where science meets faith with thoughtfulness and balance.
The first in the Mullins Family Saga trilogy
A determined independent publisher of her own books, she enjoyed networking with other indie authors and conversing about a wide range of issues with fellow ALLis.
ALLi’s founder, Orna Ross, says, “Clare always impressed me with her determination. I know the technicalities of self-publishing were not her natural bent, but she didn’t let that (or anything) stop her. It’s a shame she didn’t have longer to make her contribution, and I am so pleased to know her legacy will live on through her books.”
The second in the Mulins Family Saga
Clare’s considered contributions to group discussion on the ALLi membership forum were always appreciated.
“Clare was a valued member who contributed to our group,” says Helen Baggott, editor and author.
“Clare was always so supportive and active in this group,” says Clare Flynn, historical novelist.
As well as her intellect and integrity, her warmth stood out. “She was lovely,” says crimewriter Wendy H Jones. “Clare was a lovely lady and wonderful writer,” says children’s author Hilary Hawkes.
Her generosity to her author friends was much appreciated. “A fine writer herself, she was also very supportive of other writers,” says Dr Carol Cooper, novelist and author of medical non-fiction.
Clare was planning to rebrand the first two in the trilogy to match the design for book three
Novelist Lynne Pardoe has fond memories of pre-pandemic real-life meetings with Clare in Oxford, when we co-ran an indie authors’ group. “I so much enjoyed knowing her, and it’s not that often you meet someone who shares the same faith and political views Clare and I did,” says Lynne. Along with other Oxfordshire authors such as Dan Holloway and Thomas Shepherd, we enjoyed some stimulating meetings in Oxford, including a memorable talk about lexicography by her husband Edmund, Deputy Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Having bookish fun with author friends Lynne Pardoe, Dan Holloway and Thomas Shepherd at the Albion Beatnik Bookshop, Oxford
Another author friend, Griselda Hamway, who had known Clare and her family for many years through church, paid a touching tribute to Clare on her latest post on the Authors Electric blog, a collaborative site on which Griselda and Clare (and a few years ago, I too) each contributed a monthly post.
Read Clare’s last post on Authors Electric, an upbeat post celebrating the institution of the Art Shop, here:
Although Howard Lovy, an author, editor and journalist based in Michigan USA, never met Clare in real life, he says, “I had the honor of interviewing Clare a few years ago for ALLi’s Inspirational Indie Authors podcast”. Howard kindly sent this link to their podcast as his tribute:
Clare was much more than an author and poet. She was also a gifted artist (view her gallery of paintings here) and photographer, sharing beautiful wildlife pictures all year round. “I loved her nature posts on Facebook too,” says author Ali Bacon.
Clare’s collection of poems compiled to bring to the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival
But it was for her writing that I invited her to take part in the very first Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival back in 2015, and she and her husband Edmund were great supporters of the programme long-term. Clare was a member of various discussion panels over the years and also gave readings from her novels and from her poetry. Here she is sharing a reading from her work at the inaugural HULF.
Because I believed in Clare’s talent, I was always pleased to help her, and I was especially glad to be able to introduce her to book designer and illustrator Rachel Lawston, who had done such a brilliant job designing my self-published book covers. They soon formed a close collaboration on new covers and branding for Clare’s work.
Rachel has given me permission to share her own highly entertaining tribute to Clare here:
Rachel Lawston’s Tribute to Clare
My most cherished memories of Clare will always be our “quick five-minute chats” that would turn into hours-long conversations.
Our calls were like a lavish twelve-course meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Here’s how they usually went:
Course One – Hors D’Oeuvres: We would start with a quick chat about what we had been doing before the call (around fifteen minutes).
Course Two – Amuse-Bouche: Moriarty (Rachel’s cat) rudely interrupts us. We would take a moment to appreciate cats.
Course Three – Soup: Our cat updates would quickly turn into stories about nature sightings.
Course Four – Appetizer: From there, we would talk about our trips to local nature reserves and share stories about our latest holidays.
Course Five – Salad: Clare would update me on her grandchildren and her family.
Course Six – Fish: Husband chat. By this point, we would lose track of time and have no idea how long the call had been going on.
Course Seven – Paul (Rachel’s husband) would arrive home and say a quick hello. We would chat about what he and Edmund (Clare’s husband) were cooking for dinner.
Course Eight – Palate Cleanser: Clare asks Paul about the WWT London Wetland Centre, Paul makes a swift exit to the kitchen and our discussion quickly turns to politics.
Course Nine – Second Main Course: We would both express our dislike for Boris.
Course Ten – Cheese Course: We would both express our disdain for the Tories.
Course Eleven – Dessert: Our discussion naturally unfolds into the history of the UK and our predictions for the next year.
Course Twelve – Mignardise: We would end our call with Clare sharing what she would do if she were the Prime Minister of the UK.
Taxi home – we are both summoned by our husbands to the dinner table.
HULF’s Tribute to Clare
I know how much Clare loved coming to the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, and how disappointed she was when the pandemic or her own ill health prevented her attendance. The next HULF event is set for Saturday 27th April, and I would like to dedicate this event to Clare’s memory. It will be held in our beautiful, tranquil parish church of St Mary the Virgin, where I know she and Edmund enjoyed spending time on one of their visits to Hawkesbury.
The theme for the Spring 2024 HULF is “A Sense of Place” – something that Clare evoked so well in her writing, her photography and her art. (There’s a gallery of her photos of the settings in her books here.) Edmund has kindly given his permission for us to read an appropriate extract from her work, and he hopes to be present to read it himself.
This week’s post is the transcript of my introductory speech at Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival’s HULF Talk on Research & Inspiration last Saturday. held at the Bethesda Chapel, Hawkesbury Upton, Gloucestershire
As those of you who regular guests at the HULF Talks will know, I choose a different topic for each one, and this time I chose “Research and Inspiration”.
When my author friend Lucienne Boyce read the original manuscript for my first collection of short stories, Quick Change, she gently pointed out that she thought it odd I’d mentioned recycling bins in four of the 20 stories. I changed one bin into a bonfire, which made for a much better story. However, my column for the September 2023 issue of the Hawkesbury Parish News reveals that recycling is still very much in my thoughts…
Recently I spotted an advertisement seeking volunteers for a council study of household recycling habits. When it popped up on my computer, it reminded me of a market research programme I took part in as a child. My best friend’s mum corralled a dozen of my classmates into the local church hall to taste-test various brightly coloured drinks. We went home clutching clanking carrier bags filled with glass bottles of lurid liquids, and instructions to report back on which flavour ran out first.
I didn’t much like any of the drinks, preferring Treetop orange squash, but the parties were fun, and the free samples made me feel special. My fond memories of the process were enough to make me volunteer for the recycling research.
The survey required me to keep a diary of everything I recycled over three days, snapping photographs on my phone. I thought I was good at avoiding waste, buying as much fresh, loose food as possible, but my diary was a wake-up call. So much packaging!
One of my classier items for recycling – the wrapper from a National Trust tea towel, a lovely gift from my Auntie Thelma
Have you ever been on a diet that required you to write down everything you ate or drank?
Have you tried to save money by recording every item of expenditure?
In both cases, it can be easier to abstain than to add to your list.
If we had to make a note of everything we recycled every day, I reckon we’d soon find ways to reduce and re-use instead – so much better for the environment.
I’m astonished to recall that when I first moved to the village in 1991 there was no recycling service. We just chucked everything in the black bin – a bigger one than we have now, emptied weekly rather than fortnightly, and thanks to our throwaway culture, it was often full.
A century ago, there would have been no council refuse collection of any kind, but nor was there much need, as there was much less waste. People bought food loose or wrapped in paper and carried it home in wicker shopping baskets. They returned empty jars and bottles for deposits. Old tins provided useful storage – no Tupperware in those days. Rag rugs gave new purpose to worn-out clothes.
Anthologies, like rag rugs, are much greater than the sum of the parts (I am very proud of having made this rag rug too!)
Everything else the householder had to dispose of on his property, burning it in the hearth or garden bonfires, or burying it in the garden. Even now, bits of old china, glass and metal buried decades ago frequently rise to the surface in my flowerbeds.
As a crime writer, I can’t help wondering what lies beneath my lawn…
This sign lay abandoned in my back garden when I moved in, the legacy of when my cottage used to ve the village post office.
Not all rubbish could be burned or buried. Rag-and-bone men used to collect cumbersome items and sell them on as scrap. Even as late as the Sixties, a rag-and-bone man occasionally drove a van or a horse and cart slowly down our street in suburban London, calling “any old lumber?” A popular sitcom during my childhood was Steptoe and Son, revolving around a scrapyard. Could Yate’s Sort-It Centre make a great setting for a modern comedy series? I like to think so.
I’m pleased to say I found taking part in the council’s recycling research just as interesting as the squash parties of my childhood.
I’m just glad that this time I didn’t have to taste-test samples.
THIS WEEK’S NEWS
DRIVEN TO MURDER (Sophie Sayers #9)
A placeholder image is now up on Amazon – cover reveal to follow soon!
On Monday I submitted the manuscript for my ninth Sophie Sayers cosy mystery, Driven to Murder, to my editor at Boldwood Books, and this morning I was delighted to receive an enthusiastic email with her proposed (very light) edits.
“What a tonic!” she said, going on to describe it as “a rich experience for returning fans” as well as “accessible to new readers”.
Now it’s down to me to make a few minor revisions in line with her comments, and then it goes to a copy editor, then a proofreader. Meanwhile, she will brief the cover designer, and I can’t wait to see what the designer comes up with!
The official launch date is 28th January 2024, but if you’d like to kept up to date by my publisher about progress, and any special offers on my other Boldwood Books, you might like to sign up for their Debbie Young mailing list here.
GUEST POST AT IHEARTMURDER BOOK BLOG
Karen Louise Hollis’s second novel is now out
Karen Louise Hollis, author of Starting Again at Silver Sands Bay, kindly invited me to be a guest on her book blog, interviewing me about my books and my writing life.
COUNTDOWN TO NEXT HULF TALK (Saturday 30th September)
In the meantime, just down the A46 from Stroud, I’m gearing up for the next book talk in the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival series of events in my home village.
This time, the theme is “Research and Inspiration: The Stories Behind the Stories“, and eight authors of novels across different genres will be in conversation about where they get their ideas, how they undertake their research, and how they weave facts seamlessly into fiction to create compelling, convincing stories.
Come and join me and Ali Bacon, Jean Burnett, Heather Child, Mari Howard, Justin Newland, and HJ Reed, from 2pm until 5pm in the Bethesda Chapel, Park Street, Hawkesbury Upton GL9 1BA. The ticket price of £5 includes tea and cake, plus a £2 discount voucher to spend on the book of your choice by one of the guest authors.
There just 50 seats in our venue, a light and airy Victorian chapel, so book now to be sure of a place, using this Eventbrite link.
For more information about Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, visit www.hulitfest.com.
I don’t usually speak from a script at lit fests, but as I had just had Covid when the HULF Festival of Words* came around, I didn’t want to rely on my slightly fuzzy memory. Having written the script for my affectionate talk about the use of slang in school stories, I hung on to it, so that I could share it with you today here on my blog.
*HULF is the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, which I founded in my home village in 2015, and which has been running public events in various venues about the parish ever since.
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