SVA Hasn't a Clue

(Written by Linda and posted by Rob)

While Rob was scouring Worcestershire for the correct venue for last Tuesday’s meeting, the group, in the most writerly fashion, discussed Tony’s search for a plumber that really would get back to him, the merits (or not) of the 1968 hit Macarthur Park and our relief that Annie hadn’t left her delicious chocolate cake in the rain.

Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'Cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again, oh noooooo

Rob arrived and regaled us with yet more plumbing talk. On the previous Sunday he had been discussing plumbers with Tony on the telephone whilst trying to concentrate on the rugby when the fire brigade arrived to put out a fire in his back garden. We couldn’t take much more excitement and returned to our ‘writing news’ update. Rob is going to Lisbon at Easter to gather research for his latest oeuvre The Petrified Fountain and Annie is off to Bronte Country for a writers’ week. And don’t forget to vote for Izzie in this year’s Brit Mums Brilliance in Blogging Awards!

Out of Such Darkness

Congratulations to Rob on the launch of Out of Such Darkness on March 13th. The event was very well attended and Rob sold so many books that he ran out – a sure sign of success. The whole event was really enjoyable. St Georges Hall is an excellent venue and the cabaret-style entertainment by The Trio Project (who include Rob’s daughter Charlotte) was fabulous.

Out of Such Darkness is published by Patrician Press.

The Trio Project - thetrioprojectsingers@gmail.com

Click here for more information about Rob and his work.

The Petrified Fountain

We all enjoyed the fifth chapter of Rob’s latest book. The characters of Cross and Nicholson (think Jack Nicholson in Chinatown) are strongly portrayed and there is a real sense of tension between them. Cross is a complex and sinister character and we all felt that there would be chilling events to come. Nicholson seems to enjoy capitalising on Cross’s insecurities and ‘drips’ the information on his research into Crosse’s family background ‘at his pace’.
Izzie pointed out discrepancies in place and time which we had all missed and Tony said that the dialogue seemed a bit stilted at times. Everyone agreed that Rob had done an excellent job in portraying Cross as a nasty dysfunctional character. Linda found it interesting that Cross did seem to have insight into his own weaknesses, in particular his obsession with tidiness:  ‘But I am distracted by my desk. The rectangle of clean blotter that Tracy has brought in is cluttering up one side… It always takes time to make sure it’s aligned symmetrically and I anticipate that she would regard me as a bit weird if she witnesses the whole performance.’
We are all looking forward to the next instalment.

Next Meeting

April 14th at Izzie’s house. Linda to read.