Hi Rachel, and thank you for inviting me to join your blog today.
I’m not
always good at taking chances. I’m a bit of a ‘stay safe’ sort of person, but
in late 2014, I decided to give chances a go, and threw my name in the hat for
a Very Important Ballot. Very important to me, at any rate.
I am a
Ricardian. That is, I am a supporter of King Richard III of England, and, I
confess, this has sometimes edged just slightly into obsession.
It’s an odd
thing to ‘lose’ a King of England, but for over 500 years, that’s what had
happened to Richard, after his defeat and hurried, undignified burial in
Greyfriars Priory Church at Leicester, following the Battle of Bosworth. People
knew where the church had been, but with centuries of building and development,
the site of the actual burial had been lost, until a campaign led to an archaeological
dig in 2012.
I was hooked
to the press conference on 4th February 2013, when they announced
that a skeleton discovered the previous September was indeed that of Richard
III. The scene was set for a magnificent reburial, with plans finally announced
that the location would be Leicester Cathedral.
And so to
that chance in December 2014. A ballot was announced, giving 600 ordinary
people the chance to be part of the three services which formed the reburial
week. How could I not take part? I just wanted to say I had been part of it,
and fast forward to January 2015, when the gold-rimmed envelope appeared in my
letterbox, I just assumed it was to tell me I hadn’t been successful. On
reflection, opening said envelope on the busy Metro during my morning commute
wasn’t the smartest idea… I was invited to Compline! Ok, so I had to instantly
Google Compline to check what it actually was, but in that moment, I didn’t
honestly care – I was off to Leicester!
The weekend
of 21/22 March 2015 was magical for me. A Saturday of lectures, then on the
Sunday, the official unveiling of Richard’s coffin, following his hearse along
the first part of his journey, then sitting in the cathedral (front row!),
watching that same coffin being carried in for the first time. Filtering past
it at the end of the service is something I’ll never forget.
It was an
inspiring day, and later that evening, sat in the Travelodge (apparently built
on the site of the inn where Richard spent his final night before travelling to
Bosworth), I started scribbling, and by the end of the night I had three poems
(none particularly great, but never mind), and finally, the motivation to
finish editing the draft novel I had completed during the previous November’s
NaNoWriMo.
Within the
month, it was finished, polished and preened, and then came another decision to
take a chance. To submit, or not to submit – that was the question. My mum
provided the answer, advising me, kindly, to “stop faffing about and submit
it.” So I did. To the wonderful Crooked Cat Books, and in October 2015, only
six months after sitting in Leicester Cathedral, there was my debut novel, up
on Amazon, for all the world to see (and, hopefully, buy!).
Two chances,
which I am so glad I took, mainly because they made me a heck of a lot braver
and willing to take more.
And the
latest? Hitting ‘send’ and submitting what has since become my second novel,
due for release in June 2017.
Giveaway to Win an e-copy of Kindred Spirits: Tower of London (Open Internationally)Jennifer Wilson is very kindly giving my followers a chance to win an e-copy of Kindred Spirits: Tower of London
Giveaway open internationally, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 13/06/2017. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner. Good luck everyone.
About Jennifer
Jennifer is
a marine biologist by training, who spent much of her childhood stalking Mary,
Queen of Scots (initially accidentally, but then with intention). She completed
her BSc and MSc at the University of Hull, and has worked as a marine
environmental consulting since graduating. Enrolling on an adult education
workshop on her return to the north-east reignited Jennifer’s pastime of
creative writing, and she has been filling notebooks ever since. In 2014,
Jennifer won the Story Tyne short story competition, and also continues to
develop her poetic voice, reading at a number of events, and with several
pieces available online. She is also part of The Next Page, running workshops
and other literary events in North Tyneside.
Jennifer’s
debut novel, Kindred Spirits: Tower of London, was released by Crooked Cat Books
in October 2015, and Kindred Spirits: Royal Mile is coming June 2017. She can be
found online at her blog, on Twitter and Facebook, as well as at The Next Page’s blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment