​It had taken just 3 minutes after the security check for that warm, familiar excitement of travelling to evaporate.  You didn’t do it on purpose, just your being you, was enough to make any of my days a little less bright.  It’s difficult to put a finger on exactly what it is about you that sets my back teeth grinding gently.  I’ve thought about this a number of times, and so far, have come up with a few ideas : you don’t like me (fair enough, I’m happy to own this one), you think you are better than me (nah, you’ve got to own this one), and my current favourite – that you are just a sanctimonious bastard (now this one, this one has legs).
These pleasant musing were brought to an abrupt end as I watched, in something like slow motion, as you joined the queue to board the same aeroplane as me.  I have to admit, the little smirk that touched my lips was unnecessary, especially as you had tried so hard with your ‘I’m avoiding looking at you’ expression.  Good effort ! 
The excited, hurried,  electrical atmosphere of the transfer terminal brought back my good humour.  People rushing with over-large hand luggage bags ; older couples walking slowly, looking everywhere at once; groups of students with impossibly heaving looking back-packs, shouting directions to each other ; all getting in the way of harried, suit-clad business travellers.   I love air travel !
 
And there was me, with plenty of time to catch my connecting flight, strolling steadily towards the zig-zag that preceded passport control.  And there you were.  Following me.  There was nowhere else to go ; we would be zigging and zagging at the same time.  No escape.  Did I give a dam ?  Hell no !  I had practiced my ‘I’m avoiding looking at you face’ too.  Here, have it !
I think back to yesterday’s, non, meeting at the airport.  Yes, you still think you’re a higher being.  And, to be far, you may well be.  And you may well be wrong, either way, I know your secrets.

Whispers from the East

​The last vestiges of night gently pulled away, giving the world a new day.  The once black as black sky had a blue tinge, whispering in from the East, the stars, once diamond bright, now gently fading.  Pulling the cover closer around her shoulders against the predawn chill, her numb bare feet touched the slippery wooden boards, she was now ready to stand up to this day.

Thank you Lyndy for the invitation to write a guest blog for your beautiful new website! I am honoured.
Although Lyndy writes mostly raunchy romance and I write non-fiction travelogues apart from my first memoir, there is still an element of love running through all my writings. So, what better topic to talk about than ‘love’.
We use the word ‘love’ in many different contexts and if you ask four of your friends what the word love means to them, I am sure you would get as many different answers.
The Ancient Greeks Knew a Thing or Two about Love
I think we would all agree that the ancient Greeks knew quite a bit about ‘love’. Did you know they had eight words that correspond to the eight different types of love, if you think about each one it seems as though they had it all covered?
Eros     -     Erotic love
Philia   -     Affectionate love
Storge -     Familiar love
Ludus  -     Playful love
Mania -     Obsessive love
Pragma-    Enduring love
Philautia-  Self-love
Agape    - Selfless love
I don’t think we need the ancient Greeks to tell us that love comes in all shapes and sizes and I found it an interesting topic as I was preparing to write this blog post. It made me think about how it related to my life and writing.
When I wrote my first book, although it was about raising awareness about an adverse side-effect from a chemotherapy drug, I do now know that it was out of love for other breast cancer sufferers and not wanting them to experience what I had. If you had asked me at the time, I was writing it I would have probably said it was out of anger and revenge.
I struggled for years not wanting or willing to accept it until I unexpectedly met my yoga and meditation guru and it was she who taught me how to love myself.
Two travelogues followed and although there was no ‘love’ element, apart from a tiny bit of ‘raunch’, although I doubt Lyndy would call it that, I felt some spiritual connection when I visited Israel.
Common Interest
My latest book has a definite love connection!
Looking at the list above I would pick Storge, although, depending on your definition it could also be compared with ‘Mania’ love.
My love or obsession with Star Trek! There, I said it. Please don’t roll your eyes. Thankfully, my husband is also a Trekkie. Maybe you are asking yourself how could I write a book about my love for all things Trek?
We went on a Star Trek Cruise around the Caribbean with actors from all the various Star Trek series onboard. During the week, the actors entertain you from morning until the wee small hours. They even mix with you when they’re off duty too so if you can try to imagine my excitement when one of my favourite actresses agreed to let me interview her for my book! And there is more. The artists who not only paints and draws for Star trek (CBS) but also creates a lot of work for Marvel comics agreed to an interview with me, too.
We were on a ship full of like-minded people from all parts of the globe, brought together for their love of Star Trek.
I do not know what the ancient Greeks would think about that…
Shirley’s bio
Shirley Ledlie was born in Nottingham, England. She is a former Bella Magazine columnist, author of a memoir 'Naked in the Wind' and two short travelogues 'The Unexpected Pilgrim' and 'Mischief in Manhattan'.
Her first memoir 'Naked in the Wind' is a modern-day David and Goliath story. The main purpose of this candid book was to raise awareness about a distressing permanent side-effect of a breast cancer treatment drug which seemed to be a taboo subject in the medical world while also trying to help other women suffering from the same disfigurement as herself. Some readers have claimed it is an Erin Brockovich style tale.
Two short light-hearted travelogues followed in between writing many media articles and taking part in podcast interviews which focused on the narrative of her first book. It also helped to bring about one of the largest multi-district litigations currently ongoing in the USA.
Shirley loves spending time with her family, grandchildren and taking trips in her campervan.
Amazon Author Page https://amzn.to/35wlkFh
New release                https://www.saledlie.com/book-launch-landing-page
Website                       https://www.saledlie.com/
 

I'm really excited to welcome Kitty Bardot to my Guest Author slot.   

Kitty Bardot juggles a life full of excitement and love. By day, she's a chef with her own catering company, by night she puts tens years of burlesque experience to use in various venues in the Quad Cities. She writes from her country home not far from the Mississippi River, enjoying every moment with her husband and their three children. Currently, she is working on her next Burlesque River story.  Check out Kitty's Amazon page
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KSNW47Q

Thanks so much for sharing a little of your story Kitty.  Best of luck with the book.

​Lyndy

'5 Things to Look Out for When Choosing a Writer's Coach
 
As social creatures, we all thrive when we are part of a herd.  We seem to fit more easily in our own skin when we have a circle of friends, no matter how big or small that circle is.  We all need to be accepted, and not judged when we mess up. 
 
As writers, we tend to huddle over our keyboards, pecking away, drowning in coffee (or maybe green tea) and relying on our own reserves of resilience, perseverance and motivation to get that story out of our heads and on to the page.  This at a time when the market is swamped with writers, storytellers and authors competing for attention from discerning and savvy readers. 
 
But what if there was someone in your corner ?  Someone who you could trust with your germ of an idea, who could help you turn it into a plot, and wave those damm pompoms from the sidelines, as you rip up that word count and hit ‘The End’ ?  
 
We could all do with someone like that, right ?  Place an add on social media, and you’ll be swamped with private messages, offering so much choice, and the odd nude photo.  So here’s my Top 5 Tips to help you sort the wheat from the chaff :

1. How do they make you feel ?  Are they going to get you onto the Bestseller lists within 4 weeks ?  Are they going to have your books listed by all major distributors ?  Will Amazon be calling you ?  Yeah ?  Walk away.  This is probably a scam.  If they make you feel slightly uncomfortable now and again, if they suggest you extend your comfort zone by a couple of feet, if they ask a ton of questions and expect you to have at least some of the answers by the next session, this is someone to take seriously.  Coaching is a close, yet professional relationship; I tend to offer the first session, sometimes two, for free.  It gives both of us a chance to see whether we fit or not.  And if not, that’s ok.  
2. There are 2 main acrcediting bodies for coaching and mentoring – International Coaching Federation (ICC) and European Coaching and Mentoring Council (EMCC) .  Not every great coach is a member of one or the other, but both have excellent Codes of Ethics.  If a Professional coach is not working along similar lines, this is a red flag.
3. How much experience do they have ?  Many large companies ask long standing employees to mentor new starters, but this is not the same as coaching a stranger.
4. Do they have experience in your field ?  Whilst not necessary, and sometimes it is a disadvantage, it is good to know.  What do their successes look like ?  And check em out !
5. Are they qualified ?  Whilst coaching and mentoring is not regulated yet (fingers crossed it will be soon) check out their qualifications – how long did they study for ? (Some great sounding coaching courses only last 2 days ! 

And there you have it.  My 5 Things to Look Out for When Choosing a Writer's Coach.  There are some things on here that I want to cover in more detail, so follow me on Twitter to catch those posts.

It took me until a third of the way through book 2 of a series of 6 to begin to think ‘is this for real?’.  It was fiction, of course it wasn’t real!  The problem wasn’t the storyline, the writing or grammatical mistakes (there were no errors!), the lead male character was someone most romance readers would like to meet… 

The problem was the main female characters name.  There it is.  Something so simple.  This is what nearly made me stop reading, and not go on to buy the remaining 4 books.  To say it was a mouthful is an understatement.  To say it was unlikely is nearer the mark.  It was out of era.  This played on my mind as I began write my current book.  It just kept bugging me.  How could I avoid the same mistake?

So, I did some research.  First, I came across the Top 10 Most Popular Baby Names for 2019 (for babies born in the UK).  The most popular name for baby girls was Olivia, and weirdly, it was Oliver for boys.  Next, I found some great information produced by the Department of Social Security and found that the most popular name for baby girls since 1900s until 1960s (yes! 60 years!) was Mary.  I wasn’t surprised, and secretly pleased, as I love this name.  I was fascinated when this trend wasn’t repeated in the boys’ names.  For the same period, John, Robert, James and Michael were all the most popular for differing lengths of time.

So, if you’re writing about main characters who were born in the 1900s, John and Mary might be good main character names; if they were born 30 years later, Robert and Mary would be a wise choice, and if they were born in 1960, Michael and Lisa might suit.  You can find the whole list here: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/top5names.html

There’ll be no jumping out of helicopters.  No blowing up buildings.  No drinking martinis.  No walking out of the sea in my swimsuit.  Because I’m not James Bond.  But I've added a photo of Daniel Craig anyway.  

But sometimes I AM Lyndy Hughes.  Like many writers I decided to write under a pen name.  (Even that is sometimes a nom de plume.)  Why?  Well, my books are raunchy romance and where I live, simply EVERYONE has an opinion they feel they have a right to share.
 
So, there you have it.  I have confessed.  I’ve lightened my burden.  Now to get on with some writing.