The Dream Catcher Project: All Authors Welcome As We Gear Up For A Two Ebook Release

The Dream Catcher ebook project, People, Place & Memories, now has forty-two writers working on their short stories, poems or prose ready for our end of February 2012 final submissions date.

Owing to the high interest in the project, we here at The Brighton Magazine have decided to make People, Places & Memories a two-part project (released simultaneously):

ebook one will be for Brighton-based writers, or those with a Brighton-centric short story, poem or piece of prose.

ebook two will contain the writing of authors from all other world localities – but still based on the People, Places & Memories submissions topic guidelines.

If you have any questions on the above, then please feel free to contact editor@brighton.co.uk

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A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications) is still looking for your recollections and memories on all things Carry On.

The book is a fictional tale from the pen of Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell and covers the twenty-two Carry On movies he worked on as sole scriptwriter.

Check-out some of our related posts:

Talking Extramarital Affairs: Between The Sheets With Barbara Windsor

My Life With The Carry Ons. Part 1

The Readers Write: ‘Carry On' Submissions Flood In!

‘I’m Gonna Do This If It Kills Me ..’

A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications)  
For more info CLICK HERE.

Talking Extramarital Affairs: Between The Sheets With Barbara Windsor

Affairs can be so destructive. But what’s a girl to do when a man wears her down? In the case of Barbara Windsor she was never going to hold out for long.

She’d already succumbed to the charms of George Best:

‘There was this vision, this absolute vision. In the Sixties he was so beautiful. Anyway, in the bar afterwards he came over to me and I said, “Look, don’t waste your time with me, darling. You’ve got all these lovely ladies after you. And he said, “Well, when do I ever get to talk to somebody like you?” Well, that did it. That was it. A magic moment. It was great, he was fabulous.’

But that wasn’t the affair we are eluding to here. Nor was Babs’ dalliance with a Bee Gee. She once had a ‘magic moment’ with Maurice Gibb:

‘I said to him, “Where would you like to go? My friend said we could go for coffee? And he said: “Look Bar, let’s get it over and done with, let’s go to bed”. Because he knew that he wasn’t giving it on stage, so we went and had a little moment. It was lovely.’

No, the affair on most people’s lips was the one between Barbara Windsor and her fellow Carry On, Sid James.

He expected they’d ‘just do it’ and that would be that. But things turned out differently.

“I cared deeply for him. I didn't at first, he was just my leading man, who liked me,” recalls Barbara.

But things got a little deep and more that just a little complicated. The pair’s union became common knowledge, not least on the Carry On set.

Kenneth Williams didn’t like it that’s for sure. The woman he adored shacking up with the man he had little time for. Not good.

Babs admits that she had five abortions, the first three before the age of 21 and the last when she was 42. She also believes that physically she’s an acquired taste:

‘I’ll tell you about men. They either really want to give me one – I’ve had them say, “Ooh, I could really give you one” – or [they say]: ‘No, you don’t do anything for me”.’

No, extramarital affairs are good for tittle-tattle but bad for the health:

‘I couldn’t have survived my depression without my current man,' admits Babs. It’s a relationship that’s lasted 26 years.

A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications)  
For more info CLICK HERE.

My Life With The Carry Ons. Part 1

I met Kenneth Williams just the once. We stood, along with Jim Dale, in the front room of Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell’s house. Tolly was the then scriptwriter of the much loved Carry On films (and Kenneth Williams and Jim Dale were two long serving actors of the successful series).

Kenneth was bleating. He did that a lot. If you were in another room with a crowd of chattering people, then that not-so-far-away sound of bleating was more than likely to be the sound of Kenneth Williams holding court. For when Kenneth was in a room 1/ he was never alone, and 2/ he was the king of all he surveyed and the others were there merely to listen.

‘Is this where you get felt?’ These were the first words Kenneth Williams uttered in my presence. I was barely into my teens and took his query to be one pertaining to non-woven cloth and not the sexually charged nod-and-a-wink meaning he had in mind.

Jim Dale piped-up in my defence and asked Kenneth to pipe-down. ‘He knows I’m only having a laugh, don’t you?’ I smiled back. Kenneth then asked my name and how come I happened to be at Tolly’s gaffe at the same time as comedy royalty.

I explained that Tolly and my dad had been friends since school and that we were often here at weekends. ‘Well, good for you. And what fine profession have you got your eye on,’ inquired Kenneth.

‘I want to be a vet.’

‘A vet. Dirty job. All those hours with you hands up strangers’ arses. What drew you to that?’

‘James Herriot. Well his books, I love them.’

‘Good for you,’ smiled Kenneth. ‘Read and ye shall find.’ He then broke his attention away from me, realised the bulk of guests were in another room .. and the next I heard was the not-so-distant sound of a bleating sheep.

A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications)  
For more info CLICK HERE.

The Readers Write: ‘Carry On' Submissions Flood In!

My call for your submissions of anecdotes and memories of all things Carry On, was a phenomenal success. Seemingly Sid, Kenneth, Babs, Peter, Joan, Hattie, Jim and all left a positive mark on many lives. There’s still time for those who wish to submit to the forthcoming book, A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications) .. For more info CLICK HERE.

Since my last post, first drafts of the introduction, prologue and first chapter have been completed. A structure for the whole story is in place and a contact has agreed to open up an archive of material that will add great weight to my argument that more than one person should read A Write Carry On!

Having sussed my angles, reasons and motivations for writing the book, I’m now at the stage where the characters are successful in having their own identities. Now is the time for them to interact, so it’s also time for dialogue!


Dialog is one of the most important components of story, for many reasons:

It relays important information and moves the story forward

It shows what a character is thinking, feeling, doing

It can be funny, scary, sad, dramatic

It breaks up the visual monotony of large, clunky paragraphs

It reads quickly

It can be the most memorable part of a narrative
(Joe Konrath) http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2006/04/elements-of-dialog.html


He said/she said is needed but not every line which can be distracting. But be careful of the opposite extreme so the reader loses sense of who is speaking:

Often, dialogue can be the most underwritten or overwritten part of your story. It can be underwritten when the words you choose aren’t strong enough; when your dialogue is weak. It needs the constant use of adverbs, such as quietly, excitedly, and angrily in order to convey what the dialogue itself should be conveying.
(Vanessa Di Gregorio) http://letthewordsflow.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/dialogue-woes-writing-tips-and-tricks/


So, by the next post I’ll give you an idea of how A Write Carry On dialogue is coming along. If you want to add your dialogue input, just email editor@brighton.co.uk
　

The Brighton Magazine’s forthcoming ebook:

People, Places and Memories 

Submission guidelines.

Short Stories or Poems

Please send no more than one short story or poem at a time to editor@brighton.co.uk. In the subject line of your email put ‘The Dream Catcher Project’. I will endeavour to reply within one working week

We have no word limit, but the story/poem topic should be either ‘people, places or memories’. If it is good, we will publish it!

Please send your work in the body of the e-mail. Attachments will not be opened.

Contact the Dream Catcher Project via: editor@brighton.co.uk - or check-us out at The Brighton Magazine.

‘I’m Gonna Do This If It Kills Me ..’

The last few days have been taken up with constructing an introduction to A Write Carry On. No, the book’s not finished; half-written chapters lay forlorn waiting to be knitted together into something cohesive, entertaining and informative! So why concentrate on the introduction now?

The introduction is a good way for the author to get to know his/her book. You’ll find by stating in the introduction ‘this book is being written because ..’ that you will truly put your motives for writing the book to the test. Also, your knowledge of your subject may well come into question, especially if you read aloud your introduction and imagine that you, the reader, are hearing it for the first time.

'The problem is that writing a book takes a long time, and involves a lot of hard work. People often think that writing a book will be fun. They often sit down and enjoy zipping through the first chapter. They might even get into the third chapter before it starts to bog down, before they begin to think, “where was I going with this?' Michael J. Sullivan (Dealing With Failure) http://www.riyria.blogspot.com/

Before putting my finger anywhere near a keyboard, I read every other introduction on my chosen subject. I made a note of their differing angles, reasons and motivations. But I have one thing none of them could boast about; I grew up alongside my subject. From birth to marriage he was there and most of my childhood memories feature him prominently.

'It is difficult now to imagine how some of the great turning points in Western history could have been achieved without [the book]. The Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment all relied on the printed word for their spread and permanent influence. For two and a half millennia, humanity used the book, in its manuscript or printed form, to record, to administer, to worship and to educate.” ~ Martyn Lyon (Books A Living History) http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/10/26/books-a-living-history/  

As promised in my last blog, here’s some brief submission guidelines for The Brighton Magazine’s forthcoming ebook People, Places and Memories:

Short Stories or Poems

Please send no more than one short story or poem at a time to editor@brighton.co.uk. In the subject line of your email put ‘The Dream Catcher Project’. I will endeavour to reply within one working week

We have no word limit, but the story/poem topic should be either ‘people, places or memories’. If it is good, we will publish it!

Please send your work in the body of the e-mail. Attachments will not be opened.

Contact the Dream Catcher Project via: editor@brighton.co.uk - or check-us out at The Brighton Magazine.

Writing the Wrongs: Getting Your Ebook Off The Starting Blocks

Writing a book is, for me, like standing in a large room surrounded by fifty-or-so identical plain-white doors. For the novel's plot and structure to fall into place, the doors all need to unlocked, and still you need to guess the combination to the big black door that lies within.

Dramatic as the above may sound, its pretty much a truism for all writers undertaking a major project. But though the doors may be locked, there's plenty of fine advice on the net from those who have located the keys on more than one occasion.

In the course of research for my A Write Carry On book, it's been a pleasure to reconnect with the great talents of British comedy.

Alongside the Carry Ons were the Pythons, the Goons and the Goodies. Their talents, both as individuals and a team, are seemingly sadly lacking from today’s advertising-heavy multi-channel television schedules.

But back to the book (see, this is the trouble with writing, distractions) and Amazon-bestseller Joanna Penn has wise words on how she finds time to write.

Once you are writing what stimulous do you turn to feed the muse? Not as way of encouragement, but here’s a list of the top fifteen successful alcoholic writers:

Now on to The Brighton Magazine's ebook People, Places and Memories, which continues to evolve, with many of you asking about submission deadlines and criteria. On the former, a rough guideline of 1st February 2012 seems viable, with the following month set aside for any re-writes and layout.

A submissions guideline will follow in the next post.

Contact the Dream Catcher Project via: editor@brighton.co.uk - or check-us out at The Brighton Magazine.

A Write Carry On - Readers Invited To Appear In New Carry On Book!

Some musicians ask their fanbase to financially contribute towards the making of an album in return for a mere mention on the sleeve. Not much of a payback, we say!

So here’s a better offer. We are offering you, the reader, the chance to get your name and anecdote in a forthcoming book to be published, in 2012, by the good people at Wholepoint Publications.

The book, A Write Carry On (The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows), is a fictional tale of a memoir from the pen of one of the ‘great unsung heroes of British comedy writing.’ Talbot ’Tolly’ Rothwell was responsible for screenwriting twenty Carry On films, as well as writing scripts for The Crazy Gang, Arthur Askey, Ted Ray and Terry-Thomas.

We are looking for anecdotes or memories for all things Carry On. Did you meet or know any of the cast? Maybe, like me, attended filming? Or have an interesting tale to tell about what the Carry Ons mean to you? In fact, anything Carry On related.

If you do them send them to: editor@brighton.co.uk and the most interesting will get both their name and anecdote included in all ebook copies of 'A Write Carry On (The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows)'.

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

Coming 2012

Author: Mike Cobley

Publisher: Wholepoint Publications

‘The spine of the book lists his name. The title looks familiar. Even the dust jacket speaks of ideas that had once come so easily to him. But here, in this now unfamiliar room, his past belongs to another and the present holds few clues to his self. Fear takes a grip.’ ('A Write Carry On')

This was the moment when one of the great unsung heroes of British comedy writing knew the game was up. Having been responsible for a rollercoaster half-decade of screenwriting twenty Carry On films, as well as Up Pompeii and The Crazy Gang, Talbot ’Tolly’ Rothwell could no longer recognise the keys on his typewriter. His past had caught up with him.

Talbot went on to receive an OBE - yet still managed to be 'A Man In The Shadows’.

This forthcoming book will form a fictional account of what might have happened if Talbot Rothwell had sat down at his typewriter one last time and catalogued, via a work of fiction, his extraordinary life and the amazingly talented people he came into contact with.

With the likes of Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Frankie Howerd, Hattie Jacques et al, this gripping tale will take the reader deep into the complex characters who have, even after their passing, become a mainstay of British comedy.

‘A Write Carry On’ will also take you behind enemy lines during the Second World War, when Talbot was incarcerated in the notorious Stalag Luft III. There he teamed up with Peter Butterworth to produce camp concerts which aided tunnelling escape efforts.

"Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" 'A Write Carry On' coming soon!

When One Becomes Two! A New Ebook Is Born ..

Alongside The Brighton Magazine’s People, Places and Memories ebook (submissions welcome) I have now tied-up with an ebook publisher to write a novel based on the life and times of one of the great unsung British comedy scriptwriters. A link to the book's title, blurb and expected ETA will be posted here shortly.

Although I’ve no wish to reveal, at this early stage, plotlines and characters, I do think it will be a worthwhile undertaking to use this blog to track the progress and pitfalls of the project. Also those currently writing for our People, Places and Memories ebook will especially find it beneficial, and feedback to editor@brighton.co.uk is most welcome.

So it’s first draft time for both books. Outlining should be your port of call, and I’d be happy to hear which method works best for you. Personally, I’ve started using post-it notes and am working on creating five major scenes and then going back to link them together before completing the draft.

Contact the Dream Catcher Project via: editor@brighton.co.uk

Poets & Writers: More From The Dream Catcher Learning Hub

Back on board the Dream Catcher Project learning hub, and many of you have asked about moving on from story writing to paid freelance work. A good place to start is the article - How To Be A Freelance Writer - just follow the embedded links in the article.

Are you a writer? To help you decide what to answer the next time someone questions your popularity or proficiency in the field of literature, best read - And What Exactly Is It You Do - first!

You may also want to sign-up to Poets & Writers 'the nation’s largest non-profit organisation serving creative writers’. Their forum is a good and safe way to meet writers of all abilities.

Submissions are rolling in for the Dream Catcher Project. We are getting a high number from overseas - Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and more - so may open up part of the 'People, Places and Memories' ebook to overseas writers.

If you want to be a part of the project keep checking this blog, or email editor@brighton.co.uk -- be seeing you!

Join Us On The 'People. Places & Memories' Ebook Journey

The recent call for submissions to our Dream Catcher Project ebook - ’People, Places and Memories’ - has been answered more than a hundred times over.

Many have contacted us, at the Brighton Magazine, with ideas for short stories, poems or prose, but a high number have valid questions about what exactly writing for an ebook entails, and how such a project will be marketed.

With the above in mind, this blog will now also serve as a pointer to relevant authors, blogs, websites and places of general information. In other words, as writing for online readers is still somewhat in its infancy, ‘People, Places and Memories’ will be a project we embark on together and catalogue here via regular updates.

So first, we are building a list of your email addresses. Then, with your permission, we can keep you updated on this project, in the hope you will support it either via your writing or spreading the idea via your own list or word of mouth.

Some have contacted to say they are concerned that the standard of writing we receive may surpass their own. All are welcome, but those new to writing may want to check-out this step-by-step guide to becoming a writer.

So anyway, opening this project to your submissions was step one. Hopefully you’ll all be aboard for the full journey.

Contact the Dream Catcher Project via: editor@brighton.co.uk - or check-us out at The Brighton Magazine.

Dream Catcher Project Open For Submissions

The Brighton Magazine's new Dream Catcher Project is open for submissions. We are looking for short stories, poems or prose based on the topics of either People, Places or Memories.

We plan to produce a quarterly ebook anthology of your very best writing .. a chance to have your name in digital print!

So, without delay, get writing and send your submissions to editor@brighton.co.uk.

During late spring of next year we'll chose our favourite entrants and organise an evening of readings at a local venue, to tie-in with the Cultural Olympiad 2012.

For the full Dream Catcher Project update CLICK HERE

South African Apartheid Victim Makes a Rare Appearance In Brighton

The South African writer, lawyer and author, Albie Sachs, is a remarkable man who has overcome adversities that most of us couldn't imagine.

Sachs was blown-up in his car by agents of the South African apartheid regime back in 1988 and lost not only his right arm but also the sight of one eye.

He went on to be appointed as a judge of the constitutional court by Nelson Mandela in 1994 until 2009, Sachs has played a prominent part in the struggle for justice throughout his life.

Read more here ..

City Reads is about to get underway. Focusing on Andrea Levy's The Long Song .. check-out Andrea by CLICKING HERE - details of City Reads events are below ..

Andrea Levy Linton Kwesi Johnson Drinks guru, Dave Broom With Paul Crooks I&I The Natural Mystics. A celebration of Bob Marley. Kei Miller Laura Lockington is The Book Doctor Fire in Babylon City Reads 2011 celebrates Andrea Levy's award winning novel The Long Song with the City Reads big weekend at The Old Market from 7 - 9 October (see below for details) and a series of free events at Brighton and Hove libraries (more info at cityreads.co.uk). Happy city reading! Andrea Levy Award-winning novelist Andrea Levy in conversation with writer/journalist Suzi Feay... more info & bookingSun 9 Oct, 3pm, £8, The Old Market Tickets Brighton Dome Ticket Office (01273) 709709 www.brightonticketshop.com Linton Kwesi Johnson Live poetry performance (with Q&A) from the original dub poet, Linton Kwesi Johnson... more info & bookingSat 8 Oct, 8pm, £12.50, The Old Market (Bar open from 7pm) Tickets Brighton Dome Ticket Office (01273) 709709 www.brightonticketshop.com City Reads Book Quiz Join a team or bring your own to the annual City Reads Quiz. Perfect for booklovers of all persuasions... more info & booking Thu 6 Oct, 6.15pm, £5, Jubilee Library Tickets Brighton Dome Ticket Office (01273) 709709 www.brightonticketshop.com Island Appetiser Rum and chocolate tasting with Dave Broom Caribbean rum and chocolate tasting with drinks guru and author Dave Broom... more info & bookingFri 7 Oct, 7pm, £8, The Old Market Tickets Brighton Dome Ticket Office (01273) 709709 www.brightonticketshop.com Who Do You Think You Are? With Paul Crooks and Imogen Lycett Green Screening of Colin Jackson’s Who Do You Think You Are?, followed by novelist Paul Crooks on tracing his Caribbean roots... more info & bookingSat 8 Oct, 11am, £5, The Old Market (Venue open from 10.30am for teas, coffees and pastries) Tickets Brighton Dome Ticket Office (01273) 709709 www.brightonticketshop.com I&I: The Natural Mystics A Celebration of Bob Marlet with author Colin Grant A celebration of Bob Marley and the Wailers with cultural historian and author Colin Grant... more info & booking Sat 8 Oct, 4pm, £5, The Old Market Tickets Brighton Dome Ticket Office (01273) 709709 www.brightonticketshop.com Different Skins Writing workshop with Kei Miller Creative writing tutor, novelist and poet Kei Miller leads this exclusive workshop on developing multiple voices in fiction.. more info & bookingSun 9 Oct, 10am – 1pm, £20, The Old Market Tickets Brighton Dome Ticket Office (01273) 709709 www.brightonticketshop.com The Book Doctor - Laura Lockington One to one reading therapy with Laura Lockington – author, playwright, publisher and Book Doctor... more info & bookingSun 9 Oct, 11am, £5 per 15-minute session, The Old Market Tickets Brighton Dome Ticket Office (01273) 709709 www.brightonticketshop.com Film: Fire in Babylon How West Indies cricket hit prejudice and colonial oppression for six… more info & booking Sat 8 Oct, 1.30pm Adult £8, member £6, concessions £7, child £5 Duke of York’s Picture House Tickets Duke of York’s booking line 0871 902 5728 picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/duke_of_yorks More details at cityreads.co.uk City Reads at The Old Market Small Wonder at Charleston The count-down to Small Wonder, The Short Story Festival – is beginning. A chance to savour all sorts of stories from postmodern to traditional, from scientific to romantic, from horror to erotic, from serious to comic, from scripted to interactive, from Chinese to Arabian in the atmospheric Autumnal setting of the Charleston barn. Full programme available here

The Long Song: Booker Shortlisted Novel Becomes Brighton’s Month Long Read

Brighton's City Reads initiative focuses on one book by one author – this year's selection being the Man Booker shortlisted novel, The Long Song by Andrea Levy – with the simple aim to encourage the good people of Brighton & Hove to read, discuss, debate and creatively engage with in a series of special events, workshops and performances. You can read the full article @ the Brighton Magazine's Dream Catcher section.

Claire Watkins' Virginia & The Elements story, which appeared in short form in our Dream Catcher section, has been picked up by an independent publishing house, and Claire has been asked to expand the short story into a novel. We will be blogging her progress. Check-out her story HERE.

And just time to mention that there will be Dream Catcher articles by Janet Street-Porter and Steven Berkoff real soon. One talking about The Diary Of A Juvenile Delinquent and the other talking about making and discarding friends! To find-out which is covering which topic, watch this space!

Keep checking The Dream Catcher section, or email editor@brighton.co.uk for more info.

Author In The Spotlight

As the Brighton Magazine's Dream Catcher section continues to grow (and many thanks for positive messages and helpful feedback) we present our first Brighton author under the spotlight.

Nick Burbridge is a poet and a gentleman. He's also recorded and performed with the Levellers, as well as having just let loose The Unicycle Set, his third collection of though provoking poetry. To gain a sneak under Nick's creative bonnet CLICK HERE

A Write Carry On; Fulking Friends & South Downs Connections is the second story in our Dream Catcher new writing series. After the postive feedback for Claire Watkins' Virginia & The Elements - we moved from Virginia Woolf's final home of Rodmel (near Lewes) to Fulking, which lies in the very pit of Brighton's Devil's Dyke. A Write Carry On mixes the man who wrote the Carry On screenplays with a little white witchcraft!

To view the complete Dream Catcher section CLICK HERE

The Brighton Magazine Dream Catcher Project

The Brighton Magazine's new Dream Catcher Project section is up-and-running. All under one roof you can take a peek into the life of Phil Daniels, the dark & twisted mind of Hugh Cornwell, a haunting tale of Virginia Woolf's muse, the masterstroke of language that is Invisibles, a genre-defining tale based around the rave scene, a nostalgic trip as middle-aged Mods return to the seaside .. and more besides ..

Ed Siegle's debut novel, Invisibles, ducks and dives through the scenic splendour and dark underbellies of two very different cities, as a son (Joel Burns) goes in search of a father (Gilberto) who's dead in the minds of all except one.

So begins a journey of self-discovery as Joel travels from his adopted home of Brighton to his birth city of Rio.

Virginia and the Elements: She was to be found in the schoolyard that connected the village to the church. A bitter throughway in the most unforgiving of seasons. Her view was of hills and fields, and her mind far from the hustle and bustle of busy village life. Her purpose was words. She needed to find a way out of the tunnel, that dark expanse that clouded her judgement, knocked her confidence, and gave way to damaging thoughts she knew she was almost certain never to entertain.

To read the Invisibles review and Virginia and the Elements short story in full.. visit The Dream Catcher Project.

The Dream Catcher - One book. One city. A thousand conversations

City Reads: One book. One City. A Thousand Conversations

As the Brighton Magazine's Dream Catcher project inches closer to launch, here's some news from our local partners and friends:

City Reads are hosting a Volunteer Meeting at Brighton's Jubilee Library, on Thursday 4th August, at 6pm.

They are looking for Wordpress wizards, event stewards, bookcrossers, skilled social networkers, photographers and people to man stalls.

Also it's nearly time for City Reads to reveal the City Reads book title for 2011. Watch this space on 18 August for an announcement. 200 free copies of the City Reads book will be available throughout the city from Saturday 20 August. They are currently adding the finishing touches to their events programme which will run from Thursday 8 September  - Sunday 9 October. Look out for
brochures at the end of August.



Flash-Lit Fiction: a slam & other experiments

As part of the Brighton Digital Festival 2011 there will be an evening of short shorts, flash writing and digital technologies. on Sunday 11 September, 7pm - 10pm, at Sticky Mike's Frog Shop, 9-12 Middle Street, Brighton.

At the heart of the event is a 300-word flash fiction slam competition and an online Twitter story competition, with competitors battling it out for fame and glory.

The night is brought to you by the makers of Grit Lit and Story
Studio.

Judging panels include the Digital Festival team, Richard Hearn from Paragraph Planet and Myriad Editions. Advance tickets £5:  Tickets on the door: £6.


Nina de la Mer: Book Launch

Nina de la Mer is set celebrate the launch of her début novel 4 a.m. with stage readings from Actors from Sussex University Drama Society. The event takes place on 19th August from 6-8pm.

Advance copies of 4 a.m. will be available to buy, signed by the author - CLICK HERE for more info.


For more info on the Brighton Magazine's Dream Catcher project CLICK HERE

The Dream Catcher Update

Since announcing The Dream Catcher project, at the end of June, we have been contacted by authors, publishers, reading groups, story writers and readers, and the just plain curious.

The Dream Catcher is now more than just an idea. It's a living, breathing and evolving catchment of talent. Latest to hop on board was Nina De La Mer, an author who dazzled us with her debut novel, 4 a.m. Read our review here.

Nina's publishers, the Brighton-based Myriad Editions, are sending a copy of Ed Siegle's recent novel Invisibles. Ed first caught our eye with On the Level, published in the acclaimed anthology The Illustrated Brighton Moment.

Invisibles itself takes us on a journey from the streets of Brighton to the bars of Rio. Ed weaves the rhythms of Brazil and the troubles of his characters into an absorbing story of identity, love and loss. At once familiar and foreign, this sweet, sad and compulsively readable first novel throngs with visceral memory and unbreakable ordinary heroes.

If you're interested in receiving updates about The Dream Catcher project then email editor@brighton.co.uk

The Rock Memoir

So, it's official, the world of publishing is on the scramble to sign rock stars to book deals. I took a look at four of the great musical lyricists who are becoming first time novelists, while The Observer ran a feature on the publishing scramble for the big five stars without book deals.

Have just finished reading the excellent, if not a little disturbing, Cutey and the Sofaguard. The novel, from the exciting young mind of Chris Wade, claims: "It's a strange world, unlike any other you've chanced upon. This unique story is an experiment in challenging conventional storytelling, twisting the English language into unnatural positions, deforming characters into twitching wrecks. A surreal mindbender with a shocking twist." A link to my review will follow in my next posting.

Almost completed Nina De La Mer's tale of club culture going tits up. 4.a.m. is her first novel and she writes with the assured voice of someone who's in it for the long haul.

Also delighted that Going Underground by Suzie Tullett is next to read and review: "Three men on two scooters (a vintage Lambretta and Vespa) heading down the country to Brighton... three women and a heavily pregnant woman in hot pursuit - all squashed into a classic, Union Jack roofed mini... and an off duty Police Officer bring up the rear... and with musically themed chapters it even has its own soundtrack."

Phil Daniels may be typecast as Jimmy The Mod from Quadrophenia, but as his autobiography, Class Actor, shows there's a lot more to the man than just that one performance. Check out the review here ..

Brighton's Most Famous Movie Mod Is Really Just A Class Actor - Plus Job Up For Grabs

Was a treat to get to review Phil Daniels' recent autobiography, Class Actor. As I say in the review, my first brush with Phil was:

"I first spotted him when the arse end of the seventies brought the cast and crew of Quadrophenia to my home town of Brighton, for a bit of rough and tumble on the pebbles.

"The fact that the actual process of filming didn't look in anyway glamorous (cue endless standing around and multiple takes) didn't detract from just how god damn glamorous it actually looked once what was in the can was projected onto the big screen."
Check out the full review here

Also, if you're reading this then guess you have an interest in books. If so then the position of City Reads Volunteer Co-Ordinator (PAID) is up for grabs. Click here for details ..

Thanks again for all the positive feedback re-our The Dream Catcher project .. more details here

New Authors, New Titles

Thanks for the feedback on the Hugh Cornwell 'Window On The World' review. Was a pleasure to read, and nice to find Hugh steeping successfully outside of the box.

Am now embarking on reading two new titles (remember, if you become part of The Dream Catcher project, then you too could be receiving pre-release titles for review). Nina De La Mer is a new author, and her first novel, 4 a.m., is deemed to be 'a sparkling debut novel of friendship, love and betrayal. An anthem for the E generation.' So I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into this one!

Also ready for review is Phil Daniels autobiography, Class Actor. Many will know Phil from either his staring role in the movie, Quadrophenia, or possibly via his recent appearances in Eastenders. But there's a lot more to the man, and I'm a quarter of the way in and enjoying the read.

Window On The World

First time novelists don't come any more seasoned than, Hugh Cornwell. The ex-Stranglers frontman has been ploughing a continued path as a solo artist for the last twenty-one years. Along the way he's put his name on the cover of three books, the last being his autobiography, A Multitude Of Sins.

But now comes his first novel, Window On The World. I've reviewed the book, which is on general release from 28th July, over at magazine.brighton.co.uk and you too could be reviewing pre-release titles if you sign-up to our Dream Catcher project.

For more info on The Dream Catcher project click here.

The Dream Catcher - Day One

So here we are. Day one of a new project is always exciting. Even though the premise for The Dream Catcher is simple, its implications to both the individual and local community are wide raging. A dedicated section on The Brighton Magazine that will give writers exposure to a wide audience (over 1 million unique visitors per annum), featured writers will also have their stories (websites/blogs/published works:) promoted via a regular email newsletter, Facebook and Twitter.

The Brighton Magazine also plans to seek sponsorship (via prizes, give-aways, events review tickets), and those interested may also receive new book publications for review.

The topics criteria - People, Places & Memories - have been set as it will be a goal of the Dream Catcher project to host a reading event, in Brighton, during the summer of 2012 to tie in with the Cultural Olympiad, which runs from 21st July to 9th September.

If you're interested in receiving updates about The Dream Catcher project then email editor@brighton.co.uk