Week 2, Day 7: G is for...

1) Guides. No, I was never a Girl Guide, my experience in the brownies, (see B) put paid to that. This refers to ‘Spirit Guides’, which is a better name for what are commonly referred to as Guardian Angels. It is thought that we each have at least one, and this spirit will do its best to hint to you what is the best to do. This is the information that may be explained as intuition or happenstance. Trynor and Jotin, in my novel, show how frustrating it could be to be a guide to a human who is totally unaware of their presence. This explains the title of the book; the humans act despite the guides’ (angels) best efforts.

2) George. This is my husband, who put a line through my appointment book on the Mondays, saying ‘you are going to Finish That Book’. So I did. I can’t thank him enough for believing in me and making me do it. His surname starts with G too, so I can be Mrs G when I want -mostly in France, where ‘Stringer’ is a dreadful name to explain or spell out loud....

3) Gelsemium. This is almost specific for that real flu which creeps up on you and leaves you apathetic on the sofa, with pains everywhere and a low grade fever. 

F is for...

1) Formatting. This is something that was a meaningless word to me a year ago, and now I have done it. I was about to write ‘now I can do it’ but that is something different! Those of you who know what it is will know you sweat blood, and those who don’t, well: be glad you don’t need to.

2) France. I was brought to France first when I was seven, and by the time I was ten I was in love with it. My Mum spoke fluent French, having studied it for her degree, and lived there for a year, so I understood its value (it got me ice cream!) and learnt it pretty well. I speak it adequately, although not fluently - I won an argument with a Parisian waiter once, which has to count as enough- and knowing French does help you love France. I have seen most places, and apart from the very industrial north east, have loved it all. Now, by a happy accident, we have a place in the Périgord, and I am in heaven. So part of “Despite the Angels” is set in France, and my third novel, as yet un-named, will use my Périgordian knowledge even more.

3) Ferrum Phosphoricum, for the early stages of most febrile conditions

I don't know what is controlling the date for these posts, but it is 00.13 according to my watch, my computer, and my phone, and yet the post has gone up as Friday!!! It is Saturday here, and I'm going to bed....

E is for....

1) Effort. Writing is addictive, but getting a book published is work, and requires a lot of Effort. I have used most of my book-Energy, and so far I'm ‘only’ on-line. The trouble is, I and my friends are of the age when books are paper, not kindles (though I love my kindle too), and I don’t really believe I’m published because I can’t riffle through the pages! So another bunch of effort must be dredged up from somewhere...

2) Elegant. This is what I want to be ‘in my next life’. I want to be someone who gets out of a car without a) showing my undies, b) getting entangled in the seat belt, c) dropping my bag so its contents go all over the road. There are many other situations where a spot of elegance would come in handy too.

3) Euphrasia. This is ‘eyebright’ and is good in liquid form, as drops for sore eyes.

If this is still saying it was published on Thursday, I'm sorry, my phone said 1 minute past midnight!

D is for....

1) Dundee. Everything I said yesterday about research also applies to Dundee. One of my characters' past lives is there, so when I had to be in Scotland for some hypnosis training, I took a day trip to Dundee, to make sure I wouldn't get things horribly wrong. I spent a fascinating couple of hours in their wonderful public library, reading the street directories for the relevant year; I was looking for Christian names that would be correct, or at least believable, and discovered that had you gone out in the street in Dundee in the late 1800s and shouted 'William!' more than half the men could have answered. I found it an emotional experience walking the streets my 'Lewis' and 'Dorothy' would have walked, to the extent that I forgot that I had made them up, and texted my husband "I'm sitting looking out over the water, feeling sorry for my people". I hope my readers will find it equally moving.
2) Dad. My Dad died at 62, over 20 years ago now, and when he was ill he told me that one of the reasons he was sad to leave the world was that he had not yet "written a novel, or designed a cathedral." He was trained as an architect, and I am not, which is why I wrote the novel, partly for him, and partly so that on my deathbed I could not be similarly sad.
3) Drosera: for those childhood coughs that start "the minute the child's head touches the pillow" at night, while during the day things have not been too bad.

C is for....

1) Crete. When I decided to start my story in the ancient past, Crete seemed the obvious choice because not only had I been there twice, I loved it! So I wrote the story, then needed to do more research - what a great excuse for another holiday. So down we went to Budget Travel (where are you now?!!) and booked a week in Gouvés. We had a great time, going to Tylissos, Malia (which I called Malatos in the story as Malia is very pie-and-chips now, even though the palace ruins are wonderful) and up on the Lassithi plain we went into the Diktaean Cave, which the Minoan Cretans considered a sanctuary. I wrote a whole chapter about Alessia's visit there, and loved my spirit guides poking fun at the priestess. But it ended up on the cutting room floor, as does a lot of carefully done research. Maybe, when the book is a run away best-seller (they say we should be positive!) I will publish the chapter on this blog for my millions of fans....
2) Calendar Girls. One of my other interests is amateur drama, and I occasionally get small parts in plays. From 16th -20th of this month I will be in a (fully-dressed) cameo role in Calendar Girls in the Mermaid Theatre in Bray, Co.Wicklow. It looks like being a great fun night out. Tickets from the theatre at 01-2724030
3)Chamomilla. This is the number one remedy for teething pain, and is said to have converted more men to homoeopathy than any other substance!

B is for....

1) B is for belief. This always comes up when I tell people about my book. "But what if I don't believe in reincarnation (or guardian angels) ?" they ask. The answer is - it doesn't matter a jot. The book is fiction, and can be read as a story, just like any other work of fiction. No one who read Animal Farm felt they had to believe pigs could talk, nor do Terry Pratchett's readers believe there is an actual disc shaped world out there !  Do I 'believe' in past lives myself? I'm not sure that belief is the right word, but for the moment I think the idea of reincarnation explains a great deal of the bad stuff about our world, as well as some of the good things. We'll all find out eventually anyway, so what anyone believes about it is a very temporary situation...
2) B is also for Brownies. I was made join the Brownies when I was about 7, and hated it. Particularly my 'enrolment' which was spectacularly badly handled, and terrified me half to death, because I didn't know what was happening. About 14 years ago, I went to Drama summer school, and did a story-telling course with the wonderful Sue Colgrave as teacher. I told the story of my Brownies experience, which went down really well, and afterwards a classmate came up to me and asked "how long have you been a writer?". That gave me the courage to start.
3)Belladonna - a great remedy for infections with a very high temperature. Specific for scarlet fever.

Day 1. A is for.....

1)I think A is possibly the easiest and most obvious of all the letters. (Oh Dear!). Because it is, of course, ANGELS. This is in the title of my book because most people who think about these things at all, think they might have a 'guardian angel'. Actually, they may have a 'spirit guide' to look after them here in Earth School, angels are far higher beings and don't usually do mundane things like trying to persuade humans to listen to good advice, and rewarding them with an occasional parking space! Read all about my 'angels' trials and tribulations in Despite the Angels.
2)I am Madeline A Stringer because I was advised against using my whole name. My middle name is Ann, after a greatgreatgreat etc grandmother who was apparently a bit of a character. She was Ann Walters, lived around 1820, in the other half of Shakespeare's house (the half you don't get shown) in Stratford on Avon. We have all been given some part of her name, and been christened in the broderie-anglaise robe she hand made. I was known as Ann for my first 17 years, so am fond of that 'A'.
3)Aconite: a great homoeopathic remedy for shock and fright.