Book Cooks’ client published by Financieel Dagblad

Like Leslie Ann, in the previous blog entry, Ron van der Krol attended a workshop then booked in for some Book Cooks’ consultancy. After just one session he knew exactly what to do and ‘Native English for Nederlanders’ was published just last month. To find out more go to the website of the Dutch equivalent of the Financial Times here.

Well done Ron

Book Cooks’ client gets published by Murdoch

I was overjoyed to hear that American Leslie Ann Bosher, who has attended Jo’s Release the Book Within class and later became a client of The Book Cooks, had her hilarious and insightful account of her life in rural England published by Murdoch Books. To The Manor Drawn tells of how Leslie Ann and her husband, Bill, bought an apartment in a stately home in Rutland and learned the thrills of barrel-rolling, welly wanging, conkers and shove ha’penny. To find out more please go to the Murdoch site here.

Well done Leslie Ann

Get out of the slush pile

A great new initiative has begun that brings willing readers together with keen writers and gets those new manuscripts on their way out of the slushpile – that is if they are good enough! The idea is that, writers can submit their manuscripts and then real life readers can comment on them. It sounds like this is a great way to get valuable feedback! So take a look at slushpilereader now.

It sounds to me like a great way to be part of the discovery of the next JK Rowling.

Are you writing your holiday diary?

Having just spent a wonderful three weeks in Texas and Mexico I have returned home with a diary full of memories. After years of writing entries like the following:

Got up, had breakfast, went to the beach

I have now learned that a diary can conjure up memories that are more vivid and multilayered than any photograph. Being relaxed my mind is more receptive and I see more clearly than usual, and I am careful to record everything that matters in detail. The conversations, the way people look, dress and walk, their body language. The sunset, the sunrise, the feel of the thick hot air on my face when I open the balcony door, how it really feels to swing in a blue hammock in the shade.

This reminds me of the students I have known who have written about ‘the indescribable view’ or the ‘amazingly beautiful trees’. Neither of these descriptions give the imagination any hint as to what the writer really saw that day.

Write your diaries, make them live again in your mind, so that one day in the future you can enjoy the experience all over again, or use it in one of your books.

Meet Jo Parfitt at the I am Not a Tourist Fair in Amsterdam

Meet my at my booth at the Expatica I am not a tourist fair on 21st October or come and hear my Career in Your Suitcase or Expat Entrepreneur presentation. Whether you are new in town or not this is an event not to be missed.

Be in my book on global networking

n 2004 Jacqui Tillyard and I wrote a book called Grow Your Own Networks. It has been reprinted several times and is now going to be published in a new, bigger and even better edition by Lean Marketing Press. This time we want to share your stories and give you a chance to share your networking successes.

We are looking for your stories of no more than 200 words each, in which you describe how you used one of the Grow Your Own Networks principles to make a connection that helped you personally or professionally with someone in another country. We are particularly interested in stories that have an internatoinal flavour. Maybe you met someone online who lived in another country, who then became a client? Maybe you had a friend who moved to Spain and helped you grow your business there?

Don’t worry, if your writing is not perfect. We will edit all submissions.

If you want to contribute, please download the attached file and send it to me here.

And don’t forget – if your story appears in the book it will also help you to grow your own networks, so don’t forget to give us your website address!

Thanks

click here for the Expat Networker questionnaire

See your name in print in a book on grandparenting overseas

One of the toughest things about going abroad is leaving behind grandparents – or grandchildren. You worry about how you will keep this precious relationship alive and seek ways to survive the separation.

Peter Gosling has been a global grandpa for 16 years. He is also a much-published author and my dad! With my help and that of global parent, Anne Huscroft, he is writing a book on this subject designed to inspire, support , inform and help others with families divided by a plane flight.

If you are a global grandparent or grandchild or if you know some please ask them to complete the attached survey and send it to Peter. His details are on the questionnaire. Those completing the questionnaire will know that their experience will help others.

Please help us with this worthwhile project. Global Grandparenting will be published by Zodiac Publishing in 2008.

Click here for the Global Grandparenting questionnaire

Publicise your expat publication at Expat Women

I had the great pleasure of meeting Andrea and Jill, who run Expat Women at a conference in Houston. They are keen to tell expat women what other expat women are up to – so go and take a look for yourself. I have just joined their blog list and so should you.

Expat Women Blog Directory

Read this about the slush pile!

You know that they say that thousands of book proposals end up in the slush pile?

Well, to make sure yours stays well and truly OUT of it, read this:

Enjoy!

Jo

Take a course – I did!

I’ve been away a while I know. In fact I have been abroad for 3 out of the last six weeks, ill with a lost voice (shame) for one week and playing catch up for two. But now I am back I have much to share. Are you ready?

I have been on a novel writing course, at The Castle of Park in Scotland. It was led by a wonderful novelist called Anita Burgh (pronounce it Burra) who did not begin writing until she was 46 and is now on her 24th novel. There were 11 students and, shut away from the world as we were in a fully-catered castle, miles from anywhere had nothing to do but bond, laugh, bond, write and eat and drink too much. It was heaven on a stick. We are all so inspired, by the view, by our new friends, by writing but mostly by the wonderful Anita.

If your muse has gone AWOL please take my advice and go on a course for a big fat fix of inspiration.

Before Scotland I was in France, and I stayed alone while the rest of our party (friends and family) skied. I’m too much of a wuss to ski, and besides, I wanted to have time to write! Fat chance! Being alone and lonely in a place that is tailormade for skiers and nothing else, 30 minutes up a mountain led me to get self-absorbed and grumpy rather than inspired. So, if you go somewhere planning to write write write – do make sure it is somewhere where you a) have a view (I had that one!) and b) can get the things that inspire you easily. For me, I need conversation, action, walks in nature and lots of energy around me. Stuck in a purpose built ski resort was not good!

Before Scotland it was the Families in Global Transition conference in Houston, and that WAS inspiring. Here I was among the gurus of the expat world, many of whom had written books and could learn from role models, while others could learn from me. The ideal learning experience is when there are those around who know more than you and those who know less. At least that’s how it works for me. So, I met Toni Hargis who has published Rules Britannia and Marian Weston who has written At Home Alone and Jennifer Paterson of When Families Cross Borders – at last a book on finance for expats. But of course I also met those who are old hands at the publishing lark – Robin Pascoe, Ruth van Reken, Anne Copeland and many more.

Then I met those who write and run websites, like Andrea Martins and Jill Lengre of ExpatWomen.com, a wonderful new hub for expats. Here they are below:

So now you know why I have been a bit quiet lately.

Jo