Faith Ashlin

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As I am sure most people are now aware, Silver Publishing is no more. I had three books with them and, at first, was very happy there. There were a lot of problems but not with the lovely staff that worked there, who were always wonderful.

I hung on, I stuck it out, I believed in them, but in the end it has gone.

I have got the rights back to my books and am now in the process of finding new homes for them. So, for the time being, ‘Pathfinder’, ‘What You See Isn't Always What You Get’ and ‘My Unintended’ are not available. Hopefully they will be published again soon. I will, of course, let you know if/when they are.

‘Knights and Butterscotch’ is still available at Totally Bound
http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=2320

Many thanks,
Faith

I usually make light weight posts but today I have to talk about something that’s really important to me.

When I was younger I was very into politics, music and boys – but not necessarily in that order. Now I’m a grumpy woman of a certain age I’ve lost a lot of the passion of my youth. Perhaps that’s why I get obsessed with things that even I know are silly and unimportant. Perhaps it’s because I now feel so powerless to make a difference. Whatever the whys and wherefores, I don’t get passionate about things that matter anymore, but this man mattered to me, and still does.

It’s taken me a few days to work out how I feel about his death but I was profoundly saddened when I heard. There are so few heroes anymore, so few truly great people. Obviously I never knew Mr Mandela but that’s how he seemed to me, a good man, a decent one. So many that met him remarked on his lack of bitterness when he came out of prison, how he was focused on unification, not revenge.

My kids view him as an important man from history, along with people like Martin Luther King or Ghandi. To me he’s much more. Perhaps that’s because I have such memories of the time he was in prison and his release.

I first got to know about him when The Specials AKA brought out this…


I went to the library – no google back them! – and researched him. I was fascinated and inspired. He was part of my political education and growing up.

The day of his release I sat in front of the TV and watched for hours.

Like so many millions around the world, Nelson Mandela meant something important to me. He will continue to be a symbol of how to hold true to your ideals and stay a decent person, in a world that is increasingly fast paced and harsh.

Rest in peace, Mr Mandela

On Saturday we had a power cut, the first one we’ve had for ages. It started late afternoon, about 4 o’clock, when it was already getting dark. The power company told us that it would be back on about 6:30 but it wasn’t actually restored until about 9:30.

We’ve had lots of power cuts in the past and it was no big deal, although it was rather interesting as we had guests who’d come for dinner. No problem; we went to a restaurant. Plus, it was rather nice sitting, chatting by candlelight. They couldn’t see where I hadn’t cleaned!

I don’t like cleaning.

The interesting thing was my kids. They spend all day, every day on their computers. Well, all day, everyday that I don’t pull them off. Which I do a lot. Much to their chagrin.

They had no idea what to do with themselves.

No computers, no PS3, no Wii, no TV. They sat and stared at the blank screen for a bit but then it got too dark. They flopped out on the floor, moaning loudly about the unfairness they had to suffer in their lives, until we laughed at them.

Eventually they got so bored they decided to play a board game with each other. I can’t remember the last time they did this. Not only did they have play a game but they TALKED to each other. Really actually talked. Normally they do most of their communication through the computer, especially if they are playing an online game with each other.



They were playing a game where they had to ping little balls at each other’s soldiers. The balls kept rolling off into the darkness. So they decided to play in the hall, where there was less space for the balls to disappear into. Result was no one could get by but, hey, they talked to each other. I call that a result.

A friend recently posed this question and I thought about it as I sat in yet another traffic jam on the way to work – why do they have to start roadworks on a Monday morning?

I’m scared of the obvious things like dying painfully or my family being hurt but there was one thing that popped into my mind immediately. Worms.

Yes, I know they’re harmless and they do good things to the soil but they are nasty and EVIL. There’s no argument to it. They are the creatures of the devil. They wriggle and slime and…. I hate them with a passion that’s quite out of proportion.




How about this for out of proportion?

When I was about 8 I dreamt that there were worms at the end of my bed. I screamed. I cried. I refused point black to get back in the bed. My mum made me up a bed on the floor with some cushions and a sleeping bag.

I slept there for about the next 9 months. Yes, nine months. In the end I couldn’t remember why I was sleeping there, I just knew I didn’t want to get back in the bed. Mum had to buy me a new Barbie cover before I would go back. On a side note: isn’t my mum amazing? I wouldn’t put up with a kid like me.

Now I’m older I avoided gardening because of the evil that lurks under the soil. But I like flowers, they’re pretty, and no one else would plant them except me. I am getting better. First time I tried to plant a lovely pink….thing (no, I’m not that good with plant names) in the front garden, and saw one of the devil’s children I might have screamed at the top of my voice and ran down the road.

Now I just make a meep sound, go white and lock myself in the house until it’s gone.


That’s progress, isn’t it?

My Intended by Faith Ashlin



Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer: GiGi

Review: A mature examination of relationships. We all enjoy the heat of a relationship, those moments where all we care about is the day-to-day passion, our next fun event, our next road trip together…but how many times do we really sit down and examine what we need, what we expect, and what our future is going to look like?

This sweet short story makes Noah stop in his tracks and panic about his future. Flying on the high of his relationship with Greg, new decisions about Noah’s family trust and his inheritance of his grandmother’s house make him question everything. Suddenly faced with the fact that his future with Greg does not add up to the future he envisioned for himself growing up, Noah is scared. Thankfully, his flight from Greg back home to his parents and most importantly to his Grandmother, makes Noah see things clearly, and the choices he needs to make.

Don’t worry readers, we know what the right choice is, and you need to trust Noah to know what it is too! A sweet, sometimes painful short story!


http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/2013/11/16/my-intended-by-faith-ashlin/

I haven’t done a blog post this week, I’m sorry. I tried, I really did but… you know those times when real life is kicking your bum? The last few months have been just like that. I don’t seem to be able to catch my breath, what with work and home. I think it’s going to be like this at least until Christmas but I will try to do better, honest I will.

In the mean time I give you this…

Ever since I can remember I’ve been endlessly fascinated but people. Sitting almost anywhere, people-watching is one of my favourite actives. I love seeing the dynamics of families on the beach – the mum trying to get the kids to eat sandwiches instead of sweets, dads desperately trying to beat their sons at Frisbee, grandparents there for the children when their parents tell them off.

Also, young couples holding hands at a café or long married men waiting patiently outside the changing room for their wives and ‘loving’ just the thing she wants to buy. Over painted girls checking themselves out in every window they go by and, one of my real favourites, beautiful young men that turn heads but don’t know it.

I can spend hours just watching, I think there’s nothing more interesting.

Or at least I used to.

Recently I’ve sort of lost interest and… I don’t like it. It feels like I’ve lost part of myself. But I have a new preoccupation that’s growing. One that I’ve always been there but is now coming to the fore. Places.

I’m falling in love with places. Not the supermarket or a rainy night in town but those magical, mystical places. Places like this.



This is Mout St Michel in Normandy, France. I first went there as a kid, aged about 13, and, oh it captured my heart! Tiny, winding streets that lead up to an imposing abbey. It feels medieval or like something from a film set. It's even better when it's surrounded by the sea.

Or how about here, Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany.




I've never been but how could you not want to? Just look at it, high up on in the mountains overlooking a valley. I think it looks imposing, fairy-tale and… There's definitely a theme to the places I like, although I find it hard to put into words. I keep coming up with magical but there's more to it than that.

I don't just like grand, imposing places, I'm also fascinated by smaller places. How about here? This is Broom Parc, a house high on the cliff top in Cornwall, England. It was used for the TV series The Camomile Lawn a few years ago and I love it. It's remote, with amazing views out over the sea.




I’ve always thought I was quite good with words but I can’t quite explain what I love about these places so much. Some are otherworldly, magical, like something out of fairytales. They tend to be remote, sometimes bleak, with great views.

I wonder what that says about me?

Do you have any places that you love?

Please, go here to win a copy of my book Knights and Butterscotch!

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/guest-blogs/halloween-blogfest-faith-ashlin/

The competition closes today so go now. I'd love it if one of you won.