Sarah E. Smith's Blog

Originally posted on thestoryreadingapeblog.com

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

Hi I’m Sarah and when I was at school I was the “thick, lazy, gobby kid” teachers despaired of and sent out of the room. Constantly the new girl, I knew within two years I wouldn’t be at the school anymore. So: I just couldn’t be bovvered to fit in, or make friends.

If Sarah was a noun phrase it would mean: couldn’t organise her way out of a wet paper bag. The amount of HW I didn’t do would fill the Albert Hall. I couldn’t spell to save my life. I didn’t know what a comma or a full stop did, which drove my English teacher mad because I was reading Dumas, Machiavelli, Christie, and Bronte. I could devour a book in hours and yet I couldn’t understand the basics of punctuation.

To make things worse, I constantly lost things. Couldn’t remember what lessons I had, or what…

View original post 904 more words

Found this and a couple of other cracking reviews on Amazon this morning.

5.0 out of 5 stars As I love historical fiction 30 Oct. 2015
By Amazon Customer
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

As I love historical fiction, I bought all three books of Sarah E.Smith in the Secret of Aldwych Strand trilogy. I was certainly not disappointed. The books are full of facts (some I previously knew but many I didn’t) about historical figures like David Lloyd George, Hitler (even though we have all seen numerous photos of him, who knew he had the most mesmerising violet eyes?), Mengele, Churchill, Marconi etc. The books can be read by young people and will teach them, in a great playful way about people they might have heard of (Hitler an Churchill) and those they might never have come across before (Metternich and Valens). Sarah E Smith has a great sence of humour and her use of short chapters makes the books ideal for those of us who either just want to relax reading for half an hour in the evening before turning in, or have a short attention span.

I look forward to read more by this very talented writer!

To Barry R. Ward of Doctor Who Appreciation Society fame, for his fabulous piece of artwork to accompany the Ad for the Trilogy on the DWAS Facebook Page.

For those of you who didn’t know, the adventures of Lucy and Mark are complete and can be bought here

This is SWANS first outing into Leigh on Sea, Essex to promote the work of local authors and artists. Over twenty of us will be there at the community centre on the 19th September and as you can see from the flyer talks and demonstrations will be happening in addition to the usual stalls.

Although not taking part in the workshops, I am looking forward to meeting the public, talking about Lucy and Mark’s adventures and explaining the extent to which Canvey Island and Southend have inspired me to write my first trilogy.

Whether you just want a day out, or you’re looking for literary/artistic inspiration; or you’re an aspiring author/artist yourself – come and join us in Elm Road from 10 am – 4pm

Originally posted on Writer's Blog:

Click here to read the latest 5* review.

View original

Originally posted on Writer's Blog:

SWANS  will be hosting an event at The Forum, Southend on  28th March  between 10 and 4pm. Here’s your chance to find out more about Southend’s local authors; see us at work (well I’ll be using the day to do some editing) and  buy any of our books that take your fancy.   Click here for more details.

View original

Off to Brentwood tomorrow to do an interview plugging book two of the Secret of Aldwych Strand Trilogy. You can listen to it live (should you so wish) from 1pm (GMT) Monday on http://www.phoenixfm.com/listen-live/ or you can come back later when hopefully mine host will have sent me the podcast so you can listen at your leisure

 

It’s all go here! Tomorrow is my first book signing.I’m at the Forum Southend between 10am and 4pm It follows hard on the heels of a very successful book reading in Chalkwell with the SWANS.

If someone had told me this stress relief I embarked on two years ago would turn into a full time hobby; I’d have laughed at them.

MoreThanACat:

From one of my other blogs

Originally posted on Writer's Blog:

This came up on Amazon today from one Holly J Sanderson.

I thought I’d put it on here for you to have a look :-)

Latest 5* review from Amazon

Another exciting trip through history that had a couple of “huh???” Moments in their too, bonus points for local references that were bang up to date and easily recognisable (I’m 99.9% sure I recognised a couple of the present day character references too!!) A real page Turner that ended on a hell of a cliff hanger …..

A personal note to the wonderful author: you can’t leave it like that!!! We demand another!

Everyone else: get reading, it’s fabulous! (And watch out for flapjacks)

View original

To coincide with the publication of the 1949 Affair, The History they Tried To Suppress has asked me to reblog an entry from Mark Birch’s blog – Modern Day Pepys – in the hopes that if it’s here, it will be visible to all. (It doesn’t show up on his blog – unless you access it from their offices apparently). So here goes…

From Mark Birch: Modern Day Pepys
Thoughts on Lucy’s Admiral…

Don’t get me wrong, Lucy’s my mate. We’ve known each other since the first day of primary school and I’ve really despaired at the way all the so called popular kids have picked on her over the years. They call her geeky. In my book that’s jealous for clever so and so who gets good marks and does her homework. Well what’s wrong with that? Luce was always confident that the only way you got off Canvey and stayed off was by getting good grades, going to college and all that stuff. That of course was before that day trip to Southend Pier!

Now we’re off Canvey for good! And although I ain’t said nuffin’ to Luce, I’m pretty sure we aren’t ever going to get back to our world. Well in our reality: Lloyd George died in a carriage accident in 1909. In the world we’ve ended up in, he became the Great War Prime  Minister and key force at Versailles in 1919. So I’m pretty much guessing that even if we could get back to Southend and 2013 – it sure ain’t going to be the one we left. No surree bob as my grannie used to say! Still I’m not sure that’s a bad thing!

This time travel lark’s altered us too. There’s me – hob nobbing with politicians, and spies and the likes – getting beaten up like I’m some kind of young James Bond or that Biggles bloke and you’ve got to admit, even with the black eyes – being a real life adventurer’s got to beat being 18 and doing a college course. And then  there’s her – gone from geeky to gorgeous faster than you can say – Aldwych Strand.

I know what you’re going to say: I’m jealous. No I’m not. Nor do I fancy her. Luce is my mate.

But I’d be lying if I said I liked  all this attention she’s getting: and from all these “players”.  Lloyd George, Marconi, Walter Nicolai. Least they was respecting her. This admiral? This Valentin bloke? He’s like an octopus. Or at least he would be if he touched her. And he don’t; which if you asks me is weird. Oh it’s not he don’t touch her: he don’t touch anyone! Not without his gloves on.  But  what I don’t like is the way his eyes follow her around a room. And he stands just close enough to let the whole world know she’s his. Of course she’s too naive to see what he’s up to. She’s says he’s just being kind and an … avuncular.

Oh Luce get a grip!

This bloke sure ain’t no Hercule Poirot.

He’s hiding something and it’s going to all end in tears one of these days – you mark my words.

Why do I say that? Simple.  There’s more to this admiral of hers than meets the eye. Apart from being a murdering, lying scumbag nazi? O heck yes. She can’t see it though. I can. I’ve seen his handy work at first hand. I’ve seen him kill.

But what I really don’t like it the way this guy  knows too much – about her, me; our world (the one we’ve come from, I mean). He knows about things a bloke from the early twentieth century shouldn’t. And every time you asks him to do something – to help out; he says it’s more than his job’s worth. There’s also the way he commands a room. Now I’ve watched Hitler on those film clips, and I’ve seen how he can hold a crowd in the palm of his hand. But this Valentin bloke. He really knows what power is. Like he’s ruled the world or something.

Still no doubt it’ll all sort itself out. When we leave 1949 and head off for our next adventure. He’ll just be a memory, and time will have returned to normal. Because if it doesn’t…