Virginia Woolf and Social Media

‘As a woman my country is the whole world.’ Three Guineas, Woolf

My country is the world. There are no borders, no passports and no countries in the world of social media; only portals to other people’s imagination and musings.

In Three Guineas, Virginia Wolf wrote, “As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.”  And via social media, I have connected with writers from all over the world.  My endless stream of consciousness travels around the world through: tweets, my blog and Facebook posts.  People of the world open the virtual door to peek at a representation of my world, and I can walk over the threshold to visit their thoughts.

“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”

I weave in and out of articles, thoughts, pictures and moments of others. Everyone is documenting stories from their own viewpoint with unique and shared images.  I have the liberty to hop aboard someone’s narrative then return home to my own world.  Social media allows me to explore the texture of other people’s lives to search for inspiration.

A writing room of my own, connected to the world.

Like Virginia Woolf, I have a room of my own, but I have the company of a computer connected to the world.

While contemplating this brave new world, I wondered if Virginia Woolf would have engaged in social media.

Owing to the power of social media, I could knock on the virtual door of an internationally acclaimed Woolf scholar. Professor Maggie Humm wrote this in her email:

Waiting for Snapshots of Bloomsbury

“I think Virginia might well have used social media. She did write for Vogue with a photo of herself; did photograph from the age of 15 (I included over a hundred of these in my  Snapshots of Bloomsbury); spoke on the BBC several times and enjoyed seeing a range of films from The Bengal Lancer to newsreels.”

Maggie Humm’s eloquent response made me feel as it I was speaking to Virginia Woolf, in cyberspace.

Snapshots of Bloomsbury

Snapshots of Bloomsbury   showcases the photographs of Virginia Woolf and her sister, Vanessa Bell.   Humm’s commentary provides a critical insight into Woolf’s world and ‘the culture and artistry of the period’. Virginia Woolf represented her intimate world in photographs, decades before we became attached to our mobile phones. Now, this is a book I would be proud to own, but I will place it in my battered briefcase. Snapshots of Bloomsbury needs to be enjoyed in the physical rather than digital form.  However, I can’t help wondering what images and words Woolf would have chosen to share via social media.   If only, I could invite Virginia Woolf to my Chat Room.

 

Please see all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Detective Indie Author Investigates

Detective Indie Author Investigates

The Crime and Coffee Festival beckoned me to Cardiff Library to solve the mystery of writing and publishing. The workshop: Cut, Slash and Perfect promised to reveal more about the writing and traditional publishing journey.  As I passed the crime scene tape surrounding the bookshelves, I did wonder if any authors had been lost during the cutting, slashing and perfecting process. I went undercover to find out more about traditional publishing. Would I need an agent, and would I need a sharper pair of scissors?

The panel discussion with: Thorne Moore, Caroline Oakely and Judith Barrow. Has Judith spotted Jessie?

Authors, Judith Barrow and Thorne Moore, chatted with the editor, Caroline Oakley, of Honno Press about publishing. The entertaining chat provided food for thought for all authors who wish to publish their work.  As I listened, I captured some of the main points and discovered what makes editors cut and authors cry. The panel put me at ease, and I was able to remove my disguise as an indie author.

Introducing Caroline Oakley who is the editor at Honno Press

Caroline has worked in general trade publishing for over thirty years and has edited a number of award winning and bestselling authors. Caroline works for, Honno Press, an independent Welsh Women’s publisher in Wales.

Clues from the Editor

Caroline gave a balanced overview of publishing

Big publishers only work through agents.

A good editor is key to success for all authors

Agents often have useful contacts within the publishing world and deal with the contracts.  Care must be taken when selecting an agent because, as in all businesses, there are inefficient, self –styled experts, with little experience, out there. Google and search for those authors who write in your genre to find out the names of the agents who deal with your kind of book before submitting. You can approach independent and smaller publishers with or without an agent. Find out what this kind of publisher wants before approaching them.  Research their website; look at the work of the signed authors.  Take your time to select the appropriate one for your genre; consider how much advance that publisher pays, the amount of royalties for sold books you will get, your rights (such as audio and foreign rights for your work) and the terms and conditions of your contract. You must read the small print!

Don’t get disheartened with rejection letters sent to publishers.  Hope your manuscript reaches the publisher at the right time (by this I mean that it’s not a miserable Monday morning for them, or they’ve not had a quarrel with a partner or their family – or they’ve not had a week of wading through a pile of “not very good” manuscripts before they get to yours)– it is subjective.

Indie publishing has its challenges, but it gives you more control and you get all the profit.  The Indie author deals with every element of the process; from the writing to choosing the cover, the blurb formatting, publication and marketing. Traditionally published authors also are expected to promote and market. Indie publishing is time- consuming but as I said before, they do have complete control over their work.

The venue – Cardiff Library

Whichever publishing route you choose, you must get yourself an editor! Although time-consuming (and sometimes devastating!) you must go through the cut, slash perfect process.  A good editor will identify gaps, things that possibly don’t work in your writing, mistakes such as change of dates of characters’ birthdays or colour of eyes in different parts of the book, errors in time scale etc.. But will not tell you what to do, only point out those mistakes and suggest changes to make your work stronger.

It is advisable that every author, whether self-published or traditionally published, has a website, blog and social media accounts.

Introducing Judith Barrow:

Judith Barrow has published four books with Honno Press.  She writes historical family saga fiction. She has also self-published books and a collection of short stories of the minor characters in her trilogy.

What did Judith say about her publishing journey?

Judith Barrow and Thorne Moore are published by Honno Press

I love working with Honno Press.  The staff are friendly and accessible. As a writer you learn what you can and cannot get away with.  I have built up trust with the editor who I know has had a long and professional career in all genres. And, although  Honno Press also organises the front cover for the books, they have allowed me input to the final decision .

Working with Honno Press provides me with quality, professional editing.  I cry every time, I get the editor’s comments, but I know, in my heart, it makes the work better.  An editor will read your book line by line and give an overview. A good editor will ask the right questions but will not give you the answers. When you edit your work, you must keep your own voice.

I do not send my very first draft to an editor and probably have about ten revisions.  I ask my friend, who is an author, to give me an honest opinion on anything I have doubts about.  I am also a member of a writing group and we email sections of our books for discussion.  But do, avoid too much input from too many sources into your work as it can confuse you – have a small trusted network of writers.  Believe in yourself! The cut, slash and perfect stages involves a first general edit, as many more detailed edits then necessary to get the writing to its best, a line by line edit to weed out any noticeable mistakes and then a proof read by the publisher’s proof reader. Finally, it comes back to me for a last read to make sure all is correct. I do like this final stage; it does make me feel as though I have control over the end product to some degree.

Introducing Thorne Moore

Thorne had published three books with Honno Fiction and writes domestic noir and psychological fiction.  Thorne has self-published and works with two publishers.

What did Thorne say about publishing?

She has self-published short stories in order to market a published book.  The different publishers are relevant to the books promoted. Regardless of how the books are published, the author must have a good editor.

A writer needs an editor to stand on the mountain and look down on your work.  During the writing process the author becomes too absorbed to be objective.  Through the feedback from the editor, you learn to write.  The editor will locate your common mistakes then you will avoid these in subsequent drafts.

You do need a small critical group of friends who will give you constructive criticism.

Don’t worry about the reviews. Jane Austin has plenty of one star and two star reviews on Amazon.

Don’t give up!  I was rejected by Honno at first. In an interview with Thorne, she told me about the trials and tribulations of her publishing journey. This story of Thorne’s publishing journey will be published very soon.

A good editor is key to success for all authors: traditionally published and self-published need a good editor.  A good editor will identify gaps in your work and ask the right questions.  My editor forced me to ask lots of questions about my book and rework sections.  I learnt a great deal about my writing through this process. As a self-published author I have involved a professional editor, beta readers and other authors.  One must be careful of making new mistakes in a new edit – it is expensive to pay for all the various stages of the edit.  I understand the security of working with an independent publisher who provides an editor. The indie author has greater control of the book but must complete all stages of the process including the book cover and the marketing. In the end, all clues pointed towards the importance of a professional editor during the publishing process.  No matter how many times the author sharpens the scissors to cut, they still need an editor and dosh to pay for quality.   Clearly, this wasn’t an open and shut case and more investigation needed to be completed.

Clue of the Day

Narbeth Book Fair – see Judith, Thorne and Jessie!

Caroline suggested the market for the unreliable narrator in all genres will change. Like fashion in clothes, fashion in books also changes.  No one knows what will be the next ‘in thing’ for novels.

Judith Barrow, Caroline Oakley, Thorne Moore will all be at the Narberth Book Festival on 22nd September.

You can book individual session with Caroline Oakley of Honno Press for £35.  For more information visit the Narberth Book Fair website. Children’s writers can book sessions with Firefly Press.

 

Please see all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

A Groundbreaking Novel About Our Troubled Times

Groundbreaking novel about our troubled times

The Lost Girl

Carol Drinkwater

 

 

 

 

The Lost Girl is a significant, groundbreaking novel about our troubled times. The stories of two women, born decades apart, breathes life into well documented periods of history. Marguerite, the actress, was a young woman in France during the forties. Kurtiz, a photographic journalist, began her emotional journey in the nineties.  The poignant parallel between the life experiences of Marguerite’s and Kurtiz provides the engaging narrative structure of this novel.

View Paris through Kurtiz’s lens

Marguerite and Kurtiz meet in a Paris bistro, on the fatal night of November 2015.  Kurtiz is searching for her missing daughter and husband. Loneliness drives Marguerite to visit the bistro daily, thus she is delighted to have an audience for her memories.

The tension surrounding Kurtiz’s search for her daughter, Lizzie, made me afraid to read on. We all know what happened, we all watched the news footage of the terrible events in Paris. This novel takes the reader into the centre of the action, via Kurtiz, and makes your heart ache with her anxiety.

‘She hugged the building, bouncing her shoulders off walls as she advanced, keeping herself clear of the line of fire…’

This happened in Paris, in 2015, and we are taken into the heart of the terrorism.  This is such a stark contrast to the relaxed scene before the attack.  The guests in the bar were ‘such fresh young faces rouged by the cold November air, energized by life.  Paris gearing up for the weekend.’ As a reader, one instantly connects with the irony of the statement, and raw emotions are exposed.

We view the atrocities of Paris, 2015, through the lens of Kurtiz’s camera, filtered with the anxiety for her daughter and husband. The rhythm of the camera clicking is conveyed in the pace of the language and repetition; a vivid visualization of the scene.

‘Heads in laps, heads thrown backwards, eyes closed or open, staring, dead-eyed, fisheyed. Locked in a nightmare.

The fragility of civilization is cracked via the words!  This document of events is then viewed through Kurtiz who asks, ‘Was he shielding Lizzie?  Was she also in the old theatre at gunpoint, or had she managed to escape?’  I was there, with Kurtiz shouting ‘LIZZIE!’  My head pounding with the intensity, involuntary tears escaping.

The terrorism in Paris is contrasted with Kurtiz’s time in the Middle East where a mother loses her son.  Kurtiz worked a photographer in conflict zones, in the Middle East . During Kurtiz’s time in the Middle East the reader observes her despair at the death of the young boy, whilst also gaining insight her relationship with her daughter.

Kurtiz’s emotional life is explored from the beginning of her relationship with Oliver, her husband.  The tenderness and hope of love is beautifully conveyed after her first night with Oliver.  She wakes up to the ‘glorious summer morning. A morning like no other, blossoms abounding, soaking up the heat, bees and butterflies flitting from one flower head to another.’

The colours of Marguerite’s love for Charlie

Similarly, the colours of Marguerite’s love for Charlie are conveyed in La Cote d’Azur when ‘she was happy. She was energised, shot through with a rush of joy as she had rarely known before.’ Until then, Marguerite’s joy had been blighted with events that happened during a screen test: such a relevant message in the wake of the #metoo campaign.

Perspective shifts from close-up of the character’s life to the long shot of the world issues. The texture of this novel reliant on skilful blending of time-frames and layers of emotions. Marguerite felt ‘such a tangle of emotions’ while Kurtiz deals with ‘more emotions than she would ever be able to identify’. The movement from disequilibrium to disequilibrium across time-frames is both exhausting and powerful.

I lingered on each word and viewed the book from different angles.  There were infinite and subtle shades of colour in this outstanding writing.   Drinkwater explores the shifting light between troubled times and people’s lives.  The cruelty of war, cruelty of innocence and cruelty of waiting are explored in the perfect language choices.

‘I have come to realise that kindness and laughter are two of the richest gifts I can share and enjoy.’ Carol Drinkwater

Like Kurtiz, I released a ‘strangled cry’ as I moved towards the end of the novel.  Marguerite’s loss continues to ‘gnaw’ at my thoughts.  Despite the trauma, there is a message of hope.  This novel rendered me speechless.  I cared deeply for the characters, and the power of the mother’s love guided me until the end.  The emotional landscape of this novel will never leave me!

I would like to thank Carol Drinkwater for this brave and beautiful novel.

In an interview about The Lost Girl, Carol told me:

‘It is a story with a miracle at its heart and, from time to time, we all need one of those. Through the bleakest of days, though we may not be aware of it, hope and redemption are always present. The light always returns. The sun always rises.’

Carol discusses The Lost Girl, in my Chat Room. Find out about the inspiration behind the novel and what motivates Carol to write.

Carol is an award-winning actress and Sunday Times bestselling writer

About Carol Drinkwater:

Carol is an award-winning actress and Sunday Times bestselling writer. She was probably most famous for her role of Helen Herriot in the fantastically popular TV series, All Creatures Great and Small. She lives on an olive farm in the south of France with her husband, Michel, and several dogs.

Carol’s Contact Details:

olivefarmbooks@gmail.com
agent: Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown
website: www.caroldrinkwater.com
Twitter:  @Carol4OliveFarm 

 

Please see all my book reviews at Books In Handbag and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Wasting Words on the Dock of the Bay

This coffee shop, in Cardiff Bay, is one of my favourite writing places.

This coffee shop, in Cardiff Bay, is one of my favourite writing places.  I like to abandon my laptop for a notebook and pen.  There is something reassuring about forming every single letter with my biro. With the onset of autumn, I remembered a blog post I forgot to publish last October, because I had been absorbed in the agony of the editing process.  I wrote this post when editing You Can’t Go It Alone.

My imagination roams free in this setting.

Once my coffee cup is empty, I let the pen wander across the page.  Hoping to catch some dialogue from the unsuspecting customers, I listen with my best writer’s ear.  I am happy here in this café suspended above the water.  Alas, the sound of my beeping phone collides head on with my imagination.  I stop writing and must look at the email from an insurance company.  I wonder if writers had less distractions prior to the digital age, so I google ‘writing quotations’. 

Virginia Woolf pops up on my phone, but she doesn’t look happy and she says:

Sitting on the dock in the Bay wasting words

‘Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.’

Obviously, Virginia never had to cope with the disruptive influence of a mobile phone. I decide my imagination has been temporarily locked by my phone: it is a twenty first century condition called ‘beepitis’.  Fortunately, I do not need to re-boot my imagination as it starts up again. I am trying to re-work a menacing scene in my book. Hoping to get inspiration, I look at the murky water from the window.  Despite the distracting background noise, I make a list of adjectives. The shopping list of words stares at me, defying me to write something coherent. It is useless! 

I decide to drive home via Cardiff Docks to gather some words for a scene in my novel. It is a sinister setting.

I decide to drive home via Cardiff Docks to gather some words.  I drive off absorbing the atmosphere of the autumn’s day and watch the leaves dance across the road.  Almost forgetting to stop at the red light, I look out for the sign to the docks, but realise I am driving over a new road.  I hate the massive construction with barriers at each side.  Finally, I drive through the docks and stop to pull over to make some notes for finishing touches to a scene.  I am considered with suspicion. I ignore the onlookers and write until my car beeps me to tell me there is something wrong with a filter.

Clearly, I need ‘a room of my own’ to write.

Time to go home to my laptop: time to find ‘a room of one’s own’, time to sculpt my manuscript and stop wasting time and listing words. The truth is the book is almost done but I don’t want to let the characters live their lives without me.

My book costs less than the price of a coffee and will last longer.

You Can’t Go It Alone has been available since May.  I have been delighted with the reviews. Reviewers have enjoyed visiting Delfryn and getting to know the inhabitants.  The agony of the editing process was worth it, as it helped readers to connect. In celebration of my thirteenth review, I am reducing the cost of the kindle format next week.  Of course, I would be delighted to receive more reviews.  My book is less than half the price of a coffee and will last longer.  Indeed, one reviewer wrote:

‘An intricate, thoughtful story of real people whose life will continue long after the author has typed the end’ Perdisma, Amazon reviewer

Here is a snapshot of my most recent reviews:

Reviewers have enjoyed visiting Delfryn and getting to know the inhabitants.

‘It’s a roller-coaster of a novel in which the beautiful Welsh countryside and weather take a leading role. I was gripped by these characters, and by Cahalin’s fascinating touches.’ Professor Maggie Humm

‘The author has a real feeling for character and place… Her ideas around plot and how a story unfolds are original, and well executed, with a good balance of lightness and shade.’ Welsh Annie, top 500 Amazon Reviewer

You Can’t Go It Alone is available on Amazon.

 ‘The author is not afraid to face life’s most challenging problems head on. What appeals about the novel is that she does not ‘go on crusade’ but underpins these problems with a deep, rich humanity …’ John Broughton, author

‘Complex and vivid tapestry of a story’ Jena. C. Henry, USA author, blogger and reviewer

‘As a debut novel, You Can’t Go It Alone is an accomplished read. Eloquent, moving and packed with vivid imagery…’ Audrey Davis

Please see all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

Hay Festival’s Tent of Dreams and Beyond

We traversed the huge reception area to explore the warren of walkways, all undercover.

The Hay Festival tent welcomed us in all its fabulous, festive glamour.  Camping could be an option for holidays, if tents were presented like this bookish village.  We traversed the huge reception area to explore the warren of walkways, all undercover. Uninhibited by an event schedule, I took in: the shops, food hall, cafes, bars, live music and restaurants.

An overwhelming sense of calm dominated the entire experience so far removed from loud music and food festivals. Bookworms snuggled in every nook and cranny digging into their latest treasure.  If people looked up, they smiled at fellow readers.

One bookworm carried a bag with the logo: ‘imagine the world’.

I wonder how many book destinations were spinning around in the atmosphere as people relaxed into their imaginations? As bookworms travelled around the tent, there was no pushing and shoving or frayed tempers.  Everyone queued with grace while using the time to read.  One bookworm carried a bag with the logo: ‘imagine the world’.  Instantly, I inquired where to purchase the bag, she explained a route through the warren to the Hay Bookshop.

On route to the Hay Bookshop, I spotted glorious illustrated menus of bookish events.

On route to the Hay Bookshop, I spotted glorious illustrated menus of bookish events

I long to attend Benjamin Zephaniah’s poetry reading but knew I couldn’t stay until 10pm. His ‘Dance hall style, big mouth chanting’ hooked me when I listened to his performance at university.  Instead, I searched for a book of Benjamin’s poems in the bookshop.  Distracted by the authors signing books, I took photos of the marvellous queues waiting.  How wonderful to meet the readers personally and realise your writing has connected.  For me, the queues of readers inspired a little envy. ‘One day’, I whispered to myself before making a purchase.

‘You Can’t Go It Alone’ sat in a deckchair, sheltered by my umbrella, and soaked up the atmosphere.

Welsh rain poured mischievously in the open areas but no one worried. Readers sat with the umbrellas sheltering their books as they sipped coffee and wine.  Deckchairs waited patiently for the sun to arrive.  My book attended the festival and demanded a look around.  ‘You Can’t Go It Alone’ sat in a deckchair, sheltered by my umbrella, and soaked up the atmosphere.  A delightful woman, from California, came over to meet my book.  She also had a selfie with my book and said she would look up Books in my Handbag Blog.  I do hope she reads this post, as the impromptu meeting was a highlight of my day – she was so kind and enthusiastic.  I wanted to tell her more about Sophie, Rosa, Olivia and Pearl but stumbled on my words.

A delightful woman, from California, came over to meet my book.

Following the visit to the bookworms’ tent, we strolled into the village of Hay.  On the road to the village front gardens were teeming with flowers, coffee, cakes, books, journals, bric-a-brac, home-made jams and clothes.  We bought freshly baked Welsh cakes from an improvised stall on a gate post. The Poetry and Prosecco experience captured my curiosity.

A Prosecco shack was under construction, as I looked at a stall with poetry and handprinted cards and messages. Francesca Kay, a performance poet, presented her poems in hand designed seed packets.

Francesca Kay

She wants her poems to present a seed of an idea and had no intention of presenting the poems in a book.  Poems are presented on cards, in matchboxes and anything that inspires her.  Francesca’s first printing press lived in her kitchen and now she has an entire studio. For Francesca, the printing ink is a language, and she waxed lyrical how the ink makes different impressions on various surfaces and in various conditions.  Indeed, she explained ‘making an impression’ originated from the printing process.  Her stall of tactile tweets was so much to take in, I couldn’t decide what to buy.  The creative challenge to the conventional printed book forced me to reflect on my determination to see my book in print.

Her stall of tactile tweets was so much to take in, I couldn’t decide what to buy.

Perhaps, I need explore the spoken word.  Maybe, I could commission Francesca to print some quotations from the book.  Who knows?

I will return to Francesca’s website, and I will return to the Hay Festival.  The whole experience made an impression on my creative appetite. People encountered made the adventure unique.  I may not have met with Benjamin Zephaniah, but I did meet a performance poet who was printing her work using her own language.

How wonderful to meet the readers personally and realise your writing has connected. Cressida Cowell greets her readers.

While writing this blog post I received reply to a tweet from one of the festival marshals.  Ironically, he met with Benjamin Zephaniah and said, ‘He brought poetry to life for me as a young teen, some time ago, it was so great to meet him. And he was so friendly and lovely too!’ I am satisfied to have received this insight, as it reinforced my impression of the poet.

 

I took in: the shops, food hall, cafes, bars, live music and restaurants

I wonder what impression I would gain of the festival if I spent a couple of days there and experienced the atmosphere in the evening. I would like to attend some of the formal events, in the future, but have realised the festival is so much more than a bookish wonderland I expected to find.  The Hay Festival is a festival of creative minds and the logo ‘imagine the world’ has captured the magic.

 

 

Please see all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Dylan Thomas, No Sign Bar and my Followers

No Sign Bar: Dylan Thomas’s watering hole.

Nobody followed me to the No Sign Bar, Swansea – a regular haunt of Dylan Thomas.  Seated next to the window, I searched inside of my handbag for Collected Stories by Dylan Thomas. I found ‘The Followers’, a ghost story, hidden inside the anthology.

A ping from my phone confirmed a signal, but I ignored the emails. I sat in the bar Thomas renamed the Wine Vaults.  I read the opening lines of the story, but there was no sign of the beer I had just ordered.  Without anything to quench my thirst, there was nothing I could do apart from read on.  Between words, I felt compelled to search for two pairs of eyes outside of the window, but there was no sign of anyone.

Seated next to the window, I searched inside my handbag for Collected Stories by Dylan Thomas.

Outside the window, ‘the rain spat and drizzled past the street lamps’. No one wore ‘squeaking galoshes, with mackintosh collars up and bowlers and trilbies’. Alas, the ‘rattle of bony trams’ was silenced long ago. Only the swish of car tyres, hum of engines and slamming of car doors filled the silence on the streets.  Gazing at the decaying red window frames, I did not see ‘a young man with his arm around a girl’. Instead, I glimpsed a young couple hand in hand dashing across the road while there was a break in the traffic.  Outside, there was a mass of coloured jackets and everyone wore jeans, leggings or trousers.  No one looked inside the tatty building. They didn’t seem to care that Dylan Thomas had once frequented this watering hole.

Dylan Thomas (1914-1953). This famous Welshman wrote poems, short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself.

Reading the short story, I pursued the followers, as they scurried through the alley.  Inside, No Sign Bar, I could smell the old musty wine cellar.  No one was responsible for the spontaneous spark of colour in the open fire. The pitted floorboards had been battered by tired and drunken feet for centuries. Words echoed around cavernous room. Perhaps, these were the words that inspired Dylan Thomas’s story ‘The Followers’: his only ghost story.  And I heard the rise and fall of the Welsh accent that probably escaped into the pages of Thomas’s mind, as he imagined the story.   I read the final sentence, ‘And we went our separate ways.’ I departed.

Artist’s impression of the ancient Salubrious Passage. Thomas renamed it Paradise Alley in The Followers

Near to Paradise Alley, I heard a voice echo.  ‘Spare some change, madam?’ The homeless soul was clutching a synthetic, fleece blanket.  His watery, bloodshot eyes regarded me as he rolled himself a cigarette.  I spared him fifty pence, but this wouldn’t even buy him a beer. He caught the meagre offering with a grateful nod that punched my conscience.

‘Have you seen Leslie?’ mumbled the man. He looked at my handbag as I retrieved more change.

I nodded.  ‘Only bread and jam in my handbag,’ I declared.

I heard the distance tapping of footsteps and turned around

I ran to the car park. The rain drizzled until diluted my memory of the bar. I heard the distance tapping of footsteps and turned around. Thankfully, there was no sign of anyone following me. Checking Twitter, I did note I had two more followers.

No Sign Bar and The Followers

No Sign Bar is believed to be Swansea’s oldest pub and dates to 1690.  The wine cellars date back to the 15th century.  The name ‘No Sign’ originates from legislation of licencing when public bars had to have a recognisable sign.  This building was not public house and did not require a sign, hence was later given the name ‘No Sign’ to announce its presence!

Dylan Thomas Collected Stories

Dylan Thomas frequented No Sign Bar, as a young man. No Sign Bar is featured as the Wine Vaults in Dylan Thomas’s story, ‘The Followers’.   Salubrious Passage, next to the bar, is referred to as Paradise Alley in the short story.  I recommend you read The Followers, Dylan Thomas’s only ghost story.  I first encountered this story at the age of fourteen and enjoyed revisiting the prose while seated in Thomas’s old haunt.

Here are useful links if you wish to visit Swansea and find out more about the writer, poet and playwright.

http://www.dylanthomasexperience.co.uk/
http://nosignwinebar.com/dylan-thomas-history-no-sign-bar-swansea/
https://www.swansea.gov.uk/dtc
http://www.5cwmdonkindrive.com/guided_tours.php
http://www.dylanthomaswales.org.uk/

 

Please see all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.