Helen Jones

Planning Ahead

Happy New Year! I’ve blogged about this before, the way it feels when the gorgeous child goes back to school, the quietness in the house, the change in the air as I write uninterrupted and how I miss her so. The wheel of the year has turned once more and we’re back into a newContinue reading “Planning Ahead”

Every Day Scribbles

Hello everyone! Hope you all have had a chance to relax and celebrate over the past few days – I know I’m slowly recovering from an overdose of chocolate and good food, the glow of spending time with family still warm within me. But I haven’t stopped writing. Even though I’ve been staying with familyContinue reading “Every Day Scribbles”

Celebrate

This is just a short post to wish all of you, near and far, a wonderful holiday season! However you choose to celebrate, may it be full of love, light and laughter. To all of you who chose to join me on Journey To Ambeth this year, thank you so much! Thank you for theContinue reading “Celebrate”

Keep Pushing

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin, The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer,The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. All best selling books. All repeatedly rejected by agents and publishers. Each author handled rejection differently, some opting toContinue reading “Keep Pushing”

Extend Yourself

‘Beyond The Fields We Know.’ I’ve always loved this phrase. It comes from the works of Lord Dunsany, a nineteenth century writer said to be a major influence on the works of J.R.R Tolkien and Ursula LeGuin (among others), who used it to describe the location of the border of Elfland in one of hisContinue reading “Extend Yourself”

An Observation, Part 3

It’s January 2001 and I’m backstage at the Big Day Out music festival, Sydney, Australia. We’ve been backstage most of the day, hanging out, avoiding the heat and crowds and filthy bathrooms, having a couple of beers and pretending like this is all cool, that we do this sort of thing all the time. ByContinue reading “An Observation, Part 3”

Into The Woods Once More

It’s December. The year is drawing to a close, light and music and celebration against the growing darkness of the days, frost on my breath and in my garden – it’s a lovely time of year. And November is over. If you’re a regular reader you’ll know I just completed my first NaNoWriMo and, allContinue reading “Into The Woods Once More”

Giving Thanks

It’s Thanksgiving in the US this weekend and it made me consider that, despite the fact we don’t do Thanksgiving here in the UK, it might be a nice time to practise gratitude as well. I do actually say thank you most days. I know I’m pretty fortunate and so I like to acknowledge itContinue reading “Giving Thanks”

Telling Tales

I was pondering the other day and it came to me, as it often does when I’m out walking, that perhaps we, as humans, are built to be storytellers. That it’s in our DNA, some vital part of us that cannot be denied. From the dawn of humanity when people gathered around campfires or inContinue reading “Telling Tales”

Point Of View

I have a few favourite authors whose books I read regularly, and I recently bought the latest offering by one of them, excited to join the cast of characters once more and find out what they were up to as well as looking forward to having a break from all the writing I’ve been doing.Continue reading “Point Of View”