The Woking Writers' Collective - One Last Hurrah!

On Friday 6 July, I made the difficult decision to take The Woking Writers' Collective, offline after a three-year stint. The blog was created to enable local authors to promote and showcase their latest titles.

I would like to thank all who participated, especially those of you who were kind enough to reciprocate and help support and promote the work of their fellow local authors.

L to R: Sunny Angel, Lelita Baldock, Mal Foster (Blog Admin), Sue Mackender, Greg Freeman

Archive...

Following our first online Woking Writers’ Week in May 2021, we were able to meet for the first time in person on Sunday 3 October, outside the Lionsheart Bookshop which is kindly stocking a number of our books 

~ as featured in Writing Magazine ~

 February 2022 edition! 

"The Covid-19 pandemic had brought about restrictions for us all and for those of us who write, it became obvious we needed to explore alternative angles by which we could promote our work," writes Mal Foster.

"Almost by accident, Writers at the Gate (now The Woking Writers' Collective), a small group of Woking-based independent authors, was born.

The whole thing started with the blog which carries the same name, allowing us to showcase our latest titles and share stories of our various routes to publication and ideas for future books.

The blog also includes guest posts by invited authors, including Judith Cranswick, Carol Hedges, and Deborah Swift, to name but a few.

Over the last few months, the group has gone from strength to strength, with a healthy number of authors submitting work to our online Woking Writers’ Week in May.

Since Covid restrictions were lifted, many of us have now had the opportunity to meet in person while becoming good friends in the process.

We’re also fortunate enough to have our titles stocked and displayed by an independent bookshop in the town in its prominent ‘local authors’ section.

Further initiatives are being planned. These will include a series of book signings as new books are published. Any other independently published or soon-to-be-published writers from the Woking area are always welcome to join us."

Article reproduced, courtesy: Writing Magazine

Joint book signing event at the Lionsheart Bookshop in Woking, Saturday 23 July 2022
Greg Freeman, Mal Foster, Saj Hussein (Mayor of Woking) Lelita Baldock, JRC Cox

The Kathy Kelso Interview #2

27 March 2024

Catching up with my old friend and confidante, Mal Foster, is always a delight. He is the epitome of the teenage dream. “Think like a kid, and you will stay young,” says the boyish sixty-seven-year-old who was born in Surrey in December 1956.

Mal at the British Film Insitute (BFI) March 2024

We last spoke when his fifth novel, Fluke’s Cradle, was published in 2022. Since then, he has released The Story of Virna Babineaux and is about to unleash his seventh book, the much anticipated In the Shadow of Marc Bolan, his biggest project to date.

Mal and I have known each other since the mid-1970s. He was a massive T.Rex fan in those days, and I remember how desperate and devastated he was when Marc Bolan died before his time in 1977.

Mal says, “I was just twenty back then. Indeed, the events of ’77 made me feel completely numb for quite a long time. For a while, I couldn’t play any Bolan songs. Marc’s voice just set me off. I didn’t want to accept that he was gone. It wasn’t until one summer’s evening in 1982 that I could dig out all those vinyls again.”

And now you have written a book about it all?

“I was never going to write a book about Marc himself. The inspiration comes from those left behind who are still influenced by his music.”

Nearly fifty years since his death, Marc Bolan’s popularity is as strong as ever.

“Just look at social media”, says Mal. “There is a whole raft of stuff relating to Bolan. Books, films, some great tribute bands, and historical interviews. Most recently, a tribute album and the documentary Angel-Headed Hipster.

“Although a little apprehensive and nervous that there may have been parallels with my new book’s storyline, I enjoyed the recent release of Bolan’s Shoes, which included superb performances by Leanne Best and Timothy Spall. The film proved to me that everyone has their own unique story to tell.”

“Going back, I remember sitting in a smoky cinema in Camberley when Born to Boogie was released in 1972. I watched it around and around on a loop and stayed in the Odeon for at least seven hours that day.”

So, what eventually made you put pen to paper with this one?

“I’ve always wanted to write a book of fiction different from anything else I’d seen. Something that people could dip into at any time and find very lyrical. A book they would want to sing along to in some way! My regular readers will notice that the book is in a journal style, similar to my first novel, The Asylum Soul.

And what about the novel itself? Without giving away any spoilers, please do tell me more…

“Look, here’s an early synopsis,” says Mal, sheepishly passing over his phone…

‘In the Shadow of Marc Bolan’ is a sensitively written tale about a man obsessed with the spirit of Marc Bolan. The book’s protagonist is Marc Abela, who was born the same day Bolan died when a car driven by his girlfriend Gloria Jones crashed through a fence and hit a tree in Barnes, Southwest London, in the early hours of 16 September 1977. 

Marc Abela has always lived in the shadow of the late glam rock icon. Indeed, he had spent his first few years on this earth growing up against the backdrop of Bolan’s music. Marc’s mother, a devoted Bolan/T.Rex fan tragically died by her own hand when he was only five. 

The story is a powerful and plausible paranormal/psychological drama, predominately set in a Surrey psychiatric unit in the modern day. Now forty-six years old, Marc finds himself institutionalised and refusing to speak after being sectioned under the 1983 Mental Health Act. 

As they seek a diagnosis, specialists believe there could be a link between Marc’s current predicament and what had happened in his past. Could the spiritual influence of Marc Bolan be the real reason for what they believe is a ‘self-inflicted’ condition? Psychologist Hercules Brown and his colleagues pull out all the stops to find the answer. 

Marc Bolan - 1947-1977

So, what are your honest aspirations for this book?

“Honest? Ha, ha. Of course, I want the book to appeal to Bolan fans and those less familiar with his music and other work. I hope I have produced something which underlines the deep respect I have always had for him. Please remember, though, the novel itself is about the son of a T.Rex fan, and not Marc Bolan himself, although I must confess, the strong spiritual presence of Bolan does play its part.” 

To learn more about In the Shadow of Marc Bolan, visit www.malfoster.co.uk. Available in paperback and Kindle formats, the novel will be published in July.

 

-         Mal Foster was speaking exclusively to Kathy Kelso

Interview with Kathy Kelso

 KEEPING HIS FEET FIRMLY ON THE GROUND

Mal Foster, talks to Kathy Kelso, about his publishing journey so far, and a little about his superb new psychological thriller, ‘Fluke’s Cradle’…

Mal Foster, an author of the ordinary man? “Too bloody well right I am”, he says, grinning widely from behind his raised pint of rapidly disappearing Hells lager. Mal and I have known each other since we were teenagers. We used to indulge ourselves in contemporary poetry, Leonard Cohen, Hart Crane, Douglas Dunn, Jack Kerouac, Robert Service and the Mersey Poets, et al etc., whilst sipping long-lasting cappuccinos in an upstairs coffee lounge at the top of Camberley High Street. I’m delighted to say Galinis as it was known, has miraculously crept into Mal’s intriguing new book, ‘Fluke’s Cradle’ as part of its storyline. In those hurdy-gurdy days of the 1970s, a cappuccino was simply called frothy coffee and we both knew how to make it last, and for those of us who didn’t have two 5p pieces to rub together, it was a godsend.

While I gazed down onto the street outside, Mal would concentrate on scribbling fragments of poems in a little green notebook he always carried around in the inside pocket of a well-worn fake leather jacket. Often, he’d be found at his usual table, with three other budding writers, Alan Guest, Jez Goodwin, and Sean Duffy… all four poor misguided souls had their own ideas on how their writing could change the world. Fortunately, naivete eventually gave way to reality and they all moved on to negotiate the rest of their lives quite differently from one another.  Mal though is still in contact with Jez, who is now, a successful TV chef and food resource expert who resides in Houston, Texas in the U.S.

Fast-forward 50 years and Mal prides himself on his independent author status…“If I’d sent any of my manuscripts to a traditional publisher, they would still be gathering dust and would never have seen the light of day. Thousands of fiction books are published each year in this country alone. I soon realised that the self-publishing option was probably the best way of getting my books out there.

What, if any, are the benefits of self-publishing? "Firstly, the author is in complete control of the whole process, including the book's promotion. The key thing is, is not to let your expectations be too high. Any self-published indie author who exceeds sales of 200+ copies in all formats will probably celebrate even though they will never get their initial investment back – that sadly is commonplace with self-publishing, but it’s a small price to pay for something that is so rewarding. If you treat writing as a hobby, you have nothing to lose."

Keeping his feet firmly on the ground, Mal adds, "I’ve always written for my own pleasure, not the money, if I did, I would be bitterly disappointed. That said, when a book is published, there’s nothing more pleasing than someone stopping me in the street and asking about one of my characters. It proves that people really can immerse themselves in what I write.”

Are there any downsides? “Yes, of course. Whilst I enjoy researching and writing my books. I find the editing process quite arduous. It can also be a potential minefield. It's where the manuscript is most vulnerable. For instance, there is nothing more annoying than when something gets missed during the final proofreading phase. Although errors can easily be fixed, through a quick Amazon edit, a missing question mark or a stray apostrophe can bug the hell out of you... something I know all honest authors will admit they go through. Also, after publication, the first few weeks can be quite nerve-wracking until the first pieces of feedback filter through. Luckily, most reviews I've received have always been quite positive.”

This all brings me nicely back to Mal’s exciting new novel 'Fluke’s Cradle’, a paranormal/psychological thriller that has already been heralded by early reviewers as his best writing yet...

About the book…

Eddie Noble had always wondered who his father was. His mother had died shortly after childbirth, and those shielding him from life’s future challenges were not always forthcoming with any answers.

Following a mysterious medical episode whilst searching for his mother’s grave, Eddie becomes increasingly convinced he is the person he was in a previous life. He then undergoes an enforced period of regression therapy to aid his rehabilitation. 

Enter Marianne Borg, a beautiful psychic medium, Nathaniel Bream, a quirky psychiatric paranormal research scientist, and Professor Allan, a mental health specialist who all take a particular interest in Eddie’s plight.  

‘Fluke’s Cradle’ is out now and is available from Amazon in, hardback (£13.99), paperback (£8.99) and Kindle (£3.39) formats.

 

·         Publisher ‏ : ‎ Publish Nation (23 Mar. 2022)

·         Language ‏ : ‎ English

·         Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages

·         ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8428566093

·         Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.19 x 22.86 cm

 

BUY NOW

60 Second Interview - Mal Foster talks to Sally Roast

Your latest novel, ‘Fluke’s Cradle’, has been available for a few months. How’s it going?

The book is somewhat experimental. On that basis, it’s really doing fine, even though, to be honest, it could do with a few more positive reviews and, of course, sales; that said, it's become a favourite among some of my regular readers. It’s the kind of novel I felt very comfortable writing.

Can you tell me more about the book and what inspired you to write it?

I’ve told the story in parallel with things I’ve experienced in my life. Things that I witnessed during my upbringing and adolescent years. Again, those things I observe even now on a day-to-day basis. The thought of writing really does set my imagination on fire. It’s now the whole reason I write.

The book itself tells the story of middle-aged Eddie Noble, who must come to terms with his demons. Eddie had always wondered who his father was. His mother had died shortly after childbirth, and those shielding him from life’s future challenges were not always forthcoming with any answers. Following a mysterious medical episode whilst searching for his mother’s grave, Eddie becomes increasingly convinced he is the person he was in a previous life. He then undergoes an enforced period of regression therapy to aid his rehabilitation. Enter Marianne Borg, a beautiful psychic medium, Nathaniel Bream, a quirky psychiatric paranormal research specialist, and Professor Allan, a mental health scientist who is interested in Eddie’s plight.  

What made you want to become an author? 

Initially, I had considered myself a poet since I was a teenager. Pretentious? Maybe! During those halcyon days of the 1970s, everyone I knew from my generation craved an identity. Poetry was my identity. You know, “Mal, the poet.” – “That guy over there, he’s a poet. He writes poems.” One problem with that, I never liked anyone reading my stuff! Later, I became aware that my poetry needed more substance. It was supposed to be the voice of my inner self. Eventually, something happened; maybe it was confidence. Certainly improvement. The first pieces of verse were published in anthologies, then small press magazines and newspapers until the internet became a major platform to showcase my work. Earlier, in the 1980s, I won three Young Poet awards. It was such a thrill to know people were starting to appreciate my writing during that time.

So what made you decide to self-publish your first novel, 'The Asylum Soul?' 

I never, ever thought I’d write a full-blown novel. I’d gone through most of my life without reading too much by other authors. I guess I was lazy. I always liked the idea of dipping into a book of poems by one of the top contemporary British poets. Seamus Heaney, Jeremy Robson, Tony Harrison and the Liverpool poets all spring to mind. I could just read a few lines that didn’t even reach the side of the page, let alone the bottom of it.

In 2014, the concept of my debut novel, ‘The Asylum Soul’ came to me. After the first few pages were written, there was no looking back. Before I knew it, I had inadvertently written a 330-page historical fiction novel. Since then, I’ve been absolutely hooked on storytelling.

Have you any more novels in the pipeline? 

Yes, a sixth novel, ‘The Story of Virna Babineaux’, should be published in the Spring. I am working on the final chapters before the editing process begins. I always get a special buzz at this stage, knowing that it’s not going to be too long before the book is available to the public.  

What advice would you offer aspiring authors who are thinking of self-publishing? 

Try and write what you know. It helps. Be true to yourself. Be ambitious, but always try to keep your feet on the ground. Success will come!

Interview by Sally Roast 03 01 2023

Courtesy: Independent Authors Online

The Famous Knaphill Pie

If you have read The Asylum Soul you will know all about Mrs Pengelley's Knaphill Pie. One reader has asked if there was a real recipe. The answer is yes. Bacon & Leek complete with all the 'secret' family ingredients. The recipe comes from a family who lived in Queens Road, Knaphill at the time the book is set and is known to have been a favourite among those who worked at Brookwood Lunatic Asylum.

Records show that the pie got its name simply because the bacon came from the Middle-White breed of pigs that were bought and reared at the institution. The breed was actually favoured by the asylum's bursar because of the fine quality and quantity of its pork. 

Since its mention in The Asylum Soul, the pie has been included on the menu at The Crown and, The Garibaldi pubs in Knaphill. 

This version - by Sarah Nubeebuckus-Jones

ORIGINAL KNAPHILL PIE RECIPE (Bacon/Leek)

• Full stove/oven.
• Melt 2oz knob of lard in large pan.
• Add 16oz bacon (chopped) and stir for 5 minutes until beginning to slightly brown then allow cooling down slightly.
• Transfer to deep medium oven dish and add 2 finely chopped leeks.
• Add level tea spoon of grated garlic and stir again.
• Grate 8oz strong cheddar cheese and sprinkle over top.
• Whilst bashing washed King Edward potatoes in saucepan add salt, water and milk and sprinkles of white pepper.
• When fused set potato into dish on top of other ingredients and add tram-lines with fork and then sprinkle rosemary sparingly on top.
• Cooking time 1 hour 20 minutes. Check and prod with a long fork every 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven when potato is browned. Allow 10 minute rest.
• Best served with carrots and cauliflower.

Note: Quantity of ingredients based on 4 served/imperial measurements.

THE ASYLUM SOUL

November 2018

Leonard Cohen - My Personal Tribute

 

In July 1975 I was sitting at a railway station on the outskirts of Paris. Someone on the opposite platform had a cassette player. I could hear a voice, monotone, clear, concise, dark but the melody captured me. It was Leonard Cohen singing The Partisan from 'Songs from a Room'. I was hooked.

Leonard Cohen

 

When I got back to England I bought all four of the albums which he had out at the time. There were also two novels and around six poetry books.

 

His deep voice with all its wisdom, love, pain and honesty consumed me. He soon became my biggest influence and source of inspiration. Indeed, his fine spectrum of work is the 'Hallelujah' of my very own personal, private religion.

 

On Wednesday 9 November 2016 rumours across the internet suggested that he had died the previous Monday, Indeed a formal announcement was made after his funeral by his son Adam on Thursday 10 November.  Needless to say, I shed more than just one tear when everything became apparent and sadly real later that day and into Friday.

 

Leonard was buried privately and laid to rest in an unadorned pine coffin next to his beloved mother and father in Montreal, Canada.

 

My ambition was always to meet Leonard, to shake his hand, to thank him for his music and poetry. To thank him for his wisdom and his voice - a voice that has guided me through dark and difficult times and uplifted me. Of course that will never happen now.

 

Leonard Cohen was a true gentleman and a master of his craft. His spirit will walk with me forever. I loved him and I will continue to love all the words and music that he has blessed me with.

 

Leonard Cohen (21 09 1934 - 07 11 2016) 

“At last, he said to himself, the spirit has taken up some of the heavy work...”

- from ‘Death of a Lady’s Man’ 

 

 

November 2018

Inn-Keeping with the Spirits

Most books have a back story, or at least some of the sub-plots do. For me, my paranormal novel Fly Back and Purify is no exception. Pub landlady. Carol Baker, (pictured) formerly of the Royal Oak in Knaphill, Surrey is also a psychic medium and assisted me greatly with my research. The following is from a piece I did when working for the Woking News & Mail in 2016...

 

When most people walk into a public house and think of spirits, they are probably looking at the choice of whiskeys, rums, or vodkas from the optics behind the bar. At the Royal Oak at the bottom of Anchor Hill in Knaphill, the term spirit can take on a whole new meaning as the pub’s landlady Carol Baker is also a psychic medium. Carol and her partner Mark McDermott have been running the pub since March 2015.

 

Carol (pictured above) told the News & Mail, “Many psychic mediums use a spirit guide to describe an entity that may be attempting to make contact with the living. With the help of a guide, I can use my ‘third eye’ to see spirits, the images can then become full apparitions; they are vivid and appear very real.”

 

She describes clearly seeing a couple who were previous landlords at the pub, a priest, an old man who sits in the corner at the front by the window and two children in Victorian dress who play upstairs.

 

It is known that in 1851 the landlord was William Collyer who ran it with his wife Sarah. By 1891 the pub was being run by Alfred and Phoebe Brighton. From 1900 to 1935 the landlords were Joseph and Minnie Searle, and Minnie took sole responsibility for the establishment’s liquor licence following Joseph’s death in December 1935. Joseph who was born in 1869 had also been a local dairyman. Could one of these couples still be living there in spirit?

Indeed, the Royal Oak has a very rich history and dates back to the 17th Century. In the mid-19th Century Wesleyan Ministers formed a Sunday school which met there until the completion of the original Methodist church in Knaphill in 1867.

Carol says that she picked up her spirit guide, a young child called Emily when she worked at the White Horse pub in Steyning in West Sussex. Emily has stayed with her ever since. She believes that the girl had been murdered by a seven-foot-tall poltergeist after hiding a wallet at the White Horse.

 

Carol added, “Whilst many people sense or feel the presence of a spirit, most will never see them. Communicating with the spirit world is a gift that I am blessed with and very happy to talk about. My ‘third eye’ is really my mind’s eye. Behind my physical eyes there is an intuitive eye and I am able to use this for soul to soul seeing and that’s how I can interact with my friendly spirits right here in the pub.”

Carol admits that most customers at the Royal Oak are totally oblivious to its ghostly occupants, however if anyone should ever sense or see something or are perhaps even sceptical about their existence, she will always be on hand to happily talk and explain the phenomenon from her point of view. 

 

 

Note: Carol has since left the Royal Oak and now runs a pub in Hampshire

November 2018

 

The Therapeutic Use Of Writing

 

Many people believe writing is only for authors, journalists, poets, bloggers etc., but it is there for all, and if you suffer from a mental health issue, it can help. I have touched on my need for the therapeutic use of writing since I was around fifteen years old and amplified this during the recent coronavirus pandemic on local radio. We all come into life as potential writers, and, as that famous saying goes, everyone does have a book in them, even if it is just their own story. Writing is beneficial because it can be therapeutic. Writing can harness our thoughts and feelings and act as a filter for the parts inside our minds, which we may choose, or not to share and discuss. 

Most of us speak in jingles, not complete sentences. In conversation, we are often interrupted. Whilst writing, we can, through creativity and imagination, complete a sentence and, ultimately, a whole story or poem. For example, you will feel a sense of achievement or self-satisfaction—something you may not realise in everyday life. 

Writing is an escape from reality. It has many genres and styles and is *FREE*. 

You may not think you are a writer. Don’t worry. Practice! You don’t even need to share your writing. Write a letter to yourself. Invent a character. They will become your friend. 

By writing, you will discover your inner self. You will find yourself speaking through your written words via an alternative dimension. You will even become the protagonist in your own story. In a sense, you will discover who you really are. When writing, you will believe some other entity is controlling you. You will discover this is your sub-conscience, your creative soul inside you! 

You can choose your comfort zone. Explore the genres until you find the one you want. If you don’t have the confidence to speak out loud to just one person or a crowd, writing will give you the vehicle to move forward. You can become an expert on your chosen subject by writing non-fiction. You can become the master of an invention by choosing to become a fiction author, for instance. 

What you write will become your identity, especially if you decide to publish. It will give you self-esteem and give you a healthier mind, body and spirit connection. You will find yourself creating a strong relationship between your inner profile and your body’s outward movement.

We all have emotions; a large number of us suffer from mental health issues. There are fears and worries; even memories can cause stress, anxiety and depression. Writing can steer us away from these and offer some much-needed respite from our day-to-day demons. 

Writing can be a career or just a part-time hobbyist occupation. It can be incredibly powerful when wishing to express yourself. Embrace it, and remember, writing is therapy, and it could just save your life!

Did you know Mal runs a FREE low-key ‘Writing as Therapy’ workshop? If you would like to learn more, send an email to malfoster1956@gmail.com

December 2020