Sunday 9 October 2016

My dog lacks confidence and I let him go for training. This was not a good thing to do. Updated

George my Golden Retriever dog is nearly two years old now. He was always a confident puppy until last year when he saw and heard fireworks exploding overhead. The poor dog went completely to pieces. He hid under a table for hours and refused to go outside.
As bonfire night apporached we bought tablets from the vets to help calm him. They made no difference. Since then he developed many phobias and suffered a complete lack of confidence. Particularly around traffic. In fact it grew almost out of control.
I did my best trying to help him and took advice from websites and dog trainers. To no avail, George was scared. He would sit in the house and roll his eyes to back of his head.
Of course I understand that their hearing is so finely tuned that any sound is a 1,000 times louder to them than us. But I needed to help him regain his confidence.
He has at least and hour or more exercise a day. He plays outside in the garden but at the sound of a car he rushes back inside. This happens even if I'm playing with him.
I take him on our drive to try and get him used to the sound of traffic. He has his ball out there to chase around.
In the house the sunlight frightens him especially through the blinds he runs and hides. Memories of the fireworks will not leave him.
In the end in desperation I researched all the local dog trainers and found one not far from where we live in Staffordshire. This company boasts that they have an impeccable record with dog training. They are based in Staffordshire.
I rang and explained about George's problems. The owner said he understood my concerns and they could help George. I hithered and hovered for a few months but in desperation in the end I booked him in. Further trouble lay ahead for George and me.
This company is very expensive. I did research the place but only found positive reviews for them. I thought good, excellent. I forgot  that reviews can be removed.
I chatted to them via email and visited the site. They appeared friendly and helpful
First off when I tried ringing or emailing them about George they ignored me. Bad sign. I'd forgotten to give them his stuff to stop him having fleas etc. In the end they contacted me saying he didn't need it every month. I called our vet and they said he did. I knew this anyway. We took it up for them to use. We discovered George had somehow developed a bad skin infection but their vet was seeing him every day. He was improving.
The lack of communication continued over the next couple of weeks. I asked for a video which they sent and it showed me a very worried looking George but they told me he was on the course and doing well. I told them repeatedly he did not need to learn the basics, I had taught him these and he even walked to heel off the lead. His recall needed working on but that was all.
I won't go on suffice to say nothing seemed to have been worked on with him walking near traffic. He still lacks confidence in this and everything else.
The dogs are not kept in a home but mainly just in cages and taken out every two hours for exercise and training. I heard this afterwards. I wanted George home a couple of days early and phoned on the Monday (due home the following weekend) the office woman told my husband we could fetch him there and then. We did. On arriving home (my husband fetched George back) I opened the back of the car to hug my boy and he cowered in the corner. Says it all really.
George also growled at me when I took his empty food dish away from him after I fed him the following day! He had never once done that. When I mentioned this to the owner he said he had never heard of this happening! He says they have trained guard dogs, and police dogs. You name it they supposedly know everything. I felt quite disgusted with his attitude as he said he had never done it there. No because it's mass feed time from what I can gather.
Now I'm busy trying once again to build his confidence up. I'm more than disappointed and told the owner. He initially blamed me. Well, he would wouldn;'t he? I pointed out the facts that we praised his company twice so that they would respond to us. They did. Poor all round show.
My mistake was to not check even further to see if the trainers (lovely staff, very polite and delightful girls who I spoke to) were qualified in anyway. I haven't seen anything that they are.
The dogs are well looked after and as mentioned they are friendly and look after the dogs well.
My gripe is that I typed everything up for them that my dog needed help with and nothing was done for him. My mistakes were not checking this company out enough and finding out the routine they use. Plus the lack of qualifications worries me. Their fees are extortionate for what they do not supply. Good training is what I asked for. Result. Nothing.
I went on to their Facebook page and they were praising one of their dogs up. I left a comment saying I wish George had been as well trained. They deleted me! Says it all really. Ignore your phone calls and emails but one word against them and they delete you. No moral fibre.
Each and every dog should be treated as an individual not have a set training schedule. Dogs with different problems should have a special programme worked out for them. If these people are experts then they should know how to deal with them.
George is now on Nutracalm tablets and I have a plug in that is supposed to help calm your pet. He does seem a little better than last week.
If anyone knows anyone I can speak to who really understands dogs and could help George I would like to know.
I do let him have a good run in the mornings when possible. I also walk him and train him. He loves it. But he still lacks confidence along the roads and even the sound of a drawer being closed can upset him.
Three years have qhizzed by and unfortunately George never regained any confidence. Bonfire night and the days and weeks surrounding it are a nightmare for him. I let him find his way under the bed or the dining room table.
He has constant treatment for allergies. His worst allergy being grass. This is very unfortunate for poor George as we live on the edge of Cannock Chase and also take him to a beautiful Wild Bird Sanctuary. Grass is everywhere we go so he is constantly being treated for a nasty rash. It's a huge pity but he is a loving, friendly boy who is loved by all who meet him.

Sunday 5 June 2016

A Haunted Past Life, Introduction and part of the first chapter





Available from Amazon Kindle
 Also available in paperback
Available free from Kindle Unlimited if you subscribe


Introduction

Could a taxi journey change your life forever?
It does for Jen Rickmand.
Abused by her stepfather, Jen flees her childhood home with hopes of starting a new life. Struggling with agoraphobia, panic attacks, and concerns for her wellbeing, Jen finds comfort in the spirit world, developing connections with the paranormal that she never thought possible.
A simple taxi ride turns her life inside out when she finds herself transported back in time to 1965, where a husband and child await her. Despite her protestations, and her husband’s thinking concerns, Jen is desperate to return to 2011, but only if she can take her new daughter with her.
Horrified when she is suddenly whisked back to the future without her, Jen is torn between the two worlds. Will they eventually collide, allowing her to find the happiness she truly deserves?
A Haunted Past Life is an intriguing blend of spirits, ghosts, and time-travel with a heady mixture of love, tangled emotions, and relationships.




Chapter 1

Early Years

‘Home,’ Jen Rickmand muttered, mopping the kitchen floor. ‘This isn’t a home; I’m just the unpaid char.’ She wondered why she had let herself be used and bullied for so long, allowing her stepfamily to eat away at her self-confidence to the extent that she now suffered from agoraphobia.
For years, anger bubbled beneath her calm exterior, but she hid it well. Whenever they picked on her, she would take a deep breath and count to ten. She never once retaliated; instead she would bite her tongue and tell herself not to give them the satisfaction of knowing they had got to her with their spiteful remarks.
Her stepsisters made her life a misery, commenting almost daily that she looked like a beanstalk and her hair was nothing but a frizzy mess. In fact, Jen was pretty, tall, and slim, with beautiful, long, naturally auburn hair.
Jen’s only escape from them had been her interest in the paranormal, unfortunately, they had found out about it by snooping in her bedroom. They made snide comments such as, ‘Fancy reading books about ghosts. Have you been talking to them? You idiot. You’re nuts, you are.’
She often heard them talking about her as she went about her chores.
Have you seen the mess she looks today, especially her hair?’ Thelma would ask of her sister Monica, who would laugh.
Yes, she looks like a haystack on fire, doesn’t she?’ Their spiteful laughter would drift into the kitchen where she would be preparing the evening meal or doing another household chore.
They would deliberately throw rubbish on the floor and then order her to pick it up. ‘Come on, you’re the cleaner, pick it up or we’ll tell our dad about you when he gets home.’ They knew the more they derided her, the more their father would favour them. And he did, buying them CDs and giving them money, making certain Jen was around when he handed them out.
Her stepfather was the worst; he would push her against the kitchen wall when no one was about, standing close to her, threatening with how he would make her regret her idleness. He would grab a handful of her hair and pull it hard, telling her if she yelled out, he would make her regret it one way or another. He was pure evil, she never doubted that one way or another, he would attack her if she wasn’t careful. Whenever he was around, she would appear even more meek and mild while doing what he said, presenting a serene exterior, but all the time seething at him, and deriding herself for being such a weakling. The truth was she lacked self-confidence; it had ebbed away like the outgoing tide over the years of torment and abusive comments.
Should Jen ever look as if she was going to retaliate, her mother would shake her head, knowing it would be the worst for Jen and herself if he was provoked.
Her father died when she was three years-old; she had vague memories of being whisked up high in the air, held by a strong pair of loving arms. How she wished he was still alive; their whole lives would have been entirely different if only she had known him. Her mother worked hard to bring her up and provide as many treats as she could so Jen never felt different to the other girls. When Jen was thirteen, her mother met a widower, Derek, with thirteen-year-old twins; Jen was bowled over when her mother married him, thinking they would be one big happy family. Only this didn’t happen and she quickly discovered she was the odd one out in her mother’s new marriage.
From the first day, she was expected to do all the household chores, including the cooking.
Jen never complained, she would come straight home from school and do the tasks her mother and stepfather had left for her. She was never allowed to have friends over or any type of social life. Even when she left school and started working in a bank, her home life remained the same. She was still head cook and cleaner; woe betide her if she missed a chore, her stepfather or sisters would be on to her immediately, calling her an idle slut. Gradually, her anxiety levels were so high that she began to experience panic attacks. Leaving the house became a problem and she had to force herself to go to work. It was almost a relief to be at home despite the bullying; at least it was a familiar world where routine existed.
She longed for approval; trying hard to meet her stepfather’s high standards, but sadly, she never achieved this. The harder she tried, the more he mocked her attempts, telling her she was, ‘thick and stupid’.
She knew she was neither, but would question herself. Was she stupid? Was she thick? She must be to put up with what she did. How many women of twenty-three came straight home from work and did everything in the house their mother should do, and put up with the daily tormenting and insults? At times, she wanted to rebel when yet another task was added to her list, but she didn’t, she simply plodded on and consequently, her confidence was at an all-time low.
Jen was fully aware that her unhappy home life had contributed to the awful anxiety she experienced. Her step-siblings’ taunts and jeers made matters worse. Although she disliked her home life intensely, she felt safer inside than out; she knew this was ridiculous as she wanted to escape her environment more than anything, but she didn’t have the confidence to try to find a way out of her situation.
She had never been allowed to have friends.
Her stepfather would tell her, ‘You have far too much work to do in the house,’ whenever she plucked up courage to ask if she could go out. Gradually as the years passed, she stopped asking and refused all social invitations.
Secretly, she agreed with her stepfather when he called her a loser, she must be or she would have left years ago, wouldn’t she?
This morning, as she cleaned the kitchen, she mulled over her years of servitude and suddenly decided, No more, I’m leaving.
As the words entered her head, her stepfather jabbed her in the back, telling her, ‘You’d better get this kitchen cleaned up and our dinner ready or else you’re for it!’ He then did something he had never done before. He began to stroke her hair. She was rigid with fear as his hands moved down her back. My God, this was terrible, the disgusting swine was getting fresh with her.
‘Get your filthy hands off me,’ she shouted at the top of her voice.

Thursday 26 May 2016

The Ghosts of Westerlea Plus a video link

 Available from Amazon Kindle 
Available free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited
Video link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oncRke-1J_8 

Haunted by her traumatic past that has left her suffering from anxiety, apart from being able to communicate verbally with her dog George, Ella Brighson is mute.
Ella decides to move to Westerlea to an isolated cottage deep in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside. Westerlea has everything she needs to aid her recovery and make her feel ‘whole’ again.
After living at the cottage for a short time, Ella begins dreaming about a woman called Jean and her granddaughter, Tricia. She also starts hearing voices and whispers along with other unexplained sounds which appear to emanate from the walls of the cottage. When out walking one day she sees a group of ghost children nearby.
Who are the people she dreams about? Who are the ghost children and why do they haunt the cottage and the area around Westerlea? And why does Ella’s ex-boyfriend stalk her?
Through her dreams Ella discovers that Jean has secrets which she is reluctant to share with her granddaughter, knowing that if she does, Tricia will leave her, and Jean will face her future alone.

Friday 20 May 2016

Take a peep at my novels



 Available from Amazon Kindle
Free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited

A number 1 Amazon Kindle Best Seller (Supernatural and Reincarnation Category)

Chrissie James is a troubled soul: with family problems, unexplained phobias and a stalker to contend with, she seeks help with a hypnotherapist. Whilst in therapy, Chrissie discovers she has led a past life.
Will living a previous life help Chrissie to discover the truth of what caused her fears and phobias, and will she find out who is stalking her?
The Other Place is a paranormal mystery. Its many twists and turns will keep you guessing to the very end.

Misty Blue
This book is well worth a look for the sheer originality and compassion the author shows in her writing and in her characters.

S Douthwaite
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I felt drawn in and invited into a lovely story with emotional twists, supernatural wonder and family values. I love the way the author cleverly dips the characters in and out a past life. The story really flows. I found this an unusual plot and very good, especially the ending. The Other Place is a very special place.


Available from Amazon Kindle
goo.gl/s5UacB
Free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited

Jen’s unhappy life changes forever when she finds herself leading a past life in the 1960s.
She is astonished to discover she is happily married, with a husband and an eight year old daughter.
Jen is suddenly torn from her only daughter and taken back to the 21st century. Could this be a past life? Is she dreaming?
Trapped and confused, Jen tries to unravel her tormented emotions with newly discovered relationships, living and dead.
Jen is haunted by these two lives but has her spirit guides to reassure her. She needs to make an important decision - Should she stay or should Jen find her way back home again? But how can she possibly leave if she has fallen in love?



 Available from Amazon Kindle 
Available free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited
Video link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oncRke-1J_8 

Haunted by her traumatic past that has left her suffering from anxiety, apart from being able to communicate verbally with her dog George, Ella Brighson is mute.
Ella decides to move to Westerlea to an isolated cottage deep in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside. Westerlea has everything she needs to aid her recovery and make her feel ‘whole’ again.
After living at the cottage for a short time, Ella begins dreaming about a woman called Jean and her granddaughter, Tricia. She also starts hearing voices and whispers along with other unexplained sounds which appear to emanate from the walls of the cottage. When out walking one day she sees a group of ghost children nearby.
Who are the people she dreams about? Who are the ghost children and why do they haunt the cottage and the area around Westerlea? And why does Ella’s ex-boyfriend stalk her?
Through her dreams Ella discovers that Jean has secrets which she is reluctant to share with her granddaughter, knowing that if she does, Tricia will leave her, and Jean will face her future alone.




The fascinating sequel to The Other Place
https://tinyurl.com/kcdw6qz

 Available from Amazon
https://tinyurl.com/ya9629gj
After a reading from Gary, a clairvoyant, Kate Somner’s life changes forever.
Her husband Ben disappears in unusual circumstances.
She loses her job,her home, and her friends.
As if all the above isn’t bad enough, Kate begins experiencing time slips which take her back to the 1960s. Here, she “sees” Sheila, who is living in the same flat that Kate now lives in. Is there a connection between the two women?
Kate revisits Gary, hoping that he will be able to help her.
Will Gary help Kate find her missing husband?
Will she unravel the mystery of the time slips?
The Haunting of Kate Somner is a supernatural mystery full of intrigue, secrets and deception.

Ann leaves home to escape her strict parents but, unfortunately, finds herself in a far worse situation with a controlling boyfriend who is a speaker at the local Spiritualist Church. He makes her life unbearable. Can she find a way to leave him and set up a business teaching tarot cards?
Previous to Ann leaving home she had experienced a time lapse and found herself living a life as a clairvoyant in 1965. Will she discover the reason for her living this past life?


Can a past life help Vicky Jepson make a life-changing decision?
1990: Grace Jepson leaves her controlling husband to start a new life. But her world falls apart when her youngest daughter, Vicky, suffers a serious accident resulting in her slipping into a deep coma. Grace immediately returns home to care for her.
While in the coma Vicky drifts into a past life, where she discovers that eventually she has to make the decision of whether to live in her past life, or return to the present time.
The Time Travelling Sisters is a story of two sisters whose love and affection for each other spans the centuries.

Alone and pregnant after her husband deserts her, Dee Winster vows to make a success of her life.
She starts a psychic consultancy but soon realises that beneath its calm exterior, jealousy and scheming abound.
Dee has a secret she is reluctant to share with anyone—that is until David, a spiritualist medium and past-life therapist, joins her team and befriends her.
Will David prove to be a trustworthy and helpful companion for Dee to share her secret with? Will she solve the problems that threaten to destroy her company?
The House of Psychics is a novel of mystery and intrigue with many unexpected twists and turns.



A love story that spans the centuries. The story begins prehistory at a settlement in Rugeley, Cannock Chase. A young girl, Elvaennia, goes in search of her missing lover. By a freak accident she finds herself in the 21st Century, and quickly discovers her 'lost love' has also time travelled to this century. Determined to find him, she sets out on a journey that leads her to discover that her family back at the settlement face great danger, and she determines to help them. This in turn leads her into the celebrity limelight. She realises that tough decisions will have to be made. Will the temptations of the 21st Century prove too much for Elvaennia and Deimuiss, or will the old ways and values lead them back to the settlement?

Elvaennia discovers that the path to finding love is not easy when a misunderstanding between her and her lover Deimuiss leads him to travel to the 21st century, leaving Elvaennia behind in prehistory with Mark, a time traveller actually from the 21st century. Knowing her family and the other settlers are in danger of being killed by their enemies, Elvaennia persuades them to return with her to the 21st century, Mark also returns with her, hoping to win her love.
Will Elvaennia find Deimuiss and free him from her rival Caroline’s clutches? Or will she settle down with Steve her television producer, or Julius, the Roman soldier?

Friday 18 March 2016

The Other Place a number 1 Amazon best seller

Available in paperback.
Available free from Kindle Unlimited if you subscribe.
A number 1 Amazon best seller. Nearly 300 days in Amazon top 100

 The Other Place

It was following a serious road accident in the late 1980s that I decided as I could not return to work, I would write a book.
Having always had an interest in the Supernatural - I read the tarot cards for a while - the booklet was obviously always going to be about ghosts. When I was reading the cards many people told me ghost stories, so with their permission these were included. Local papers were always helpful in publishing my appeals for stories, and there was no shortage of people willing to share their ghostly tales.
My first ghost booklet Mystical Staffordshire, appeared in the early 1990s. I really only intended writing one, but as it was so popular I wrote another, then another. Numerous ghostly booklets later I combined them into Mysterious Happenings. I have also written other books, Birmingham Girls, Choosing Your Psychic Pathway, Ghosts Angels & Hauntings.
I decided to turn my hand to writing fiction in 2007, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of writing Dancing with Spirits and Spirits of the Lights the sequel. Followed by The Other Place, and Jen's Story,Torn Between Two Times. All of my books apart from Birmingham Girls are full of mystical happenings.

The Other Time - the sequel  now published on Kindle

Here is the link

Thursday 21 January 2016

A Haunted Past Life (Jen's Story). I had a brilliant review today!


goo.gl/s5UacB
Free if you subscribe to Kindle United.
Also available in paperback.


on 28 May 2016
I chose this rating as this book and the previous one I read by Carol Arnall were different to any books I have ever read before.Carol must be a very spiritual lady and I am looking forward to reading more of her stories

 It was following a serious road accident in the late 1980s that I decided as I could not return to work, I would write a book. Having always had an interest in the Supernatural - I read the tarot cards for a while - the booklet was obviously always going to be about ghosts. When I was reading the cards many people told me ghost stories, so with their permission these were included. Local papers were always helpful in publishing my appeals for stories, and there was no shortage of people willing to share their ghostly tales. My first ghost booklet Mystical Staffordshire, appeared in the early 1990s. I really only intended writing one, but as it was so popular I wrote another, then another. Numerous ghostly booklets later I combined them into Mysterious Happenings. I have also written other books, Birmingham Girls, Choosing Your Psychic Pathway, Ghosts Angels & Hauntings. I decided to turn my hand to writing fiction in 2007, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of writing Dancing with Spirits and Spirits of the Lights the sequel. Followed by The Other Place, and Jen's Story,Torn Between Two Times. All of my books apart from Birmingham Girls are full of mystical happenings.

Friday 15 January 2016

The Other Place A novel of love and time travel.

goo.gl/s913As
The Other Time the sequel to The Other Place will be published in June 2017

A Number 1 Amazon Kindle Best Seller (Supernatural and Reincarnation Category)

Chrissie James is a troubled soul: with family problems, unexplained phobias and a stalker to contend with, she seeks help with a hypnotherapist. Whilst in therapy, Chrissie discovers she has led a past life.
Will living a previous life help Chrissie to discover the truth of what caused her fears and phobias, and will she find out who is stalking her?
The Other Place is a paranormal mystery. Its many twists and turns will keep you guessing to the very end.

Review
Misty Blue
This book is well worth a look for the sheer originality and compassion the author shows in her writing and in her characters.

Thursday 14 January 2016

An article I had published in The Birmingham Mail


 An article written about me by Zoe Chamberlain for The Birmingham Mail (April 2014)
 Available from Amazon Kindle 
Free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited
goo.gl/s913As
My Amazon Book Page goo.gl/GY9Clo

I was ricocheted backwards and forwards when a driver smashed into the left side of our car.
It was 1987, I was a passenger and the car had pulled out of a car park in Smallbrook Queensway in Birmingham, straight into us.
When I got out of the car, I couldn’t feel the ground beneath me.
I suffered whiplash, a frozen shoulder and terrible headaches.
Both drivers were fine but our car was a write-off.
I told myself we’d been very lucky but it did affect me psychologically.
I started having panic attacks where I’d get so short of breath I’d think I was going to have a heart attack.
I was that shaken I’d be walking along the road and all of a sudden I’d find myself lying on the grass verge.
When the whiplash eased and I could turn my head again, I began driving and a car came across me and nearly hit me.
Then, another time, one made me swerve up a verge.
I began to think ‘Is there something telling me not to drive here?’
From that day on, I’ve never driven again. I didn’t think it was worth the risk.
I found I was unable to work anywhere other than from home.
I had suffered from claustrophobia since I was a child.
I don’t really know what started it – I would just panic if I was in a lift or a room with the door closed.
One time, my husband John accidentally locked me in the car when he popped into a shop. It brought on a panic attack, where I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
It’s the thought of being trapped that scares me. Also, I’ve never liked anyone walking behind me.
A few years ago, a friend told me about a time when we were young and had been in a park in Birmingham and a crowd of youths had chased us and we’d both run out of the park, screaming.
I didn’t remember that and realised I had probably blocked it out of my memory.
I decided to do some research into phobias, especially as I knew one phobia could lead to another.
The more I read, the more I thought I’m going to write a story about this.
I thought I’d set it in a back-to-back house in 1950s Birmingham, which is where I grew up.
I came up with the ideas of sisters, Chrissie and Babs, who had a stepfather who disliked them and favoured his own child, Lily, instead.
In the story, Chrissie starts to have terrible nightmares, waking up screaming in the early hours.
In time, it becomes clear something happened to her when she was younger but she blocked it out because she didn’t want to remember it.
From my research, I found this does happen to people.
In my book, Chrissie learns that love conquers all, that you can overcome abuse and that you are stronger than your abuser if you stand up to them.
Eventually, she remembers what happened to her and gets stronger and stronger.
When I self-published The Other Place I received lots of emails from people who had been abused, thanking me for shedding light on the issue and showing that life can be turned around in the end. People can overcome what’s happened to them.
For me personally, I’ve always refused to go to the doctors about it because I was determined to get through it myself.
I don’t believe in taking tablets – they can lead to other problems.
But when I wrote about panic attacks and claustrophobia in my book, I found I began to feel better.
It was like I had written my way through it.
I didn’t experience the same things as Chrissie in my book – I have never in any way been abused – but it made me realise you can work through things.
I used to wake up panicking that I was trapped and have to get up in the early hours of the morning.
One time I even dragged John out of bed for an early morning walk.
Thankfully, those times have gone now.
John and I have a Bearded Collie cross called Sophie and taking her for walks stops me from getting trapped in the house completely.
Writing the book really put things into perspective for me. I didn’t do it with that intention.
The characters just came into my head.
Chrissie is not me but I did grow up in a back-to-back house in Balsall Heath.
I wrote about my life story in my first book, Birmingham Girls, which I published in 2008.
I wasn’t sure about putting it onto Kindle to start with but, as soon as I did, it just took off and my other books have done since.
It’s been wonderful for me because I’d always wanted to write.
John and I had met when we’d both worked for the Co-op in Stirchley – me in the office and John in the garage, fixing vehicles.
We moved to Rugeley, Staffordshire and I looked after our children, Helen and Paul, as they grew up.
I did an office job again afterwards then worked in a garage up until I had my car accident and found I could no longer work.
Now, I write for an hour in the morning and a couple of hours each afternoon.
I find I write the first draft of a book at great speed but then take 12 months or so to sort it all out.
First, I jot a few ideas in a notepad then I write the book on my computer, which is where the story magically comes to life.
I am now working on a new book. The title will be The House Somewhere in Time.
I’ve always had an interest in the supernatural. I worked as a clairvoyant for quite a few years and used tarot cards to help give people something to look forward to. All of my books, apart from Birmingham Girls, are full of mystical happenings.
I have my books professionally edited before I publish them.
Just last month, The Other Place was rated number one in the supernatural and reincarnation books section on Amazon.
I found writing it really therapeutic, it was a blessing for me. It really helped me through and I’m just so glad it has been so well-received.
Link to the Birmingham Mail online  http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/

Friday 8 January 2016

Another unexplained happening



Sophie

After my dog Boyden died in June 2013, I found it very difficult walking the familiar walks I used to take with him and his sister, Sophie. I would always get upset.  After a few months, I started going on them again. It was heartbreaking following in his footsteps. Memories hung in the air all around me. His sister also seemed lost and would search the tracks as if seeking him out.
When Boyden died, we had only lived at our present address a couple of months. Our previous house is about a ten-minute walk away. In fact, I used to walk from our previous place down near to where we moved.
One day I walked in the direction of the old house with Sophie as we drew near where we had lived she started to pull on her lead frantically. I knew strangely enough that she thought if she walked through the front door of the house she would find her brother. Trying to walk her home was extremely difficult as she constantly pulled to go back! 
Sophie was always a sensitive little soul. She died in February 2014. I still miss her but know that she is now reunited with her brother. She missed him terribly after he died and would frequently go on a search of the house looking for him.

Country walks
In April of  2014  I bought a Golden Retriever dog. George. Because he was nervous of the traffic (the roads are busy where I live), I always took him for his walks in the countryside. I began to realise recently that this was not fair to him as he needed to toughen up. I started to take him more local walks. One day I walked towards where I used to live and unbelievably George started pulling me on his lead towards our old house. I was astonished as this was the first time since I had taken Sophie there the year before. George had never ever been anywhere near to our old home. To this day, I don't know how the dog realised that was where I used to live. Unless of course he sensed something coming from me as we approached the area. Dogs are very sensitive creatures, some are even psychic. I can only put what happened down to an unexplained happening.
George

Boyden - sadly no longer with us