On Monday 25 June we enjoyed an evening with our patron,
well-respected novelist Tamara McKinley. Born in Tasmania,
Tamara has lived and worked on the south coast of England
for most of her adult life. She is the author of two psychological thrillers,
nine world-wide best selling family saga novels set in Australia,
and, writing under the name Ellie Dean, a series of novels set in an English
seaside boarding house in the Second World War.
If any of us ever
thought that writing was a romantic, gentle way to pass the time, the
hard-working Tamara quickly disabused us. ‘Writing is one part inspiration, one
part perspiration and one part simple b***** mindedness’, she said, while
taking us through a typical day in her life. We also learned about the
importance of thorough research, and that successful writers have to be flexible
enough to adapt their output to the changing needs of their market.
Tamara’s easy,
approachable style made it easy for us to ask questions, and we greatly
appreciated her advice and encouragement.
Currently, the
Group is working on ‘Strandline 9’, our latest anthology of members' work. In
addition to our session with Tamara, we collectively viewed, and voted on, a
range of artwork for the book’s front cover, all produced by members. The
eventual winner was John Vallender with a very attractive watercolour sea scene; Ron
Nicola and Maurice Haken were runners-up. The range of entries was impressive –
many of our members are accomplished artists as well as writers.
The Group meets
fortnightly on Monday evenings at the White Rock Hotel. If you are interested
in joining (there is currently a waiting list), or in finding out more about
our activities, please contact the Membership Secretary, Amanda Giles, on 01424
442707 or e-mail membership.hwg@gmail.com.
You can also visit our website at www.hastingswriters.co.uk.
Report by Steph Gaunt
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