But I Smile Anyway...

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 345 – Time Starved

17 Oct 2021 38 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“It is not that we have too little time to do all the things we need to do , it is that we feel the need to do too many things in the time we have.”
Gary Keller

Thanks, Spidey for that simple, but so true, quote!

Firstly, Peeps, I apologise for the late post.

That thing spoken about, above, time, got away with me, again, and I didn’t get our post ready, as I usually do, so here I am, actually typing it on a Sunday morning, instead of scheduling it, in advance, the day before!

I’m definitely one, firmly in that category of trying to do too much, constantly, and though it has tired me in the past, right now, I have another obstacle to contend with, too.

Before moving, we lived five minutes away from school.

Now, I have to factor in an hour, in total, to commute to and from work.

And that is five hours in a week, sacrificed to the Gods of commuting. Sometimes more, if there is traffic. It’s not even as if I could use it productively, and listen to an audio book, or call a friend, or even use my voice function to record thoughts for my WIP. because the kids are in the car, and they want to listen to music!

It means I seem to find less time to tackle the laundry when I get home, meaning a pile of ironing, and I mea a HUGE pile, on Sunday, grocery shopping, house cleaning, etc. And all those jobs you leave for the weekend, in general, too.

Like yesterday, after shopping, and sorting lunches out, I chilled for a while, then Hubby and Lil Man went out, so I tackled fixing together our new bedside cabinets. It’s not a hard job, just long. An ardous task that took me nearly four hours.

Back aching, one cut thumb and a scratched leg later, it was done.

By then I was too tired to actually get my laptop out and write even a little post!

I have got better at saying no to things, honestly. There was a time I felt compelled to agree to do everything I was asked, but now, I am firmer, if I know it is too much, but there are still jobs that need doing, and I really do feel like I need just one more day, every week, so I didn’t feel so rushed!

So, today, once all are up, will include a general house clean, and then I need to do some work, in preparation for school, tomorrow. But I will try and factor in some me time, too, promise! And time for words!

So, how good are you with time management?

Wishing you a wonderfully peaceful Sunday, Peeps!

Getting Published | Short Reading and Q&A session with author and Journalist Michelle Jana Chan

16 Oct 2021 14 Comments

by Ritu in Blog Tours, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Live Reading Event, Michelle Jana Chan, Song

Today, I am honoured to present you with an opportunity to sign up to a chance to hear award winning journalist, Michelle Chan talking about her new book, Song, with a chance to ask questions, after.

In this free online session, Michelle Jana Chan will give a short reading from her book ‘Song’ and then a Q&A session.

Sign Up Link: https://www.meetup.com/The-Writers-Initiative/events/280961013/

Time and Date: On Sunday 17th Oct from 1 pm to 2 pm.

Event Agenda:

Michelle will give a short reading from her book ‘Song.’
After this a Q&A session of around 25 minutes for questions in relation to her creative writing process, the book and the publishing process.

SONG:

A sweeping historical epic following one boy’s long journey from rags to riches, by the award-
winning journalist and travel editor of Vanity Fair.

Blurb

Song is just a boy when he sets out, in the year 1870, from Lishui village in China. Brimming
with courage and ambition, he leaves behind his family, hoping he’ll make his fortune and return
home. Chasing tales of sugarcane, rubber, and gold, Song embarks upon a perilous voyage
across the oceans to the British colony of Guiana, but once there he discovers riches are not so
easy to come by and he is forced into labouring as an indentured plantation worker.
This is only the beginning of Song’s remarkable life, but as he finds himself between places and
between peoples, and increasingly aware that the circumstances of birth carry more weight than
accomplishments or good deeds, Song fears he may live as an outsider forever.
This beautifully written and evocative story spans nearly half a century and half the globe, and
though it is set in another century, Song’s story of emigration and the quest for an opportunity to
improve his life is timeless.
Chan’s own family lineage lays the path for the tale of Song, as she is descended from
indentured Chinese immigrants who immigrated to British Guiana in the mid-1800s. Her father
grew up there but left in the 1960s—searching, in turn, for a better life in England.

“A wonderfully lush and atmospheric of survival against all odds.”
—Bernardine
Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other

About the Author

Michelle Jana Chan is an award-winning journalist and travel editor of Vanity Fair in the UK, where she presents the magazine’s digital Future Series. Formerly, Michelle was a BBC TV presenter, news producer at CNN International, and reporter at Newsweek. She was a Morehead-Cain scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Impossibe Truths of Love by @hannahbeckerman #BlogTour #Book Review @fmcmassociates

13 Oct 2021 4 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blog Tour, Blogger, Blogging, Book Review, Hannah Beckerman, The Impossible Truths of Love

Today, I am delighted to be a part of the Blog Tour for Hannah Beckerman’s newest release, The Impossible Truths of Love.

First things first, the Blurb!

From bestselling author Hannah Beckerman comes a moving story about memory, secrets, and what it really means to feel that you’re one of the family.

When Nell’s father makes a deathbed declaration that hints at a long-held secret, it reignites feelings of isolation that have plagued her for years. Her suspicions about the family’s past only deepen when her mother, Annie, who is losing her memories to dementia, starts making cryptic comments of her own.

Thirty-five years earlier, Annie’s life was upended by a series of traumas—one shock after another that she buried deep in her heart. The decisions she made at the time were motivated by love, but she knew even then that nobody could ever understand—let alone forgive—what she did.

As the two women’s stories unravel, a generation apart, Nell finally discovers the devastating truth about her mother’s past, and her own.

In this beautifully observed and emotionally powerful story of identity, memory and the nature of family, Hannah Beckerman asks: To what lengths would you go to protect the ones you love?

My Review:

The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having read one of Hannah Beckerman’s previous novels, I was excited to dive into her newest release, The Impossible Truths of Love, knowing it would be good.
However, I didn’t realise it would be that good, that I would devour it in one sitting!
Nell’s father whispers a statement to her, on his deathbed that stays with her. Unfortunately, he is unable to ever clarify the meaning.
She watches her mothers mental health deteriorate, due to dementia, and the odd little comments she makes, cause Nell to stop and think.
I am not sure exactly how to word this review, without giving away the story too much, but suffice to say, my reader detective antennae pricked up, as soon as I realised there was something hidden, and there were several ideas running through my mind, as to what the outcome would be. Some were close, some not so close, but the twists – WOW!
All I can say is that there is always right and wrong in any decision we make.
Sometimes love is the reason we make those decisions. Can any decision made with parental love in mind, ever be wrong? Of course, they could, and this novel explores that in a way that tugs at the reader’s heartstrings.
Nell’s discoveries and trauma are told in a parallel storyline to her mother Alice’s, in a Then and Now format of chapters. Each layer is unwrapped and reveals another piece to the jigsaw puzzle of Nell’s life, rather like an elaborate Pass The Parcel.
I truly loved this book, and it will be one that stays with me for a long while. Stunning read!
Thanks to FMCM Associates and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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About Hannah Beckerman

Hannah Beckerman is an author, journalist, event chair and broadcaster. In the UK she writes for a range of publications including The Observer and The FT Weekend Magazine, and appears as a book critic on BBC Radio 2 and Times Radio. She regularly chairs at literary events and panels across the UK and has judged numerous book prizes including the Costa Book Awards.

Before becoming a writer, Hannah was a TV and film producer both in the UK and the US.

She lives in London.

Chai And A Chat #155 #ChaiAndAChat

11 Oct 2021 23 Comments

by Ritu in Chai and a Chat Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Catch Up, Chai and a Chat

Hello there, Peeps! Another week has just flown by, and I can’t believe that we only have another 2 weeks until the half term holidays!

So, got your drink ready? We had a busy one!

If we were having chai I’d tell you that school was a blast, this week. The children are generally so well settled, and we are learning how to manage our SEND pupils, in a way that will help them, too. But more importantly than that, we had a special visitor this week. Amanda Prowse, my favourite author, and her brother, illustrator, Paul Ward Smith, came to visit our school, to read their new picture book! We were honoured to have them here, and both of them were just amazing. Even more so, because they gifted every child who came to the reading (180 kids) a copy of their book! We were gobsmacked at their generosity, and the children absolutely loved it! And on another note, we had our P.E. lesson on the Friday and the children did very well with their dressing up!

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If we were having chai I’d say that home wise, we got quite a bit achieved, too. (Less we, more he, to be honest, as I was at work!) But, now we have wardrobes in our bedroom, and new carpet, and the rest of the carpets have been washed (though the musty odour as they dry is a bit unpleasant!) The wardrobes for the children’s rooms have also been ordered, now, and will take around 4 weeks to arrive, then, it’s just the desks to order, and a dining table and sideboard, and rugs. We are gettind there, Peeps!
If we were having chai I’d mention that on Friday, Lil Man and I attended his Colts Cricket Awards presentation. All the teams were celebrated, and he came away with a medal and a little trophy for his participation. There is another one, this Friday, which is a dinner and awards, for the Men’s teams, which he is invited to, as he played for the Fourths, regularly.
If we were having chai I’d say that it was a lovely week for my book, too, as I noticed that Amazon had 90 reviews, now, then my beautician messaged me with a photo of my book baby, being read on a beach. It is now a beach read! Added to that, my Pops finally read my book, too, which was just hearatwarming!

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This week, aside from work, and the awards on Friday, there isn’t anything out of the ordinary happening, I think… so we shall see what comes up before the next update!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 344 – Parental Approval

10 Oct 2021 35 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Marriage Unarranged, Parental Approval, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday

“I know it sounds really weedy, but we are all children who seek approval from our parents.”
Gurinder Chadha

Thank you, Spidey, for a quote from a woman I much admire! (Gurinder, if you are reading, by any chance, I think Marriage Unarranged would be a great base for your next film!)

This week, I was given the news that Pops, my dad, was reading my book. As a holiday read!

Now, I have to tell you, this is a big thing. My Pops isn’t a reader of books, apart from the holy Guru Granth Sahib, and the daily paper.

My Mum is a different case, altogether. She is the reason I love books, and though it took her a little time to finish it, (she isn’t the speedy reader she once used to be, as I am at the moment!) she told me all about what she thought last summer, and even allowed me to interview her abou her thoughts!

Now, Pops was sat there, as we discussed Marriage Unarranged.

Mum had her Kindle copy, and, knowing Pops isn’t tech crazy, ordered him a paperback (she wouldn’t take one from me!) It was sat by his armchair in the living room, lovingly wrapped in a clear plastic bag. Mum told me he would take it out daily, and look at it, with pride, before replacing it.

At that time he told me that he had tried to read it, but was a bit put off by the risqué scenes near the beginning, and laughingly told me that he had been unable to read further.

I never thought he would read it, so the fact that he had tried was just wonderful.

On the Friday just passed, Pops text me, from Finland, to say that he had finished Marriage Unarranged.

That is a feat, in itself!

But the best part was the feedback.

I called him, straight away. Knowing that there was that little scene at the beginning, to negotiate, I was dying to know what he really thought.

He said that he was so proud of me. He had, once he got past that ‘scene’, really enjoyed the book. He could relate to so many parts of the book, and recognised many of the places I wrote about. He loved the bits about India, and felt that he was there, when reading.

I felt blessed. So blessed.

Pops had finally read my book. And liked it. And that parental approval, for me, beat any other reviews out there.

An aside – I was speaking to my brother, the Finndian, and he did say that Pops took him to one side, to ask if I had ever experienced anything like what had taken place in the book… but my brother reassured him that it was totally fiction, from his sister’s overactive imagination, and that just the places were real! (Though, he hasn’t read it yet, himself, so I wait, eagerly, to hear what he thinks, too!)

Knowing both my Pops and Mum enjoyed that labour of love meant the world to me. I need to get this next one finished, but goodness knows what he will think of the content with this one!

So, how important is Parental Approval for you?