Interview

Interview: Becky Westwood, Organisational Psychologist

This week isn’t about cats despite my photo accompanying the post however, I do think having a cat on your office work desk might help to decrease anxiety and stress in the work environment! Hey, what do I know?! Someone who would know is my guest this week, Becky Westwood,who is an organisational psychologist. Becky has a particular interest in anxiety : how it manifests in the workplace, how it can impact work life, and the horrors of giving and receiving feedback at work. Becky has done a lot of thorough research & her book, “Can I Offer You Something? Expert Ways To Unpack The Horrors Of Organisational Feedback “ shows a refreshing approach and is a definitive guide to conquering anxieties surrounding giving and receiving feedback. Without further ado, let’s welcome Becky onto the blog … Hi Becky 👋

Hi, I’m Becky an organisational psychologist, coach, avid Lego fan and more recently author. As an organisational psychologist with over 17 years of experience, I’ve had the privilege of training and coaching individuals across diverse industries in the UK, US, and Europe. I learned very early in my career that working hard and having fun are not mutually exclusive, and my love of Lego reminds me that at heart, I’m still a big kid!

My journey began with in-house training roles in retail and aerospace, leading me to establish my own consultancy in 2016, where I developed a specialisation in supporting individuals with social anxiety. Since 2021, I’ve been part of the Monkey Puzzle Training and Consultancy team, where I wear multiple hats as an organisational psychologist, coach, trainer, and Chief Experience Officer.

I have a particular interest in anxiety and how it manifests in the workplace, including its impact on burnout, feedback, and psychological safety. I’ve recently concluded two research projects exploring the relationship between anxiety and feedback in organizations, and I love sharing those findings, helping clients translate them into practical strategies for themselves and their teams. I’m also passionate about fostering inclusive workplaces and championing diversity. This commitment extends to my involvement with UK charities, including Diversity Role Models, where I serve as an LGBTQ+ role model, supporting young people.

What made you decide to launch your book “Can I Offer You Something? Expert Ways To Overcome The Horrors Of Organisational Feedback”?

When you hear the word feedback – what happens to you? Do you feel excited or do you feal dread? It turns out that most people feel the same.

So, I decided to launch ‘Can I Offer You Something’ because I realized that feedback, something meant to be constructive, has become a major source of anxiety for virtually everyone in the workplace. It’s not just a concern for those with diagnosed anxiety, but a universal experience that hinders our natural desire to contribute and grow. Through my research, it became clear that the process of giving and receiving feedback has become overly complicated and processed, stripping away the human connection. We’ve created this environment where both the giver and the receiver often share similar anxieties, yet we treat them as separate entities. My book aims to simplify this process, offering practical, holistic strategies to demystify feedback and turn it back into a collaborative, empowering tool, rather than a source of dread. It’s about restoring the human element to a process that should be about growth and connection.

About 10 years ago, I went to a job interview for a job I was qualified to do although it had been a long time since I had been office based.  The interview itself went ok, but I later learned I hadn’t got the job. However they asked me to get back in touch if I wanted feedback.  This was the first time I had come across a company offering feedback, I was unsure whether I wanted to hear the feedback, but nevertheless, I did contact them.  The feedback they gave me was so inspirational that I followed their advice, and it led me to pursue a totally different career, that I am still really enjoying.  Why do you think feedback is looked upon with such dread? 

In today’s world of work most people feel individually connected to what they do, work is no longer something that you just show up and get on with. For many it has become entangled in their identity. Exchanging feedback can end up feeling incredibly personal. The highs are encouraging and motivating, the lows can feel confronting and judgemental. When someone hears “that could have gone better” what they often feel is that “you could be better”. It’s usually this feeling that recipients of feedback dread and it’s the reaction to this feeling that providers of feedback fear. This all leads to lots of anxiety, frustration crossed wires and missed opportunities.

In your example, it sounds like everyone faced feedback head on, with purpose and that lead to great outcomes. This is what I hope everyone’s experience with feedback becomes.

What tips do you suggest to help someone who may be anxious or dreading receiving organisational feedback?

My top three tips would be:

1. Don’t wait for feedback to find you; instead take control by working out what your professional goals and aspirations are, what things you would like to change or develop and go out and actively seek perspectives that will help you achieve the changes you want.

2. Recognise you have a choice; if it’s truly feedback you have a choice about how you use it. (if you don’t have a choice then what someone is giving you is a direction or instruction not feedback). Once you receive feedback take the time to consider what you have heard and then decide if you want to action it, get clarity on it or put it to one side.

3. Stay grounded; learning some grounding techniques can help you stay in the conversation rather than getting overwhelmed by anxiety or emotion. You could explore breathing techniques or ways to stay present. These don’t only work in feedback situations!

What main tip(s) do you suggest to someone who has to prepare organisational feedback about another person?  

My top three tips for providers would be:

1. Get the recipients feedback recipe; most people have preferences for how they like to receive feedback, for example in writing vs in person, privately or publicly or in advance so they can reflect or ‘live’. When we prepare feedback, we tend to do it with our own preferences in mind, but that might not work for the recipient. Get their recipe ahead of time and you’re likely to have more positive impact with your feedback.

2. Conversation not a monologue; Feedback is an exchange not a transaction, give space to hear the recipient, let them ask questions for clarity and share their perspectives on what they are hearing. Most people in my research want and welcome feedback, they just don’t want it ‘done to them’.

3. Think about the environment; environments that suggest formality can add extra anxiety to the feedback exchange. Think about what you want to say and then what are your options for example could you do a walking meeting, could you go to a less formal meeting room if your organisation has one. The environment we are in can have a big effect on how both the provider and recipient feel.

Being an organisational psychologist, what is it about your job that you enjoy or gives you the most satisfaction? The downside?

I enjoy many things about my job, I find humans fascinating and I feel incredibly fortunate that I get to work with such diverse people and organisations, as they pursue their goals. 

One of the key things that’s gives me satisfaction is seeing the people I work with do things that they once thought they couldn’t. That could be watching them deliver a presentation, improving their mental health, working more sustainably or changing unhelpful habits. I find it very rewarding and a privilege that I get to walk alongside people as they go on these journeys.

Growing up, did you always want to be a psychologist, or did you want to pursue a career in a completely different direction?

When I was in my early teens, I actually wanted to be a barrister – I think there is something about human behaviour that I have always found interesting. Then in my late teens and early 20s I started coaching school basketball and found a passion for coaching. At this stage I thought I would pursue a career in sports psychology and coaching but never imagined some years later that I would be an organisational psychologist and now author.

What are the common problems/symptoms that social anxiety can create in the workplace and what do you suggest they should try to alleviate the anxiety?

Social anxiety in an organisational setting can manifest in various ways, significantly impacting both individual performance, perception and overall workplace dynamics. 

Individuals with social anxiety often experience intense fear of being judged or evaluated by others. This can make performance reviews, presentations, and even casual interactions like lunch highly stressful. This fear can lead to avoidance of situations where they might be evaluated, limiting their opportunities for growth and advancement. One of the other challenges is the miss perception this behaviour can then create in others, I might start to make meaning of why Dave or Katrina don’t come to that meeting, “overreact” or “get defensive” in that review etc and I might then start to do their thinking for them. Meaning I might discount them for that opportunity, I might stop inviting them or giving them feedback assuming they don’t want it.

It’s first important to recognise that anxiety is a normal human response to perceived or real threat, so there is nothing “wrong” with someone if they experience anxiety. I would encourage people who feel able to, to talk to their managers or colleagues about their anxiety and figure out ways they can navigate organisational life and even practice some of the things they find that activate their anxiety.

If people don’t want to talk to colleagues about it, I think it can be really helpful to work out what activates your anxiety, what real or imagined threats you are perceiving and then what resources you have to support you in dealing with them.

For Pinning Later

Is your book “Can I Offer You Something? Expert Ways To Unpack The Horrors Of Organisational Feedback” available to purchase worldwide?

Yes, Can I Offer You Something is available worldwide in print, eBook and audio book. Here are some of the Amazon worldwide links.

USA –Amazon.com 

Germany – Amazon.de

France – Amazon.fr

Spain – Amazon.es

Italy – Amazon.it

Netherlands – Amazon.nl

Japan – Amazon.jp

Brazil – Amazon.br

Canada – Amazon.ca

Mexico – Amazon.mx

Australia – Amazon.au

India – Amazon.in

In the US it’s also available in Barnes and Noble and other local book retailers globally.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

I’d typically be found wearing a nice pair of jeans, a blouse or top and cardigan and 99 times out of 100 with converse on my feet. It’s important for me to be comfortable when I work and be authentic in how I show up, for me my clothes and shoes are a part of that authenticity.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites ?

I spend most of my spare time playing instruments, baking or building Lego so I love browsing sites that sell guitars and ukuleles, the Lego store and sites where I can learn new recipes.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

I’d like to expand my converse collection, and I have my eye on a lovely pair of forest green low tops.

Boots or Shoes? 

I would say shoes, I find shoes (and trainers) offer more variety for me in terms of design and colour. I also find them generally more comfortable to wear, although in the winter you will find me in a nice pair of brown lace up boots.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/Facebook etc

Can I Offer You Something?

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckywestwood

https://www.linkedin.com/company/monkey-puzzle-training-and-consultancy-limited

Great chatting to you Becky, and I love your hobbies of Lego and ukuleles and cooking too!

Linda x

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Becky Westwood. Cat photo by Linda Hobden

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Books, Interview, Reviews

Author Interview: Dickon Levinge

I’m so pleased to be able to share with you a “feel good” book that I read recently – “The Bald Monkey” by Dickon Levinge. This is a comical novel about a group of friends who meet up at their local pub, The Bald Monkey. The author, Dickon Levinge, used to work in Hollywood as a screenwriter but currently lives on a canal boat in London. You can tell that the author has a connection with London – the friends and the pub in the novel are spot on! ( As a Londoner myself, it is a plus point that the storyline is authentic!) Before I welcome Dickon onto the blog, here’s a quick summary of “The Bald Monkey” 🙈 🙉 🙊 …

BOOK SUMMARY

Seven years after losing his wife Henry still grieves. Her body was never recovered and Henry, a photographer who lives in the idealised snapshots of his past, stubbornly maintains she’s just missing. Now his estranged sister-in-law, Marion, re-enters his life to finally have her sister declared legally dead.

Local gallery owner Sonia ‘Groucho’ K discovers who was responsible for the tragedy.  Wounded by a recent betrayal she sees an opportunity for vengeance-by-proxy. She leads Henry and ‘Dizzy’ Des, a former convict with a kind heart but a hair-trigger temper, on an elaborate mission to disappear the culprit.

The trio conspire in their regular watering hole, The Bald Monkey, and their plan becomes increasingly absurd. Meanwhile, Henry rekindles his once close friendship with Marion, the only remotely level-headed member of the ensemble, and she sets out to bring him back from the brink of disaster.

THE INTERVIEW

Welcome to the blog Dickon! 👋 Please introduce yourself 😊

I describe myself on my website as an author, photographer and boater. That said, my background is firmly based in the film industry. I trained in LA in the 90s before directing short films. I then started writing scripts and spent the better part of two decades as a screenwriter.

Who or what inspired you to write “The Bald Monkey”?

Story-wise, I love to start with an off-the-wall, absurd, often shocking and hopefully humorous event that changes the lives of the main players. I won’t give away what that is in The Bald Monkey, but I think it ticks all the boxes. It came from a newspaper article I read about people disappearing during floods in Singapore in exactly the same fashion which, as I read it, gave me that wonderful ‘ah-ha!’ moment all writers live for.

The Bald Monkey ” is a humorous story about a group of friends and The Bald Monkey, the pub that they drink in. The characters are quite a lovable bunch – widower Henry, local gallery owner Sonia, “Dizzy” Des and sensible Marion. I had a fondest for poor Henry! Did you base a lot of your characters on you and people you’ve met in life? Which character did you enjoy writing about the most? Which character was the hardest?

A pub is a great setting for a story, just because you can have so many people from different walks of life coming, going and interacting. For the characters, I tend to draw some inspiration from my own life experiences. Henry is a photographer who revisits his memories by developing prints from his old black and white negatives. I spent many of my schooldays snapping photographs and then avoiding various mandatory activities by escaping to the darkroom. I’m also an avid people-watcher and notebook scribbler. Sonia ‘Groucho’ K’s physical description is entirely based on someone I briefly saw outside South Kensington Tube Station. Arabella, Henry’s departed wife, was the hardest because, although she’s hugely important, she doesn’t get much page time and is only seen in flashback through other people’s eyes.

Were there any aspects of writing the novel that surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise?

Coming from a screenwriting background, one thing I hadn’t anticipated was how challenging it would be to utilise all of the human senses. With a script you’re limited to sight and sound. At first it was quite difficult (particularly, for some reason, describing smells) but once embraced it became great fun. Being able to get into characters’ heads was also a wonderful experience.

For pinning later

If you could visit any country/place in the world, to base a future novel in, where would you go and why?

I often think about writing a novel about Los Angeles, just because I lived there for so long and it’s a city I would like to revisit for a prolonged period. I’d also love to have a crack at a New York story – although that’s probably because I see it as London’s sister city and I’m afraid I can be quite London-centric. Venice also fascinates me, in no small part because so much life there takes place on the water. One of my favourite non-fiction books is Jan Morris’s Venice.

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?

Novelists from my youth, such as John Irving and Martin Amis, still influence me. Amis’s Money and London Fields were particularly inspiring. That said, as a reader my favourite genre is Science-Fiction. I only discovered Iain M Banks’s Culture series after he died and devoured it over six weeks. I grew up reading a lot of William Gibson, Harry Harrison, Philip K Dick and, of course, Douglas Adams – because, when push comes to shove, humour is everything. Lately, I’ve been working my way through Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, which is mindbogglingly imaginative. At the moment I’m reading Joseph O’Connor’s historical novel Star Of The Sea, which drew me in within a paragraph.

Kindle or books? For me, it’s paper books all the way. I’ve never owned a Kindle.

Is “The Bald Monkey” available to purchase worldwide?

It is, I’m happy to say, available worldwide through all the usual outlets.

Growing up had you always wanted to be an author or did you have other career aspirations?

My first love, in terms of storytelling, was cinema and I wanted to be a film director. From there I really fell into screenwriting because my scripts gained more attention than my short films. I’ve had a long and circuitous journey towards becoming a novelist. And it’s been full of stories and fascinating characters, so I wouldn’t have it any other way. One of the greatest thing about being a writer is that no experience is ever a waste of time. Everything is story fodder.

After living in LA and Dublin, you now live on a canal boat in the waterways of London, called “The Good Ship Junie”. Great boat name – is there a story behind the name?

She’s named after my mother’s godmother, Junie, who always wanted to christen a ship. She’d passed away by the time I moved on board, so we thought this would be the next best thing.

What are the good points to living on a canal boat? Downside?

For me the best part of life on board is that I get to call so many places my home. A month ago I was living in Little Venice and Westbourne Park, hanging out in the West End and Notting Hill. At the time of writing I’m in leafy Ealing, waking every morning to the dawn chorus. A month from now I’ll be cruising up the Grand Union Canal to spend time in various towns and villages, such as Rickmansworth and Kings Langley. All places I love and, after 13 years on board, know well.

The downside would, I suppose, be the lack of space. Junie’s only 50ft long and 7ft wide. So, there’s not much room for a library or a darkroom. I was just saying to someone the other day that another thing I miss is having a record player but, apart from the storage issues, when the boat moves around I suspect I’d end up with a lot of scratched vinyl.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

I’m a person who finds something I like and then sticks with it. For instance, I’ve been wearing Levi 501s for most of my life. I’ve always had a leather jacket and also a good Harris tweed. Waistcoats are a favourite of mine, and always with a watch chain.

I recently discovered a vintage market on Brick lane (and I suspect I’m the last person in London do to so) which I can’t wait to get back to. For clothes, I much prefer going into a proper shop than buying online. You get to see more choice and, more importantly, try things on. There is an online retailer I’ve recently discovered which has caused me a certain amount of excitement – but you’ll have to wait for Question 14 for that reveal.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

Once again, the answer is in Question 14. Nearly there!

Question 14. Boots or Shoes? ( & Why?)

It’s all about the boots, all about the boots, all about the boots! Specifically, cowboy boots. I got my first pair in my early teens from the superbly named R Soles on Kings Road. My favourite pair are my Tony Lama’s which I got in Palm Desert in 1990 – actually, they were a birthday present from my boat’s namesake, Junie. I still wear them on a regular basis and have no idea how many times they’ve been resoled. Which is why I was thrilled to recently discover that Boot Barn, one of my most visited shops during my LA days, are now also online and ship internationally. If there’s one thing the Americans have an edge on, it’s cowboy boots. A new pair from Boot Barn is almost sure to be my next online fashion purchase!

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

Website: www.dickonlevinge.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dickonlevinge/

Facebook Author’s Page: https://www.facebook.com/dickonlevingefiction/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dickonlevingeauthor

Fabulous to chat to you, Dickon ….I love it that you’re a boots fan! 😍 My thanks goes to Dickon for the review copy of The Bald Monkey (& also to Ben Cameron of Cameron Publicity & Marketing. All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Dickon Levinge – Pinterest photo is by Linda Hobden.

Linda x

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Books, Interview, Music/Entertainment, Reviews

An Interview With Musician & Writer Ross Merrin

This week I have musician Ross Merrin on the blog. Ross has just published his debut novel, “How Beats The Original Heart”, the first book in his planned trilogy “Moments of Tiny Violence”. And it’s an absolute smasher ! Here’s a quick summary about How Beats The Original Heart , before I chat to Ross about music, his writing and his love of shoes…

BOOK SUMMARY

In the flare of the flames a life-force flickers. Why did Kick Vivid, singer in The Fifth Season, touring a post-religious world, agree to find the boy? And why does the omnipotent Universal Services pursue him so relentlessly when its dominance of the modern world is already almost total? Kick can find the truth at the heart of almost any situation – but this is different in a way even he can’t define. So much – everything perhaps – is within easy reach; pleasure, resources, the future…souls. And while Universal Services are selling life after death, not everyone is buying. There is laughter to be had, after all, in any life led and especially within the touring family. Kick promised to find the boy. He doesn’t know why. Universal Services do. It might be the flames that throw dancing shadows over everything around – or, maybe, simply nothing is as it seems. They say your life flashes before your eyes when you are about to die. When there’s nothing left to believe in, what do you believe in?

THE INTERVIEW

Hi Ross and welcome to the blog 👋

Hey there, my name is Ross Merrin and I am the author of ‘How Beats the Original Heart’, part of a trilogy entitled ‘Moments of Tiny Violence’.

Despite previous stints in nightclub management, charity co-ordination and corporate development, I have been a professional musician, solely, since 2002.

I am also the Director of Deaf Fret Management Limited, a company dedicated to developing creative talent which includes singer-songwriters, filmmakers, poets and performers.

“How Beats The Original Heart” is your debut novel, and the first book of “Moments of Tiny Violence” trilogy – a story of musician Kick Vivid and his rock group, The Fifth Season, who are on tour in an alternative world. Who or what inspired you to write “How Beats The Original Heart”?

I think this is a big question and it allows me to really put together the thinking behind the book. 

The fact that I am a musician allowed me to talk within that frame of reference but the things I really wanted to address in the book were on a grander scale – at least that was the intention!

I had been thinking for a long time about the nature of existence and how faith and belief – or lack of it – fit into a modern, perhaps more secular, world and I wanted to put a character through their paces in these terms.

Creating a tour environment in a world that has no religion gave me the perfect vehicle to carry the narrative of my main character as he matured, encountered good and bad people and circumstances and forged his own belief system.

I was curious to explore the possibilities of what you might believe in when there’s nothing left to believe in, as such, and, as much as anything else, it was the curiosity of how I might react that made it such a compelling tale for me to tell.

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You are a musician & guitar player yourself – so are your characters based on observations of people you’ve come across in the past and incidents you’ve experienced ? Who were the hardest characters to portray?

Strangely, none of the characters are based on real people or any situations based on real events but I imagine anyone reading it with experience of a band situation would recognise personalities, traits and so on.

For example, Zip Furious, the guitarist, teases Riot Malign, the drummer because that’s what guitarists do to drummers for the most part. Drummers get it in the neck and are usually of the personality type that can take it – and give as good as they get.

(A good drummer is gold dust and genuinely holds it all together…just don’t tell them!)

Most of the characters were fairly easy to write in the band scenario simply because I have experience of it, but I also need each character to play their part in the constituting the complete band. Kick Vivid, our main character (thank you for loving his name by the way!), relies on each of his fellow band members for a different function, each providing something unique to the whole that is the band. 

It was a real consideration to have their personalities fit their role as a musician but also provide an existential element in the roles they played in Kick’s learning.

The Road Crew, on the other hand, were just plain fun to write and, in a book that was trying to deal with big subjects, allowed me ongoing light-hearted relief from the bigger subjects!

Were there any aspects of writing your novel that surprised you, either by being harder or easier to write about than you expected ? 

I was taken by surprise by a character called Bubon who I had originally intended to be in the book for a paragraph or so, but he just took on a life of his own and my pen just kept moving.

I had plotted the book very carefully but he just took over, so I ran with it.

There was one scene that was very difficult to write and that was the scene when the band stop at the inn in the early part of the tour. There is a very complicated thing happening at the inn which I felt really committed to conveying as a way of demonstrating who Kick was and how a simple action has the potential to make a huge difference – it’s not a scene without significance but it was still being tightened and tidied up on the eve of publication and, hopefully, I straightened it enough to make it coherent!

Hypothetically speaking, if “How Beats The Original Heart” was made into a film, who would you love to see portraying the characters, especially Kick Vivid (love that name!)? 

Ah, now I’m going to get all evasive on you Linda!

Who would I get to play Kick Vivid? 

Okay, so I figure each reader might have an image of Kick in their head and I don’t really want to disrupt the freedom of those images, but I do want to answer your question with the attention it deserves.

I have thought about this a lot and wondered the same – and even in my own mind, Kick is a little vague.

I think he would need to be a composite of any actors who could portray vulnerability, trustworthiness, competence, likeability, a profound stage- and natural charisma and the confidence to carry it without losing any approachable qualities.

I see him, physically, as quite tall, slim, a little shaggy but glamorous, obviously attractive but not a chiselled cliché. 

There, I’ve tried to answer but not coloured anyone’s own image – have I done enough!?

How about I promise that, should they make it into a film, I come back and tell you who I chose?

I would be very curious as to who YOU would choose to be honest?

Me? Oh, I would choose an actor Jason Momoa !! 😜 ….. Although “How Beats The Original Heart” is based in an alternative world, is your fictional town/urban area inspired by any city/town/area in the “real” world?  If so, what was it about this place or places that ignited your imagination and got the creative juices flowing? 

Many of the settings in the book are inspired by environments of been in. Despite it being an alternative world, I have placed real settings into it.

I used to fish all the time when I was younger – much less so now but it was profoundly formative and much of the book as set in or around water.

Given the nature of the subjects I was trying to explore, water, being the giver of life, was a key character in the book as much as the humans themselves and there are several places in Scotland that, with tiny adjustments, I essentially described as I remember them.

I’ve been very lucky in that I have dived in some extraordinary parts of the world and the dive scenes I described are rooted very deeply in personal experiences and actual dive sites.

Every time I am in places as such as these, I take a moment to marvel at it – and salute my good fortune at being able to experience them.

The Nowhere People was also based on personal experience of a place but I am not saying where for fear of upsetting someone!

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book? 

I’m not a huge bookworm – I can go through periods of my life not picking up a book but that’s mostly because something is coming out of my head at that point (like a book plot or a song) and there’s no room for something to go in at the same time!

If it’s like this, I tend to read autobiographies if anything – I have read dozens – because I have no plot to remember and I can read it more ‘in the moment’ as such.

Other times, I pile through novels at a significant rate and it has to be a real book rather than on a screen by the way.

I really like humour and imagination so enjoy David Mitchell and am currently reading ‘Number 9 Dream’.

Iain Banks ticks a lot of my boxes, interestingly especially in one that was a little unlikely, ‘A Song of Stone’, which is beautifully written but quite strange.

I loved Matthew Branton’s ‘The Love Parade’ and an especial favourite is Claire North’s ‘Touch’ which is just an incredible piece of writing. She’s brilliant generally.

‘Shantaram’ (Gregory David Roberts) and ‘Kill Your Friends’ (John Niven) would come with me to a desert island too.

Is “How Beats The Original World”  available to purchase worldwide?

‘How Beats the Original Heart’ is available to buy worldwide – it is available through Amazon and I know that they deliver orders to Europe but friends in Mexico have had to settle for downloads so I think the Atlantic is a deciding factor in some way.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

Now you’re asking!

I have a wardrobe full of clothes…that I never wear! I am sure I am not alone in that but I work mostly from home so convenience tends to come into the decision-making each day.

Having said that, you will never find me in my ‘pyjamas’ as it were – getting dressed to go out is a big part of my mental approach to the day. I don’t feel anything like as alert if I am not dressed properly.

I do have some great clothes – I am a big fan of charity shops and I live in an area where they are brimming with interesting things so they provide the staple in my wardrobe.

I can get into the habit of laying out my clothes the night before and dressing up a little but I tend to fall out of it if I have a big recording session to do in my studio, say, and comfort and practicality becomes the order of things.

Smart jeans, long-sleeved tops and good trainers get through many days but it’s hard to beat a good suit and polished shoes for feeling like you can take on the world effectively.

I’ve got an immaculate red suit that I bought in a charity shop for £20 just to give you an idea!

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites ?j

As I mentioned, I love charity shops for clothes – some people don’t care for them and really want only new clothes but I often find clearly unworn, unwanted gifts that have been handed in to charity shops as well as interesting and unique second-hand items so I can find little to complain about!

I run a home studio almost exclusively with eBay and Amazon purchases – I loved to support local guitar shops but they have all closed or gone online so it is just the way of things and, unlike how it might have been even10 years ago, there is less to go wrong with distance purchasing if you know the item you are after.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

I am an absolute sucker for shoes – I’ve been known to buy them for the hell of it. 

As for clothes, well, going back to that comment about suits – I have a couple but as I get older, my taste changes a little and I think 2025 is going to see me exploring options in that area.

Boots or Shoes?

In winter, boots – in summer, shoes.

There’s nothing complicated in my choices here, simply pragmaticism – a good pair of boots keep my feet drier in winter on the sunny isle that is Britain!

When it comes to shoes, I am going to spend 2025 wearing those shoes I have already bought and not yet worn before I get any more…promise.

Conversely, in summer, it’s a treat to enjoy greater flexibility and fresh air around your ankles in the way that shoes allow.

Links you would like to share:

Web: www.theoriginalheart.com

Insta: @theoriginalheartbook (or @rossmerrin)

X: @OrigHeartBook (or @RossMerrin)

Also: www.deaf-fret.com

Great chatting to you Ross! LoveD your book so thanks for the review copy & thanks also to Debbie of Cameron PM

Linda x

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Ross Merrin

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Books, Interview, Reviews

Author Interview: Richard Gill

I am a big James Bond fan, and so it was so good to read a fantastic spy thriller with elements of James Bond – namely the exotic locations, evil villains, handsome secret agent, gorgeous ladies… and a lot more. I read book 3 of The Thomas Bell series:”Kitto Katsu: Mischief Island” by Richard Gill. And I am thrilled to have Richard Gill on the blog! But first, here’s a quick summary of Kitto Katsu: Mischief Island.

BOOK SUMMARY

The Thomas Bell series: ‘Sex, drugs and murder – James Bond on acid’ 

Thomas Bell works for an ultra-secret branch of British Military Intelligence, MIX. In his third mission, a missing shipment of cocaine and a botched Interpol arrest at Schiphol airport almost scupper Bell’s objective – an elusive narco-kingpin in a world on the brink of war.

  • A spy thriller series that takes things further. The action barely lets-up as the body count rises. Drugs, debauchery and violence are an integral part of the world of Thomas Bell.
  • An exciting story that takes place against the background of real-world events that are happening today – the rise of Chinese power, both economic and military, and the response by the West.

Thomas Bell’s third mission sees him performing a series of routine hits in Europe before heading to the Far East to carry out an assignment from which he may never return. He must take down the elusive narco-kingpin whose organisation monopolises the production and distribution of synthetic hallucinogens, including fentanyl, across South East Asia.

The corpse count grows as Bell bludgeons opposition aside to achieve his objectives, all set against a backdrop of the US Navy 7th Fleet Carrier Group plying its way past the northern tip of Taiwan in transit to the Philippines, CIA dirty tricks, a J-Pop girl band with a Svengali manager and a wealthy sugar-mummy who enables Bell to hide in plain sight while kicking ass.

Warning: Contains graphic adult only content.

THE INTERVIEW

Hi Richard, welcome to the blog 👋. Please introduce yourself 😊

Hello. I’m Richard. I’m a qualified accountant (FCCA) who has worked in commerce and industry as what people would describe as a ‘Systems Accountant’. This means dealing with the implementation and running of big accounting systems. I am also an advanced computer programmer who is skilled in writing software using the Microsoft .NET programming language of VB.NET in conjunction with database storge in the form of Microsoft SQL Server. I run a small software company and consultancy, so I am effectively self-employed. This is what you might call my day job.It also doesn’t mean that I can’t find time to produce some fiction output. From the age of sixteen I always wanted to be a writer but had no idea how to progress my ambition. The advent of the Internet changed everything and I have now published three novels – (1) Paloma Azul (2) Lebensrune (3) Kitto Katsu.

I was always passionate about movies, graphic novels and cartoon stories.
To this end I undertook to go on courses and research dramaturgy, filmography and novel writing techniques – the idea being to deliver high-octane entertainment in a fat-free, cinematic style.

The Thomas Bell franchise is like Ian Fleming’s James Bond – i.e. Goldfinger/ Thunderball/Dr No / Moonraker etc. My books in this series can all be read independently of each other, however if they are read in sequence then keen, observant readers with notice that some characters make a reappearance
from an earlier book to a later one.

My writing style is to employing excellent written English and crackling dialogue. I am able to produce the movie screenplay from the prose novel.
I am currently trying to broaden awareness of my writing output.

The background story of Thomas Bell (the main protagonist and the James Bond-type character) is that he works for a totally fictional division of British Military Intelligence called MIX (i.e. not MI5 or MI6). The cover for the MIX division and their office building in Shoreditch in London is that
they are a firm of city accountants and auditors called ‘Charles Carrington and Co.’ and their management consultancy arm called ‘Cyventure’. I rigged it this way because I am an accountant myself – a subject which I am able to talk about with authority.

I see the Thomas Bell franchise distributed and marketed as the following channels:-

[1a] Prose novel – eBook
[1b] Prose novel – Paperback
[1c] Prose novel – Audio book
[2a] Graphic novel
[2b] Comic book reels
[3] Video game
[4] TV box set movie/ series
[4] Hollywood movie

“Kitto Katsu : Mischief Island” is the 3rd book in the series of 3 books of the Thomas Bell Series. The others are: (1) Paloma Azul and (2) Lebensrune – What inspired the book series? Are they stand alone books or best read in numerical order?

My books in this series can all be read independently of each other, however if they are read in sequence then keen, observant readers with notice that some characters make a reappearance from an earlier book to a later one. I went on a business trip to Germany to shut down some overseas subsidiary companies. While at a loose end in the Holiday Inn in Monchengladbach I came up with the Thomas Bell concept. I was inspired to come up with a new James Bond which would cut it in the 21st Century. Ian Fleming inspired me to get to it.

Photo by Linda Hobden

I’m intrigued – what does “Kitto Katsu” mean?

Kit Kat in Japanese is pronounced “kitto katto” which actually sounds very similar to the Japanese phrase “kitto katsu”, which translates to “you will surely win”. The word “kitto” in Japanese means “surely or absolutely”, and the word “katsu” means “bound to win”.

Due to Kit Kats closeness in sound to this popular phrase, the brand become synonymously associated with good luck. Japanese parents would often gift Kit Kats to their children before a big test or exam as a good luck charm, telling them that they will surely win and do well on their exams. Nestle has said that they often see their sales spike in January, when the Japanese college entrance exams are held. And most of the time, when students receive these Kit Kats, they aren’t to be eaten, but rather to have as an amulet for a successful exam period.

Kit Kat, as a brand, definitely took advantage of this lucky coincidence hopped on this trend themselves, with their “Lucky Charm” advertising campaign winning the Asian Brand Marketing Effectiveness Award in 2005. In 2009, Nestle launched a campaign with the Japan Post, where they sold special Kit Kat packages that had a space to affix a stamp and write a message of encouragement to their friends and families that could be mailed from 20,000 post offices across Japan. This campaign was so successful that the promotional packages were sold out in a month. This campaign also won them the Media Grand Prix in the 2010 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

My favourite character is, of course, Thomas Bell and in Book 3, I also love Jana Cazenove and Miku Kenji 😊Are your characters based on observations of people you’ve come across in the past and incidents you’ve experienced ? Who were the hardest characters to portray?

Leo Tolstoy is quoted as saying that all the characters in the novel are YOU. I.e. thin slices of (as a fiction author) my persona/ ego/ personality traits. As a man I have to try to think like a woman – interesting that! However I do read the press and magazines widely and I am always on the look-out for content which I know belongs in one of my books. Example: If you must know…Jana Hocking who has regular articles published in the Daily Mail exerted some influence over me with regard to the character of Jana Cazenove.

Were there any aspects of writing your book series that surprised you, either by being harder or easier to write about than you expected?

I work to a structured layout to tell a story:-
Target number of words = 80,000.
Act1 + Act2 + Act
Setup + Playout + Resolution
The book’s overall structure is related to the character of the main protagonist . I know that some writers struggle with (a) Writer’s block (b) Endings. I don’t have a problem with those issues because I am privileged to have full command of the English language and its rich vocabulary at my disposal.

Hypothetically speaking, if Kitto Katsu: Mischief Island, was made into a film, who do you think would make a great Thomas Bell? What about some of the other characters?

Thomas Bell (age about 25) – How about a young Brad Pitt or Jacob Elordi? The other characters – I’m not too sure at this stage

Have you always wanted to have a career in writing or did you have other aspirations?

From the age of sixteen I always wanted to be a writer but had no idea how
to progress my ambition. The advent of the Internet changed everything and
I have now published three novels – (1) Paloma Azul (2) Lebensrune (3) Kitto Katsu.

I was always passionate about movies, graphic novels and cartoon stories.
To this end I undertook to go on courses and research dramaturgy, filmography and novel writing techniques – the idea being to deliver high-octane entertainment in a fat-free, cinematic style.

In the meantime, as time and life passes by, I got sucked into the world of
accountancy and earned a good living out of it. However, I never forgot my true calling and I am lucky enough (and determined enough) to make it happen. I’m not that guy standing at a bar in a pub with his mates saying –
‘…of course, I’ve got a great idea for a thriller novel…’

Photo by Linda Hobden

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?

I do like thrillers; I’m currently reading ‘Hurdy Gurdy’ by Christopher Wilson about a young pupil monk coping with the onslaught of the black death – superbly written. I prefer hard copy. I also prefer it where the author honours his/her side of the contract which means that I (the reader) will suspend disbelief and keep reading provided that you (the author) entertain me in a fully engaging and immersive experience. I consider it a failure on my part if I haven’t got a vice-like grip of the reader from the very first sentence. Two of my favourite fiction-writer mantras (there are a few!)…
Writer’s mantra#1: ‘Only trouble is interesting’
Writer’s mantra#2: ‘Dialogue is NOT conversation’

Are your Thomas Bell series of books available to purchase worldwide?
See Amazon links:-
https://amzn.to/3SUUEFL
https://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09YP6JB3K

My three novels are published by me on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
as (1) EBook and (2) Paperback.

  • Paloma Azul * Lebensrune * Kitto Katsu”

Availability: Worldwide
Audiobooks are in the pipeline
Graphic novels and Comic book reels are in the pipeline
A fourth novel in the series is in progress

One final note on availability…My novels do include adult content!
A warning to this effect is printed on the copyright page.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?,

Nike T-shirts and caps.
Polo shirts
Jeans – Black to traditional Levis
Zip-up comfortable jackets
Discreet, understated trainers

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

For building work/ DIY – Wickes and Screwfix are definitely
up there.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

A new leather jacket is on the cards.
Other than that, quality linen shirts and jackets.
Cotton or linen trousers.
For skiwear, for me it has to be North Face and Helly Hanson
thermal vests and long johns. When I’m out skiing I always
take a set of rockclimbing-grade ‘inner gloves’ that I can
wear inside my normal ski gloves. A neck snood has its place as well.

Boots or Shoes?

Whereas I may have worn cowboy boots years ago, the only boots I would
wear these days are my own ski boots which are manufactured by Salomon SAS based in Annecy,France. For ski resort/ heavy walking shoes I use rugged CAT shoes. For normal day-to-day use, I tend to wear deck shoes in various colours with a preference for Timberland, Orca Bay or Sebago.
When on the golf course, Footjoy produce the best golf shoe.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

Main author site: https://www.richardgill.uk
Comic demo link: https://www.richardgill.uk/b01_ch01.htm
Amazon book link: https://amzn.to/3SUUEFL

So fun to chat to you Richard ! I loved the fast pace of your book and am reading the other two books to catch up!!! 😊 Many thanks to Richard for the copy of Kitto Katsu : Mischief Island for reviewing. Thanks also to Ben Cameron of Cameron Publicity & Marketing.

Linda x

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Richard Gill ( apart from the Kit Kat photo which was by Linda Hobden).

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Food/Drink, Interview

An Interview With Top Hampers

Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Valentines, Birthdays, Christmas, Baby Showers, Weddings, Engagements, Thank Yous, Whatever You Are Celebrating … there’s always an occasion where a hamper is a thoughtful and appreciative gift. Especially when that hamper is personalised or tailored for the recipient. Especially when every item in the hamper has been carefully chosen with the recipient in mind. Please welcome onto the blog Cathy Catto, founder of Top Hampers…. Hi Cathy 👋

Hello. I’m Cathy. I’m a mother of four incredible adults, I love business, and I’m curious about a range of topics including astrophysics, neuroscience, and motivational and behavioural psychology. There is so much more I want to learn and experience, and so much more growth I want to achieve. I appreciate every day of my life. The lessons along the way have only made me more thankful for where I am today. I am something of a workaholic and find it difficult to switch off – hence also an insomniac. I do take time out for fun and relaxation though (resisting with difficulty the temptation to check emails). Relationships are hugely important to me and I consider myself attentive to those who matter, always willing to go the extra mile. 

I spend much of my time at my Spanish home and, for exercise, I swim, play Padel, do reformer Pilates and walk my three dogs by the sea. But most of my hours are spent at my laptop, working on the business I set up with my two daughters—with some input from my two sons. I marvel at the wonderful people my children have become and I have the privilege of being very close to them all. 

What inspired the creation of “Top Hampers”? 

I’ve always loved making a personal effort to show people they are valued—whether it’s organising an event, planning a surprise party or finding a truly meaningful gift.  

Hampers have traditionally been a mix of items, not all of which are necessarily what someone would choose or enjoy. At one point, I received a couple that were poorly presented and filled with things that didn’t reflect my taste. Not long after, a friend was sent a Christmas hamper from a top-tier company, only to find the meat inside wasn’t fit for consumption. Around the same time, my husband started a senior role and was sent a bottle of Moët by the CEO. While it was appreciated, it didn’t wow or leave a lasting impact—it was simply delivered via Amazon with no personal touch.  

It made me think—what’s the point of gifting if it doesn’t feel like someone actually thought about it? A gift should say, ‘You matter, and I want you to know that. I’ve put thought into this—it’s not just a box to tick.’ That’s what led me to create something better.

You offer a lovely wide range of hampers for all occasions. What hampers and products are proving popular amongst your customers so far?

Seasonal hampers are always hugely popular—Christmas is the biggest, with Valentine’s Day growing in demand, and we’re now gearing up for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. But our mission goes beyond traditional occasions. We want to help people strengthen relationships through thoughtful gifting—not just when the calendar dictates, but in those moments when you stop and think ‘This would really mean something to them.’

We love the idea of gifting ‘just because’, and more people are starting to embrace it. It could be a way to lift someone’s spirits during a tough time, a thoughtful gesture after a breakup, or a care package from parents to a child leaving home – something that feels like a hug, with practical items included. The possibilities are endless, and we’re expanding our range daily to make sure there’s always the perfect gift for any moment.

Imagine you are making up the perfect hamper for yourself – what would you include in it? 

I’d add some of our excellent sleep products, starting with a luxury jar of magnesium muscle and sleep cream – I’ve always been an insomniac. Maybe ‘The Secret Garden’, as I haven’t read it since I loved it as a child, and it would be a nice change from my usual non-fiction. Definitely some Belgian chocolates and Pol Roger champagne, a True Grace candle, and some bath oils. I could go on, but that would be a good start.

On your website, I noticed you offer a Hush Gifts Service – what does that service entail?

We’re refining this service as part of our upcoming site relaunch, introducing it under the new name ‘Top Gifts’ instead of ‘Hush Gifts’. This update expands our offering, allowing visitors to personally select from a wider range of individual gifts, including higher-end items. 

‘Top Gifts’ will complement our themed and bespoke personalised hampers by giving customers the flexibility to handpick one or multiple gifts, whether it’s a piece of jewellery, a silk scarf, or another luxury item. With a single click, they can have everything included, along with optional wrapping paper, bows, cards, and even Sellotape for a fully personal gifting experience. 

This concept emerged from our growing base of loyal customers, many of whom wanted the option to curate their own gift selections without compromising on the convenience and presentation we’re known for. For those who prefer a more tailored approach, they can also send us details about the recipient, and we’ll select the perfect gifts on their behalf.

As you are based in the UK, are your hampers available to purchase overseas? 

We have customers overseas who buy gifts for people in the UK but, at the moment, we don’t ship internationally. We did trial it, but exporting – especially mixed gift baskets – comes with challenges. Instead, our plan is to establish a local hub in Europe in the near future, making transit across EU countries seamless. After that, we’ll expand into the USA. The plans are in place, but for now, our focus is on growing bigger in the UK.

When picking suppliers for the products for your hampers, what is the criteria you follow? What makes a supplier special? 

We love working with UK-based suppliers who create their own products—around 80% of our suppliers fit this criteria. Just as importantly, we choose to work with people we genuinely like and who share our commitment to going the extra mile when needed, just as we do for our customers. Reliability is essential; we can’t afford weak links in the chain.  

We’re always on the lookout for something a little different alongside the classics, but above all, quality is our top priority. We made a few missteps with purchases in the beginning, but those lessons have only reinforced our focus on sourcing the very best.

When it comes to bespoke hampers – what’s the strangest item or request you’ve had? 

The apology hamper we had to send after Ethan the cat’s unprovoked attack on a neighbouring cat – and its owner – immediately comes to mind. The owner, who ended up in hospital after Ethan turned on her too, was understandably shaken. Meanwhile, Ethan’s mortified owner reached out to us, hoping we could help smooth things over and restore some neighbourly harmony. 

Along with a selection of indulgent treats for Helen, the injured neighbour, we personalised the message on the box to acknowledge the rather unusual situation. The request also came with a rather specific addition: Ethan’s owner asked if we had a large water pistol, as she’d given her neighbour permission to fire at Ethan should he attempt another unwelcome visit. As it happened, we had one in stock! We also included a game called *Catastrophe*, which felt particularly fitting.  

In the end, the hamper did its job—peace was restored, and both parties were happy (though Ethan may have been less impressed).

What do you enjoy most about your business?

I absolutely love working with my daughters—they’re upbeat, hardworking, and incredibly capable. We’re all driven to succeed, bringing complementary skills and a shared passion for what we do.  

Beyond that, we’ve built a small but growing team, carefully chosen for their commitment and alignment with our values. I’ve made both great and not-so-great hiring decisions in the past, but one thing I’ve learned is that a company is only as strong as its people. Now, I won’t compromise on bringing in anyone who isn’t fully aligned with our vision.

Growing up, what were your career aspirations?

I’ve always wanted to have my own business. As a child, I dreamed of opening a tea shop and would stand outside ones I had identified as successful, counting how many people went in and estimating their average spend and profits. I even planned the name, the menu, and how I’d grow it.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing? 

I’m not a huge fan of jeans, though I do wear them occasionally in winter with jumpers and short boots. When it comes to brands, I like Mirta, ba&sh, Max Mara, Forte Forte, and Uterque. For occasion wear and tailored suits, Alice Temperley – now Temperley London, is my favourite.  

I’m not particularly tied to specific shoe brands, but with a very high instep, completely flat shoes don’t work for me, and I find high heels challenging. Comfort is key, as long as they complement my outfits. I often shop in Spain, where I find more unusual options, but in the UK, I tend to gravitate towards Russell & Bromley.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

Apart from Temperley London, I prefer shopping for clothes in person. My favourite places are El Corte Inglés in Marbella and Selfridges, both on Oxford Street and in Manchester, as they offer a great selection of brands.  

For books, I buy online from Amazon. I used to shop for gifts online too, but now, of course, I get them all from Top Hampers!

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

One of my daughters is getting married this year, so I imagine it will be a Temperley London outfit for me. The shoes will depend on the outfit, but comfort is key as I plan to dance the night away!

Boots or Shoes?

Usually, I opt for short boots if they work with the outfit. I find them more comfortable since the heel distributes weight better, and I also like the look. I have them in a range of colours to match different outfits, but I often wear cream or tan.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook/twitter etc so that readers can find out more about Top Hampers

We’re only just starting to build our presence on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook, and we’ve decided to give X a miss. Our most active social platform is Instagram, where you can find us at top.hampers. That said, the best place to explore what we offer is our website, www.tophampers.com. We’re currently migrating and updating it to improve speed and functionality.

Great to chat to you, Cathy! I must say that Alice Temperley/Temperley London is one of my favourite brands too! 😊

Linda x

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Top Hampers

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Interview

Book Review: Genocide by Heidi Kingstone

Exploring 20th and 21st century genocide , “Genocide” is the latest work from journalist and author Heidi Kingstone. This book is a collection of personal stories of survivors, witnesses, academics and activists.

BOOK SUMMARY

Questions, by journalist and author, Heidi Kingstone. The book tells the story of the last 120 years of genocide, its impact on the world and its relevance today. Kingstone takes the reader on a journey from the Herero and Nama genocide of 1904, through the Armenian genocide, Ukrainian terror-famine and The Holocaust to the Cambodia, Rwanda and Srebrenica genocides of the late 20th century. She also explores the Darfur, Yazidi and Rohingya genocides of the 21st century, starkly illustrating that, while some lessons have been learnt, mankind seems to possess a propensity to dehumanise fellow human beings – all too visible in today’s global conflicts. This human failing, argues Kingstone, is fuelled by fear, greed and propaganda, and the refusal to learn from the past.

The book builds on Kingstone’s 20 years as a foreign correspondent for national and international media and is informed by survivors, witnesses, academics and activists. It is a collection of vignettes that link one instance of tragedy to another – a compendium of stories centred around people that Kingstone has met, observing connections that weave their way through relationships, cultures, and continents across time, leading to salutary parallels, past and present.

Kingstone provides us with the origin and definition of the term genocide – it transpires that the word itself did not emerge until the winter of 1944 when Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-Jewish lawyer born in 1900, coined the term. We learn that in 1945 Lemkin went to Nuremberg to establish the crime of genocide. Ben Ferencz, the youngest prosecutor at Nuremberg – interviewed for the book by Kingstone just before his death, aged 103 in 2023 – was one of the first people to use the term. It wasn’t until 1948, we are told, that the definition was enshrined in the United Nations Genocide Convention.

Having met a woman born in Bergen-Belsen, the former Nazi concentration camp, Kingstone talks about life after liberation and how people can rise from the ashes. Haunted by ghosts, children of survivors talk about their lives and the impact of their families’ legacy. And we learn about the ‘Heart of Auschwitz’ – the amazing story of a purple origami heart made by prisoners that survived the Death March. Kingstone’s work also explores the psychology of a perpetrator – how people justify mass murder – and draws parallels between leaders from Saddam Hussein and Adolf Hitler to Josef Stalin.

The book quotes leading authorities on the complex and perplexing history of genocide,including Professor Menachem Z. Rosensaft, former general counsel of the World Jewish Congress and adjunct professor in law at Columbia Law School; Dr Ümit Kurt, the historian whose awakening to genocide took place in his own hometown of Gaziantep, which he discovered was formerly home to a thriving Armenian community; and Dr Jan Ilhan Kizilhan who is a psychologist, psychotherapist, trauma expert and orientalist. 

Commenting on the book, Professor André Singer, President Emeritus, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, stated, “In her beautifully penned and wide-ranging book Genocide – Personal Stories, Big Questions, Heidi Kingstone takes up the challenge of not only reflecting on the Holocaust but on genocides worldwide to paint a fresh and comprehensive picture for the world to learn from.  It is her personalised journey covering genocides in so many countries that makes this such a gripping read and fulfils her ambition to help change things and remind us in such a compelling way that we must never look away.”j

Genocide: Personal Stories, Big Questions, is published by Yellow Press (www.yellowpress.co) and is available as a download from Amazon: https://a.co/d/02a4feW4

MY THOUGHTS

The church ruins in Oradour -sur-Glaine, France where women and children were murdered in June 1944. Photograph taken by Linda Hobden

I first interviewed Heidi in July 2015 after she released her first book “Dispatches From The Kabul Cafe” about her encounters when she was based in Kabul in 2007/2008. Read the interview HERE

Heidi’s latest book, “Genocide” is an interesting mix of personal stories and interviews from survivors, witnesses as well as activists of genocides that have rocked the world in the 20th and 21st centuries. The large majority of the book focuses on the Nazi atrocities; but not solely – other genocide atrocities in places such as Rwanda, Cambodia, etc are included too. I found the personal stories from the Yazidi genocide survivors particularly interesting, mainly because I was unaware of their plight; but saddened too. My heart bleeds for those young women who were raped, had their rapists offspring and yet were not fully accepted back into their homelands by their own people.

This book also reminded me of a visit I made last summer to the martyr village of Oradour-Sur-Glane , near Limoges in France. During World War II , Oradour was in the German occupied zone of France. On June 10th 1944, troops of the 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Armoured Division , Das Reich, massacred 642 men, women and children. The reason for the German attack on Oradour remains unknown. The ruins of the village that stand today are just how they were left in 1944. Including prams. Today, the ruins are maintained by the Ministry of Culture. It was a sad but humbling visit.

I highly recommend this book. Heidi definitely has a talented way of weaving the personal stories, her own experiences, the facts and figures together to make the topic of genocide and its influences easier to understand. Heidi’s enthusiasm and passion for the topics she writes about definitely shows and rubs off onto the reader! 8/10

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Journalist Heidi Kingstone has spent her career covering events around the globe for prominent publications from the Financial Times to the Mail on Sunday. She has interviewed key international figures from Benjamin Netanyahu and HRH Princess Anne to Zaha Hadid and Daniel Libeskind. Her interest in human rights and dictatorships led her to Iraq on four occasions, travelling to Baghdad, Irbil, and Basra before and after the invasion in 2003. She has also reported from Bangladesh, Africa and the Middle East.Arriving in an old Soviet helicopter and a C-130 military aircraft, she reported extensively from Afghanistan. She later wrote her first book: Dispatches from the Kabul Café (2014), a memoir of a country at a tipping point. War and genocide have fuelled Kingstone’s pursuits and informed her work. Like so much in her life, from moving to London from her native Toronto to ending up in Iraq and Afghanistan, serendipity played its part in writing Genocide: Personal Stories, Big Questions

My thanks to Heidi Kingstone for the review copy of “Genocide”.

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Heidi Kingstone, except where stated.

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Interview

Is Using A Personal Trainer Worth It?

It’ll be March tomorrow … and time is marching on! Springtime in the Northern Hemisphere and I feel like it’s time to spring into action and get into shape! So, what’s the plan of action, I hear you say? Umm …. I’m not sure yet. One way is by using a Personal Trainer. Fellow blogger, Dan Wilderness of The Financial Wilderness has also thought along those lines and here’s his thoughts on whether using a personal trainer worth it. Take it away, Dan… 😊

For Pinning Later

Hello everyone! A few years ago I became much more focused on my personal fitness, and anyone who’s every stepped inside a gym has seen people working out with a personal trainer and questioned if it’s worth it or not.

Now whilst prices vary for a personal trainer, they’re not that cheap. Being a finance blogger and generally inclined to the more frugal end, you might have thought this article is a long winded way of saying “No!”.

However a couple of years ago I took a series of sessions with a personal trainer and I think the debate is more nuanced than that, so I thought I’d write an article on it today.

My Reasons For Using A Personal Trainer

Long story short, I’d become rather unfit in my mid-20’s – out of the habits of exercise and working too hard at the office alongside some unhealthy eating patterns were taking their toll.

I was in the process of remedying that already, and felt a need for a challenge alongside wanting to do something for charity, so I enthusiastically signed up to the Spartan Race to try and raise money for Cystic Fibrosis. (A really excellent charity, which I’d recommend making a donation to here if you have some spare cash).

(Also, check out this article on why we encourage giving to charity and ways you can do so).

My enthusiasm dimmed slightly on receiving a training tips e-mail which included a section on box jumps for doing a “fire jump” at the end, and I quote “because you don’t want to be set on fire”. They were right. I did not want to be set on fire. I practised my box jumps!

As I got closer to the race and trained harder, my thought process began to shift that this race was not just something I wanted to do, but something I wanted to do well at and decided I’d enlist a trainer for a set of sessions to help me on my journey.

Choosing A Personal Trainer

My experience with choosing a personal trainer

I spoke with staff at the gym letting them know what I wanted to achieve (strength and stamina) and asked them to suggest which trainers might be best matched to me given their background.

I then look a lot at their qualifications and how they pitched themselves. The person I worked with was qualified to higher levels, and had a background as a professional athlete who had to cut their career short after an injury.

A big part in picking a personal trainer though is comfort – pre or the early part of your first session should focus on sitting down and understanding both your goals and how they work.

I got this first time – I liked that my trainer was focused on gradual but consistent improvement rather than comparison. He encouraged me to push myself hard, but didn’t yell at you to “just do one more” – if he could see my form was beginning to fail at the end of a difficult set, we’d move on and come back.

My Tips on How to Choose A Personal Trainer:

● Always look at and consider their qualifications. Anyone can yell at you to do or lift more (I’ll do it for a very reasonable price) – understanding form, technique and how the body works is important and shouldn’t be underestimated.

● Understand their background and if they have training specialisms, and if this aligns which what you’re looking to achieve.

● It’s important you feel comfortable with your trainer and understand yourself what kind of motivational encouragement you respond to. Do you feel they understand you and your goals? Do you feel comfortable with the instruction and encouragement they’re providing? If not, don’t be put off personal training – it’s fine to switch until you do find your match.

Does Using A Personal Trainer Help?

Yes, in a number of ways:

A personal trainer can improve technique

This was the biggest benefit I got, and something I never really considered going in.

In my training so far I’d been focusing on weight training, and lifting increasingly bigger amounts. I was putting a lot of effort into the “lift” phase, and whilst I wasn’t dropping the weight on putting it down my motion was definitely a lot quicker, using gravity to do the work.

My personal trainer started by studying my existing form, and correcting me to focus equally on both the lift and pull motion, to train the muscle more completely. We slowed the overall movement down on both sides to more of the controlled motion, and initially reduced the weight until the form was right.

This alone was one of the most valuable things I got out of using a personal trainer – I was really pleasantly surprised about how in making a few changes I saw the benefits I was getting increased substantially.

Even now when I’m working out, I often his hear his voice in my head going “slowly and with control” and it reminds me to check my form!

A personal trainer can introduce variation to your exercise routine

Another reason I was looking to take on a trainer was that I was conscious that my exercise routine had become a little bit stale, often deviating between the same routines.

It’s an easy trap to fall into – we all get comfortable with what we’re doing or have preferences, but when it comes to fitness it’s often not a good thing. The muscles become very used to what you’re doing, and the gains become much more limited as a result. For real progress, you need to mix things up.

I spoke to my trainer that I wanted to be introduced to exercises outside my normal ones, and as such we were able to add some great new things in which add more variability into what I do through to today. Sometimes it helps to have someone shake things up.

I personally don’t regularly use a trainer on an ongoing basis now except when I’m aware I’m falling back into a training rut – then I get them on it to move me onto something new.

A personal trainer can provide confidence

I don’t mean outside the gym, but that can be a good side effect of the payoff of all your training!

It’s more that there’s always some machines that you look slightly enviously at the person on mid-workout, but you just feel a little bit unsure about how to use it, and worry that if you try it’ll end up in injury or a sweaty mess.

A trainer can help you steer on those things you’re just not too sure about (but be aware you don’t need a trainer for this if it’s 1 or 2 machines – gym staff will be very happy to help if you ask!)

A personal trainer can help with nutrition and other lifestyle elements.

This one can be a little bit more variable depending on the trainer involved and your personal needs – not all offer it but at least advice on it comes up frequently.

There’s an old saying that a body is half built in the gym and half built in the kitchen, and there’s plenty of truth in that – making changes outside the gym can be just as important.

Now nutrition is a bit of a minefield – there’s plenty of unqualified advice and misinformation out there, but a good trainer should be able to help steer you in the right direction on this front as well.

A personal trainer can help with avoiding injury

If you get a personal trainer with good qualification, they should have a good fundamental understanding of how the body works and what creates stress.

There’s two different angles on this point. The first is that a good personal trainer will show you how to take care of your body when training and avoid injury – especially as you get older, learning how to warm up and stretch your muscles effectively before you start working out becomes more and more important.

The second angle is for someone who has an injury history or has had surgery. It can be difficult to know what to do that won’t aggravate or inflame that injury, and a trainer can give guidance on this.

Where I Don’t Think A Personal Trainer Is Worth It

There’s one reason that some people might be considering using a personal trainer, and that’s to help with motivation – the idea unless someone has a personal trainer there to push them, they won’t go to the gym at all. As a result you end up with a personal trainer for every session, rather than to provide occasional guidance.

Now employing a personal trainer will solve that problem, but I remain unconvinced that it’s a very expensive way to solve something which is far easier – the core problem here is you just don’t like the gym that much as your form of exercise.

And that’s fine – the key to fitness and exercise is to find a form of exercise you do really enjoy and it’s not a chore to commit to – believe me, there’s one for you! I absolutely detest running, and can’t think of anything worse than getting on a path each week – but get me in a pool and I’m happy as anything.

So it’s not a sign to give up, it’s a sign you might want to try something different.

How Much Should I Pay For A Personal Trainer?

Most trainers will charge you somewhere in the £30-£80 an hour bracket, but it’s a question with some variety, because it depends on where in the country you are, the experience level of your trainer and what services they offer etc.

For my sessions, I paid £50 an hour, but received a block booking discount where I bought six sessions at once and so got one free, making it effectively £41.

It’s always worth asking about discounts for block booking. However, I recommend not jumping to buying a block straight away even if it seems good value – have a single session first to evaluate that chemistry test of if you work well and feel comfortable with your trainer, then look to build up that relationship.

Any Questions?

Have you got further questions about our experience? Or have you tried working out with a personal trainer and found it good or bad? Or are you a personal trainer and think we’ve missed anything? We’d love to hear from you! Just drop us a note in our X feed – @LindaHobden or Facebook Boots Shoes And Fashion Blog Page 😊

Thank you Dan for sharing your thoughts !

Linda x

Photographs by Linda Hobden

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Books, Interview, Reviews

Author Interview: S D Price

I’ve just finished reading an exciting thriller – “The Tides Of March” by S D Price. The novel has several threads cleverly intertwined that kept me on my toes for sure! This is a fantastic debut novel for author S D Price …. and I am so pleased that Stephen agreed to be interviewed! But before I introduce Stephen to the blog, here’s a brief book summary:

For pinning later

BOOK SUMMARY

In the unseen shadows of Japan, where ancient curses intertwine with the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, an ominous cascade of incidents unfold…

The Tides of March weaves a tale of espionage, as ancient Samurai legacies and a nation’s struggle with an unseen enemy are revealed, against a backdrop of a series of apocalyptic events that draw in the bewitched descendants of a Samurai family serving as elite agents.

Tasked with the surveillance of activities within the murky world of high-level corruption and its connections with international adversaries, events begin to spiral out of control as they seek to confront a Korean spy ring’s deadly mission to draw a lethal advantage from the heart of chaos. The fate of the characters and the nation hangs in the balance as ancient powers clash with modern evils.

MY INTERVIEW

Welcome to the blog, Stephen …please introduce yourself 😊

I am a Welshman who has lived in the Southwest and now in Berkshire for over 40 years, where I work as a consultant in the pharmaceutical industry.

My wife and I have been together for 23 years. We are both very driven individuals, always looking to get the most out of life while we still can!

I feel that I didn’t truly start living the life I wanted until after my fortieth birthday. Miraculously, for several reasons, things started to fall into place. It hasn’t all been plain sailing since, but my world now bears no resemblance to back then—long may it continue!

Who or what inspired you to write The Tides of March?

When I decided to take a break from my day job to write a novel, I was naturally drawn to formulating characters who were Japanese. As these characters developed, they created a vortex around them, pulling in my knowledge of Japan. This allowed me to weave historical threads and themes into the narrative, shaping the story in ways I hadn’t initially envisioned.

The Tides of March is an exciting thriller set in Japan. The characters are very believable, but what I loved most were the intertwined storylines: a murder investigation, a Korean spy ring, corruption, the supernatural, romance, and even a tsunami. Which character did you enjoy writing about the most? Which character was the hardest?

Developing the individual characters wasn’t my main challenge—it was the stitching together of the three generations of the eternally cursed Kurosawa family into the plot that proved most difficult.

What is it about Japan that has fuelled your imagination since you were young?

From a very young age, probably around 5 or 6 years old, I have been fascinated by Japan—its people and its unique culture.

Over the years, I have compiled extensive knowledge of Japan’s history, dating back to 600 BCE, tracing its evolution into a nation, and exploring how its society has interacted with the rest of the world through history to the present day.

If you could visit any country/place in the world to base your next novel, where would you go and why?

Ukraine. I have just written a short story, The Crap Hat, about a Royal Marine fighting there. The subject is highly topical, with real-time and real-life implications for all of us. I would like to write more about this conflict—to highlight the titanic struggle happening there, which will have repercussions for everyone in the West and Eastern Europe.

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?

Although I am extremely dyslexic—and still struggle to spell my own name correctly on occasion—I have always been an avid reader and enjoy a wide variety of material:
Thrillers, Sci-Fi, Horror, Historical Fiction, Westerns, the Classics
Non-fiction: Biographies, Military/Warfare, Strategy, Personal Development, and Technical Manuals.

Some of my favourite authors include Conn Iggulden, Stephen King, Steven Pressfield, Hilary Mantel, Irvine Welsh, Robert Greene, Yuval Noah Harari, and Antony Beevor.

I always have a printed book, a Kindle, and an audiobook on the go at any one time—each format serves a purpose depending on where I am and what I’m doing.

For my own novel, I was fortunate to have Brian Nishi, a Japanese-American actor, narrate the audiobook on Audible (ACX).

Is The Tides of March available to purchase worldwide?

Yes! It is available worldwide in print, eBook, and audiobook formats.

Growing up, had you always wanted to be an author, or did you have other career aspirations?

As a child, I was always making up stories—relaying them to friends, storyboarding them, or, much to my parents’ amusement, recording them on an old cartridge tape deck!

However, I never thought about actually writing them down until I had a serious head injury in a motorcycle accident. During my recovery, I experienced what people describe as an out-of-body, ‘up to the light’ moment. After that, I had a nagging urge to write—it was very strange.

That said, it took me a long time to get to this point. Life often gets in the way of creative aspirations, and I felt I needed to educate myself in many ways before committing to writing seriously.

Interestingly, I did write a Sci-Fi story read out on the radio shortly after the accident!

I also struggled with a chronic recurring illness, which wasn’t cured until my late thirties, making the journey even more challenging.

As a keen mountain climber, you’ve tackled many peaks, including the Matterhorn. Which has been your favourite? What’s next on your mountain-climbing bucket list?

As a keen climber and skier, I love being in the mountains, and each location holds special memories.

I mainly climb in Zermatt, Switzerland, and my first experience of high-altitude climbing was the Obergabelhorn Ridge traverse. It was utterly terrifying at the time, and my climbing partner and I were lucky to get out of it in one piece!

I’ve been back many times since. A year ago, I climbed Castor (4,228m) with a friend, who wanted to experience this type of climbing for the first time. We hired a local guide—who managed to fall off during the descent! Thankfully, we arrested his fall, as we were all roped together, the consequences of failing do so were not great…! All’s well that ends well, and my friend came away with a great story to tell!

What outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

Fashion has been a personal journey for me—divided into pre-meeting my wife and post-meeting my wife!

I’ve evolved over the years and now own a mix of Moncler, Stone Island, Louis Vuitton, Dunhill, Paul Smith, Lacoste, Balmain, and Ralph Lauren. Belstaff jackets are my go-to for casual wear—I somehow own five of them!

One of my most extravagant pieces is a Dior jacket in dark blue with 20 buttons, a high collar, and embroidered stars on each side—a bit Sergeant Pepper-esque, but I love it! Even my wife was surprised I bought it! The icing on the cake that day was our ‘Mrs Harris goes to Paris’ moment when ladies in white coats came out into the Dior fitting room and measured me to have altered.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

I rarely shop online for clothes—I need to try things on first and see how they fit and feel before buying.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

I have too many shoes—most of which I barely wear anymore! I’m always on the lookout for timeless pieces that will last as part of my collection. I have to admit to becoming a real fashion victim over the last twenty years.

Boots or shoes?

I love boots, especially from Barker—a classic English brand.

For casual wear, I’ll go with white Adidas or Balmain trainers.

For specific occasions:

  • Suede boots
  • Patent shoes for formal wear
  • Adidas trainers for running and gym workouts

Links you would like to share (website, social media, etc.)

🌍 Website: https://www.sd-price.com

Great book Stephen, and thank you for chatting to us! I love the fact that since meeting your wife your fashion buys have changed! Have you visited the Jeffery West Shoe Shop in Piccadilly yet? ….😜

My thanks to Stephen & Ben Cameron of Cameron Publicity & Marketing for the review copy of The Tides Of March. All photographs have been published with the kind permission of S D Price.

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Beauty/Hair, Health/Fitness/Sport, Life Issues/ Motivational Posts

Beginners Guide To Laser Eye Surgery

My guest this week is Professor Sunil Shah, Consultant Ophthalmic surgeon at Midland Eye. If you are looking at having laser eye surgery done, or trying to decide what options would be best for you or simply just curious about laser eye surgery , then Sunil’s guest post is just for you….

Laser eye surgery reshapes your eye’s cornea, which is the clear, dome-shaped surface at the front of your eye. Using incredibly precise lasers, surgeons can modify the cornea’s shape to change how light enters your eye, helping to correct various vision problems that might currently have you reaching for your glasses or contact lenses.

Usually taking just 15-30 minutes for both eyes, it has become one of the most common elective surgeries in the UK. Yet, laser eye surgery isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution and sometimes there are better options to solve your vision problems. 

Which Type Of Laser Surgery Could Help You?

The type of laser surgery that’s right for you depends largely on your specific vision problems. Let’s look at the main options and what they can help with:

Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)

LASIK is the most common type of laser eye surgery. The surgeon creates a small flap, reshapes the corneal tissue underneath with a laser, then puts the flap back in place. It’s particularly good for:

● Moderate to severe short-sightedness (up to -8D)

● Mild to moderate long-sightedness (up to +4D)

● Astigmatism (where your eye is rugby ball shaped: up to 6D)

The big advantage of LASIK is its quick recovery time – most people can return to work within a couple of days, and their vision stabilises relatively quickly.

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) or the newer version called LASEK

PRK might be an older technique, but it’s still the best choice for some people. 

LASEK (Laser epithelial keratomileusis) can theoretically combine all the advantages of LASIK and PRK and potentially avoid some of their complications.

With PRK, instead of creating a flap, the surgeon gently removes the cornea’s surface layer before reshaping the tissue. 

With LASEK, a flap of the very top layer (the epithelium) is made without the need for any cutting.

While recovery takes longer than LASIK (usually 5 days), it’s often recommended for:

● People with thinner corneas

● Those involved in contact sports

● Military or emergency service personnel

● Treatment of lower prescriptions 

● Those with relatively dry eyes

● Those scared of the ‘cut’ in LASIK

Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) 

SMILE is the newest addition to the laser eye surgery family. It’s a bit like keyhole surgery for your eyes – requiring only a tiny incision rather than a flap. It’s particularly good for:

● Higher degrees of short-sightedness 

● Those concerned about dry eyes after surgery

What Laser Eye Surgery Cannot Treat

While laser eye surgery can help with many vision problems, it’s important to understand its limitations. Some eye conditions require different types of treatment entirely. For instance, refractive laser eye surgery can’t help with age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, or severe diabetic eye disease (although there are other lasers available for those conditions). 

Laser eye surgery also can’t prevent the natural ageing of your eyes. So, while it might give you perfect distance vision now, you may still need reading glasses as you get older – just like everyone else. 

It’s important to note that while both procedures have “laser” in their name, laser eye surgery is quite different from laser cataract surgery or laser refractive lens exchange. Laser eye surgery reshapes your cornea to correct vision problems, while cataract surgery and refractive lens exchange—whether laser-assisted or traditional—both replace your eye’s natural lens with an artificial one rather than reshaping your natural lens. 

Considering Every Option

While laser eye surgery is an effective treatment for those with moderate prescriptions who don’t need reading glasses, refractive lens exchange can prove a longer-lasting solution for many patients. In fact, most patients who initially come to Midland Eye Clinic for laser eye surgery opt to have refractive lens exchange surgery instead.

Not only can refractive lens exchange fix severe vision issues, but it can also help with reading issues in older patients. It also ensures that you’ll never suffer from cataracts as you are swapping a natural lens for an artificial one.

This is why having a thorough consultation is so important; it helps ensure you have realistic expectations about what the surgery can and cannot achieve and a full range of options for your particular situation. The best eye surgery is the one that is right for you long-term, not which solves an issue for the time being.

The Journey To Clearer Vision

Getting laser eye surgery typically starts with a thorough assessment. If you are having vision issues and think that laser eye surgery could help, start by chatting with your optician, or you could self-refer to a specialist eye clinic like Midland Eye.

If your consultant believes that laser eye surgery might help improve your vision problems, they will then book in an initial consultation. During your initial consultation, your eye care team will:

● Take detailed measurements of your eyes

● Create a 3D map of your corneas

● Check your overall eye health

● Discuss what you’re hoping to achieve

● Talk through which type of surgery might suit you best

Recovery and Results

The recovery journey after laser eye surgery is usually straightforward, though it varies depending on which procedure you’ve had. Most people find their eyes feel a bit uncomfortable for the first few hours after surgery – rather like having a grain of sand in your eye. This is completely normal and usually eases quickly.

Your vision will typically be a bit blurry at first, rather like looking through a steamy window, but this gradually clears over the first few days. You’ll need to use eye drops regularly during this time to help with healing and keep your eyes comfortable. Many people are pleasantly surprised by how quickly they can return to their daily routine, though it’s wise to take things easy for the first few days.

Over the following weeks, your vision will continue to settle and improve. While many people notice dramatic improvements within days, your eyes need about 3-6 months to fully stabilise. During this time, you might notice your vision fluctuates slightly – being a bit sharper or blurrier at different times of the day. This is perfectly normal and gradually settles down.

Most people achieve very good vision after their surgery, with many reaching 20/20 vision or better. However, it’s important to remember that everyone’s eyes heal slightly differently, and while the vast majority of people are delighted with their results, a small number might need a follow-up procedure to achieve their best possible vision.

Depending on your clinic and the scope of the surgery, there may or may not be an additional cost for the follow-up procedure. At Midland Eye, for example, we provide a free follow-up surgery for further correction as we specialise in complex prescriptions, where it is difficult to predict the exact outcome of surgery.

For Pinning Later. Photo by Linda Hobden

The Financial Side

Cost is often a key factor in decision-making. Laser eye surgery typically isn’t available on the NHS unless you have specific medical conditions affecting your vision. For most people, it’s a private treatment costing between £2,000 and £4,000 per eye, and many clinics offer payment plans to spread the cost.

Consider that refractive lens exchange surgery costs around £3,000 to £4,000 per eye and can treat more severe vision issues, prevent cataracts and help with reading issues as you age, and it is clear why so many choose it over laser eye surgery.

Making Your Decision

Laser eye surgery can be life-changing, but it’s important to:

● Take your time deciding

● Ask plenty of questions

● Have realistic expectations

● Choose a reputable provider

● Your vision will typically be a bit blurry at first, rather like looking through a steamy window, but this gradually clears over the first few days. You’ll need to use eye drops regularly during this time to help with healing and keep your eyes comfortable. Many people are pleasantly surprised by how quickly they can return to their daily routine, though it’s wise to take things easy for the first few days.

Remember, while laser eye surgery has an excellent safety record and high satisfaction rates, it’s still a surgical procedure. Take time to weigh up your options, and don’t feel rushed into making a decision.

About Professor Sunil Shah & Midland Eye

Professor Sunil Shah is a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Midland Eye. Midland Eye was founded by four ophthalmic surgeons who wanted to provide patients with a comprehensive, specialist service for the diagnosis and treatment of all eye conditions. The team are leaders in their field and offer a consultant-only service to all patients requiring eye care or surgery. Every consultant is qualified to treat common eye conditions such as cataracts, but each one also has a particular area of specialisation, ensuring that patients get the best possible outcome, no matter what the diagnosis.

https://midlandeye.com

https://www.facebook.com/midlandeyesocial

https://www.instagram.com/midland_eye

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-midland-eye-institute-limited

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Professor Sunil Shah & Midland Eye (apart from where stated)

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Books, Interview, Reviews

Language Of Love Book Tour

Ah … February… the love month ❤️ and I’m so pleased to be part of author Nancy Christie’s book tour celebrating her new book : “ The Language Of Love & Other Stories”. This book is a little gem – a series of short stories each representing different facets of love. It’s a great read and not just for February either ! I couldn’t wait to ask Nancy about her love affair with writing, especially her love of short stories … but first, a quick book summary:

BOOK SUMMARY

For Pinning Later

The Language of Love and Other Stories is about all types of love relationships: the ones that exist between parent and child as well as between generations, the bonds that grow between new lovers as well as those that exist between long-settled couples. The 20-story collection explores all the stages of love: the tenuous yet exciting beginning, the calmer, more mundane phases, the uncertain periods, and finally the ending—sometimes anticipated, other times devastatingly unexpected. It’s about whom one loves, how one loves, and what one does when the love is reciprocated, rejected or over.

PUBLISHER: Unsolicited Press

ASIN:  B0DG333HWN

ISBN-13  978-1-963115-28-4

Print Length: 208 pages

MY INTERVIEW

Hi Nancy, welcome to the blog 👋 Please introduce yourself:

Hi, I am Nancy. The short version is that I am a writer of fiction and nonfiction, the author of 9 books including this one, short stories and essays. I’m also a full-time professional writer. 

The long version (which I think is more interesting!) is that I am a woman who has been making up stories for more than 60 years, who spends hours in conversations with people who don’t exist (my characters, I mean), who frequently recites lines of dialogue out loud (resulting in strange looks from those around me!) and who plans to continue to write until my fingers fall off!

Who or what inspired you to write your collection of short stories of “The Language Of Love & Other Stories”?

My short story collections—Traveling Left of Center, Peripheral Visions, and Mistletoe Magic—are all theme-based. So, when I thought about coming out with a fourth one, I looked at the stories I had already completed and decided I wanted to do one that centered on the idea of love—not just romantic love but also love that spans generations and, in the case of “Henry, Hortense and The Hallowe’en Party,” brings in a bit of the supernatural. I chose several from the already written stash on my computer, added in some new ones and voila! The collection was born!

“The Language of Love” is a collection of short stories about love in its many guises! The stories are quite varied  – my favourite stories were “Henry, Hortense and The Hallowe’en Party” and “Bingo”. They both made me smile 😊 . Which short story did you enjoy writing about the most?

That’s like asking a mother which child she loves most! But I do admit I have a soft spot for “Henry” and “Charley and the Cupid Caper.” (Regarding the latter, that’s the second time the Adams Investigation team have appeared in one of my collections. They were also in Mistletoe Magic in “Charley Catches the Christmas Spirit.”)

You have written novels and non fiction books as well as collections of short stories. What are the hardest and easiest aspects about writing a collection of short stories as opposed to writing a novel? Do you have any writing preferences? 

Since I started decades ago writing short stories, the process comes very natural to me. I don’t plan the stories out. They start with a line of dialogue that pops into my head and even though I have no idea who the character is or what he or she is talking about I just follow along. Often I don’t even know how the story will end until I get there! My short story process is more like watching a movie and being surprised by the dénouement. That’s not to say that the stories don’t undergo revisions because they do, but that is more cleaning up and tightening up.

Novel-writing requires a bit more planning and a lot more tracking of details. I need to understand the main characters, their background, and their goals for the stories to make sense. However, I stop short at doing detailed character profiles or story outlines. I am a pantser who does some plotting in the beginning and along the way. Would that make me a plot-pantser? Pants-plotter?

If you could visit any country/place in the world, to base a future collection of short stories in, where would you go and why? 

Somewhere by the water that is filled with history—Greece or Wales, for example. Water—rivers, streams, lakes, oceans—have always been a source of inspiration for me. And the wilder the environment, the better. There is magic in nature.  

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book? 

Last first: I am a print reader. I don’t like eBooks because I want to be able to hold the book in my hands, turns down corners, underline passages. I love the smell of book! 

Genre: fiction and nonfiction, although I have to be careful what I read. I don’t like violence, gore or really scary books. My mind creates images that go along with what I’m reading and that can lead to nightmares. I love reading books by or about writers about their writing lives. One of my favorite books is The Writer On Her Work—Vol 1, edited by Janet Sternburg. Since I first got a copy, I have returned to it again and again for inspiration and comfort and a sense of being part of the writing community.

I will read anything by Shirley Jackson, both for the pleasure of reading her work as well as for education. I learn a lot by picking apart one of her stories to see just how she manages to give me goosebumps each time I read one of them, even though I know how the story will end. I have lots of other writers whose work I love, but if I start listing them here, we’ll run out of space! 

And yes, I am a bookworm. I have bookshelves and stacks of books in nearly every room in my house, and I still buy more. And I rarely discard books. If I’m not sure if I’ll like it, I get it from my library first (I love libraries!) and then, if it speaks to me, I’ll buy it.

Is “The Language Of Love & Other Stories” available to purchase worldwide?

Yes, through various online retailers. And I’m sure your local bookstore can order it in! Right now, I am working on contacting libraries in the United States to encourage them to carry it. If anyone wants to help in this time-consuming activity, all they have to do is go to their local library’s website and fill in the form to request the book. (Hint, hint!)

Growing up had you always wanted to be a writer or did you have other career aspirations?

I don’t know that I consciously wanted to be a writer. It was just a natural outlet for my imagination. But I never thought I could make a living at it. Turns out I can—both as an author and as a professional freelance copywriter. The latter also takes imagination as well as a good grasp of grammar and spelling and punctuation!

If I hadn’t become a writer, I might have liked to be an archeologist, uncovering past lives and learning how people long dead once lived and loved. In a way that’s what fiction does. It reveals the lives of people: their secrets, fears, motivations. What drives them and what holds them back.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

While I would love to say that I dress up for work—something I write about in my novel, Finding Fran, when people ask her about her “writing clothes”—I’m usually in a sweatshirt and sweatpants in the winter, and shorts and a t-shirt in the summer. I’m all about comfort! But I do dress better for book events!

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

My website is https://www.nancychristie.com/

You can find me just about anywhere and everywhere online:

Goodreads

X/Twitter

Facebook

TikTok

Instagram

Threads

Bluesky

Substack

LinkedIn

Pinterest

Medium

I also have two YouTube channels: Books by Nancy Christie on YouTube and Midlife Moxie Novel Series™ on YouTube

And I have two newsletters— Nancy’s Book News (for readers) and The Writing Life with Nancy Christie (for writers)—and people can sign up for either or both here.

BOOK TOUR DATES

Fabulous chatting to you Nancy and thank you for inviting me onto your book tour. Thank you for the review copy of “The Language Of Love & Other Stories” – I loved it 😊

Linda x

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Nancy Christie

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