On the 27th July our Son was found dead in his flat in London. It appeared that he had fallen sustaining an injury to the back of his head. As yet we are unsure what caused the fall and may never know the answer. He was 36 and lived alone, it was five days before he was found, the image of him laying alone all this time haunts me.

At the time of his death my husband was in Portugal and I was on a cruise visiting Norway and the North cape. I was notified by my Husband and would not be exaggerating when I say it was the greatest shock I have ever had and the very worst week of my life, just waiting to get off of the ship. I was unable to catch a flight home and I was reassured by my husband that there was nothing to do until the body was released, So I sat it out with my sister and mother and a lot of very stiff drinks. Once off the ship I stepped into the reality, planning the funeral with my husband and all the madness that went with it. A month has past since the funeral and I look back as if it all happened to someone else, it still feels so surreal.    

Now I just feel empty inside, I am tearful somedays but mostly I feel that life has lost all meaning or purpose. I can't seem to concentrate on reading or writing and I cant make plans with regards to my books. I need to do so much work on them and I need an editor to through things with me but my concentration and desire to continue just isn't there.

I'm told it's early days so may be one day I will write again, until then all the stories I had in my head with have to be shelved and the whole author thing, just an unfulfilled dream.

A massive thank you to everyone that has been so supportive and encouraging x      

Perceptions "The Book"

P.S to my last blog, it’s worth mentioning that another author is published under the name of Christine Smith, a good reason for not using my own name.!!!

Perceptions is part 1 of 2 (I can’t find the Roman numerals,)

It tells the story of a women journey through her mid-life crisis. The one person Sally thought she could depend on was her husband Brian, but this proves not to be the case.

Sally and Brian have been married for thirty-one years and together raised their three children. For the past twenty years the family had been reasonably happy with their lives in Portugal and for fifteen of those years. Sally and Brian were very successful restaurateurs. Once the children became adults all three of them moved back to England to develop their own careers. Missing her children Sally became more reflective and the pains of her own childhood began to torment her. She had never had a close relationship with her Mother or her twin sisters’, more than fifteen years had gone by with out any contact with either of them making it difficult to confront her mother or to ask for support. Searching for the roots to her own unhappiness, she wonders if it’s connected to the fact that she doesn’t know who her father is. To find out this information she first has to over come her own emotional obstacles and build bridges with her mother.

Perceptions focuses on the first part of the story, which is more about the break down of her marriage; she had always perceived Brain to be a supportive man but when their younger son Ryan reveals that he’s gay it just more than Brian can cope with. Brian feels betrayed by Sally and hurt by his son. Things reach breaking point when Sally finds Brian in the arms of Judith. She returns to England to be with her children. Now that she’s no longer working she has time to get to know others and to listen to their stories, which gives a glimpse into other peoples lives and their suffering giving Sally the confidence and courage to go forward.  

Enlightenment , This is the second part of the journey, which gives greater emphasis on her parents and how her relationship with them develops; not forgetting what happens to Brain along the way and the rest of the family.

Both parts have stories of others woven into the main story line, which I hope adds interest and maybe a tear or two.

The Plan

Perceptions with be on Amazon is September; I will give you all the sites and details closer to the date.

Enlightenment is still being worked on.  Then it needs to be edited and checked. The front cover is with the artist as I write these works (hopefully) so a way to go yet, all being well it will be out by November. 

Happy reading xxx

Birth of an Author

Hi everyone

More than three years ago I wrote a manuscript that was a personal challenge...just to prove to myself that I could. Some close friends read it with mixed comments as you would imagine and a dear friend of mine, Emma kindly did an edit on it; and that was it. I sent a copy to President Ikeda of SGI (Soka Gakki International) lay Buddhist organisation as a thank you for all the encouragement he gives me, then placed it on a shelf, until April of this year.

I was introduced to Suzy Turner an author that now has six published books. She commented that I probably had enough material in my manuscript for two books and that she would kindly take me through the paces to become published; The flame was ignited, I have added an extra 25,000 words to make two books possible and have a fantastic editor in Ange Bell.

My name bit of an issue, it just didn't have enough ring to it, too attract readers (apparently) and what do I know, I'm new at this stuff.  So we decided to use my middle name Eleanor and soften my surname to Smythe ( or posh it up a bit). So now I have a double life, Author Eleanor Smythe or not so posh Christine Smith, I wish Eleanor would get her finger out and do all the house hold chores.

The first of the two books is now complete, all but some editing checks. The aim is to put the books out simultaneously so that interested readers don't have to wait too long for the second; i hate it when your left wondering. Book three is building momentum and just waiting for me to work a little harder.

I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I do I will post the front covers and keep you posted with regards to publishing dates. Bye for now xxx

Welcome!

Welcome to my brand new author blog, with me Eleanor Smythe!