A Cornish Fisherman’s Irish Diary - follow up to a bestselling memoir

A Cornish Fisherman's Irish Diary by Trevor Simpson.
Volume II in the Cornish Fisherman's Diaries series.

On this day 50 years ago, just after 7pm, a Cornish fishing trawler pulled into the harbour of Dunmore East, the famous fishing village on the south-east coast of Ireland. It carried a crew of two, who had just completed a marathon journey across the Irish Sea. Their adventure would be recounted many years later, in all of its heart-stopping detail, in the concluding chapter of a memoir entitled Diary of a Cornish Fisherman: Newquay, 1962-1967. At the time however, author, Trevor Simpson and his crewmate, Martin, would have felt only relief:

I had been staring into a white wall of fog for many hours. I steered my boat, the 35ft M.F.V. Reaper, by her compass. The fog was doing my head in and I fought the pressing urge to sleep. Knowing that I should have made landfall quite a while back proved to me that I was lost, lost in unfamiliar waters. I desperately needed to find a safe harbour before dark …

What awaited the author upon disembarking; what he made of this strange new world called Ireland (and what Ireland made of him) is the subject of a memoir that is as warm and engaging as the first. The years that followed would prove challenging, perplexing, refreshing and ultimately rewarding. The fact that he found himself in a place that he was pleased to call home for the next fifty years (and beyond) probably speaks for itself. There is more to the story than that, however.

Diary of a Cornish Fisherman: Newquay, 1962-1967 by Trevor Simpson was an instant success upon publication in 2014. Among the glowing reviews, there was a virtual consensus among readers that a sequel would be in order:

Excellent, only wish he had followed it up with how he got on in Ireland. – Peter McGuinness

I would love to know if there is a follow up book about Trevor's time in Ireland, I bet that would be just as interesting! – Simon Neve

That call has been answered and readers now have the chance to judge whether it was worth the wait. Volume II takes up the narrative exactly where the first left off.

A Cornish Fisherman's Irish Diary by Trevor Simpson is published by The Manuscript Publisher and is on sale from today. Both volumes in the Cornish Fisherman's Diaries series are available to buy online and all good bookshops. They each retail at €14.99 plus P&P where applicable.

Jesus Loves Your History: Forgiveness Meetings by A. s.C. – a beginning that begins with the self

Jesus Loves Your History: Forgiveness Meetings is the debut novella of the author who goes by the name, A sC. In the following, she describes how the book came about:

"Over the past challenging four years, my life has changed and settled me in more ways than one, which is where, I believe, Jesus Loves Your History has stemmed from. When I first started putting thoughts together in a coherent work one would call a book, I wasn’t sure if anyone would understand it and I lacked the self-confidence to share it. I finally asked my family if I could read various pages and sections to them and their encouragement helped me evolve and take chances I was never willing to take before.

"Within that same year, it was suggested to me that I take a writing course with Ferdia MacAnna, author of the Last of the High Kings (a major Hollywood Blockbuster). Because of Ferdia, friend and mentor, and my course mates, I was able to find my voice in order to articulate this relevant tale; another fear faced.

"When the book was in its final stages and attempts were being made to find an agent/publisher, the title of 'The Personal Steps: Forgiveness Meetings' just didn’t seem to be catching the attention of…well… anyone. The fear of rejection was rearing its ugly head and it wasn’t until my husband, Ricardo and his two beautiful girls got involved that we were able to give my art its final name.

"The journey of creating this first novella in the Jesus Loves Your History series is one I would call a blessing of the lowest lows and highest highs. All of my beautifully imperfect characters exist to tell the tale of a journey toward a more understanding, peace-filled and unified world: a journey of forgiveness, uncomfortable changes and letting go because there is no better beginning than one that begins with the self.

"This, my friends, is how Jesus Loves Your History: Forgiveness Meetings came to be."

The Kindle edition of Jesus Loves Your History: Forgiveness Meetings by AsC will be available from 7 September but you can pre-order it right now. The author is aiming to meet a target of 3,000+ pre-orders between now and the release date:

"I welcome you to be a part of my dream to make it on the AMAZON eBOOK BEST SELLERS LIST and as a thank you for Pre-Ordering an eBook copy of Jesus Loves Your History on Amazon, I will send you a small token of my appreciation..."

To receive your free gift, pre-order a copy of the Kindle edition on Amazon and email the author with the following information:

1. Your Amazon pre-order confirmation code
2. Your mailing/shipping address
3. Your name & preferred e-mail address

Gifts will vary and are available to the first 300 people to pre-order at any of the following:

• Amazon USA
• Amazon United Kingdom UK & Ireland
• Amazon Worldwide

Further information – including articles, promotions, compeitions – is available from the author's official website.

Hanna Greally International Literary Awards 2017 – part of SiarScéal Festival

Hanna Greally International Literary Awards 2017

- Entries now being accepted. Closing Date: 10th October -

The Hanna Greally International Literary Awards happen in conjunction with SiarScéal Festival, held in Roscommon every year since its inception in 2007. This year's 10th anniversary festival takes place over two days: Friday and Saturday, 20-21 October at Roscommon County Library in Roscommon Town, from 10am to 4.30pm on each day. The full programme of events has been announced and is posted online (also available to download in handy brochure format).

Winners in this year's Hanna Greally International Literary Awards will be announced and prizes presented as part of the formal proceedings that follow the Official Launch. There will be much anticipation and excitement surrounding the announcement of the Overall Winner, who will take away the prize of seeing his or her book published professionally and formally launched at the following year's SiarScéal Festival (dates to be announced). The estimated value of this prize, which is sponsored by The Manuscript Publisher, is put at €2000. Full details of what the winning author will receive are outlined here.

In addition to the Overall Prize, there is also a First Prize – a cash prize of €700 – with trophy prizes for Highly Commended entries in the various categories of poetry, prose/short stories. The Ger Hanily Memorial Cup will be awarded to the best local entry received.

Day One of the festival, is entirely devoted to the Student Awards presentation, including a Student of the Year Trophy. This event is sponsored by Allied Irish Bank. The following day, Saturday 21 October, will see the presentation of awards in the other categories, including Overall and First Prize winners.

Previous festivals have been lively gatherings, with readings, prize ceremonies, open mike sessions that are open to everyone – an opportunity to showcase one's literary talents to a public audience! This year's festival promises to continue in much the same vein. Mary Melvin Geoghegan, who is the adjudicator of this year's awards, will be the guest speaker. She herself is an award-winning poet. To date, four volumes of her poetry have been published, the most recent being, Say It Like a Paragraph (2012).

Entries are now being accepted for the 2017 Hanna Greally International Literary Awards. They may consist of poetry and/or prose compositions, previously unpublished, on the theme of Beneath Western Skies. The closing date for entries is 5pm on Tuesday, 10 October. Full details of how to enter (including how the facility to enter online), terms and conditions, rules of entry are available from SiarScéal.