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OUR MEMBERS

 

We have about 45 members, with a great mixture of experience, from novice to professional.  Here, some of our members share their stories of what they have achieved or hope to achieve.  If you are a member of Chiltern Writers we would like to include your writing biog on this page, however experienced or inexperienced you are; please contact the webmistress.

 

Members’ Successes

 

Kathleen Adkins

Writer of articles and features on local history, fitness, food and cosmetics. Kathleen has had twenty-two poems published and nineteen short stories. She has won several competition prizes in both poetry and short stories, including winning a Writing Magazine poetry competition, and several short-listed poems and stories.

 

Alison Beck

Alison has been writing for as long as she can remember, but for many years, work and family commitments got in the way.  Since she retired, she has been able to devote more time to her writing. In 2007, her piece about her eccentric Aunt Dorothy was runner up in the ‘Ian MacMillan’s Writing Lab’ memoir competition on Radio Three.  Seven of her short stories have reached the final judging stage for Writing Magazine and Writers’ News, and her short story ‘Calling Bill‘ won and was published in Writers‘ News in March 2010. She has also had a short story published in ‘Scribble’ magazine.

She has completed several Creative Writing courses , and is currently studying Advanced Creative Writing with the Open University, which she hopes will give her the tools and the confidence to write her first novel.  

Sue Benwell

When Sue signed up for a writing course with The Writing School in 1984, she wanted to write magazine stories, but found success with article writing instead. Her first published article was in the Buckinghamshire Countryside, and she has become a regular contributor to the magazine. She has gone on to write numerous features, mainly celebrity profiles, for national magazines, including My Weekly and Yours and she won the Writers News Freelance Journalist of the Year competition for 1999/2000. Sue has ghostwritten the autobiography of Carry On star, Jack Douglas, entitled A Twitch In Time and her ambition is just to ‘carry on’ writing! See a selection of Sue's writing on www.mkweb.co.uk/speakeasy

 

Brenda Fisher

Started writing in 1994, has had short stories, and articles published in magazines and newspapers. Has won both poetry and short stories competitions. She has had thirty-six poems published. Her first novel romantic fiction, set in Egypt was published in 2008

 

Catherine Jones

Catherine has written 4 books for Little Black Dress - The Chalet Girl, published 2007, The Trophy Girl, The Movie Girl, and The Love Boat is out in October 2009.  She has had six previous novels published - A Regimental Affair and A Question of Loyalty to name but two. Because of her background, she was also employed as series military consultant for the TV drama series Bombshell. She has also appeared on University Challenge – The Professionals with a team of romantic novelists, who reached the final. She is currently Chairman of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.  She has two websites to showcase her work: www.catherine-jones.co.uk and www.katelace.co.uk

 

Pauline Halford 1947-2009

Our former Chair Pauline wrote mainly non-fiction books and magazine articles. Her first book, Storm Warning – the origins of the weather forecast was published in 2004 and her second, on which she was a co-author, I Remember Me, part one of Frank Ifield’s autobiography, was published in 2005. She was also a regular contributor to Caravan magazine and has had several other articles published in music, general history and family history magazines.

 

Hywela Lyn

A member of the RNA, I write under my first two names Hywela Lyn. I write mainly Romantic futuristic and science fantasy, although I occasionally also write Western Historicals, one of which was published in the Lady in 2008. I've also been shortlisted in 'Writers News' and I am featured in the Members’ News section in the July edition of that magazine. My first novel 'Starquest' was published by the American Publisher 'The Wild Rose Press' in August 2008 and a sequel, 'Children Of The Mist was published in June 2009. My website is www.hywelalyn.co.uk

 

Tony Rossiter

In November 2007 Tony’s second book was published - The Greatest Retirement Tips In The World. His previous book, a humorous skit on village cricket entitled Only a Bloody Game, came out in 2002. He has also written for magazines such as The Countryman, The Cricketer, Country Walking and The Oldie.

 

Dave Sivers

Dave has achieved writing success with magazine fiction, short story competitions, and freelance journalism.  He has written articles for a wide range of publications, including a recent series on True Crime in Buckinghamshire for The Four Shires magazine, and he has regular columns in two newspapers, The Bucks Herald and The Leighton Buzzard Observer.  He was shortlisted for a Writers’ News short story competition, and co-wrote a sitcom pilot, Mann’s World, which made the latter stages of the BBC Fresh Talent competition.  He has written two comedy plays in collaboration - Recipe for Disaster and Dancing on the Forecourt - and has worked with a partner on TV game show formats and sketch material, selling material at home and abroad.  He also runs creative writing workshops and courses.  Dave has written several pre-published novels, most recently concentrating on crime fiction. He has a website at www.davesivers.co.uk

 

Sandra Smith

Sandra Smith gravitated to writing during her thirties and, apart from a brief flirtation with poetry (12 published), has concentrated on humour for the last few years.  Sandra is a columnist for The Chap as well as a regular contributor. Her humorous pieces have featured in The Four Shires, Cat World and Dogs Monthly. She has had interviews published in The Oldie, Buckinghamshire Life, Prayer Magazine and The Four Shires as well as a theatre review in The Bucks Herald.  In addition, nostalgic articles have been published in Evergreen, Best of British and The People’s Friend. Sandra’s Reader Chart has been included in The Times Book Section.

Two stories are included in the 2009 edition of Rhyme & Reason and two humorous pieces in Chiltern Writers Anthology 2009. She received a commendation for her humorous entry in the 2008 Chilterns Show Creative Writing Competition. For a couple of years she contributed a regular, light-hearted column to Chiltern Writers Newsletter.   

 

Tony Turner

Tony’s poems have been published widely in poetry magazines and anthologies. He regularly gives readings of his work in venues all over the South of England. He has self published four previous collections, the most recent entitled How Far Away Australia Is. See Tony’s website www.poetryforpleasure.me.uk

 

Chrissie Williams

Chrissie is mostly involved with poetry and has had several published. She maintains a poetry website: www.chrissiewilliams.org

 

Christine Williams (not to be confused with Chrissie Williams!)

Christine has published short stories in women's magazines, articles on management training and distance learning material. Hodder and Stoughton published her 'Teach Yourself - Planning a Wedding' and she has self-published a novel, 'Charity Begins'. The Bucks Herald has recently accepted a short series of articles grouped under the title of 'A Secret Life of a B&B', from which a novel is in planning as well as a sequel to 'Charity Begins'.

 

Andy Wood

A writer of sagas and historical fiction. About to self publish my first 2 books, with plans for 8 more! I’m hoping to end my career in IT and become a full time writer. My website is at www.andrewwoodwriting.com.

 

Vanessa Worship

Vanessa's essay on the Paper Riots in 1830 in High Wycombe, a major incident in the Swing Riots movement, was published in the book Swing Unmasked.

 

 

Members’ Aspirations

 

This part of the page is under construction.  If you are a Chiltern Writers member and wish to appear either in this section or the section above, please contact the webmistress or email the site with a brief writing biog.

 

Debbie Clarke

 

Debbie has been writing seriously for more than ten years.  She started by attending courses and writing short stories, and is now working on two novels.  She completed NaNoWriMo 2009 and feels this has made an enormous difference to her attitude to writing.  Bolstered by her new confidence in writing speedily, she now intends to complete her two novels and get to work on the three cookbooks she’s been planning.

 

Please, unpublished members, come and join me in this section!