SUBSCRIBER SPOTLIGHT
http://www.writers-online.co.uk MARCH 2020^47Rogues’ gallery
‘“Righten has been in the wrong place at
the right time since the 1990s,” wrote the
Hampstead & Highgate Express Arts Review (10
August 2012) of my first novel, The Benevolence
of Rogues, which told the stories of the roguish
characters I met when I delivered medical aid
into war-zones,’ writes subscriber John Righten.
‘Last month, I delivered a talk entitled
Writing, Publishing and the Critics during
the Melbourne Writers Festival. The success of my Rogues novels, with
Churchill’s Rogue short-listed for the inaugural Wilbur Smith Adventure
Writing Prize, led to talks – which are fun, as well as informative – to
packed audiences from the Houses of Parliament, to the Sorbonne and
the Reichstag. In Melbourne’s The Alderman, I not only gave a talk
about my unusual and often humorous experiences as a writer, and what
I have learnt, I also launched my latest novel, Heartbreak. It is the first in
The Lenka Trilogy and is the story of a young teacher who is drawn into
the perilous world of humanitarian aid convoys, Soon, she finds herself
in the company of rogues, and later in Bosnia, the target of mercenaries.
Heartbreak was published by Amazon on 30 November 2019. The
next novels in the series, Resilience and Reflection are due for release in
November 2020 and 2021 respectively. The Lenka Trilogy, set in the
1990s, completes my trio of trilogies covering the most tumultuous 100
years in history. The first, The Rogues Trilogy, is an epic thriller centred
on the flight of Jewish families hunted by the Nazis in the 1930’s. The
second, The Lochran Trilogy, is a 1960s crime thriller, using the Civil
and Gay Rights movements and the Cold War as its backdrop.
‘After my arrival back from Australia, I popped into The Grand
Central Bar across the road from
the station to give another talk,
this time to the Women’s Institute’s
Brighton Belles. Once again,
irrespective of which side of world
I am, the audience was welcoming,
delightful and inquisitive. Perhaps,
through my writing, I have found
myself in the right place(s) at
exactly the right time(s).’
Website: http://rightensrogues.co.ukWhen you’re sending in submissions to appear on those pages, feel free to
send us any additional content you have available. Whether it’s an interview
video, book trailer, podcast, audio extract or anything else,
we’ll give you as much exposure as we can through our digital edition and
website. As ever, send your details to [email protected]WE’LL HELP YOU SELL YOUR BOOK!
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See http://writ.rs/sellyourbook for more detailsA magical touch
‘I’ve just released my first children’s
novel Magic in the Attic in paperback
through Amazon KDP,’ writes
subscriber Carol Waterkeyn.
‘The book is aimed at readers between
seven and nine years, although it can be read to younger children.
‘The story starts when ten-year-old Lucy Appleton is given
an old doll’s house by her great grandfather but there is more to
the little house than meets the eye as something, or somebody,
is occupying it.
‘My aim through the book is to tell an amusing, and heart-
warming tale of special friendships, and a fairy story. Take note,
this is no ordinary fairy, though.
‘As a child, I always wanted to believe that fairies existed
and have been fascinated by doll’s houses since that young age.
These two elements were brought together in this, the first of
three children’s novels, originally released for Amazon Kindle.
‘I have been asked on several occasions when I was going
to bring my stories out in paperback, so I went ahead and did
so through Amazon. Although I have had a few attempts at
finding a publisher, I decided that with this particular book I
wanted to go ahead and self-publish.”
‘I have written two follow-up novels, currently available on Amazon
kindle, called Who Let the Cat Out? and Magic with Mr Marvellous.
‘I live in Dorset with my husband. Our daughter, and part-time
illustrator, Fran Waterkeyn created the cover and inside images for
Magic in the Attic.
‘I was formerly a copywriter, and magazine writer and editor.
I now concentrate on writing fiction for children and adults.
I particularly enjoy writing for young people and won the
Royal Bournemouth Hospital Radio Bedside competition for
children’s stories in 2017 and was shortlisted in 2016 and 2018.
‘I also won the Blandford Rotary Open Adult Short
Story competition in 2018 and was shortlisted in this year’s
Lymington Community Short Story competition.
‘My adult stories have appeared in The People’s Friend, The
Mudeford Magazine, and This Little World, a paperback of
stories by Dorset authors.’
Website: http://www.waterkeynwords.wordpress.com