25th December 2022

Yesterday I was sitting feeling low over my illness when there was a knock on the door. On the doorstep was a stranger bearing three gifts. “Merry Xmas” said the stranger. “I’m a neighbour,” pointing vaguely down the road before leaving.  “Who was it?” I asked, surprised. “Never seen him before,” replied my husband, opening the card. “From Santa” it said. What a kind gesture! OH said he would look out for the man to thank him properly but I’m not sure we’ll see him again. Tonight the 8th Chanukah candle will be lit, coinciding with Xmas. I like the fact that the Hindus and the Jewish people both have festivals of light when candles are lit. Last night, as we do every year, we exchanged a gift with our Hindu neighbours across the road. I congratulated them on the UK having its first Hindu Prime Minister in Rishi Sunak. It seems to me that this world would be a better place if we could all respect one another, irrespective of differences in faith. It matters not what you wear on your head; the important thing is what’s in your heart and soul. How you treat others in this world is crucial. So, as you rush around trying to do everything in your life, try not to be exclusively concerned with your own ‘agenda’. That driver who cut you up on the ringroad might be suffering all kinds of problems. Be kind, just like the Samaritan who rang our doorbell yesterday.

18th December 2022

The radio’s playing “You’ve Got Your Troubles. I’ve Got Mine” by The Fortunes. Reading the news, what a stark portrayal of how some normally sensible, caring people are acting completely out of character. In the 1926 General Strike, which lasted a week, miners had their appalling wages of £6 reduced to £3. But beware soaring inflation. We don’t want to get like 1930s Germany, where you needed a wheelbarrow full of Deutschmarks to buy bread. Why aren’t today’s media highlighting all those (non-public-sector) people, who are struggling without any help or homeless, disabled or relying on food banks? And yet ordinary people can be kind, helping that hard up Bradford self-employed father by donating  £50k to his daughter’s school to provide free school dinners for her and her class mates, right up to next summer.Tonight the festival of Chanukah begins, its message lasting the same length as the 1926 General Strike. Let its light reflect on the true goodness of people. Forget The Fortunes and selfishness. A far better song is ‘Try A Little Kindness. Shine Your Light For Everyone to See,’ by Glen Campbell.

Season’s Greetings to all my readers!

11th December 2022

A bad week (but nothing to do with the football.) Last Sunday I woke up to find the left side of my face had dropped - a year since last time but on other side. GP surgery was of course shut with no apparent emergency doctor available. The website said go to our local emergency walk in centre, but it was shut. A notice on the door said it was no longer a walk in emergency centre but to call a doctor. I rang the number only to hear a recorded message. So in the cold, I rang 111. After an hour on hold I gave up and we drove to A and E. After a wait, the treatment was great. Eventually I had an ECG, a CT scan, blood pressure test, whole body muscle strength tests etc to rule out a stroke, 4 different drugs to take home. Cost to me: nil. It’s clear the NHS needs root and branch reform. I was born before the NHS and in 1948 the system was a brilliant idea but today too many people plus expensive state of the art tech and drugs means it’s no longer affordable. So recommend the French subsidised  model, state pays 70%, state insurance for patients (not private) 30%, disabled/low paid pay nil. Meantime, NHS please note: French hospital doctors prescribe inpatient meals specific to your health condition. Wonderful idea. Would save NHS a lot of money eliminating food waste. French carte vitale card also good: gives first care providers/pharmacists instant electronic med history. So, this morning my face and mood are down.  Bell’s Palsy. Hope I improve soon.

4th December 2022

Tuesday is my platinum birthday. On the radio is Fleetwood Mac, commemorating the sad passing of lead singer Christine McVie - someone of my era. You can go your own way rings in my ears. What exactly has been my own way? When I moved to France in 2005, I needed a totally different pursuit to keep me occupied. But I didn’t realise that so much of myself would flow onto the pages. First I wrote a novel about a university, where I worked for 30 years. Then I progressed a Holocaust trilogy, lest we forget. Meantime I discovered the story of a real but unknown hero, who saved thousands in wartime Vienna. I’m so glad that wonderful indie publisher SpellBound Books recognised how important it is to value those who help others, especially those of a different ethnicity to themselves. The Mandarin Seeds 2nd edition will be published by them on 5 May 2023. My ancestors came from E Europe. All had a typical oy vey self-deprecating humour, so my writing had to reflect this too. So, as well as a humorous look at the US, I plan to publish a revised sequel plus a brand new 3rd in the best-selling Paradis series. Additionally, reflecting on my own traumatic teen years, I’m currently writing novel 4 in my 7-book series for them. Phew! At my age, I do seem to have gone my own way….

27th November 2022

Whether it’s yet more shootings in the US or wars between neighbouring countries, the news is depressing. It’s the lack of brotherly love that affects me the most.  So, I switched over to Sky Arts to watch a documentary about one of my favourite groups of the 60s, The Hollies. It brought back a memory of something very spiritual.  In 2008, whilst living in France, I got one of those calls we all dread. My dear brother Alan was dying. We dropped everything and rushed to the Birmingham Hospice where he lay in a coma. I held his hand and, hoping he could hear me, talked about our childhood and our shared love of The Hollies. Sadly, he never regained consciousness and within days he had passed away. Returning for the last time from the hospice, we went to the house he shared with my older brother, Robert. I sat in Alan’s chair next to the radio. Robert said he hated how quiet the house was and asked me to switch on the radio. Immediately the room was flooded with:  “It’s a long long road, from which there is no return. No burden is he to bear. He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother…”

20th November 2022

 I never liked the I’m a Celebrity TV show. It panders to everything I hate. Irrespective of who the ‘stars’ are - politician Matt Hancock, linked-to-royalty sportsman Mike Tindall, or ageing singer Boy George -  the result’s the same. Schadenfreude for the masses. I’m old enough to remember the early  Candid Camera series, where unsuspecting members of the public were conned into a situation only to be shown as stupid at the end. Others, like You’ve been Framed showed awful home videos of small crying children coming to grief whilst falling into water, or hurting themselves on a slide, whilst the canned audience laughter made me cringe. I have never, ever, been able to laugh at others’ misfortune.  Neither do I understand the current adulation of presenters Ant and Dec. To me, they’re just talentless people, earning tons of money for smirking at the camera. As Professor Sir Simon Wessely put it: “It’s the theatre of cruelty.”  Is this what mass entertainment has come to, armchair ‘knitters’ cackling, like Madame Guillotine, at the misfortune of others? And even light entertainment like Strictly is hosted by the untalented Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, only there because of their looks. Where are today’s talented  presenters, like Bruce Forsyth or Roy Castle of old? I’m still looking….. 

13th November 2022

 At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, I observed two minutes silence to remember those who fell in both world wars. I also remembered the ten members of my own family who died during my lifetime. Yesterday I attended an annual commemoration of those from Birmingham who fell, including in the Holocaust. I found the sermon interesting as it conflated fresh bread and mature wine with the young complementing the old. Each age has a role to play in life, supporting and respecting the other. I was therefore not amused to read about food retailer KFC’s ‘push’ article, pitching its chicken to German customers, of all people (!),  celebrating Kristallnacht. Fortunately, the message caused outrage everywhere, so KFC has since apologised, citing its ‘push’ program, based on some sort of algorithm.  I know I am now old and that many young people say we should forget the past. No! No! No! It’s only by remembering what happened that we can hope to avoid it in the future. The only ‘push’ I want to see, whatever your age, is a push towards mutual respect and global peace. 

6th November 2022

As Guy Fawkes didn’t blow up parliament last night, our PM will today attend the COP27 climate meeting,  devised to find yet more stringent ways to stop man’s ‘evil’ CO2 emissions. Global warming is certainly happening but many scientists are still not convinced of its cause. And now there’s even an intelligent robot looking impassively at the problem. Scientists John Abbott and Jennifer Marohasy created a neural network to investigate temperature fluctuations since before records began. The robot’s findings? Natural phenomena such as planetary shift and solar activity, causing changes in oceanic water flows, are the most likely reason for current global warming. At least five ice ages have occurred throughout Earth’s history, the earliest 2 billion years ago, long before man appeared. I don’t believe there’s anything we can do, except organise global efforts to move people away from danger areas near coasts, rivers, volcanoes, the tropics etc, and build insulated houses on stilts. The world often gets things spectacularly wrong, e.g. convincing us all to hide away from a flu-like virus! The financial fall out will be with us for decades. Sweden didn’t shut down and doesn’t appear to have suffered a greater death toll than the rest of us. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and use common sense. Pity Mr Fawkes didn’t.

30th October 2022

 I was struck by how thin Mr Sunak is compared to the bulk of Therese Coffey, the Environment Secretary. Last week’s Sunday Times hinted at the probable reasons. Prof Tim Spector’s research proves the diet industry is wrong. Along with genetics, it’s the unique mix of bacteria, the microbiome, in your stomach that affects how your metabolism works. It’s been obvious for so long. There are families who eat the same foods, but some members are thin whilst others are fat. His research on identical twins showed that, even with the same genes and eating the same foods, often one twin is fatter than the other. For years we’ve been told to count calories, switch to low fat foods, use sweeteners instead of sugar etc. That’s all wrong. And the advice from Prof Spector? Avoid low-fat foods, which contain harmful chemicals. Eat real foods: whole fat milk, a little whole fat butter (not low fat varieties), pure honey, lots of natural (whole fat) yogurt, berries, colourful veg, mushrooms, broccoli, natural porridge oats. Eat less but high quality meat and fish. Exercise, not by running a marathon but moving around a lot. No food supplements. Cook for yourself. Choose not by price but by quality. It needn’t cost a lot. Baked beans are cheap but full of fibre and nutrients. Use small plates. Methinks - sounds like he’s been talking to the French!

23rd October 2022

What is it that British people want from their elected government? Yesterday, as rail workers held yet more strikes across the country, two Labour mayors from Manchester and Liverpool were late for their meeting because their train failed to arrive. Oh the irony, when their Party is funded by the very unions causing all the chaos. And yet, although many left-wing voters are genuinely caring people, I recall that time in 2017 when we, personally, were terrified that an apparently strong contender for leader of the Labour party had been pictured laying a wreath in Tunis alongside known antisemitic terrorists. It was as if voters back then didn’t care about people like us, at a time when we and others would have been forced to consider emigration yet again if he had been duly elected. TG he wasn’t. Fast forward, and the leading contender for the Conservative Party, and hence the PM, is a billionaire and ‘a Tory toff’ according to the media. Yet, he’s the son of Indian immigrants, who have done  exactly what the country wanted - worked hard to be an asset to the country. And me? I just want to feel safe in my own country.

21st October 2022

 The political turmoil continues. So, as an ordinary Conservative voter, here’s  what I think. Which PM candidate is most popular with ordinary voters nationally?  Answer: Boris Johnson. But, what about the Partygate affair? Answer: it was largely orchestrated by a far too intrusive media, exacerbating what was essentially a meeting of those whom the PM was working with all day anyway (as was happening in companies globally). The UK should follow what happens in other countries, keeping the private mechanisms of government away from the media. So, my preferred Cabinet?  A mix of public popularity, strong political ability, high educational background, natural warmth/personality, and hands-on stability: Boris Johnson, Ben Wallace, Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Penny Maudant. Do we need a general election?  No. The ones calling for one are the opposition Labour party and the SNP, for self-serving rather than national interests. How to help the suffering, lowest members of society? The King should consider selling off some of his many unused properties to help the nation, by forming a new King’s Fund to help the homeless, the long-term disabled, and first-time buyers. 

16th October 2022

 A week of political turmoil here in the UK, with the new PM’s job ‘hanging by a thread’. How did all this come about?  First, the media forced out the previous PM, the still-popular Boris Johnson. Thinking back, what other country would have allowed cameras into the home and offices of the head of government? Can you imagine US media arguing over who pays for new wallpaper in the White House? Vague Covid separation rules proved impossible to legislate against, intrusive cameras yet again allowing the public to observe private staff meetings at No. 10, forcing Boris to resign. So then emerged Liz Truss, a woman with a more-wooden speech style than Theresa May. But her problems, and that of Kwasi, her previous chancellor, go deeper than that. I remember, at work, instances when colleagues whom we all knew were of low acumen, were promoted above their level of competence. One such was promoted because she ‘worked hard, and was always on time.’  Totally wrong. Admirable though her qualities were, promotion should be on high ability only. So too, then, with Liz Truss and Kwasi. Jeremy Hunt is at least more able at the helm. UK politics are like a soap opera. Next episode streaming now.

9th October 2022

 Are we heading back to the 1970s?  Yesterday there were no trains running here at all. Also threatening strike action, blackmailing the government and seriously inconveniencing the general public are: barristers, postal workers, nurses, container port workers, BT, teachers, and refuse workers. Yet again, it’s union action over pay and conditions. Unlike the General Strike of 1926, none of the above are on the bread line, average starting salaries being c.£35000 p.a. Listening to union leaders like Mick Lynch, who say that their members are facing real increases in the cost of living, I can’t believe my ears. The fundamental rule is that you get paid for what you do, not what you need. Socialist models of the past too often led to communism, keeping all workers in poverty. Millions of workers in the private sector understand that. Added to the chaos, we’re warned of gas/electric shortages this winter. Remembering 1972, I was 9 months pregnant, with a toddler in the house, having just lost my dear mother, no heating, no electricity, a candle flickering in the draught.  I can’t believe the selfishness, yet again, of union leaders. Google the 1970s and learn from the past.

2nd October 2022

I’ve been re-writing the sequel to best-selling Pensioners in Paradis. It’s enabled me to reflect on our past life when Him indoors had his DIY shop.  So many customers would bring items back, expecting an immediate refund, even when they had simply changed their mind. They were all informed that English law stated that customers can have an exchange or be refunded only when the item is faulty. Of course, some larger companies like M & S decided to offer open returns, but that was their personal choice, not the law. Fast forward to today. As a writer, I was always very annoyed at Amazon’s ebook return policy, where readers could buy my ebooks, read them, then get a full refund from Amazon, no questions asked. Wrong on every count, not least by Amazon in offering such a service when ebook ‘faults’ were unlikely, and the item could be fully ‘used’ before being returned. So, a week ago, all writers applauded when Amazon announced a change in its returns policy. It would now prevent a self-service return of a Kindle ebook for a refund if a consumer had read more than 10% of the text. Hurray…..but should Big Brother know how many pages had been read? A different thing altogether.

25th September 2022

 For some, this weekend is a time of quiet reflection on the past year. Hilary Mantel, a remarkable author, has died. Monday saw the greatest televised pageantry ever as HM Queen Elizabeth was finally laid to rest next to her beloved Philip, and a mourning nation now looks forward to the coronation of King Charles III next summer. The king must learn to modernise the monarchy, and our new PM faces a mammoth task on all fronts. Already, the chancellor has evoked controversy this week with his mini-budget. If ever there was a budget to infuriate left-wingers, it was this one, seemingly giving to the rich more than to the poor. For right-wingers, though, it was clear:  bolster companies to create national growth, which would then trickle down to the rest of us. Trouble is, if we pander too much to socialism, you end up like the eastern bloc, where everyone’s poor except for the top tier of society. The answer, of course, is to keep to the middle ground. Like Mantel’s Cromwell, life is forever fraught, trying to keep the wolf from the door. For me, I’m sticking to our late queen’s wise words:  keep calm and carry on.

18th September 2022

The lying in State for our late Queen has been historic and peaceful. A truth has become evident:  countries with a monarchy are less likely to mount an unprovoked attack on another nation.  The monarch is the Head of State, with the ultimate power to overrule the prime minister of the day, should it be necessary. So, if the public, in a fit of zeal, vote in as prime minister a person who lets this new power go to his/her head, beware.  Not everyone can cope with the sudden rush of power and glory. In some people, this can create a feeling of self-importance and superiority.  What a pity that Germany didn’t have a monarchy in 1933, when the people voted in a man (Hitler) to provide them with jobs for the masses. Little did they know he would soon become a megalomaniac, a crisis a monarchy could have stopped. And, in the US, a monarch would have stopped the attacks at the Capitol building. A monarchy is an essential extra layer against anarchy. In complete contrast, let’s remember the wonderful legacy of Elizabeth, who showed the world, by example, how to be humble.

10-11th September 2022

Lately, I’ve been bemoaning the lack of respect everywhere, but then came Thursday and everything changed. Up and down the land, people have been crying, including me.  I’ve been struggling to understand it, but at last it’s become clear. For me, I’ve been unable to grieve for my own lost family. But now the Queen, a maternal figure for us all, has died, opening the floodgates. Around the country, others are reporting a similar reaction. So, now we have a king. He has shown wonderful respect for his mother, just as the 5th commandment decrees. We also have a new PM, the third woman in the role, who was loyal to, and respected, her predecessor. At least Charles won’t be like the last, very lustful, King Charles (II). Our new king only ever loved one woman. At last Camilla is by his side. Royal advisers back then had a lot to answer for, ruining the lives of Edward VIII, Diana and Princess Margaret too with their stringent rules on spouse suitability. At least Elizabeth was allowed to marry the love of her life. For the British public, a new era dawns. Passports, postboxes, coins, banknotes, stamps, royal food labels, the national anthem - all must be replaced. But let’s hope the public too have now learned respect.
RIP Queen Elizabeth II. 

G-d Save the King. 

4th September 2022

 In 1969 an important event happened. No, not the moon landing, but the birth of our first child. And what a roller coaster it was. After months of all-day sickness whilst still working, often enduring bus rides home where I had to stand all the way, then walk home half a mile away, somehow I survived. And then the 18 hour labour without pain killers or anyone recommending a caesarian. But our new baby girl miraculously survived, a healthy and robust nine and a half pounds. Fast forward to 2022, where we’ve just spent a wonderful two weeks together in Maine. We had such a good time, swimming in the lake opposite her home, and, along with son Jonathan, eating out at so many restaurants. I recall our girlie visit to the beauty salon. Such a treat for Julie and I to do something together, just the two of us, whilst L went on a trip with George to Owl’s Head to look at a motor museum. And at work, she’s just been promoted to Vice-President at a big insurance company. Back in 1969, holding her in my arms, I could never have imagined she’d do so well. We are very proud of you, Julie. Over the moon. Happy birthday!

28th August 2022

I feel as if we’re living in a dystopian world, a society bereft of reason. More and more threats of doom from the media.  When, two years ago,  news of the virus broke, governments everywhere went crazy.  National leaders, flanked by senior scientific officers, were pictured nightly on our screens, fingers pointed - Lord-Kitchener-like - at the gullible public:  “You MUST stay home!”. But, how can you hide from an invisible virus?  And surely the virus would still be there when we poked our quivering noses outside the door?  Police everywhere were marshalled to arrest all who disobeyed. In France, everyone had to carry a document at all times, justifying why they’d had the temerity to venture out. We MUST get vaccinated every 3 months for ever more. OH has just received 6 sheets of hospital pre-op papers,  five of which detail stringent rules about Covid; hardly anything about his actual op. And now a different mayhem. No-one, on pain of death, can use a hosepipe, despite the rain now falling unceasingly, and soon we’ll have no fuel at all! And workers are all on strike demanding more money - not for what they ‘do’ but for what they ‘need’. Come back George Orwell. All is forgiven.

21st August 2022

 On Thursday, this year’s 18 year old UK students received their A-level and new T-level results. In the 1980s, following my own schooling in a grammar-technical school, I sent a letter to the then Minister for Education, Sir Keith Joseph. I knew, even then, that instead of having purely-academic qualifications it would be better to also offer high-level technical/apprenticeships’ training - each on an equal footing. Children, I wrote, should be allowed to choose at 11, with the possibility to switch at 14, which educational route they wanted. As expected, there was no reply. In the following years I found myself working in university admissions. My favourite job of all time was on A-level results day when I, personally, had the pleasure of giving good news over the phone to anxious students who often had just missed their required grades. I can still hear the excitement as they and their families could be heard, crying with joy that they’d been given a university place. However, these days, far too many students are pushed towards university, when clearly they’d have been better suited taking much-needed apprenticeships. As a result, A-level standards have dropped accordingly to accommodate them all. But now, with the new T-levels allied to industry, I see hope for the future. 

14th August 2022

Big Brother has moved in. Paranoia is building.  Last night, whilst I was nowhere near my iphone, it started talking to me “I’m sorry; I didn’t catch that…”. Also, whilst typing a text or on Whatsapp, suddenly an audio graph appears and my iphone - all on its own - starts to type my private conversations about the person I’m contacting!! TG I didn’t hit the Send arrow!  How did it all start? I learned to touch type in 1963 on the very latest Imperial 70 typewriter. It was wonderful. But, then came the fax machine, followed by a mysterious concept called email. Everyone said it’d never catch on. An old secretary, just before retirement, was absolutely perplexed with the new AppleMac machine and was caught using her beloved Tippex on the screen!  But, unlike her, I had to learn how to use it, then a BBC computer, which was essentially a monitor attached to a loud, electronic typewriter, complete with noise-reducing cover. Rather like the teleprinter on old TV sports programmes, it clanked along each row of the document.  This then got surpassed by the PC. Fast forward to today. Everyone’s got a smart phone. The clock of technology brings yet more ‘innovations’.  Tik tok I hear you say? 

7th August 2022

 Does it really matter what others think of us?  When watching the two Conservative leadership contenders, I don’t care whether I like them or not; I’d choose the one more capable of running the country. When writing An Englishwoman in America, I remember how I felt when staying with my aunt in Brooklyn. I had just purchased a carton of orange juice which was out of date, and felt mortified when she insisted I return to the store to complain. In those days I was still like my mother, not wanting to ‘make a show of myself’.  But these days I’ve morphed into my father, who would often storm out of a place shouting “you can stick it!” Recently there was an incident at one of our holiday hotels, so - in the manner of my father - I wrote to the hotel chain CEO to complain. But the advantage these days is that, with email, I don’t have to shout “you can stick it” in person, nor when reacting to strident political posts on FB. So, when watching the Truss v Sunak show on TV, I can shout at each of them  - like my father used to - all I like.  But essentially, I no longer care what others think. I’ve lived long enough to have formed my own opinions.

31st July 2022

 I wanted to write about my home city, currently enjoying national glory via the Commonwealth Games. Everone Brummie is here. Lenny Henry, Julie Walters, Ozzie, Duran Duran etc.  But…
I’m fed up with trade union leaders like Mick Lynch, who are using the Games to blackmail the government and the nation by calling on its relatively well-paid members (train drivers earn c.£59k pa) to stop the public getting to the Games and anywhere else for that matter. Similarly, BT and other trade union leaders are calling for a General Strike, not seen here since 1926. There’s simply no comparison between then and now. After WWI, high demand for coal and slowness to modernise the industry led to massive unemployment and real hardship. But now? During lockdown, paying everyone furlough wages plus supply chain disruption was bound to leave the economy with inflation. Every day, the media reports that advanced economies around the world are all dealing with similar problems. Strikes should only ever be used as a last resort, when workers are absolutely desperate.  So, why are senior Labour Party officials like John McDonnell calling for a General Strike now?  It’s greed, stupidity and self-aggrandisement - a bullish approach to the rest of us on much lower incomes….
Here’s the amazing, snorting bull at the opening ceremony of the Games in Birmingham. Seems appropriate somehow.

24th July 2022

The best laid plans…I should have been writing this from Scotland - a treat for our Emerald wedding anniversary - but we both got Covid instead. As if I haven’t suffered enough this year. Bell’s Palsy, diabetes and now the evil bat disease - but still I haven’t managed to talk to my GP! Our local NHS hospitals are just as great as before, but it seems that GP surgeries are now largely privately-run businesses. However, unlike in the US - where patients are the paying customer and therefore sought after - the poor UK patient gets the worst end of the stick. No-one’s interested in me because I’m not paying, so three times this year I’ve had to bypass the GP altogether.  I liken it to when a bus driver depends on getting to the terminus depot on time to such an extent that he speeds past the queues waiting at bus stops. In other words, the original rationale for his job has changed markedly to suit a very different clientele. I had hoped my GP would prescribe Praxlovid, the best Covid drug, but was eventually told by an urgency clinic I found at last, that I wasn’t “vulnerable enough”. (No problem for the US President I see). I simply don’t understand why the general public here haven’t taken to the streets yet in protest. At least today’s ST is at last headlining it. 

17th July 2022

 On yesterday’s Today programme, a Heathrow official said what a wonderful job the airport was doing, post-lockdown. Well, over the last few weeks I’ve had an ideal opportunity to compare it with Boston’s Logan airport. A world of difference.  Heathrow was a nightmare, outbound and on our return. Passengers are treated like cattle, rounded up and steered into various ‘pens’!  Why is it thought acceptable to make us walk for twenty minutes to reach the departure gate? Meantime there’s the inordinate amount of time they expose everyone to the money-making plethora of shops and restaurants before announcing the gate numbers. And don’t even start me on the security queues and procedures, where - like hamsters in a revolving wheel - tired passengers are forced to walk yet more miles around Disneyworld-like barrier chicanes before being grilled and x-rayed. In contrast, Boston had few shops and, once through security, you’re straight through to one long space containing all departure gates. No twenty min walk anywhere. Boston security, though, was curious. Those under 75 (me, just) had a full-body x-ray, arms above my head, and had to remove shoes, whilst the over-75s (OH) didn’t! Now need a lie down in a darkened room.

10th July 2022

 So Boris was forced to resign as Conservative leader. The political landscape looks very different from afar. The media has much to answer for: a pernicious witch hunt. Never have I seen such intensive, incessant, bull-baiting in a land supposedly decent and democratic. It all started with the pandemic, which came out of the blue. Laws had to be formed instantly, without precedent, which were difficult to enforce and impossible to legislate against. Both the main Party leaders were caught via the gossamer-thin pandemic laws. Boris was caught in an entangled web of his own making, ridiculously judged by an obscure ‘hanging judge’ and a ‘socialist’ police force, whilst Keir slipped free via a police commissioner whom he’d canvassed for previously? Such is the slippery political path that governs a nation. What next then? 

In America

 Ah, the highs and lows of American hospitality. I didn’t expect any lows. Yesterday the ferry from Portland Maine to Diamond Cove Island was understandably packed. It’s high summer and the weather was glorious. But we struggled to find a seat on the wooden benches on board. Opposite me were 2 ladies sitting on a bench for six people. Either side of them were lots of bags filling the whole bench. As the ferry moved on the waves, making our stance unsteady, I asked them politely to move their bags to the floor so we - as seniors - could sit. They refused!! Grrr. In complete comparison, on the island,  a resident in his own golf cart offered to give us a ride in the heat. So generous and kind. Thank you sir. 

26th June 2022

 As I finish packing, cramming the last few items in an already full case, I reflect on all the travel difficulties we’ve faced over the last few years. In 2019, plans to see our children in Maine were in full swing. A kennel had been booked for elderly Bruno, our French rescue dog, flights to the US reserved and hotels booked at Heathrow, Boston and Portland. But then Covid hit and I was forced to cancel everything. Virgin Atlantic at first refused a refund until, eventually, themselves having to cancel the flight, they gave us our money back. For the two hotels booked via Booking.com and Expedia, I never did get a refund. Fast forward to today. I’ve booked directly with each hotel, and I’m about to print boarding passes. We no longer need a kennel as, sadly, Bruno passed away. But still problems have overwhelmed us at every stage - from anxiety over mandatory pre-departure Covid tests 24h before, to digital Esta forms, to new biometric passports, threats of airport disruption, no trains and insufficient baggage handlers, etc. Thought holidays were supposed to be for relaxation. Will we finally get to see our children in Maine?  Wait for the next exciting(!) episode…

19th June 2022

 Last night I was watching clips of Paul McCartney at 80 on the BBC. It struck me that, despite melodic diversity, his lyrics touched the essence of the common man. And then the news came on about the rail strikes and my heart sank.  Why can’t the ‘common’ man see how foolish it is to listen to strong union leaders? Don’t they remember the chaos of the Arthur Scargill years when the country was brought to its knees by self-aggrandising men? Compared to bus drivers earning c.£22,000, train drivers earn c.£54,000. And for such workers to earn even more, the British public must suffer yet again? Another news item caught my eye. A scheme offering emergency, interest-free loans to people with nothing, who would otherwise be turned down. It’s backed by the government but run by credit unions and other lenders. That, alongside generous payments to the financially vulnerable to help with heating costs, should be headlined and lauded. That’s what a government is for: to help the person “wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door.”

12th June 2022

Authors are always told: write about what you know. But as you grow older, the experiences you’ve lived through become ever more complex. Are today’s children happier than when I grew up in the ‘50s? Are their mobile phones any substitute for the imaginative play shown in the film link below?  People thought differently back then. I didn’t have to make any ‘special’ friends. I simply played with all the children who happened to live in my road. In the school holidays and weekends, I was sent out to play and told to come back at tea time. We all played elaborate games with a minimum of playthings. If no-one had anything, we ran up the gulleys which surrounded our road and played in the dirt on bombsites. At 5 I went on my own, on the Midland Red bus, to my dance school -  5 miles away. Looking back, I don’t believe it was any safer back then. Most things which happened locally were never reported, so we lived our lives in carefree ignorance. Sometimes there was a rumour of a ‘dirty old man’ in a raincoat…..but we all just giggled and ran away. So, my memories, blurry with time, compete with my love of wartime adventures, as told by my father, plus my humorous adventures in France. My life so far has been an eclectic mix, as reflected in my fiction and non-fiction - sometimes serious, sometimes funny, but I hope always interesting! As Joni Mitchell said: you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.

A rare photo of me with my brother Alan - the source of my writing name.

https://fb.watch/dAjiPdWYAU/

5th June 2022

A week of marmalade sandwiches, street parties, Diana Ross, and Prince Charles paying an emotional tribute to ‘Mummy’. For once it didn’t matter that England lost a football match.  Throughout the UK, the people came together as one to laud what’s never happened before and may never happen again: a British monarch ruling for 70 years. Pomp and ceremony are what we do best. From Trooping the Colour to the crowds lining the Mall, and the spectacular red, white and blue Red Arrows display -  it made us all, from whatever background or ethnicity, proud to be British. I was 5 when Princess Elizabeth was crowned in 1953. Every child back then received a coronation mug, and many were the street parties where sandwiches, jelly and tea were in abundance.  I don’t know how the amazing photo below was done, but what an iconic image it is. It seems to say that, despite all the hurdles and difficulties over the years, you finally made it. Oh how I wish that I, too, after 70 years had an opportunity to say to my younger self “don’t worry; it’ll be all right in the end!”

29th May 2022

 Modern media allows us a bird’s eye view of catastrophic events happening around the world, and of how old-style cultures continue unabated. From school shootings in the US to the atrocities happening in Ukraine, people force themselves - for all sorts of reasons - to justify the unjustifiable. Writers have an unparalleled, ‘bird’s eye’, opportunity to cut through some of these ‘closed minds’, in the hope of bringing more sense to the world. When An Englishwoman in America was published three years ago, I included a serious chapter about the differences between UK gun laws and the US. Here’s the bald data:
Dunblane, Scotland. 26 years ago. A school shooting.  National response: a major crackdown on national gun laws. Number of UK school shootings since then: Zero.
USA. During the same 26 years, US national response to school shootings. Number of major changes to national gun laws or modernisation of 2nd Amendment:  Zero.  Number of recorded school shootings in the US: 245!

Everyone gets angry at times. It’s vital therefore that ordinary citizens can’t then reach for a lethal weapon. A punch on the nose means you get up again afterwards!
Click the icons on the right to read books on how citizens of Germany, France, Poland, UK, India/Scotland, China/Japan dealt with anger. Conclusion: If an embedded cultural practice in your country is continually causing the death of innocent people, get rid of it.

22nd May 2022

 An emotional few weeks. First, spending precious quality time with our daughter. Zoom and Whatsapp are all very well but not the same as seeing her in the flesh, albeit fleetingly. We spent a lovely two days talking, shopping and knitting together. But that wasn’t the only emotion flooding my brain.  You may remember the origins of my writing name of Olga Swan. It isn’t just to remember my late brother Alan. Etched permanently in my brain is also my late father’s saying “if no-one remembers you after you’ve gone, what’s the point of living?” Growing up in the ‘50s, I knew our name of Olswang was unusual, so to keep the name going, it was essential for either me or my brothers to have grandchildren. But, in practice, this hasn’t happened. Both my brothers passed away childless, and neither of my children have children of their own, so what to do? The only way was via my (anagram) writing name of Olga Swan but my old publisher had closed down, limiting my marketing possibilities. Step forward a wonderful traditional publisher, SpellBound Books (see below). Thank you so much Sumaira. I can see my father smiling right now. 

Wednesday 18th June 2022

✒️𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦✒️

We are beyond thrilled to welcome best-selling author Olga Swan to SpellBound !

Olga's stunning Historical Drama The Mandarin Seeds originality lies in highlighting an unsung  hero during WW2. Ho Feng Shan was the real-life Consul General of the Chinese Embassy in Vienna who saved 20,000 Jewish civilians in 1938. 

He was so modest he never told anyone what he had done, not even his family. After his death in 1997, he was honoured with the ‘Righteous Amongst Nations’ award by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. He was a real Chinese ‘Schindler’.

The Mandarin Seeds will be published in Autumn 2023.

Welcome to SpellBound Olga!

#NewAuthor #HistoricalFiction #SpellBoundBks

15th May 2022

 Now that our daughter’s safely back home in Maine, what does she regret not seeing on TV? Last night’s Eurovision!  As I watched it last night, my thoughts zoomed back to my earliest Eurovision memories. In 1956 we didn’t yet have a TV for the first event in Lugano where the winner out of just 7 countries was Switzerland. But I do remember wonderful past hosts like Katie Boyle, with her language skills. Back then, songs could only be sung in each nation’s native language, but this changed when everyone realised the advantage of singing in an internationally-known language. Hence, Abba’s Waterloo, sung in English. These days there’s something weirdly compelling about this annual zeitfest of ridiculous costumes and strobe lights, with hardly one good melody amongst them. And, last night, don’t even mention Spain’s pole-dancing costumes! But the political shenanigans going on between so-called independent panel selections are always predictable, even before the first note’s been sung. However, last night the political focus came even more to the fore. I got the feeling that douze points was already scribbled in for Ukraine before anyone had even heard the song. Well, was I in the Eden Bar here in Birmingham to watch and hear the nail-biting result? What do you think?

8th May 2022

 Our daughter is on a flying visit from the US for work, but fortunately she’s squeezed an extra weekend to come up to Birmingham to see us. First time in 3 years, so it’s wonderful to see her. But, as usual, Heathrow was a nightmare of long queues, waiting at electronic passport control before standing endlessly beside empty luggage carousels. Departures are even worse. Mile-long walks, shlepping heavy luggage.  Massive shops and restaurants. Covid tests and 3-hour queues at security control where overly-intrusive, prison-like officers search your person as if everyone’s a criminal. A total lack of respect for travellers’ dignity. Oh and beware that insidious hand-luggage belt where valuables often go missing from your bag whilst you’re busy putting on your shoes and belts the other side! Why do we put up with it all? Yes, there needs to be security, but to this extent? Other forms of international transport have nothing like it. In complete contrast, there’s a lovely little airport in Rodez, SW France. You drive right up to the one terminal building, park close and walk into the large reception space. No shops or other razzmatazz. You sit down and look up at the clear departure board then, when called, go through simple security/passport control, out onto the tarmac and onto the plane.   No steps or moving walkways. It’s a building, a runway and incoming and outgoing planes. It does what it says on the tin. Oh for the good old days.

1st May 2022

Is it time Westminster changes the way it effects government proceedings? The nation is constantly bombarded with news about the personal faux pas of its MPs. It’s a soap opera, each episode more salacious than the last. As each new revelation appears, news reports resemble the worst of the tabloid press. From inappropriate sexual advances of MPs to pornography, it never stops. Clearly, men are the same everywhere. I can think of no other country, though, where elected members are so constantly watched with zoom lenses, and their parliamentary discussions broadcast to the nation in every, fly-on-the-wall detail. I saw nothing like it in France. It’s then exacerbated by whichever Party is in opposition at the time.  Their whole existence is defined by finding, revealing, then promoting such findings about the government in order to push their own cause - that of winning the next election for themselves.  And our media colludes in all this, making us a laughing stock around the world. So, what to do? Stop broadcasting PM’s Question Time altogether, and conduct all government discussions in private. Any personal illegal misdemeanours by MPs should be dealt with, in private, by a disciplinary panel. The role of any government is to look outwards and devise laws to help its citizens, not to constantly look inwards at itself.

24th April 2022

 We’ve been finalising our long-awaited trip to the US to see our children. It’s been years since we last saw them. Zoom and Whatsapp are all very well but not the same. But why does everything have to be so difficult?  I’m still so tired from the lingering effects of Bell’s Palsy, so solving travel restrictions is like climbing a mountain. The US CDC entry rules still state that we must have a pre-departure Covid test within one day of travel but everyone interprets that differently. Because of past traffic delays, we like to stay overnight in an airport hotel. But if we take the test before we leave home, some say that’s more than one day even though the US site says that’s ok as it would still be within one calendar day!  Being a worrier I can’t risk being refused at check in, so I’m attempting to reserve a test at the airport the evening before. But some say the results take 24h! Hopefully a company there called Randox can give us a LF result in 60 minutes, but too soon yet to reserve the exact time and day I need, they say. And then there’s the 7 hour flight.  A holiday’s supposed to be pleasure and relaxation…

I’ll just have to visualise the idylls of our destination. Not too long now.

17th April 2022

I see that displaying the number of calories on restaurant and cafe menu items has now become law here.   I know what the French would say: c’est un catastrophe! And they’d be right.  Food to them isn’t just a commodity, it’s the foundation of life. The finer the ingredients, the better your health.  Putting poor quality food into your mouth is like asking Rolls Royce owners to fill up the tank with gas-oil used for heating.  French markets only sell vegetables and fruits in season, unlike shops here which sell foods like mushrooms and strawberries all year round. French restaurants provide the best ingredients, irrespective of calorie content, because flavour and quality are everything. The important thing is that, compared with the UK and the US, the plates are smaller! The new calorie policy here does no favours either to those with eating disorders because the focus becomes all about numbers. Calories don’t teach good nutrition, nor what’s in a balanced diet.  What’s needed is a healthy relationship with food. So, taste that butter, cream and cheese, and use olive oil in your cooking - but ditch those giant plates. A little bit of exquisite flavour from the finest, seasonal, natural ingredients, cooked on the hob, is far better than a mountain of tasteless, microwaved, processed food. 

10th April 2022

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scathing this week when he addressed the UN Security Council. He reminded them that, since its formation in 1945, it guaranteed peace after the horrors of WWII.  And he should know, with his Jewish background. But what should the UN do when one of their own member countries is currently carrying out war against another? It’s a credibility test for the UN. Are they just a talking shop, with no actual action? Also, many are the complaints about international bias. Israelis say that a UN complement of 18 large Arab nations v just one tiny Israel means there’s a huge UN bias against them, given that so many Arab nations pledge destruction of their country. This is proven by the large number of UN accusations against Israel whilst far more serious international conflicts are either ignored or not dealt with by resolution. Today, the threat to world peace is greater than at any time since the end of the Cold War in 1989. Yet, the UN has done nothing to stop the war in Ukraine. So, with its inherent biases and inaction, what’s the point of the UN? As Zelenskyy says, the UN might as well shut up shop.

IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES

Image caption, 

3rd April 2022

When I wrote An Englishwoman in America (scroll down to the image on the right), I was struck by the strength of family connections. My late father sailed across the Atlantic to NY at the age of 16, before returning to England in the 1930’s Depression era. In 1922, his older sister Babette was sent to the US from the back-to-back houses of inner-city Birmingham in order to improve her chances. On arrival at Ellis Island, she told immigration officials that she was a lady’s maid. It clearly worked because she lived in Brooklyn until her death there at the age of 90. Today, we haven’t seen our children, each married to an American, for over three years. So, this week I’ve been arranging our trip to Maine in the summer. I’d forgotten how difficult all the procedures are, from finding a travel insurance firm dealing with the US who include those over 70 with pre-existing conditions, to completing the fiendish US ESTA form to gain entry. To be honest, following a recent illness I don’t have a lot of physical energy, and even trying to get my printer to talk to my Microsoft Surface S laptop is still proving impossible. Ah well, at least I won’t need to tell US immigration I’m a lady’s maid! But, above all, family is everything. So, if not now, when?

27th March 2022

Mothers Day here in the UK. and the clocks have gone forward. A time to reflect on the important things in life before it’s too late. You only ever have one mother, soneone who gives you unconditional love. When she’s gone, something irreversible happens, never to return. Many Ukrainian mothers have been arriving on these shores, the trusting hands of their little ones clutched tightly in theirs as they settle into an alien culture and lifestyle far away from everything they’ve ever known. I’ve just finished reading the lifestory of another mother who, 70+ years ago, also came to these shores after fleeing the terrors of the Holocaust. Just like today, young refugees back then, traumatised by war, arrived in the UK  where good people welcomed them into their family and set them on the track of a completely new life in a ‘foreign’ culture. How difficult their transition must have been, errors sometimes being made - not because the newcomers were bad people but simply because they didn’t understand the unwritten laws of life in this country. So, if Mothers Day tells us anything, it should be:  be kind to others for we know not what they may be suffering inside.

20th March 2022

 …and so the Russian wanton destruction of Ukraine continues.  Weeks ago I said the best thing would be for Zelenskyy to make his country neutral. I haven’t changed that view. It would mean that Ukraine couldn’t join NATO, but if neutral it shouldn’t need defensive support. Russia couldn’t again invade, and Russia presumably would feel happy not to have NATO forces on its borders. Here’s what international law states: “A neutral country is a state that is neutral towards belligerants or is permanently neutral in all future conflicts (including avoiding entering into military alliances such as NATO or CSTO).” And nationals of neutral states enjoy protection too. Then I thought: why stop at Ukraine? Maybe Israel should consider becoming neutral too, to stop the incessant attacks and threats from the Arab states surrounding it. But, after suffering 4000 years of such attacks, Israel couldn’t risk demilitarising. I was surprised, therefore, to learn that some other neutral countries like Switzerland hold ‘armed neutrality’, whilst Austria, Ireland, Finland and Sweden have UN peacekeeping forces. So there seems to be scope to tailor the plan accordingly. And then a lateral thought. If becoming neutral stops lunatic leaders from war-mongering, why don’t we make every nation in the world neutral?  Now there’s a thought.

13th March 2022

Fifty years ago my dear mother (o.s.) passed away. Her condition in 1972 was undiagnosed, as my family never went to the doctor’s:  “if you go into hospital, you never come out.”  Unfortunately, this proved true.  For my poor mother, by the time her symptoms became too severe to be ignored any longer, it was too late. What is pertinent to me, today, as the last remaining member of that generation, is that all my family died, too young, from different forms of cancer.  For years, therefore, I’ve wished that there was some way of detecting any type of cancer long before symptoms become apparent.  Last year, I was interested to read about a new NHS research study, which proposed to do just what I’ve been looking for.  It’s a research study called Galleri, involving volunteer members of the public aged 50 - 77.  Perfect for me. I contacted various health directors until I found the researchers I needed. After a long wait, yesterday a letter came in the post inviting me to take part. And, I don’t need to go far: in a few weeks I must present myself at an NHS mobile unit at my local supermarket and have a simple blood test. If my blood sample subsequently shows any early signs of cancer, I’ll be referred on and given early treatment. If only this had been available for my grandparents, parents and brothers. May they rest in peace.

First review

 I’m delighted to read the first review of THE MANDARIN SEEDS on Amazon.com and it’s 5*!  Thank you Heidi Slowinski.  For your copy, click the book image on the right and post your review on Amazon.

(sic)

“From the United States

H. Slowinski

5.0 out of 5 stars

An engaging story of hope

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022

Set in 1930s Vienna, no one wants to believe the horrors of war will cross the Austrian boarder. But with the terrors of the Nazis increasing, Eva and Michael, along with showgirl, Marta, needing to find a way out. As the situation continues to grow increasingly desperate, planning their escape becomes increasingly difficult, until they encounter a Chinese gentleman who assists them in securing visas to Shanghai.

Swan crafts a beautifully story of love, loss, and survival. The two key characters, Marta and Eva couldn’t be more different. Marta being accustomed to the glare of the spotlight and appearing self-assured. And Eva, far more reserved and shy, struggling with the separation from her boyfriend Michael, who is left behind in Vienna. This creates an interesting conflict within a conflict to the story.

Jewish immigration to Asia, seeking freedom and safety from the turmoil and Antisemitism of Europe is an under told aspect of Jewish history. This story helps to shed further light on this path many took in their journey to flee oppression, violence, and tyranny.

The Mandarin Seed is an engaging story of hope. I look forward to reading more from this author.” 

6th March 2022

 When we returned to the UK in 2017, after 12 years in France, I thought that at last I could relax. With all its faults, England was a country I understood, so I looked forward to a future that would be peaceful and calm. But, no sooner had we reached Dover, the disaster rollercoaster was already running downhill fast. Brexit triggered a national meltdown, every FB post ridiculing the PM in cartoonish fashion. Then, just when the Brexit debacle reached its climax, along came the pandemic - costing the UK c.£250 billion! Pessimists like me, though, were reassured. As soon as the pandemic’s over, we’ll all be in a roaring-twenties mode to offset the years of misery.  I was just about to rummage in the attic for an age-old flapper dress, whilst Him indoors was relishing a return to prohibition-era spirits when, out of the blue, Putin’s tanks rolled into Ukraine. UK voters were now experiencing internal turmoil. No longer could they continue to parody the PM, ridiculously calling for his resignation for domestic faux-pas. We had a country to defend and our PM was standing strong on behalf of us all. Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. We may have left the EU, but we can still learn what’s important in life from the French. Voila.

27th February 2022

A week about war and heroes. So many wars are fought over land expansion, with no apparent relationship to size. Just look how vast Russia is - 68 times the size of the UK.  Compare that to the size of minuscule Israel - 11 times smaller than the UK - and nothing makes sense.  Why, when Russia’s so vast, would it want yet more land? The answer, of course, is one man’s obsessional desire to restore the past grandeur of the former USSR, ignoring completely that the world has moved on. Former Soviet states no longer wish to be part of it, now that modern tech has shown them how much better life is with individual freedom and democracy. I know that Russia was allied to the UK during the last war, each fighting the scourge of Nazism. But, for Russia to call Ukraine today a ‘Nazi’ State, when its president is Jewish, is absolute lunacy. Wars, though, can throw up unlikely heroes.  Volodymir Zelenskyy is one. In true Jewish style, he used to entertain the nation as a comedian. Now he roars like a lion, holding his democratic nation together in true heroic style. There’ve been other unlikely heroes in the past - rather like the unsung Chinese hero in my new novel The Mandarin Seeds - who, when the chips are down, risk their own lives in the name of humanity.  Zelenskyy (and posthumously, Ho Feng Shan) - I salute you.

20th February 2022

In these days of worries of war and pandemic, a tune comes unbidden to mind. Holding Out For A Hero, by Bonnie Tyler. And yet, regularly, we see (overpaid) recipients of eminent awards who are certainly not heroes, nor (to my mind) do they merit such an honour. Real heroes are those who don’t feel the need to tell anyone, least of all their families, what they’ve done to help others.  And it’s nothing to do with money, nor fame. That’s why I was determined to publicly honour a man called Ho Feng Shan, 25 years after his death. In 1938, he was Chinese Consul General in Vienna. Unable to ignore the plight of the Jewish people there, he realised he was in a position to do something. Acting against orders, and at considerable personal risk, Ho issued visas to thousands of Jews, enabling them to escape Nazi persecution and go to Shanghai, China, which, at the time, was a safe destination for them. Ho used his position of power to help thousands escape persecution, and later, deportation and imprisonment in concentration camps. I was therefore delighted to see that the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem awarded Ho Feng Shan a posthumous award in 2000. Today, we should all ask each other:  am I in a position to help others? 
That’s why I would dearly love The Mandarin Seeds to be a global success - not so much for me personally (I’m too old now) - but to make the name Ho Feng Shan synonymous with what a real hero looks like.  

I’m on Miriam’s blog

Here’s what friend, editor and fellow author Miriam Drori wrote on her blog today.

I’m delighted to welcome back friend and fellow author, Olga Swan, to tell us about an exciting new book.

Thank you, Miriam, for welcoming me onto your author blog.  It’s fitting really, because there’s a scene in my new novel where my character’s father is transported to Jerusalem, where you live.

Several months ago, I was watching a TV documentary, which spoke of an unsung hero from WWII. I did some research and discovered that he’d saved 20,000 Jewish citizens of Vienna between 1938 and 1940. His name was Ho Feng Shan, and he never told a soul – not even his family – what he’d done. He died in 1997, and was awarded the posthumous  ‘Righteous Amongst the Nations’ honour by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. But I was determined to make this Chinese ‘Schindler’ more widely known, so began writing. 

I’m now excited to tell your readers about my new novel, which has just been published. It’s called The Mandarin Seeds.

——

I’m honoured to be included on her blog. Thank you Miriam.

Hot off the presses!

To buy:  mybook.to/mandarin.

Ebook: £2.99 Paperback £7.99

I need a hero!

In 1935 Vienna, the demi-monde enjoy the delights of the Grunberger patisserie. Eva and boyfriend Michael love dancing in the illicit American jazz clubs but Nazi terror is rising. For Michael there is an added anxiety over his previous liaison with mercurial showgirl Marta. Soon, the desperate situation for the Jewish civilians of Vienna forces them to try to leave, but where can they go?

Step forward an unlikely Chinese hero who miraculously helps them obtain visas for Shanghai.

As showgirl Marta seduces local businessman Sassoon, what will happen to shy Eva in Shanghai? 

And what has happened to brave Michael, left behind in Nazi controlled Vienna.

Cross continents to an electrifying and  surprising ending in post--war  San Francisco.

mybook.to/mandarin

13th February 2022

The world needs a hero…
The news about Ukraine’s so depressing. Hope we’re not heading for WWIII. But, diplomacy didn’t help in 1938 - just ask Chamberlain - so will it now? Many leaders have tried recently, including Macron, with his Napoleon-like eye on elevating himself to be the future EU leader. What’s needed is to see both sides of the argument rather than the western one. Let’s pretend we’re the Russian leader, still smarting over the demise of the USSR. Looking west, he sees country after country either joining the EU or joining NATO, who, with the US, are massing ‘defensive’ troops and artillery all along his border. Conversely, the latter see only the likely invasion of Ukraine, so prepare themselves accordingly. How to stop all this from escalating to WWIII? It’s so simple. Find a hero to effect the immediate transition of first, Ukraine, followed by vulnerable Belarus, to become neutral countries, like Finland and Switzerland, who are neither EU nor NATO members. Problem solved. 

…My new novel’s about a real-life, modest hero who never told anyone what he’d done to save 20,000 people. No-one’s even heard of him. That’s what we need now - someone like him to save today’s world. Coming soon.

6th February 2022

On Friday I introduced news of my forthcoming novel.
Thank you to so many of you who liked my new venture, and to everyone who took the time to send in an answer.  My competition asked you to guess in which ‘surprising’ wartime country the book is set.  The ‘surprising’ thing for me was that no-one guessed it absolutely correctly!  I told you that my previous three wartime books were set in Germany, France and Poland, and that the new main setting is different.  Some of your answers included Russia, South Africa, Austria etc.  So, because my new novel begins in Vienna before heading across to a different continent, it’s only fair that I award the prize to the person who guessed Austria.  

Congratulations therefore go to:  Graham Stone!  A prize will be winging its way to you shortly.

But where does the story head to next?  All will be revealed very soon when the novel, title and cover will be published. To whet your appetite, below is an exclusive opening section, set in Vienna.

Enjoy!

Vienna

1935

Fragrant smoke lingered above their heads in  the tiny Viennese coffee house in Philharmoniker Straße. Warm air ebbed and flowed in synchrony with their laughter, hovering expectantly for that final crescendo. Sporadically, enticing aromas wafted over from the bäckerei bakehouse at the rear, tempting customers to order just one more divine pastry. This evening, Café Grünberger was crowded with the demi-monde, enjoying the company of fellow theatre-goers before the evening performance of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at the opera house across the street.  Harassed waiters bobbed between the tables, laden trays of delicious viennoiserie and coffee liqueurs held expertly aloft. Whether the order was for Sacher-Torte mit Schlagobers (whipped cream), Gebäckene Mäuser yeast dumplings with yogourt or even Sacher-Ganselebertorte, which was a speciality goose-liver tart with elderberry and apricot on a bed of hazelnuts, the customer was always right……

Competition

Very soon will be the launch of my new novel!

As a taster, it merges wartime heroism, love angst and suspense - crossing 3 continents. My previous 3 wartime novels were set in Germany, France and Poland. My new novel is mainly set in a DIFFERENT country. Hint: the location will surprise you.

COMPETITION  TIME

Win a FREE signed paperback of one of my earlier books.

Q. IN WHICH COUNTRY IS MY NEW WARTIME NOVEL SET?

DM Olga Swan on Messenger with your answer.

Competition ends 7 am UK time Sunday morning, when winner will be announced on my blog, olgaswan.blogspot.com. 

Good luck!

30th January 2022

 On Thursday the word ‘proportionality’ came to mind…
 On 27th January 1945, liberators arrived at Auschwitz and saw the evil that man can do to other men. Seventy-seven years later, on Thursday, a powerful BBC2 programme, documented by Prince Charles, showed how royally-commissioned portraits of seven Holocaust survivors perpetuated not just their image but mirrored their souls and memories. One said “We are very fortunate today to live in the best country in the world”. The PM understood this. He has promised to build a National Holocaust Memorial and Education Centre so that “future generations can never doubt what happened, because that is the only way we can be certain that it never happens again…we will ensure that Britain never forgets the truth of the Holocaust.”  Elsewhere, war looms between Russia and Ukraine, and the PM will meet Mr Putin next week. Whilst these serious issues are happening, what are our British media focusing on? Are they supporting our PM in his difficult task of leading and representing our great nation?  No!

…..So, to the media and all those so hyped-up by them that they continue to rant about his meeting with work colleagues, I would say: forget what is at worst a fixed-penalty domestic charge, and support our PM in his far more important global fight. Get a sense of proportionality!

23rd January 2022

 Yesterday was 22.1.22 here. Maybe that’s why I went backwards in my dream last night. It was 1952 and I was playing in the street. All my long-gone family were there. My brothers were playing marleys with friend Victor in the dirt, their feet in ballet’s first position, to catch the marbles. I watched for a while. Victor said you don’t have to go to school if you don’t want to. Years later, he was still working as a teacher! I told Mrs S, our neighbour, that I couldn’t wait for September when I would start school. You’ll wish your life away, she said. She’s now long gone. My father would read the racing results and fill in the football pools coupon, State Express ash falling on the lino. I never understood all the different lines. What on earth did 8 from 11 mean? I still don’t! We all had to shush when the radio was on. Nottingham Forest 2…pause…Aston Villa nil. Depression all around, but at least my team won yesterday!  Neither the radio news nor the national papers ever reported on happenings in Downing Street. Headlines blared the important stuff, which country was fighting another. That’s what the news is for. If I wanted the gossipy stuff, like who went to a party, I’d just ask Mrs S next door.