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.