Words with JAM

Back in July 2012, we broadcast a podcast of Liza Perrat’s debut historical novel, Spirit of Lost Angels. Here, the author reads an extract from the second book in L’Auberge des Anges, series: Wolfsangel, which will be officially launched under the Triskele Books label on 16th November, 2013 at the Chorleywood Literary Festival. 1943. Provincial Lucie-sur-Vionne is under the heel of the German occupation, and as the villagers pursue treacherous schemes to deceive and swindle the enemy, Céleste embarks on her own perilous mission as her passion for a Reich officer flourishes. Wolfsangel is one woman’s unforgettable journey to help liberate Occupied France. Liza Perrat is an Australian living in rural France, and you can read more about her writing, and about the true WWII crime on which Wolfsangel is based, on her website: www.lizaperrat.com  

Disappearing Acts is a short story by Max Orkis. Something strange is happening to Maria. She's behaving quite out of character. Max Orkis is a screenwriter, teacher, father and one of the original members of The Café Schober Writers. His story is read by JJ Marsh.

A Christmas stocking filler for you: the opening chapters of Ziptux's Incredible Cricket Adventures, a children's novel by Brijesh Luthra, read by the author. Ziptux is a cricket-crazy 9-year old boy living in Switzerland, who dreams of being the best cricketer on Earth. His Swiss friends have no interest in the game, so he spends his time playing cricket with his silent partner – an abandoned scarecrow. One day, while trying to find his lost ball, Ziptux meets a man who calls himself Mr. Trick-them-all, from the planet Kiri-Kiri-kit, who may just have been the person who introduced cricket to the Earth in the first place. Can Ziptux prove himself spiffy enough for this new world? And what will happen if he does? You can find out more about the author and his writing at http://www.brijeshluthra.com/

In this short podcast, Words with Jam interviews the author David Mitchell, best known for his novel, Cloud Atlas. In this extract from October's interview, he discusses the film adaptation of the book. To read the rest of the interview, to be published in the October issue of Words with Jam, just go to the WWJ website, and subscribe FREE to our online edtion.

  Imagine, read by the author, Libby O'Loghlin. Everyone remembers what they were doing when the news broke: when Kennedy was shot, when Princess Diana died, when the first plane crashed into the World Trade Centre. Yet everyday lives continued with their own ups and downs. The Bridge House anthology On This Day brings us a collection of short stories about those everyday lives and how they are gently connected with a world-shattering event.  Imagine is one of these stories. It follows young Cleopatra Smith as she navigates school friendships, the demise of a terminally ill aunt and the death of John Lennon. Libby O'Loghlin is an Australian who lives in Switzerland. A writer and editor by trade, she has taught scriptwriting at university level and writes regular reviews for UK gaming site, GamePeople. She is co-founder of the Nuance Words collective and co-curator of The Woolf literary e-zine.

Our latest podcast is an extract from the novel, Spirit of Lost Angels by Liza Perrat, read by the author. Spirit of Lost Angels traces the journey of a bone angel talisman passed down through generations.  The women of L'Auberge des Anges face tragedy and betrayal in a world where their gift can be their curse. Amidst the tumult of revolutionary France, this is a story of courage, hope and love. You can read more about Spirit of Lost Angels and at Liza Perrat at www.lizaperrat.com.  Liza is a member of the exciting new writers' collective, Triskele Books.

This month’s podcast is the opening chapters of Phoenix Bright Eagle, a dark and complex retelling of a classic Russian fairytale by Alexandra Yudovich, read by the author. Yudovich knew and loved this tale as a child and wanted to translate it. But when she first tried writing it down in English, it soon became clear that a straight translation would not to work. Taken out of its native tongue, the story didn’t have the same feeling, the same poetry. So this retelling borrows from Western traditions and blends them seamlessly with the Russian. One traditional element, however, remains firmly centre stage. In Russian fairytales, the woman is no passive figure waiting to be rescued. Like Alenushka in this story, it is she who sets out on a quest; she who, more often than not, must save the prince. Alexandra Yudovich is a former employee of Radio Free Europe. She now lives in San Francisco.

On the Isle of Wight in the 19th century, a parson finds himself inconvenienced when one of his flock declines to stay dead.A short story, read by the author.Lee Williams is a writer from the Isle of Wight in England. He has had a number of short stories published in print and online (most recently at the Cafe Irreal) and has received hundreds of encouragingly polite rejections from all over the world! His latest project is a spoof fantasy gamebook, 'The Tower of Clavius Boon'.

This is our first anniversary.  Yay! We've been going for a whole year.  And our anniversary podcast is really something special:  Amanda Hodgkinson reading the opening chapter of her book, 22 Britannia Road. At the end of the Second World War, Silvana and eight-year-old Aurek board the ship that will take them from Poland to England. After living wild in the forests for years, carrying a terrible secret, all Silvana knows is that she and Aurek are survivors. Everything else is lost. Waiting in Ipswich is Silvana’s husband Janusz, who has not seen his wife and son for six years. He has found his family a house and works hard planting a proper English garden to welcome them. But the six years apart have changed them all. To make a real home, Silvana and Janusz will have to come to terms with what happened during the war, accept that each is different and allow their beloved but wild son Aurek to be who he truly is. When 22 Britannia Road came out in hardback last year, it was chosen as one of Waterstone's 11 best debut novels of 2011.  The paperback edition is coming out on 2nd February, and we are delighted to announce that it has been named as the Orange New Writers Book of the Month for February.

Our first podcast of 2012 is the opening of Pete Morin's fabulous legal thriller, Diary of a Small Fish, read by the author. When Paul Forte is indicted by a federal grand jury, everyone suspects prosecutor Bernard (don’t call him “Bernie”) Kilroy has more on his mind than justice. Then the FBI agent in charge of Paul’s case gives him a clue to the mystery: Kilroy is bent on settling an old family score, and he’s not above breaking the law to do it. Paul is already dealing with the death of his parents and divorce from a woman he still loves. Now, with the support of an alluring grand juror, Paul must expose the vindictive prosecutor’s own corruption before the jury renders a verdict on his Osso Buco. Diary of a Small Fish is published in paperback and as an ebook.

Christmas Day, 1974. Australians woke to the news that tropical cyclone Tracy had devastated the town of Darwin in Northern Territory. 71 people had been killed and over 70% of Darwin's buildings destroyed. But for 12 year old Wendy, the storm was to have quite different consequences.

Our first YA podcast is the opening of Kimi's Secret by John Hudspith, read by JJ Marsh. Wanna hear something really scary? When death comes knocking on your door there is really only one place to hide. Dragged screaming to the paranormal world of Heart, where ghosts are real, big cats prowl, aliens are greylians, monkeys rule, trolls troll, fairies are vermin, the Adepts always know best, magic is mojo and roasted dodo is the dish of the day; Kimi Nichols is handed a secret that must never be revealed. To do so would mean the end of mankind.  WARNING: contains imploding toads, gravity-defying clowns, liquefied brains, a sadistic dentist and a deformed taxidermist; great dollops of blood and bogies, half a million crows, and a giant with OCD. Gothic horror meets supernatural sci-fi; Kimi’s Secret will leave you gagging, breathless and sleeping with the light on. Suitable for grinning little monsters aged 10 to 100. To find out more, find Kimi's Secret on Facebook or you can buy the book from Amazon, as a paperback or for Kindle.

“As one writer put it, the rapt attention of an audience is like a mirror in front of her,reassuring her that, after all the horror and degradation, she is still, powerfully and triumphantly, alive.”[Sheila Hayman, Write to Life coordinator] Freedom from Torture’s creative writing group Write to Life was set up by the playwright SonjaLinden eleven years ago. It began with just four writers and a couple of mentors and showed how writing can help survivors cope better with their pasts and with the present. The group now comprises some 20 clients, all referred by counsellors who recognise that for somewriting can heal like no other form of therapy. Their work is truly ground-breaking. Write to Life ispossibly the only therapeutic writing group in the world dedicated specifically to survivors of torture. Many of the writers are in what the group’s current coordinator, film maker and novelist SheilaHayman, describes as ‘a state of petrifaction’, unable to work, endlessly waiting to hear if their asylum application has been accepted. Writing is something they can do anywhere, at any time. “All it takes is a pen and paper and enough peace to be able to let the words come out.” We are exceptionally privileged to be able to bring you a podcast that features performances from seven of Write to Life’s very talented poets. You can read the text of five of these poems on our blog at http://quinnpublications.blogspot.com/2011/11/writing-to-live-again.html I am alive*, by ‘Faith’ (Ethiopia)I know*, by Tim (Congo)What belongs to me*, by ‘Saber’Drifting, by Stephen (Burundi)I hear a voice, by ‘Uganda’Glimpse*, by Stephanie (Cameroon)My Hands*, by ‘Rocher’ (DRC)

This month we bring you the opening of Darren J Guest's intelligent, complex horror novel, Dark Heart, read by Daniel Barzotti. On Leo's sixteenth birthday. something bad happened. Something so traumatic his mind fractured, and darkness filled the crack. Twenty years on and the crack is a canyon. The schizophrenic hallucination that offered sympathy has taken to mocking him, and the memory of that long-ago birthday claws at his darkest fears, overshadowing even the murder of his younger brother Davey. But just when Leo thinks life can't get and worse... Leo dies. A demon returns after twenty years. An Angel follows close behind. Leo is caught in an age-old conflict, his past lying at the dark heart of it all.  To find out more about Dark Heart and about Darren Guest, visit his blog at www.darrenjguest.com

Our Little Secret, by Barbara Scott-Emmett was first published in her book 'Drowning'. It is read here by the author. The day the Sandersons went home is so much more than just the last day of summer... Read more by and about Barbara Scott-Emmett on her blog: http://barbarascottemmett.blogspot.com/

Our latest podcast is a selection of poems from the collection, Tales of Unrequited Love, by Anna Hobson, performed by the author. Anna tells us, "They are inspired by dark humanity; by the shifting seething turmoil within; by the sparks created by collisions of character. I write about love, pain and heartbreak; about blind instinct, manipulation, and the selfish guzzling of emotion." Music is copyright John Hobson, from the album Wireless. Anna established the group Oxford Creative Writers in April 2010 as an informal setting for local unpublished authors to discuss their work. She is currently writing her first novel, and regularly performs her poetry at literary events. Recent appearances include Oxfringe and Stoke Newington Literary Festival as a member of The New Libertines group. In her capacity as Publications Coordinator for the Oxford International Women’s Festival she organises Open Mic fundraisers, as well as managing the design, content and distribution of the Festival Programme. You can read more of Anna's poetry on her website: http://makewordsnotwar.wordpress.com/ Tales of Unrequited Love is to to be published in August 2011.

In the June Edition of Words with Jam, JW Hicks won second and third prizes in our Opening Page Competition. Of 'Altered', which won second prize, the judge, Andrew Crofts, wrote: 'Wonderful, colloquial writing that is easy to read despite the unusual use of language. The first paragraph is fabulous - funny shocking, intriguing... The whole page is vibrant, funny and the slang doesn't sound forced or false... I love it and would really like to read more. I want to find out more about Raft and Ratty. I even want to know more about the 'sizeable corpse'" Well, for all of you who felt the same, here is the whole of the first chapter, read by the author. And if you want to find out more about JW Hicks, you can read an interview with her at: http://jjmarsh.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/interview-with-jw-hicks/

We've got something different for you this time. First, a short story, 'Immune', written by Mig Living. Secondly, a piece of music inspired by the story. The title is 'I Walked with a Zombie', by Schmuckfenster. "Every day is a struggle for survival against the zombie hordes. Baron is on his own. Apart from his zombie." 'Immune' is read for you by Axeman.

Aubergine by Helen Smith. A short story told by the author. Something very strange is happening to Claire. Could it be connected to her age? Or the fact that she's a woman? Or is she experiencing more than a general feeling of malaise? Music by Kevin MacLeod, http://incompetech.com/. Helen Smith is the author of Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector. She has a blog at http://helensmithblog.blogspot.com.

This month, we are proud to bring you The Beast Next Door by Susan Howe, read by Daniel Barzotti. Gerald knows what was happening to his neighbour, but is he the best person to help her? The Beast Next Door was selected as Story of the Month by Circalit in April 2011 and will shortly be published as an app by Ether Books. http://www.circalit.com/suewrite/projects/the-beast-next-door/

After a slightly longer than usual interval (sorry about that) Words with Jam is delighted to bring you Roland Denning's dystopic tale, Connected. When CCTV and Reality Television merge together and multiple-choice has replaced freedom, how do we hang onto the last shards of ourselves? Not just a reading of short story, but a fully voiced audio-play, written and performed by Roland Denning. Other members of the cast: Anita: Lesley Davis Frank: Howard Lee Report Reader: Murray Anderson-Wallace

Welcome to our podcast in support of the BBC's World Book Night, on 5th March 2011. Travel from war torn Nigeria to a dark night by Checkpoint Charlie, from the ice world of the armoured bears to a world ruled by prime numbers - as a selection of our readers and contributors champion their choice of books from the World Book Night list. To learn more about World Book Night, go to http://www.worldbooknight.org/.

We hope you will enjoy this chilling little tale by JW Hicks, read by the author. The human obsession with health fads is even getting to the vampires...

A short story by Jo Reed, read by Jill Marsh When Alele's father decides to marry her off to Mr. Muyila in exchange for a bull, her mother has other ideas... This story was first published in Mslexia in Spring 2009.

We are very pleased to announce that, along with the February edition of Words with Jam, we are bringing you our very first podcast: Catriona Troth reading from her article, ‘In Praise of Virtual Friends’. "I have grown increasingly tired, over the past few years, of the periodic flare up – as predictable as flu – of pundits falling over each other to tell us how Facebook has devalued the entire notion of friendship. Like Harry meeting Sally, these pundits insist: there can be no real friendship in cyberspace. Well, I think they are wrong, and here's why."