Exeter Writers

  Elizabeth Wins International Publishing Award Elizabeth Ducie has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 9th Annual Women in Publishing Summit. The award was presented at the closing session on Wednesday 11 th March. Elizabeth spent more than thirty years as an international manufacturing consultant and technical writer before turning to creative fiction in 2006—and what followed is a masterclass in what indie publishing, done with intention, can look like. Under her own imprint, Chudleigh Phoenix Publications, she has published more than twenty titles including the  Jones Sisters  international thriller series, the  Coombesford Chronicles  cozy mystery series, and six collections of short stories. Her debut novel,  Gorgito's Ice Rink , was runner-up in  Writing Magazine ‘s Self-Published Book of the Year Awards in 2015. But the achievement that defines Elizabeth's legacy is arguably her  Business of Writing  series—a prac...

Elizabeth Ducie's latest cosy mystery is out soon! Silenced at the Summer Social , book 4 in the Coombesford Chronicles series of cosy murder mysteries will be published on Friday 1st November and is available for pre-order now: https://geni.us/CoombesfordBook4 "Retired school teacher, clerk to the Parish Council, devoted churchgoer. Josephine Hillson is the proverbial pillar of the community. But apparently not everyone in the community sees her that way. And at the end of a warm September’s day, with the Summer Social winding down, Josephine goes to meet her maker in the swimming pool of Mountjoy Manor. Suspicion falls on the teenage Worcester twins, but the amateur sleuths of Coombesford are on the case."

  Thrill Never Wears Off   Exeter Writers member Elizabeth Ducie launched her umpteenth book this week (and yes, she has lost count!) but found that the thrill was as great this time around as when she brought out her first book of short stories back in 2011.  Calamity at Coombesford Church  is the third in the  Coombesford Chronicles  series of cosy crime set in a fictional English village.   Isabella Street is a talented composer and musical director with a passion for her craft and the drive to create something truly unique. In  The Hero’s Return , she embarks on her greatest triumph yet: celebrating the tercentenary of a local boy made good. But not everyone is happy with Isabella's plans and one night in Coombesford Church, her preparations and rehearsals are brought to an abrupt conclusion. Amateur sleuths, Charlie, Annie, and Rohan work together to uncover the truth behind the shocking events.   The ebook is available to download ...

 Exeter Writers have always supported Exeter Literary Festival and this year is no different. Here are a few of the events being hosted by our members: Writing a Spy Thriller: The Secret Deals, Espionage and Real History Behind The Wolfsberg Deception • Zoom • Thursday 28 October D on't miss this excellent opportunity to hear Professor Richard Handy talk about the inspirations behind his WWII thriller, The Wolfsbe rg Deception . Sharing how real historical events, secret technology and skullduggery shaped his writing , this FREE Zoom session is going to be fascinating.   Book Launch: Elizabeth Ducie and Richard Handy • The Bookery, Crediton • Wednesday 3 November   Richard will be joining fellow Exeter Writer, Elizabeth Ducie in a joint book launch at The Bookery in Crediton.  Don't miss this opportunity to meet the authors and get signed copies of their latest novels; Please remember that although both of these events are free, booking is es...

It’s a busy few weeks for Exeter Writer, Elizabeth Ducie, who writes both fiction and non-fiction. In August she published one book and began trials of a second one. In September, she will be launching her latest novel. And to cap it all, she’s running a sale  for two of her earlier novels.

Photo by David Knowles Exeter Writers, Elizabeth Ducie and Angela Wooldridge are also members of Chudleigh Writers Circle, who for the past year have been taking part in a Joint Arts Project with Newton Abbot Writers Group, Newton Abbot Photographic Group and Newton Art Group. The project will culminate in an exhibition in Teignmouth in November. However, this week, they have reached an interim stage. 

In the world of books, one of the most sought after blogs to have your book reviewed is with Anne Williams on her blog, Being Anne . This week, Exeter Writer, Elizabeth Ducie's latest novel, Deception! is in the limelight. Click here to see what Anne has to say about it! Tweet

There's lots going on at PlymLit 17 from October 21st to 29th. (And the Exeter Writers are joining in!)  

Back in 1992, Elizabeth Ducie nearly died in Brazil. Or to be completely accurate, she nearly died on a plane about to land in Sao Paulo. “I collapsed in the loo (not the most glamorous of locations, admittedly) and had to be hauled out by the air crew, not breathing. It totally disrupted breakfast service in First Class, as that was the only place there was room to lay me out on the floor. Then, when the inevitable call went out for a doctor, there were seventy-six on board, cardiologists flying home from a convention in Europe. My colleagues told me later the doctors were surrounding me, waving syringes in the air and arguing about whether I was having a heart attack or not!”

Elizabeth Ducie is featured this week on the With Love For Books website, which has an interview and giveaway on her first novel, Gorgito's Ice Rink

Ok, slight exaggeration, but congratulations to two of our Exeter Writers who are featured in Writing Magazine this month. N. Sian Southern was shortlisted in Writing Magazine's 'Tight Situation' story competition. And Elizabeth Ducie features in two articles. A press release about her novel, Counterfeit ! and the regular 'I wish I'd known' column.

Exeter Writer, Elizabeth Ducie, will be talking at St Thomas Library, Exeter on Thursday 3rd November. Come along and chat as she talks about her years of travel which have provided so much inspiration for her novels.

This writing business means that there's often something new coming out and this week we have two new publications; Elizabeth Ducie's The Business of Writing is now available in paperback as a single volume.   Originally published as three separate e-books, this useful book provides a simple road map for writers who want to set up and run their own small business.     Meanwhile Sophie Duffy, Cathie Hartigan and Margaret James are looking forward to Christmas with A Christmas Celebration , a compendium of stories, quizzes and puzzles.   Both are available in paperback and on Kindle.

The debut novel from Elizabeth Ducie is now available on Amazon as an ebook or as a paperback. Gorgito's Ice Rink is a tale of love, loss and broken promises.  Bureaucracy, corruption, economic melt-down and the harsh climate are just some of the barriers Gorgito Tabatadze faces in his quest to build a championship ice-rink in post-Soviet Russia. On the surface, he is helping to re-unite a distraught young boy with his sister, a talented ice skater who has moved to America to train. But inside, he is motivated by memories of another lost sister and a promise to his mother which he was unable to fulfil.   Gorgito's Ice Rink  can be found here . It's been a busy few months for Elizabeth who recently won the Fiction Prize at the Graham Greene Birthplace Trust Creative Writing Awards. In July, she published the second in her series of ebooks on business skills for writers. The Business of Writing: Part Two Finance Matters can be found here .