Back to the 70's Fundraiser for Age UK, Wandsworth

We survived!  (Although try telling that to our legs!).  My fundraiser for Age UK in memory of my mum was a fantastic success and all the guests said what a great night it was.

We raised £1,350 which, considering we had to pay for the venue, the entertainer, the decorations/props and some of the food, I'm delighted with.  Every penny will go to help the elderly in the borough of Wandsworth so huge thanks to all those who helped make it possible (raffle list and contributors at end of this blog).

As our usual venue closed down we hosted this year's event at St Mary's church hall, Putney.  Wow!  Such friendly and helpful staff and the space lent itself fantastically to our 70's theme. You'll see from the pictures that we managed to transform it into a funky disco and it was lovely to see so many guests turn up in costume.

As with each event we learn from mistakes - this year's being ... NEVER do the catering again!  Pappa Ciccia, Fulham kindly delivered deliciously hot, fresh pizzas for each table so we totally over-estimated the food that we prepared and served.  Thankfully, son's fiancée took to the web and found a hungry student who was having friends round and she came to collect the mound of leftovers the following day!

Next year we're hoping to host a Hollywood Night - I just need to find the perfect venue, a generous caterer and, hopefully, a wealthy sponsor!

Enjoy the pictures ...

With son before we set off - I am still removing glitter today!

Ready and waiting for the guests - my husband, the game show host!

The Welcome table

Son did a great job of the windows featuring my album covers from the 70's

The raffle table alongside the cupcake lottery and guess the weight of the cake

Guests settling in

YMCA - of course! Entertainment by 'Babette'

Our barmaid - son's fiancée

Special thanks go to:
My long suffering but incredibly supportive husband.
Son and fiancée for all their help on the day and running the bar - guests commented on the beautiful bar staff!
My sister and her husband for their cash donation.
Elizabeth for making all the table runners and a fantastic cake for 'Guess the Weight' and also providing and cooking all the sausages and helping to set up and clear up along with Judy, William and Marylou.
'Fenella' for help transporting food and providing all the cupcakes for the lottery.
Toby for all his help with the raffle.
My friend Mireille (sadly missed this year) for her contribution to the raffle.
Twitter friend, Putney Man for 4 raffle prizes.
Emma and all at Age UK, Wandsworth for their support and the beautiful orchid I was presented with.
Our entertainer, Babette - she sure knows how to get a crowd on their feet.
Berni and Tim at St Mary's church for being so helpful and cheery.

And all of the following for their raffle contributions:
 
DOOR PRIZE - Crowne Plaza Hotel, Battersea - overnight stay and use of spa facilities for 2
THE SPENCER PUB, PUTNEY - Dinner voucher (£50)
COOK - £20 voucher
A TIME TO HEAL, Glasgow - pamper hamper
THE PHEASANTRY, Kings Road, Chelsea - 2 x £15 live show tickets
KINGSTON LODGE HOTEL:
- Sunday lunch for 2 (£40)
- Afternoon Tea for 2 (£30)
CANNIZARO HOUSE, Wimbledon - Dinner and wine for 2
TASTECARD - membership for a year (£40)
THE DANCE LAB, Putney - beginners dance course for 1 mth for 2 (£100)
AVENUE COOKERY SCHOOL, Putney - £40 voucher
HEADMASTERS - cut and blow dry (approx £40)
CHISWICK HOUSE - entry vouchers for 4 (approx £30)
THE FLOWER YARD, PUTNEY - flower arrangement
JOE BROWN PERSONAL TRAINING - Assessment / sports massage / nutrition
CAFÉ FLEUR, Wandsworth - £15 voucher
BILLS RESTAURANT - £40 voucher
HOME SW15 - cocktail making class for 4 (£120)
OLIVER BONAS - £20 voucher
DALEY FITNESS - gym membership for 1 mth
BARRY LOUVAINE TATTOOS - £100 voucher
OH LA LASH - set of semi-permanent lashes (£85)
WATERMANS ARMS, Barnes - 2 separate prizes of meal for 2 with wine
THE STYLE LOUNGE, Wandsworth - blow-dry and manicure (£65)
Personal donations:
£50 Gap voucher x2
£50 H&M voucher x2
Bottle of Tequila & Cognac
Bottle of Port & Calvados
NEOM hand and body lotion (£22)
Picnic Rucksack with Prosecco
House of Yoga, Putney - 2 x 1 month free trial (£35 each)
Pappa Ciccia - pizza donations for the night 

And finally ... A shameless plug but a girl's got to eat! I have a new novel and a new Christmas novella out. Both on Amazon. If you like a romcom, check me out!  I have lots of them to offer.

New release - it's been a while!

I know, I know it's been FOREVER since I brought out a new book but there are reasons for this which I'm unable to share for the moment.  As soon as I can, I will.  Promise.

Anyway, 'Half as Good as You' is now available for pre-order on Amazon and will hit your Kindle on 4th October.  The paperback version will be available shortly, once I decide whether to publish through Lulu or Amazon.

If you read it and love it, PLEASE leave a review  - your words help to sell mine.  If you've enjoyed any of my other books, I'd be really grateful for even a one line review.  They really DO make a difference.

Right ... here's the blurb ...

The day after discovering her husband’s infidelity, TV make-up artist Fizz finds herself knocked off her feet (quite literally!) by a passing stranger in the busy Covent Garden rush hour.  

Rescued by an elderly gentleman, an unusual friendship forms, a mystery lottery ticket appears and Fizz realises that she’d never really been as content in her marriage as she’d allowed herself to believe.

With the arrival of two new men on the scene, how long will it be before Fizz hits the jackpot?

And the links for UK Amazon

And USA Amazon 

Just £1.99 - less than a coffee and will last longer!

Pirating is Theft - end of.

Dear Travis McCrea of Ebook Bike

It’s not often that I blog now as there never seem to be enough hours in the day when you earn an honest living but this particular post needs to get out my system before I self-combust.

Working as an Indie writer is an incredibly tough job and, in the past, was a worthwhile career.  The way that Amazon has changed how they pay us has made it increasingly difficult to earn a living and so I really don't need any spanners in the works.

So, with a constant battle on my hands to get my books seen, talked about, sold and reviewed, imagine my fury when it came to light that you are stealing my work and giving it away for free.  Your opening line on your FAQ page is:

Imagine a world where authors can make money by giving digital versions of their books away to their reader.

This makes NO SENSE TO ME!  HOW?!  How can the theft of my books be making me any money?  Do you have a stash of cash owing to me?  I don’t think so somehow.  I’ve asked you this many times on Twitter and you choose not to answer.  I wonder why.

The truth of the matter is, every book you give away is taking hard earned cash from my hands.  So all the years, months, weeks and hours of blood sweat and tears that I pour into my work are given away, without my permission, for nothing.

And how do you justify this?  Oh, it gets better and better!  You set yourself up as a Reverend of:

Missionary Church of Kopimism

The followers of the religion are called Kopimists from copy me. A "Kopimist" or "Kopimist intellectual" is a person who has the philosophical belief that all information should be freely distributed and unrestricted. This philosophy opposes the monopolization of knowledge in all its forms, such as copyright, and encourages file sharing of all types of media including music, movies, TV shows, and software.

So you are somehow trying to justify your act of theft.  Unbelievable!

It doesn’t end there though.  Your girlfriend @malkarii_ is a charity fundraiser for St Jude’s Hospital, Memphis.  No, no, no!  Sorry, but this doesn’t sit well with me.  You @travisvancouver boast about the plane that you’ve bought and the yacht trips that you’ve taken with MY money - because your ‘religion’ doesn’t believe in copyrighting and you’re under the misguided impression that it’s your right to share my work for your gain.  You can’t expect us to believe that your girlfriend doesn’t enjoy that illegal lifestyle to some extent.

I too raise funds for charity and I know that my reputation needs to be whiter than white.  I’ve watched her video on Twitch and I feel for her but she openly admits that what you are doing is ‘shady’ and has asked you to take the website down.  Any connection with you and your dodgy deals will not show @malkarii_ in a good light - she needs to be rethinking her life choices and who she keeps company with if you continue to ignore her requests and she wants to maintain her credibility and integrity.

And you need to own up to the fact that you are a thief and a liar.  On your interview with BBC Radio, you claimed that Ebook Bike was set up with and for writers.  I’d like just ONE writer to come forward and agree with this statement.  Who are these writers who helped to set it up and how do they gain financially from it?  The only writers I’ve heard voice an opinion, are those who are being ripped-off.

I thought long and hard before writing this.  There are two trains of thought.  Some authors are keeping quiet as they don’t want to give you oxygen to grow, others are livid and doing everything they can to bring you down.  Indies are the ones who are particularly disgruntled as we don’t get an advance to keep us going - but what the traditionally published authors need to realise is that, if their books continue to be given away without their permission, their publishers will see a fall in sales and may not re-sign them.  It affects us all.  I won’t be silenced, especially when I read that a sixth of ebooks that were downloaded in 2017 were pirated because of the likes of you.  Why should I keep quiet?  If you crept into my house while I was sleeping and stole all of my worldly goods I wouldn’t let you get away with it - this theft is no different.

I don’t have a plane or fancy yacht trips around the English Bay of Vancouver and you know why?  Because I’m helping to pay for you to enjoy those privileges.

Shame on you.  Enjoy the publicity while you can but I don’t think it will last for long.  Time to get your thinking cap on and come up with a new scam.

May you get your just desserts in heaven Reverend McCrea.

PS: To those authors and publishers who choose to keep quiet, I respect your opinion but I’m choosing to speak out for the underdog.  I don’t believe that by writing this I will encourage more people to pirate books - honest people don’t - but I do feel that it needs to be talked about.  This isn’t just affecting Indies.  It’s affecting traditionally published authors and will go on to affect the publishing world, just as it did with pirated music, unless people make a noise.  I don’t believe that this is a time for anyone to sit on their laurels, hope that it will go away and leave other people to do the dirty work and deal with it on their behalf.