CWC Blog

Report from the meeting of 1st September by Piers Rowlandson.

Nicky Lowes was in the Chair. Seven members attended. There were no apologies.

We welcomed Peter Crawley. He explained how he self-publishes his books using the independent publisher Trubador. Self-publishing allows him to keep control of the process, and he finds Trubador/Matador very helpful indeed. They will edit the manuscript if asked and advise on the cover. They take care of the formatting (which some members find very stressful). It takes six months and costs £1850 for 300 copies, but the product is excellent. They also help with promoting the book.

He was not keen on KDP, having used it once years ago. It is almost cost-free, but there was no proofreading or help with distribution, and the end product did not look good. 

I have used KDP over the years. Things have improved a lot. They now offer proofreading, and the book can be an ebook, paperback, or hardback, with a glossy cover if that is what you want. I use Scrivener (£50) to do my formatting.

We then went on to discuss some of his books, Theo's Voice in particular and also Constant Tides. They are two very different books written in very different styles. Members bought some of the books. 

Peter also explained how the Autumn Market in Midhurst on 31st October works and advised us to join the Society of Authors, who are very helpful in several areas, including arranging Public Liability insurance.

It was a most enjoyable evening, with great cakes provided by Sharon.

Report from the meeting of 4th August 2026 by Piers Rowlandson.

Johnathan Kaye was in the chair.

Nine members attended, and there were two apologies.

I read out my review of "Theo's Voice" in preparation for our meeting with Peter Crawley in September. I have also put a review of his novel "Constant Tides" up on the Chat Room, his three-part novel about Messina. 

Johnathan had asked us to write 300-400 words about a villain.

Lesley's piece, "Jerusalem", was about a very bad character who sought redemption by joining the First Crusade. Pope Urban II had promised forgiveness of sins to those who went on the crusade.

I read out "Harald the Viking," which followed up on the Dodecahedron microfiction story about Alice being abducted by Harald the Viking.

Daniela's piece, "The Gardener of Emptiness," was about a man who created a virus to save the natural world, only to find that he had destroyed everything else. 

Niell's piece had Janus, the two-faced god of the Classical world, as the villain. He is the gatekeeper of the future for a girl of ethereal beauty, only to find she is his gatekeeper.

Steve's piece was about a painter who controlled the elements, rather like the painter who controlled Dorian Gray's future by painting his portrait.

Lynn wrote "The Devil You Know" about an AI experiment that went wrong. It sought to control a dictator by inserting body piercings. The dictator was called Donald.

Janet's "The Good Girl" had a mosquito cruising around a bedroom, biting a woman who regarded the mosquito as a villain, while the insect saw itself as just behaving normally.

Johnathan's piece was based on the Hansel and Gretel story; during a famine, the villain was prepared to eat children.

Next month, Peter Crawley is coming to talk about his latest novel.

Report from the meeting of 7th July 2026 by Piers Rowlandson.

Stephen Bullas was in the chair. Eight members attended; there were two apologies. The total number of members is now seventeen, although only eleven have paid a subscription this year.

We began the meeting by tying up some unfinished business from the last meeting, where we talked about a group outing, among other things. I sent out an email asking members three questions.

1. Would people like to man a stall at Midhurst? Five people answered, and four wanted to go. Of the three possible dates, 31st October, the Autumn Market, suited everyone. The Market is held in the Old Library, Knockhundred Row. The cost of the table is £15. Public liability insurance for the group has to be arranged, and I have contacted Hiscox. People were not keen on a card machine as they often fail if there is a poor signal, so the options are cash or bank transfer. Time 9am to 2pm. Free coffee and biscuits.
2. Would people like to go backstage at the CFT? Five answered, and three wanted to go.
3. Would people like to go to the Cathedral Library? Three answered, and two wanted to go.

My feeling is that if people want to go to the CFT or the Cathedral, they can organise it for themselves.

Sharon Hurr has invited Peter Crawley, novelist, to our meeting in September to discuss his novels. He has written at least eight. The latest is Theo's Voice. My favourite is Constant Tides. His excellent website is at  https://www.peter-crawley.com

I have not heard from Bradley Smith at St Olaves Christian Book Shop. Barbara will speak to him.

Stephen said he would ask his friend John Rowe, who has published a book of one-word poems, to come and talk with us about his poems in the Autumn.

The group had been tasked by Stephen to write a 300-word micro-fiction, time-shift piece about a dodecahedron. He read out a short prose poem by John.

Ten people had submitted ten very different pieces. 

Barbara read out a longer piece called "A Fairy Tale for Adults" about birds discussing end-of-life questions about such things as DNR.

Steven read out a piece from his Roman novel where the characters find a dodecahedron, and it seems to foretell doom. He told us 133 had been found in Northern Europe (33 in the UK) but none in Italy.

Sharon read a piece about a time shift that occurred in Bold Street, Liverpool, where such things are commonly witnessed. A boy stole flowers from a shop for his girl and escaped in a puff of smoke into another time.

I read a piece about Alice in her Dig It All Up Tent discussing a dodecahedron with another professor. The dodecahedron transports her back to another time and she is carried off by Vikings who use the thing as an instrument for navigation.

Lynn sent in a piece titled "Dodecahedron Platonic Solids. It's the Cosmos" where a dodecahedron, with a lot of other things, transported her in time from her garden to a beach where she appeared as a small girl. 

Daniela read her piece where a load of experts gathered to inspect and speculate about a dodecahedron, only to be outdone by a child who announced it was her toy.

Lesley read "Candlelight" about Carla, who lit a candle and placed it in a dodecahedron and seemed to gain the strength to reject Darren, who might have been about to propose.

Nicky read her piece called "The Melody of a Metal Detectorist" about finding one that seemed to have magic properties.

It would be most helpful if members could upload their work to the Chat Room, ideally before the meeting.

Report from the meeting of 2nd June 2026

Chair: Piers Rowlandson.

There were six members present and we welcomed two guests. Apologies from Steve and Janet. Johnathan described his experiences on the MA course at Chichester Uni. He seems to be enjoying it. It is an excellent course and very practical.

We started the meeting by tying up loose ends from the last meeting:

We are going to invite Bradley Smith from St Olav's Christian Book Shop to a meeting. He will give a short talk followed by a discussion about marketing.

We decided not to invite Nicola Garrard back but instead, Sharon will ask Peter Crawley, Novelist, to come and discuss writing.

There are three possible dates to go to Midhurst to take a stall to sell our books. 1st August. Summer Market. 29th August Street Party. 31st October Autumn Market. A stall inside costs £15, outside in the Square £25. Anyone wishing to take part will need to get a market traders licience and insurance. Parking is available a short walk away off Bepton Road. 

I have sent round an email asking members if they would like to go Backstage at CFT and/or visit the Library at Chichester Cathedral.

******-§-******

Piers then read out a passage from ALEX, which ties up Chapter Three (available in the CHAT room) with the death of her pony and her stay in hospital, leading to her giving up riding and taking up dinghy sailing in Chichester Harbour.

Johnathan read out a passage from Chapter Nine of his novel set in an imaginary world, 6000 BC, after a cataclysmic flood. Vivid scenes of the rites leading up to a funeral and the cremation of the body.

Lynn (guest) then read a piece from her novel, which tells the tale of a dog saving the world from selfishness that is causing pollution, helped by magic creatures: a tiger and a dragon. The novel contains poetic descriptions of East Head. 

Excellent tea and apple pie at halftime.