The People's Friend - Ploughing On

 

Gorgeous illustration by Ged Fay for my Plough Monday inspired rural coming of age/romance mystery story. It's still available in the weekly The People's Friend magazine!

Writer of the Week - The People's Friend

 

I'm writer of the week! There's a short interview on The People's Friend website discussing one of my short stories which will be in the magazine this week 🙂

Welcome, Kitty! Your story, “Ploughing On” appears in our January 11 issue. Can you tell us about the traditions behind the story?

“Ploughing On” was inspired by the rural celebration of Plough Sunday and Monday, which is believed to have started in the 1400s. Once the twelve days of Christmas were over, on the 6th of January, it was time to get back to work.

To draw out the festivities, labourers would drag their plough through the village and knock on doors for alms (those unwilling to donate would often find their front garden ploughed!). There’d be Morris dancers and a nonsense play about mismatched couples and resurrection. The festivities ended at the local church, where the plough was blessed in the hopes of a plentiful harvest.

Read more at....

Writer of the Week: Kitty-Lydia Dye

Happy New Year! Writing News

It’s a brand new year full of possibilities! I hope everyone had a great night celebrating.

As always, November and December are busy times for me personally as I took part in an annual pantomime. This was my fourth show and we did a parody of Treasure Island. I was so excited to be able to play Jim Hawkins, although this version of him was a little more cowardly. I’m amazed I still haven’t got around to writing a pantomime themed short story.

Here’s a lookback on my writing news since the last time I posted on the blog.

Publication News

There were a few short story releases in The People’s Friend Special.

In Too Deep (The People's Friend Special No. 267) is a smuggling family drama inspired by the sea shanty Blow the Man Down.

Silent Night (The People's Friend Special No. 269) is a Christmas tale about a village coming together to celebrate even though Puritans have banned merry making. 

Caught Red-Handed (and that’s literal for this story!) (The People's Friend Special No. 270) is a New Year’s Eve mystery with a stolen necklace, blackmail and Victorian calling cards. All are available via the Readly App.

Writing Tip

Of course, all anyone is going to talk about is New Year Resolutions. The most fun ones are trying something new. So, in the context of writing and reading, why not try a genre you’ve never been interested in before? Even if you don’t enjoy the experience, it might help fire up some fresh ideas or pick up a writing technique that’s used more often in another genre.

I’ve got plenty of resolutions for this year. My main one is being more consistent on social media and sharing more previews of my work. Posts on this blog can be pretty sporadic, with random days chosen for writing up the newsletter, so I’m going to try and schedule them to go up on the 1^st of each month.

Will I keep to it? Fingers crossed!

September/October Round Up

So, I’ve been even quieter than usual on my social media. It’s good news! 😊 I’ve been commissioned for two series/serials, the first set in 1850s Norwich and the other in 1890s Southwold, which I cannot divulge until next year. 

The first project is something I never thought I would get the chance to do. I’m so excited to have this opportunity.

For my other stories, I’m still waiting to hear back on The Sweetest of Dreams, but another short story, The Vanishing Plough, was recently accepted. It was inspired by a rural tradition where a plough is blessed after the new year. The day is called Plough Monday with Morris dancers, a special pudding and a nonsense play. My story is a coming-of-age tale told from a male perspective.

A Countryman's Favour Part Three - The People's Friend Magazine

 

Tragedy strikes in the third instalment of A Countryman's Favour... Available until Tuesday in The People's Friend magazine, which can be found in UK newsagents, and the Readly app for overseas readers :) Illustration is by Sailesh Thakrar.

A Countryman's Favour Part Two - The People's Friend Magazine

 

Part Two of A Countryman's Favour is now available in this week's The People's Friend magazine :) Available in UK supermarkets and newsagents as well as the Readly app.

August Round Up

A few bits of good news for this month! To start with, my six-part serial, A Countryman’s Favour, is in The People’s Friend weekly magazine, which is available in most UK supermarkets and newsagents and on the Readly app for overseas readers.

Illustration by Sailesh Thakrar

A Countryman's Favour is a romance family drama following the lives of the Rose sisters as love and tragedy takes them across Norfolk, from Wheatacre to Great Yarmouth and Norwich. The story’s plot was heavily inspired by the county’s mustard history and methodism, when itinerant preachers, known as ranters at the time, would spread the word on Norfolk's village greens.

I’ve also heard back on my New Year short story, The Mystery of the Ruby Necklace, and it was accepted! The Sweetest of Dreams was also submitted last week. Hopefully I’ll hear something soon 😊

That just leaves, as mentioned last month, The Gingerbread House and Follow the Stars. Follow the Stars has actually grown a few extra limbs, with the main character’s family demanding more page space, so I might end up turning this into a longer piece.