I sat down to write this week’s blog savouring the feeling of anticipation of a creative spurt.
I hoped to seek joy in the words I would write.
I sat, pencil in hand, staring at the blank page.
I sat poised to write.
I waited……
And I waited……
And I’m still sitting with the feeling of anticipation as I wait for the words to begin to flow….
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged #bloggerlife, #CoralMcCallum, #creativity, #humour, #IndieAuthor, #themeaslyjarofmotivation, #writinglife
March is Brain Tumour awareness month in the UK…and I’ll bet you weren’t aware of that. (Ok, some of you might have been)
In general, I keep my private life out of my blog but this week I’m making an exception.
But first some facts….
Did you know that brain tumours are the biggest killer of adults under 40 and children?
Brain tumour research represents around 1% of the national spend on cancer in the UK. (The biggest spend is on breast cancer – £52M which equates to 7.76%)
In general, only 17% of people diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour will survive 5 years or more. (This compares to around 70% for breast cancer)
Over 12000 people in the UK are diagnosed each year with a primary brain tumour, including 500 children.
Over 5300 people lose their lives to a brain tumour every year in the UK.
An estimated 88000 adults and children in the UK are currently living with a brain tumour.
I’ll pause here to let you digest these facts…..
The Big Green Gummi Bear, my late husband, lost his life to a brain tumour (Glioblastoma) in October 2023. He was only 54 years old.
The Big Green Gummi Bear was first diagnosed on 26 August 2020, at the height of Covid. I chose not to share any aspect of his journey – our journey- via my blog as I felt it was something too personal and too raw to share. To an extent, it still is.
In October 2020 I reached out to MacMillan Cancer Support’s online community for support. I felt lost and scared and simply needed someone to hold my hand and guide me through the nightmare that was unfolding in front of me. MacMillan’s community was there for me and still is. I was invited a few months later to train to become one of their Online Community Champions. It’s a volunteer role I fulfil still on a daily basis. I felt after The Big Green Gummi Bear passed away that it would be selfish of me to withdraw my time and support from that community just because I didn’t necessarily need them anymore. Supporting the users of that community has in fact helped me with the healing process we call grief. If something I say helps someone to feel less lost, less useless and less scared then, its worth the pain of ripping the scabs off these partially healed wounds.
Over the past few years, I have written several blogs for MacMillan’s community blog space that have been well-received.
To help raise awareness of the impact that a primary brain tumour diagnosis can have not just on the person with the diagnosis but their friends and family too, I’d like to share the links to some of these blogs here.
Caring for a partner with a brain tumour – a Community member’s story – Macmillan Online Community
“I’m fine”: how do you really cope as a carer? – Macmillan Online Community
If you or a friend or family member has been impacted by a brain tumour diagnosis, here are some links that you may find supportive:
Macmillan Cancer Support | The UK’s leading cancer care charity
Brain Tumour Research | Together we will find a cure
Home – Brainstrust, brain tumour charity
Brain tumours | Cancer Research UK
Thank you for reading/listening
(image sourced via Google- credits to the owner)
Happy World Book Day 2024
Ellen “I vowed to prove them wrong.”
Tailz “I believe this is about where we got to before.”
Luke “You mess this up and you’re history! Hear me?”
Nana “You should be soulmates not lovers.”
Emotions run high when Ellen Lloyd steps up to the mic as the new vocalist for rock band After Life. Will she prove to be heaven sent or will her arrival see the band descend into the depths of hell?
Free to download to worldwide on Amazon to celebrate World Book Day 2024
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged #bookpromotion, #CoralMcCallum, #Ellen, #freebie, #freeebook, #IndieAuthor, #worldbookday, #worldbookday2024
Birds were singing in the trees as she made her way through the labyrinth of paths to reach her grandmother’s grave. She smiled when she spotted it basking in the warm sunshine with its gorgeous view of the surrounding countryside.
Kneeling down in the lush grass, she removed the dead flowers from the vase at the base of the headstone and replaced them with the fresh wildflower bouquet she had picked that morning. Carefully she arranged them so that they sat evenly in the vase.
“Oh, Grandma,” she sighed. “I miss you. Miss your words of wisdom. Miss your smile. I wish you were here.”
Her eyes filled with tears, “Alex left me. He’s been having an affair with a woman from work. She’s pregnant with his baby.”
A small bird came to sit on the headstone, its head cocked to one side as if it was listening.
“He told me he never wanted kids!” The words were spoken with the taste of bitterness that she felt inside echoing through them. “I want kids!”
The bird looked at her.
Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed, letting out all the hurt and anger, rage and disappointment. In her mind, she could visualise her grandmother placing her hand on her shoulder and saying, “These things happen for a reason, Ruby. If you’d been meant to be a pair for life, he wouldn’t have been the odd shoe.”
“Odd shoe?” she whispered the words as she held onto the image of her grandmother.
“Never liked that boy. Didn’t make any effort to fit in. He wasn’t a good match for you. I told your mother that.”
“Mum did say you’d be relieved. She told me you weren’t Alex’s biggest fan.”
“He’s a selfish arrogant…” a bird screeching nearby drowned out a string of profanities.
“Grandma!”
“You need someone unique. Someone whose odd shoe matches yours. Don’t waste your time with Alex. You’re too good for the likes of him, girl.”
“Mum said the same thing,” sighed Ruby, drawing comfort from the ghostly conversation in her head.
“Odd shoe, Ruby. Mark my words.”
As she sat by her grandmother’s grave, Ruby dried her tears and reflected on the five years she had spent with Alex. His shoes had always been perfect…as had his clothes and hair and even his nails. He had been the well-polished Gucci loafer to her colourful Converse. In the early days of their relationship, he had adored her quirky sense of style but as he had climbed the career ladder, he had become increasingly critical of her clothes, her hair and her figure…and her job…in fact as she sat in the sun, Ruby recognised that he had found fault with everything that made her who she was.
“You’re better off without him, Ruby.”
She heard her grandmother’s voice clear as a bell.
“I need to go, Grandma,” she apologised as she got to her feet. “I’ll be back next week.”
“Watch out for odd shoes, angel.”
Smiling at the ghostly advice, Ruby headed back to her car. Checking the time, she realised she’d be late to meet her friend at the new coffee shop in town. As she reached her car, a beaten-up vintage VW beetle, she sent her friend a message, “Running late. Be with you in ten, X”.
There was only one parking space left outside the coffee shop. It was beside a red 1970’s VW camper van. As a teenager, Ruby had always dreamed of touring the country, living like a gypsy, in a red VW van. Every time she saw one, she regretted not following that dream.
“Sorry I’m late,” she apologised as she slipped into the booth to sit opposite her friend.
“You say that every time, Ruby,” laughed her friend, used to her tardiness.
“Have you ordered?”
“Not yet. I was waiting for you.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the waiter.
“Ladies, what can I tempt you to today?”
Looking up, Ruby found herself gazing into a pair of twinkling hazel eyes. He smiled. Without taking her eyes off him, Ruby placed her order.
As he walked away, she noticed he was wearing odd shoes.
Day 6/15 – DOORWAY
My creative journey has opened several doorways. The key doorway was the one into the story. Taking that first step to sit down and write what became the Silver Lake series took me a huge amount of self-confidence and self-discipline. I’m terrified of letting people read what I write but the dream was always to see my name on the cover of a book. Writing and then self-publishing took me through a doorway that led me way beyond my comfort zone but I’ve never looked back.
Day 7/15 – PSEUDONYM
A pseudonym isn’t something I ever considered. Taking the decision to initially set up my blog and them to self-publish my first novel in 2015 was something I was hugely proud of achieving so there was no way I was hiding behind a pseudonym. These were my achievements and I was proud to put my name to them. I still am.
A lot of my writing journey has been about establishing my own self-belief and self-worth. It would feel as though I was cheating if I used another name.
Day 8/15 – SOUNDS
Ocean, beach and sunset spring to mind! They’re feelgood words.
Tour , book, wine and Sale are among my favourite 4 letter words.
On a more serious note, I like the Greek word MERAKI which means to do something with soul, creativity and love. Sounds a bit like writing to me
Day 9/15 – LOCATION
My family would argue that you can find my writing all over the living room! LOL No, seriously, you can find my blogs at Coral McCallum | chasing rainbows and dreams in day to day life There’s also a “shop” tab on there that leads you to the Amazon links for my book babies. My 7 book babies (oh it still feels surreal to say that out loud) can be found worldwide on Amazon if you care to look and are available as both paperbacks or ebooks. Haven’t ventured into the world of hardback books…yet. The rest of my writing can be found in countless notebooks, journals and diaries. Some of those journals may be pulled together into a “something” further down the line. Time will tell….
Day 10/15 – CHAMPION
I have been truly fortunate throughout my creative journey and for the year or so before I self-published my first book baby Stronger Within in 2015 to have a core group of “champions” by my side and behind me, encouraging my every step. These are my “infamous five” and my “cavalry” You know who you are, and I’ll not blow your cover by naming names here.
My readers, blog followers and social media followers are also my champions.
I am wholly appreciative of everyone who supports my journey. Thank you will never be enough.
Today’s the day!
I’m delighted to introduce you to my first poetry collection. Yes, it’s a change of direction but each of these was written with just as much if not more emotion than my other book babies.
This is a collection of 45 short poems each written straight from the heart.
Why not check it out today (I promise its not like poems that you studied at high school!)
Beginnings – a collection of poems eBook : McCallum, Coral: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle StoreBeginnings – a collection of poems – Kindle edition by McCallum, Coral. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
My first collection of poems, Beginnings, will be published on 29 February 2024. This is a collection of poems that I have written over many years. Many of them have appeared on my blog over the past ten years. Now felt like the right time to bring them all together in one small volume. (And of course, 29th February is too unique a date not to publish on – Yes, I’m weird about dates)
Beginnings is now available for pre-order worldwide for Kindle. Here’s the links
Beginnings – a collection of poems eBook : McCallum, Coral: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
There will be a paperback edition available from 29 February too.
As a little taster, here’s one of the poems, a haiku, that appears in the book.
Icy east wind blows.
Sun shines on the rutted path.
Spring lies just beyond.
The cover photograph is one of my own. (Local friends may well recognise this spot.) It’s a small stand of trees just to the west of Lunderston Bay, my favourite meandering spot. There’s a certain peace to be found among those trees. A beautiful spot to simply stop and connect with nature.
To me, this year is all about Beginnings in so many ways.
For those who are eagerly awaiting news of Book Baby 8, please bear with me a little longer. It’s coming.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged #29February2024, #anthology, #Beginnings, #CoralMcCallum, #ebook, #IndieAuthor, #KDP, #newrelease, #poet, #poetryanthology, #poetrycommunity
Frozen in the fear of limbo
Afraid to take the next step,
She stared at the gateway ahead.
It was only a few short steps to reach it.
Not big steps.
Just small normal steps.
Each step leading her closer…
It was time to let go.
Time to let go of the anger.
Time to let go of the pain.
Time to let go of the fear.
Was she really ok to move forwards?
Could she…should she let go of the past?
Would her world implode,
If she yielded to the temptation of the gateway?
A voice whispered, “Yielding is the way.”
Tentatively she took that first step.
Posted in Uncategorized
Recently, as part of a writing challenge, I had to pick words that I like the sound of. ( For the curious among you, I picked ocean, beach and sunset then tagged on my favourite 4-letter words book, wine, sale and tour.)
A few days later, I saw the above poem on Facebook, and it brought me up short.
There are words in this world that I really don’t like the sound of and one of them is in the poem. That word is “beast”.
Rewind more than forty years back to my primary school and early high school days and “Beast” was the cruel nickname that the class bullies gave me. I have no idea what prompted them to choose that word. I had thought on reflection that it might have been linked to Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast, but the dates don’t quite tie in. It wasn’t released until 1982, two years after the bullying started but three years before it finally ended.
The word reminds me of being physically assaulted in the playground as my classmates would grab me by the hair and pull my ponytail up to see if I had 666 written on the back of my neck. Even all these years later, I still struggle with those memories. They are vivid and hearing or reading that word instantly brings them to life.
Words are powerful things…as are memories.
Fast forward again to the present day and to the poem.
It struck a chord as it reflects how I have been feeling since the Big Green Gummi Bear’s death. The “darkness” of the past three years and the “shadows” of many years prior to that shattered the person I was. I don’t believe you can watch someone die without it changing you. The journey didn’t quite break me…it came pretty close on many occasions.
As a family, I’ll not lie or play it down, we’ve been through Hell but that’s a tale for another time.
The poem reminded me that those cracks may have left me a bit of a mosaic of the person I was and the person I now am but more importantly, it reminded me that I am moving forward as a stronger person…a beast?
The word still doesn’t sit well with me but perhaps I can now see it in a more positive light and that in itself is an example of personal strength.
Use your words wisely.
Credits to the owner of the image sourced via Facebook
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged #beast, #blogger, #bullying, #CoralMcCallum, #IndieAuthor, #reflection, #resilience, #strength, #words, #zerotoleranceforbullying
Some of you may remember the Meet the Writer online challenge from 2023. When I saw Beth Kempton promoting this year’s challenge, I was excited to see what topics came up.
Here’s the first of 3 instalments.
Day 1/15- VIEW
Today is Day One of this year’s Meet The Writer event with 15 daily prompts from Beth Kempton.
View…. when I’m writing indoors this is the view of my desk. Cluttered but cosy. My desk is in the corner of the living room so there’s usually a cat or two for company. In summer I enjoy writing outdoors in the sun but it’s January and it’s cold and damp and dark so no view of that space today
Day 2/15 CATALYST
I can’t remember not writing. As soon as I could write a sentence, I was off and scribbling. I’ve mentioned before that writing has always been a coping mechanism for me. I wrote through high school to escape from persistent bullying. I’ve journaled extensively for the past 3/4 years as my key coping mechanism through first Lockdown then George’s illness. Writing fiction is like oxygen to me. I need to be lost in my book babies. Over the years they have proved to be a therapeutic escape from reality. Long may that continue…
Day 3/15….HANDWRITING
I write everything out longhand. I journal longhand. I write far quicker than I type. Do I like my own handwriting? Yes but a lot of folk struggle to read it. I love a nice pen, preferably with purple ink. I’m a sucker for pens… and notebooks. Yes I have several of those that are “too good to use”
Day 4/15 – RITUAL
Even although I am a complete creature of habit, I don’t really have any rituals associated with my writing. I have routines. Every night before I go to bed, I sit and write my diary entry for the day.
When I am buying notebooks to write future book babies in, I always buy 5 of each. Each novel so far has run to 4/5 notepads and I like them to match.
If my writing isn’t flowing as well as I’d like with my manuscripts, I will occasionally change to writing with a different pen in a different colour of ink to see if that flows better….it usually does.
Day 5/15 – COMPANIONS
My companions while I am writing tend to be feline rather than literary. I am the human slave to four spoiled furry boys. Let’s be honest- the cat has done an awesome job at domestication with their humans
I do write near to my bookshelves so you could argue that all my favourite authors are just over my shoulder.
When I’m writing, the books I tend to dip into most often are usually my own as I search for particular scenes to ensure I maintain continuity.
 | Williams on Paused (poem) |
 | Happy 12th Blogivers… on A little insight into things t… |
 | Justin Orfanella on Longhand vs typed |
 | moodverse907 on I AM…. (poetry blog… |
 | mikegailey on One Last Chance |
Coral McCallum 