OVERLANDERS GIVEN THUMBS UP BY NORTH EAST READING GROUPS

OVERLANDERS ROLLED INTO MORPETH LIBRARY LAST NIGHT TO FACE THEIR READERS!

Several North East Reading Groups have been trialling pre-publication copies of my new mystery OVERLANDERS - and last night Morpeth Library hosted a feedback evening to let them have their say.

With a glass of wine in hand, the guests were treated to readings from the diary and letters from my original trip, as well as readings from the novel by husband Graeme posing as the fictional driver Cassidy!

And the novel was given the thumbs up - 94% of those who gave written feedback said they would recommend it to other reading groups.

Here are just a few of the comments:

‘Loved the book – couldn’t put it down!'

‘I would strongly recommend this book as a good read.’
‘Wonderful. Kept me guessing all the way through. A pleasure to read.’
‘I thoroughly enjoyed this journey through time and distant lands without leaving the comfort of my armchair. The contrast between the Victorians, the hippies and Jake’s party was fascinating.’
‘Interesting characters, great plot, nice mix of the feel and texture of the story.’
‘Love the era that it’s about and gives a real feel of that era.’
‘I think everyone who read it enjoyed it. Nothing and no one is quite as it first appears. I would recommend it to another reading group.’

Next week OVERLANDERS journeys to Hexham Library for another feedback evening, and then next month it's off to THE LONDON BOOK FAIR ...!

FUSINA CAMPSITE, VENICE - fog, fleas, foamies and fun! 1976

OFF TO VENICE AND FUSINA CAMPSITE ...

SATURDAY 2ND OCTOBER, 1976

"Up early.  Rolled the foamies!!
The foamies are explained in a letter home: "we're quite efficient at getting up, fed and tents packed etc in 1 and a half hours (up at 6 every travelling day!)  The worst job in the morning is rolling the foamies (that go under our sleeping bags) and squeezing them all in between 2 sets of seats; they are rather temperamental things and tend to spring out and flow into the gangway if not given their due attention."

Left for Venice.  Good card games at the back.  Scenery of hills, trees and picturesque houses - tunnels etc (hopeless to try and read!)  Then fog descended and saw nothing.

Got to Fusina after lunch - cabins not tents!!  Seems nice campsite but lots of mosquitoes.
My letter home says: "The campsite was really rather luxurious - hot showers and what's more we managed to book into cabins and so got a bed!  It may have been rather flea infested but it was real high living."

Run into Venice briefly in afternoon and saw gondolas tied up by canals, lovely bridges; not time to see much else (apart from station).

Evening spent in the bar of camp - Fusina is rather famous for rowdy evenings in the bar because the camp is always full of bus tours!  Graffiti on walls, exuberant barmen etc.  Eventually only Julie, Paul, Mark and me left, retired to bus - few others there.  Sat at back listening to Supertramp.

We've had t-shirts designed with Asian Greyhound on - the design is a bus inside a large carafe of wine! "





More photos on Facebook Page, Overlanders: http://bit.ly/bEVp5V

TALES FROM AN UNTIDY BUS - washing strewn everywhere and there's a body in the aisle, 1976

EXTRACTS FROM LETTER HOME, WRITTEN IN FLORENCE, ITALY, 1976

" ... refrained from spending small fortunes on leather goods (and of course the pink inflatable pocket size statue of David - thought you'd like it for the new mantelpiece at Suardal!)
However we treated ourselves to real Italian pizzas and ice cream (water melon flavour)

... the rain has caught up with us again I think we're cursed.  Tonight we're going into a disco - the Red Garter.

By the way we're not going to Tehran which is a bit of a shame, so don't write there.  Geoff the driver (a Scot) said that writing on p.cs or aerogrammes to Asia is advisable so no one will break into them.  (It takes about 4 days for a letter to get to Istanbul).

We're a day ahead of schedule if you're following on the map!  The group we met in Paris were a month overdue from Kathmandu, so I may be spending Xmas in the Khyber Pass!  Half their group were struck by hypertytus [sic] and flown home!

Well, signing off - got to tidy the bus!  At the moment all the packs are down, washing is strewn from railings and there's a body sleeping in the aisle (Fred who appeared in Paris and makes himself useful cleaning windows etc - done the trip before).

Off to Venice tomorrow,
Love and kisses,
Jan

FLORENCE AND THE BUS MACHINE - MORE PIZZA THAN UFFIZI? 1976

[18 year old Jan is more impressed with the Italian pizzas than Old Masters - "such early stuff not that appealing" - but at least the dresses were lovely!  A taste of Florence nightlife at the Red Garter is rounded off with yet another spectacular downpour - the expensive beer may not have been flowing but the rain continued to do so.]

FRIDAY 1ST OCTOBER, 1976

"Cold shower.  Some were the worse for wear.  Into Florence to sightsee.  Queued for ages to cash cheque in bank.  Wandered towards river, looked round market, lots of lovely leather bags and pill boxes etc (Went with Janice, Ann and Mark).

Went into Uffizi gallery.  Nicely presented but such early stuff not that appealing; dresses in portraits lovely and views from windows of square and river/Ponte Vecchio.  Veranda on the top floor looks over the square.  Then went over Ponte Vecchio and found small pizza house over the other side - real Italian pizza!

Over another bridge and wandered towards Acadamie - tried to see around Modern Art Gallery - ancient lift deposited us at some doctor's appartment!  Eventually found gallery - closed!

Acadamie also closed by time arrived there (lovely little Italian gent directed us down unimposing street).  So wandered long way round to camp - lots of little side streets - all stops for siesta (although raining), lovely gardens with friends cat - only spoke Italian.  Crossed river again, walked along and up to camp.

Went into the Red Garter disco in evening - good crowd.  Band quite goo too, beer very expensive.  Bus left early so walked back with Mark.  Pam and Sue went off with an Aussie and Italian.

Incredible thunder storm - whole earth seemed to be shaking; thought we'd be struck with all the trees nearby!"

SWAGMAN TOURS HITS TOWN - booze and bad jokes lead to police and irate campers, 1976

[Swaggies hit Pisa and Florence to the consternation of some, as I record in a letter home - "All the more cushy tours (the type who use camp chairs etc) look in either amazement or derision at 'Swagman Tours' - people almost fall out of windows when Swagman hits town!"

Janice, Little Jan, Aussie Jan, Little Pam

At Pisa (or Pizza as I miss-spell it in my diary) I write home, "I'm getting good at pitching a tent in the dark.  My tent mates are 2 Aussies who've been 'doing' Europe and a Londoner who has been doing nursing.  Unfortunately 3 of us are called Jan, but we seem to manage without too much trouble!"  We became identified as Aussie Jan, Little Jan (me), Janice and Little Pam.  When I refer to Jan in the diary it usually means Aussie Jan who became a good friend.

THURSDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER, 1976

"Saw round the Tower (or rather up it).  Felt dizzy because so uneven.  Lovely setting, next to big cathedral and area of grass.  Lots of grockley shops too.  Good view from top.  Cathedral cool, dark, empty, few candles.
Quick coffee (Mark, Jan, Rob and me) then off to Florence.

Camped at Michelangelo campsite.  Walked around (Janice, Hans, Mark and me), nice view looking down hill to Florence, lots of trees.  Bar, shop, jukebox and pinball/football machines.  Did washing.

Early evening drove into Florence, saw round Cathedral square, lots of little art shops, leather shops, pizza smells. (Mark fancied a photo in a window that looked like himself).  Got dark quickly, place began to come alive, lots of people suddenly appeared.  Driving back, saw all the lights along the riverside.

Lots of people drifted to the bar.  Good camp meal.  Back to bar for the night.  Too much wine and beer and bad jokes!  I ended up making coffee in the bus for Geoff, Rob and Jan - sucker.  Camp police or whatever (after a good session themselves) told us to keep the noise down, then one irate camper.  Various people spewed up, coffee knocked over, Jan put into her tent after falling among the foamies!

(C.C.T Tour pulled up today - another posh tour - camping chairs etc!  Classic looks all the way when people see Swagman ride into town!)"

OVERLANDERS HIT THE RIVIERA - 14 HOURS ON THE BUS AND MORE RAIN THAN THE ISLE OF SKYE! 1976

[14 hours on the bus as we press on through the rainy and misty Riviera - and I think nostalgically of the sunny Isle of Skye!  But a sing-song and dried apple keep spirits high.]

WEDNESDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER, 1976

"Sunny Provence is still wet.  Up at quarter to 7.  After breakfast walked through gardens (camp is on a hill) to look down on the amphitheatre of Orange.  Statue in middle; seats repaired, lighting, so obviously still used.  Mass of irregular red-tiled roofs and narrow streets hemming it in.

Making for Riviera - lots of vineyards.  (Geoff handed out free toilet roll each - pink!)  Countryside gradually more rocky, small bushes and square red-tiled farm houses.  Further south - hilly, forested, towns on hillsides.

Seen the Med! - very grey and misty.
Nice - palms, blocks of flats, little stations, 2 triangular multi-storey luxury hotels.  Drove along famous Boulevard des Anglais - beach front and exclusive hotels.  Up mountainside and along coast - very steep, lots of trees and houses perched high up, view should normally be incredible.  Superb bays.

Into Monaco - saw palace on hill; very densely housed.  Brief glimpse of Monte Carlo Casino as drove past.  Very prosperous looking restaurants and boutiques; lots of young people.  Made a stop for shopping outside "La Madone" hotel, as yet haven't been told to move.

Extract from letter home:  We bombed down through the Riviera - Nice, Monaco - all in the pouring rain!  Typical - always knew the weather on Skye was the best!  So we went on into Italy along the new auto-route which is a series of tunnels and bridges across valleys and towns.  At the border the Italian customs man tried to get us to give him a bottle of whisky so that he wouldn't ask us to unpack all the luggage!  However, we managed to get away with doing neither.

At Italian border, customs officer tried to barter for a bottle of whisky (unsuccessful!)

Italy wet, houses rather drab in rain.  Road follows coast, tunnels and viaducts crossing valleys and towns, views out to sea.  Making for Pisa - had a sing-song in back of bus and Shirley's dried apple!
14 hours on the road."

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