Living in the dream
‘Dermot, Dermot’. I tug at his shirt urgently, trying to get his attention.
‘Yes?’ He glances at me and smiles.
‘Dermot, what if I told you all this,’ I wave my arms around expansively to indicate the enormity of what I’m about to say, ‘is not real, that it’s all just a dream.’
I finish breathless and cock my head on one side waiting for his astonished reaction.
‘Piffle’, he says, and I realise he’s referring to the book he was reading.
A beat later he looks up and smiles.
‘Go on then spud, tell me what you mean?’.
He says it kindly a...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - December 10, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Fiction dreams friday fiction short story Source Type: news
Hysteria 8 launch event and winners announcements
Well, what an evening. It was the first time I’ve ever held a launch event for a book, let alone an anthology for the Hysteria Writing Competition. And it was the most fun. With my special guests and friends helping out, together with a few technical (no make that human glitches) we got through it and the feedback from attendees was that they enjoyed it too.
The point of the launch was to announce all the winners of the categories and the Guess the Cover competition. And the winners also had their entries read by my good friends and Distinguished Toastmasters (check them out on LinkedIn and you’ll see they all ...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - December 3, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Hysteria hysteria 2021 hysteria 8 Source Type: news
Hysteria 8 online launch party
7 pm on 2nd December 2021 saw a bigger group than I’d imagined coming together on Teams to celebrate the launch of the Hysteria 8 anthology containing all 30 long-listed entries over three categories in the Hysteria Writing Competition 2021.
I and the audience were joined online by a cast of almost thousands, well seven anyway; three of my closest friends (including my husband) who are all Distinguished Toastmasters, and three of the amazing reading team who read and judged all the entries.
Each of the overall categories winners entries was read aloud, and the readers and I had a good natter about what it takes to wi...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - December 3, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Podcast hysteria 2021 hysteria 8 Source Type: news
Hysteria 8 online launch party
7 pm on 2nd December 2021 saw a bigger group than I’d imagined coming together on Teams to celebrate the launch of the Hysteria 8 anthology containing all 30 long-listed entries over three categories in the Hysteria Writing Competition 2021.
I and the audience were joined online by a cast of almost thousands, well seven anyway; three of my closest friends (including my husband) who are all Distinguished Toastmasters, and three of the amazing reading team who read and judged all the entries.
Each of the overall categories winners entries was read aloud, and the readers and I had a good natter about what it takes to wi...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - December 3, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Podcast hysteria 2021 hysteria 8 Source Type: news
Hysteria 8 online launch party
7 pm on 2nd December 2021 saw a bigger group than I’d imagined coming together on Teams to celebrate the launch of the Hysteria 8 anthology containing all 30 long-listed entries over three categories in the Hysteria Writing Competition 2021.
I and the audience were joined online by a cast of almost thousands, well seven anyway; three of my closest friends (including my husband) who are all Distinguished Toastmasters, and three of the amazing reading team who read and judged all the entries.
Each of the overall categories winners entries was read aloud, and the readers and I had a good natter about what it takes to wi...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - December 3, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Podcast hysteria 2021 hysteria 8 Source Type: news
The 07:32 from Pen Mill
Sitting on the 07.32 from Pen Mill going to a meeting in Bristol I marvel at the things people still do to earn a living and count myself lucky to work at home. I never endure the daily commute amongst people intent only on getting to work (and back again). On the infrequent occasions, I happen to find myself amongst them, it’s now treat not trial.
I’m aware this line has benefits those stuck on the tube in London will never know. It is truly beautiful, and I watch my fellow travellers, wondering how many gaze like sheep or cows through the carriage window, rather than read or listen their way through the journey, ...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - November 19, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Fiction friday fiction short story Source Type: news
Hysteria Writing Competition 2021 finalists
The long list of finalists for each category in this year’s Hysteria Writing Competition is below. You can also take part in the annual Guess the Cover competition for a chance to win a fun prize when the category winners are also announced.
To enter the competition just leave a comment on this blog post with your best guess at which story, flash fiction or poem is represented by the cover image shown at the end of the post.
The Hysteria 8 anthology is available to purchase now and will be dispatched in early December.
Short Story Finalists
Celia Montclair – Hope and Unity
Maggie Iribarne – Last Christma...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - November 13, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Hysteria hysteria 2021 hysteria 8 Source Type: news
Hysteria Writing Competition 2021 finalists
The long list of finalists for each category in this year’s Hysteria Writing Competition is below. You can also take part in the annual Guess the Cover competition for a chance to win a fun prize when the category winners are also announced.
To enter the competition just leave a comment on this blog post with your best guess at which story, flash fiction or poem is represented by the cover image shown at the end of the post.
The Hysteria 8 anthology is available to purchase now and will be dispatched in early December.
Short Story Finalists
Christina Westwood – Hope and Unity
Yvonne Clarke – Serendipity
...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - November 13, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Hysteria hysteria 2021 hysteria 8 Source Type: news
Managing change by shaking off and stepping up
The phrase “change is the only constant” has never been more apt than in the current environment where we constantly hear stories about cuts, increased overheads and competitive pressures. How we deal with change will determine our future success.
Last week I was sent an email by a friend who was informing me, that for various reasons, he was leaving his employment and looking for a new challenge. In the message he sent he shared a powerful metaphor that sums up the attitudes that can be extremely helpful when dealing with change – in whatever shape it comes.
It’s not important whether we agree or disagree with t...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - October 24, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Life change Source Type: news
Get ready to embrace your inner publisher
My first attempt at self publishing was a simple 18 page booklet that lived at the back of my masters dissertation folio. Within weeks of submitting that for assessment I was running a tiny support group for women and was photocopying and sending that booklet out in exchange for a stamped addressed envelope and £1
Since those early days of getting batches of 10 at a time photocopied I’ve learnt a lot about what makes a writer a publisher and I’ve come to realise that it’s not just about books or booklets. Instead it’s what ha...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - October 18, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: LP self-publishing Source Type: news
Apprentice
Little Jinny Fallon ‘ad ‘er arm taken off in the mule. Blood spurting everywhere like water from the pump in the yard, spraying up the walls in bright blades of crimson against the dusty brown and black. And gore everywhere, the salty sweet stench fit to turn your stomach, and many tipped their guts over the cotton to be beaten by the overlooker for spoiling it.
Taken up to the big house she was. Looked after proper. No more toppin’ and tailin’ in bed with 2 others> No more stench from the piss pots in the corners and no more weeping, except her own maybe, from the newuns just in from the poor ho...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - October 15, 2021 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Fiction friday fiction Source Type: news
