I think that the issue with the Store has now been fixed - at least I hope so!
If you would like to purchase an item (or two) please give it a go and if it doesn't work, maybe drop me a line?
Remember, my 2022 poetry collection 'Messages to No One' is available now!
It's been brought to my attention that there is an issue with the Store - everything is showing as being unavailable. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. There is an issue with the Shop that I'm trying to fix - so please bear with me. If there's an item you would like to purchase; contact me via arcmwriting@gmail.com and I'll sort out a copy for you.
You can pay by PayPal if you wish at paypal.me/AMitchell939 I'll let you know when the Store is fixed - which will be soon hopefully!
At last! 'AMAZING SKIES' is now available on Kindle!
It's a sign that you are overstretched when you unleash a new creation onto an unsuspecting (and sadly uncaring) world in paperback and several months later realise that you've not formatted it for the biggest store in the world. So I've spent quite a while working on my latest poetry collection and have just uploaded it to my Kindle page.
It is a fairly easy - but lengthy - process to prepare it, and a suitable cover; for sale on Kindle and I've spent the best part of a day doing so. But now it is done and should be available online very soon. So if you fancy getting a digital version of my work, please rush over to Amazon and find me there soon!
Thanks, stay safe!
Latest appearance on BBC ESSEX [13th September 2022]
After the sudden passing of our dear Queen Elizabeth II, like many other I turned to creativity to help process this world shaking event and began to write poems to explore how I felt. I haven't uploaded many poems to BBC Upload but decided to do so with 2 of those dealing with the Queen's death; 'Our Queen' (written on the evening she died in a Holiday Inn, Chelmsford) and 'Not Gone' (written on 11th September 2022 and submitted with the first the very next day).
Well, the chap who goes through the Uploads for BBC Essex rang me and asked me onto the Sadie Nine show at about 16:30hrs today - 13th September 2022!
So very lucky to be able to talk about my work on air once again - it's something I never take for granted. To be able to talk publicly about the Queen and her passing is simply amazing; I hope you'll tune in if you can and will enjoy the poem.
TONIGHT! BBC ESSEX JUST AFTER 8PM!!!
The year 2022 is getting off to a good start creatively... my 2021 Poetry Collection ('Amazing Skies') is being edited by myself right now and I hope it'll be out sometime early March, plus Keith and I are working on some new songs which are taking shape quite nicely...
BUT
TONIGHT I'm on Essex Radio just after 8pm talking about 2 of my poems - 'Born' and 'Dad Gives Hugs Too!' (both from 2020 and both uploaded to BBC Essex a short time ago).
Adam, from BBC Essex phoned me on Tuesday and was kind enough to invite me onto the first BBC Upload session of 2022. I'm so pleased to be asked back; it's such a great thing to be supported by a local radio station like this!
So, if you read this on the day and have nothing else to do, pop along to BBC Essex TONIGHT (6th January 2022) just after 8pm and you'll likely hear my voice at some point.
It's fairly COVID heavy as you might expect, but it has other thoughts, ruminations and ideas across a lot of other subjects and incidents and I am really hopeful that you'd find something in it to enjoy.
I honestly think it's my best collection yet.
Should you want a copy, send me an email at arcmwriting@gmail.com and I'll tell you how to pay and get your details to send you one of your very own!
FEBRUARY 2020 UPDATE TWO NEW BOOKS NOW PUBLISHED!
BOOK 1 - 'Distant Echoes' My Poetry Collection of 2019
Today sees an historic event. Yes it is the first day in decades when the UK has been out of the European Zone, and this might lead to the partial breakup of the United Kingdom if Scotland decide that the time is right to become an independent country.
But personally, it is a very important day as I have two NEW BOOKS launched today! The first is 'Distant Echoes', my poetry collection of 2019. Within its pages are 120 poems across a wide range of subjects, thoughts and musings. There is a poem inside for almost everyone, no matter what your taste. Some have humour, some are dark, some are almost statements of wonder at the world I see and experience everyday.
The cover, as is my habit with my poetry books, has a photograph I took whilst on a short break to Romney Marsh and the surrounding area. The photograph I took was good (even if I say so myself) but my recent courses in Photoshop enabled me to refine it and make it into what I think is a striking cover.
All in all, I think it is the best poetry book I've ever produced and I hope that I can sell the 90 or so copies I have for sale to people who will both appreciate the work and the poetry within. So please consider buying one - I need to get some of my garage space back!
Copies are only £3.99 plus (if required) £2 P&P. I can sing and even personalise a copy if you are buying it for a friend and you will have bought a unique and individual piece of writing that, I hope, you'll enjoy for years to come!
Thanks for reading this!
BOOK 2 - 'Reflections - Memories of a Woman'
Now we come to the second book published today. A very different book to the usual works I produce. I'm usually firmly in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy mould when I write fiction. My son would say that Sci-Fi is my 'wheelhouse' and I suppose that usually, he would be right in that assertion.
Almost everything I've ever written has the feel of a Sci-Fi story. Except for two. The First will be in my new collection of short stories for the older reader later this year ('Past Horrors'). This story is called 'The Horror' and is about a journalist changing his life in a very radical way. It is earth-bound, realistic and has absolutely no aliens within its pages whatsoever.
The second is 'Reflections - Memories of a Woman'. This story is the short novella that is also released today. It's a book about love, the angles and connections between people and how some people need to be in a relationship even when it might not be healthy for anyone concerned. It is in part drawn from situations I encountered when a police officer; but expanded, altered and adjusted to make what I hope is an interesting and enjoyable tale.
It is not for the easily shocked or offended. It has scenes of an adult nature within and although I hope they are handled with a delicacy of touch; they are nevertheless quite open in their description.
There is another element to this publication that makes it a very different book for me. That is my collaboration with Jodie at RubenArt. Jodie is an artist with a clear vision when creating her works and having discovered her at one of the Creative Eye events in Southend, I knew her work would be a good fit for this book. I asked her if she'd be willing to create some original works for it and to my surprise and delight; she agreed.
Jodie has come up with 7 original pieces for the book; 2 of which form the front and rear covers - a break from my normal habit. There are a further 5 original pieces within it appropriate points and this use of art (I believe) enhances the overall tone and feel of the novella.
For a short period of time, books are offered for sale as stand-alone book (£3.99) or as a book and one print (of two, both of which are short-run of only 20 each) for £10. The first few lucky purchasers will have a book and a print for only £3.99 plus £2.99 P&P (if required). This is an opportunity to own something individual and different.
The book covers and the prints available are in the below image and if you'd like to purchase a book, a print, or a book and a print, please get in touch at arcmwriting@gmail.com
Thanks for reading this and I hope you consider buying something really special form both Alan Mitchell Creative and RubenArt!
NOVEMBER 2019 Update - NEW WEB DOMAINS NOW ONLINE!
Yes it is true - not only have I bought FOUR new web domains, THREE of them are ONLINE and running NOW!
which means the three current areas of creativity I'm involved with (Fiction and Prose, Photography and Music) are now covered by specific and dedicated websites. I chose these to start a push to market my work properly and get as much of it as I can 'out there'. I am happy with my creative processes and the work I produce; but I'm acutely aware that I'm fairly rubbish at marketing or properly advertising my work. If I'm to find (or create) an audience, I have to make it easier to find my websites - arcmwriting and arcmphotography were good, but not as useful as having my name in the title of the web sites.
This will be a website that signposts visitors to one of the three dedicated sites, but it is still a work under construction so clicking on the link at this time will produce a 404 Error as I've not published the Site at this time. Now, I have changed the necessary settings so that you can search for any of the three main site names and they will both bring you to the correct sites. I've done this as I've ordered new Business Cards and other Marketing materials and want to have the more appropriate names as part of this 're-branding'. After all (he says proudly), I often average just over 100 unique visitors per week to this site. This is very heartwarming, I work quite hard to keep this site up to date and as entertaining as I can and to know that there are quite a few of you out there who return every week or so makes it all worthwhile.
NEW BOOK RELEASE!
Yes it is true - my new collection of poetry (from 2018) is now released!
February 1st 2019 Update - my new collection is available NOW!
My new book, 'Voices in the Wild' was released on February 1st 2019. Like the others before it, it has taken a whole year to complete. It is my entire poetic output for 2018 and has some poems that I'm really very proud of. I feel that I'm finding my 'voice' in stronger and better ways, the forms my poems take are changing, altering, evolving. I like that.
The work that goes into the covers has changed as well, as I have increased my skills with Photoshop and, hopefully, my ability with a camera. The photos I choose for the cover of each book, the work that goes into editing and refining said chosen image, all is easier now to achieve the look and 'feel' that I see in my mind when I'm conceiving the book.
So, the printed book is done and available, I'm working on the digital version which I hope will be ready for a March 1st release date. Should anyone wish to purchase a printed copy, I have just received the print run from the printers and they are only £2.99 per copy plus P&P. If you buy ANY FOUR, they are only £2.50 each and I can combine the postage.
They are looking good and I'm very proud of them. So, if you have any interest in reading poetry that's a little 'out there', that's a bit different and may be a break from the norm, why not give mine a try... what have you got to lose, apart from spending an amount only a little more than a cup of coffee from one of the many coffee shops around in today's 'coffee culture' landscape?
Even though this latest book is now available, there's another one due (hopefully) before the Summer. It's my second book of Short Stories and is called 'Past Horrors'.
But for now, I'm happy and excited that this, my SEVENTH book of poetry is now loose in the world, and is now available for anyone who might want too, to read. This one even boasts a 'Special Guest Poem' by a Waitress (the lovely Orla P), we met when up in Lincolnshire on a scouting run looking at places we might move too in a year or so's time.
There's lots to read, experience and I just know that if you take a chance, you'll not regret it.
Thanks for reading this and thanks for visiting my site!
So here we are in March 2017. I'm retired, my Son is 21, my Daughter 8 and I'm so full of creativity as to be almost illegal. I'm working on a Portfolio for my Photography Course, the proof copy for my latest Poetry Collection (due to be published this month), the Amazon digital version of 'Also now Sleeping' as the paperback is now out, PLUS I've written a few new poems for the 2017 Collection AND I'm still working on the Short Stories Collections!
Add into the mix new songs with Keith as UnderTow, some work on the 'Fusion' projects of poetry, photos and music that are littering my YouTube Channel to no acclaim whatsoever, and you can see that I'm a bit busy - keeps me out of trouble and interested in daily life. It doesn't quite keep the nostalgia and melancholy away but it does its best - and that is all we can ask!
Stay safe all... (-all? No one reads this anyway!)
March 2016 Update - more collections now available!
So, the big news this month is that my latest collection; 'Empty Boats', has now been printed and is available to buy. The 'best' yet? Not sure, but I am extremely pleased with it and even though the cover is a little darker than I'd like (my fault in its creation), it is still a nice looking book.
The next big piece of news is that I have now, finally, eventually, after so many months of struggle, managed to reformat my existing collections into a format that can be sold in a digital form. For a very tech-savvy guy I have had major issues in arriving at conversions that keep the poetry in the format on the page as I need it to look like. To me, the appearance of a poem like 'Bubbles' or 'Umbrellas' is an intrinsic part of the experience of the poem itself. Thus, the firs three of my collections have been converted and are now available in the Kindle Store (other digital retailers are available, but my work is not available on them!). For more information on this, please see my Blog page.
Should you wish to look at my Amazon Author page, please go here:
amazon.com/author/alan_mitchell
If you want to buy any of my work, then it is available in either digital or paper form; and I am so pleased to be able to say that.
Be safe, every blessing.
February 2016 Update - Two pieces of news!
Two exciting pieces of news this time (ok exciting to me). First, I can now accept online payments as Weebly now has an affiliation with 'Stripe'. This means that, should anyone actually want to buy copies of my work (or Ed's), you can now without leaving my site. I'm hoping that this might turn the web traffic I generate into actual sales; as this would be very good for my bank balance and my ego!
Secondly, I can announce (to absolutely no fanfare at all) that I have completed my next collection and 'Empty Boats' is due to be published on 1st March 2016. This is the largest collection of my work to date, with over 130 pages and poems on subjects ranging from terrorist attacks, the sad death of Sir Terry Pratchett and an American adventure for 75% of the family!
I hope that if you have not yet been tempted to buy one of my Collections thus far, this one might be the one that finally makes you take the plunge into my world of words!
Well it is the 23rd of December and due to the busy time of year I have forgotten several times to update this part of the site with some 'news'. As it is unlikely that there will suddenly be dozens of new readers on this site, I did not rush!
Anyway, I have been collaborating with a very creative lady at my daughters school (Kathryn) who is a whizz at the craft of cross-stitch. After stumbling across a plan of the church in the village where the school is, she had an idea of trying to come up with a project to tie the school to the church in some way. The church, of St Mary & St Edward, is an old church, parts of which date back to the 11th century (though it has been rebuilt and added too over the centuries).
The school have many of their services in the church and in fact we were there before the school broke up for Christmas last week. It is a strange and lovely building, surrounded by a graveyard with many old and almost unreadable gravestones at various angles in the grass.
Kathryn asked me if I'd like to contribute to the project by submitting some words in a form of my choosing. I was happy and touched to be asked and was keen to come up with something appropriate. I visited the church and spent some time there, walking around and getting an idea for both the church and the events it has seen and the people who might have been born, married and later buried within the environs of the church.
I ended up writing a couple of poems for this project, but finally settled on 'Patchwork Church' which I had printed on cotton-rich paper and altered slightly so that the one that partners the stunning cross-stitch of the plan of the church would, when taken as a whole; hopefully tell a wider story then either can on their own. Kathryn seemed pleased and was very complimentary about the words, and she found a framer who could frame both in a plain oak frame that were identical and would sit 'nicely' side by side. When we saw them both finished together I think both of us were more than happy with the result!
Anyway, as a result of my visits to the churchyard and working on the poem I had an idea to do something that I've wanted to try for quite a while, On visiting the church I had taken some photos of the church and surrounding area and wanted to try putting these and my words to music. I didn't have an original piece to use so went for something else instead.
This is my first attempt at this so, if you have a look at it, please be kind! You can find the poem, words and music Here.
I do hope that if you visit it to have a look at it that you enjoy it and that you and yours have a safe and happy Christmas!
October 31st 2015 - Halloween post!
I have been involved in recent weeks and months in the creation of a FUN Recipe Book for my daughters school; mainly in the role of Editor. Along with a few other parents at the school, this project has been useful to help keep my brain working in a non pressured environment, and it has been fun to read the recipes and find places for them within the book. Being able to take my time and rely on others for proof reading and mistake spotting has been very good for me. The book is a fund raising idea that hopefully has brought the school together to make something worth buying (for parents and relatives, maybe even members of the public alike) in order to help finance the Prayer & Reflection Garden recently opened by the Bishop of Chelmsford.
This project then led into another shorter one; the taking of some photographs firstly when the garden was originally built and planted and then again when Bishop Stephen Cottrell officially opened the Garden in early October 2015. I then put these photographs into some sort of order; collated, sorted and then put into two sets of images. One on a day just after it was built and then the official opening day. Being aware of not putting children's faces into the forefront of images taken, once selected the photos were made into a short video (under 7 minutes). Set to music, this short video will be available on my very own YouTube Channel when it goes live in November/December 2015.
Also appearing on the Channel will be two other short films; both made my myself and both originating from a collaboration with another parent at the school, who has created a wonderful piece of art and invited me to participate in it in a way that I was both able to and pleased too! As this project is still 'secret' and has not been revealed to anyone that it is intended for, I'll not go into details here - even though no one ever actually reads this blog - just in case it spoils the surprise when it is revealed to all!
The final film on my Channel will be another short film of photographs from an 'Alice in Wonderland' event at Nevendon Manor in Essex. This was a super day marred only by the cold and rain, but I took some photos of the very professional event and set it to some music - 'Carry On Up The Vicarage'.
When the time comes, I'll post a link to my Channel here and, should anyone pass by this little web room of mine and feel interested enough to have a look; the finding of them will be easy.
On a fairly different note, I was incredibly surprised and amazed to recntly meet - purely by incredible chance - a long standing hero of mine. The family had gone up to see the Yeti for a few days and were on our return journey when we stopped for a drink and a stretch of the legs at a service station we had never used before.
Whilst we had a toilet break and got some coffees, I turned around to see Mr Steve Hackett and his lovely wife standing almost directly behind me in a queue to purchase something (I did not see what so cannot impart that nugget of fool's gold)! For those of you who might be younger or less musically orientated than I, Steve Hackett is a superlative guitarist, recording artist and previous long standing member of my favourite group - Genesis. Although he left in the 1970's, his musical talent and song writing ability helped them in a myriad of ways then and later in their career, and his solo albums ever since have honed his innate skills and talent (resulting in his latest album 'Wolflight') incredible heights.
Now I ask you, in my position what would you do? My wife made it clear that I should not intrude into his world nor disturb him with my babbling and effusive praise. She is self-effacing and a human embodiment of the British reserve. A few years ago I was on my way home from London when I saw the very tall and imposing figure of Mr Rick Wakeman (of Yes and Solo fame) at Liverpool Street Station. He was walking across the concourse heading for the Norwich train and I had a few moments to decide whether to approach him or not. It must be odd to be going about your daily business and to be approached by a stranger telling you how great you are (Phil Collins' 'Wear My Hat' is a great illustration of this situation). I know that people are people, often have bad days and may not always be gracious when approached suddenly out of the blue. Thus on that occasion I did what my wife would always do in that situation - I did not want a 'hero' of mine to turn out to be bad tempered or in a hurry. Thus I did not approach him; and I've always wondered what it would have been like if I had.
On this occasion my 'hero' was with some of his band, (I was amazed that they were not in a huge Tour Bus but a very nice discreet silver machine; though not borrowed from Hawkwind) and I was able to quietly ask one of them if he thought that Mr H would mind suddenly being approached by me in this way at this time. He told me that not only would Mr H not mind, he'd be very pleased and was a very nice man. So, I did, and I am really glad I did! He was gracious and open, his wife lovely and I spent a few minutes chatting to him about his current tour ('Acolyte to Wolflight') as he was on his way to appear at Ipswich that evening (sadly I did not have a ticket), his music and the tour. I managed to pluck up even more courage - much to my wife's chagrin - and I walked fairly quickly to my car and returned (he was still there bless him) and gave him a copy of my two published works. I did not have the wherewithal to personalise them before I handed them to him, but I did want him to have some of my words as I have enjoyed so many of his.
I believe that poetry has a music to it just as strong as other forms of music; Steve Hackett (both with Genesis and on his own) has made some incredible music, written some important songs for me and a lot of others and to know that he has (or had lol) copies of my poetry is something I am very 'proud' of. Yes I did get carried away thinking (hoping?) he'd find a poem in it that he loved and just had to make into a song - even though he has never needed this before - but I am realistic to realise that that would not happen. But, I hope that he has read a few, understood some of the need behind the writing of them, and has gained something approaching pleasure in that process.
Whether he enjoyed any, read many or not, he was extremely nice and I had a nice chat on Twitter (my first) with @euanfar who obviously knows Mr H and has an inside track into that world. Who knows, @euanfar might even have been on the tour bus! I have left the really 'spooky' thing to last - it being Halloween and all. On our long drive to and from the Yeti, it is my habit to share the sounds of the radio (BBC Radio 2 by choice, or BBC Essex if Dave Monk is on), CD's that my daughter likes and my own music from my iPhone via the car's Bluetooth player.
At this point of our journey it was my 'turn' to select the music and for the last few miles I was playing a few songs from an album called ''The Tokyo Tapes'. The artist? Mr Steve Hackett!
If that isn't of interest; in a pleasing synchronicity for this post, and following the idea of 'the total interconnectedness of all things' (look it up); the music to the 'Alice' film ('Carry On Up the Vicarage') was from a great 1978 album 'Please Don't Touch' featuring Randy Crawford, Richie Havens, members of Kansas and John Hackett. The artist? Mr Steve Hackett!
Until the next time, stay safe on Halloween and keep on reading!
August 5th 2015
It's been a strange, wonderful and awful last few years. My Mother dying, issues in the family and my deteriorating health have all affected my life and the lives of those around me. My family keep me grounded on what is important, my friends help me to laugh, and my poetry and other creative outlets provide me with an escape into other worlds, other thoughts, other states of being.
A short while ago my son Edward (who I affectionately call 'Yeti' for reasons that would be obvious if you met him) told me that he had been writing some poetry for a while and that he wanted to put it into a collection of his own. Now Edward, a polite and hairy 19 year old university student, experiences and understands (or does not) the world differently than most. He was 'diagnosed' with Asspergers when young and he sees, feels and views the world in a particularly individual way. Whether he has 'inherited' this from me, who knows; but I see so much of myself when young in him that I wonder about my own situation!
Ed showed me some of his poems and it has great promise. He writes in a different way to me, records his thoughts in a different way and thus (fortunately); the resulting creative output is very different to both my own and many others. Due in part I think to his situation, he does not 'filter' as much out of his work as others might ('Alcohol Fuelled Kisses' being a case in point); but the result is an open and honest glimpse into his life, his world and some of the difficulties he has in dealing with it all. his social filters are often missing, too quiet or he doesn't realise that they are there, and in his poems this gives him a freedom that few are brave enough to demonstrate.
Yet in reality - is this not what poetry is distinctly about? The delicate netting of a thought, a feeling, an emotion, and a recording of the same in a way that communicates it in a (hopefully) pleasing manner?
For me, this is at least in part my motivation to write - to communicate as much as myself as I can to others, and I applaud his bravery in how and what he writes, and how he records the things he does. Conventions that we all take for granted (which is how they become conventions) are ignored as he follows the thoughts and feelings and records them honestly and with little concern for 'commerciality'. It may not make him rich, but it will keep his poems honest and forthright.
So, as the rest of the family get ready for a holiday abroad, Ed (among other things) will be at home polishing and revising this collection of poetry, 'A Lonely Man's Diary' [ISBN 978-0-9931494-9-8] and updating his website (www.ejmwriting.weebly.com).
His first Collection will be available to buy (from his site and this one as well as from the Kindle Store) in mid September at the very low price of £2.99.
Yeti, I wish you well in these endeavours, good luck my son, I'm very proud.
April 2nd 2015
This will not be a regularly updated page due to the fact that I seldom have any 'news' worth reporting to the wider world. My life as a millionaire racing driver cum playboy is long past and I have not as yet heard about me replacing the young chap from One Direction. My life is mainly my children and coping with life as best I can and writing down some of the things that affect me. So, no major news or information often is relevant to share with the world outside my head.
I do have some disappointing news to report at this time though. As I have recorded elsewhere in this site, a local Bakery ('Danbury Fine Foods') was kind enough to take a few of my Poems of the Past Collection and have them on sale on my behalf. David and the staff there were so kind to allow me some shelf space and have managed to sell 5 copies to those popping in for bread, cakes, hot beverages or something special (they offer a lovely range of quality foods).
Sadly, they contacted me yesterday to let me know that they had been broken into and had all the cash on the premises stolen. This included the money in a bag (plus the Sheet they kindly used to record the sales and the names and carers of those poor souls buying a copy [not really!]). My loss was only a few pounds; my books are ridiculously cheap at £2.99 after all, and the fact that some people have bought some is a wonderful thing to me and something that I cherish - after all, to my knowledge no one made them buy a copy!
But the fact that this local business, trying to survive and thrive in this difficult economic climate; has had to cope with this incident as well is a real shame. I hope that the extra costs they may incur as a result of this are not to steep and I urge you to pop in for a Latte or similar if you are passing, just to prove that there are some good people out there! If you do, give them my best!