Every kind you can think of!

This post is by Nancy Jardine.

If you’re a regular reader, then you’ll know that this Wranglers blog is contributed to by lots of different authors/writers who have their own writing preferences. We have poets like Doris McCraw who loves to work in a tight rhythm of 5/7/5 Haiku style. The poem below is a perfect example. http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/sleep.html?spref=fb

We have other authors who write novels and short stories like Mike Staton who posts Sci-Fi stories to his Facebook Page. His story about Florina, is a great example of encapsulating what’s needed for a punchy short-short story. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Staton/257163720993943

Jennifer Flatten regularly entertains us with family related updates, which are a great way for me to compare the differences in living in Scotland and Wisconsin, and she makes fabulous jewellery when not blog writing!
https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.flaten?fref=ts

Some of us, like Gayle Irwin, love to go visiting to do author talks and write articles for magazines and journals. https://www.facebook.com/gayle.irwin.12?fref=ts

I would love to go on about all of the lovely Wrangler contributors but the page isn’t long enough to do them justice. Suffice to say, we are a diverse bunch all linked by WORDS.

WORDS are our business, and words are also the business of THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL.

Many people might say – what’s that?

The photo above was taken in 2013 and you can see the relaxed atmosphere that many folks are enjoying at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

( photo http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edinburgh_International_Book_Festival,_2013.JPG?uselang=en-gb)

I’m told, as a Scot, that if the word EDINBURGH is uttered, many people immediately think of The Edinburgh Festival. The Edinburgh Festival and Fringe Festival is the largest Arts festival in the world and celebrates the visual arts in as many ways as you can imagine. The city of Edinburgh (population approximately 480,000) is hosting around 3000 different Fringe shows this year. https://www.edfringe.com/

Many of these Fringe shows are street entertainers and those who entertain in out of city centre small venues with small audiences. They range from stilt-walkers, one-man comedy shows, plays, musicians of all music genres, monologues, acrobats, jugglers… the list is endless. Exhibitions of multi-media artwork are dotted around the city as well. There are many more expensive events at the Official Festival shows which are held in the largest auditoriums and theatres- though what’s on offer is also a diverse programme of events. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is one of the most famous of these larger events which is held in the grounds of Edinburgh Castle- behind the walls in the photo above. None of those events can take place without a high degree of organisation and that involves a lot of WORDS.

However, what many people world-wide may not know is that concurrently there is also THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL.

The first Edinburgh Book Festival took place in 1983. At first, it was intended to run every other year but, by 1997, it became a yearly event. From the first simple tent in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, (Charlotte Square seen in the top photo) it’s now a very impressive fixture – even though a temporary one each year and still under canvas of sorts. Today, the Book Festival is housed in a specially created tented village in Charlotte Square Gardens, in central Edinburgh.

Running for the last 3 weeks of August ( this year from 9-25th August) the Edinburgh International Book Festival runs concurrently with The Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe. You can well imagine that the city of Edinburgh is abuzz in August with visitors flocking to many of these different venues. Accommodation in the city is impossible to find, unless booked well in advance – like last August 2013!

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has more than 700 events listed for adults and children this year. People can take part in workshops, attend debates, listen to book readings, and can share in the ‘hot topics’ in writing on a one-to-one basis with well known worldwide authors. I can’t do justice to the plethora of events that have been organised in this post, but if you pop over to the official site below, you can experience a lot on line for yourself. Join in with interactive audio performances, listen to podcasts, watch video footage etc.    https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/

The FESTIVAL BOOKSHOP has a wonderful range of books for sale, FICTION AND NON-FICTION – all proceeds from these being ploughed back into the non-profit making fund which has been set up to run the festivals in future years. It’s therefore important to sell those paperback and hardback books every year,  and I’m totally proud to say that Book 1 of my Celtic Fervour Series- THE BELTANE CHOICE – is on the CROOKED CAT PUBLISHING stand! It’s one of 20 books they have chosen to represent Crooked Cat Publishing.

Can you spot it?

For more information on the range of novels my publisher produces click these links.

https://www.facebook.com/crookedcatpublishing

http://www.crookedcatbooks.com/

If you’re reading this blog at some distance from Edinburgh- don’t worry – you can click the link below, by a copy on line, and see why The Beltane Choice  on the Crooked Cat Stand.

I’m now itching for next Saturday the 23rd August to come because I’m going down to Edinburgh to see what all the fuss is about!

I’d love to know if anyone reading this post has heard of the Festivals going on in Edinbrugh just now…

Have a great reading weekend!

Nancy Jardine’s Novels

http://amzn.to/16Xifgn