I must admit, I was amazed that Sacrifice was going to be Sally Spedding’s debut collection, mainly because I’ve been reading her spooky novels for years and had always assumed that her poetry – which I was equally aware of – had long ago been collected by some enterprising editor.
But it seems I am that lucky chap and so I am ecstatic to announce that you can now pre-order this collection direct from the lady herself.
Sally describes it thus,
From the sonnet, ‘Tournesols’ to ‘Boutique Hotel,’ any joy and relief in this collection of poems are short-lived, reflecting their creator’s real-life experiences and those of others she knows well. We are born, we bloom for a while, if lucky, but like the wondrous evening primrose, emblem of her childhood on the sand dunes near Porthcawl, soon wrinkle and close. And all along the way lies hidden danger. From whoever is lying in wait for us to trip and fall, to the very air we breathe. Whoever is pressing the right buttons to create the kind of world only seen in futuristic films. Beneath and beyond the temporal, visible beauty of this planet and those we love, lurk our worst imaginings, while easily peddled words of comfort and hope soon weaken and disintegrate. And then there’s the never-ending guilt. William Butler Yeats was right.
‘Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. O when may it suffice?’
As ever, we want you to read our books and totally encourage you to support our poets by buying their work directly from them and Sally has ‘Sacrifice’ listed on her web site HERE
As a bonus, if you buy this direct from Sally in the next fortnight, you will also be eligible for a FREE ENTRY to any one of our competitions.
But you need to be quick.
To enter the competition, by the 9th of October 2020 you need to:
- Buy ”Sacrifice” direct from Sally Spedding HERE
- Email your Competition entry along with the payment receipt to the email address on the relevant competition page.
It is as simple as that.
About Sally Spedding
Sally has won what is now the International Welsh Poetry Competition twice, and judged it four times. Regularly published in ‘The French Literary Review’ and also by ‘Poetry Salzburg Review’ and ‘The Interpreters’ House, ‘ Cinnamon Press, ‘ ‘Erbacce, ‘ ‘Eyewear, ‘ ‘The Seventh Quarry, ‘ ‘The Atlanta Review’ and forthcoming in ‘Best British and Irish Poets etc. She won the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition (Poetry) in 2009 and placed in 2016, and recently been included twice in anthologies of poems inspired by the works of R.S. Thomas.
Born near Porthcawl, my father’s tragic European background and my own experiences and observations of places and people influence both my crime/thriller writing and poetry. How duplicitous human beings don’t change but gradually reveal themselves. After studying Sculpture at Manchester and St. Martin’s, London, came a post-graduate Art Teacher’s Diploma from Sussex University. Having won an international short story competition, an agent signed me up, but throughout, teaching full-time for many years and continuing with my art has been the bedrock. In 2001 and 2002, PanMacmillan published ‘Wringland’ and ‘Cloven’ in a two-book deal. Then Allison &Busby brought out ‘A Night With No Stars’ and ‘Prey Silence.’ Next, ‘Come and be Killed’ (Severn House) the first in my Malvern-based DC Martin Webb trilogy. In 2012 Sparkling Books published the chilling ‘Cold Remains’ set near Llandovery. Also ‘Malediction, ‘ with its terrorist priests in France. Then ‘Cut to the Bone’ featuring a beguiling but psychopathic schoolboy, was optioned for a feature film last year. ‘How To Write a Chiller Thriller’ (Compass Books) appeared in 2014, then ‘The Yellowhammer’s Cradle’ set in 19th century rural Argyll. Next, the part-historical ‘Behold A Pale Horse’ in 2018. Lume Books, (formerly Endeavour Media) re-published five of these backlist titles as e/bks and paperbacks, which are still available. An active member of the Crime Writers’ Association since 2002, Mystery People and Crime Cymru, I enjoy meeting my readers at various literary events, while assessing manuscripts for the CWA has seen debut writers become published, and been useful in editing my own work. My short stories have won awards and been widely published including in CWA crime anthologies. The latest, ‘Run Rabbit Run’ and ‘Rosy is Red’ are published by Mango (USA) edited by Maxim Jalubowski. ‘Strangers Waiting’ (bluechrome) my short story collection, includes that eponymous title which won the H.E Bates Short Story Prize. Four horror stories plus my artwork have recently been published on Matthew G. Rees’ ‘Horla’ website. My poetry has also won awards and been published not only in the UK. Two poems were recently selected for the 25th edition of ‘Atlanta Review’ edited by Agnes Meadows, and ‘Seizure’ written after visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, is included in ‘Best British and Irish Poets’ soon to be published. I also adjudicate national and international writing competitions, including the International Welsh Poetry Competition three times, including this year. Jeffrey, my late husband was a renowned artist and we spent many happy days in the eastern Pyrenees, once home to the ill-fated Cathars, where timeslips still seem to occur. In September 2018 Sharpe Books gave me a seven-book deal. ‘The Nighthawk, ‘ features newly-retired DI John Lyon from Nottingham who, while on holiday in France, foolishly leaves the beaten track. ‘Bloodlines’ is set near Poitiers, then ‘Death Knell, ‘ in 1920’s rural Norfolk. ‘Downfall, ‘ the first in my Delphine Rougier quartet, was published late last year. Set in the flatlands near Le Mans, where dark secrets and danger still lurk. ‘The Devil’s Garden’ set partly in the Vosges, appeared in March. ‘Blood at Beltane’ is next. Finally, ‘Office For the Dead’ the second in my DC Martin Webb trilogy, set again in Malvern, but also the Aude department in France, is out now. ‘White Meat, ‘ partly set in Australia’s outback, will follow. www.sallyspedding.com
- Title: Sacrifice
- ISBN: 978-1913499297
- Pages: 34
- Order from Amazon HERE
- Order signed and annotated copies direct from Sally at her web site HERE