In my early forties I took up ballet. Some folk thought I was quite mad, but I immediately fell in love with it and quickly became addicted to class. One day it hit me that I had no idea what the person in front of or behind me had been doing at nine o’clock that morning.  What were the real lives of the class’s would-be ballerinas? From that, the seeds of ‘Dixbury Does Talent’ were sown…

When Amy Gathergood is left with a broken heart she joins a local adult ballet class for a much needed distraction. There, she not only learns how to dance but also makes new friends, each with their own story to tell.  As the group prepares for a local talent competition friendships are cemented, new romances begin and for some, circumstances dictate that their lives must change.

But, will the dancers find happiness and do they have what it takes to win Dixbury Does Talent?

Before 2016 is over I’d like to invite you to share the highs and lows of The Dixbury Dancers as their lives twist and turn, bringing laughter, friendships, a tear or two, love and dancing along the way.

DIXBURY DOES TALENT – OUT SOON!

 

Snapshots has been out for a week now and I have been overwhelmed with the support for my little book of quirky, punchy soundbite stories.  I called the first blog ‘My First Baby Book’ and I really am feeling like a proud parent. (There’s even pictures on Facebook.)  And now that Snapshots has been introduced to the world I’m having those familiar parental feelings of wanting ‘my child’ to fly.  A big thanks to all who are helping achieve this.

With Snapshots busy thriving I am turning my attention back to writing.  With my first novel, Dixbury Does Talent, almost ready to publish, I am writing the sequel.  Both books centre around the lives of the participants in an adult ballet class, set in the town of Dixbury – they are all about life, love, friendships and dancing.  Now, in the second book the characters are picking up where they left off and the story is unfolding nicely, but the problem is the title – what should I call it?  I’m stuck and I have no idea why it’s so tricky.  I know that I want the two titles to link  – who knows there might be a series!  But it’s just not coming to me.   ‘Not happening’, as they say.  Let me show you how far I’ve got…

There’s the obvious ‘Dixbury Does Talent Too’ or ‘Dixbury Does Talent Again’.  There’s ‘Dixbury Does More Talent’, ‘Dixbury Really Does Have Talent’, or, where I am at the moment, ‘Honestly Folks, You Have To Believe Me That Dixbury Has A Shedload of Talent!’.

Mmm, I think I’ll sit with it a while.

See you when the fog clears.

In the meantime, if you’re interested, please check out my first offspring…

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N06X05J

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did I say that Snapshots was coming soon?  Well, ta-da – here it is!

But before you decide whether or not to indulge, let me tell you a little more about it…

In the beginning months of 2016 I finished writing my first novel, Dixbury Does Talent.  I really wasn’t ready to write another novel and so I did the opposite and started to write flash fiction.  It began with an entry in a competition (a wonderful third prize) and, believe me, what fun I’ve had!  What a great challenge to write a complete story in under five hundred words!  In fact a couple are under a hundred and there’s even a ten word tale.  It was just what my brain needed after the long road of a novel.  Inspiration came from everywhere and I had a ball writing these short, punchy, quirky tales of randomness.  They were my breath of fresh air!

It’s a book you can dip in and out of with a cuppa and a slice of cake/biscuit/carrot stick.

Dixbury Does Talent will be out before we see the new year in, but until then I hope you enjoy Snapshots.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Snapshots-Maxine-Sinclair-ebook/dp/B01N06X05J/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1478802376&sr=1-1&keywords=maxine+sinclair