Welcome to the online home of the writings and ramblings of part time author, Valerie Poore. Here you will find information on my travel memoir, Watery Ways, and also on my first book, African Ways.

This is also where you will find the status on my first work of fiction, The Skipper's Child, and my work in progress, How to Breed Sheep, Geese and English Eccentrics

News:

30-12-2009: Just a quick update before the year end. The Skipper's Child may have a publisher! I am just reading through some contract papers to see if this is what I want to do with it. If it looks good, news will follow here. If not, I shall just publish through Lulu.com as I have with the others. The new book is making good progress as I write. The first chapters can be read on my blog http://breedingeccentrics.blogspot.com /p>

News:

03-11-2009: Unbelievable that I haven't updated this site for a year, but guiltily, I have to see that it's true. This is not,however, because I haven't been writing. I have. And I've finished the Skipper's Child which is now in its first draft print with Lulu.com. I just wanted a printed copy to read and check through before I have a go at some publishers. It has always been my ambition to be properly published and not just confine myself to print on demand, but it will take some leg work, so I'll have to be prepared.Anyone who would like a downloaded version of the book can send me an email and I'll send them the link to the site where they can buy it for a nominal amount. Just let me know. In the meantime, I'm planning my next two books: one of these will be another fictional story based on my youth on a smallholding in the West country of England, and the other will be a sequel to Watery Ways. So, there you have it! Work is still in progress...

News:

01-11-2008: Nothing much really happened in the months from August to September, but on 21 October, I gave another talk about my work, which was great to do and rewarding in terms of the response and appreciation. The talk was at the invitation of ANCOR, the American Netherlands Club of Rotterdam, and this time I focused more on the writing and publishing process with some attention to Watery Ways. After reading a chapter from the book, several members of the audience seemed very enthusiastic, and I think I may well have inspired a few to take up writing themselves, especially when they heard how instrumental the internet and my weblogs have been in motivating me to both write and publish my books. I am still busy with The Skipper's Child, but sadly, writing has had to take a backseat to my normal work, and things are moving very slowly at the moment. Hopefully I will have some time to write further chapters of my story again as soon as the exams are over.

The ladies of ANCOR, together with Valerie Poore and daughter Jodie on the far right

News:

16-08-08: Two items of news after quite some time. One is that my sales are gradually taking on their own life. I mean that apart from family and friends, I seem to be selling a few books each month to unknown buyers. This is very exciting and encouraging, as I will only begin to consider myself as any kind of success if the books continue to sell on a regular basis. The second piece of news is that I am making good progress with my novel, Skippers Child. Anyone interested in following its path can read the draft chapters and feedback comments on my blog: http://skipperschild.blogspot.com.

News:

18-05-08: Quite beside the point of anything is the fact that two new books are available, both of which I have...um...well, how can I say this...connections with? The first is a book of stunning photos by my partner, Koos Fernhout, for which I had the pleasure of writing the captions, and the second? Well, this is the unique publication of a unique dog. Mine in fact. Her name is Sindy and on her behalf I have published a small volume of her journal which has become quite a popular blog. The links to both these books can be found on my links page, so press the right hand button in the bar above and go take a look!

News:

18-04-2008: New work in progress. My third book is currently in the writing and has a working title of The Skippers Child. It is my first attempt at fiction and is about a 12 year old boy whose father skippers a Dutch barge in the early 1960s. Anyone interested in reading it piecemeal can catch up with the story on the blog where I am publishing the chapters as I write them. The blog address is http://skipperschild.blogspot.com. I would love to have some feedback, so if you read any of it, you can contact me at books@rivergirl.nu

17-04-2008: New outlet for African Ways.
BOL.COM, the largest online bookstore in the Netherlands, is listing African Ways at Euros 13,99. With its low postage costs, this is great news for my Dutch readers who do not have a credit card

12-04-2008: Updated content!

Photo galleries have been added to give you a visual taste of life in rural South Africa and life in a bustling harbour.

11-03-2008: The Launch!

 

 

For information on how to buy the books please click on the titles in the menu bar.