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Launching Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46 by William Earl and Liz Coward

Launching Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46 by William Earl and Liz Coward

Welcome to the climax of, the writing of Blood and Bandages.  I hope the story, warts and all, has inspired potential writers and interested the book’s many fans. I have little to say other than that because the launch marks the moment a book leaves the creative creche and enters the outside world to stand or… Continue reading…

Final part of writing  Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in a RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-1946

Final part of writing Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in a RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-1946

This blog first appeared in 2017. I’m re-posting it for the book’s many admirers and to give an insight into the writing process warts and all.  As I discovered, there’s no magic formula and passion, resilience and determination are essential in order to reach the finish line. ——————————————————————-      So there I was, paralysed… Continue reading…

A tribute to William Ernest Earl,  12th May 1915 – 11th March 2022.

A tribute to William Ernest Earl, 12th May 1915 – 11th March 2022.

Instead of re-posting the fifth part of, ‘the writing of Blood and Bandages’, today I pay tribute to my dear friend and co-author, Bill Earl, who passed away peacefully on 11th March 2022. He was two months shy of his 107th birthday. Our friendship began when William was 94. By then, he had already lived… Continue reading…

Writing Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46.  Part four: “There was only one thing left to do.”

Writing Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46. Part four: “There was only one thing left to do.”

This blog was first published in March 2017,  in the lead up to the launch of Blood and Bandages. I’m republishing it now for the books many fans and to inspire other writers to carry on, come what may. They say writing is a marathon not a sprint. I agree. I started my marathon without… Continue reading…

Writing Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46. Part three: “The book was off… indefinitely.”

Writing Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46.  Part three: “The book was off… indefinitely.”

Welcome to part three of the story of writing Blood and Bandages, my first ever book. I’m sharing this journey with the book’s many fans, and to inspire other writers to have faith in their projects and carry on regardless. As this part reveals, some problems are foreseeable, others can pounce on you from nowhere.… Continue reading…

Writing Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46.  Part two: “Its heart was buried under a mountain of facts.”

Writing Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46. Part two: “Its heart was buried under a mountain of facts.”

This blog first appeared in 2017, and is the second of six blogs on how I wrote Blood and Bandages.  Part one is here. I’m sharing my journey with the book’s many fans and to encourage new writers who may be faltering with their projects. Writing isn’t easy and the route is littered with pot-holes.… Continue reading…

Writing Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46.  Part one “I never meant to write a book.”

Writing Blood and Bandages – fighting for life in the RAMC Field Ambulance 1940-46. Part one “I never meant to write a book.”

This blog first appeared in 2017 and forms one of six parts on how I wrote Blood and Bandages. It’s designed to tell the inside story of the book to its many fans and to inspire new writers to have faith in their stories, keep going despite setbacks and follow their passion.  I’m not special.… Continue reading…

Singapore ex-pat’s guest post by artist, Jennifer Lim.

Singapore ex-pat’s guest post by artist, Jennifer Lim.

I’d heard of Jennifer before I met her as my friends had been raving about her project to clear and catalogue some of the overgrown graves at Bukit Brown cemetery. We finally met in person in May 2019, when I was lucky enough to win one of her prints at a fund-raiser for the Singapore… Continue reading…

Singapore ex-pat’s guest post – Jonathan Hardy on moving from a corporate life to the gig economy.

Singapore ex-pat’s guest post – Jonathan Hardy on moving from a corporate life to the gig economy.

In 2019, after a long career in advertising sales, Jonathan Hardy, aged 54, left his company to build a ‘portfolio career’ intended to carry him into the last 10-20 years of his working life. Unfortunately, unpredictable world events, like the disturbances in Hong Kong and Covid 19, significantly impacted his plan almost before it started.… Continue reading…

Singapore ex-pat’s guest post from award winning author, Josephine Chia.

Singapore ex-pat’s guest post from award winning author, Josephine Chia.

I first met Josephine Chia, when she gave a lecture for the Friends of the Museums about living in a Singaporean kampong (village) in the 1950s. It was a tough gig. The audience was packed with middle-aged, middle-class high brow expat women but Josephine’s charisma, charm and humility had us eating out of the palm… Continue reading…