I can’t believe that in November it will be five years since I moved down to Retreats For You in Devon. Lovely Rosemary Dun, pictured, has just booked her first retreat here as a tutor and it will happen in September 2022. (More details here!) She and I met at Julie Cohen‘s writing workshops, and this photograph was around 2015, when the hostess was Deborah Dooley. I was just writing my first book and Rosemary was unpublished at this stage as well. Hasn’t everyone done well! From left to right : me, Jane, Deborah, Julie, and Rosemary. Lovely times :-).
Now whilst I’m just trying to work out a new date for Julie for next year, the news is that I will continue doing at least one retreat a month but they are all getting sold out very quickly! Some were postponements from lockdown. Others you book direct with the tutor (like Alison May). Yet more are second retreats because we had waitlists for the first ones (develop your novel with Rebecca Horsefall, memoirs with Marnie Summerfield.) All this means there are not many ‘just write’ (no workshops) retreats. In fact I only have one next year and I have one place left – on February 7. It will sell out! If I can run some more I will let you know but we are mostly a holiday let especially during the summer now (see the holiday let page on our website, complete with many videos!)
Go here to see our events all listed and fingers crossed you can find something you are looking for in 2022.
TOP 30 ON KINDLE
Just a quick word about one of our previous guests’ books. Julia Roberts (my colleague at QVC), has achieved a fabulous feat – top 30 on the general kindle chart with her Bookouture published book, ‘The Woman on the Beach’. It is definitely her best one so far and makes for some really compelling reading. Go here to find it on Amazon. Jules was kind enough to give me one for a competition. Watch out for it on our social media, see below. It’s Jules’s 9th novel and follows a very topical theme but has a fabulous twist. Well done Mrs!
I hope you are all well and have got back into your writing now the world has started to become a little more normal. We ask everybody who visits to take a negative covid test on the day they arrive, and are still executing a deep clean in between visitors.
For my part, I am based mostly in Surrey when I’m not at the retreat, The third grandchild has just been born, a little boy and I see him often as my son lives in Fulham. Daughter is in Wales however so I see her little one less often – who knows, one day I may buy a house in Wales to see her more, when the time is right to sell this business.
Daisy dog, for those who asked, has gone to live with my brother in Kent since lockdown – his six-year-old is keeping her amused :-); she is being well looked after in her dotage and even has a little playmate called Beau. I visit them often!
To enquire about any other workshops and if you are a tutor wanting to run one, like Rosemary, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You never know what we might be able to achieve!
Best wishes and happy writing.
Debbie
PS – If you’re interested in memoirs, and can’t wait for next years retreat, Marnie is offering online help: From Marnie:
I am launching a new series of webinars and online writing retreats as well as my in-person workshops at Retreats For You. My online memoir writing course starts this month. Details are here – places are limited. Click here to subscribe to my newsletter so that you don’t miss out. Subscribers receive my free memoir writing guide.
Debbie Flint
@retreatsforyou
www.retreatsforyou.co.uk
Also a holiday let ‘Sheepwash Square House’, on Cottages.com
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