Hi all!
Summer 2019, latest dates, doggy update and who’s made the authors’ gallery!.
In this Summer update, we are pleased to announce several dates with availability soon! Several weeks are coming up for our wonderful full board, ‘just write’ retreats for writers, and are taking place imminently – can you come?
There are spaces during the next couple of months, and also – drumroll! – one rare weekend, in October. Plus special deals for any returners, who would like one of our two new en-suite bedrooms?
AUTHORS’ GALLERY – WHO IS NEW?
I’m often told that this is the ambition of many of the guests who come to our cosy home from home in North Devon, to see their own book in our Authors’ book gallery, Pride of place in our glass cabinet in the dining room. The two top shelves are nearly full, so please send us yours if it’s finished and of course please sign it for us! Just say when you wrote some of it when you visited us! I will also feature you in my book blog, as below.
This month’s new paperback additions include books from the talented authors, Alison May, Frances Liardet, Bella Osborne, Lucy V Hay and others. Well done all!

Featured author of this month is a highly successful crime writer – none other than CL Taylor, otherwise known as Cally. Cally is one of our lovely regulars and I was delighted to give her the super new en-suite bedroom in room three, the Martin room. (Go here to see videos for all the new look rooms! And a bit about the barn bedroom as well which some people are now preferring to choose.)
Cally created a bit of a social media storm with her frequent updates from our retreat which included an extra stay at the end, across a weekend. Go here to see more of her posts – she did so many wonderful ones! https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVTul1glsg/?igshid=1lruwlwvc7u1s
Readers loved following the progress of how many words she had done each day, picturesque photos, cake updates, and that she finally achieved her key objective of getting to ‘the end’ by the Saturday evening. Well done Cally and we look forward to seeing the finished book! The working title of the book she was writing is currently “psychological thriller number seven “! But Sleep is out right now, her latest blockbuster, which has spent four weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller list. So do get it and try her books if you like fab crime with a twist!
MAKING IT WORK – WEEKENDS
We were delighted to offer Cally a couple of extra days on the end of our regular Monday to Friday retreat, because we now have a way of allowing people to stay across a weekend without it being self catering. See below.
But if you would like a FULLY CATERED ‘Just Write’ weekend, (considering our only offer this Summer, in July, filled up very quickly,) then how about October?
Come on Friday 11th, check out on Sunday 13th. One en-suite bedroom is available at time of writing. What is more, you will be treated to the complete RFY treat – the full gamut of hot water bottles in your bed, roaring fire, brisk Devon walks, and hearty home-cooked meals, as well as our famous afternoon tea and cake, are all included in the price of just £98 per person per night. Hit reply on this email to enquire as soon as you can! (£17 per person per night supplement for en-suite.)

Returners deals – do mention you came before, as I can sometimes offer you a special deal if you have already visited and stayed here. It varies from week to week depending what is available, but you should always ask! Just remind me what date you came. It may be a deal on an ensuite, it may be an offer regarding a taxi, it may be a last minute bargain. Just email and ask! See also below, regarding weekend stays for returners.
WENDY’S KITCHEN – GO VEGAN

We will be accommodating vegan as well as regular eaters on August 5-9 retreat – Great news for anyone who is vegan or fancies eating that way for a week. There will be regular eaters as well so you can get in and out of it if you just let us know beforehand.
I’ve been inspired by a friend of mine, Marlene Watson Tara, whose workshop I went to a while ago, learning how to cook macrobiotic food (basically that’s vegan without wheat or sugar, plus fermented foods, miso soup, seaweed etc), and this book is her latest. Since vegan eating is becoming ever more popular, we are happy to be inspired by her wonderful recipes and explanations as to why seasonal eating is good. On Amazon here..
So please feel free to book that week knowing you will have some delicious vegan food or provided for you, vegan cheese too, and vegan versions of whatever we are making, as Wendy is an expert at helping make that happen. NB nut milks are always available as well, as I don’t really eat dairy and our home-made bread is always made without dairy. Sadly our home-made yoghurt isn’t but it’s packed full of wonderful healthy bacteria, good for your gut!
Get a good sleep week
Who do you know who just wants a break, not necessarily a writer? Would they like to be looked after completely by us, cosseted, nurtured, made to feel comfortable? Have access to a mini home gym, a lovely Summer house with a swing seat with use of the setting sun over the nearby thatched roof tops, doggy therapy, healthy home-cooked meals, (and if they want, the usual afternoon tea and cake!) Picturesque walks in the Devon countryside and super comfortable beds and mattresses make this a great place to come If you want to recharge your batteries. https://youtu.be/EK-Keh_-lcY
The Sealy posturepedic pillowtopper mattress in room 2 (the Jones room) is always popular, peace, quiet, and a sense of calm with no chores whatsoever all week, all available if you want to send someone to us who deserves a rest. They don’t have to write they could just sit and read by the fire all week, choosing a book from our little library if they want to. Email us for select dates amongst the weeks below. From Just £98pppn.
Writers groups can block book, or book groups can come for a reading week.

Please don’t forget if you are in a writers’ group that you are very welcome to block book – book 5 places and the sixth one is free. Ditto if you have a reading group or know of one – if they always talk about going away on a retreat, we are happy to accommodate groups of readers, not just writers. Block book now for 2020.
Tearooms update!
Guess what? Our tea room is open once again on Wednesday, delighting our regular guests who adore the chance to go into a vintage tea room for their lunch and partake of afternoon Devon cream tea, scones, clotted cream et cetera as part of their weekly deal with me!

But Patricia our new tearoom lady also opens when I am not here at the weekend, which is how we can now do the weekend retreat situation, valid until the tearoom winds down in late autumn. (Weekend dates do very much depend on my ladies being around helping, and whether any are away on a particular date. But with evening supper being taken across the road in the Gastro pub by special arrangement and a two course meal plus a glass of wine being included in the price, plus the usual self service breakfast, it is a wonderful opportunity to come to our place for people who need solitude to write, but just cannot do weekdays. Or it’s great if you want to do what Cally did as above , and, extend your Monday through Friday by a couple of days extra. If you have been before it is more likely I can offer this deal to you. So let me know!
Sad news about Gracie dog
Regulars following my social media will know that sadly we lost our lovely chocolate Labrador Gracie (with the funny eye). She just passed away suddenly one night, much to our sadness. Her sister Daisy is now having lots of fun with friends and neighbours, for company, when I’m not there, and still appears at retreats for doggy therapy. Because she was around her sister for a few hours after Gracie dog had passed away over the rainbow bridge, I think Daisy understood a bit better, that she had gone. But having been with her sister all her life, obviously it must feel a bit strange so she is getting lots of doggy love.

Yoga offer July 15
On July 15–19, we still have a few spaces for yoga writing week! We are able to offer you a wonderful daily yoga stretch class each afternoon, as part of the overall price of £106 PPPN. I do have rooms left and unusually there is an ensuite which has just become available due to a postponed stay. Will you email me urgently to book? Special deals for returners. [email protected]

Latest availability is as below, along with useful links to fabulous resources for writers. hope you’re well and look forward to hearing from you – please note we are booking well into the future now, including for our tutored workshop weeks in 2020 – they all filled up very, very quickly this year.
Have a lovely Summer, and please note I only send out these emails less than half a dozen times a year. To keep up with updates please look at our blog page on our website here, or, better still, follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @RetreatsForYou
Best wishes
Debbie x
And Wendy, Daisy, Linda, Patricia, Sheena and team.
Latest availability
Spaces available for ‘Just Write’ weeks:
July 8-12
Yoga week July 15-19

There is no availability thereafter until:
August 5-9 (vegans welcome)
Yoga week in August (12-16) is currently full but taking waitlist.
August 22-26 some spaces.
September – not much availability, and Alison May’s second retreat this year is full up. But see below for 2020 dates.
September 2 – 6 is available for just write retreat.
Sep 30 – Oct 4 – a couple of spaces only.

October – 21 – 25th, and our only Autumn two night weekend, 11-13th Oct
November – Just one date 18-22nd Nov, then after that, Julie Cohen’s retreat is full, but do ask about next year’s! Or contact her on her website to find out where else she is holding workshops. She is my own personal mentor and she is brilliant.
(Please note I just came back from Chez Castillon in France near Bordeaux, it’s my own particular favourite retreat and where I go to get away and focus on my own writing, my 5th novel is coming along nicely.
Contact Janie and Mickey @chezCastillon for more information about their dates.
December 2019 we are not open this year for retreats as we have some charity events going on.
Christmas
Contact me about booking self catering for a Christmas stay – across Christmas itself, as one guy did last year since he just wanted to get away and be on his own in some lovely surroundings. He had doggy therapy here for company as well.

2020
The earliest retreats next year will begin in January, but we have already got several bookings for 2020, just email me if you are looking for a particular month. My plan is to do two retreats per month at least.
2020 workshops – Alison May, 15 June and 5 October. Taking bookings now.
November 2020 – Julie Cohen date to be arranged, waitlist being taken at the moment.
Plus, another ‘pitch to a publisher’ Spring retreat – editor to be announced, after the success of this year’s one in March when Phoebe Morgan Harper Collins Commissioning Editor and Charlotte Mursell from HarperCollins came to do a full one day briefing and ran full-on, detailed one to ones with unpublished authors. We will aim to do a second one next year.
‘Develop your novel workshop for beginners’ – once again after the success of Rebecca Horsefall’s workshop in May, we will also aim to do a second one in April/ May next year. Email now to go on waitlist.
Please note that our en-suite bedrooms are usually booked up in advance, and several people have contacted me asking which week an en-suite is available, only to be told they were booked four weeks ago. They do however sometimes experience changes or postponements, so a waitlist is possible. But for most, shared bathrooms amongst a reduced number of guests is fine. Our existing two bedrooms upstairs (will be three by next year) will have sole use of the shared bathroom, so it’s not too bad.
Looking forward to hearing from you – when would you like to return?
Useful links
Writing workshop latest tips for writers:
Their famous online year long online novel writing course gains our own tutor Amanda Saint, along with successful author C M Taylor (not C L – this one’s a chap!) We recommend those wanting to write seriously, consider this course costing upwards of £4000, with massive support and in-depth online training, if you need a tutor but still want to separately book one of our Just Write weeks. Study this course online, alongside coming to our retreats to just get stuff done and get away from every day life and do your homework for Amanda whilst being looked after by us. Go here for more info https://jerichowriters.com/ultimate-novel-writing-course/
Latest Writing Magazine online opportunities – big competitions etc
http://email.writers-online.co.uk/w7noV78Lh0FgRRshHLaxB0JEFBg_aXArd~gqpRqXqVn/WebView.aspx
The Halfmoon Inn, Sheepwash Square. A hop skip and a jump across the road from our retreat you will find our local Gastro pub. With great local atmosphere and superb food. We often take each other’s overspill guests and they supply delicious evening meals for our guests when we need them to.
FAO tourists or self catering visitors: The pub is open from 12 noon until 11.00pm all day everyday. Food is served 12 noon until 1.45pm , and 6.00 pm until 8.45 pm. If a customer would like coffee and walks in when not open they will often still serve them. http://www.halfmoonsheepwash.co.uk
If you have finished a book and want to send it to me, please do!