Selling books means meeting people

Hey, I'm a people person !  Talking to ladies' groups and enthusing about later life brings me into contact with such lovely people. The above was from my meeting last night at Jenny Evers'  home with her Marlborough Road Methodist women's fellowship. That, unusally was the second women's fellowship I'd been to that day  ! Thursday must be the LATER LIFE  day around here !  If anyone else would like me to come, I'm at your service.  The book is ENJOYING LATER LIFE by me, Elspeth Jackman, and you can get it at Amazon, in either Kindle  or paperback version or from the publishers, Onward and Upwards.
I wonder what next week's adventure will be.
Elspeth

My Interview on national radio !

Just before I escaped to soak up the visual beauty of the northern Italian lakes and mountains, I took time out to shoot down to Pimlico ! What's in Pimlico ? Amongst other things ,the studios of Premier Radio. I was there by invitation to talk to Maria Toth, presenter of their daily women's programme WOMAN TO WOMAN about my book ENJOYING LATER LIFE. It was a good experience. You can see the twinkle in her eyes here, and she was able to chat to me, check any emails coming in on the subject of the morning - being older- and make it so entertaining  ! Maria certainly has my admiration.

Yes, and the book is on Amazon both paperback and kindle, and you can also get it from the publishers, onwardsand upwards.org

I haven't any oil paintings to show you just now. On holiday I did pen and ink sketches of villas and palm trees, and turtles sun-bathing, but nothing really to show.

Elspeth

It's Talks Time !

Hi there,
Holidays will soon be over and then I get on my own band waggon to encourage the " not quite so young" that they are special, different, and in their prime !  Miss Jean Brodie, you were 40 years too early !
I've got quite a few sessions lined up when I'm invited to talk about my book ENJOYING LATER LIFE . The curious thing is that most of them are on Thursdays, either afternoons or evenings.  Is Thursday invisibly labelled as the day for the MORE MATURE ?
Where shall I start ? Oh a little about me, now a widow for 11 years, and then chatty stories about my minor escapades, and what I'm doing now, and then how they can actually be really useful to God as they are. This is an exercise to build up esteem.
Of course I hope a few might buy my book. I shall have some with me at a special discount as pensions don't always go far enough. For everyone else it's available at the publishers Onwardsand Upwards.org and  Amazon. Apparently the kindle books are selling better than the paperbacks.
I might take a few of my paintings. The other day I actually painted outside in the garden. See below. It's not meant to be an exact likeness. I had fun with it and the shape of the leaves and painted it over blocks of colour.
Hope you are enjoying life, whether earlier, middle or later.
Elspeth

Memorable Sunday 8th July

Sunday 8th July 2012 Presenting an outside broadcast on Hatfield Road St.Albans for Radio Verulam, I not only  had a grand-stand view of the Olympic torch passing by, interviewed both passers by and other Radio Verulam presenters, but even managed to give away several copies of my own book ENJOYING LATER LIFE ( which you can get on Amazon both in kindle form and paper-back)  You see Radio Verulam was celebrating their 5th birthday on FM, so we had cake, we had balloons and I thought I'd throw in the birthday present element as well.
Were you in the crowds that day ?
Elspeth

Party and Book Launch

It was great fun  - a birthday party plus a book launch all in one, hosted and organised by my lovely daughter. You might have guessed that the colours of my book ENJOYING LATER LIFE, warm orange, and bright red, were the colours chosen for the decorations for the barn dance and buffet supper.
And do you know ! one of my friends actually brought a unicycle ! See below. Not that I can ride one !

ENJOYING LATER LIFE  is a book to encourage the over 55's to live know that they are special, wonderful and not on the downward slope to the end of life.  It's available at Waterstones St.Albans, at Amazon both paperback and kindle; from the publisher, Onwardsand upwards.org, and if you are local to St.Albans, from me !

Have fun !  Elspeth

Colour,a party and a launch of the book

Hi there,
This is a painting of my back garden with its two old apple trees, the sundance choisir, and the juniper creeping across. However, as you see, I decided to have a lot of fun with colour, after the style of David Hockney !
I find it difficult to get away from an orangey-red.  I wear clothes that colour, and the cover of my new book ENJOYING LATER LIFE, is shockingly bright !
Talking of my new book, I have a big friends and family launch of it tomorrow at my birthday party !. I have even invited one of my friends, who is a Christian mime artist, story teller and clown, to bring his unicycle, like the cartoon on the front cover of the book !  I can see we're going to have fun.
Other colourful aspects of my life continue. Radio Verulam is at the heart of St.;Albans festival, and even I will be presenting an hour of Faith Alive, LIVE on Sunday 17th at  2.00pm. so if you're local , come and have a chat !
Enjoy the day, despite the rain !
Elspeth

Signing at St.Peter's Spring Fair

SUNSHINE AND SIGNING

It was time to get out ! The sun shone !. Passers by bought my book 

ENJOYING LATER LIFE, and my cards and paintings.This was St.Peter's Spring Fair a week ago.
I've also just got the good news that WATERSTONES, St.Albans, will be stocking my book.  So look out for it. It's shockingly obvious in its brilliant orange and red !
Elspeth Jackman

Half way up the stairs

"Half way up the stairs is the stair where I sit.
There isn't any other stair quite like it.
I'm not at the bottom. I'm not at the top........."
I was helping with a local school assembly the other day. We showed a video of Robin singing this song. We asked the 180 year 8's why Robin didn't want to go up a step. Was he too comfortable just being in the middle or was he unsure what it would be like at the top ?
Apply that to belief in God ! What step are these teenagers on ? On the bottom step, not bothered whether God was real on not, or on the next step, occasionally wondering about God ?  Maybe some were higher up, really interested but noy quite there.
I volunteer in the school through STEP, St.Albans Educational Project, an organisation offering to go into schools are share what the Christian faith means in a relevant fashion.
We would never tell teenagers what they had to believe. We'd give options, and and sometimes a challenge.
Moving a step up is sometimes a big challenge.

My own challenges are promoting my new book, Enjoying Later Life, and what I thought would be a new challenge, my new piece of garden equipment, a cordless hedge cutter, but its brilliant ! No more hours of shears for me!

Elspeth

Its time for ART again

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PAINTINGS- but if you're observant, you'll see that this is not a current view. Look at the size of the trees, and then work out how many years ago I took the photo. I'll be having a stall at the St.Peters Spring Fair on Saturday 26th May so do look out for that.   I'll be selling paintings, but also

PLUS COPIES OF MY BOOK "ENJOYING LATER LIFE"  

AlsoI was encouraged yesterday to get an excited customer on the phone asking if she could buy 9 more !  If you think you are much too young for such a book, buy it for a present for an auntie or gran, and take a sneaky peep at what I say.  You can get it on Amazon, paperback or Kindle or at the publishers onwardsandupwards.org,  or from me personally.

ENJOY YOUR WEEK

Elspeth

 

Complicated Week !

This week has involved SITTING
SITTING  waiting for the new batch of my book Enjoying Later Life, which did NOT come the day it was supposed to !
SITTING in the dentist's chair while he struggled to extract all the bits of my tooth.
SITTING under the stage of St.Albans Arena with 30 plus nuns, waiting nervously to make my entrance in the Sound of Music, as the redoubtable Frau Schmitt, crusty old housekeeper to the Von Trapp family. Actually the whole involvement with the show was great. We did it eight times and everyone seemed to love it. NB if you look at the photo below, remember that I am playing a character part !
There was also time to PRAY for people who wanted healing 
To REJOICE that Ann Widdecombe is reading my book

And if you haven't considered it yet, ENJOYING LATER LIFE is to encourage those a little bit over middle age to be proud of themselves, to be fruitful, to live to the full. You can get it on Amazon, in paper back or Kindle, or you can order it from the publishers, onwardsandupwards.org. 
Elspeth
ps and I did have time to present 4 hours of programming on Radio Verulam 92.6 fm  or www.radioverulam.com 

Healing and Rehearsals

NOTES TO ME !

1) SOUND OF MUSIC.....Must remember when I go through a door in the bedroom scene, to come out of it as well, and not just exit through the wings, like I did at the dress rehearsal !
2) HEALING  .....Believe that God can heal a physical ailment with just a short prayer, like He did in the green room in the bustle of the tech rehearsal in the Arena.
3) ENJOYING LATER LIFE. Take a copy of your new book everywhere you go. Most people are curious.
4) GARDEN  Now we have a brief respite from the rain, must cut the grass .

Quizzed on radio

Hi there,
On Sunday's '~Faith Alive', that's the Radio Verulam programme between 2 and 4 in the afternoon on Sunday 29th April,, I am put in the firing line for a change.  Instead of interviewing others, I submit to the interrogation of someone else ! No, I exaggerate, it's not the Star Chamber. Guy Marshall, manager of the Christian bookshop in St.Albans for over 30 years and now just retired, asks all the questions you would like to ask about

ENJOYING LATER LIFE.
There has been a minor hiccup on the delivery of the books, but do order yours now, either at www.onwardsandupwards.org or on Amazon. You can ask the St.Albans Cathedral bookshop and Waterstones in St.Albans when they will stock it.  If you are local, you can email me at emjackman@talktalk.net and arrange to collect one from my home, and I'll sign it for you. At the moment, the ones I have are going like the proverbial hot cakes !

Whew ! And next week I'm on stage  every night at the Arena in the Sound of Music. Who said that later life is a bit boring !

Elspeth

West Herts Drivetime with Danny Smith: Elspeth Jackman Promotes New Book

West Herts Drivetime with Danny Smith: Elspeth Jackman Promotes New Book: Broadcaster and writer, Elspeth Jackman came on the show today to talk about the launch of her new book 'Enjoying Later Life' which is set ...

You can buy my book NOW !

The van pulled into my drive. A box appeared in my porch. Then another, and another. As you see above, my book ENJOYING LATER LIFE has arrived and is now in paperback for real !
As Pam Rhodes says, "it's a beguiling mixture of practical advice and spiritual celebration."

If you read it, you'll find you know a lot about me, and you'll laugh at my mistakes. You'll also gather my strong belief that we who may have just passed middle age are "in our prime" to (mis) quote Miss Jean Brodie, and have a valuable perspective on life and an immense contribution to give society.

If you are local, why not email me at emjackman@talktalk.net to arrange to come and get a copy from me personally.(signed of course) Or ask at Waterstones Bookshop, St.Albans, or at St.Albans Cathedral bookshop. It's priced at £7.99 You can order it on line at www.onwardsandupwards.org, or get it on kindle at Amazon.

It's an easy read. Treat yourself !

Elspeth

The Sound of Music

Its an eventful time for me.
1) THE SOUND OF MUSIC There's only two more weeks of rehearsal, then from Monday April 30th the show is at the St.Albans Arena for the week presented by the St.Albans Operatic Society. Do come ! The children are delightful, the principals have great voices, and you might like to smile at my performace of the crusty old housekeeper Frau Schmitt !

2) With the publication date for my book ENJOYING LATER LIFE on the 19th, I'm expecting boxes of books to be delivered to my door any day now ! Then if you're in orbit of me, look out, I have a very persuasive manner.

3) With the Easter Holidays over, my piano pupils will be back again, with twelve of them getting their exam results and they will all be thrilled.

Busy ? Happily so. As I say in my book, I enjoy life and intend to live it to the full
Elspeth