Book releases for Christmas

Aldeburgh Book Shop shares their literary Christmas present recommendations with the EADT

So much for a Book Mecca, huh?
About six months between posts, I'm setting a record.

Before I start properly I just wanted to say that my thoughts are with all the people effected by the atrocities in Paris.
I wasn't sure whether to write this post, it seems so petty and unimportant in the face of such life-changing events. But carrying on with our lives is one of the best ways to stand up against these people. I'm not saying posting on a tiny blog is somehow going to bring down terror, but by continuing to do what we love we are showing defiance and living must go on.

Anyway, I have to post this today as it's in connection with the Christmas supplement that appears in today's East Anglian Daily Times newspaper.

Myself and my colleagues have been working on the supplement for the last few weeks and it's full of everything festive, from recipes and events, to fashion pages and gift guides.

One of the pieces that I put together was the book page. It sees a local book shop provide its top recommendations for reads for Christmas. This year John from Aldeburgh Book Shop provided his top picks.

He really covered all bases with his choices, appealing to all tastes and he even got a local author in there too. He provides excellent descriptions and I for one have put most of them on my Christmas list.
I'm not going to post them all here as there's still time for you to go and buy your copy of the EADT and read the article...
but here's the local one: Love is my Favourite Thing by (Aldeburgh based) Emma Chichester Clark.

It features Plum, her dog, who became famous on her blog and was previously featured in Chichester Clark's book Plumdog. The new release has lovely illustrations: "We particularly like the illustration of Plum destroying a feather cushion," said John.

Go and buy a copy, there's still time, just!

Catch up and new writing job

This is a very quick post just to update people on what I'm up to. I promise I will write something more interesting soon.

The last few months have been incredibly busy, I've been doing a lot of work for website-creating company HIBU writing web copy. Then, about a month ago I started a new job working with Archant. Most locals will know Archant as the company that produces the East Anglian Daily Times newspaper and the Evening Star. I'm freelancing with the Special Editorial Projects Team. Roughly translated that means we write all the random stuff, including regular supplements, one-off publications and glossy magazines.

I managed to join in a ridiculously busy period and so have been thrown in the deep end somewhat. In the last month I've produced three regular supplements as well as contributed to several other supplements and publications. This includes the Education Supplement and the bi-monthly West Suffolk Lifestyle supplement, both photographed (badly) below.

I've got to say it's great to be back writing for print again and it's incredibly varied so keeps me on my toes. The team are lovely and I actually worked at Archant years ago when I was 18 so I've seen a lot of familiar faces.

FYI I will now be looking after the regular supplements Framlingham: Our Town and West Suffolk Lifestyle. So, if you know of anything exciting happening give me a shout.

I will write a more interesting and less self-obsessed post soon. But not for a week or so as I'm having a well deserved break!

Writing about the Big Subjects: Female Pubic Hair

If you're related to me or of a particularly sensitive constitution, please stop reading.

I wanted to update you some on some work I've been doing for online and e-magazine Raw Attraction. This is a nice change for me as instead of writing about crafts, health or children's clothes, I've mainly been writing about pubic hair.

It all started with Cameron Diaz; she released The Body Book in which she sung the praises of pubic hair and this led me to write an article about female pubic hair for Raw Attraction which is named Is Bush Back? (I'm pretty damn proud of that title) It explores how pubic hair has gone from large 70s bush to bald Brazilian and how the trend is now something in between.

Here's the first page of the article.

In the process of writing this article I asked a couple of experts for comment. One of them is A-list beautician and make-up artist Gemma Aldous who's let me know what her clients expect from a bikini wax.

To get the male point of view I asked porn star Tyler Knight, an expert indeed. By the way, his view is that "real men aren't afraid to get hair in their teeth."

I loved writing this article and I have a couple more coming up with the magazine.

This article is in the latest issue of Raw Attraction which is available here.

By the way, they've called me Elizabeth in the article. This is because they thought I'd be embarrassed to use my own name, but, hell, who cares? They've also said that 'Elizabeth' likes to cook and "make love on the kitchen table," which shows how little they know me. I don't have a kitchen table.

I'll update some more soon. Keep in touch.

Plus, if you have any strong opinions on pubic hair please let me know.

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Off to a Good Start: Freelance Copywriting

La Loi Paint Print Leggings, £39, Kidsen

I've been quiet for a bit as I've been busy working on my freelance writing career.

I found my first job as a freelance writer through Elance. The site connects freelancers with people and companies looking to hire them. For any other journalists, copywriters, bloggers and proofreaders out there, Elance is a good place to look for work, although you do have to search through some rubbish for the decent jobs.

I did find some gems on there though and one of them was a job writing product descriptions, meta descriptions and tags for children's clothing company Kidsen. Luckily they liked my proposal, plus the first few descriptions I wrote, and I'm now writing for most of their AW/13 range.

Dolly Dusty Pink and Cream Pettiskirt, £50, Kidsen

I didn't think I'd luck out with my first freelancer job, but I really did. It's a lovely company with friendly people, plus it's so nice to write about interesting and attractive things. I just wish the clothes that Kidsen stocks came in adult sizes.

I particularly love this bear jumper.

Tootsa Macginty Delamere Jacquard Knit Jumper in Ruby, £43.99, Kidsen

Here are a few other products I've been working on.

Bobux Chocolate Chelsea Boot, £23, Kidsen

Kidscase Harvey Knitted Red All-In-One, £53, Kidsen

Mini Rodini Snow Leopard Sweater in Beige, £50, Kidsen

Mini Rodini Fox Sweatpant in Grey Melange, £35, Kidsen

Nice, right?

I've got a few more writing projects in the pipeline. I'll keep you posted.

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Last Day

I have now officially left Aceville Publications and have started on my exciting/terrifying new career as a freelance writer.

It was a bit of a strange last week; we were on press with the October issue of Sew magazine so I barely had time to think about the fact that I would be leaving on Friday. I still don't think the realisation has sunk in.

I got a good send off and some lovely presents, including Rob Ryan goodies and my very own Sew magazine cover.

I managed not to cry but I was very touched. I will miss everyone on Sew and Make & Sell Jewellery magazines and all of Aceville.

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Going Freelance

That's right, I'm leaving full time employment and becoming a freelance writer

As of 5pm this Friday, I will no longer work for Aceville Publications.
It was a very tough decision to leave as I have loved working on Sew and Make & Sell Jewellery magazines, plus I have learnt so much during my employment on the publications. However, I feel now is the time to take the risk and become self employed.

I will be working as a freelance journalist, writer and proofreader.

May the fates shine upon me.

By the way, if you would like anything written, proofread or gone through with a red pen, then contact me here.

Alyssa Smith Jewellery

Gingerbread men jewellery - Alyssa Smith

We've recently launched a new feature in Make & Sell Jewellery magazine called How I Started. It's a feature on an individual from the jewellery world about, you guessed it, how they started.

I've been lucky in managing to get some big names, including Alyssa Smith. She's got a strong celebrity following (Sheridan Smith and Dawn Porter to name a few). I thought because of this she would be too big to talk to me, but oh no, she was actually one of the nicest and funniest people I've ever featured.

Alyssa Smith

Happy Ever After Necklace - Alyssa Smith

She started her company straight out of university, even though she "didn't know how to fill in a tax form." Now she's a successful business woman. Her Tweetie necklaces in particular are popular.

Tweetie Necklace - Alyssa Smith

I think I like her best because when the magazine came out she posted this on Twitter:

'I put the magazines on the main stand and left all the pages open at my interview. Had to be done! :-D xxx'

Legend!

The magazine is out now so take a look.

Lou Gardiner, Free Machine Embroiderer

A National Treasure - Lou Gardiner

A great part of my job is getting to contact and write about stupidly talented people, one of them being designer Lou Gardiner. She creates amazing works of art using just a sewing machine. It's a level of talent that I'm in awe of.

Lou Gardiner

Pink Fizz and Feathers - Lou Gardiner

I interviewed her for one of our regular features on Sew magazine, My Sewing Room, which is a one page in depth piece on a person from the sewing world. She talked about her inspiration and her work with Sensations crisps, designing the logos for their new flavours.

Kettle Chips - Lou Gardiner

Also, she designs pictures of ducks wearing chef hats.

Bonjour Canard Cupcake - Lou Gardiner

She's now become a regular columnist for Sew where she frequently talks about her love of sherry, my kind of girl.

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I'm Back

So, it's been a year or two with no word.

Anyone would think I'd given up this writing milarky completely, but actually it's sort of the opposite. I was trying to fit in writing around my (rubbish) job but in April last year I managed to get myself a real life journalist job, yay!

I work for Aceville Publications who produce lots of magazines on a variety of topics, including several craft titles. I work as an Editorial Assistant on Sew and Make & Sell Jewellery magazines.

Make & Sell Jewellery - August Issue

Sew Magazine - July Issue

No, I am not doing any of the sewing projects myself, my stitching skills aren't quite up to scratch yet, but I do proof read, write, copy write, source pictures, style photo shoots and help in the design stage. In fact it's a really great job as I get to discover and work in all aspects of the publishing business, not just the writing.

They even occasionally let me out of the office to represent the magazines at events, I must be doing something right. A colleague and I recently attended Treasure at Somerset House, which is part of London Jewellery week. I saw so many amazing designers and spent my day looking at pretty sparkly things. Quite chuffed I get to do that as a job.

Anyway, I will attempt to post a bit more frequently now (once a year maybe). I'd like to give a good excuse for not writing, but it was mainly lazyness. Plus, you know, I'm busy.

Heeley City Farm

Sorry I have been a bit lax with updating, real life keeps getting in the way!

This post is about Heeley City Farm which is, as the name suggests, a city farm just off the centre of Sheffield.

It came into life 30 years ago when a row of terraced houses in the Heeley area of Sheffield was knocked down to make way for a new ringroad. But, thanks to the protests of local people, the ringroad was never built. This was an excellent win for local residents but left the problem of what to do with the wasteland. This was how Heeley City Farm was born, they built the farm on the site and since then it has grown in strength.

I volunteered as a publicity assistant for the farm in my last year of university, which involved, among other duties, writing articles for local publications. There are so many different aspects to Heeley City Farm that it was hard to narrow down what they do into just a few articles. As well as being a working farm with several animals, including rare breeds, they are also home to the South Yorkshire Energy Centre which provides free information on saving energy in your home. The farm also implements work experience programmes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and adults with learning difficulties, helping approximately 2,000 people a year. They have a full events calendar, including their Summer and Winter Festivals which showcase local talent.

They do all this and more and a trip to the farm is really worth it, especially as entrance is FREE.
So here's a bit of shameless promotion: if you are in Sheffield go to Heeley City Farm NOW!

If you're not in Sheffield take a look at their website www.heeleyfarm.org.uk

Here are a few of my articles on the farm:
http://issuu.com/shulife/docs/shulife_dec_2010_issue_online_pdf - This was for my university magazine SHU:Life, page 26.
http://nowthenmagazine.com/issue-38/heeley-city-farm/ - This was in the May 2011 edition of Now Then Magazine, a free magazine in Sheffield.
http://victoria-richman.suite101.com/heeley-city-farm-bringing-green-to-the-steel-city-a390101 - My most recent article for Suite101 focused on the farm.

Thanks for looking.

Suite 101

Suite101.com is an online magazine site which publishes articles on pretty much anything you can think of (seriously, there was one on there the other day about the television series Xena Warrior Princess, that brought a wave of nostalgia).

I have recently become a 'Contributing Writer' for the site and have a grand total of two articles published; one on the attractions of the Romanian city of Brasov and the other on the best vintage shops in Sheffield. Random topics yes but that's the beauty of Suite101.

Please take a look at my profile: http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/791781

Also, check out www.suite101.com in general, it's a great source of information, written by people who are passionate and knowledgable about their topics (it was a very well researched Xena article).

Plus, if you're a freelance writer it's a good place to publish your work and they're always looking for new writers.

That's enough publicising from me.

X

Journalism Internship in Brasov, Romania.

Last summer I managed to combine two passions of mine, travel and writing, by undertaking a journalism internship in the Romanian city of Brasov.
The internship was a voluntary placement organised with the company Projects Abroad (www.projects-abroad.co.uk). I worked on The Village magazine, which promotes the real Romania to tourists and locals alike.

It was an amazing experience; I got to travel all over Transylvania, visit remote villages and meet inspiring people. I also had several articles published in the magazine. Unfortunately the English version is only available in print and not online, but I have written an account of my experience for the Projects Abroad website which can be found here: http://www.projects-abroad.co.uk/why-projects-abroad/volunteer-stories/?content=journalism/romania/victoria-richman/
For any Romanian speakers, or any one who would like to look at some pretty pictures of Romanian scenery, then please visit the website: http://www.revista-satul.ro/