Rachel Caldecott

Rachel Caldecott

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From Lodeve, France
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  • Jeanette
    Hi Rachel,
    Great about the screenwriting! I've just picked up on the entries concerning your amazingly talented children. I wish them every success in their chosen ventures.
    I'll probably see you at the market in Lodève in August...
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    Pamela Jo
    Pamela Jo
    Where's the ceremony? Can you get there by car? https://www.blablacar.com/

    They are creative. They will find ways to create their own jobs. Unfortunately something every creative person faces these days. Pirates rule. You've seen they've gotten the tools to go forward. And you will be the wind in their sails.


    You made some lovely Ukraine earrings - maybe some earrings to benefit graduates? I'm sure there are people out there looking fro gifts....
    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    The ceremony will be in the fabulous Carlisle Cathedral!
    November has no direct flights from where we are in the South of France to any airport in the north of the UK (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, etc)
    I'm not sure our car would make it, either.
    But since I moaned about their job situation, Flo's quote to the Cumbrian wildlife people has been approved. So that's a start. :)
    We will find a way through. But it is exhausting living hand to mouth. (Good idea about the earrings, though. Thanks).
    270289365_10159001813259794_7883522485584332299_n.jpg270282601_10159001813659794_5034093667757794684_n.jpg270288672_10159001813459794_6935851236081530820_n.jpg
    Pamela Jo
    Pamela Jo
    Hug. Living the life Boheme is really only attractive in operas. And only if you are in the audience I suppose. My husband has NOT been paid by 2 different clients now for 3 months. Any small business is fecked these days... Good news about the wildlife people.

    You might check out the ride sharing ap, BlaBla car. I left the link. It worked well for my sons and others I know. You share petrol costs.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Proud mother of two graduates (both now in need of work, hint, hint) and FLORENCE THORNTON
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    Hannah Faoileán
    Hannah Faoileán
    Great video!
    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    Have you checked out Florence's website? She's just been contacted by the Cumbrian Wildlife Trust (or some such body) to give them a quote for painting a shed after one of the organiser's children raved about the container Flo did at their school. :), and a couple of writers have asked for quotes for illustrating their books (so I'm hopeful). For Stan, it is so much more complicated breaking into film. However, he's been invited to do a Masters in LA, but needs the fare to get there.
    Hannah Faoileán
    Hannah Faoileán
    Website's great! Absolutely love the night heron!.

    LA is the place to do a screenwriting masters. What about gofundme?
    Rachel Caldecott
    I, however, am happy. I have my children back, and I'm writing a screenplay of The Panopticon Experiment. I have a producer interested. She has two screenwriters in mind, but I'm giving it a go myself anyway. It is a massive learning curve (but such fun!!)
    Rachel Caldecott
    Mes enfants finally escape the rains of Carlisle to come to us in France. Untypical for this time of year, we're now in the midst of electrical storms and occasional torrential rains. They are not very happy and don't believe me when I say it's not personal. The weather gods don't hate them.
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    Pamela Jo
    Pamela Jo
    Remember the truck driver in Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide., He'd pissed off a rain god and it followed him around. Wouldnt hurt to do an offering and appeasement ceremony. Just saying.
    AgentPete
    AgentPete
    PXL_20230701_134826616~2.jpg
    No Huddle today, so...
    Pamela Jo
    Pamela Jo
    I fully expect you to become a card carrying Morris Dancer once you have found your Brigadoon village.
    Rachel Caldecott
    If anyone is interested. My son just uploaded a mini film. You'll see my husband and my town :)
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    Pamela Jo
    Pamela Jo
    OMG. I realised we may have one of your husbands glasses. My husband has bought several from fairs-that were made by the guy who did the glass in Gladiator.
    Love the music. This kind of makes me nostalgic for Europe where English is the Swahili all the different tribes communicate with. Nicely done. I hope your friend recovers.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    It is his brand-new baby. Sony A IV. The first time he's ever had a decent camera.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    Update on poor old Jorge. Having discharged himself from a hospital in late March, he ignored the medicines he was prescribed, failed to collect his blood test results, and refused the scintigraphy scan they recommended... he collapsed on the morning of the rescheduled concert. He has a fissured aorta and is awaiting 2 major surgical ops. But is also fighting fluid in his lungs and another infection. The band performed without him (the heartless venue owner forced them).
    Rachel Caldecott
    How do you reassure your soon-to-graduate kids (one in film and one in illustration) that it's ok, AI won't take their careers? My film making son predicts that within 5 years AI will be able to create full length movies (it can already make short videos based on prompts). Crews, musicians and actors will be redundant. Don't get me started on illustration. And we writers feel threatened... sheesh!
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    Hannah Faoileán
    Hannah Faoileán
    The best films have the same gut punch quality as the best books. AI hasn't the emotional depth to do that. Nor would a cast of AI's. One thing animators find really hard is eye-expression. They groan that they just can't make the animated eye as expressive as the human one.
    Hannah Faoileán
    Hannah Faoileán
    There will be AI art (there already is), but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It won't have that extra something that a unique artist can uniquely magic onto the page that will draw the discerning eye.
    Peyton Stafford
    Peyton Stafford
    I do not think you need to reassure them. Rather, they need to take the initiative in their lives...
    Rachel Caldecott
    Currently helping my husband stay sane. We've just been told the building our glassblowing workshop occupies is on the market and the owners need us out. It isn't easy to find a new studio (or even storage space) for over 2 tons of equipment when you have zero budget. Yesterday we manhandled the small stuff into our son's bedroom. (A generator, a compressor and an arc welder). Sigh.
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    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    Thank you so much. We may have a solution. We're checking out two places on Tuesday. The first is the caveau of a winery for storage, and the second (longer-term option) is in the wilds, but we may be able to work there (But at the moment it is open to the elements and passing sheep). The truth is that Chris and I are both tired now, so maybe we should go gracefully.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    My memoir: Blown Out of Proportion - Misadventures of a Glassblower in France. An American glassblower gave this review: "Crackling with bohemian joy, larger-than-life characters... full of wonderful details of the struggles and triumphs of creative life."
    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    30261431_10155721939914794_8121572557309607936_n.jpg
    Rachel Caldecott
    I'm chuffed! A writer I know online, read all of The Panopticon Experiment yesterday. He just sent me this: "It is well written, up there with a sort of Michael Crichton futurist, for YA. It reminds me of A Day of Triffids at the start. I love the way you drip-feed the science, the non-comms, the comm gene; the fact we have a leopard..... Nice short chapters. Your style and diction is not that of a newbie."
    Rachel Caldecott
    Thanks for the warm welcome back to the Huddle. It was great to be back, and as usual I learned a lot.
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    Eva Ulian
    Eva Ulian
    Sorry you had such a tough time. I can sympathize because I too had Covid over Christmas, and it wasn't nice. Anyway, hope to see you again soon.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    Hey, I've been meaning to write. I am not ignoring the fact you sent me your book to read. I was hellbent on finishing a draft of my latest book, then trying to make a living, then Christmas and bad health. I am going to read it soon. I promise! When I do, I shall post reviews. Big hugs and 'baci' from France to Italy.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Finally saw a GP and have been put on antibiotics... my struggle to breath may soon be a thing of the past. But more importantly, I'll feel fit enough to rejoin the Huddles again. (Not yet, but soon). I can't wait.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Wishing all Litopians a fun Xmas Party this evening and a great Christmas/New Year Season. Sadly, I can't make it tonight (it seems an eternity since I last huddled with any of you). But have fun. Drink some Prosecco for me! See you all next year. Love you guys!
    Rachel Caldecott
    I did a zoom class on Tiktok for authors run by the Society of Authors. Fascinating. BookTok has had over 12.6 Billion views since it started!!! I've just posted my 3rd video (I'm not seen pouting once in any of them!) @rachelcaldecott.
    Rachel Caldecott
    I braved the TikTok universe today and posted for the first time. As I have only 2 followers (my kids) I'm not very optimistic. But as I also have 0 sales for The Panopticon Experiment I reckon I have nothing to lose. Feel free to find me at "rachelcaldecott37". Feel even freer to 'like' my post.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Sorry, I just have to vent. The industry professionals (Penguin Random House, The Folio Society and now Scholastic) have all dropped out from setting illustration projects to the 3rd year Illustration students at Cumbria. The promise of input from industry professionals was the main reason my daughter chose that uni. Knowing how hard it is to get an agent/publisher I feel for these students. Grrr.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Does anyone know what has happened to Stephen C (Coombes), author of Broken Fingers, from Thailand? It has been very quiet from him and he hasn't answered my message. Perhaps I keep missing him because I'm not around much at the mo.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Dear AgentPete, I tried to get away with calling myself 'middle-aged' but both my kids insisted that my middle age was over once I'd passed 40. As that was a lifetime ago for them, I am pretty definitely 'old'. (Little bastards!)
    Rachel Caldecott
    Does being a dirt poor, old, middle-class, white woman qualify me as being 'under-represented in British publishing', or not?
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    E G Logan
    E G Logan
    BTW, the PRH form, see Undiscovered Writers' Prize FAQs
    does have a sort of definition of under-represented, though it is quite open-ended. Comp closes end-Nov.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    Thanks :D
    Pamela Jo
    Pamela Jo
    I think they really mean the new sexy young people that are easy to sell to other young people, but give it a go. When I did Pitch Perfect last year a lot of mentors said they wanted to see older protagonists. However unless you are 80 and over I dont think you are going to count as underrepresented.
    Rachel Caldecott
    My film making son has the possibility of work on a Bollywood feature film in London from 15 Sept to 23 October. The problem is I left London in 1989... Have any of you got a spare room or sofa to let out for all or part of the time? (Even for a night or two?) Desperate to help him get started on his career. (He's a non smoker).
    Rachel Caldecott
    Anyone know anything about finding an artists' agent? Daughter's first full illustrated book is now out, plus she's got 2 commissions for massive murals, and some magazine work. Worrying about tax implications as a student in uk, but resident in France. Her uni lecturers don't/won't advise.
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    E G Logan
    E G Logan
    The price on it is £30 to buy (Bloomsbury), but I paid less than that from Amazon. Besides the listings, it's got some 'How-to' articles, including one on How To Make a Living – Money Matters (for artists) p480. Definitely worth a look.
    D
    Dorm Ant
    Get last year's Writers and Artists Yearbook and work from there. The listings won't have changed much.
    Katie-Ellen
    Katie-Ellen
    Rachel Caldecott
    Today was the 8th anniversary of my brother, Stratford's, death. Apparently one of the last things he wrote was this:

    "This world is so complex, so full of wonders, we know that death is not the end for each of us. There are dimensions we are still discovering. The world is richer than we can imagine."

    I think that's rather beautiful.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Feeling chuffed. My "Earrings for Ukraine" have raised about 400€ which I'm donating to Doctors Without Borders. Meanwhile, RK's rain bomb is also hitting France. So I'm not working on the market today, as I am not a duck. (Despite what my dad once said to a teenage me; "You've inherited the Hungarian Duck's disease... Your arse is too near the floor!")
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    RK Wallis
    RK Wallis
    Oh, I hope you don't get the devastation we've seen :(
    Hannah Faoileán
    Hannah Faoileán
    Good news re the earrings. MSF do such brave work.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Rachel Caldecott
    Well, I didn't want to support any military operations, (some friends in Ukraine asked me to donate to their army, but it goes against my beliefs), and MSF do excellent work helping victims regardless of nationality or affiliation; it's one of the few agencies I totally trust. Given I can't afford to donate money but I can donate time and skill, it was a no-brainer. Just glad it worked.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Non-writing situation. Chris has to fly from Edinburgh to Oslo (on the map it isn't far), at the end of May. But his route is: Edinburgh-Stanstead-Oslo then Oslo--Edinburgh! Hmm, Apart from Putin, what about the carbon footprint!? Good grief, Charlie Brown.
    Rachel Caldecott
    Woohoo! I just re-read the feedback from the Grindstone completion, and realised one of my 3 submissions, Ink Slip, has got over the first hurdle, and through to being considered for the longlist.
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