Join Sue Moorcroft for the next #AskSwanwick tweet chat on Tuesday 16 September at 8pm (BST). You may know Sue from her extensive work as a writing tutor, or from her popular novels, or from her many short stories and articles. Sue, a full time writer, tutor and competition judge, will be available to answer your questions on any writing matter, including her novels and how courses can help writers improve their skills.

Sue is well-known at the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference where she fearlessly delivered a workshop on how to write convincing, sexy and erotic scenes. Her ‘how to’ book, Love Writing, published by Accent Press, is essential reading for those hoping to spice up their stories with a sexy or funny romance. Her latest novel, The Wedding Proposal, is has just been published by Choc Lit as an ebook and paperback.

If you sometimes wonder what Twitter is for, then why not follow the tweet chat with Sue on Tuesday 16 at 8pm, and watch the Q&A unfold before your eyes? To follow the chat, type #AskSwanwick into the search box on Twitter and select ‘All’ (not ‘Top’). Then join in and put your questions to Sue, not forgetting the #AskSwanwick hashtag so that everyone following can see your question. You can find out more about the Twitter chat etiquette here.

Sue’s website: www.suemoorcroft.com
Sue on Twitter: https://twitter.com/suemoorcroft

Q: Do you think it's essential to have an agent?
A: Most editors WON'T look at unsolicited manuscripts, they expect you to be repped. I'm lucky. With my background in animation and picture books, that was enough to get past the gatekeeper and speak direct with editors ;-) 

Sally Pepper visited us at Swanwick. Here's a link to her BBC Radio Derby show that went out on Thursday morning, 14 August:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02401gc

Swanwick interviews start around an hour into the programme with an introduction by Sally and lasts for around 45 minutes, interspersed by music. (Scroll across to 1.06 for Sally's first mention of her visit to the School and then to 1.11 for the entire broadcast, through to 1.50 or so.)

The link will be on the BBC Radio Derby site until Thurdsday 21 August.

Sally Pepper of BBC Radio Derby will be conducting a series of interviews at Swanwick for an hour or so on Monday afternoon.

Earlier in the year she interviewed our Chairman Diana Wimbs and our guest speaker Aileen Armitage about the Deric Longden writing competition. She is now following this up as well as interviewing Swanwick tutors.

The interviews will be recorded on site and they will go out on air the following day, Tuesday 12 August.

As many of you know, Lesley will be stepping down as our Secretary at the AGM to pursue the studies she has already put off for a year out of love for – and dedication to – the School.

She can't be 'replaced' because, like every Secretary before her, Lesley has brought her own unique brand of warmth, humour, creativity, kindness and integrity to the role.

But it does mean that there is now an opening for a new Swanwick Secretary – could that be YOU? It is possibly the most rewarding job on the Committee in terms of being the first point of contact when someone wants to come to Swanwick for the very first time, or needs a helping hand with an accessible room, a special diet or anything else that is worrying them.

It can also be a tough job at times, especially in the run-up to August when the days seem to vanish in a whirlwind of last-minute bookings, revised schedules and liaison with the Hayes.

That's why the Secretary's role (along with the Treasurer's) attracts an honorarium and a funded place at the School. They are also the only two Officers on the committee who are not bound by the '3 year rule' under the School's constitution.

Are you...

• a 'people person', warm and friendly by phone and/or email?
  
• adept at computer skills such as spreadsheets and mail merge
• creatively inclined and happy with programs such as Publisher?
• calm in a crisis and prepared to help as best you can?
  
• able to devote a few hours every week to the job, sometimes more?
  

If so, we want to hear from you!

To be nominated as Secretary for election at the AGM, you must have attended the School on at least four occasions within the past 10 years – including this year's School and last (2013).

Because of the special nature of the Secretary's and Treasurer's roles and the need for a period of handover, their 'term of office' starts at the beginning of the School's new financial year on 1st October rather than at the AGM in August.

In a nutshell, this means that whoever takes over from Lesley will have several weeks' grace to learn the ropes and ease into the job gently.

If you would like to know more, please email chairman@swanwickwritersschool.org.uk, or give me a call on 01435 866721.

Diana Wimbs
Chairman