Pamela Griffiths describes herself as “As a poet living in Loxley Valley in Sheffield England, it is natural for me to write poetry about the local dialect and the local area where I live. I write my poetry to entertain people in verse.”
“I have lived in Sheffield all my life and my roots are firmly set here. I have a partner Sandy who lives with me and we are having a blessing in August which we are both looking forward to.”
“I work full time for the NHS in Quality Management and that takes up most of my time but I love to write when I can.”
“I write my poems in rhyme, sometimes my poems are funny sometimes they are sad, but I try to put my thoughts and feelings across to the people who read them. I have recently joined freado, a site that allows authors to display extracts from thier books and helps to advertise their work. I found this site to be very helpful.”
“Anyone wishing to see the extracts from my book can access it by following the link below.”
Pamela is the author of Expressions Of Life , A few pages from her new poetry book, various types of poems.
BookBuzzr recently interviewed Pamela Griffiths who is the author of the book ‘Expressions Of Life ‘ which is ranked number 1 among the The Top 10 Books of 2009 on BookBuzzr.
1) Can you start off by telling us a little bit about yourself?
I was born and bred in Sheffield. I am fifty seven years old and have been married twice and have three children all adult. I was divorced from my first husband and my second husband Clive died twelve years ago. I work full time for the NHS in Quality and Development management. I am a gay woman who lives with my partner Sandy and we have had a blessing in the eyes of god in a chapel in Sheffield. I am a qualified freelance journalist but don’t use it other than in my work for the NHS. I used to edit and produce a magazine for the hospital wards in Sheffield but since my promotion to Quality and Development management, I no longer produce them now. I am more involved with Quality Systems and Processes within our service. I am working to ISO 9001 standards.
2) At what age did you discover poetry and when were you first published? Tell us your story.
I first experienced my talent for writing poetry rhymes at school. I used to write little verses and read them to my friends. I didn’t write much after that until after my second husband died. I found poetry helped me to express myself through the grief and by putting all my thoughts and feelings into words, it was quiet therapeutic. I entered a competition from a library in 1998 or thereabouts and got a letter from United Press to tell me I had been picked to go into one of their anthologies. My very first published poem was called ‘Stormy Clouds’. After that United Press contacted me asking me to put forward more poems for other anthologies and it all stemmed from that. I have had lots of poems published over the years since then in about thirty anthologies. I have had one of my poems included in a CD anthology by United Press.
I have been included in another anthology produced by Deborah Simpson entitled ‘Tales of the Supernatural’, Poets from around the world. I had two of my poems published in this anthology. There is a link to the book advertising video on the link youtube.
I am a member of the Author’s Society. I am a member of the Poet’s Lounge.
I am also a member of Poetry Soup and I have had placements in the members competitions, one of which I have sent a link to poetrysoup.
3) Can you please tell us about ‘Expressions Of Life’ and why you wrote it?
As a reward for having had so many poems included in their anthologies, I was invited by United Press to have my own book published. I included some old poems and some new one’s, there are over fifty of my poems included in the book. I called it ‘Expressions of Life’ because I thought it was very apt. The poems I wrote were in the main parts of my life and some of them pure fantasy. I enjoyed writing the book and it was really nice to see my work in print.
The poems included in ‘Expressions of life’ were previously published poems along with new ones that I wrote specifically for the new book. I appear to have a talent for writing about any subject and it doesn’t take me too long to write them once I have decided on what it is I am going to write about.
4) Which of your poems is your favorite? Can you share it with us?
I have many favourite poems but the one that sticks out in my mind is ‘Stormy Clouds’, because it was the first I had published.
STORMY CLOUDS
Shutting out the sun with its white and grey cover
The air becomes thick as clouds start to darken for rain
Thunder rumbles faintly at first the flash, then thunder again
Before the storm arrives the air is so suppressive
The stormy clouds approaching look so impressive
The air is still, not a sound can be heard
Nothing can be heard now not even a bird
As the storm starts to rage explosive thunder booms
Animals scatter for cover as impending danger looms
Large spots of rain falling slowly at first
Drowning the dry earth with its power at its worst
The storm is more powerful as it gets nearer
The storm clouds above stop the sky being clearer
The rain pounds down as the storm is in full force
This continues as it follows its intended course
Rain bounces high as it strikes the dry ground
The animals are sheltering they are not around
The clouds are passing slowly on their way elsewhere
They can hear the thunder in the distance over there
The storm at its height is raging not abating
Rolling over hills and dales havoc its creating
Forcing upon us the extreme weather conditions
When the thunder speaks everyone listens
5) Can you describe your poetry for us in three words?
Expressions of Life or Rhymes in Verse
6) Who are some of your favorite poets and poems?
I tend to prefer the rhyming poems but I like others too, it all depends on the subject matter. I have listed two below.
My Last Duchess
Written by: Robert Browning
That’s my last duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Frà Pandolf’s hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said
“Frà Pandolf” by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there; so, not the first
Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, ’twas not
Her husband’s presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek: perhaps
Frà Pandolf chanced to say “Her mantle laps
Over my lady’s wrist too much,” or “Paint
Must never hope to reproduce the faint
Half-flush that dies along her throat”: such stuff
Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough
For calling up that spot of joy. She had
A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad,
Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
Sir, ’twas all one! My favor at her breast,
The dropping of the daylight in the West,
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
She rode with round the terrace—all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech,
Or blush, at least. She thanked men—good! but thanked
Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody’s gift. Who’d stoop to blame
This sort of trifling? Even had you skill
In speech—which I have not—to make your will
Quite clear to such an one, and say, “Just this
Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,
Or there exceed the mark”—and if she let
Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set
Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse,
—E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet
The company below, then. I repeat,
The Count your master’s known munificence
Is ample warrant that no just pretense
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;
Though his fair daughter’s self as I avowed
At starting, is my object. Nay, we’ll go
Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea horse, thought a rarity,
Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!
This is the garden: colours come and go
Written by: Edward Estlin (E. E.) Cummings
This is the garden: colours come and go
Frail azures fluttering from night’s outer wing
Strong silent greens serenely lingering
Absolute lights like baths of golden snow.
This is the garden: pursed lips do blow
Upon cool flutes within wide glooms and sing
(Of harps celestial to the quivering string)
Invisible faces hauntingly and slow.
This is the garden. Time shall surely reap
And on Death’s blade lie many a flower curled
In other lands where other songs be sung;
Yet stand They here enraptured as among
The slow deep trees perpetual of sleep
Some silver-fingered fountain steals the world.
7) You also have a Novel ‘Control the Demon’, what did you do to celebrate the publishing of your first book? Can you also tell us a little about your book?
I had my first novel published on 31st December 1999. It is a detective thriller with a supernatural twist. It was published by Minerva Press Ltd.
I was disappointed when the publisher I had my first novel published with went bankrupt. I never received a penny from the book even though it continued to sell on Amazon for some time. It is still listed on there Amazon.
After a series of gruesome murders, Detective Sergeant Swain and his men are led to Werner, a deranged and convicted killer who has escaped from a psychiatric unit. Werner’s medical records write him off as a dangerous schizophrenic, but can he and his cause ever be apprehended?
I have written a second novel called ‘www.alien-inter-action’ and I still have the manuscript unpublished. Because of the problems with the first novel it did put me off having my second one published. I haven’t submitted it to a publisher as yet. I allowed members of my family and some of my friends to read the manuscript and it got some very good reviews.
8 ) While you’re writing do you have any “must haves”?
When I am writing it doesn’t really matter about my surroundings or anything. I just start to flow and then continue until I either block or finish what ever it is I am writing. I haven’t really suffered much from writers block so I have been quite lucky in that respect.
I need to have a subject whether it be life or fiction that is all I really need to write anything.
I did have one thing that I said I would have; following the finish of both my novels and that was I had a little drink of whiskey and a cigarette right at the end to celebrate it.
I do tend to stay up late in the evenings sometimes to write my poetry I am more of a night person than a morning person.
9) How and when did you first start marketing your books?
When I had my novel published the publisher had gone bankrupt before it was marketed properly and it was put on Amazon.
When I had my book ‘Expressions of life’ published I decided to market it myself through various channels mainly networking sites. I joined bookbuzzr and uploaded a few pages of my book to freado and then sent the widgets to the various sites. I have included some of the links below.
10) Have you done anything special in marketing that has led you to the top of our charts?
Other than using the sites mentioned and attaching links to the various sites nothing else was done. The sites and links are below. I think by providing the links to the widget and twittering has helped to get people interested enough to read the pages I uploaded to freado.
http://expressions-of-life.over-blog.com/
http://theauthorssociety.ning.com/profiles/blogs/expressions-of-life-by-pamela
http://pameladevelopment.spaces.live.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?ref=name&id=555480325
http://www.freado.com/book/1585/Expressions-of-Life
11) What’s next for you?
I hope that in the future I can continue to write because that is a great love of mine. With working full time it is difficult to be able to devote the time I would like to follow my dream of becoming a good writer that people know and respect. If I manage to find the time I would like to write another poetry book and hopefully United Press Ltd, London will publish it. I will more than likely do the same with the next book as I did with ‘Expressions of Life’. People are interested so it is a good start. I will be retiring from my full time work when I reach 62 years of age, so there are about five years and a few months before I reach retirement age. Then I will have more time to devote to my own interests which include writing.
12) Where can you be found on the web?
I have a live spaces account with msn. http://pameladevelopment.spaces.live.com/
I can be found by googling Pamela Griffiths which brings up some of the links I have.
I am on twitter http://twitter.com/Pamg56 I am on facebook as Pamela Griffiths
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?ref=name&id=555480325
I am a member of the Author’s Society and Poetry Soup. I am a member of the Poet’s Lounge.
Bookbuzzr has been the main marketing factor in attracting readers to ‘Expressions of Life’.
BookBuzzr thanks Pamela for such a marvelous interview. Connect with Pamela on fReado.
