2021-08-08 08:04
Once you hit the self-publishing button, there is no going back. One moment you are in the middle of a lengthy eye-watering proofread; the next, you are drowning in a vast ocean o… Read More
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tessabarrie.com
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Tessa Barrie, is the alter ego of Sally Edmondson, or is it the other way around?. She was born in Yorkshire on the UK Mainland and now lives on the British Channel Island of Jersey, where she blogs at My Alter Ego and Me. Her debut novel, Just Say It, a bittersweet family saga, was published on Amazon on June 4th 2021.
2021-08-03 09:04
Azalea Fern and the Last Ruin of the Extinct launched on Amazon on 1st August 2021 and it is simply one of the best Middle Grade Children's book I have read - a five star read. Congratulatio… Read More
2021-08-03 07:25
I am giving away copies of the eBook for Just Say It, with love.
So, if you are looking for a light summer read, knitted together with a degree of humour, grab a copy!
The post JUST S… Read More
2021-07-25 11:04
When I received an email thanking me for writing Just Say It, I was over the moon, as it included the words, 'what a romp', which was precisely the reaction I was hoping for!
The post SUMMER… Read More
2021-07-23 22:04
I self-published my first novel in June 2021. After the initial euphoria, I have found the marketing side of things a challenge, despite having a so-called plan of action. I knew it wa… Read More
2021-07-20 07:46
When Becci Murray asked me to be a part of her forthcoming Bookstagram Tour for Azalea Fern and the Last Ruin of the Extinct, I was seriously excited. When I realised the invitation in… Read More
2021-07-14 08:03
THE OFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER FOR THE DEBUT NOVEL BY Tessa Barrie, JUST SAY IT! GRAB A COPY ON AMAZON NOW!
The post THE OFFICIAL BOOK TRAILER FOR JUST SAY IT! first appeared on www.tessabarrie… Read More
2021-07-09 10:10
HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE! I have recently received my swag, the author copies of my first born novel, Just Say It and I'm feeling good! Cue Mr Bublé. Just Say It is about… Read More
2021-06-16 05:32
FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS! There have always been canines in my life. If I'd suffered from any dog-driven allergies as a child, it would have been really ruff because my parents would… Read More
2021-06-15 10:25
She Had Met Liars Before by Dreena Collins, talk about six of the best! Now available Amazon, I bought my copy planning to savour each story, one at a time, at my leisure. Soaking up every w… Read More
2021-06-09 08:30
It's been two years since I visited the country my heart chose as its second home. So, when Gov.uk's travel traffic lights status turned to green for go on 7th May 2021, I couldn't wait to b… Read More
2021-06-09 08:30
It's been two years since I visited the country my heart chose as its second home. So, when Gov.uk's travel traffic lights status turned to green for go on 7th May 2021, I couldn't wait to b… Read More
2021-06-07 09:29
Sleepless nights. We all have 'em, some more than others and I live with them on a nightly basis. My body clock has been out of whack for years and during those dark times staring at t… Read More
2021-06-07 09:29
Sleepless nights. We all have 'em, some more than others and I live with them on a nightly basis. My body clock has been out of whack for years and during those dark times staring at t… Read More
2021-06-06 11:52
Seeing my first novel in print, has lived up to all expectations, it is a euphoric moment in my writing life, but I couldn't have done it without...
The post JUST SAY IT – AVAILAB… Read More
2021-05-24 15:56
Here is the official book trailer for my first novel Just Say It. Excited and terrified in equal measures!
The post Here is the Official Book Trailer for Just Say… Read More
2021-05-19 21:08
It’s been a long time coming, but here is the official cover reveal for my first novel, Just Say It, will be available on Amazon soon. I would like to thank members of the Jersey Write… Read More
2021-05-12 09:31
Fortunately, when you are blessed with a virtual hand-holding mentor, who knows when to back off for a while to let you to sort your demons out, confident in the knowledge she'll step back&n&hell…Read More
2021-05-07 09:57
I had a significant confidence wobble last night. I am not quite sure why, when I am so close to achieving my goal, as I can - finally - see the light at the end of the tunnel, I suddenly fe… Read More
2021-04-30 13:59
I was recently invited to write some free poetry WE PAW Bloggers E-zine — Issue 74 ‘things that inspire you.’ I wrote something with the innovative title… Read More
2021-04-28 19:23
I had set my heart on being traditionally published and, during the first lockdown, I was presented with the best opportunity I would ever have to buff up my manuscript. Over twelve mo… Read More
2021-04-14 15:35
I stumbled across this image today posted on FB by the author Laurie Buchanan. It made me realise how dilatory I have been recently, when it comes to reading and reviewing the work… Read More
2021-04-08 12:53
This time last year I had started writing my COVID-19 DIARIES - Life Under the Cloud. Now, after a surreal twelve months, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the… Read More
2021-03-20 08:38
‘What do you mean you’re not sure? What is it about men and asking for directions? I’ll sort this out.’ Sliding the passenger door open, Lisa got out of the cam… Read More
2021-03-17 16:25
The growing pains of a virgin novelist are real. It will be six years at the end of June since I started writing my first novel. At various intervals during that time, I celebrated rea… Read More
2021-03-17 08:47
I'm not sure when your dotage is supposed officially supposed to start, but I fear the tell-tale signs have been around for a while now. Just small things.
The post The… Read More
2021-03-07 09:09
Turning forty, Lisa still bears the scars of her dysfunctional childhood. Her narcissist mother, Elizabeth, is responsible for her insecurities and Lisa needs to break the negativ… Read More
2021-03-06 08:55
Shocking and appalling! The British Government think it is okay to palm NHS staff with a 1% pay rise! Please sign the petition to say you agree. I cannot begin to imagine w… Read More
2021-03-05 11:09
Out of the dark, comes the light and the sounds of a commotion. I am focusing on colours, flickering and dancing behind closed eyelids. I snap my eyes open, but the light is blinding, and I… Read More
2021-03-02 09:15
Yesterday at dawn, I was woken by my cat purring in my ear. There are worst ways of being woken up. Throwing back the curtains, I was greeted by a spectacular sunrise bursting ac… Read More
2021-02-28 16:54
To be honest, in 2019, I didn't have a clue about about how long the editing process was going to take. I was so excited to have 'finished' my first novel, I believe I would have laughed out… Read More
2021-02-25 09:33
This GOW Waxing Lyrical throwback from 2015 about my place in the sun, The Algarve, has really hit home. It now 19 months since I visited the place I love and, as from 2020, had planne… Read More
2021-02-21 11:31
Keeping my itchy feet happy during these eternal Lockdown Days is an ongoing problem. I've tried binge watching twenty years worth of travel videos, with my feet propped up on a stool… Read More
2021-02-19 14:55
At the end of last year, an edit of my 'finished' novel, Just Say It, highlighted I had a problem with multiple point of views, I largely ignored it, until I received the latest c… Read More
2021-02-15 14:20
There is always a great deal going on inside my head at the same time as I bounce ideas off each other. Too many, on occasions. I flit and float from one thought to the next, so pe… Read More
2021-02-05 15:25
With My Magical Christmas StoryQuest Collection completed, I started work on my newest StoryQuest book, The Pirates of Monkey Island. The story features two characters who quickly become the… Read More
2021-02-03 16:01
My fascination for archaeology kicked in when I was five, after I found a fossilised gastropod in our Gloucestershire garden. Had I not mucked around during my school years, I can only dream… Read More
2021-01-28 09:43
I like Beryl too, she is always upbeat, and we go way back. She teaches PE at Didsbrook's secondary school, including me for seven years. I thought she was a bit long in the tooth for the jo… Read More
2021-01-27 13:32
A chick, in my book, is a baby chicken covered in downy, yellow feathers up until the age of 6-weeks. I've always bristled when the term is applied to young women, and I have al… Read More
2021-01-26 16:31
Following the joyful inauguration of the 46th U.S. President, Joe Biden, hundreds and thousands of overlayed images of Bernie Sanders started appearing everywhere, ridiculing the mitten… Read More
2021-01-19 22:17
As we live in surreal times, I decided to call today Tired Tuesday. It is the day after Blue Monday, the official name for the third Monday of each New Year, which apparently, has been note… Read More
2021-01-03 11:35
Dear Diary, as 2020 was so goddam bleak, I intend to record only positive thoughts and affirmations this year.
Well, hello, 2021! I took down the tree and the Christmas decorations today b… Read More
2021-01-01 14:41
Around 6.p.m. I kicked off my jog pants, showered, washed my hair and dolled myself up. Then, proudly wearing an outfit I had been given for Christmas, I took a stroll along the l… Read More
2020-12-29 15:20
I dare to dream about spending time with the people I care about, without being 2 meters apart.
I dare to dream about going out for a meal, or to the theatre - how I've missed the smell of t… Read More
2020-12-28 17:03
I imagine walking down the usually buzzing main shopping street, with the theme from The Good, The Bad and the Ugly ringing in my ears. The only other sound is my boots connecting… Read More
2020-12-26 12:19
In the fuggy aftermath of a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas Day when, for a few hours, we successfully managed to banish all thoughts of the craziness going on around us, my blurry waking tho… Read More
2020-12-24 10:46
I started off December 2020 in a bah humbug state of mind. Now, here were are on Christmas Eve and my mental state hasn’t improved. Two days ago, I rearranged the sitting r… Read More
2020-12-23 15:31
Jack is the love of my protagonist, Lisa Grant's, life. He always has been, but they split up when Lisa was twenty-two after Jack proposed. Lisa had panicked, turning him down for a mu… Read More
2020-12-23 15:31
Jack is the love of my protagonist, Lisa Grant's, life. He always has been, but they split up when Lisa was twenty-two after Jack proposed. Lisa had panicked, turning him down for a mu… Read More
2020-12-22 11:05
Edna is a member of both DAWG, the Didsbrook Authors and Writers Group and DADS, the Didsbrook Amateur Dramatic Society. She is blessed with an unwavering self-belief that she is… Read More
2020-12-20 16:59
I would like to introduce you to the gin-swilling Miss Laverty, one of the characters from my first novel, Just Say It. The year is 1963, and my main protagonist, Lisa Grant, is four-years… Read More
2020-12-19 12:19
When writing fiction, creating characters has always been the fun part for me. Getting inside each character's head and shaping them into credible human beings for others to enjoy, lov… Read More
2020-12-19 10:39
The first time he invited her back to his flat for a drink after a cocktail party to celebrate the New Year, she took advantage of his inebriated state. He flopped on to the sofa next to her… Read More
2020-12-16 10:25
The Secret Lives of The Doyenne of Didsbrook, a murder mystery spoof, will be my priority in 2021. She’s been ignored over the last few months, which I feel bad about, as&nb&hell…Read More
2020-12-16 10:25
Finishing writing The Secret Lives of The Doyenne of Didsbrook, a murder mystery spoof, will be my priority in 2021. She’s been ignored over the last few months, which I fee… Read More
2020-12-13 22:55
My mother and I were never close. There has never been an unshakable emotional bond between us. No invisible strand that binds a mother to her child, post umbilical tie. Even as a child, I f… Read More
2020-12-12 13:30
I’m just not feeling it. Does anybody else feel the same? I thought getting our tree and decorating it while drinking a few glasses of Mulled wine and listening to Michael B… Read More
2020-12-10 18:08
I was delighted to be a contributor for Jersey Life‘s December 2020/January 2021 edition. My brief was to write an article on the benefits of writing for mental health and ge… Read More
2020-12-05 11:57
If you are like me, planning your long-awaited 2020 summer holiday in Europe will be a priority, but you can forget about bagging yourself any last-minute deals because, travelling in the wa… Read More
2020-11-30 09:45
At the first opportunity, I will be travelling again, as soon as it’s safe. I have various autoimmune problems, so I am not taking any chances. I don’t want anything else. E… Read More
2020-11-26 11:23
It does bother me that I spend everyday writing, but never allow myself time to sit and read a book these days. But, I have decided to stop beating myself up about it because I do rea… Read More
2020-11-15 11:09
A chick, in my book, is a baby chicken covered in downy, yellow feathers up until the age of 6-weeks. I've always bristled when the term is applied to young women, and I have al… Read More
2020-11-15 11:09
A chick, in my book, is a baby chicken covered in downy, yellow feathers up until the age of 6-weeks. I've always bristled when the term is applied to young women, and I have al… Read More
2020-11-08 17:39
I have never been so emotionally involved in an American Presidential Election in my life but, since last Tuesday, I have been glued, as America's future teetered on a knife-edge, and I'm no… Read More
2020-11-08 17:39
I have never been so emotionally involved in an American Presidential Election in my life but, since last Tuesday, I have been glued, as America's future teetered on a knife-edge, and I'm no… Read More
2020-11-08 12:32
You’ll have written the synopsis, well, you have written hundreds of different versions of the damn thing which you don't think does your story justice, but you pick what you thin… Read More
2020-11-08 09:55
For us debut novelists, our first novel is a leap of faith. During the weeks and months, it takes to write that novel - in my case with Just Say It, 5.4 years, we have no idea whe… Read More
2020-11-03 10:13
As the world prepares themselves to face another major battle against the invisible killer, COVID-19, we all anxiously await the results of today’s US election, while willing Biden to… Read More
2020-11-01 11:15
Arthur flopped on the sofa, kicking his legs out in front of him, crossing them, before tucking them in.
'Do take a seat, gentlemen. The round snuggle chair is particularly comfortable. &hell…Read More
2020-10-27 13:51
As I am about to start submissions, I hope this one doesn't come back to bite me! I wrote this doggerel getting on for thirty years ago. It was inspired by an experience I had at sixteen wh… Read More
2020-10-26 15:35
It’s done. After putting off what I hope will be the final revisions, I printed off the manuscript yesterday. I feel drained, emotionally and physically, so off to a QiGong… Read More
2020-10-24 13:48
‘For God’s sake, Hugh! Stop making that dreadful noise.’ Cynthia Baskerville-Clifford threw her arms above her head in frustration, before covering both ears with her hands… Read More
2020-10-22 16:37
HAPPY THURSDAY!
The post GREETINGS FROM MY TROPICAL HAVEN 🌴 first appeared on My Alter Ego and Me Read More
2020-10-18 10:22
THE EDITING NIGHTMARE – THE END! Well, all bar the kicking, screaming and the next wave of submissions. Or should that be the other way around?
The post IT'S GOT TO BE DONE: THE FINAL… Read More
2020-10-16 06:47
I have been pussyfooting around the final edit since the beginning of September 2020. After receiving amazing feedback for Say it, I’ve been putting off restructuring the final dr… Read More
2020-10-10 08:57
At the age of fifteen, Lisa believed she was going to be a one-woman equivalent of Rodgers and Hammerstein II and mounted a production of her first musical.
The post OUTTAKE… Read More
2020-10-08 16:25
Capturing the essence of a 90,000 words (±) novel is a bloody nightmare. We spend weeks, months and years, scripting stories, creating characters, in 500; is a bloody nightmare… Read More
2020-10-01 08:02
The One is a 1454 word short story about a woman whose previous partner left her for another woman but finds happiness with Jack, who loves her unconditionally.
The post SHORT STORY: THE ON… Read More
2020-09-19 10:19
Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you. Ruth Bader Ginsburg 15th March 1933 – 18th September 2020
The post In Memory… Read More
2020-09-17 09:31
The thought of writing a memoir had never crossed my mind. I've listened intently as members of my writers' group read from their life writings. One member decided to defy convention a… Read More
2020-09-16 15:00
My printer ink reservoir of patience and calm has run dry. I am exhausted and stressed - not a good place to be. I am in mourning for my late lamented printer Read More
2020-09-13 07:30
I first became aware of Gerald Durrell when someone gave me a copy of one of his books. After reading that book, My Family and Other Animals, I learned that Gerald Durrell&nbs&hell…Read More
2020-09-02 11:09
When your writing life begins to smack of lemons, you start questioning your ability. Have you really got the courage to take that leap of faith and separate yourself from the rest of t… Read More
2020-08-30 10:44
This is the bittersweet story of the first four decades of Lisa Grant's life. Growing up with her narcissist mother, Elizabeth, has a knock-on effect in her adult life. When she finds out th… Read More
2020-08-25 10:00
The Secret Lives of The Doyenne of Didsbrook is a murder mystery spoof. The sleepy market town of Didsbrook is thrown into turmoil after the town’s most flamboyant resident, the much… Read More
2020-08-23 08:14
By 1997, Lisa had reached the pinnacle of her career. She had worked hard to reach the top of her tree, but her private life had suffered as a result. During the months after Ror… Read More
2020-08-19 22:34
The first time they set foot on the parched earth of their new home and future source of income, it came as a shock. Dropped by taxi during the late afternoon, they stood like a pair of refu… Read More
2020-08-14 11:27
When It's time for a change, you instinctively know the time is right. Lockdown concentrated our minds, as dedicated health workers around the world became frontline soldiers in the wa… Read More
2020-08-08 09:30
HAPPY SATURDAY! I hope this finds you rude with health and feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, which is not like Lisa Grant is feeling in today's snippet from Just Say… Read More
2020-08-02 11:54
Wear a sodding mask! It's not all about you! If you don't want to wear a mask to protect yourself, then do it for others who are less robust than you. There are people out there fightin… Read More
2020-08-01 19:32
Last week, my GP told me I had high cholesterol. For those of you who don't know the implications of having high cholesterol, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. It was th… Read More
2020-07-30 12:02
During a bout of insomnia in the early hours of yesterday morning, I drowsily stumbled upon an article written by Sky News journalist, Chris Robertson. The Phantom of the Opera is… Read More
FOR PHANTOM’S SAKE SAVE OUR THEATRES! Pulling The Plug On Phantom Of The Opera? Over My Dead Body!
2020-07-30 12:02
During a bout of insomnia in the early hours of yesterday morning, I drowsily stumbled upon an article written by Sky News journalist, Chris Robertson. The Phantom of the Opera is… Read More
2020-07-28 09:30
Stone Angel is a short story inspired by a photographic writing prompt for a twenty-minute writing sprint while in the virtual company of Lorna Fergusson of Fictionfire.co.uk Read More
2020-07-24 10:18
Bye, Bye week number 30, 2020. You've been an interesting one Read More
2020-07-23 09:55
I never thought I would feel the love for lemon sherbet popcorn, but stranger things have happened when you are stranded at an airport Read More
2020-07-18 14:57
Yesterday, was the dismal end to a shitty writing week, which left me teetering on the edge. Do I really have what it takes to become a novelist? Or, can I only dare to dream? Read More
2020-07-16 08:19
The Secret Lives of The Doyenne of Didsbrook is a murder mystery spoof. Read More
2020-07-15 09:04
Just Say It is the bittersweet story of journalist, Lisa Grant. After growing up with a narcissist mother, she struggles to commit to a long-term relationship in her adult life. Only w… Read More
2020-07-14 20:39
Right! Cute and beautiful is the last straw. I'm an ageing Baby Boomer for goodness sake, and my social media accounts are my author pages. Read my bio! I'm trying to… Read More
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