23 December 2020

Season's Wishes and a Little Light

2020 has been a rum old year, and no mistake. So, I'd like to take the opportunity to wish you all the best for the winter holidays, however you spend them this year, and to share some light, along with the traditional Yuletide flame.


Photo by J.S.Watts

Lights


To find this poem

I am following a bright star

through the darkest days of winter,

which is apposite.

It started with a star, if you believe,

and the bright of angel wings,

a blinding host

refracted on regal diadems,

golden caskets, the tender light

of a mother’s eye.

 

It is all about light,

born that night and reflecting

down centuries, millennia of firelight,

candle-glow, sparkle of crisp, sharp frost,

hopeful glimmers in the black, gaudy fairy-lights

shining on curves of polished glass,

excitement sparking in a child’s eyes

as they catch tinsel, shiny ribbon, gift-wrapped dreams.

All illuminating the longest dark

with a life-igniting festival of lights.

   

 

© J.S.Watts




Lights was first published in The Writers' Magazine

 

 

 

 

12 December 2020

Country House Horror

J.S. Watts has a brand new and unsettling story in the December edition of Penumbric viliv, issue 4 and you can read it online. It's called The Sisters and its roots are in classic horror, but in a contemporary setting.

Up and coming young architect, Emily Quinton, feels oddly uncomfortable on her first visit to the country house of her new client, but her discomfort only grows when she makes a return visit...




2 December 2020

Two By Two In December

1st December saw the launch of two new publications and J.S. has two poems in each of them.

Rebloom Anthology

OUT NOW to buy from Point Positive Press: https://rb.gy/55sqkt

Rebloom is an anthology of womxn’s poetry exploring the strength, resilience and empowerment that can be found in the lived experiences and stories told by womxn. Throughout history, resilience has been one of womxn's most remarkable traits. When you see the word resilience, you can think of a patch of unkept land that has gone wild. It’s full of colourful wildflowers, an array of bugs, butterflies and bees congregate there. It’s self sufficient, taking what it needs from the world so that it. Just. Keeps. Growing. But here's the thing about that. This wilderness faces many threats. They come thick and fast - a rogue walker tramples on some of the flowers, a storm floods the soil, a frost chills the ground. These things are inevitable. Sometimes the effects are tiny, sometimes much more significant. And yet in this thriving wilderness, life always finds a way back. Blooms re flower, creatures keep coming back and the land, it continues to take what it needs. It. Just. Keeps. Growing. Point Positive Publishing believes that womxn have that same quality and we wanted to showcase that through this collection of poetry.

❀ Penny Blackburn ❀ Jennifer Bostian ❀ Kelly Butcher ❀ Vanessa Caraveo ❀ Anannya Dasgupta ❀ Nikki Marrone ❀ S. Rupsha Mitra ❀ KB Nelson ❀ Kathryn O'Driscoll ❀ Louise O'Neill's ❀ Somjeeta Pandey ❀ Heather Pease ❀ Glady Ruiz ❀ Marjorie Sanders ❀ J.S.Watts ❀ Lynn White ❀ Jeanette Willert


J.S.'s poems are Lycanthropist and I Want To Be Legend 

Littoral Magazine - Issue One

OUT NOW for free from Littoral Press - Nature and the Spirit: littoralpressuk.jimdofree.com

Click on the link and then follow the further links to the free issue of the magazine.

J.S.'s poems are Bartlow Hills and Summer Buzzard.

30 November 2020

Zoom Along to Fen Speak This December

Fen Speak spoken word open mic night is taking place on Wednesday, 16th December at 7pm for 7.30pm. Their special guest for the evening is J.S. Watts.

J.S. will be sharing poems from her four poetry collections and pamphlets. There'll also be open mic slots for poems and stories, which you can sign up for on the night or in advance.

This event will be online via Zoom. Register in advance via Eventbrite to receive the Zoom meeting details.



22 November 2020

Electric Dreams - Illustrated

J.S. 's dark short story "Electric Dreams" appears in #5 (Vol II, Issue II) of Raconteur and because the magazine is all about the best writing and the best artwork, there is a rather fine illustration to accompany the story. You will have to buy the magazine to see it for yourself, along with the many other excellent stories and illustrations this issue contains. Copies are available from Amazon





 

20 October 2020

Ritual in The Dread Machine

A brand new and very dark short story by J.S Watts is now available to read in The Dread Machine. 

You can find out more about Ritual by clicking here.

28 September 2020

Two in Ninety-Six

 J.S. is delighted to have two of her poems in issue 96 of The Frogmore Papers. The poems in question are Night Dreamer and Where Do I Go When I'm Not Here? She's in good company with Clare Crossman, Jacqueline Gabbitas and Mike Barlow, to name but a few of the excellent poets whose work fill its pages.




23 September 2020

Fiction Fix Goes Virtual

 


J.S. Will be reading an extract from her latest novel, "Old Light".

21 September 2020

The Book Programme on North Herts Radio

The Society of Authors in Hertfordshire has joined forces with North Herts Radio to produce two series of The Book Programme.

North Herts Radio has recently broadcast the five episodes in the second series of the Book Programme, as created by Society of Authors members. All five episodes are available to listen to at your leisure on the station's website https://www.northhertsfm.com/the-book-programme-s2 (just scroll down to the very bottom of the page). All episodes are entertaining, interesting and informative and look at writing from different angles, but episode 2 (the language of poetry) and episode 4 (the craft of writing) specifically involve J.S. Other episodes consider starting your own business, self-publishing and speculative fiction (well worth a listen).

If you haven't managed to catch up with series 1, then you can listen again to that too at https://www.northhertsfm.com/books (J.S. appears in episodes 2 and 4 of this series as well and, no, it wasn't deliberate).

J.S. Watts presenting Episode 4 (Series 2) of The Book Programme with Jane Dismore, Jane O'Reilly and Chris West



31 August 2020

Far Villages


This significant tome took a while to make it into print and even longer for this particular paperback to make it across the pond, but this is J.S. Watts holding her contributor copy of Far Villages, a collection of essays for new and beginner poets.

J.S.'s contribution is an essay that considers "The Poet's Journey", both its uniqueness and the milestones that poets are likely to share.

Far Villages is edited by Abayomi Animashaun and published by Black Lawrence Press, ISBN 978-1625577146.

21 August 2020

The Book Programme - Series 2

North Herts Radio is launching a second series of The Book Programme beginning this Sunday, 23rd August, at 4pm (though there will be a listen again feature).

The first show looks at self-publishing and features romantic novelist Julie Stock as one of the contributors, along with Rowena M Love and Hilary Robertson. All five programmes in this new series will be entertaining and informative, but for obvious reasons this website is going to highlight:

Episode Two - Poetry: Language, Style and Voice (to be broadcast 30th August 2020)

Award Winning poets Rowena M Love and J.S. Watts take a dive into the language of poetry. What is the importance of style? What is the impact of voice within poetry and why should you have it? How do you choose the right language to use? How do you juggle all these issues when translating poetry from or into a different language and what has the Frank Sinatra hit “My Way” got to do with translating poetry?

Episode Four - The Craft Of Writing (to be broadcast 13th September 2020)

We have a studio full of writers today discussing their craft and how to develop it. J.S. Watts will be talking with fellow novelist Jane O’Reilly, biographer Jane Dismore and polymath non-fiction and fiction author Chris West. Questions considered include how do you become a writer, can you ever make it pay, where does inspiration come from and what is best, fiction or non-fiction? In between lively debate, the writers choose some of their favourite music tracks and explain the links to their writing.


Recording Episode 2 - J.S. Watts, Rowena M Love and Julie Stock (Early March 2020) 

30 July 2020

Old Light



Do you want to listen to J.S. Watts reading the first chapter of her novel Old Light? Of course you do!

28 June 2020

The Voltage Bird in The Journal

J.S. is extremely honoured to have her poem, "Tonight the Voltage Bird Returns", on the cover of issue 60 of The Journal.


Whilst you will have to buy a copy of the magazine to read its excellent contents in their entirety, should you feel tempted to click on the following link, you will be able to read J.S.'s poem for FREE...        https://thesamsmith.webs.com/…

8 June 2020

Writers' Club is Going Online

Writers' Club, facilitated by J.S.Watts and Emma Vandore, will be going online in response to the COVID 19 situation.

Details of future arrangements, and a chance to sign-up to our email list and participate in future meetings, can be found here. If you want to join in, just click on the "subscribe" tab and follow any instructions.





7 June 2020

Writing With (a) Blue Nib

J.S. is very happy to have four (yes, we did say four!) new poems published online by Blue Nib. The poems are:

Nimrod

Life Stilled - Jar With Flowers

Sky Form

Foot

You can read all four of them for FREE by clicking here.

19 May 2020

The Second Tip of the Iceberg

J.S. is very pleased that her poem "Bronze" appears in issue #2 of Iceberg Tales ("prose and poetry from beneath the surface"). You can find out more about it at https://www.icebergtales.co.uk/shop 



17 April 2020

A Piece of Streetcake

J.S.'s experimental piece, Substructures, is now available to read online and for free as part of April's issue 66 of experimental writing magazine streetcake.

To read issue 66 of streetcake, including Substructures, just click here


27 March 2020

Pheasant in LampLight

J.S has a brand new, dark, short story in Issue 2,Volume 8 of LampLight. The story is called The Pheasant, should you want to check it out.


25 March 2020

Things I Wish I'd Known: The Final Instalment

Over on Meier Writers, J.S. has a new guest blog post out. It's the eighth and final one in the series and reflects on previous posts as well as what J.S. still doesn't know. There's quite a lot of that.

To read the final instalment click here.

13 March 2020

Fenland Poetry Journal - 2 for 2

J.S. is very chuffed to have two new poems in issue 2 of the Fenland Poetry Journal (the Spring 2020 issue - ISSN: 2632-8259). The poems are Memories of Some Things That May Have Been Lost and In Remembrance of Things Yet To Come.


8 March 2020

J.S. Watts' poem, "Words at the End of a Year", is featured as this week's guest poem on Acumen magazine's website.  Click here to read it for FREE.

29 February 2020

Today's the Day!


J.S. Watts’ impatiently awaited new novel, Old Light, is officially launched today! It's the second book in the popular Witchlight series (as published by Strange Fictions Press, an imprint of Vagabondage Press) and carries forward the story of magic and witchcraft started in Witchlight.

Holly has had a year to deal with the family-sized portion of Old Magic she has inherited. Her focus is on the future, but when both The Coven and the past come calling, the future she has imagined seems to be slipping form her grasp.

If the past is truly a different country, it turns out it is a dark and bloody one that shares a border with the present – a border that is frequently crossed.

Holly needs to right a past wrong and lay some old ghosts, without becoming one herself, if she is to come to terms with her present and claim her future.

The novel is available in paperback and e-book formats and is available from all the usual outlets, including online via Amazon.


Paperback –Amazon UK                                                   Paperback – Amazon US

Kindle - Amazon UK                                                         Kindle – Amazon US


If you’d like to hear J.S read extracts from her new novel or talk to her about it, check out the Events Page of this website for forthcoming readings in Peterborough (1st March) and Papworth (3rd March).





Old Light, the second novel in the Witchlight Series by J.S.Watts, is published by Strange Fictions/ Vagabondage Press (2020). ISBN: 978-1946050205

27 February 2020

Things I Wish I'd Known: No One Really Knows What Marketing Works

Over on Meier Writers, J.S. has a new guest blog post out. It's the penultimate in the series and takes a somewhat cynical view of the marketing process: No One Really Knows What Marketing Works.

Whether such a viewpoint is sensible this close to the 29th February launch of her new novel, Old Light, remains to be seen...

22 February 2020

Leaping Forward to the Launch of Old Light

It's just one week to go to the official launch of Old Light, J.S.Watts' latest novel and the second book in the Witchlight Series. Its official publication date is that special, once every four years, day of 29th February.

Over on J.S.'s Facebook page the countdown has started. We're at 7 already.

You can pre-order your Kindle copy on Amazon for delivery to your Kindle on 29th February. Click here to do so.

To mark the publication of Old Light, J.S. will be giving special launch readings at Peterborough's Fiction Fix event on 1st March and at the Courtyard, Papworth on 3rd March. Check the Events Page of this website for more details.


13 February 2020

Poem-a-thon - 8th February 2020

On Saturday 8th February, Poets for the Planet was launched, in style and in collaboration with The Society of Authors. They presented Verse Aid: Poems for the Earth, an awareness-raising, fundraising, spirit-raising poetry event, featuring an all-day Poem-a-Thon, alongside a series of eco-themed workshops and other attractions.

From 11am – 6pm they hosted this drop-in, free to attend Poem-a-Thon, where a relay of sponsored poets performed poems themed around climate change. 

J.S.Watts was one of the poets performing in the Poem-a-Thon. You can watch her performance on YouTube by clicking here

9 February 2020

March is a Two Posters Month

























And both events are on the first of the month, to boot!

5 February 2020

Old Light Cover Reveal - This is It!

I have been doing the dance of the seven veils in order to reveal the cover of my new novel, Old Light, and now it's time to share the cover with you.

Old Light is out at the end of this month, 29th February to be precise, from Vagabondage Press. It's  the second book in the Witchlight series and carries forward the story of magic and witchcraft started in Witchlight. Holly has had a year to deal with the family-sized portion of Old Magic she has inherited. Her focus is on the future, but when both The Coven and the past come calling, the future she has imagined seems to be slipping form her grasp.

If the past is truly a different country, it turns out it is a dark and bloody one that shares a border with the present – a border that is frequently crossed.

Holly needs to right a past wrong and lay some old ghosts, without becoming one herself, if she is to come to terms with her present and claim her future.

The novel is available in paperback and e-book formats, ISBN 978-1-946050-20-5 and is available to pre-order over at Amazon

So,

4...
















3...

                                                                     2...


















1...!


4 February 2020

Electric Dreams

"He lies there. Eyes clamped shut. He knows what she is, what she wants. There is no way he is going to look at her, the real her. The dream version is bad enough."

Read the full story, "Electric Dreams" by J.S.Watts, as published on Raconteur Magazine's  website at http://ow.ly/ygCV50y7ZvQ

1 February 2020

Old Light Cover Reveal - Penultimate Veil

We're almost there. Just one last flimsy strip of veil to go in the dance of the seven veils.

I have a new novel out at the end of this month, 29th February to be precise, from Vagabondage Press. It's called Old Light and it's the second book in the Witchlight series and carries forward the story of magic and witchcraft started in Witchlight. Holly has had a year to deal with the family-sized portion of Old Magic she has inherited. Her focus is on the future, but when both The Coven and the past come calling, the future she has imagined seems to be slipping form her grasp.

The novel is available in paperback and e-book formats, ISBN 978-1-946050-20-5 and I shall be giving a sneak preview of it in Peterborough, tomorrow, 2nd February at 8pm at Samm's, 29 Bridge Street, Peterborough, PE1 1HA. See my events page for further details.

In time honoured fashion I have been sharing Old Light's cover reveal, but oh so very slowly.

So, here's the sixth photo of the new book. The light is very close. Just one last veil to go.

The veils in Old Light are the ones that separate the past from the present, the living from the dead - or don't. Will you see the light ?

Check back here on 5th February to see the full cover and for more details about Old Light.

29 January 2020

Old Light Cover Reveal - Fifth Veil

So, I'm doing the dance of the seven veils.

I have a new novel out at the end of  February from Vagabondage Press. It's called Old Light and it's the second book in the Witchlight series and carries forward the story of magic and witchcraft started in Witchlight. It's available in paperback and e-book formats, ISBN 978-1-946050-20-5.

In time honoured fashion I am sharing a cover reveal, but slowly. It's the dance of the seven veils, after all.

So, here's the fifth photo of the new book. Just two more veils to go. The veils in Old Light are the ones that separate the past from the present, the living from the dead - or don't. Can you see the light yet?

Check back here every three days or so for further revelations and more details about Old Light.

28 January 2020

It's All Happening in February...

For J.S., it's a double header on Sunday, 2nd February, as she leads the February meeting of the Bishop's Stortford Writer's Club, before heading up the A1 to Peterborough to read at the City's Fiction Fix event. She'll be providing a sneak preview of Old Light, so you don't want to miss it.

Then, on the following Saturday, she's down in London participating in the Poets for the Planet Poem-a-thon awareness-raising, fundraising, spirit-raising poetry event in collaboration with the Society of Authors on Saturday 8th February at the SOA offices at 24 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4EH. You can sponsor her here, if you've a mind to. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/JSWatts

Oh and yes, at the end of the month, on 29th February, her brand new novel, Old Light is published.

It's going to be a busy old month.

25 January 2020

Old Light Cover Reveal - Step 4

I have a new novel out on 29th February 2020 from Vagabondage Press. It's called Old Light and it's the second book in the Witchlight series and will be available in both paperback and e-book formats. Its ISBN number is ISBN 978-1-946050-20-5, should you feel the urge to pre-order it.

In time honoured fashion I am sharing a cover reveal, but slowly- infuriatingly slowly. Think of it as a tasteful, drawn-out, striptease. I'm revealing the image, bit by bit, over on my photographic blog, Random Acts of Would-be Photography.

The fourth photo of the new book cover is here. You can almost see the entire cover, but not quite.

Check back here every three days or so for further revelations and more details about Old Light. In the meantime here are the previous three photos in the reveal series, so you can see where we have been, even if you can't see where we are going.




24 January 2020

Acumen #96 January 2020 - Words at the End of a Year

I'm delighted to have a new poem (Words at the End of a Year) in issue 96 of Acumen. The magazine is out later this month.


23 January 2020

Things I Wish I'd Known: Getting Published Can Take a Long, Long Time

Over on Meier Writers, J.S. has a new guest blog post out. This one is all about the delays that can take place in the process of getting a book into print: Getting Published Can Take a Long, Long Time. It may provide some insight into the forthcoming publication of Old Light, J.S.'s new novel.

21 January 2020

Old Light Cover Reveal - the light shines through

I have a new novel out at the end of February 2020 from Vagabondage Press. It's called Old Light and it's the second book in the Witchlight series and will be available in both paperback and e-book formats.

In time honoured fashion I am sharing a cover reveal, but slowly- infuriatingly slowly. Think of it as a tasteful, drawn-out, striptease. I'm revealing the image, bit by bit, over on my photographic blog, Random Acts of Would-be Photography.

The third photo of the new book cover is here. The light is starting to shine through, like the glimmer of morning light in a very old, dark library.

Check back here every three days or so for further revelations and more details about Old Light.

17 January 2020

Old Light Cover Reveal - Can You See It?

I have a new novel being published at the end of February. It's called Old Light and it's the second book in the Witchlight series.

In time honoured fashion I shall be sharing a cover reveal, but slowly - very slowly. Think of it as a tasteful striptease. I'm revealing the image, bit by bit, over on my photographic blog, Random Acts of Would-be Photography.

 The second photo of the new book cover is here. Can you see it yet?

Check back here every three days or so for further revelations and more details about Old Light.

13 January 2020

Old Light - Cover Reveal (First Phase)

I have a new novel out in February 2020. It's called Old Light and it's the second book in the Witchlight series.

In time honoured fashion I shall be sharing a cover reveal, but slowly - very slowly. I'm revealing the image, bit by bit, over on my photographic blog, Random Acts of Would-be Photography.

So, to see the first photo of the new book click here  

Check back here every three days or so for further revelations.

12 January 2020

Poets for the Planet Poem-a-thon

Poets for the Planet are proud to present an awareness-raising, fundraising, spirit-raising poetry event in collaboration with the Society of Authors on Saturday 8th February at the SOA offices at 24 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4EH.

There will be an all-day Poem-a-thon with free entry - drop in for as long or short a time as you like - where sponsored poets, including J.S.Watts, will perform poems themed around climate change. J.S. will be reading at 14.10 (give or take).

The Poem-a-thon will be followed by a ticketed event where the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage will be reading along with Mona Arshi, Jacqueline Saphra and others.

See the Poets for the Planet website and their events page for further details.

If you want to help by sponsoring J.S. then you can do so here:   https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/JSWatts

Thank you in anticipation and on behalf of the bees.


1 January 2020