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A couple of days ago, I went to a talk by Karen Blumensaadt-Stoeckley who is the great-granddaughter of Axel M. Blumensaadt. Alex studied under the famous Auguste Escoffier, culinary master extraordinaire. When Karen was 18 years old, she rummaged through an old, handmade chest in her grandparents’ attic and found a leger full of old recipes, approximately 100 years’ old. This find inspired her to translate these into modern English and, along with Max Callegari, write the extraordinary recipe book, “A Culinary Legacy”, in which 100 year old recipes are modified for a 21st century cook. As we live in Provence, France, I’m particularly interested in Provencal dishes. Consequently, I look forward to cooking a meal which was created 100 years ago for my next dinner party.

As writers we are always looking for inspiration and find it pops up in the most unexpected places. We can find inspiration in magazines, newspapers, stories told by friends, hearsay, personal dramas, sport and many others. Who would have thought a dusty old attic would contain the inspiration for a renowned recipe book? It’s what appeals to you that counts – inspiration comes from your response to, sometimes, a very ordinary situation or fact. It forms an idea and this, in turn, creates your plan for a book. The world is full of inspiration and your individuality can capture and use it.

Happy hunting!

Can you write alternative history? A story like “Bring the Jubilee“, or “The Two Georges“.

e-bshop is inviting submissions to a new collection of short stories to be published in  Summer 2014.

1, Each story must involve some change in actual history; for example Boudicca’s rebellion against the Roman Empire succeeded, or the South won the American Civil War.

2, The story must be set in the altered timeline, after the critical event which changed history.

3, The story must be centred on a plot which depends on that altered world. Preference will be given to stories which depict the human culture and morality of the changed timeline in an interesting and realistic way.

4, The story must accompanied by a serious and researched explanation of how the change could have happened (Boudicca did not commit the error of facing Roman troops headon, the Trenton affair brought Britain into the American Civil War on the Confederate side.)

Maximum length up to 7000 words.

The accepted stories will be published by e-bshop on Kindle. Contributers will receive an equal share of 50 % of the profit after Kindle charges.

Send submissions to editor@e-bshop.co.uk by 31 May 2014 in WORD format.