Dilliebooks Blog

Interview with a real life character

Posted by Carol Browne on 28 Nov 2016

Tags: Poland, real life, Being Krystyna, characters, writing

In Being Krystyna, Agnieszka appears as the reluctant biographer of an inspirational lady who survived the Holocaust. Agnieszka is also a real person, also from Poland, and a friend of author Carol Browne. Carol interviewed Agnieszka about her experiences of not just appearing in a book but also...

Real life writing

Posted by Carol Browne on 22 Nov 2016

Tags: non-fiction, WW2, survival, Holocaust, Second World War, writing, Memoir

When I volunteered to write the life story of local woman, Krystyna Porsz, I was a very reluctant biographer. I did it because no-one else could be found to do it, so I thought, “If I don’t do it, no-one will.” It seemed far too big a responsibility to me but I told Krystyna’s son I’d give it a go....

WW2 survivor has a message for today

Posted by Sharon McKee on 10 Nov 2016

Tags: survival, Holocaust, Memoir, Second World War, WW2

We are pleased to publish our latest ebook Being Krystyna, the memoir of a Holocaust survivor on Remembrance Day, Friday 11 November.

Krystyna Porsz was just 18 years old and living in Warsaw when Germany invaded. Born Dorca Szafir, to survive the horrendous events that followed Krystyna changed...

The write time of year?

Posted by Sharon McKee on 3 Nov 2016

Tags: winter, goals, writing

With summer now a mere memory for most of us, winter can be a great time to get down to some serious writing!
A regular feature of November is National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo - and there is still time to join in. The aim is to encourage people to produce 50,000 words by the end of the...

Jungle Spirits

Posted by Penny Knight on 8 Jun 2016

Tags: Penny Knight, travel, A Knight Fulfilled, ebook, Borneo

During her year of travel, trekking and adventure, author and adventuress Penny Knight travelled solo in Borneo. She met many characters including Howard Stanton, a Brit who had travelled the world working in many different roles including as a hotel manager, a diving instructor and a rescue...

From Blog to Book

Posted by Sharon McKee on 31 Mar 2016

Tags: conference, Travel, books, blogging

Dilliebooks founder Sharon McKee is taking part in this year’s Traverse Travel Bloggers’ Conference.

A whole weekend talking about writing, books, travel, and meeting people with same passions – what’s not to love?! I am super excited to have been invited to speak at Traverse 16, on April...

Too Old to Backpack?

Posted on 18 Jan 2016

Tags: travel, backpacking, hostels

**Dilliebooks author Penny Knight gave up a comfortable life when she was in her forties to follow her passion for travel and adventure. During her travels around the world she has never found her age to be a problem (for other people – it never is for her!) except in one place… London. She tells us...

Inspiring trek inspired a book

Posted on 26 Oct 2015

Tags: travel, memoir, Machu Picchu, writing

*On Foot to Machu Picchu was written by Sharon Mckee after she undertook her first charity challenge (she foolishly thought it would be her last one too…), trekking to the iconic site in Peru. A donation from sales is made to Breast Cancer Care, the charity Sharon and her fellow trekkers raised...

This Writing Life: Writers' Groups

Posted on 12 Oct 2015

Tags: tips, writers, writing groups

Our authors share tips on what helps them in their writing life. Here Eileen Masters, author of A Dangerous Place to Picnic, tells of the support she gets from her writing group.

The memoir inside my head was bursting to pour itself out onto the page, but I had no idea how to write a book,...

One woman in war torn Afghanistan

Posted on 7 Oct 2015

Tags: Kabul, Afghanistan, memoir, aid worker, war

October 7th marks the start of the US led invasion in Afghanistan in 2001. Yet well before the events of that year, Afghanistan had been in turmoil suffering from decades of power struggles, invasions and civil war.

Nine years earlier, in 1992, Oxfam worker Eileen Masters volunteered for a...