Patricia M. Osborne

1, Tell us about you, and your writing (themes, influences etc.)

I’m a writer in my early 60s, married, a mother to three, and grandmother to five and although I was born in Liverpool I live in West Sussex. I have just finished the end of a four-year study for an MA in Creative Writing with the University of Brighton. As a writer, I am a novelist and poet which work perfectly as a combination for me because I don’t always have time to get into novel mode but can always start a new poem. I love nature, myth and folklore, and all these influence my poetry.

2, What are some of the ways in which you promote your work, and do you find these add, or eat into, your time writing?

I use Facebook, Twitter, and have a blog which I intend to be more active on now the MA has finished. I’ve dabbled in Instagram but need to understand this better and I’ve yet to tackle Pinterest. Does it eat into writing time? Yes it does and sometimes Twitter can be tedious. I have a routine: marketing in the morning, along with critique and editing, which leaves the afternoon/evening free for my writing time. Of course life gets in the way too, but I do my best to keep to the structure. My muse works better later in the day so in a way it’s a perfect plan as I can be thinking about what I want to write while marketing.
I haven’t published a collection of poetry yet but I am working on it. However, I’ve had many individual poems published in anthologies and magazines and even had a first prize win for my poem Grandad’s Garden. I was inspired to write this poem following a poetry workshop run by Alison Chisholm at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School in 2017 when she handed us all a pinecone.

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Grandad’s Garden

I turn the cone upside down,
it changes to a flower,
like the dahlias
in Grandad’s garden
where creepy earwigs
hide inside.

I paint my pinecone fiery orange,
use a green-striped straw for the stem,

wrap it in mistletoe paper,
place it under the tree
as a special present
for Mummy
on Christmas Day,

to make her smile,
cos she cries in bed, every night,
since Grandad died.

More of my published poems may be found on my website.

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3, What projects are you working on at present?

I’ve just finished a collection of poetry for my MA dissertation titled ‘Spirit Mother’ based on myth, folklore and legend around trees. This has been an interesting and exciting project. I’m hoping to get this published later this year or early next year. I am also working on my second novel, ‘The Coal Miner’s Son,’ and a cover reveal along with releasing the first four chapters is imminent. This works as a sequel to my debut novel, House of Grace, A Family Saga, or may be read as a standalone.

4, What does poetry mean to you?

Poetry for me is story telling in a few words and I love story telling which is why most of my poetry is written in narrative form. I love the way my subjects spring to life through layering and editing. Poetry, along with all writing, gives me the opportunity to escape to any place or any time of my choosing and I can be anyone or anything I want to be.

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Facebook: Patricia M Osborne, Writer
Twitter: PMOsborneWriter
Website: http://patriciamosbornewriter.wordpress.com
Email: patricia.m.osbornewriter@gmail.com

Link to debut novel House of Grace, A Family Saga
http://mybook.to/HouseofGrace
Watch this space for upcoming poetry collections.

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