I was born in Liverpool in 1945, and have lived in my current house, in Lancashire, for the past 40 years. Happily married for 51 years, I spend my time with the people I love, doing the things I love. My husband calls me a butterfly because I flit from one hobby to another. Apart from being a wife for 51 years, mother, and grandmother, I’m also an author, genealogist, amateur artist, a lover of most needle-crafts, and occasional poet. Of the above, my most enduring interest has been writing and I hope to be doing it well into old age. Oops! at over seventy, I guess I’m already well into old age.
I started writing many years ago. In 1985, I produced several short stories, a series of children’s books, and the rough draft of “Tissue of Lies.” which would become my first eBook on Kindle. Between 1985 and 1989, I also encouraged my elderly mother to write her life story while I started on my biography. Owing to my commitment of caring for my elderly parents, I didn’t take my writing too seriously until after they both passed away in 2012.
I self published ‘Tissue of Lies’ in June 2013 and have since designed a new cover for it to coincide with the launch of my co-authored thriller/suspense book ‘Your Last Breath’. My writing partner for this second book is Doug Lafuze. We published this dark serial killer fiction in December 2015. Both of these books will be available in paperback by the middle of August 2017.
I also recently published the Kindle version of my mother’s memoirs ‘The Road From Wigan Pier’. The paperback version of this will also be out in the middle of August. It will be of interest to family historians looking in the Lancashire areas of Liverpool, Pemberton, Winstanley, and Wigan, but it does also mention some events in Manchester, Cambridge, Dunwich, and Talacre, in North Wales.
I am currently working on a third mystery thriller, and also some short stories. Please follow me for more updates.
Hello, Carole!
I hope this finds you doing well.
I see you have been a follower of “A Way With Words.” Great! Thank you.
We have now transformed into, “Delight in Disorder: Faith & Mental Illness” (delightindisorder.org). I hope you will join us there. On the left sidebar, there is a box (below “Get More Delight”) for subscriptions so you can get the most of our mission.
Take care & God bless,
Tony
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Sorry for the delay with my response. I shall pop over for a visit shortly.
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Thanks for following The Write Edge, Carole! I hope you find it interesting and informative. I really appreciate it! (And one is never too old to pursue a passion. Julia Child didn’t start cooking seriously until she was in her fifties!)
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I appreciate your comment. Yes, we older ones still have a lot to give, even if nobody wants it. (ha ha).
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Hello Carole,
Thanks so much for the follow on my travel blog. I’m especially pleased that it led me back to your blog and writing.
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Hi Ms. Carole,
Happy new year and I want to thank you for following my blog. I’ve been following for about a year now and you always have beautiful work. As s fellow artist, I would like to share something with you about an upcoming art project that God led me to do. How may I contact you? Just expect it in your inbox by February 1. Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!
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I look forward to seeing your work. I emailed you so you can reply to that address.
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Thank you
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Pingback: Interview with #Author Carole Parkes & NEW #BOOK RELEASE PROMO… | Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
Your blog, your work, your life—I think this is exactly the place to plug your book. I would like to nominate you for the Liebster Award. If you are interested, the details are posted on my blog http://www.Davydsblog.com . . . an Award Too?
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Thank you so much for thinking of my blog as one of your nominations Davyd. I am delighted to accept this award. It may take me a few weeks to honour the rules though. Is that alright? Having just completed the first draft of my co-authored second novel, I’ll be busy editing. Thanks again.
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Carol, your ‘About Me’ rang clear bells in my head – I think we may be somewhat alike: flitting from interest to interest, writing for years but only seriously at a fairly mature age – it gives me hope for more publishing in future!
Thank you for following me, I am returning the compliment since you have a lot to say that I would like to hear.
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Thank you for your welcome comments. Yes life is short, and I too love to try everything out. Once I know how something works and I’ve made at least a couple of samples, I move on too. Life will always be interesting for me as I think it will be for you too. Enjoy.
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A very, very belated thank you for the follow. I’m new to this, as you can probably tell, and it’s been very stop-start. However, I’m finally up and running, I think. I loved looking at your blog; as another blogger has also commented, we seem to have quite a few of the same interests. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
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Thank you for commenting on my website. My photograph page is also about the flowers in my garden. Incidentally, we had a daffodil fowering on January 1st this year.
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I’ve nominated you for the A Tour Through Blogland Award Hop here https://africolonialstories.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/a-tour-through-blogland-award/, only for if you’d like to participate – if not I still wanted to share a bit about you because I love your work.
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Thank you so much Jo. I’d love to participate.
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Pingback: A Tour Through Blogland Award « Jo Robinson
Thanks for following my blog at NotebookM.com. Keep up your good work here.
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You’re welcome Lanny! Some interesting posts on there.
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Thank you for following my blog, Carole. (daughteronduty.wordpress.com) I am a flitter, too, haha! I refer to myself as a dabbler. I think we are the best kind of people 🙂
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You’re welcome! I really enjoyed your blogs about life with your elderly mother. It seems we have so much in common. I lost both of my parents just over two years ago after more than twenty-five years of caregiving for them.
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Thank you for following my blog, How to Be a Better Human. My spiritual name is Butterfly, so I totally understand flitting about!
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Ah! A fellow flitter. We may see the world in small bursts, but we never miss its beauty.
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Congrats on your book. I love the cover art. Makes me want to read it. Going to add it to my Kindle now.
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Thank you! I hope you can spare the time for an honest review when you’ve read it. This would be appreciated.
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Hey, cool blog you have here 🙂 . Will try to get your new book.
Thanks for dropping by and good luck.
-Dee
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I loved your short story “Just Her Luck”. I left a comment for you there. Maybe you’d enjoy my short stories.
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Pingback: Thanks for a Great 2014 | The Irresponsible Reader
Hi Carole, thanks for following my art blog! I’ve had a look around yours — great to see someone with so many interesting pursuits. I really like what you did for the cover of your book (I saw the original in your artwork section). It works really well. Best of luck with all your arts; I’ll be following so I can pop in from time to time.
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Thank you for following me Karen. I hope I can keep you interested.
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You have a great blog, Carole!
Thank you for following mine and good luck with your writing.
Best wishes for 2015.
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Thank you! Best wishes to you too.
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Hi Carole. Im very pleased to see you are following Jamoroki and I’d love to know what attracted you. Now I’m going to have a good nose around you rblog. Keep well. James
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I loved the vivid landscapes you posted. I hope you enjoyed your trip around my website.
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Your follow led me here, as a new follower 🙂 Congratulations on your book!
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Pleased to meet you Patricia! I see we share an interest in genealogy; it’s such a fascinating topic. I’ve been researching my family for fifteen years, but now I’m hampered by several brick walls.
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Thanks for the follow, and good luck with your writing, and the blog too.
Best wishes from Norfolk. Pete.
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You have a wonderful site Pete and I love the way you’re doing your bit to promote others. See my posts to see how I’m also promoting others.
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Thanks for following FIGHTER FAITH. I’m providing a free copy of my e-book Far Better Men to service members, veterans, and e-mail subcribers. Come on back if you’re interested in this free digital download.
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I found your blog posts thought provoking and educational. You have an honesty that is refreshing too, and I will most certainly pay your blog another visit soon. My dear dad fought in WW2 and saw some horrific things. He had to have electric shock treatment when the war ended. He did live until he was 97 though and had a good life apart from those years.
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Hi Carole. Thank you for following my blog. The first two poems of yours that I read ‘The Worrier’ and ‘Eternal Optimist’ really struck a chord with me. I l look forward to exploring the rest of your blog, there’s so much here.
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I loved your post ‘optimistical pessimist’! It was both funny and educational to someone like me who just lets life happen, and then deals with it. You sound like a fun person and definitely not sad, despite being a worrier. That poem was written for my mum who was wasn’t just a worrier, she suffered depression all her life. I hope you enjoy the rest of my offerings. I’ll certainly look at the other 51 posts in your blog.
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So interesting to find you . I,too, was born in 1945, and have been married almost as long as you, with 4 sons… I enjoy creating anything you can make using a needle; writing; drawing, creating poetry, etc. My husband is from Sheffield, but I am a Scot!! Looking forward to reading more… 🙂
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I enjoyed my tour of your website. My goodness! You have some huge building projects going on.
I loved your poems.
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Fortunately, most of the work is done now – we started around 6 years ago. But it has been fun!! I am glad you like my poems. I find I write my best stuff when something moves me, so I am not so very prolific. Some of those I am blogging I wrote years ago… 🙂
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My paintings, crafts, short stories and poems were also produced over some years. A few are recent but most of them are not. Enjoy your refurbished home.
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Seus trabalho é muito interessante
Meus cumprimentos
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Thank you for the follow of newsandviewsjb. I look forward to returning to your site and reading more. JB
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Thank you.Your cookery book is a noble gesture; I love that idea.
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Hi Carole! I thought you’d might like to know that I nominated your blog for the One Lovely Blog Award. Congratulations! http://maryaperez.com/awards/my-one-lovely-blog-award/
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Thank you for that kind thought Mary, but I’ve already received this award recently. It was lovely of you to think of my blog though, I feel truly honoured.
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Proves you’re doing something right, Carole. Cheers!
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I love the cover of your book. A very striking image! Am I right to assume that you painted it yourself?
-Jack
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Yes, I did Jack. You can see this image, without the burning house, on ‘My Artwork’ page. I called it ‘Fingers of fire’
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Very vivid! Thanks for sharing it.
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You’re welcome Jack; I’m pleased you liked it.
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Hello Carole,
Thanks for following my blog, looking forward to reading more of your work as I have started following you.
You are inspiring.
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Thank you for that lovely comment. I hope your life is filled with happiness.
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Hi Carole, Thanks for finding me and following “Reflections From the Heart” http://maryaperez.com/about-mary/
I enjoy meeting you and reading your works 🙂
Cheers!
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Your blog is very inspiring. I know how lucky I am with the life I’ve been given, and your story opens my eyes to the difficulties some people face. I hope you’ve found happiness now.
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I love your blog and I hope I can hear more from you soon.
If possible, (I would be more than happy to return the favor with a facebook page or any other social network) could you like my facebook website https://www.facebook.com/cdoriam for more updates on my blog and upcoming projects.
Thank you very much!
Carla
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Will do Carla. Since you comented about Facebook, how do you find out your Facebook address? I recently created an author page and have no idea how to find out what my address is. When I look at the address bar at the top it just says Facebook.com
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Oh, now I see it.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carole-Parkes-Author/1484758171773237?ref=hl
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Hi Carole and thanks for visiting and following my blog. Call again soon and I’ll have a fossick around yours.
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Hi Carole,
Thanks for following my blog!
I’m also a bit of a hobby butterfly myself. I’ve gotten into photography, sketching, knitting, crocheting, music, and of course reading and writing. I’ve never done much needlecrafts, however, because I’m terrible at keeping track of tiny objects like needles :-). It’s good to meet you.
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It’s lovely to meet you too, so thank you for taking the time to comment. I’ll be looking out for your future posts.
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Thanks Carole for visiting my blog/online magazine and deciding to follow it. I hope you enjoy what I post and I look forward to reading more on your blog too. I like how your husband describes you as a butterfly… I am one too! 🙂
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I’m pleased to meet another butterfly. Thank you for your comment, and yes, I already liked what I saw in your blog. I’ll be watching for your posts.
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Hi Carole,
Editing a novel is really difficult. Publishers use junior editors to edit out the punctuation mistakes and other obvious mistakes. Then if it’s a good story, it gets passed around the junior editors until it’s improved. Then the senior editor has a go and maybe it will end up on the desk of an executive editor who will decide on whether to publish or not. Being a lone editor is more difficult. I edit my own stuff and I edit for students, in an academic style, which again is harder.
I would advise you to join LinkedIn and join some writing groups. Aspiring writers is quite good for advice and they have a monthly short story competition.
If you want to get into art, look at what is happening in your community. I get asked to review art exhibitions and look at arts festivals and so on. There is an art event in a couple of weeks, I might go to and review and photograph. I blog for my own sites and for the local newspaper. I’m really into photography, because photos on your blog brings readers; photos are as search friendly as headings!
Good luck with the writing and editing! 🙂
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Thank you for this valuable advice. I can certainly agree about editing being so difficult. I made at least seven passes of my book before publishing on Amazon, but those passes were only as good as my knowledge at the time. I do intend to keep growing and learning, so I will follow your advice, Thank you for taking an interest and the time you spent on this comment. 🙂
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Hi Carole, welcome aboard ‘The Long Weekend’ bandwagon. I hope you enjoy the ride.
Terry
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I did Terry, thank you.
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Hi.
Thanks for looking at my blog, my first serious attempt.I was told to build a platform and so my blog, u can make out I am a novice.
How strange, I just retired fr being an Eye Surgeon to write my book, a family memoir mainly about my mother, ‘FOR LALITHA WITH LOVE.’
I live in Sydney Australia. I have lived in London to study Ophthalmology more than 25 yrs ago.I will read your book and will look at your blog faithfully.
Gita
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Thank you for your comments. You’ll soon have a very interesting blog-site I’m sure. I started mine 18 months ago but then never really did anything with it until 6 months ago. Is your book published?
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I look forward to following you. I admire such a deep rooted family system.
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Pleased to meet you. I read your blog about Libbie and how your story was formed. I wholeheartedly agree with your statement “I am who I have created myself to be”. People feel restrained by family, circumstances and life. This can be a positive force if that person was intent on doing evil, but for most people, it just prevents them from being themselves. It is up to the individual to loosen those ties. Relationships, whether with spouse, parent, or child, are only truly loving relationships when each are free to persue their own interests.
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Hi Carole, thank you for stopping by and following my blog. You have an amazing blog. 🙂
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Thank you, I also enjoyed your blog about your apology and also your exam.. May you always find contentment and peace.
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Thank you !!
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Hello Carole and thanks for stopping by my blog which then allowed me to discover yours. I am quite amazed at the number of things we seem to have in common including the love of writing whether short novels or poetry, painting and photography. It was great to e-meet you and read some of your works. Best wishes for the future and I will be coming and visiting your blog again.
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It was a pleasure for me to visit your blog Geetha. I enjoyed your Doll Tale 3 but didn’t have time to view the previous ones. I’ll do that tomorrow. Take care!
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Hi Carole,
Thank you for the follow. Your site is incredible! You are truly a renaissance woman. Your book sounds wonderful and the cover is gorgeous. I’m definitely adding it to my Kindle!
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Thank you for your lovely comment. I hope you enjoy my book. I certainly enjoyed your post ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’.
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