Author in the picture: Elizabeth Moore

Thank you very much for participating in your author in the picture blogpost of
MyCrazyLifeWithBooks blog.

I ‘met’ you via the We Love Memoirs Group on Facebook and I read and
reviewed two books of you: From Moulin Rouge to Gaudi’s City and the
second one From Gaudi’s City toGranada’s Red Palace.

I immediately felt a connection because you told with lots of passion about
your travels and you even gave me some new travel ideas.

That’s why I asked you to participate in an author in the picture blogpost.
So here we go with the questions.

1/ Can you tell me more about Elizabeth Moore?

I was born in country Queensland, Australia and moved to Brisbane
to attend high school and University. On graduating, I worked in a large hospital
in NSW, married and had two children. I was then employed for 20 years
at our local university before retiring in 2014. My travels started after cancer
treatment in 2011 and I began writing about my adventures in 2016 my
first book, From Moulin Rouge to Gaudi’s City, in my Someday Travels series,
was published in 2017; my second, From Gaudi’s City to Granada’s Red Palace in 2020.

2/ What is speech pathology exactly?

The term applies to the diagnosis and treatment of speech disorders in adults
and children. It’s probably better known as speech therapy but the name was
revised some years ago to better reflect the scope of the profession.

3/ I read in your books you were diagnosed with cancer.
I admired your strength and your will to live and to travel very much.
How do you feel today?

I’m fine now – aging but healthy. I am still very careful to attend my yearly
scans and medical assessments.

4/ What does the We Love Memoirs group on Facebook mean for you

We Love Memoirs is my happy place. When I first joined, I was delighted to
find many of the authors I had read and admired were already members and
the dynamic between readers and writers was wonderful. If I hadn’t been a
member, I doubt my travel memoirs would have been published.
I discovered Ant Press and with their professionalism and mentoring,
my first book was published.

5/ How did you find the name EJ Bauer?

Memoir authors are often advised to use a pseudonym when writing as it
offers a degree of anonymity for both the writer and people mentioned in
their books. I chose ‘EJ’, the initials of my first names, and ‘Bauer’ is a
family name from my mother’s side. It was also a name that didn’t
appear with any regularity when Googled. My real name, Elizabeth Moore,
is incredibly common and I wanted my author name to be more individual.

6/ Do you like other things than traveling and writing?

I read voraciously and since retiring, I have had time to rediscover the joys
of gardening. Our local birdlife also offers a never-ending passing parade of
antics. I also have 5 grandchildren and they are a joy. Life keeps me busy.

7/ Do you have new travel plans?

Travel plans for the world are on hold but it doesn’t stop me dreaming.
My daughter and her family relocated to Europe just two months before the
pandemic hit. My dream of having a base there and travelling to all sorts of
wonderful destinations has not been realised. When travel is safe, I have Greece,
Germany, Scotland and the USA on my ever expanding list.

8/ Which is your favourite country/place to visit?

That’s like asking about a favourite child. I love France and have visited there twice.
The fact that I sometimes fancifully check real estate listings in various departments
probably speaks to my enduring love of the country. It narrowly beats Italy and Spain
into equal second place. My love of all things French was inspired by my first language
teacher in early high school. I reveal this in some detail in the first chapter of
From Moulin Rouge to Gaudi’s City.

9/ Do you have new writing plans?

My third book on some travel exploits in Italy is well underway. I have book four
taking shape as well. This will cover more time in France and the UK. In both books,
there will be lots of sightseeing, some history, a few interesting encounters and of
course glasses of delicious bubbles.

10/ I always end with the same questions: What are your wishes
for yourself and the world?

It’s hard not to ignore the two large elephants in the room. Of course I want the
current pandemic to be reined in and controlled long term. I also want sensible
and effective worldwide cooperation on climate control. This planet is so precious.
For myself, I want family and friends to stay safe and healthy, but I really want a
transporter so I can see my three grandchildren and their parents who have been
overseas for over 18 months.

More about Elizabeth Moore 

Elizabeth Moore has a website under the name EJ Bauer on this link. 

You can find her on Facebook on this link. 

Bookreview: Qwerty, the Forgotten Typewriter

What an amazing children's book! 

Summary

In this day and age, being "different" often means being ostracized from society.
This not only happens to people, but to Typewriters as well!

Qwerty used to be the most popular typewriter at the television station until she
was replaced by a computer. No longer did fingers dance across her keys. This 

made Qwerty sad as she was ridiculed and mocked for being different from the
newer equipment. That is until a power outage knocked out the computer batteries
and Qwerty was summoned to "save the day". 

Children love old typewriters and are intrigued by how they work and the sound 
they make. They also were very cognizant of the realities of prejudice caused by 
someone being different from themselves.

Qwerty, The Forgotten Typewriter is a fun, energetic story of a once popular
machine being tossed aside, only to be brought back because of her usefulness.

We can all learn a lesson on how each of us is unique and valuable. 

From the Author and Illustrator of the popular series: Little Bit & Big Byte 
comes a wonderful story about perseverance and self-esteem.

My Review

From time to time I enjoy reading children's books, they always are so nice and
relaxing! Most of them contain a lesson such as Qwerty, The Forgotten
Typewriter did. For me this story was a bit special, because I learned typing on
such an old (AZERTY) type machine.

Qwerty, The Forgotten Typewriter had a lovely story. I really enjoyed reading 
and the researching in the pictures as well.

I absolutely want to say something about the layout as well. The pictures are
amazing and bright. They just made me happy and it started already with the
book cover. 

I certainly would recommend Qwerty, The Forgotten Typewriter to all lovers
of children's books. It also is the perfect literature for parents who read for 
their children. 

Without any doubts, I want to give a 5 star rating for this amazing children's 

book!

The author

Craig T. Feigh is a talented Author of several different genres of books. He
is most noted for his Children's Picture Books, most notably his
Little Bit & Big Byte series.

Little Bit & Big Byte are the first "technology-related" characters in 
Children's Picture Books and are popular for any child who loves to use the
computer, phone or ipad.

Graig also writes Humor and Christian Living Books.

Booktasters

I want to thank the author and Booktasters for giving me a free copy in 
return of my honest review. Thank you very much for this amazing 
reading chance! 

Qwerty, The forgotten Typewriter

This book was published on 6 November 2020 by BookBaby.
It contains 28 pages.

Author in the picture: Madame Gilflurt, Catherine Curzon

Already from the beginning of my blog adventures in 2012
(sounds like history 😆) , I follow on Twitter a certain Catherine Curzon alias
Madame Gilflurt. She told very interesting stories about the Georgian area. 

Since she has written several books about this interesting time period, I thought
it was an excellent idea to invite her on the blog. 

So these are my questions and her answers. 

Questions & Answers

Can you tell me more about yourself? Who is Catherine Curzon? 

Who is Madame Gilflurt?

Catherine Curzon is a gal who lives up a steep hill in Yorkshire and
writes books about eighteenth century history. My shadow is a little dog named
Pippa, and we have a passion for history and classic Hollywood cinema, reflected
in my Master’s in Film. I’m also half of novelist Ellie Curzon, author of the
bestselling Under a Spitfire Sky, which was published by Orion, and its follow-up
The Codebreaker Girls.  Madame Gilflurt was the name I came up with nearly a
decade ago when I wanted to launch my online presence, and thought a smart
Georgian nickname would be a good way to do it. Gilflurt is a bit of Georgian
cant, meaning a minxish woman!

How did your interest in History started?

I’ve told this story a lot, but my love for history was nurtured by my grandad. 

He lived in a tiny cottage on the edge of Sherwood Forest and was a born
storyteller. By the time I was in primary school I thought Byron’s ghost haunted
the pub and Dick Turpin had a camp out in the woods! When I was five years old he
told me about Marie Antoinette losing her head and that was the clincher –
I was hooked!

How did you begin your blog/website? Do you have tips for new bloggers?

I thought my husband was getting a bit tired of my sharing historical titbits with him,
so I decided to share them with a wider audience instead. That was how the blog
came to be, and it’s since evolved into a place where I post my news and bits and bobs,
such as tour dates for Being Mr Wickham and the like. The main bit of advice I can give
is to keep at it, and make friends. The history community can be very welcoming,
and really nurturing too.

Why do you have such an interest in the Georgian era?

Essentially because of the bloody tales my grandad loved to tell. He really brought
the adventure of the era to life, and captured my young imagination. When he
told stories of the eighteenth century, it really did feel as though anything could
happen. It’s a very relatable time in many ways too, and its obsession with
celebrity and gossip is familiar to anyone who uses social media today, I think.

5/ How do you start researching for new books? 

How for example do you chose a topic?

I specialise in bitesize biographies of Georgian royalty, so there are plenty of
wonderful candidates to choose from. I don’t so much choose a topic as meet
a character in the course of my research who simply won’t sit down. A good
example of that was Sophia, Electress of Hanover. When I wrote
Kings of Georgian Britain and its follow-up about George I’s doomed marriage,
which ended in adultery and murder, Sophia was a major supporting character.
She was the mother of George I and had Stuart blood in her veins, so was a
fascinating character in her own right. As her part in George I’s story got
bigger and bigger, I knew that she had to have her own book.
That became Sophia: Mother of Kings. The same is true for
Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who has become familiar to
Bridgerton fans lately, but has been a major supporting player in my
non-fiction works from the very first, Life in the Georgian Court.
I’ve just finished her biography, which will be released by
Pen & Sword in 2022, and it’s been a real privilege to spend time with her.

Do you have favourite characters/royals/persons/events in history?
Which ones?

This is a really difficult question for me, because there are just so many.
I’ll narrow it down to a favourite Georgian royal if I may, and choose
Electress Sophia, the founder of the dynasty in so many ways, and a woman
to be reckoned with. She missed out on being queen of the United Kingdom
by a matter of weeks, and I truly believe she is the finest queen we never had.
I also have a soft spot for George IV, but for all the wrong reasons. As a friend
or husband he would’ve been a nightmare, but as a figure who perfectly sums
up the most grotesquely opulent excesses of the era, he takes some beating.

Have you other hobbies or passions than history and writing?

I have a Master’s degree in film and a passion for Golden Age cinema. 

I spend so much time in front of screens that I need to keep my fresh air
topped up, and Pippa and I walk as much as we are able. We’re fortunate to
live among some beautiful countryside, and there’s never any shortage of
fresh air. I also love the theatre and my own play, Being Mr Wickham,
goes on tour in the autumn. I wrote the show with Adrian Lukis, who played
Wickham in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and returns to
the role in our play, to lift the lid on Wickham at 60. 

How does a typical (writing) day look like?

A typical writing day isn’t too exciting, but it is generally pretty productive, 

and that’s what matters. I get up early and walk Pippa after Mr C has gone to 

work, then we eat breakfast before I head upstairs to my office and knuckle down.
Essentially I try to keep office hours as much as I can, otherwise I’m the sort of
person who could easily find themselves still happily writing away at 4am!
I’ll usually work at home or in our gorgeous village café until Mr C finishes work,
then take Pippa for a walk to meet him. The three of us will then go for a cuppa or
a bit more of a stroll if the weather is fine, then spend the evening relaxing as
much as possible. Writing is my full-time job, and in the past I’ve been guilty
of not giving myself time off. I’ve learned to be much better at that now –
when you’re working for yourself, you have to remember to look after
yourself too!

Do you have other plans for new books?

The Wives of George IV, the true story of Maria Fitzherbert and
Queen Caroline, will be out before Christmas. Next year will see the
release of my Queen Charlotte biography and also a tie-in book for
fans of Bridgerton, which will pull back the sheets on some of the era’s
sauciest scandals. After that There’ll also be exciting things happening
for Ellie Curzon, and Being Mr Wickham too, as well as lots more history!

I always end with the same question. What do you wish for yourself and
for the world? 

A contented and smiling future.

Thank you very much for participating in your Author in the picture blogpost on 
MyCrazyLifeWithBooks Blog. 

I'm looking forward to read your books and to follow your stories on Twitter!

If you want to know more about Catherine Curzon and Madame Gilflurt here

are some interesting pages and links!

Links

www.catherinecurzon.com

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Mistresses-of-George-I-and-II-Hardback/p/19112

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Catherine-Curzon/a/2720

https://twitter.com/madamegilflurt

https://www.facebook.com/madamegilflurt