COME PLAY WITH US, DANNY. FOREVER… AND EVER… AND EVER..... at a fabulous writers workshop retreat

One of the biggest challenges facing the modern author is finding the time to actually write.  Work family, social media and all other manner of things all compete with your time to actually sit down and put pen to paper.  

There are a number of work arounds, you could smash all your electronic devices in a bid to stop you from wasting those precious hours surfing the net, but how would you write your next masterpiece.  Pen and paper, or even an old fashioned typewriter would still allow you to get those words down, but nobody accepts handwritten manuscripts any more, so that idea isn't going to work.  

You could lock up your wife and kids in your cellar, but even that is filled with problems, they could escape, and they would probably be royally annoyed at you for locking them up.   You are still going to have to feed them, and probably allow them toilet breaks.  Which would interrupt your creative flow.  

Or you could take a much more civilised and enjoyable approach, and take yourself away for a week or two to a nice relaxing hotel.  Oh but wait, we all know what can happen if you were to do that, All work and no play and all that, you know how that's going to end.  Perhaps, you should tweak this idea and take yourself away to a writers retreat, where you can surround yourself with other like minded souls, while being mentored by an expert in publishing and writing.  Sounds good doesn't it, but wait it gets even better... 

What if this writers retreat isn't in the middle of nowhere, isn't blocked of from the rest of the world by massive snow storms, and isn't haunted by  angry and somewhat nasty spirits (disclaimer time I cannot guarantee that the hotel isn't haunted by either friendly or malevolent spirits, but it would be rather cool if it was), what if the hotel was in the middle of Italy's  Veneto region?  

Now that sounds like a perfect solution, if you ask me.  But does such a thing actually exists Mr Ginger Nuts?  Why yes it does.  The Albergo Leso hotel which is situated just outside of Verona has teamed up with  publisher and writing tutor Amanda Saint to offer a week long writers retreat focusing on Plot and Character and character development.   Taking place from Mon 7th – Sun 13th October 2019 this sounds like a fabulous opportunity to both hone your writing craft and take in a holiday to one of the most beautiful regions of Italy.  A region that inspired Shakespeare to set Romeo and Juliet there, it's where Dante wrote part 3 of his Divine Comedy, while living in exile from Florence. And the latin poet Catullus, who was around during the time of Julius Caesar and was an influence on Virgil, was from here.  That's a pretty rich literary history, who knows maybe just being there will inspire you. 

You will remember that earlier on I made reference to ghosts, well if that's your cup of tea then you are in luck, there are a host of local ghost and witch legends, which include one of a local witch - actually in local legend a kind of 'fairy', but most close to the UK image of a witch - who was very beautiful and used to lure men to have sex with her at the site of a local natural stone sculpture, whereupon she would kill and eat them. This was deemed so much of an issue - she wasn't the only one - the local legend also holds that marriages with these witch-fairies by mortal men was banned at the 16th century Catholic church's Council of Trent - the great Catholic council which formed the basis of the counter-reformation against the Protestant reformation kicked off by Luther.  

If there are any concerns about travelling there, then please don't worry travel is very easy. The nearest airport is Verona International - also known as Verona Villafranca and Verona Catullo. From there, one can get a shuttle to the main train station and a bus whose last stop is the tiny village of Valdiporro where your hotel will be the last stop.  

​Now if this hasn't got you interested in signing up to this, then maybe the schedule of events for the week will seal the deal. If you follow this link, full details of the writers retreat are laid out, but here are some of the highlights of the writers retreat, and some more information on Amanda Saint 
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AMANDA SAINT 

Amanda has  been teaching writing  for years, as well as running  creative writing courses, workshops and competitions through her company Retreat West, where she is also the publisher and commissioning editor at Retreat West Books. With many years experience as an editor  as well as having  two novels published, As If I Were A River and Remember Tomorrow. she is well placed to help hone your writing craft 

She also works with Jericho Writers. And she developed the Ultimate Novel Writing Course with screenwriter C M Taylor.

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PRAISE FOR AMANDA 

“A rare and blissful opportunity to focus on my writing and give my novel the time and attention it needed… Wonderful in every way.”
Chloe Esposito
Author of the Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know Trilogy. (Published by Penguin Books and optioned by Sony Pictures.)

“I have enjoyed many retreats with Amanda.”
Ruby Speechley
Award-winning writer

“I really enjoyed, and learned from, the retreat. Thank you for all the work you put in to make it work.”
David Thomas
New writer and aspiring author

Over the six night stay  there will be numerous workshops and the one to ones with Amanda where she will  show you how to  to bring your characters to life,  how  to give your novel real pace, depth and un-putdown-ability. All within the wonderful  small, family-owned hotel called Albergo Leso, famous locally for its traditional food. 

Your exclusive offer includes 

• Twelve hours of workshops. Plus a 45-minute one-to-one with author, publisher and creative writing tutor Amanda Saint.
• Discover how to create a simple yet flexible 10-point plot structure.
• Gain the tools you need to write more compelling and emotional stories. 
• Enjoy stunning views and delicious food in an unspoiled corner of Italy.
• Meet and bond with 9 like-minded writers and make new, supportive friends.

If you like the sound of this please click here to book your place, Until now, this offer was open only to Amanda’s followers and subscribers. Now we’ve opened it up to everyone. And there are only 3 places left,  so please act today to be sure of your place. 

And if you can't make this time don't worry as the hotel is available for block bookings at  any time of the year  and any length of time, subject to availability - please inquire first to make sure the dates you want are free. You can contact the hotel here