This is delightful and unanticipated news, this morning. You will now find ‘My Cup Runneth Over’ available here, for mailing anywhere in the world.
Author: Steve
Steve Shearwater, the author of this series of books and admin of this website and blog.
Ninety-seven stars out of 100 in my first 20 reviews on Amazon
My novel, ‘My Cup Runneth Over’, has scored 97 stars out of the maximum possible of 100 in its first 20 reviews at Amazon UK! 🙂
If you go to the Amazon website, the easiest was to find the book is to search for my pen-name of Steve Shearwater.
Overwhelming reward for the moments of self-doubt while writing my novel: My Cup Runneth Over
10 December 2016
I have already had many delightful and complimentary comments from people who have read my first novel and I have been humbled by their kindness and their faith in me. However, the latest addition to the ranks of these comments has virtually left even my fingers “type-struck” about what to say in reply.
Richard Wallace, whom I hope will not mind me adding the fact that he is the former Senior Lecturer in Classics at Keele University, has written this of my work:
This man can write!
I was half way down the third page when it suddenly came to me – “This man can write!” It is a beautifully written book – the narrative carries you effortlessly on – a real “page turner” as they say; the evocation of the landscape and the local people is wonderfully vivid; and the mixture of drama, humour, and the facts of real life makes for a very rich read.
The subject is the experiences of a police constable in Cumbria in the 70s. The reader does need to keep the time-frame in mind, otherwise some of the policing practices and social attitudes seem very odd indeed (and I am prepared to bet the processes whereby these practices and attitudes change will be a rich source of material in later books in the series). Inevitably it consists of a series of episodes, linked by recurring themes. The challenge for an author using this format is to fill out the characters in the brief space available. Shearwater does this well (but leaves the reader eager to find out more about these fascinating individuals in later books). Some have compared the book to James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small” books, which is fair enough, though Shearwater’s novel is, to my mind, a little darker, a little more real, and a little less “feel good”. I like that.
One of the most attractive features of the novel is the lively and evocative scenes of Cumbria, its people, and its landscape. I particularly enjoyed a marvellous description of a winter walk over High Street. You could feel the crunch of the snow under your boots, the cold wind on your face, and the exhilaration of getting to the top and just looking at the views. I wanted to be there!
In short, this is a great read, and I strongly recommend it. I am looking forward eagerly to the next episode. And it would make a superb television series!
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Saying a mere “thank you” to Richard for these remarks feels remarkly inadequate.
The last few signing sessions for my Cumbria/Police novel until later next year!
After a hectic two weeks when I’ve been all over north Lakeland and north Cumbria, we are now down to the last few book signing sessions of my Cumbria police novel, ‘My Cup Runneth Over’ (readers’ feedback here), before I head back to much snowier climes in the USA!
Here are the locations, dates and times. Wherever and whenever possible, I hope that we can all support our invaluable local bookshops rather than online alternatives – a classic case of “if we don’t use them, we lose them!”
Wednesday, 7 December 2016
2:30-3:30pm – Bookends Carlisle, 19 Castle Street.
Thursday, 8 December 2016
11:00-11:30am – Bookends Keswick, 66 Main Street.
3:00-4:00pm – Farrer’s Tea and Coffee House, 13 Stricklandgate, Kendal
Friday, 9 December 2016
10:30-11:30am – Threlkeld Coffee Shop, the Public Room, Threlkeld
A robust, educated, 100-year-old reprimand for people who decry the use of Cumberland dialect!
Another visit to Keswick Books (antiquarian book sellers) on Station Street, two days ago, turned up a Cumbrian dialect book I’d never heard of before but which I will now refer to frequently: A grammar of the Dialect of Lorton (Cumberland), Historical and Descriptive, With an Appendix on the Scandinavian Element, Dialect Specimens and a Glossary, by Borje Briliothe (PhD)…. How about that for a catchy title!
It is the aforementioned “Scandinavian element” that was of particular interest to me but the book, which is dated 1913 in the Preface, came with an additional bonus: a newspaper clipping – regrettably not dated but perhaps from around 1950 – of a letter from Professor Briliothe, about the merits of the Cumberland dialect. Here is an excerpt:
Letter from Sweden
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “NEWS”
Sir – Permit me to say a few words in reply to Tom Horrocks’ surprising attack on the Cumberland dialect printed in your paper. R. Denwood and “Copeland” have already given excellent replies but as a student of the Cumberland dialect and as a fervent friend of the Cumberland people I would like to add a few words.
Mr. Horrocks’ assault is based on the most complete ignorance of what a dialect is and of the origin of the Cumberland dialect in particular. He might just as well advocate the demolition of historic monuments or ancient buildings. The Cumberland dialect is one of the most interesting, and, from a philological point of view, one of the most valuable sources of research of the philologists. It represents to a great extent the ancient language spoken in the north of England and contains especially a rich element of Scandinavian loan-words introduced by the Vikings more than 1,000 years ago.
It is at the same time terse and expressive and reflects in a remarkable manner the staunch and fine character of the Cumbrian people….
The delightful and memorable months I was privileged to spend in beautiful Cumberland and amongst my Cumbrian friends belong to the most charming memories of my life. I know that Mr. Horrocks’ regrettable attack on his native dialect, entirely unwarranted as it is, must be a blow in the face of every good Cumbrian. It has been so to me, and I sincerely hope that those Cumbrian patriots who have undertaken the fine work of upholding and preserving their native tongue and the ancient and fine traditions and culture of Cumberland will keep up their good work.
BORJE BRILIOTH, Ph.D., Stockholm, Sweden.
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A significant section of this website is devoted to Cumbrian dialects and the Lakeland dialect, including a large glossary of word meanings. View it here.
Book-signing sessions in Cumbria for week commencing Monday, 5 December 2016
Tuesday, 6 December
COCKERMOUTH: 09:30-10:30, New Bookshop, Main Street
(WORKINGTON – provisional – 11:15-12noon -venue not decided – attendance numbers needed)
(WHITEHAVEN – provisional – 1:30-2:30pm but possibly sooner -venue not decided – attendance numbers needed)
Wednesday, 7 December
PENRITH and CARLISLE are likely for this date. Please let me know if you would attend either of these locations.
Thursday, 8 December
KESWICK: 11:00-11:30am, Bookends, Main Street
KENDAL: 3:00pm-4:00pm, Farrer’s Coffee Shop, Stricklandgate
Friday, 9 December
THRELKELD PUBLIC HALL coffee bar: 10:30-11:30am
Saturday, 10 December
(ULVERSTON – provisional – attendance numbers being sought – venue t.b.a.)
(BARROW-IN-FURNESS: possible)
The first ‘official’ photo of Steve Shearwater!
It has now become common knowledge that Steve Shearwater is the pen-name of Eddie Wren, author of Cumbria police novels, the first of which is ‘My Cup Runneth Over’.
You can view reader responses here.
Great fun, signing and selling books at a Christmas Fair in Aspatria
Just after I arrived at the Community Centre, yesterday, I was delighted to have a long chat with Mary Bragg of Cockermouth, who had just finished reading my new novel – ‘My Cup Runneth Over’ – on Kindle, the evening before, and who was wonderfully complimentary about it. Thank you, Mary 
I confess that I also sold more books than I had dared anticipate, so that was very pleasing, too.
Then Peter Reece – one of my former colleagues in crime (fighting!) – appeared, following his own grin into the room, and when I wasn’t busy with people at my little sales’ table, we naturally had great fun swapping old ‘war stories’. (I’m the one on the left, in the photo, and Peter would tell you he’s the better-looking one, on the right!)
Incidentally, the little town is pronounced “Sp’yatri,” in Cumberland dialect but gets its proper name from ‘Ash Patrick’, after the famous saint preached there in the Fifth Century. Another Cumbrian place name that comes from the saint is Patterdale – Patrick’s dale – at Ullswater.
Interestingly, despite its small size, both Peter and I worked at Aspatria years ago, during our respective police careers.
All told, the Fair provided a wonderful afternoon. My sincere thanks to the organisers.
Who is YOUR key character in ‘My Cup Runneth Over’, and why?
If I may start what I hope might become a ‘ball rolling’ on this topic, let me say that even to my own surprise, the character I found myself wanting to get back to when I was writing was – of all people – ‘Ike Nick’!
Isaac Nicholson was not a real person but was based on a conglomerate of real individuals I encountered during my police years, many of whom had anything but an easy life, but even though they had hard, unforgiving and often offensive manners, I found a lot of these people to be among those we typically refer to as the ‘salt of the earth’.
Farmers certainly presented their own challenges to young police officers and no doubt some of them used to take a special delight in giving us a hard time. However, show them that you had at least some grasp of their challenges or a small understanding of their livestock and things often changed. Typically, they were still ‘grumpy old gits’ but at least you weren’t enemies anymore.
So as the title of this blog asks” Who did YOU most identify with? Or who did you hate most? Or who made you laugh the most, and why?
In some ways, the story in My Cup Runneth Over took on a life of its own. I’m not joking when I say that some days I would re-read what I had just written and it was like reading something I had never even seen before! As a result, your own insights would genuinely be of great interest to me and I hope you’ll take a couple of minutes to post them as a comment please.
‘Book Review of the Week’ and a Christmas Recommendation from ‘Susie’
I have been genuinely stunned by the delightful consistency of readers’ opinions of my novel ‘My Cup Runneth Over’. Indeed, at present it holds an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 5 – 96% – at Amazon! Much of the time it is hard for me to pick any one reader’s comment from another in terms of their ‘gratification rating’ to me as the author, but I have to say that so far this week I have to put this one from Amazon’s UK website at the top of my list:
If you only buy one book this year – make sure it’s this one! “Steve Shearwater’s delightful pen transported me straight back to my Cumbrian childhood – a time of community when the village ‘bobby’ was both feared and revered.
The RAC rally, local lock-ins, familiar dialect and places – so evocative of a time that I probably remember through very rose tinted specs!
I read this in a single day, curled up by the woodburner with copious mugs of tea and the rain battering on the window. Getting lost in the tale of the young Cumbrian constable was easy, Steve’s writing style makes for a page turning read which evoked such powerful memories I didn’t want to reach the final page.
As a child I loved watching Dixon Of Dock Green, [and] My Cup Runneth Over shares a similar dialogue. It’s comforting yet confronting, set against a backdrop of none politically correct policing, when the ‘baddies’ got a ‘clout’ , the bereaved a cuppa and the community noticed when something was awry, even if it resulted in an unsuspecting, ailing OAP getting a rude awakening.
To be truthful, I initially bought this book because of its era and setting. I’m so glad I did. My partner (a non Cumbrian) read it too, proclaiming it a ‘feel good, comfort blanket of a read’.
Steve you’ve nailed it. Just ordering some paper copies to pop into various Christmas stockings. I suspect it could be a very quiet, nose-in-book festive this year.
If you only buy one book this Christmas make sure it’s this one!”
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To read all of the reviews at Amazon, please click here.