I am jumping up and down with glee… We have taken The Week newspaper for years, as it’s a fab round-up of international and British news in a handy A4 size. We love it. It’s long been an ambition of mine to create something – a course, a book, a service – that I could advertise in The Week, knowing that largely, its readers are my target market.

Then this week it happened without any intervention from me…

There was a list of recommended writing courses… sourced from The Guardian newspaper… and THERE I AM!!

Double-whammy, advertised in two great papers.

Guess, I must be doing something right!

It’s a brilliant opportunity by the way to follow the entire How To Write Your Life Story program in a beautiful environment and with lovely food. Thanks to Lois and Bill, who run The Watermill at Posara for inviting me.

If you have been thinking about taking a course in how to write life story but wishing you lived in the Hague so you could attend my workshops, you will now be pleased to know that How to Write Your Life Stories is going to The Watermill at Posara, near Pisa, Italy, next October (2012).

If you would like to learn how to add SPICE to your writing, how to write compelling prose about your experiences and discover how to write in complete stories, then this is the course for you.

Held over one week in sumptuous surroundings with all food, accommodation and transfers taken care of, you will not regret taking a week off and joining me in Posara next year.

There will be lessons every day, homework to do every afternoon and yet there will still be time for feedback and exploration. You even get a day off in the middle precisely for that purpose!

How do I know that this course will really be that good? Because I attend one of Lois and Bill Breckon’s workshops myself, at the Castle of Park, over four years ago and that is where my novel, published this month, was born thanks to the tutelage of Anita Burgh.

Book before the end of this month to enjoy the Watermill ‘price freeze’

Book before the end the year to enjoy a £75 discount.

Book soon to make sure you don’t miss out. Places are very limited.

Find out more here at the Watermill

Authors need to get publicity and lots of it, every which way, all the time. So, when Andrea Martins of ExpatWomen.com asked if she could interview me about my new online program, called Definite Articles: how to write and sell winning articles based on your overseas experience I jumped at the chance. As the program only went on sale this week and isn’t quite even up on Amazon yet, this only goes to show that Andrea knows the value of being first.

She sent me a few questions by email and this is the result of the piece that appeared on her blog today.

Expat Women: Jo, last time we talked, you had just launched your Write Your Life Stories online program. How did your new online program, Definite Articles, come about?

Jo: Actually, I created this program first (in 2002) and ran it as a live one day workshop for many years.  In about 2005, I turned the notes from the live workshop into an ebook and that became part of an eight lesson correspondence course.  I have been running it ever since in that way.  However, since 2005, I have adjusted, amended and honed the course, adding new stuff to such an extent that it became about twice as long as before.  I added material about blogging, marketing yourself online, pitching and writing a book review too.

Expat Women: You say that your program is for people living abroad.  Is the content only suitable for expats?

Jo: Definite Articles will work for anybody, sure.  But my writing experience is mainly for the expat market, so this is the area I know best. The examples and markets mentioned target this niche too, so I believe the program is of particular interest to people living abroad.

Read the rest of the article here.

It has taken two years for this day to arrive . . . two long years.

During this time I have developed a series of eight classes, each teaching students how to write their life stories and give them SPICE so that they live again for the reader and leap off the page. Two years during which I have tested every lesson, every handout, every extract and every exercise. It has taken six months to record it all too, so that students can choose whether to read their lessons in a workbook, listen to them on a CD or podcast, or both. Then, there was the video of a live workshop, run a year ago at the Xpat Archive in the Hague and finally the time it took to devise over 200 additional exercise, in the form of JustWrite Inspirational Stickers to ensure students stayed motivated after the program. The design and production took another five months but today, I am here. The Write Your Life Stories home study program has arrived. It can be taken with or without personal feedback, but, as the headline says – the first 50 to sign up will get one piece of homework critiqued absolutely free.

So, there you are. It’s ready. I’m relieved and excited and very thankful for the support I have received from The Xpat Archive, designers Kim Molyneaux and Creationbooth, editors Carolyn Vines and Linda March, Sam, Josh and Ian Parfitt, the recording engineers and all those students who agreed to have their work included in the program. Thank you all.

To find out more and have a free taste please click here to visit the Write Your Life Stories page in the Home Study section of this website.

STOP PRESS. ONLY 15 LEFT AT SPECIAL PRICE!!

Books need a wow factor! Find out how to make your book come alive by writing effective anecdotes and case studies. Come and be inspired and empowered when I’m the guest speaker at Storyville in WC2 from 7-9 pm on 29th. Just £15. Details at http://www.thebig-leap.com/storyville.phtml

Could you, should you, write a book?

If this is a question that you often ask yourself, then maybe it’s time to find out. On 9th July I’m running a Special Interest Group workshop for the European Professional Women’s network in Amsterdam. It will cover topics including:

• what makes a book sell?
• what is a wow factor?
• could I really write a book?
• what book would make me the most money?
• how can a book help me raise my fees?

So, if you need to be inspired, informed and supported hurry and grab your place on this free workshop. led by me, Jo Parfitt, from 7-9pm at the Renaissance Hotel in Amsterdam.

Places are limited and the link is here http://europeanpwn-amsterdam.net/workshops/publish-your-book