Ghosts by the Sea (Ghosts) and Doorways to the Sea (Doorways) are anthologies of pieces written by members of the Folkestone based writing group ‘Write by the Sea’.
Writing by the sea
What I immediately liked about both books was that there is such a variety of pieces of writing to choose from, some as short as one page, few more than ten. Ideal for dipping into, whenever you have a free ten minutes. There are twenty three titles in Ghosts and twenty five in Doorways.
‘Ghosts by the Sea’
Ghosts’ writings have the common theme of ghosts, as the name implies, while also being related to locations in Folkestone. A map at the front of the book allows the reader to link each story to a place in the town. A few picked out at random are:
Gramston Gardens – A ghost is visible only in the background during a zoom call
Broomstick – A poem about a deserted broomstick
Hilary and Nigel (R.I.P.) – A middle aged woman moves into a new house in Folkestone following the death of her husband in a car crash.
The Fossil Hunter – While revisiting places he had known as a teenager 40 years ago, a man encounters a boy who reminds him of an old school friend.
‘Doorways to the Sea’
Doorways features tales with some connection to the beach huts at Folkestone; not your everyday theme. Again, choosing some titles arbitrarily gives a flavour of the variety on offer.
On Becoming a Beach Hut – A beach hut’s recollections of a particular visitor over a period of time.
Our Beach Hut Getaway – An old man spends an idyllic day in a beach hut with his wife.
Sea Apple – Impossible to describe, you just have to read it and make up your own mind.
Any Kind of Future – What could happen if warnings about climate change are ignored.
There are some terrific twists in these stories which I cannot mention without giving the plots away. They are all there waiting to be discovered and I would heartily recommend that you do so.
‘Ghosts by the Sea’ – Write by the Sea writing group: paperback: 133 pages: December 2020:
ISBN 978-1916180147 – Amazon price: £6.99 (Also available for Kindle)
‘Doorways to the Sea’ – Write by the Sea writing group: paperback: 191 pages: July 2021:
ISBN 978-1916180154 – Amazon price: £7.99 (Also available for Kindle)
