Author: Suzanne Conboy-Hill

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No idea who your MEP is? Never voted for one?

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

But you’re going to vote Leave because the EU is unelected and doesn’t do what you want. Right, well whose fault is that, then? I’m guilty of ignorance too. I thought about MEPs today for the first time and I had to look mine up. I’ve never voted for one, never had a clue what they do and that’s my fault. Worse, I find that Farage is one of them and maybe by not engaging, I helped put him there. I hope I get another chance. If we still need MEPs after tomorrow, I’ll be all over mine like a … Continue reading No idea who your MEP is? Never voted for one?

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No idea who your MEP is? Never voted for one?

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

But you’re going to vote Leave because the EU is unelected and doesn’t do what you want. Right, well whose fault is that, then? I’m guilty of ignorance too. I thought about MEPs today for the first time and I had to look mine up. I’ve never voted for one, never had a clue what they do and that’s my fault. Worse, I find that Farage is one of them and maybe by not engaging, I helped put him there. I hope I get another chance. If we still need MEPs after tomorrow, I’ll be all over mine like a … Continue reading No idea who your MEP is? Never voted for one?

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The EU Referendum – Four Tories & a UKipper?

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

I wish this were fiction but it isn’t; tomorrow we decide as a nation whether to stay in the European Union or leave it, and the level of debate has been frankly juvenile. With the exception of a significant number of mostly women politicians, some of whom represent the other home nations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the key encounters have consisted of bluster, bluff, and braying bellicosity among a small number of men. Tories on the whole and from the same government, with UKIP tagging along seeming to be having the time of its life. It made me wonder … Continue reading The EU Referendum – Four Tories & a UKipper?

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let me tell you a storyLeave a comment

The Literary Pig roots around in the Let Me Tell You a Story back story

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

@TheLiteraryPig, aka Tracy Fells, was one of the first who agreed to have her work included in Let Me Tell You a Story when it wasn’t much more than a twitch of an idea. In her blog she asks the questions neither of us could even have framed in those early days and hopefully gets some answers. It starts with people facing eviction or criminal prosecution … Tracy has an extensive catalogue of writing ‘hits’ and read her work regularly at West Sussex Writers. Her contributions include Tantric Twister, Wood, and Phoenix and Marilyn. Continue reading The Literary Pig roots around in the Let Me Tell You a Story back story

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Self publishers – the Nine Inch Nails* of the literary world?

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Self-publishers are now giving the industry a serious run for its money, challenging preconceptions and business models. Unlike their counterparts in the behemoths of the publishing industry, they are all-rounders; IT literate, technically-skilled and both business and media savvy. So says T. Thurai in a blog about a recent self-publishing conference held by Matador. Why then does it still feel slightly inferior, second rate; more likely than traditional publishing to feature the product of barely literate, ego-driven wannabes? Let’s contrast this with the music scene: if you write songs – the music and the lyrics – record the album in … Continue reading Self publishers – the Nine Inch Nails* of the literary world?

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marketing, psychologyLeave a comment

Selling your books – beware the anchoring effect

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

This article is from The Conversation; a news outlet funded by a number of universities, and it describes a psychological heuristic called the anchoring effect. I came across it as an undergraduate back in the last Ice Age and I’d forgotten about it but this reminder is timely. Exposure to a given top (or bottom) price makes us adjust our expectations as to what a fair price might be. In this example, seeing a ludicrously priced TV makes the next item on sale seem reasonable despite still being far greater than you might have considered acceptable without that first cognitive … Continue reading Selling your books – beware the anchoring effect

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Brain rhythms, speech, and hearing

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

As per the post on my other blog, I wonder if those same brain rhythms, supplemented by voice as in the anthology Let Me Tell You a Story, might enhance the reading experience for people whose reading is interrupted by stumbles over unfamiliar words. The article below is re-published with permission. In loud rooms our brains ‘hear’ in a different way – new findings Joachim Gross, University of Glasgow and Hyojin Park, University of Glasgow When we talk face-to-face, we exchange many more signals than just words. We communicate using our body posture, facial expressions and head and eye movements; but … Continue reading Brain rhythms, speech, and hearing

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‘Our brains produce rhythmic activity at a similar rate to the syllables in speech’ – new research

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

I wonder if those same brain rhythms, supplemented by voice as in the anthology Let Me Tell You a Story, might enhance the reading experience for people whose reading is interrupted by stumbles over unfamiliar words. The article below is re-published with permission. In loud rooms our brains ‘hear’ in a different way – new findings Joachim Gross, University of Glasgow and Hyojin Park, University of Glasgow When we talk face-to-face, we exchange many more signals than just words. We communicate using our body posture, facial expressions and head and eye movements; but also through the rhythms that are produced … Continue reading ‘Our brains produce rhythmic activity at a similar rate to the syllables in speech’ – new research

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anthology, literacy supportLeave a comment

Put off reading by tricky words?

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Put off reading by tricky words; words you probably know when you hear them but can’t ‘hear’ them when you see them? Can’t find the beat in a poem unless Snoop Dogg’s run a bass line under it? Can’t find your glasses so …   What if you could have someone read it to you – and not the creepy bloke who always sits next to you on the bus even when there are lots of empty seats? Someone who knows how the poem or the story or whatever should read? The author, maybe? Well you could and a new anthology shows you … Continue reading Put off reading by tricky words?

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