Other important things

Publication Day

~ my word (s) ~ 24 Comments
https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/middle-grade/the-clocker

The day has arrived. Today, 28th April 2026 my children’s book, The Clocker, is officially published. There were times when I nearly gave up, days when I didn’t believe it would ever happen, struggles and challenges along the way but I couldn’t be happier that I’ve made it. I am a published children’s author.

I have already had some very positive reviews and it’s an amazing feeling to read that others enjoy what you’ve written. Although writing a book involves a lot of time being shut away, tapping the keys on your PC, the help of others can often go unnoticed. I’ve found Troubador Publishing to be an incredibly supportive, knowledgeable and helpful team. My partner, my daughter, wider family, friends, and writing group, Let’s Write, have all played a part. Without turning this into an Oscar speech (!) thank you to everyone.

As well as now having a box of my own copies of the book, Troubador distribute to bookshops around the UK. The Clocker is on Amazon in paperback and kindle formats, and on Apple Books for those with Apple devices. If you do purchase and read the book, please do write a review.

I am available around The Midlands for author events and to visit schools to read extracts and talk about my book. Please contact me via my Contact page Contact me

I’m a published children’s author

A Quirky Word for Today

~ my word (s) ~ 3 Comments

What can be more important, as a writer, than words? I love words; their meanings, their origins and use. I particularly like discovering new words.

My quirky word for today is quidnunc, which I first came across in the film, Love Happens. It means an inquisitive or bossy person and its origin is from early 18th century Latin – quid nunc? What now?

I’m sure, at some point, quidnunc is going to appear in one of my stories. It’s too good to pass over.

Do you have a quirky word or a favourite word to share? I’d love to hear from you.

Quidnunc – an inquisitive or bossy person

Word of the Year

~ my word (s) ~ 1 Comment

My word for 2026 is kindness – the act of generosity or concern for others without expectation of any reward in return.

In the lead up to Christmas 2025 I found myself watching more Christmas movies than usual due to several periods of prolonged ill-health. There was one sentence from all of them that stuck in my mind. In response to being told by someone that their action was not personal, just business, the lead character remarked that this was a poor excuse for being unkind. I like that.

So, my word for 2026 is kindness. It costs nothing and yet often means so much.

Determined in Mind

~ my word (s) ~ 1 Comment

It’s that time of year when many of us talk of New Year Resolutions. I admit I gave up making them many years ago. They felt more of a burden than a help. That’s not to say I’ve become aimless or goalless, however.

Today, I looked up synonyms for the word resolution and discovered the phrase ‘Determined in Mind’. It refers to having a resolute unwavering focus, which sums up very well what is needed as a writer.

Be determined in mind and keep writing.

Your Garden is not Your Garden (with a nod to Kahlil Gibran)

~ my word (s) ~ Leave a comment

When I first came across Kahlil Gibran’s poem, On Children, back in the 1980s, I was taken by the way in which those words are a guide to parenting. He said:

“Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and the daughters of life’s longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.”

As I looked at the images caught on my trail camera in the garden, it struck me that, similarly, our gardens are not our gardens. We are merely their custodians for a period of time. Badgers have lived where my garden resides for many more years than I have; foxes too. It’s a humbling thought and one I hold as I go about tending my garden, ensuring there is water for the wildlife, flowers for the bees to seek pollen, safe places for hedgehogs.

My garden is not my garden. I share it with many others and I feel privileged to do so.

Badger June 2025

Fox July 2025

Knaresborough

~ my word (s) ~ 4 Comments

When you’ve seen somewhere in a film and long to visit, there’s always the fear of disappointment. I’d held that viaduct in my mind, the chattering cafes clutching the River Nidd, whilst it towered above holding history in its giant hands.

Finally, I was there. There wasn’t the sultry sunlight of recent months, instead Yorkshire gave rain but I didn’t care. I was there, I had made it and it was more than the combination of all my imaginings. The viaduct, of course, was my focus but I hadn’t known of the black and white checkered patterns on some of the buildings. Most famous of these is the Old Manor House on Waterside, believed to have been inspired by one of its owners’ love of chess.

Undaunted by the weather, I saw a couple head off in one of the many, brightly coloured rowing boats, an umbrella arched protectively over them. How perfectly romantic. Just like in the film I saw.

Not the foot of the Dee then?

~ my word (s) ~ Leave a comment

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Here’s five facts about Footdee: 

  1. It’s an old fishing village by Aberdeen harbour 
  2. There’s been dwellings there since medieval times
  3. Architect, John Smith designed Footdee’s cottages in 1809 to rehouse fishermen
  4. It is known, by locals, as Fittie 
  5. Though many believed the name Footdee referred to ‘foot of the Dee’ it is actually a corruption of a dedication to St Fothan

So armed with these facts, why visit this tiny place? It has the Silver Darling restaurant, a nod to the old Scottish name for herring. There’s an obelisk, Scarty’s Monument; you could be forgiven for thinking it’s a memorial but it’s really the ventilation shaft of a disused sewage point. The war memorial commemorates Footdee folk who died in first and second world wars. The roundhouse was the former harbour master’s station and the marine operations building is shapely in gleaming glass. 

All these pale to nothing when you meet the enchanting network of cobbled walkways hosting quaint cottages and quirky sheds. It’s said upcycling gave birth here long before television shows claimed its popularity. Rusting mangles and fishermen’s boots host flowers and trailing plants; lifebelts become the means to name a shed. It’s a time stands still, steeped in history (almost) hidden gem.

How had I missed it in the 60 years I’d been visiting Aberdeen? I spoke to my  aunt, the Aberdeen oracle who’s lived in the city since she was five. Her face lit up. “Fittie? I love it. We used to go there often, walking round each path admiring the little cottages all dressed up.” If you’ve been, you’ll know what she means. If you haven’t, don’t overlook this  fascinating, model village style piece of social history. Can you resist? 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

©️ Liz Mackenzie 

Great Grandma Day

~ my word (s) ~ Leave a comment

On hearing the news that his Great Grandma had died last year, my Grandson, then not quite 8, said 2 things; “Is Great Grandad ok?” and “I’d like to have a Great Grandma Day every year to remember her.”

We were all struck by his sensitivity, his awareness of death and its finality, and his concern for his Great Grandad. A year on, I wondered if he’d remember and if it would still be something he wanted to do. My daughter asked him; he had remembered and he did want to have Great Grandma Day. We settled on a small family get together on a Sunday, with roast dinner and a few games. “Great Grandma” always cooked a roast on a Sunday and loved playing all sorts of games. When she and “Great Grandad” were younger they had been avid table tennis players and, given the weather in January, this seemed a better option than tennis or golf – her other passions. So, after lunch, washing up done and kitchen cleared, we were able to play and recount tales of Great Grandma and Great Grandad’s prowess at the game. Meanwhile “Flippin Fish” and a Scotland jigsaw puzzle were ‘happening’ in the living room.

It was a simple day with family; enjoying each other’s company and being together to remember Mum, Grandma, Great Grandma. Writing this, I am humbled, again, by the incredible insight, sensitivity and thoughtfulness of my Grandson; a lesson to us all in listening to our children and grandchildren, and marvelling at their wisdom.

I hope there will be many more Great Grandma Days ahead; times to share, to be together and to remember.

© Liz MacKenzie