FACEBOOK FRIENDS Linda Mitchelmore

I was dragged, kicking and screaming, to social media. Facebook? Twitter? I didn't want to know and resisted for as long as I could. However, when I secured a contract on my first novel it was explained to me that being active on social media was all part of the deal and was expected of me. Now, I don't have an addictive personality - chocolate, TV soaps, wine, shoes .... I can take or leave them all - but I did know there would be times when I wouldn't be able to resist having a peak to see who had mentioned me, or not. Of the two, I prefer Facebook. 140 characters is never enough to say all I have to say! What has come as a big surprise about Facebook is the 'friends' I have made. I was hugely surprised to find that I seemed to connect with some people more than others - people I had never met. We seemed to meet in the ether somewhere with shared values and likes and dislikes. Annie Seaton, who lives in NSW, Australia, in a very covetable beach situation and who writes stories in exotic locations for PanMacmillan, Australia, was one of the first I connected with.

What I admire about Annie is that she very generously used her technical know-how to start a closed FB page, Coastal Romance. This has given a platform to other writers, all over the world, who set their novels in coastal locations, and it's introduced me to writers of whom I might otherwise not have heard. Being in Australia and twelve hours ahead of us here in the UK, I often wake to Annie's fabulous sunrise/sunset photos. Thanks, Annie!

Obviously, as a writer, I tend to lean towards other writers because we all speak the same language. We share our highs and lows, our successes and our failures. Sometimes - especially in the short story writing world - there can be a fair few failures. So, it's been great to have Gerri Gill who lives in Belfast come into my world. Gerri is an interior designer, as well as having been a model, and I can guarantee her FB posts will lift my spirits. She puts up the most fabulously glam fashion shots and now knows that I have a passion for black and white, be it clothes and shoes, or interiors and photography - especially photography - and she will often give me a personal mention.

And there are times when I need coffee before beginning my writing day and there will be Gerri joining me with a fab photo. Thanks, Gerri - and I enjoy your poems, too.

When my first novel came out I received a lovely review from someone called Marilyn Chapman. Then I noticed that Marilyn continued to support me with 'likes' and 'shares' and great comments even though we had never met. More book reviews from Marilyn followed for which I was, and still am, very grateful. Marilyn was born in Guernsey and writes a great regular blog, often featuring wonderful photos from that island. I went there, just the once, on holiday so these always bring back great memories. And then Marilyn published Baggy Pants and Bootees, a story of love, loss and betrayal, which is set in the 1960s - my sort of time. I connected further with Marilyn over this book and here I am holding my copy.

Marilyn's second novel, Occupying Love, is due out in July. This time her novel is set in her beloved Guernsey, but at a time when the island was under German occupation during WW11. This book has a fabulous cover and I am so looking forward to reading it.

So ... thank you, ladies, for all the things you have introduced to my world.