Book Launch

Colin's book will be launched this Saturday, 3rd December, at 11am at Church Lane Evangelical Church, Stafford, and at 1 pm in the main town library, where he worked for many years.
My hope is that it will be a source of help to many folk facing loss, and will raise a goodly amount for our wonderful local hospice.

Colin's Story....the Hezekiah Years

The book has finally gone to press and we are now waiting for a 'slot' with the binders. Hopefully, it will all be completed in 2 or 3 weeks, so that the prposed launch will take place before Christmas.
We have pencilled in December 5th as being a likely evening, followed by a signing at Stafford Town Library and The Green Baptist Church, Stafford.
Profits are being donated to Katharine House Hospice.

Troy Davis

BBC Radio 4 yesterday featured an interview on the "Today" programme with Rhonda Cook. She is a local journalist in Georgia, USA, who witnessed the execution by lethal injection of Troy Davis.
 Many thousands of people across the world had campaigned for Troy's life to be spared, in the belief that he was innocent of the murder for which he found himself facing a capital charge. Despite this, the execution went ahead, though delayed by some four hours.
Ms Cook described having witnessed 12 executions in her role as press reporter, and added that she had developed  'a ritual' to help her cope. This involved going home and having a long, hot shower.
Although the interview came to an end almost as soon as she had uttered these words,I wished she had been pressed to explain how this could possibly help.
I could not but think that in truth, she felt dirty for being a small part in this ghastly situation.
Mr Davis himself spoke of his sorrow for the grieving family, whilst repeating his insistence of innocence. He hoped friends would carry on the search for the truth, in order to clear his name, and prayed that those carrying out the execution would be forgiven by God.

Pam Rhodes is Patron of the Hospice Movement, and is perhaps best known for hosting BBC TV's "Songs of Praise".
This is what she says about my new book about Colin:-

'This is a tale of love, commitment, passion, challenge, tears, laughter, pain and the deepest of faith - faith in each other, and faith in the God they both love. Penny writes with searing honesty - and yet this is a story which  touches the heart and lifts the spirit.'

 

Watch this space!

"Horizon".

The BBC series feautured a programme on serial killers this week, Wednesday 7th Sept. 9 pm BBC 2.
The interesting thing for me was that the latest scientific opinion is that DNA, PET scans of the brain and chemical imbalances are now known to play a part in the genetic make-up which predisposes some people to display psychopathic tendencies.
In my book "And You Visited Me2, published in 2005, Chapter 17 discusses much of this, and confirms my own theories about just how culpable anyone can truly be, if their very chemistry makes them far more likely than the rest of us to commit horrendous crimes, and just what we should do with them.
I travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to visit men on Death Row there, and recently, one case made headlines , when Bradley Waldroup's legal team successfully saved him from a 1st degree murder conviction, which could well have led to a death sentence,and had the court down-grade his sentence to manslaughter
Presumably therefore, one day he will walk free. And then what happens?

Latest news

My new book, entitled 'Colin's Story- the Hezekiah Years' will soon be going to print.
It tells of his struggle against cancer,and the faith which never left him. His was one of the cases investigated at Stafford Hospital, much in the news for the high death rates and infection levels between 2005 and 2008, when he was a patient there.I guess it's also a (terrific, I hope) love story.
Here are a few brief quotes:-

Contentment is a state of mind which seems sadly lacking in the modern world. Folk are restless; always seeking greater thrills and experiences. Instant gratification. Yet it is a, longer-lasting and less fickle emotion than happiness. Happiness can come and go in an instant. It is transient, fleeting and capricious. But contentment is at least a semi-permanent and at best a permanent state of well-being; -of not desiring more of anything, of resting in the moment, of being secure, warm, still;- of envying no-one anything.  Generally happiness lasts for a short while and is gone. Contentment is more reliable. It’s not lazy or unambitious, but is positive, uplifting. If it comes to a choice between happiness and contentment, give me contentment every time.

One quote about it that I particularly like goes as follows:-

“Contentment is not the fulfilment of what you want, but the realisation of how much you already have.”

Guilt is it seems a common if most unwelcome consequence of losing a loved one. Almost everyone succumbs to it. The lonely hours are filled with remorse and feelings of failure. Why didn’t I do more? Why did I say that? Why didn’t I say that?

Why are these two subjects of special interest to me?

In 1984, I befriended a local man who had killed his two children, and visited him in prison, because I felt God had called me to understand what had driven him to such a catastrophic decision. What happened next changed my life and led to friendships both here in England and later, in USA, where I travelled to see men on Death Row. In 2005, my book about these experiences was published by Monarch.

In 2010, I lost my darling husband, Colin, to cancer, and without my Christian faith, I would not have got through such a tough time. I would now like to help others who find themselves in a similar situation.

My Christian faith has influenced my attitude to the environment, and I believe we are mere custodians of the planet. Thus, my nature anthology seeks to reflect this.