Hello everyone,

General:
There’s quite a bit of news this time.

First of all, I’ll tell you that I have now met one of the members. Sally and her family were taking a week’s holiday in Cornwall, in April, and the cottage they were renting was about a mile from our lodge where we were spending a few days. We managed to overlap by a couple of days, and we spent a very pleasant time over lunch at the Plume of Feathers in Portscatho. In fact, it was a near miss last year, but we couldn’t be there when she was, and I the meantime, I’ve had quite near misses with David and Christine (Ryanair foiled me for that potential meeting, and I’ve lodged a complaint about them fort heir misleading adverts!).

The big thing that you should know is that I am stepping aside as the leader of Alpha. No, I am not leaving it – you’re such a super group of people that I can’t do that. But I feel that after four seasons, it is time to step aside, and let someone else take the helm.

When I started Alpha in 2004, it was a one-year experiment, but the enthusiasm has been so good that we have all wanted to keep going, conforming primarily to the original format, although with small changes along the way. But – and I am a great believer in this – changes are needed to maintain the momentum, and perhaps change the direction. I have discussed this with David, and he is prepared to take over. David has contributed considerably to Alpha over the years, and the Cliffhanger – and now the Telephone – stories have been interesting to contribute towards. I am sure that he will add considerably to Alpha’s value for us all.

I will keep close contact with Alpha, and offer ideas and assistance wherever I can, but I have several projects of my own on the back-burner (writing, statistics and other!), which I’d like to bring to fruition if I can. And I hope there will be chance to meet some others of you now, having broken the ice (though that’s not the best turn of phrase for meeting Sally!). I suppose that’s the biggest variation of all: I firmly believed at the outset that there was no need – and probably there’d never be any wish – for any of us ever to meet. Yet I feel that none of you will be strangers to me in any sense of the word should we meet. I certainly felt that when I met Sally.

There will be more about the hand-over in the last Alpha Circular on May 22nd.

Current challenge:
The last Challenge drew 10 entries, plus two from our newcomers. Fiendishly difficult to assess – I’m wondering what the final marks will be, and who will be Alpha Laureate for this season. We’ll know as soon as Tara sends round the results.

The one entry that I was concerned about was the one in which a crow went into a house. Crows just do not go in to enclosed spaces. Having said that, I suppose that it could be classed as an extremely unlikely event, should on do so. So unlikely that it could only be true in real life, but so unlikely that it shouldn’t ever occur in fiction, because there’ll be some know-all who finds it out! Who would have included the following item in a story – I found it in last week’s paper.

“A woman found an 8ft alligator thrashing around in her kitchen in Florida. It is thought that the reptile chased her cat into the house.” I suppose it was a bit more damaging than a crow – but even if I’d found a crow admissible, I don’t think I’d ever have accepted an alligator.

But the point I want to make is that there is a line that fiction writers have to observe: you should never include a singularly unlikely event. Very unusual is admissible, but usually fiction creates a situation out of a number of marginally out of the ordinary occurrences, which together makes a story unique.

Anyone got any views?

Final Leaderboard:
Challenge 10 results - whch Tara has sent show that:

Rosemary was first, giving her 3 points; Di, Christine, and Tara all come in at second place (I can't really separate them) for 2 points; and John third for 1 point

- all in addition to the 1 point for entering

The final leaderboard is therefore

Zena	26 points
Geoff	24 points
Sally	22 points
Rosemary	20 points
Clare	20 points

So very hearty congratulations to Zena for being the winner this year (again)

Members:
I have heard that Betty has had to have a spell in hospital – I’m sure we all wish her well.

As we are approaching the end of the season, there will be some members whose life commitments may have changed so that continued membership of Alpha will be under threat. Whilst I hate to see members leaving, I realise that this is bound to happen. I usually put out an appeal via Writers News – if I send it to Jonathan Telfer in May, it will get into the September issue (published in August). However, our list of members is full, and unless there is an unexpected exodus, I don’t anticipate asking for newcomers.

I’ll repeat this in the next and last circular for the season, and I’ll be asking you then to let me know – if you can – about next season.

Communication:
There has been an amazing silence from members over the last week. As my PC has been behaving very poorly – so much so that I have had to get a new one – I was afraid I’d missed some. I may well have done, and if any of you have recently sent me any emails which required an answer, and you’ve not had one, - please contact me again. I think I have all the attachments, though.

But - I have just discivered that Chris (the tid) has been missing from some emails - can you please check that all members are on your list. there are 20 of us now - including yourselves.

I’ve received this email:

Dear Olaf,

We are a new literary consultancy with a great web profile and contacts. We are now looking to increase the number of partners with whom we have a mutual linking arrangement. We are already linked to some very influential websites, and we would be interested in exploring the possibility of a mutual link with you.

You can find our website at www.theoxfordeditors.co.uk.

Please visit us and see if we might work together.

Best wishes,

Mary Anne Blyth,
Head of Admin,
The Oxford Editors
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I’ll answer it on a ‘holding’ basis.

That’s all for this time,

Best wishes to you all,

- Olaf