Books

"Covid-19 How it made us feel" is an anthology from 12 authors. you will relate to most of the stories in here and there is a heartfelt openness which you will recall how far we have all come since the start. 

We hit the Amazon bestseller in two categories with this amazing book. Our reviews are just wonderful. I'm thrilled.

Book two: "DejaVu: From behind the mask" is out soon!
Please let me know if you would like updates directly to your inbox by clicking here. 



Order print copy directly from me here:  £9.99 delivery included  (UK only) - let me know if you want it signed.


Through the course of lockdown during the Coronavirus a group of very different people came together to write for an anthology during these unusual times. Our experiences were very different but similar themes ran through them all.

Initially, in May 2020, our voices were being silenced. Until Elon Musk tweeted:




See more about this here: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/elon-musk-twitter-amazon-jeff-bezos-monopoly-coronavirus-a9550196.html

After this happened I posted:
I'm SO excited (and proud) to announce that against the odds, we have our anthology on iBooks. Thank you Apple for being superstars and hosting this ebook. 
The print version is coming within two weeks, if you want a copy (they will be limited) please reach out and I will pop you on the list. Meanwhile, if you can't wait, or you love an ebook, let me present you this collection from some amazing writers who wrote from the heart!

And then following Elon's tweet, we just appeared on Amazon, in WHSmith, Barnes and Noble, Nook, etc and we hit number 12 on the charts! Amazing and so exciting. 




Latest: 20th May

This is supposed to be publication day. But I await to see if Apple will publish the book in Ebook form, while Book Publishing UK are getting me a proof together to see if that is the right format. The minute I say it is, I will be getting together a limited order of print books which I'm happy to sign and send out to you! Watch this space. Very exciting. We are getting there!

Update:

 The 18th of May saw tears and joy.

What a ride and oh my goodness why can’t things be more straightforward? I know exactly why; because then life seems beige. All on one level, omitting the thrill of something going right because you’ve overcome obstacles and felt the challenges present themselves. But this reasoning didn’t stop my tears this morning. 
     Just as Jasmine was about to talk to me, an email popped into the inbox from the publishers.
     ‘I am sorry to hear that you having issues with the creation of your titles files.

I am truly sorry but Ingram Spark have made the decision not to publish any title which has references made to the COVID-19 Virus.

I apologise for the inconvenience that this may cause you.

Please don't hesitate in contacting us if you require further assistance.

     I’d not given this a thought, I was devastated and tears flowed and I sobbed as I tried to talk to Jasmine. I knew I would have to check on my Amazon account too for the eBook version, 

‘Your book does not comply with our guidelines. As a result, we are not offering your book for sale. 

Due to the rapidly changing nature of information around the COVID-19 virus, we are referring customers to official sources for health information about the virus. Please consider removing references to COVID-19 for this book. 

Amazon reserves the right to determine what content we offer according to our content guidelines.’

Sobbing.
Frustrated. 
Disappointed.

Working fourteen-hour days, most days through lockdown, for the past two months. I could have been sitting in the sun listening to Kisstory sipping Pepsi max with ice and a slice of lemon. 
I wanted to write this story. For history, for the future generations, for validation of our feelings.  All of this for nothing. Was it? 

Reaching out to those who I felt may be able to help, I started to find a few answers. Possibly, we might be able to publish on iBooks which is part of Apple. I’ve asked the question and await a reply.  
     My son and I took an hour to sit on the Bali bed in the garden under the sunshine and dark blue sky. We chatted, I relaxed. Things seemed brighter in my mind. 
     We also found a book printer who may be able to print for us at a fairly hefty cost and I managed to use some of my house renovation money to place an order with them. By the end of the day they said I was in the queue for them to look at my files, hopefully, print a proof and send it to me for a ten-day turnaround time for the order to be sent! 
Distribution will need to be completely independent but that’s ok, I was never afraid of hard work and social media is a huge platform that can help me with marketing. 

Feeling more hopeful than ever, I climbed into bed with a smile on my face after realising I had overcome several obstacles today. It wasn’t all about practicalities. It was about trusting myself, and others, and releasing the barriers of negativity that I put up in order to protect myself. So often these barriers are harmful and smashing them down, after a good cry, is exactly what was needed.    As a human I have grown so much in just this one day. 
Stronger; more open. 





Fiction:::

This page sees some of my work for you to read over a coffee break

You also might see some excerpts of my work in progress.  Please ask if you would like to be featured on this page





Read the first part of the above piece of fiction, Delayed:

Slamming the door shut behind her,  Liv leaned on it with her entire body weight.  

Panting.  

Chest moving rhythmically she wondered why her lungs felt as though she had inhaled flames.  With a massive sigh,  she threw the bouquet through the archway into the lounge.   Why she had carried her beautiful pink flowers all the way from the church as she ran home she had no idea.  Liv shook her head forcefully as if to wake herself up.  What was she going to do now?  She hadn’t thought about this next step.  At the time it was enough to simply decide that she could not marry Leon.

Leon wasn’t a bad guy at all.  As a child, he was raised with Liv.  Of course, this had its share of ups and downs.  They were kind of comfortable together just like the old slippers that Livs father wore during the cold December months. As a couple, they got on.  They laughed at the same comics, they drank beer together from the bottle and they loved going out and clubbing.  Yet when those exciting moments were over and they were sat just gazing together,  there was something vacant from inside that gaze.  Something missing almost.   Leon was likely to be a good provider as a husband; he was a well connected guy and as was his family before him.   Liv trusted him.  Yet she never quiet knew if he was likely to come back from a day at ‘work’ dead or alive.  
Would he be able to be a good father?  
Lover?  
Soul mate?  

At times, Liv wondered if it was all about one-upmanship and who could bring home the biggest bag of swag.  What happened those times Leon was away,  Liv would never fathom.  Never did it occur to her to ask.  He was gone somewhere and that was that.  Should she know,  she could answer questions that the police might fire at her.  Not that they ever did.  Yet,  should they ask,  she could answer,
“I don’t know where he is.  Or what he’s doing.  Or who he is with.  I have no idea!”  And so, she neglected to ask him.

One time,  Liv was feeling so afraid,  her nerves were shot.  She couldn’t sleep.  He was gone for three nights.  Unexplainably gone.  Liv very nearly phoned her future mother in law to ask if she knew anything.  Instead, she went to the gym room and pounded the treadmill until she was so dizzy she almost fainted.  Just kind of enough to take the edge off asking the question that she shouldn’t ask and in fact be much more subtle.  She still had to make that call.  
As Liv lifted the telephone receiver she decided to just make a casual conversation with  Teresa, her future mother in law, to see what vibes she could pick up.

“Hey Teresa,  it’s been so hot here today,  I’m just checking you’re ok over there?”
“Hey Olivia,” The in laws always used her full name, “I’m just fine thank you for caring.” She said all in one sentence, “What about you?”
“I’m good.  Got the fans blowing and I just had ice cream for dinner.  Couldn’t really be bothered to cook.  Not sure if Leon is home for dinner.  What about Jez?”
“Oh I’m sure Jez will be home really soon when he’s finished work.”  Teresa stated,  giving nothing away.  She gave nothing away.  She was good at being ‘that’ wife.  So much better than Liv.  

Often she questioned if she could do it.  Really, she couldn’t. 


******************************************


Photos of my actual handwritten diary...





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