The books are here with me now and it’s really exciting to see and feel Gold Adornments in print. Hard to believe when you send off a group of stories, and they are approved and come back for edits, that they will ever turn into an ACTUAL book.

These stories were all written last year, apart from The Little Green Lamp, which is slightly older. I am developing many of the ideas and characters for my next book, My Own Private Ida Show. Ida pops up several times in Gold Adornments. She is a funny character, who has been to every one of her pop star idol’s performances. Since she was 16.

Many of the stories in Gold Adornments were trying to represent emotional shifts – rising anger and frustration (A Little Piece of England), grief (Lollipop Man), empathy (Milanese Feast), healing (Little Green Lamp), ageing and grieving (Gold Adornments), revenge (Unlikely Deposits) – and finding and creating surface stories to represent them.

My publisher, Patricia Borlenghi, liked the stories and we began work on getting the book into shape. She soon came up with a cover and I loved the artwork, painted by Charlie Johnson. I have the original on my desk (whoop!).

Now the books have arrived though, it’s time to put my selling hat on. Where did I put that one?

Aside from having a go through social media, I’ll be selling the old fashioned way: standing at stalls (Bazaar at the Minories); at the Patrician Press launch of Refugees and Peacekeepers, Wivenhoe Bookshop; and at the Essex Authors event for Essex Book Festival in Chelmsford. I have some short fiction workshops coming up this year, including one for the fabulous Felixstowe Book Festival, where I’ll be reading, explaining where I get my inspiration, and providing writing activities. Please keep an eye on my diary for upcoming events.

You can get hold of a copy yourself here:

Patrician Press

Amazon

Waterstones

Red Lion Books, Colchester

Wivenhoe Bookshop, Wivenhoe

And if you do buy one, thanks SO much again. Feedback always welcome…