I've had some brilliant comments about my YouTube trailer which I'm thrilled about as I created it myself. Hopefully it gives everyone a flavour of what A DISH OF STONES is about, and up to now the novel has received some great reviews, not least because of the very haunting cover, designed by Tim Pryor of Pryority Designs.
People have asked me if the story is based on my own life. I suppose writers draw from their experiences all the time; it's impossible not to colour our writing with events of the past, no matter how long ago they were. There are some moments in A DISH OF STONES that are personal; some that made me happy and some that made me sad, perhaps some experiences that changed my life, but although Angie, Kate's mother in 'A Dish of Stones', abuses alcohol when Joe, Kate's father disappears, I can assure you my mum would get squiffy on one sherry. The two sherries she allowed herself on Christmas Day usually resulted in lots of laughter because she was so funny, so she and Angie have nothing in common.
Each of the characters has something about them that I remember from being a teenager in '70s London. I had many new experiences during that time...we were all caught up in the excitement that seemed to accompany every day. Anything was possible and I had a wonderful time working in the West End, first in a bank on Oxford Circus and then for a government-backed fashion export company. (I was secretary, client greeter and catwalk model. Such fun, and so many interesting people. I even met John Lennon!) It was a very unique time, and although people constantly talk about the 60s (which I also remember) the years of the 70s were brilliant.
Glam rock was fantastic, as were the clothes and the laid-back culture of the day which made those years so full of fun and without the 60s angst of trying to be cool. We were unconscious of how we were meant to be. No one thought about it. We were who we were, and there was a definite shift to being totally independent and out in the world. We were determined to have fun and we did. And I'll never forget it.
Unfortunately for seventeen-year-old Kate in A DISH OF STONES, life is not like that. Her story does document some of my own experiences, but her life is vastly different to how mine was then. I hope you will read about her and how she fought her way out of the difficulties she was presented with. I would love to know what you think. Below is the book trailer for A DISH OF STONES.
Love
People have asked me if the story is based on my own life. I suppose writers draw from their experiences all the time; it's impossible not to colour our writing with events of the past, no matter how long ago they were. There are some moments in A DISH OF STONES that are personal; some that made me happy and some that made me sad, perhaps some experiences that changed my life, but although Angie, Kate's mother in 'A Dish of Stones', abuses alcohol when Joe, Kate's father disappears, I can assure you my mum would get squiffy on one sherry. The two sherries she allowed herself on Christmas Day usually resulted in lots of laughter because she was so funny, so she and Angie have nothing in common.
Each of the characters has something about them that I remember from being a teenager in '70s London. I had many new experiences during that time...we were all caught up in the excitement that seemed to accompany every day. Anything was possible and I had a wonderful time working in the West End, first in a bank on Oxford Circus and then for a government-backed fashion export company. (I was secretary, client greeter and catwalk model. Such fun, and so many interesting people. I even met John Lennon!) It was a very unique time, and although people constantly talk about the 60s (which I also remember) the years of the 70s were brilliant.
Glam rock was fantastic, as were the clothes and the laid-back culture of the day which made those years so full of fun and without the 60s angst of trying to be cool. We were unconscious of how we were meant to be. No one thought about it. We were who we were, and there was a definite shift to being totally independent and out in the world. We were determined to have fun and we did. And I'll never forget it.
Unfortunately for seventeen-year-old Kate in A DISH OF STONES, life is not like that. Her story does document some of my own experiences, but her life is vastly different to how mine was then. I hope you will read about her and how she fought her way out of the difficulties she was presented with. I would love to know what you think. Below is the book trailer for A DISH OF STONES.
