Blossoming time

‘I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember,’ writes subscriber Francoise Montgomery.

‘My two head teachers at my little primary school in Hereford planted the seed by saying that they were both sure that I would be a writer – so I’ve had to carry on to keep faith with them. It just goes to show how important our words to small children are and what far-reaching effects those words can have.

‘Dissent, my novella, has been composting for several years now but it was only this year that I sat down to write it. Like so many women, my earlier life has been taken up with nurturing my own family – years given willingly and happily – but those years have gone so now is the time for me to concentrate more on my own life path. That is all about writing.

‘At my age I probably don’t have enough years left on this planet to wait for agents and publishers to act on my behalf hence the self-publishing route of KDP and Amazon. I can’t say that I found that route as easy as it is made out to be but then I’m not a very techy person. I’d rather be making up stories than learning about meta-data. That said, there’s now the inevitable slog of marketing Dissent. I don’t have huge worries about that but it has to be done, do not delude yourselves.

‘Why a novella not a long novel? Because I told the story that I wanted to tell and that was its natural length. I’m told that you can read Dissent in one sitting in a hot bath before the water goes cold. Personally, I enjoy narrative stories and I skip-read any padding – so why write it?

‘My next story, set in India, will be a longer novel – promise.

‘Dissent is set on the Welsh borders. It charts the journey of one woman as she finds her own true path. The Indian novel has a similar theme but with very different characters and challenges.

‘Mine has been a patchwork path so far: a Law degree, teaching French, market research, breeding sheep, founding two small businesses, all those jobs women do – now all those all sit on the back-burner. Step forward my writing life.

‘I find women’s journeys so interesting to explore – just when the dearly beloved is happy for his slippers by the fire, she is about to blossom and express herself. That’s me.’