English and art were always my favourite subjects at school. Not great at sums, always much better at colouring-in... as I once told an employer when something went wrong with my petty cash sheet. Since retiring from full time work in April 2021, writing has become my main hobby. The freedom to write whenever inspiration strikes - and it's often very early in the morning - is pure pleasure. I love the stillness in the early hours before the world wakes up.

 

Wee Stories by Iris is my first venture into self-publishing. A collection of stories about people, in different places, going through different situations and experiencing different emotions. Some inspired by daily on-line writing prompts, others written from experience, where a place or a person gave the spark of an idea I could work on. At the point when I had five stories written, I made up my mind to keep going, to write more and see if I could eventually turn them into a proper little book... and that's exactly what I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, learned a lot along the way and am very pleased with the result. At my book launch evening, everyone felt I should turn it into an audiobook read by myself, something I had not even thought about. Another new venture... which I was delighted to discover, could be made to happen right here in Inverness.

 

With one successful summer market under my belt, selling 18 books and 2 audiobooks over the course of a weekend, I intend to continue the sell-it-myself process, enjoying the interaction with new people and growing in confidence speaking about my book. Currently, I am working on stories for a second book Wee Love Stories by Iris. Created in the same format as before, it will also include one or two poems this time and I'm aiming for publication by Spring 2024.

 

I live in Inverness with a whole load of books and my collection of original Beatles LPs...or should I say vinyl...giving my age away now!