Paul Baker a never-look-back author

Journalist and author Paul Stanley Baker who died on 1 March 2019 believed in looking forward.

Born on 1 January 1940, Paul ascribed to the saying: “Once you make the decision to move on, don’t look back your destiny will never be found in the rare view mirror.”

Paul grew up in Lower Hutt and attended Ngaengae College where he excelled in mathematics. 

He started his working life as a cadet at the then Post Office, where he worked in the toll exchange, as a welfare officer and supervisor.  During his time with the Post Office he built Marram Trust cottages, which were designed to provide holiday homes and accommodation to employees who needed to convalesce and re-establish their lives in New Zealand following World War Two.

After the Post Office was corporatised in the mid-1980s, Paul moved to Masterton, where he spent many years, working first with the Wairarapa Times Age and later with Wairarapa Stuff after changes in news media ownership.

His time in the Wairarapa saw him creating friendships with a number of members of the Ngai Tumapuhia-A-Rangi hapu through his first wife Annie - many of whom including her have sadly passed away.

In the 1990s and prior to his retirement in Rotorua in 2007 he wrote several short stories including 'The Wreck’, ' Hawaiian Blues’ and ‘Trumped’ which were all published in the NZ Woman's Weekly.

Paul married Alison in 2009, after moving to Rotorua in 2008.  During their time in Rotorua, Paul and Alison engaged in a number of activities, including voluntary work for St John, and supporting various church groups.

He felt inclined to bring back to life some of the colourful characters he had known and loved during his years of growing up in the 1940s to 1970s era and ‘Caught Up in Time’ was created.

The book describes the life and experiences of people in a world that saw rapid change as it recovered from what he described as the “shell-shock” of the Second World War.

At the time of his death he was working on a novel ‘Riding for Gold and Glory’ based on his experiences in horse racing in New Zealand and Australia.

Although he didn’t have any children of his own, Paul came to love and enjoy the company of Alison’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The couple enjoyed several cruises around New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific and travelled to Asia and Europe in 2013.

A small family gathering was held to farewell Paul in Rotorua.

Michael Smith
Publisher and Director
BMS Books

Who is the criminal in crime novels?

Mention the words “crime novel” and “mentally ill” in the same sentence and you are most likely to come up with an image of a psychotic killer or a hacked up victim.

The deranged family member, associate or stranger has been a great source of antagonistic criminals in any number of crime novels.  The Guardian newspaper even compiled a list of the top 10 novels about deranged killers, although that doesn’t necessarily mean they are “crime novels” as such (that is another story).

The role of mentally ill are slotted into in most crime novels came to mind when I had a privilege of attending Rotorua Noir – said to be the first New Zealand festival of crime writers. 

It was a stimulating conference, from the workshops on the first day, to the sessions throughout the second and third days and the featured activities.  It is unlikely that there has ever been such a concentrated meeting of fiction writers of a specific genre in one place at one time in New Zealand. (Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.)

We had writers who have their works regularly published by multi-national titles and those who, fed up with rejection, decided to go it alone through self-publishing, sometime relatively successfully.  That is a story for another time.

At least two of the writers on panels were former or active members of the New Zealand Police, while others had a personal or professional interest in mental health, one even growing up in the grounds of an institution where her father worked.

I was aching to ask at the end of the session involving these writers how or why mentally ill people were so often stigmatised in fiction, particularly crime fiction. 

My interest in this area of work led me to make a submission to the New Zealand Government’s inquiry into mental health in 2018.  I made the submission as a publisher but more so as somebody who has dedicated many years to helping people express their creativity through writing novels and other forms of literature.

As I told the inquiry when I appeared before it in Rotorua, this does not mean our list consists of what could be classified as mentally ill, but it means how I have seen the mental and social benefits to be had from writing creatively.  Being published is not just a bonus for writers but a goal, no matter how outwardly timid they may appear.

We now know – post-the Mental Health Inquiry and current events – if we didn’t know before, that mental illness is not a respecter of race or social status.

That is, unless you inhabit the world of the crime novel.

The role of the mentally unwell in books was highlighted at a crime fiction festival in Cardiff, Wales in 2018.  Rosie Claverton, a writer and junior psychiatrist, and fellow writer Matt Johnson, a former police officer who has suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, discussed how crime writers can be lazy in creating a protagonist with a mental health condition. 

As well as leading to unrealistic plots, it seems this approach also negates any need for the writer to explore their character’s motivations. (See 1 below)

It is fair to say that the number of criminals with mental health problems is relatively high.  A study by the US Bureau of Justice Statistics found that nearly a quarter of both State prisoners and jail inmates who had a mental health problem, compared to a fifth of those without, had previously been behind bars three or more times.

However, scientific studies have found becoming mentally ill doesn’t necessarily lead to a life as a violent “crim”.

A study involving nearly 35,000 participants found that the incidence of violence was higher for people with “severe” mental illness, but only significantly so for those were also involved in substance abuse and/or dependence. 

“Because severe mental illness did not independently predict future violent behaviour (sic), these findings challenge perceptions that mental illness is a leading cause of violence in the general population,” the authors wrote. (2)

‘Harden up - it’s real life’ might be one response to these concerns.  A Sunday Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh spent twelve years in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. (3)

She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant, and now writes full time. 

In a column entitled “Mental health in crime fiction: how flawed is too flawed?” she noted how victims are also being stigmatised as being mentally ill.

However, she asserts that crime fiction held a mirror to society and she was proud to write within a genre that explores issues such as mental health, adding “It you don’t like reading about characters with mental illnesses, that’s your prerogative, too.  But mental illness exists, both in real life and in fiction.”

However, as we have just had New Zealand’s most famous living “nutter” knighted as Sir Mike King, it is time for writers to also look beyond the obvious picture of the mentally ill.  They should look for wider and more imaginative plot lines for characters whose lives are simply different to the norm.

1    1.  https://createdtoread.com/mental-health-crime-fiction/Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009 Feb;66(2):152-61. doi: The intricate link between violence and mental disorder: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Elbogen EB1, Johnson SC 2009.

      2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19188537

3    3. https://claremackintosh.com/clare-mackintosh-about/

Michael Smith is the publisher and director of BMS Books and imprint of Business Media Services Ltd at bms.co.nz

Depressing place, damaged characters – inspiring book

I have just finished reading Larry McMurtry’s The Last Picture Show for the umpteenth time.  I was going to say the tenth time, but I don’t think that is right as I have had the book since 1975 and tend to read it every year or so.  I have since that first reading and viewing been involved in writing, editing and publishing many books and have had the heart of much of what I do the lessons learned from this book about people and the place in which their stories are charted.

I first bought the book after seeing the film of the same name at the art deco Berkley Theatre in St Heliers, Auckland, now owned by Hoyts.  It is one of the few cases where a film has been the ideal accompaniment to a book, capturing perfectly the characters and the atmosphere of the story’s setting.

A 1966 review of the book in the New York Times noted “Mr. McMurtry is not exactly a virtuoso at the typewriter. Some of the transitions as he works from one scene to the next are noticeable; some of the writing could be smoother. But he knows his town and its folkways.”  The writer of that review (Thomas Lask) knew his stuff but the last sentence is of as much importance for people writing stories around their communities.

The story is set in Thalia, Texas.  Not for McMurtry the rustic beauty of rolling fields and picturesque countryside.  Instead, the picture he paints is a town that would be as bleak as any found in a Russian novel set in Siberia.  The atmosphere is either blazingly hot and filled with dust from the expanse of prairie that laps against the town like an angry sea or freezingly cold in blinding blizzards of snow. 

For would-be writers, the beauty of this story is how the characters grow out of and match the setting.  At the time I first saw the film and read the book, I was struck by how a story set in such a deeply wasted place with characters apparently so confused yet ordinary could be so evocative. 

The reviewer mentioned earlier may not have thought McMurtry a “virtuoso at the typewriter” but the gift he had (and still does have after all these years) provides lessons for writers.  The place in which writers set their stories is as much a character as any of the people.  McMurtry’s virtuosity is in his ability to root even the least important person in their environment physically and spiritually.  

In his later books he dug deep into the West of the 1800s, achieving notable success with “Lonesome Dove”.  Although that book was an 843-page epic, it was sustained by McMurtry’s grasp not only of his subjects but also of the vast land in which they travelled.

For writers, the lessons I learnt in the early 1970s when watching the film and reading the book for the first time remain.  Everybody has a story, and a back story, and they all live in a place.  Making sure these elements are met goes a long way to writing a complete novel.

For further about writing around place, see:

http://bmswritestuff.blogspot.com/2015/12/learning-genius-of-tasting-place.html

The Soul of Place : A Creative Writing Workbook: Ideas and Exercises for Conjuring the Genius Loci by Linda Lappin

For the 1966 review of the novel The Last Picture Show, go to:

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/12/07/home/mcmurtry-show.html

The Independent provides a good precise, at

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-last-picture-show-by-larry-mcmurtry-2280736.html

Filmed in black and white, the movie version is considered one of the most controversial of its time, being R-rated for Director Peter Bogdanovich's “frank and realistic” depiction various issues such as adultery, alcoholism, and promiscuity.  The film was nominated for eight Oscars and won two for support actors but was considered by some as obscene for its full-frontal nudity and explicit sex.

A list of the 10 most controversial films can be found at:

http://www.filmsite.org/controversialfilms6.html

Mapping a life well lived

By Michael Smith
A recent article in the London Review of Books talking about the connection between writing and map-making was a timely read for me as I was on the verge of launching Mike Lendingham’s third book - ‘They Don’t Just Fade Away’.
Mike first two books were short stories based on his experiences in army and civvy life.  A former New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) and NZ Army infantry soldier, Mike’s short stories were often strongly worded and always to the point.
Along with a good dose of humour, ‘Once a Grunt’ and ‘Always a Grunt’ also contained a sustained level of anger (and swearing).  One story in ‘Always a Grunt’ about a young boy’s abuse by a Catholic priest was particularly sharply felt and worded accordingly.
The stories are highly readable, however, and entertaining, with a genuine appeal for anybody who has made the transition from the military, or even corporate life to the “normal” civilian world.
‘They Don’t Just Fade Away’ is Mike’s first novel and as such required a different approach to maintain the story through the full length of its 70,000 words.
While preparing for the launch of this new book in the South Wairarapa town of Featherston, I read an article which compared writing to track or map-making through various historical references.  Maps carried refences to the past of the places they tracked and reading them could fire not only memories but also the imagination of the expectant visitor.
The comparison was particularly apt in the case of writing by an ex-soldier like Mike, who had not only tracked through the bush in New Zealand and South East Asia but also through a life filled with the challenges, the highs and lows, the anger and humour that ultimately come with broad experience of humankind.
‘They Don’t Just Fade Away’ tracks the story of Bill Secombe, a former soldier whose world falls apart after the love of his life dies.  Bill heads up to the Northland area of New Zealand, where he builds a successful business in the hope of getting on with his life.  He remarries but, after a bad accident, his new wife and her family figure out they are better off with him in an old people’s home and them in control of his now-substantial bank accounts.
Bill manages to give them the slip but only after having a nasty tangle with a bullying male staff member.  In the time-honoured fashion, he hits the road and goes south, ending up in the West Coast bushland with Frank, an aging, sick but determined old mate.  A kind of “Wilderpeople for pensioners” ensues. With Bill not aware he has been cleared of any charges, they go bush.
As they get deeper into the bush, they also become more deeply immersed in each other's stories. Frank gets sick and Bill must use all his personal and physical resources to save him, all the while believing he is a wanted man.

Family gather around author Mike
Ledingham (fourth from left) at
Featherston RSA.

The book’s launch took place at two venues in Featherston.  One was at the Featherston Returned Services Association base, where an over-seventies group was having a get together in the bar next door.  Close friends and family from the southern North Island gathered in the gloom and caught up with Mike, talking one-on-one with him.
It was kind of the Featherston RSA to assist with a book launch.  It was very much appreciated.  Given the title of Mike's book "They Don't Just Fade Away" it reminded us that organisations like local RSAs and community facilities should be treasured.
The second event was held at Fareham House, and was run by Justine Kingdon, one of Mike’s nieces.  This was more of a “meet the author” opportunity, with Justine interviewing Mike and me about writing, publishing and our collaboration.
Fareham House had had a noteworthy past, starting out as the grand home of one of the Wairarapa’s pioneering families before being a government-run facility for girls who were wards of the state.
Today, Fareham House has taken on a new life as a venue.

Justine Kingdon, Mike Ledingham
and Michael Smith: Taking an author's
writing in a new direction. 

I was reminded how, like map-making and writing, houses (homes) have a life of their own.  During our discussion, I talked about how the map-making analogy was appropriate thought Mike's case given the trails he takes readers along in "They Don't Just Fade Away" while using words and ideas as markers to help readers better understand his story.
“Like a map-maker, Mike takes readers up north to small town life, into a northern Maori community, then drives us to the majestic West Coast bushland.  And at the same time, we are taken on a journey through the map of life today for ageing soldiers - indeed many elderly people. We see the sign posts of unseen bullying and the struggle for self-belief and survival in what, to many, has become a confusing world where maps have given way to impersonal digital recognition devices.
We talked about the language in the book and how Mike was coming to terms with the need, ultimately, to communicate in more nuanced ways.
The source for the quote is: The London Review of Books.  The writer, Marina Warner, Vol. 39 No. 22 · 16 November 2017; pages 37-39 | 4848 words
For more information, contact BMS Books Ltd
07-349 4107
ms@bms.co.nz
www.bms.co.nz
http://www.bms.co.nz/book-shop

Booksellers embracing self-published books

A BMS Books survey of booksellers has found widespread support for self-published authors but with reservations around marketing and sales.

BMS Books called booksellers throughout New Zealand and asked them three simple questions for our survey:

• Do you stock self-published books?

• Why?

• What sales and marketing support helps?

We talked to more than 40 booksellers.  Some were unable to talk to us for good reasons – they were busy in the shop.  We are grateful for those who did make space in their busy days to share their thoughts.

Self-published books have grown to be a significant component of the book marketplace but, as NZ Booksellers Associations Media and Communications Manager Sarah Forster says, sales don’t necessarily show up in the current “best seller” lists.

Of the 40 booksellers BMS Books contacted, 28 stated that “yes” they would stock self-published books.  Only two gave a flat “no”, while 10 were uncertain.

Those booksellers who were uncertain either cited “messy” sales arrangements or the general difficulty of managing the sales and payments involved, although one was straight up, saying: “Too much work for no return”.

However, with the overwhelming number of positive responses, it seems the tide of self-published books being produced is unstoppable.  

Regarding why they stocked the books, many booksellers showed a willingness to support “local” authors.  This suggested that the author who is from within the local area or who  based the story in the vicinity, may have some chance of linking with local bookshops to discuss them stocking their book.  

BMS Books specialises in regional authors with challenging themes, so it was interesting to note that booksellers supported local, and New Zealand authors so strongly.  

“Some are incredibly good” was one comment, while another was “we like to support local authors” and “we choose what we like”.  A number of others said that self-published books add variety to the store, one adding “We like to support the artist (writer)”.

Sales and marketing of self-published books is an essential component of making sales through bookshops.  Booksellers pointed to local media as the most effective, along with social media, launch parties at shops and in-store signings.

However, the need for attractive covers as essential in making sales was underlined, as was a requirement for the books to be professionally produced.  

NZ Booksellers’ Sarah Forster agreed with the need to focus on the look and finish of the book to boost its chances of sales success.  Pricing was difficult for authors, because they wanted a return on their work and the production of the book.  They needed to be aware that the bookseller had to make a profit, as well as the terms of sale required to get the books into shops.  

What was the best-selling self-published book on the New Zealand official list?  The ‘Dunedin Fonebook’ – a book of photographs published by a local author.

Decidedly local, the book has been produced by Michelle Chalklin Sinclair and Judith Cullen – the name being a play on words given the images in the ‘Dunedin Fonebook’ were taken on Michelle’s phone.

Their inventive approach highlights the comment from booksellers that authors should work with people they know and gear their books to the audience.

For more information on BMS Books Ltd and its products and services, contact:

Michael Smith

Publisher and Director

BMS Books Ltd

ms@bms.co.nz

www.bms.co.nz

07-349 4107

027-209 6861

Digital books and librarians – pushback on licensing and costs

A survey of public libraries in New Zealand has found most have embraced digital book options but some pushback is apparent.
The survey was carried out by Business Media Services Ltd on behalf of its imprint BMS Books Ltd.  As a boutique publisher specialising in regional authors with challenging themes, we set out wanting to know more about the role of digital books in libraries.  Having called and talked to 62 librarians over a couple of weeks, we found some interesting aspects emerged during our discussions.
We had three main questions: One, had the libraries moved into digital books (never assume)?  What formats did you use?  How were eBooks priced?  A number of discussion points sometimes flowed out of straightforward questions.
Some of the librarians have been heavily involved in the introduction of digital books at a national and regional level.  Others were managing the process on a face-to-face and day-to-day level with the public.  Only one of the libraries did not have digital book services, but this was due to damage sustained by a natural event.  It is fair to say digital books are a minimal component of books in smaller libraries, however.
Librarians said books supplies are drawn mainly from the largely Wellington-based EPIC consortium, the Japanese-owned OverDrive and Auckland-based Australasian distributor Wheelers’ ePlatform.  Other sources include All Books NZ Ltd in Christchurch and other distributors, such as the James Bennett of Australia and Axis 360 Degrees.
Each of the suppliers has its adherents, who may not necessarily be “locked-in” by contractual arrangements but are heavily influenced in their book selection choices by distributor options.
Although the librarians in our survey described the suppliers in positive terms, a number raised concerns about access, selection and relevance.  Sometimes it was just a question of numbers, as one librarian said how they had 15,000 books on offer and only 250 digital books.

Pricing
Pricing seems to be a problem.  As anybody who has bought a Kindle book will tell you, the price is usually much less than for a hard copy book (unless it is a best-seller).  However, we received a number of complaints that pricing for digital books from suppliers was “variable” – one librarian noted that there seemed to be “no rhyme or reason” for pricing.  Another noted that prices had risen recently, so that they were now as expensive, if not more expensive.

Licensing
The introduction of a system of licensing access to digital material – books and audio – is troubling some librarians.  In theory, licensing should help libraries move into the world of streaming services and pay-as-you-read.  Licence periods vary depending on the distributor, as do prices.  However, we found librarians concerned about the continuing expense involved with limited licensing periods based on the number of times a book is read.  This can turn into an expensive exercise when the most popular books are involved, leading to a comment that librarians would prefer to buy the books than licence them.

Who decides?
Decision-making is an area of concern among librarians in regard to both digital and hard copy books.  Librarians love books and they love talking to people about books, that much became clear as we talked to them about for this survey.
The choice of which books will be put on your local library’s bookshelves will now, in many cases, be made at a distribution hub.  This means that librarians are unable to select books that they may think will appeal to their audience.  The selection is made based on what the contracted distributor believes are the most popular books.
“I am losing touch with new titles, because decisions are made elsewhere,” said one librarian.
An experienced librarian also noted: “Digital books are too expensive and have lots of limitations.  Publishers have to remember that research has shown that libraries are like shop fronts for their books.”
We are grateful for the librarians who took the time to talk to us and provide valuable feedback.

For more information, contact
Michael Smith
Publisher and Director
Business Media Services Ltd
BMS Books Ltd
ms@bms.co.nz
www.bms.co.nz
07-349 4107
027-209 6861

NZ self-published author's UK deal 'huge'

By Michael Smith

Tammy Robinson

Self-published New Zealand author Tammy Robinson says a “significant five-figure” deal with a United Kingdom publisher is “huge”.
Piatkus has acquired two novels by Tammy – the first book Differently Normal will be published in 2018 and the second Photos of You in 2019.
Formerly from Rotorua, Tammy now lives on a farm in the Waikato with her husband and three young children.
In an interview with the BMS Write Stuff blog, Tammy told the story of how after going the self-publishing route she sought out Vicki Marsdon of WordLink to help find a publisher.  While the five-figure sum is big, we get the impression that it is the opportunities opening up for Tammy that is the key.
The Bookseller reported that associate publisher Emma Beswetherick and Anna Boatman at Little, Brown Book Group, in their first joint acquisition for Piatkus fiction, did the deal for world rights with Vicki Marsdon at WordLink. Kate Stevens at Hachette Australia will publish Differently Normal in New Zealand, also in 2018, as part of the collaborative deal.
Tammy says the deal, which will see her books distributed throughout Australia, New Zealand and the UK from next year, is a dream come true.
However, it hasn’t been without hard work and a great deal of achievement through self-publishing via Amazon Kindle.  Differently Normal, for example, achieve 60 five-star reviews on Amazon UK.
Tammy also credits much of her success in breaking into the international publishing seen to her agent Vicki Marsdon, noting: “Without her, it simply wouldn’t have happened.”
Write Stuff wanted to know more about Tammy, her journey and what the future holds.  The interview follows:

Michael Smith: Hi Tammy, thanks for taking the time to do this interview.  Can you please tell me something about yourself?
Tammy Robinson: Hi Michael, thanks for asking me to do this interview. I am from Rotorua, New Zealand and have lived there the majority of my life apart from a few years working on cruise ships and island resorts. I married my husband ten years ago and we now have three beautiful pre-school children, who keep me very busy! We’ve recently moved to a farm in the Waikato, talk about lifestyle change. I’ve gone from being woken by traffic to cows mooing in the paddock next door!
MS: I understand you have self-published two books – how did that come about?
Tammy: Actually, I have seven books self-published, although the last one has now been acquired by Piatkus UK. I wrote my first book back in 2011 and tried the traditional route of approaching publishers. Back then, most still preferred paper submissions and the postage to approach multiple agents and publishers overseas proved costly and out of our budget. I did nothing with the book for two years until my husband bought me a kindle and I realised, hey, I can do this myself! I self-published Charlie and Pearl in 2013 and a book or two every year since.
MS: What was that experience like?
Tammy: It was wonderful. My books were finally out there, unleashed on the world and being read by people other than my friends and family. I even got messages from people in other countries telling me how much they loved my books.
MS: You have now had two of our novels selected by an international publisher.  Can you tell me how that came about please?
Tammy: In 2015, I decided I would approach an agent who I knew represented two fellow Kiwi authors. She agreed to take on my books and at the start of this year she approached Emma at Piatkus with my latest book, who loved it. After a nervous wait while Emma pitched the book to the powers that be, Piatkus made a joint acquisition with Hachette Australia for Differently Normal and my next book, Photos of You.
MS: How important was the role of your agent in making this happen?
Tammy: Invaluable. Without her it simply wouldn’t have happened.
MS.: What does this mean for your books and for your writing direction or career?
Tammy: It’s huge. From next year my books will be available in shops around Australia, New Zealand and the UK, which is a dream come true for me. There has also been movie interest in Differently Normal, so hopefully something comes from that!
MS: How did you get into writing?  Did you always write as a child or is it something that came to you later?
Tammy: Yes, I’ve loved writing and reading for as long as I can remember. My father and grandfather are both natural born storytellers, so I guess I inherited the gene from them. I’ve always known I’d write books one day, and the dream was always there to have them on the shelves in shops. Just shows you should never give up on your dreams.
MS: How do you describe your writing…your stories?
Tammy. They all start from the smallest thing, a fragment of a dream remembered, an article online, something someone says when I am out in public. I usually get that scene down first and then the book idea comes from there. With most of my books (except Differently Normal) I had no idea half the time what would happen or how it would end, I simply wrote the book as if I was reading it. I’ve recently discovered there can be some benefits to having a story mapped out first (faster to write for instance) so I am playing with that too. As long as I can still take off on a tangent when the book demands it I’m okay.
I class my books as Contemporary Fiction, or contemporary Women’s Fiction, but I know men who have enjoyed them as well. They did have romantic elements to them but they are not romance, in that you won’t always get a happy ever after. I try and reflect real life.
MS: Young adult or YA is a particular genre.  I wonder if you could describe how you go about writing for your readership, please?
Tammy. I would only say one of my books is really classed as YA (The Insignificance of You), I have a couple that are NA but they all appeal to people of all ages. I tend to be vague about my characters ages for that purpose. I have teens reviewing my books who love them as well as sixty plus year old women.
MS: Do you draw on your own experiences or do you have special way of approaching stories?
Tammy: Yes, you will find experiences from my life throughout all my books, as well as emotions that I am going through at the time I write them. I wrote When Stars Collide just after my mother passed away very suddenly, and I poured a lot of my feelings into it.
MS: What next?
Tammy: I am currently writing Photos of You every chance I get, which is not as often as I’d like with three pre-schoolers. Luckily, I have a very understanding husband. It will be published in 2019 by Piatkus UK and Hachette Australia. Once the book and edits are finished I will get stuck into the next one. I always have a book (or two) on the go, and I will keep writing until I can write no longer.
Note: Michael Smith is the publisher and director of Business Media Services Ltd and BMS Books Ltd.