My memoir has been edited, copy edited and the cover designed now it goes to Claret Press’s talented book designer Petya Tsankova to create the finished product. There’ll be some unusual features. Each chapter ends with a relevant recipe provided by a family member or a friend- recipes from round the world reflecting our diversity. Each chapter also has a black and white illustration. Most have been provided by my grandchildren , (in age order) Elysia, Amber, Kerensa , Antonia , Tristan , Alexander and Anastasia . I love them and here are two examples.
In addition my artist daughter in law , Elizabeth Vetta, provided two including this one of the Taj Mahal to go with a chapter on India -no surprises there!
Korky Paul provided the one to go with a chapter about the importance of libraries . No surprise there since Korky helped us save our village library. I first met the public artist Diana Bell at the launch of Oxford Castaways 2 in the Story Museum where my guests wrote in her Giant Book. Her contribution is for a chapter called Beginnings and Endings… she gets it!
The books of the castaway series include 118 life stories and I Love you All another 30. Brushstrokes in Time is a novel but it is in the first person and effectively the memoir of Chinese artist Little Winter. Now I’m adding my own story to the collection. The artist Weimin He created illustrations and the cover picture for Oxford Castaways and he has provided this illustration for the chapter when I start to write professionally. It literally means brush but is used in reference to ‘writing’. I’m more nervous about the reaction to Food of Love than to my 10 previous books. maybe because of the personal exposure ?
