Today I am pleased to welcome the incredibly talented Susie Williamson. Author of Return of The Mantra, one of favourite books of 2018 to my blog for another female author spotlight interview. DS: Welcome Susie. Thanks so much for agreeing to the interview SW: No problem Dan. Thank you for having me. DS: Lets begin […]
It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog; actually 3 long months. Life can throw you curve balls, and I recently had one thrown at me. A bout of pneumonia saw me rushed to Exeter’s A&E, then onto Plymouth for surgery on my lungs. Recovery was going well until I picked up a secondary infection. Looking back I am in awe of the NHS. Plymouth were unable to help so contacted London’s Brompton hospital, who drove down to collect me and take me back to the capital. Being sedated in ICU I have no memory of the Brompton, only waking up back on home turf at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital.
It’s the Monday after Exeter’s first literary festival, and I’m left with the question, ‘Do we stop to think how much we take for granted?’
I’m thinking about the main character in Return of the Mantra; a young woman who grows up in a society where freedom of speech, books, stories and historical truth are controlled.
It’s been a busy few months amid an unusual heatwave. Long sunny days are a great excuse to get out and about and enjoy the delights of your local area. I often think people’s tendency to explore gets saved for when they’re away on holiday, but what about the treasures on our own doorsteps? For me that’s Devon, and while we haven’t actually ‘been away’, we have made a point of having holiday days.
I once saw a picture of an imagined futuristic image of how people would evolve; how they’d look in years to come judging by human behaviour. Essentially it involved alarmingly long fingers, a deeply curved spine, and a seriously overweight body – a future born from sitting hunched over a screen, typing. When I thought of my daily life, much of it sitting at a computer, it got me thinking – I have to get out more!
With the impending publication of ‘Return of the Mantra’ (coming out this spring!!!), I’m in a reflective mood. Seeing the cover for the first time, it really hit home: the novel that has lived in the safety of my writing room is about to walk out into the world.
