Pat Sharp
Pat Sharp, Editor of Cheshire News, organised this years Literary Lunch. Hartford Golf Club was a new venue for us which was in stunning grounds and had a beautiful function room. We were so fortunate that the weather was superb which gave our members the opportunity to enjoy the outside space to have a drink or two.
Its always a difficult decision which author to invite, checking if they are available, and ensuring different genres are represented. This year Pat chose a local author with just one book published so far. Sally-Anne Martyn published ‘The Clinic’ on the 27th October 2022 by Joffe Books, however, she has already got a three book deal. ‘The Clinic’ is a dark creepy thriller set in an ex-asylum. Sally-Anne worked in a crumbling Victorian asylum (the inspiration for ‘Pine End’), so she knew how
Chris Bailey giving the Vote of Thanks
those buildings felt already, but to give herself a refresher she did an overnight ‘ghost’ hunt at Newsham Park (a derelict orphanage) in Liverpool. Her first book entered the top 100 (#85) of all kindle books (including all genres) on the Amazon charts and #5 in ‘Women’s Crime’ in November last year.
Coming from a working-class background, her writing is inspired by those women who are constantly left on the side-lines and ignored. She takes the underdog and gives her the freedom to do what she wants (good or bad) and see where that takes her. With a diet of Hammer House and Tales of the Unexpected as a child, along with a love for the ridiculous, it is no surprise that her books have chilling themes with a hint of dark humour.
Sally-Ann was very candid about body image and her own fascination with her weight fluctuation. She said this book would suit any young adult upwards. She explained the process of writing a book and the difficulties of getting an agent and publisher. She works with a mentor and fellow writer to provide valuable feedback. Even so, her book had to be tweaked. She was humorous but very honest about her struggles and our members were both transfixed and shocked with her story. She did offer a touch of humour too.
Sally-Ann’s mother is a WI member in another Federation and a couple of WIs were encouraging Sally-Ann to join. Which one will she choose?!
Chris Bailey thanked Sally Ann very much for her talk and congratulated Pat on organising such an excellent Literary Lunch. Susan leicester conducted the raffle and Selina Prescott, Federation Chairman, closed the day with thanks to Sally-Ann, Pat and Chris and the Board of Trustees for pulling off yet another wonderful event. The table decorations were hedgerow and garden flowers provided by Pat and Val Miller (Cuddington & Sandiway) and were simply gorgeous.
