36 Hours

Shorlisted for the East Anglian Book Awards 2023
Less than a year after being diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Fiona’s husband died at home. She was his carer. Unflinching in its detail, 36 Hours is a delicate chronicle of his last day; one that changerd her life. 36 Hours is also an invitation to find better ways to talk about death and dying.

A note from the author:

“I wrote 36 Hours because it was the book that I needed to read after my husband’s death but couldn’t find. I hope that by sharing my experience, patients and carers might feel less alone, and GPs, consultants and others involved in end-of-life care would gain greater insight into what patients and their loved ones are going through, making a positive difference to the way they guide people through the dying process.”

Author Biography

Originally from the English midlands, author and artist Fiona Mason lives between the salt marshes of the east of England and the Ariege Pyrenees in Southwest France.

After spending three decades working in the arts and cultural sector as a producer and fundraiser, she now combines her work as a writer and creative writing facilitator with roles as a coach and mentor.

She is the author of 36 Hours, an unflinching memoir about the experience of caring for her husband at the end of life, which was shortlisted for the East Anglian Book Awards 2023.

Her writing has also been shortlisted for the Pat Kavanagh Prize 2016, received a special mention in the Spread the Word Life Writing Prize 2017, was shortlisted for the Fish Publishing Lockdown prize (poetry) 2020 and has achieved awards from Arts Council England.

She holds MAs in Philosophy (Essex) and Creative and Life Writing (Goldsmiths).

Fiona is passionate about encouraging better conversations about death and dying in order that we can fully embrace the business of living, which in her case includes spending time tramping in mountains and indulging her love of coffee, cake, bookshops and galleries.