From the sonnet, 'Tournesols' to 'Boutique Hotel, ' any joy and relief in this collection of poems are short-lived, reflecting their creator's real-life experiences and those of others she knows well. We are born, we bloom for a while, if lucky, but like the wondrous evening primrose, emblem of her childhood on the sand dunes near Porthcawl, soon wrinkle and close. And all along the way lies hidden danger. From whoever is lying in wait for us to trip and fall, to the very air we breathe. Whoever is pressing the right buttons to create the kind of world only seen in futuristic films. Beneath and beyond the temporal, visible beauty of this planet and those we love, lurk our worst imaginings, while easily peddled words of comfort and hope soon weaken and disintegrate. And then there's the never-ending guilt. William Butler Yeats was right.
'Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart. O when may it suffice?'
Author Biography:
Born near Porthcawl, my father's tragic European background and my own experiences and observations of places and people influence both my crime/thriller writing and poetry. How duplicitous human beings don't change but gradually reveal themselves. After studying Sculpture at Manchester and St. Martin's, London, came a post-graduate Art Teacher's Diploma from Sussex University. Having won an international short story competition, an agent signed me up, but throughout, teaching full-time for many years and continuing with my art has been the bedrock. In 2001 and 2002, PanMacmillan published 'Wringland' and 'Cloven' in a two-book deal. Then Allison &Busby brought out 'A Night With No Stars' and 'Prey Silence.' Next, 'Come and be Killed' (Severn House) the first in my Malvern-based DC Martin Webb trilogy. In 2012 Sparkling Books published the chilling 'Cold Remains' set near Llandovery. Also 'Malediction, ' with its terrorist priests in France. Then 'Cut to the Bone' featuring a beguiling but psychopathic schoolboy, was optioned for a feature film last year. 'How To Write a Chiller Thriller' (Compass Books) appeared in 2014, then 'The Yellowhammer's Cradle' set in 19th century rural Argyll. Next, the part-historical 'Behold A Pale Horse' in 2018. Lume Books, (formerly Endeavour Media) re-published five of these backlist titles as e/bks and paperbacks, which are still available. An active member of the Crime Writers' Association since 2002, Mystery People and Crime Cymru, I enjoy meeting my readers at various literary events, while assessing manuscripts for the CWA has seen debut writers become published, and been useful in editing my own work. My short stories have won awards and been widely published including in CWA crime anthologies. The latest, 'Run Rabbit Run' and 'Rosy is Red' are published by Mango (USA) edited by Maxim Jalubowski. 'Strangers Waiting' (bluechrome) my short story collection, includes that eponymous title which won the H.E Bates Short Story Prize. Four horror stories plus my artwork have recently been published on Matthew G. Rees' 'Horla' website. My poetry has also won awards and been published not only in the UK. Two poems were recently selected for the 25th edition of 'Atlanta Review' edited by Agnes Meadows, and 'Seizure' written after visiting Oradour-sur-Glane, is included in 'Best British and Irish Poets' soon to be published. I also adjudicate national and international writing competitions, including the International Welsh Poetry Competition three times, including this year. Jeffrey, my late husband was a renowned artist and we spent many happy days in the eastern Pyrenees, once home to the ill-fated Cathars, where timeslips still seem to occur. In September 2018 Sharpe Books gave me a seven-book deal. 'The Nighthawk, ' features newly-retired DI John Lyon from Nottingham who, while on holiday in France, foolishly leaves the beaten track. 'Bloodlines' is set near Poitiers, then 'Death Knell, ' in 1920's rural Norfolk. 'Downfall, ' the first in my Delphine Rougier quartet, was published late last year. Set in the flatlands near Le Mans, where dark secrets and danger still lurk. 'The Devil's Garden' set partly in the Vosges, appeared in March. 'Blood at Beltane' is next. Finally, 'Office For the Dead' the second in my DC Martin Webb trilogy, set again in Malvern, but also the Aude department in France, is out now. 'White Meat, ' partly set in Australia's outback, will follow. www.sallyspedding.com
