Book Success For Author

Book Success For Thetford First Time Author

Sue Brady has lived in Thetford for over 30 years with her husband and has enjoyed a variety of jobs from being on the pick and mix counter at Woolwoths as a teen to being Mum to her children and now working in recruitment. A redundancy 3 years ago gave Sue the time to finish her first novel ‘Precious Gems’.

A love of books from an early age saw Sue going to the local library on a Saturday morning to choose the 4 books she could take out that week! She said, “My library card was like a golden ticket to me and even as a young girl I would dream of seeing my book on the shelves one day”. Writing for fun has always been something that Sue has enjoyed and she has even written a poem in memory of a beloved co-worker who sadly passed away. Getting the email offer from Pegasus to publish Precious Gems was a day Sue says she won’t forget. Getting such positive feedback from people who have already read the book helps her to overcome any self doubt she has about her abilities as a writer. She says that holding that first copy of her book in her hands was a marvellous feeling, “One I will never forget”. Precious Gems follows two lifelong friends through their lives, their marriages, children and grandchildren. It deals with all those joys as well as the sadness of losing friends and loved ones and also the knowledge that at 90 years of age they too will pass away. Once things are back to normal Sue is hoping to hold some book signings where we are sure she will be happy to chat to you about her experiences of working towards being a published author! She is also working on her second novel which she hopes to publish later this year.

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Thetford author Sue Brady with a copy of her first book, Precious Gems

Precious Gems by Sue Brady is available to buy online via; www.amazon.co.uk or, www.waterstones.com Home Flame QP Ad.qxp_Layout 1 10/10/2018 13:33 Page 1

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Here at Not Just Books, we’re really looking forward to being able to open our doors again for browsing, fingers are firmly crossed for April 12th! When we first came up with the plan to open a bookshop in Thetford, we really wanted to offer something to the community and are working on an events space upstairs for book-clubs, author events and other book related shenanigans! Sadly, this is a little way off but we’re really excited to bring Thetford its first Virtual signing! Jon McGregor, novelist and short story writer, grew up in Thetford. In 2002, his first novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize which made him the youngest ever contender. His second and fourth novels were longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2006 and 2017 respectively. His new novel Lean Fall Stand is being released 29th April and we are taking pre-orders for signed and dedicated copies now. Our Indie Books for the month for April are Weirdo and The Dictionary of Lost Words. The children’s title Weirdo is an endearing story about the quiet power of being different by two veteran writers,Zadie Smith and Nick Laird, and introduces an exciting debut illustrator. Together they have created a picture book that adults and children alike will treasure. It’s all about Maud: a guinea pig who inexplicably wears a judo suit - and not everyone understands or approves. Pip Williams’ The Dictionary of Lost Words has been described as an enchanting story about love, loss and the power of language, what gets recorded and what gets forgotten. Set at a time when women’s voices were clamouring more than ever to be heard, it moved me greatly to think how history is skewed by those who hold power and how important it is that novels like this redress that balance; (Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory)

Thank you all for your support over the last few months and we look forward to welcoming you back to browse!

COMPETITION TIME!

We’ve got a copy of Ciara Attwell’s recently published batch cooking cookbook: We’re Hungry! to give away. We love the idea of freezer stash bags and the Chicken Tikka Marsala one has become a favourite at home! To be in with a chance of winning email: j.james@notjustbooks.co.uk with “We’re Hungry!” in the subject line and your name in the message. We’ll make the draw at the close of business Monday 12th April.

NotJustBooks

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Citizens Advice is a charity, and part of a network across 2,500 locations in England and Wales. We are looking for more volunteers to train as Advisers based at Citizens Advice Thetford office.

You would be trained to give face-to-face advice and support people in the local community on issues such as access to benefits, housing, money advice, relationships and much more. Your Skills - You Will Be: • Computer literate and ‘keyboard’ confident • Non-judgemental & have a desire to help others • Have the time to commit to volunteering one day a week in our Thetford office (likely to be either a Monday or Friday) • Happy to commit to a training programme and continuous development What could you get from volunteering with us? : • The opportunity to help people in your local community and really make a difference to people’s lives • Put your existing skills & experience to good use • Learn new skills and challenge yourself • Meet new people and be part of a friendly team • Enjoy free training and full support We asked our volunteers why they chose to volunteer with us: “I was able to use skills that I had developed during my working life, such as analysis, problem solving, project management and team working” Another said; “The service is crucial for enabling the public to understand their options and rights. I believe individuals have the right to be informed and enabled to empower themselves”

Volunteering can also help increase your job prospect and boost confidence. For an informal chat about volunteering, please contact our Leaning and Development Lead, Becky Chapman, who will be happy to answer any questions. Telephone: 07487 225709 or e-mail:

Becky.chapman@cadat.org.uk

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