Books&Poetry SETTING SAIL ON A NEW ADVENTURE Having enjoyed fulfilling careers in both nursing and teaching, Julia Ozanne has launched in a new direction with the release of her first novel
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ulia Ozanne moved to Porthmadog in North Wales after four decades on the Welsh Borders. There she had worked as a nurse and then a secondary school teacher, before specialising in behaviour management. Her husband Malcolm (Mac) was well known as a press photographer for the Advertizer and Shropshire Star. The couple were keen sailors – Mac had built their boat Freelance himself – and often set out from Porthmadog harbour for the Irish Sea, or to explore the Scottish islands. So when Julia put pen to paper to write her first book, the setting she chose was immediately familiar.
Special setting She said: “The novel is based around Porthmadog and the Llyn Peninsula. Having sailed out of Porthmadog for many years, I wanted to incorporate the beautiful landscape and seascape I know and love. “I also wanted to include the contemporary issue of drug trafficking and the vulnerability of young people to the County Lines gangs – the maritime side of trafficking, based on fact.”
LOCA L B OOKS The Lion Hotel by Philip Jones University Centre Shrewsbury graduate Philip Jones has set his first play at The Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury. The plot combines history and humour to tell the modern story of a detective’s daughter who is wrongly accused of a crime. It references Charles Dickens and a Victorian entertainments bill that Philip discovered while on placement at Shropshire Archives. The Lion Hotel comes under the genre of Young Adult fiction and is also a light read for adults. It is published by Austin Macauley. A Question of Time by David McCaddon The local author’s new thriller is set in 1967, in North Wales and Cheshire. A Question of Time is McCaddon’s fourth crime novel and follows the intriguing
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The result is The Boat Shed, launched recently at a local book fair and featuring a stunning picture of Ballast Island in Porthmadog Harbour on the cover – taken by Mac, of course. The book tells the story of Cassie Jones, who sets out to uncover the truth behind a family rift. She finds herself far from her urban lifestyle, drawn into the very different setting of a Welsh coastal town. A life-changing opportunity catapults her into a strange new career and the dangerous underworld of drug trafficking.
Learning curve Julia, who now lives in Morfa Bychan, said: “I have been writing for ten years, submitting to competitions and publishers, and was awarded a Highly Commended in a national contest for a memoir I wrote. This is my first novel and I completed it before the start of the
investigation that ensues when a girl’s body is found in the embers of a fire in a farmer’s field. A second body is found soon after and DCI Sheraton must decide whether or not the two are connected. Could it be the region has a serial killer on the loose? Published by Austin Macauley.
“It’s based around Porthmadog and the Llyn Peninsula” pandemic. Obviously sending it out to publishers was difficult, so I decided to self-publish before it gathered any dust. That was an experience in itself – as is the publicity, the marketing, the distribution… I’ve had a lot to learn! “Feedback has been very positive and those who know the area will recognise many of the descriptions. I loved writing it and have started on a sequel.” The Boat Shed is available in Browsers bookshop in Porthmadog and on their Facebook page.
and illustrated by Bumble B Moss will have children eagerly awaiting the next adventures of these friendly, loyal visitors to Earth. It is published by Paragon Publishing.
The Wichlees Come to Earth by Peter C Rabbit The first in a series written with the under-11s in mind, The Wichlees Come to Earth introduces us to Pegerty, Gwindleberry and Warty Conk, kind-hearted souls who hail from a tiny planet called Bangy-Bong and Calling local authors… return regularly to Earth to If you’re living in the Shire area or have written collect methane for their about a local person or place, we’d love to broomsticks. feature you on these pages. Email editorial@ This enchanting story, shiremagazine.co.uk. written by Peter C Rabbit
