Non crime - Christine Coleman

We had an author visit today at Mere Green Library. Christine Coleman, who having lived in the area for best part of 30 years, could be called local :-), came and gave a very interesting talk about how she got the idea for her first published book, 'The Dangerous Sports Euthanasia Society', her struggles on getting it published and finally marketing it. She has sold 2000 copies which she is pleased with, but she only recives 7.5% of the RRP ie about 65p per book.

After trying about 40 publishers, Transita finally agreed to take her on. One of the points that Christine made was about how few books are told from the perspective of an older person in their present time ie not about a flashback. We in crime fiction do have Miss Marple, Miss Silver, Mrs Mallory and others down to Agatha Raisin (whose age I'm not sure of) but I was hard pushed to think of any straight fiction titles. (Suggestions please :-)). Transita however only publishes books with protagonists aged over 45.

Synopsis from amazon.co.uk: "Agnes Borrowdale, seventy-five years old a week on Tuesday, hoisted herself onto the window sill and perched astride it, gripping the wooden frame.’

After her escape from the old people’s home where she has been placed by her son, Jack, and his new partner, Monica, Agnes’s quest to find her grandchildren develops in ways she could never have predicted.

Among the new friends she makes on her journey are: Joe, the helpful lorry driver; Molly, the garrulous proprietor of a small, run-down hotel; Gazza, the student whose sprained ankle may have serious consequences for Agnes; and Felix, the retired barrister’s clerk, whom Agnes pulls back from attempted suicide.

Hoping to rekindle his desire to live, she invents the Dangerous Sports Euthanasia Society, but soon fears that this falsehood, having acquired a momentum of its own, will end in tragedy.

Meanwhile, Jack, frantically trying to trace his missing mother, spends a night in a police cell on a drunk-driving charge, while an over-zealous young policeman begins to suspect him of a more serious crime. "

I've taken a library copy home and library borrowers have been quite positive about the book. I'll certainly look out for more books from Transita - especially with Christmas presents in mind!