Book Reviews

A Storm of Strawberries

By Kathryn Evans

If you don’t know me very well, you may not know that as well as being a writer, I also run a soft fruit farm with my husband. Last year, the world of words and the world of fruit collided in the most serendipitous way.

I was asked to do  an event with author, Jo Cotterill at the  Edinburgh International Book Festival. We put on a pretty good show – and had a ball – so when she asked me if she could come down to the  farm to research her new book, A Storm of Strawberries, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Kathryn Evans and Jo Cotterill
Kathryn Evans and Jo Cotterill sign piles of books!

 

I told Jo all about the realities of farming ( she captures the distracting stress of the parents in her book brilliantly) and we had a tour around so she could see what a hi-tech business soft fruit growing is now – although still very much at the mercy of the weather- storms are very frightening and quite often, very expensive – here’s a post I wrote after a real life storm on our farm.

 

We were just having another cup of tea when something horribly sad happened.  My husband came in to tell me he’d found  my adored young cat, Pike,  dead in our driveway.

I raced to my cat and as I picked up his little body, trying to puzzle out what had happened,  I felt a hard  pellet under his skin. Somebody had shot my beautiful Pike with an air rifle. I was heartbroken. Pike wasn’t very clever but he was incredibly friendly. He was so loving, in fact, that it was hard to get any work done because of his demands for cuddles. Here’s a video I made, after he’d died:

 

I brought Pike home, wrapped him up and tried to finish giving Jo all the information she needed for her book – she’d travelled a long way and I didn’t want her to have wasted her time. When she left, I took Pike to the vet so they could confirm what I suspected. Yes, indeed, someone had deliberately taken his life. I reported it to the police – it is a crime – and they took it very seriously. I wrote an open letter to the killer that was shared far and  wide and even made the radio and the press  but we never found out who  had done such a horrible thing.

We buried Pike in our garden and one of my lovely friends  sent me a cherry tree to mark the spot where he is. I still miss him, it’s rare to have such an adoring little creature land in your life, but I’m grateful I had a little while with him.

Then Jo’s book came out, A Storm of Strawberries,  and right on the cover, is the silhouette of a little cat, my little cat.

jo 1

Not only that, at the end of the story – which, by the way, is a story so full of love and heart  it near made mine burst – Pike gets a mention.

My funny little boy cat has been immortalized in a wonderful story.

What a gift.

Thank you so much Jo – I’m so happy our worlds collided xxx

 

Book Reviews

Tommyvcancer – Blog Tour!!!

Hey Tommy, you’re on tour – soooo rock and roll!  And you’ve reached the end of treatment – I know the ride ahead is still tough but look what you’ve done! And this is what we’re doing:

Tommy Tour 3 (2)

See you on the 11th!

Kathy x

Book Reviews, For Readers

Ace Club, lower your lashes: RIP Louise Rennison

Today I am wearing my boy entrancers at half mast. I debated shaving my eyebrows off but I have school visits to do and I don’t want to frighten the children. Something had to be done though, for yesterday, the lightiest of lights went out. Continue reading “Ace Club, lower your lashes: RIP Louise Rennison”

Book Reviews

A Writer to Delight in – Holly Bourne

I picked up the Manifesto on How To Be Interesting, and then Am I Normal Yet because I wanted to read a few more Usborne YA books and get to know the neighbours.

One more reason to love my publisher.

Holly Bourne is my kind of writer – honest and playful and prepared to dig deep. Right now, she’s my new favourite. There are actual tears in this review.

Book Reviews, Writing Advice

This is the one, isn’t it? CILIP Carnegie & Greenaway Medal 2015

xxxxx
Tinder, Sally Gardner & David Roberts Greenaway and Carnegie Shortlist

I realise this makes me look overly ambitious but, come on, this is the one we all dream about, isn’t it? Continue reading “This is the one, isn’t it? CILIP Carnegie & Greenaway Medal 2015”