To whet your appetitie for my tenth novel That Girl From Nowhere, I’ve penned this short prequel called FromThereToHere.

It basically tells the story of what the main character Clemency ‘Smitty’ Smittson’s life was like there in Leeds and how she ends up here in Brighton, where most of the present-day story is set.

I really hope you enjoy the short story and that it inspires you to buy the book to read Clemency’s whole story. Let me know what you think of the story on email, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

You can read the short story by clicking here: FromThereToHere and you can buy That Girl From Nowhere from all good bookshops and online at these various places.

At the end of 2013, to celebrate 20 years of working to improve literacy skills, The National Literacy Trust launched a national  search for Literacy Heroes – people who have overcome problems with reading and writing, or helped inspire other people to improve their literacy skills.

I’m a supporter of the National Literacy Trust and their aim to encourage and inspire people, especially children, to read, so I was really excited to be selected as one of the judges of the campaign.

As the National Literacy Trust says: ‘Anyone can be a Hero. A young person or adult who’s overcome challenges; an author who’s inspired people to read; a teacher or librarian; a volunteer in your local community; or even a celebrity.’ The group of celebrity judges included Cressida Cowell, the author of the bestselling How to Train Your Dragon series, columnist and author Lucy Mangan, and business entrepreneur Levi Roots. We were asked, in our choices, to consider:

1. The impact and contribution a nominated Literacy Hero has made to the literacy or reading lives of others and/or themselves. 2. How a Literacy Hero’s contribution reflects the overall aims of the National Literacy Trust in promoting literacy and reading to as many people as possible and in supporting literacy as an essential tool for life. 3. The creativity and resourcefulness of the nominee, and personal challenges that they may have had to overcome.

Click here to find out who the literacy heroes in the picture above are and why they won.

Photo credit: National Literacy Trust website

My literacy hero

I have several people I could nominate as my literacy hero, but the one I’m going to choose for now is Oprah Winfrey. I’ve long admired her for the way she has brought several important issues to the forefront of people’s consciousness, but it was what she did globally for reading that has established her as one of my enduring literacy heroes. When she began her television book club in 1996, selecting a book to read every month with her viewers and then discussing it on the show, she helped to transform reading across the world. Many people in lots of different countries were inspired to start their own public and personal book clubs realising that all they needed to do so was a good book and people to talk about it with. Reading is one of the best things to do and anyone who makes it accessible, desirable and most importantly, possible for other people, is a hero to me.

A couple of years ago, when I was starting to flesh out the story for my tenth novel, That Girl From Nowhere, my husband mentioned a story he had read on babies sleeping in cardboard boxes.

I’d being thinking a lot about babies being left in cardboard boxes on the steps of churches and hospitals from my search for the story which centred a lot around adoption and children’s homes. After talking at cross purposes for a while, my husband explained to me about the Finnish baby boxes, where the Finnish government provides every new mother-to-be with a box full of baby essentials (clothes, toys, books, nappies, etc). The box also comes with a mattress so that the baby can sleep in the box for the first few weeks of their life.

The practice for giving these baby boxes originated in the 1930s for low income households as a way for them to be able to provide everything they need for their children and in 1949 it was extended to all Finnish families. My husband had mentioned that young Finnish women who lived abroad were asking their mothers to send them similar boxes, and that this story was a popular read because then the Finnish government sent a baby box to the young royals Kate and William for their first child.

This story came at a perfect time for me because I’d been searching for a way to link the main character of That Girl From Nowhere, Clemency AKA Smitty, with her birth mother. I wanted an unusual way for someone who had no knowledge at all of their birth family to have an everyday connection with her birth mother. There was the option of the birth mother having left jewellery (Clemency is a jewellery maker) for her to be given on her 18th birthday, but I wanted something that was always there throughout Clemency’s life.

I’ve mentioned before that the original incarnation of That Girl From Nowhere was a book called Where I Found You. That story was centred a lot around Clemency’s obsession with butterflies – she had recurring dreams about them and was obsessed with pictures of them in every-day life. When I had the conversation with my husband about the Finnish baby boxes, another piece in the puzzle that was creating the character and background of Clemency fell into place: I decided that her birth mother had known a Finnish woman who told her about the baby box tradition and so she decided to create a box for her baby and decorate it in butterflies. This box is quite important to Clemency, who keeps her most precious photographs in the box throughout her life, and when she finally meets a Finnish person who seems as obsessed with butterflies as Clemency she realises she has accidentally stumbled across the person who knows all about the butterfly box she used to sleep in and what happened to her birth family.

I kept this butterfly box (above) around while I was writing the book as a reminder of the story. The butterfly box in the story looks nothing like this box, of course. As Clemency describes it in the book: ‘All the butterflies on the box are hand-drawn and hand-coloured. The largest is on the bottom – its wingspan covers the entire surface, and the wings are mirror images of each other. Each colour is perfectly twinned; each intricate vein etched in black and reflected on the other wing. It must have taken her hours to do each wing, let alone the rest of them, each a different size, everyon a unique, beautiful winged creature that looked fragile and lifelike.’

These boxes look nothing like Clemency’s box, but I saw it in a shop while I was looking for something else and I liked it so much I bought it. I then went back and bought another one when something else happened in the plot to necessitate another butterfly box. (You’ll see what I mean if you read the book.)

When I’m writing, I find it helps to have visual reminders around – what I’m writing about may not be exactly the same but it is a trigger of what I can see in my mind when I’m writing the book. I really loved writing That Girl From Nowhere, and finding out about the baby boxes was a huge part of that.

If you want to find out more about the Finnish baby boxes, have a read here.

If you want to read That Girl From Nowhere, you can read an extract, here and you can buy it here, here and hereonline.

The Cupid Effect was my first novel to be published and it recently received a revamp with a new cover, which is why I wrote a new introduction to it, explaining why it is so special to me.

It’s 3.30 a.m. on a dark October morning and I’m wide awake because I’ve just finished writing my next book – The Ice Cream Girls – and my body clock is out of synch with . . . pretty much everything. I have a few months’ worth of taped programmes to catch up, a pile of admin that will probably bury me if it topples over and a suspicion that all the things I promised to do ‘once I’ve finished the book’ will require my immediate attention.

But, I love this about my life. I love writing and everything that has to fit around it. And, since I really should try to get some sleep/reorder my flat/revert to normal eating habits/get my ‘normal’ life back, I thought I’d remind myself and you all about where my writing career started, by reproducing below the new introduction to The Cupid Effect .

The Cupid Effect was my first novel to be published and it recently received a revamp with a new cover, which is why I wrote a new introduction to it, explaining why it is so special to me. Hope you enjoy reading this little love note to The Cupid Effect , and I’ll see you next time when my life will be a little more ordered-ish!

The Cupid Effect: Where It All Started Every time I go into a shop that sells books, I always check to see if they have any of my novels. Even now, over half a decade after my first book was published, I still feel a thrill to see my name ‘in lights’; experience a glow of pride to see my words on a shelf.

I must admit I get an extra thrill whenever I see The Cupid Effect . I love all my books equally, it’s just (to loosely paraphrase George Orwell) I love Cupid a fraction more equally than the others.

Cupid may not be the novel that put my writing in front of a worldwide audience, but I will always have a special affection for it for many reasons. One reason is that I share certain similarities with the main character. I’m always at pains to point out that I am not my main players, but if I was forced to name a character I share most traits with, it’d be Cupid’s Ceri D’Altroy. She and I are both sci-fi geeks who are obsessed with the same TV show; we’ve both taught psychology; and we both have a large number of long-sleeved tops in are sartorial repertoire. Probably most crucially, we both have a habit of listening to people’s problems then giving advice we really wish said advisees wouldn’t take.

Another reason for my big love for Cupid is that it makes me laugh. It has its serious moments, but there are many, many scenes and phrases that tickle me enough to make me LOL (as the kids say). I laugh mainly because I can remember what inspired that particular scene or phrase.

My love of Cupid is that bit deeper, though, because it is my first born. The novel that allowed me to drop the first two letters of ‘unpublished’ and brand myself a published novelist. That day in February 2003 when I walked into a London bookshop and saw my name emblazoned upon the cover of a book is a day that permanently changed my life. It represented the culmination of months of writing every second I wasn’t earning money to pay my bills. It represented years of reading, writing and dreaming. It represented everything I’ve wanted since I was 13 years old and wrote my first full-length story. It represented me daring to follow my heart.

Cupid is essentially a book about having the courage to follow your heart and accepting that the power to change your life is in your hands. Not necessarily quitting your safe job and trying to do something you’re not sure you’re qualified for, like Ceri does, it is more about seeing what you would like to alter and striving to effect that change. Even if it is just a case of changing how you view your current circumstance.

As I said, I am proud of every single one of my books, and I love seeing them on the shelves of shops, so I’m especially excited that I’ll be seeing The Cupid Effect , ‘out there’ again, with a brand new cover: it’ll be showing me and the world where I started and how far I’ve come.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

© Dorothy Koomson 2009

If you’ve been following my exploits on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, then you’ll know I’ve been doing a lot of running around since publication of my tenth novel, That Girl From Nowhere. On publication day I went with one of the lovely peeps from my publishers to see Claudia Winkleman, Donna from Radio Gorgeous and Mariella Frostrop. I’d also popped into Magic FM just a week before to see fab Jo for the Magic FM book club.

After lunch and the radio chat, I also went to my publishers to see the lovely peeps who worked on the book and was greeted with this wonderful sight in the entrance. That was pretty overwhelming, but when I was given this present I almost burst into tears. I’m still in awe at how appropriate and beautiful it is. It’s a butterfly box with pages from the book. I can’t describe how it made me feel to get it.

After what turned into a hilarious night out, I had a series of reader events scheduled at which I read from the book, answered questions and signed anything readers asked me to. The first event was at Hove Library where I was interviewed by Sue-Kim Greene. The next night I was up in Bishops Stortford where again I was bowled over by how many lovely readers there are out there. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

After a few days of rest, I hit the rails again with a three-day trip, with first stop being Birmingham. I was on BBC Radio Scotland and then I had afternoon tea with Shay and Sunny at BBC Radio West Midlands. We had such a laugh and I may have mentioned that the way Sunny and Shay relate to each other reminded me of my relationship with my husband – didn’t realise that my other half was listening to the show via the wonders of the Internet. (‘I heard every word,’ was what he said when I called him after the show.) I also ran into super delightful Talesha who was working on the show. I met her years ago at my first ever Birmingham event and before I hit the road this time I said to my husband I was wondering if I’d see her again and there she was. She’s done so well for herself (if I can say that without sounding patronising). Also at the event in Brum, I saw some people who’d been to my last two events and it really was like seeing old mates again. The Birmingham event was organized by Writers to Readers. If you’re near there, do follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook or sign up for their newsletter as they’ll be having lots of more author events.

The next day Emma, my publicist and I, went to Sheffield and met the amazing Paulette Edwards on BBC Radio Sheffield. I had no clue that the snooker was on while we were in Sheffield – not till Steve Davis walked past me. He looks exactly the same in real life. The event at Sheffield Library where I was interviewed by Joanne Canon, was another success in that I didn’t fall over, don’t think I embarrassed myself and I met lots of great people including a few who’d been to previous events. The visit to Sheffield was followed the next day by a trip to Leeds.

If you’ve read any of my books, you’ll know that there’s always a mention of Leeds because I lived there for several years. It was very emotional walking around the city centre, remembering the places I used to visit, how I felt, not knowing what life was going to throw at me next. After another wonderful event later at Waterstones Leeds, and we headed off back home. Seeing this at Leeds station before I got on the train, was a pretty darn perfect surprise.

Thank you, if you came along to any of the events. Maybe next time if you couldn’t make it this time. I had a fabulous time travelling all over, and I can’t wait to do it again, soon.

PS If you’d like me to participate at an event in your area, the best thing is to ask your local library or bookshop to put a request in via my publicist Emma Draude at EDPR and she’ll see if we can work it out.

If you’ve read The Flavours of Love you’ll know that the main character, Saffron, is holding a bowl of blackberries when she receives some devastating news.

While she eventually decides to use blackberries in a recipe that also has some significance to her, I’ve come up with this one that I hope you’ll enjoy. It’s really easy to make, really tasty and perfect for the hot weather.

You’ll need:

1 x 450g tub of Greek-style yoghurt 4 x tablespoons agave syrup 1 x tablespoon vanilla paste Half a punnet blackberries

The How To:

1. Put two sieves over a large bowl (a mixing bowl will do) and empty the contents of the Greek-style yoghurt into it. Cover the whole thing with Clingfilm and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours. (The longer you strain the yoghurt for, the creamer the final frozen yoghurt will be – the best results I’ve had have come from straining overnight.)

2. Wash the blackberries (or whatever fruit you’re using) and roughly chop them up. Place in a covered bowl in the freezer for up to 1 hour. If the blackberries are particularly tart, I add half a teaspoon of agave syrup before freezing.

3. The excess liquid from the yoghurt will collect at the bottom of the bowl after the 2 hours (or however long you leave it) so tip the strained yoghurt into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, or into another mixing bowl if you have a hand mixer. Add the vanilla paste and 2 tablespoons of the agave syrup. Mix until well blended then check for taste. If you’d like it a bit sweeter, add more agave syrup. (You can add more than the 4 tablespoons, but that’s enough for me.) Mix again until light and fluffy.

5. Remove the blackberries from the freezer and gently break them up.

5. Spoon the yoghurt mixture into a freezer-safe container with a lid. Slowly stir in the blackberries. Cover the container and place in the freezer.

7. After 45 minutes, remove from the freezer and stir the yoghurt mixture well, making sure to incorporate any frozen yoghurt or ice crystals that have formed along the sides or bottom of the container. Return to the freezer for another 45 minutes, then repeat the stirring procedure. Return to the freezer for a final 45 minutes.

8. To serve, remove from the freezer about 10 minutes before you want to eat it, then spoon into bowls or individual ramekins like the ones in the picture. You can also serve with cakes or pies – anything you’d usually serve with ice cream.

The Notes:

* I’ve also made frozen yoghurt using blueberries and raspberries and all three berries together. You can experiment with other fruit, obviously. If you fancy just a vanilla flavour, increase the amount of vanilla paste you use by half-teaspoons, checking until you have the right flavour.

* Since Greek-style yoghurt has already been strained before it is packaged, you don’t strictly need to strain it, but I do because it makes the frozen yoghurt taste much creamier.

* The same goes with whipping/whisking the yoghurt: it’s not necessary – as long as you make sure the vanilla paste and agave syrup are properly mixed in – but I find it makes the final texture much more like ice-cream.

*You also don’t need to partially freeze the fruit but doing so will stop it making the frozen yoghurt too watery and therefore icy and difficult to serve once set.

*Generally the frozen yoghurt gets eaten quite quickly in our house but you can keep it for a couple of weeks. * You can use Golden Syrup or honey if you prefer in place of Agave Syrup.

* I use Yeo Valley Organic Greek-Style Yoghurt, Neilsen-Massey Vanilla Paste and The Groovy Food Company Agave Syrup.

You can find out more about The Flavours of Love here

Dear Library (Every Public Library),

I wanted to tell you how much I love you. I would not be the person I am today without you. You were always there for me, throughout my life.

You were there, when I was a child and on the way home from school I would drop in and spend hours reading – nurturing and stoking and growing my love of books and the craft of fiction.

When I grew older and I couldn’t afford the textbooks needed so I could complete my O’Levels and A’Levels, you were there with the tomes required and the place to study and revise.

When I got even older and I had been to university both times and I was between jobs, you were the places that were there for me to hang out and read and generally not feel so alone on a daily basis.

When I got even older and I realised my dream of becoming a published author, a career I would not have if you hadn’t been there in the early days, you were there for me so I could attend readings and meet readers.

I love you, Library (Every Public Library). Not only for the things you have done for me over the years, but how you have helped people from all walks of life without question or without prejudice.

I’m sorry, so sorry, that the Government and local councils see you as an easy target for cuts and closures. Maybe it’s because you’ve always been so loyal – so quietly and diligently carrying out your job, helping to educate those who can’t afford to buy books and have too much of a moral centre to steal them from the internet. Maybe it’s because across the country, you provide a welcoming hub for communities to meet and thrive and support each other and that doesn’t seem to chime with the way those in power want our world to be right now. I’m so sorry you’re having to go through all that.

But I will continue to support you, to do what I can to highlight how wrong library closures are – how they damage the community and the collective intellect of our country.

Thank you, for being so wonderful and giving and supportive over the years – not only to me but to every other person who has walked through your doors.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

With my eternal love,

Dorothy Koomson

Author