Creating ‘Pure of Heart’ was a very personal project. It wasn’t written for profit, although I love that others enjoy reading it. The story is mostly my imagination, but it also captures some of my thoughts and feelings from during the years that I was writing it.
     The spark that inspired me came from a story written by my Dad. During lockdown when my sisters and I couldn’t visit him, he would send us daily emails. These emails started with his usual ‘Dad’ jokes…
What did the letter say to the stamp?
…Stick with me and we’ll go places!
What happened when the cat ate a ball of wool?
…She had mittens!
     As lockdown continued, he began writing short stories and sending them to us daily in paragraphs. These stories were soon shared with family and friends who enjoyed reading them every day as much as we did.
     During April and May 2021, just before restrictions started to lift, ‘The Comforter’ was shared with us. It’s a science fiction short story with an air of mystery. This was the story that sparked my imagination and I have included The Comforter here (in full)  for you to enjoy too.
     Reading ‘Pure of Heart’, you will see that I have created a world that has no prejudice or discrimination, I didn’t want them to be a subtext in the story. Karly’s world reflects the way I wish this world to be, where people are not subjected to negative perceptions of them by others. As naïve as this is, that is the beauty of writing a story, unlimited imagination!
     George Bernard Shaw wrote: Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.
     I mentioned above that my thoughts and feelings are captured in ‘Pure of Heart’. I refer partly to my grief at my Mum losing her battle with cancer too early in life, and I reflected these feelings when writing about grief in the book.
     Also, at the time of writing (mid 2021 to publication in 2024), my menopause symptoms were overwhelming at times until I began learning Tai Chi. My menopausal anxiety gradually turned to serenity and it helped me shape the direction of the book.
     ‘Pure of Heart’ became a story that I looked forward to writing. I’m a creative person and Karly and her friends became characters that, just like a reader, I wanted to see how they would develop.
      I kept lots of notes to prevent me accidently creating plot holes. They weren’t the most organised, but I was able to scroll through to check details and keep consistency.
     I’m not a writer who knows the full story before I start. In fact I didn’t have a clue originally how ‘Pure of Heart’ would end, just a desire to write about the idea that I’d had.
     My stories are shaped as I write them and I am already applying this to my next books (a fantasy trilogy) after The Bunny Basket Collection.