I don’t celebrate many anniversaries. Birthdays, obviously, and our wedding anniversary, but that’s about it. However, 7th May 2020 was a red letter day and one I will never forget. It was lockdown, I had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with as I’d lost all my catering work and about 75% of my writing due to the pandemic. The creative side of my brain came to the fore and I wrote a funny blog entitled “The Utter Joy of One’s Craft”
Just for a laugh, I made up a woman who was the complete opposite of me. Rich, posh, skinny with an agent and a publisher and a gorgeous Grade II listed house. Out it went in April and got good comments. On 7th May, I wrote about her again and to my utter amazement received the following message from Tony Collins, a literary agent.
“Hi Ruth. If you want to work up a proposal for Isabella, I would be pleased to take it to publishers for you.”
I did, and the rest is history. I’ve gone from a part-time writer to a full-time one, creator of Isabella M Smugge and her world and absolutely loving it.
