The Jazz Archive Room was particularly apt for the launching of my book as my husband, Alan, is an amateur jazz pianist and my younger son, Mike, a professional guitarist, with a particular interest in jazz. Our house was full of music when the boys lived at home – my elder son, Steve, being an extremely competent drummer for years before, sadly, he gave it up. My job then was to make the sandwiches!
Now it’s my turn, and as I rose to give my first talk to an audience with copies of my first published book displayed prominently, I was nervous, but they were very kind and appeared to enjoy the afternoon, especially the extracts from some of the stories I read. (See ‘Excerpts’ link).
My stories are drawn from incidents in real life which trigger my imagination. I wonder how the people felt in those particular circumstances and endeavour to portray characters dealing with difficult situations. They are not ‘sweet little old lady’ stories; in fact some are gritty or even sombre, but with the variety the book contains, I am sure that everyone will find something to their taste, even to their amusement.
With the title, Light in the Shade, I have tried to convey this variety of stories, which cover a wide range of human experience, including dark tales of guilt, revenge and jealousy. Others provide a lighter insight into human nature, but the unifying feature is a celebration of the basic instinct of us all to overcome obstacles and survive.
Short stories have always appealed to me – they create a dramatic arena in which to explore the change and development in characters as they make choices and react to events and are easy reading in these busy times when often a blockbuster is too lengthy to tackle.
Kay Green, the editor of Circaidy Gregory Press, says: ‘I think this is an extremely unusual and interesting collection. Pam has a wonderfully down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach to her subject matter. For me, what makes her work really stand out is the way she brings this refreshing attitude to such a wide range of material, emphasising the human constancy that runs through the domestic, the bizarre and the fantastic.
Pam Eaves 