Having friends and family buy and enjoy my book has been lovely, and when strangers buy the book and give a five-star review it’s even more rewarding!
This week, recognition for The Cactus Surgeon has gone up yet another level! I found out it is one of just eight titles shortlisted in the Selfies UK Book Awards – which reward and recognise the UK’s best indy-published books – in the memoir/autobiography category.
To say I am delighted is an understatement! I find out if I am a winner on April 5 at the London Book Fair. To top it off my friend Jill Morris, who I met through the Write That Book masterclass with Michael Heppell, is shortlisted in the fiction category for her exciting thriller The Big Fix.
Here is a look at the shortlist in the memoir/autobiography category. I’m off to check out the competition!

Congratulations!