A psychological novel from bestselling author Wendy Robertson A psychological novel from bestselling author Wendy Robertson The Story We're all experts in childhood. After all weren't we all once children? But ... Twelve year old Dee - is a misfit in her family. Her parents see her stubborn willfulness as a source of chaos in the household. It's the last straw when she decides not to speak. As her life begins to unravel Dee tells us her own story - how she begins to rescue herself from her own life. But she's not alone on her journey. Travelling with her is a woman who throws pots and a dog called Rufus. Then there are Dee's drawing books and characters she's met in stories she has read... First Three Readers' Comments 1. Avril Joy, Novelist and Short Story Writer 'From the first page we have no choice but to take this fragile but resilient child into our hearts. We see the world through Dee's eyes, notice everything as she does, struggling with her 'to work out what all this means, ' from the beasts and cages that haunt her dreams to the uncomfortable, often destructive, politics of family life. The world of the novel is as richly textured as the 'markings, ' Dee makes in her precious books. It is a world in which the powerlessness of childhood is laid bare. It's triumph is to show us just how the spirit of the child survives. What makes this novel so touching is the way Wendy Robertson fast tracks us straight into Dee's world' 2. Clive Johnson, Editor and Author 'Most striking here is the careful handling of the mystery of Dee's state of mind and the growing undercurrent of menace.' Clive Johnson 3 Sharon Griffiths, Author and Journalist 'It's easy to label a child, much harder to see the real picture. In a tense and moving story, Wendy Robertson challenges us to find a new way of looking.'
About the Author: Always a storyteller - after relishing and surviving academic life Wendy Robertson became a full-time writer. She has published twenty-two novels, both historical and contemporary, and two short story collections - all of which are on Amazon Books and Amazon Kindle. She continues to write occasional articles on issues close to her heart and writes her blog A Life Twice Tasted. She lives in historic South Durham, in a Victorian house that has played a role in more than one of her novels. She was for five years on and off Writer in Residence at HMP Low Newton - a life-changing experience where she encouraged a wide range of women to raise their self-esteem and realise their potential through original writing. She has an MA in Education which involved deep study into childhood and child development which has possibly had an influence on this story. It might be relevant here to say that her dissertation was entitled Language and Power. She was invited to pursue her studies to a PhD but chose to focus on writing realistic fiction. She says that each novel has seemed like studying for and writing a PhD in itself. Since becoming a full time writer Wendy has given conferences, short courses and workshops on the novel and the short story and acted as mentor to up and coming writers. For two years she presented a local radio programme called The Writing Game. She is interested in the burgeoning professionalisation of the independent publishing process. website; www.wendyrobertson.com