As you may already know, a large proportion of staff here at the Club have many strings to their bows. We’re open Thursday to Sunday, which gives our team some time to pursue their various callings in life. Our very own Joanne Burn has recently enjoyed the huge success of having her first book published – amazing or what? A Peak District native, Jo has been penning her debut novel alongside working her magic with Simon and the team in the Club kitchen, and over the summer started enjoying the fruits of all that labour.
We couldn’t wait to polish our reading glasses and getting stuck into this absorbing, heartfelt page-turner. ‘Petals and Stones’ follows the heartbreak and recovery of Uma, the central character, with lots of meditative musing around family, friendship and fidelity. It’s packed with mouth-watering descriptions of Uma’s mother’s Keralan cooking, and moving explorations of Uma’s struggle to piece her life back together with the support of her friends and in-laws as painful secrets come to light.
I devoured this book in just a few days, desperate to find out what conclusion Jo was going to bring it all to. It’s such a nice feeling, and a brand new one for me, to read a book that’s written by someone who you know. If you’d like to get in on the action, you can pick up your own copy here. I’ve will be picking up another as it’ll a great Christmas present for bookworm family members, and also supports and celebrates local talent!
Jo’s in the process of writing her second book now, and we can’t wait to read it – though it means we won’t see as much of her at the Club as she knuckles down. She’s also going to be offering writing coaching – your chance to work with a published writer to develop your own creative flow.
Jo says “I love coaching anyone who has a desire to write, from absolute beginners to seasoned writers feeling stuck; working with a writing coach can be helpful whatever stage you’re at on your writing journey. One-to-one coaching and the principles that underpin it have supported my own dreams of being a published novelist. Coaching allowed me to get serious about my creative ambitions – I grew in confidence, got my words on the page and learned to call myself a writer. You can do this too! My aim, as your writing coach, is to help you find the inspiration, motivation and skills to make your writing dreams a reality.”
You can find out more about working with Jo at her website, joanneburn.com, where she’s offering a massive 25% off all writing coaching packages booked in December 2018 and January 2019. Start your new year as you mean to go on! She’s based in the Hope Valley but can also coach via Skype or over the phone. Perfect! And we can confirm she’s as lovely as she looks.
Well done Jo, we’re all so pleased for you and can’t wait to see where your journey takes you next. Love, the Club x
