Keep Smiling Through

WHAT a strangely frightening and yet enlightening year we have had since the COVID lockdown in March 2020. Much of it feels like a bad dream now, and yet we all know of those who have suffered losses of a personal or professional nature and wish it could be otherwise.

But life goes on and, for me, lockdown was an unusually positive experience because I was invited to spend much of it with Captain Sir Tom Moore, the 99-year-old war veteran who raised £33 million for the NHS by walking up and down his back garden with his Zimmer frame in time for his 100th birthday. It was such an honour and a privilege to work with this remarkable old man and today I received a Nielsen Silver Bestseller Award for the sale of 250,000+ copies of the hardback of his book Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day. It certainly was for me! Our second book together, Life Lessons, is also selling well and so the legacy of a man I came to call my friend lives on. Bless him.

In spite of lockdown, 2020 also saw the release of two new editions of my books - a WWII 75 year special commemorative edition of my international bestseller Born Survivors, and the paperback of One Hundred Miracles, both of them books that I am especially proud of and which have now been published in a total of 32 countries.

                     

2021 hasn't disappointed yet either, with the publication in Italy of Cento Miracoli, the Italian edition of One Hundred Miracles, and in Brazil of Um Mulher Extraordinaria, the Portugese edition of A Woman of Firsts, the amazing story of Edna Adan Ismail.

                     

And, with the gradual lifting of restrictions, I was back on the road at the ever wonderful Ways with Words Festival at Dartington Hall in July, in between various Zoom presentations to everyone from educational bodies to corporate clients and my own creative writing students.

This coming month will be busiest of all and, to summarise, below is a list of the events where I'll be speaking, all of them in my home county of Suffolk for a change. Do please come and say hello of you're in the area.

• Saturday August 21: FolkEast Glemham Hall, Books Tent at midday. In conversation about my books and the stories behind them
• Sunday August 22: The Low House Literary Festival, Laxfield at 2pm. In conversation with another author about Remarkable Journeys of the Second World War
• Wednesday August 25: Old Hall Cafe, Southwold. Supper and book chat from 7pm
• Friday September 10: The Cut Arts Centre, Halesworth 7pm.

Once I've recovered from all that, I shall be entering a period of purdah for a big new writing project that will keep me occupied for the coming year and beyond. I promise you won't be disappointed so watch this space.

Stay safe and well everyone. We have more yet to face, but - in the words of Captain Tom - we need to 'Keep Smiling Through' and everything will be alright in the end.

Follow me:

Instagram: @wendyholdenbestsellingauthor

Twitter: @wendholden

Facebook: Wendy Holden Fan Page

Podcasts: http://wendyholden.buzzsprout.com

Also on TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest

www.wendyholden.com