Irene M Redpath

I don't feel interesting enough to have a biography online. But, if it will help anyone decide whether or not my books are worth taking a look at . . .

Firstly, to get it out of the way: I'm middle-aged, which means I'm old enough to have grandchildren. I live in a beautiful part of Scotland, not quite "The Borders", but we have the same rolling hills, and at the time of writing we've been under the same snow for about three weeks. In the last two days the melt has begun; our icicles have gone, and everything is drip-drip-dripping, though I have no idea where all the water is going to go to. The reservoirs will fill up and teem with fish, and then the fishers - human and avian - will come along for the pickings.

My life, up to now, has been shared with animals of all sorts and sizes, but now I am owned by two cats. They both help me to type, though they are asleep as I write this, full of supper, dreaming of things that make them smile and chirrup in their sleep. I won't disturb them.

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Hello from Scotland!

My name is Irene, and I write books. (Sits down.)

No, no, no - I'm not ashamed of writing, or embarrassed. I'm not famous, either. I don't seem to fit into a genre, unless it's the genre which has a few enthusiastic readers who write to me to tell me how much they've enjoyed my latest offering - but very rarely write a review for others to read.

So I am an unknown literary genius . . . or just a writer who is a long, long way down the best-sellers list.

I write some family history things, have done for a scarily long time, and I have a number of fiction titles available too. These are very inexpensive - I almost typed "cheap", but stopped myself just in time - and they are stories mainly about ordinary people living through extraordinary times and events. Nothing paranormal really, but I'm told they're good reading.

If you trust me enough to sample, you'll find that Kindle editions are available for a couple of pounds from Amazon. Free sample chapters are available all over the place, including my own web page, which has extra info and all the reviews I've managed to find, sellotaped neatly on to the same page at sites.google.com/site/imwrbooks1982/home for your delight and convenience.

Go on, give me a try - you won't regret it. (Well, if you do, Amazon will give you your money back, after all.)

Paperbacks, for those (like Yours Truly) who prefer them, are available from Lulu.com. They are a bit dearer, but they do look nice on your bookshelves.

Thanks for reading!

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I'm an old-fashioned sort of person, so I write books set a little bit further back in time from where we are now. I don't write about vampires or werewolves or shape-shifting time travellers, never having knowingly met any of them. My stories, on the whole, are about apparently normal people trying to get on with their ordinary lives, but sometimes in extraordinary circumstances.

"Wild Honey" is a small, quiet love story involving two people who might have nothing in common, or everything. They meet first as children, then grow up into different worlds - and meet again by accident.

"A Day to Go Gently" tells the story of one woman's journey through life, as she remembers it over the course of one day, which happens to be the longest day of the year. Her story begins on a small farm and continues through childhood, leaving school to go to work, and meeting a young man who becomes a major part of her long lifetime, taking up a fair slice of the story.

"Flowers for Alys" is a bit different, and set further back in time. It concerns what might appear to be an ordinary family, although in fact the people and the way they came to live together are anything but ordinary. The events which overtake them all, leading them to unexpected endings, may be caused by ignorance, prejudice - or simply looking the wrong way at the wrong time.

"When the Snow Refused to Fall" is about a young boy named Tom, who loves Christmas and snow and all that the season ought to bring. His mother is a lone parent, a mature student and has more complicated thoughts about the whole thing. Tom makes a wish and tells Father Christmas about it - then changes his mind. That's when things begin to get more tangled than ever.

"In the Image of Ravenna" is the latest book.

Ravenna is no longer young. In fact when she sees her own reflection, she feels as though she is turning into her mother, with whom she lived until the latter's death. She ekes out a precarious living through the skills in her own hands, forced by ever-incoming bills to be always on the alert for new clients for her drawings and paintings.

Edward has also reached his middle years. On the death of his mother he left the house they had shared for so long and moved closer to the university where he lectures in History. He is liked by his students, who refer to him affectionately as "The Prof", although he has not yet reached those giddy heights in his career.

Both live alone. And yet . . . someone watches over one of them, unseen.

All of these are available for Kindle and in paperback. If you want to read reviews, you'll find those and more information at my web site at this address: http://sites.google.com/site/imwrbooks1982/home