Boldwood Books – Samantha Tonge

The Joy of Wabi-sabi

Sam Tonge — Sat, 20 May 2023 09:13:42 +0000

The joy of Wabi-sabi 侘寂 #MentalHeathAwarenessWeek

What is Wabi-sabi? As a character in my new story, The Memory of You explains: ‘It’s a Japanese way of thinking about the natural cycle of life and how it’s imperfect, impermanent, incomplete. It encourages you to find beauty in imperfection…’

Wabi-sabi is about seeking the beauty in the simple life, about accepting the changes that the passage of time brings.

As soon as I stumbled across this concept I knew it intrinsically related to my novel, the themes, the characters – and to my own life. I’m a perfectionist which has its advantages – you need to have an obsessively keen eye for detail if you want to be a novelist – but it’s also led me down some dark roads with my mental health. I’ve suffered from eating disorders on and off for a long time, and part of that journey has been focussing on my self-perceived flaws. Instead of rejoicing in my differences, I’ve wanted to eliminate them. I’m grateful that in recent years I’ve come to accept and embrace myself.

In many ways becoming an author didn’t help, a job where I am continually ranked against contemporaries, where I must do videos, post photos, make public appearances… like so many aspects of modern life, it’s about high expectations and the early part of my journey is reflected in Alex’s:

Her author life had been the opposite of wabi-sabi, with her only being satisfied with utter perfection, in terms of the image she projected and the ranks she achieved.

Wabi-sabi is about accepting impermanence as well as imperfection – levels of success change, we grow older… But there is still joy to be found in an imperfect world, you just need to look harder for the new pockets of happiness.

On the surface it can be very difficult to find any joy in dementia, the main theme of my novel – but it doesn’t mean there aren’t small things that still lift the spirits. I lost a loved one to the condition twenty years ago, and whilst it was heartwrenching watching how they changed, there were still precious minutes of lucidity, of humour, episodes of laughter. Another family member is currently suffering and they find such unadulterated joy in a visit, a hug and a delicious chocolate. There are still moments worth holding close and remembering.

A winter tree might lose its colourful leaves, but its outline is still striking. A wrinkled face might have lost that flush of youth, but laughter lines make for a friendly expression. An immaculately weeded border will eventually grow over, but what delight to be found in a cheeky daisy or proud dandelion.

Nothing stays the same as time passes, and imperfection ensues, but the value of what’s new is no less than what came before. It’s just different.

The Memory of You is OUT NOW, 99p UK, download here.

Lost Luggage Publication Day! Blog post – Never Too Late

Sam Tonge — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 15:05:06 +0000

Today sees the publication of Lost Luggage, my second story with Boldwood Books.

I’m really excited to share it – it’s 72 year old Dolly’s story, a story about life always being full of chances, it’s never too late to turn things around.

When I was heading for my late twenties, recovering from a mental health illness and, at times, stressful university experience, I remember the panic I felt, deep inside, that I’d missed all my chances. I’d never have a career. Never find a partner. My illness had caused me to turn down many opportunities. After graduating I stayed inside for several months, rarely going out unless it was with my parents. I didn’t want to see anyone else. Or, rather, I didn’t want anyone to see me.

That lonely, isolating time is what inspired the story of Lost Luggage, along with Covid and the lockdowns so many of us, around the world, endured, spending months, years in some cases, stuck indoors.

Seventy-two year old Dolly, in particular, has a sense that it is all too late, that she’s missed her chances and settled for a life that is far from the dreams she harboured as a young woman. Her life fell apart when she was let down badly in her twenties and her plans for the future evaporated. As a result she moved in with her older sister and lived with her for fifty years. But then Greta left too and Dolly’s life fell apart again.

As a woman in my mid-fifties, I still have mental health issues, however I no longer experience that depth of hopeless despair because I now have the gift of hindsight. I realise that every year, whatever age you are, brings the possibility of following your dreams, of things turning around and a trough becoming a peak.

Take my career. I didn’t get published until my mid forties and I know writers who’ve got their first deal a couple of decades after that. And then there are my drinking issues. For a long time I’d known I had a problem and it going full-blown was always *in the post* as addicts say. That post arrived big time when I got published and in 2016 I finally went into treatment. So it wasn’t too late for me, I got there eventually and now I’m almost six years sober.

The key to finally achieving your goals? It’s facing your fears. Forcing yourself to do the most difficult thing. And accepting help from people to do so. For me… in my twenties it was a matter of undergoing therapy and forcing myself out to meet friends, and getting a job. To get published, I had to brace myself and send out work, with support from fellow writers. I received over eighty rejections but kept going. And to get sober, with the support of my husband and children I faced the scary prospect of a treatment programme with other addicts. It was one of the hardest processes I’ve ever been through, but when you reach a point where your situation feels as if it can’t get any worse, what have you got to lose?

With the encouragement of her neighbours retired Leroy and eleven year old Flo, Dolly realises she, too, must push herself out of her comfort zone. When she bids on a piece of lost luggage and finds a notebook inside it, containing a Year of Firsts, the answer has landed in her lap.

Dolly must undertake these challenges herself – with a little help from her friends.

Bookish August!

Sam Tonge — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 12:47:34 +0000

It’s been a busy August, plodding on with the first draft of my novel for April 2022… it’s taken a lot of thinking and I’m panicking already about the November deadline. I’ve already had to ask for it to be extended once.

However… I do finally feel I am in the zone and am loving the characters. It’s another story set in Manchester. I can’t say much more at the moment because that might kill my mojo!

So a lot of August has been spent online – but I’ve found time to enjoy myself in the real world as well. A trip to Liverpool meant that I just had to pop into Waterstones to see pal Daniel Riding – bookseller, children’s author and artist. Do check out his art on Instagram @danielriding.

August also saw the 3rd birthday of my amazing publisher Boldwood Books. In 3 years they’ve sold 8 million books, so I just had to bake a cake to celebrate!

I’ve read some brilliant stories, including the new one coming out from Celia Anderson, Coming Home to Mistletoe Cottage and They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. I was also gifted this beautiful bird book. I’m a huge fan of birdwatching and we’ve been blessed to have blue tits nesting in the garden this year. And a huge family of sparrows live in our bushes and leylandi!

But of course, my big news is that I’ve been getting ready to launch Lost Luggage on 22nd September! Final edits are done, cover tweaks… I can’t wait to share this story and have just ordered some gorgeous notebooks so keep your eyes peeled for competitions!

Below is the blurb, and it’s up for preorder now. I do hope you enjoy it!

One lost suitcase. Two strangers. And a notebook that will change lives.

For almost fifty years, sisters Dolly and Greta have lived together – getting each other through the good times and the bad.

Except this year, Greta isn’t there and Dolly is feeling lost and alone. In memory of her sister, Dolly heads to the lost luggage auction where she and Greta go each Christmas. But her bid reveals a gift she never imagined.

Amongst the clothes is the notebook of a reclusive woman who has hardly been outside for an entire year, but who isn’t ready to give up on life. The notebook’s contents resonate with Dolly. With the support of her neighbours, retired Leroy and eleven year old Flo, Dolly decides to take on the year of firsts Phoebe had planned.

But, can you have a year of firsts when you’re seventy-two? And is Dolly ready to discover the notebook’s secrets, or are some secrets better left lost at the airport?

Cover Reveal – Lost Luggage!

Sam Tonge — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 16:12:05 +0000

And here it is, the beautiful cover for Lost Luggage, out September 22nd!

It is up for preorder now and also on NetGalley for early reviewers!

Here is the blurb!

One lost suitcase. Two strangers. And a notebook that will change lives.

For almost fifty years, sisters Dolly and Greta have lived together – getting each other through the good times and the bad.

But, can you have a year of firsts when you’re seventy-two? And is Dolly ready to discover the notebook’s secrets, or are some secrets better left lost at the airport?

New Publisher, New Direction!

Sam Tonge — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 16:41:03 +0000

I am thrilled to announce that I have signed a four book deal with the amazing Boldwood Books!

Under One Roof will be out 9th February 2022 and is already up for preorder! It’s a multigenerational women’s fiction story about an estranged family, treasure hunt and it has ’80s elements.

I can’t wait to share this story that I loved writing.

Here’s the blurb!

Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Paige Toon.

One forgotten discovery will change three women’s lives for ever…

Robin hasn’t been home for decades. After running away to London, she never expected to see her cantankerous mother, Faye, again. But when Faye has a fall, the two women are thrown together once more.

The years apart have not made their hearts grow fonder and the ground between them is unsteady. Then Robin finds an unopened scroll – the last of the treasure hunts her much-missed father used to take them on every Sunday. A hunt he believed might change everything.

Yet, not even this gift from her beloved father can smooth the way until Robin’s daughter, Amber, arrives to meet her grandmother for the first time. Amber is determined that the decades-old mystery be solved.

Can a 30-year-old treasure hunt really ‘change everything’?