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“It was during a visit to the historic city of Krakow that I was inspired to write this story. Our hotel was situated in the lively Kazimierz district and surrounded by quirky cafés and bars. One evening we chanced upon the unlikely named Once Upon a Time in Kazimierz, a bijou restaurant serving authentic Polish dishes. Three years later while enjoying a creative writing class the restaurant became the subject of a short story which gradually grew until it became a full blown novel. I revisited the restaurant after the book was published and the second visit was as magical as the first.
A carpenter’s workshop, grocer shop and tailor’s, unchanged since pre-war years, have been integrated into one space and furnished with an eclectic mix of fixtures and artefacts from the original interiors. A duo of young musicians played violin and accordion, and in the beguiling atmosphere of that unique and intimate space the seed of an idea was sown and two years later my first novel was begun.”
Now published by Troubadour Publishing. Available direct from the publishers or online at Waterstones, Smiths, Amazon and all leading bookshops. Priced at £8.99
Now published by Troubadour Publishing. Available direct from the publishers or online at Waterstones, Smiths, Amazon and all leading bookshops. Priced at £8.99
It‘s 1930 and Poland’s economy is beginning to suffer as a result of the Great Depression. Kindhearted but naïve Marianna lives with her parents in the rural village of Zalipie in southeast Poland. This small farming community is all she has ever known and she dreams of a different life in the city. A whirlwind romance with Leon, a dashing but egotistical musician, leads to a hasty marriage providing her with an opportunity for change.
Leon’s father, Stanislaw, runs the local grocery store in Kazimierz, a busy district of Krakow. His fellow shopkeepers and their families are a close-knit, diverse community and they welcome the couple with open arms, but the lives of the inhabitants of this small row of shops will be changed forever by the arrival of the newly wed couple. By nightfall, the seeds of new relationships will have been sown and the shattering of others begun as family rifts, unfulfilled dreams and personal resentments are tested by their presence.
Filled with rich and contrasting characters the story centres around Marianna and Stefan, a talented carpenter whose marriage is less than perfect; Tomas, an endearing street urchin who is given a new chance in life away from his alcoholic brother Eryk; Feliks, a philandering and exuberant artist yet to fulfill his potential and Lydia, a young woman downtrodden by her overbearing mother.
Using rich descriptive prose the author sets a series of scenes that provide a range of insights into the characters personal lives, recollections and sometimes wild imaginings.
Leon’s father, Stanislaw, runs the local grocery store in Kazimierz, a busy district of Krakow. His fellow shopkeepers and their families are a close-knit, diverse community and they welcome the couple with open arms, but the lives of the inhabitants of this small row of shops will be changed forever by the arrival of the newly wed couple. By nightfall, the seeds of new relationships will have been sown and the shattering of others begun as family rifts, unfulfilled dreams and personal resentments are tested by their presence.
Filled with rich and contrasting characters the story centres around Marianna and Stefan, a talented carpenter whose marriage is less than perfect; Tomas, an endearing street urchin who is given a new chance in life away from his alcoholic brother Eryk; Feliks, a philandering and exuberant artist yet to fulfill his potential and Lydia, a young woman downtrodden by her overbearing mother.
Using rich descriptive prose the author sets a series of scenes that provide a range of insights into the characters personal lives, recollections and sometimes wild imaginings.
