I am thrilled to have been one of the authors who have had short stories chosen for inclusion in the Written in the Stars Xmas-themed anthology, currently on sale. It was created in memory of 15-month-old Sofia Lyons-O’Sullivan, who died very unexpectedly due to a brain AVM (arteriovenous malformation). All net profits from sales will benefit Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and the Butterfly AVM Charity, so you can imagine how pleased we all were when Written in the Stars shot straight to the Amazon No 1 Best Seller slot on the day it was published! My story is called Still Life and is about a teenage girl coming to terms with the death of her dad on Christmas Eve a year earlier.
The end of Sofia’s short life was particularly heartbreaking. The tot had seemed to be perfectly well, when one morning she suddenly collapsed, was rushed to hospital and and then died five days later, on Easter Sunday with an asymptomatic AVM. An AVM is a vascular anomaly between arteries and veins, bypassing the capillary system. Tara and her husband had never heard of the condition until it affected Sofia. Sometimes it may cause intense pain and a huge difference in appearance. Sofia’s AVM located in her brain, led to her death, though she looked absolutely perfect and had shown no previous symptoms at all.
Sofia’s mum, Tara Lyons, is the Editorial and Production Manager at my publisher, Bloodhound Books, which makes the project especially close to my own heart. Tara is the person who kindly and calmly ensures that everything is shipshape for us authors, throughout the process of writing, from start to finish. She wanted to do something to support other families who find themselves in a similar devastating space due to AVMs, so she reached out to authors far and wide, asking for help to create a Christmas-themed collection of short stories dedicated to Sofia’s memory.
Being one of the chosen writers, I was lucky to also be one of the first people to read all of the stories when the book was finished. there are a huge range of different Xmas tales, with something to please even the most picky bookworm. Xmas songs feature throughout and Xmas food plot twists too. My story relies heavily on cheese and sparkly jam. It is the perfect festive gift so I do hope that you might consider buying it for others or yourself. Not only is it an entertaining read but buyers will be helping to support children and their families at possibly the worst time in their lives.
Here’s the link should you wish to purchase. https://geni.us/WrittenInTheStars_
