Get Booked – Paul Sheppard & Lauren Vinn, Book Reality, Bea On The Ball & The Myst Saga 131221

You are listening to Get Booked with me, Hazel Butterfield, for Women's and Men's Radio Station. Get Booked is all about talking to authors, chatting about anything and everything books related, and all the joy, enlightenment, and escape that good books can provide. Sit back and let us entertain you with a different guest each week, sharing who they are, what they do, and what inspires them. Now today we have double the fun with two different authors and their books, and starting us off today we have Lauren Wynn with the Mist Saga. Now, this is the— I've been reading the second in this engaging Mist Saga, which is To the Moon and Never Back. Everything was perfect for Brannon and Asher until it wasn't. As normal as their lives became, they couldn't escape the supernatural consequences that followed them. When it comes down to saving Ash's family or remaining together, there is no debate. Brannon left alone searching for things that could reverse the risk placed on their lives until she wasn't, she wasn't alone. And after all that happened, after the loss, suffering, and extraordinary love, only one question remained. Who Are You? Now, the author Lauren Wynn was born in London and now lives in Cambridgeshire. She's currently studying English literature and writing at Cambridge's Ruskin University. During the first lockdown of 2020, Lauren explored her passion of writing by penning this, her first novella, He Was the Sun. Whilst growing up, writing was and still is her favourite thing to do. She believes that words are the most invaluable source of power, which I which I wholeheartedly agree with, and that mum is always right, which is what I also agree with, and I do constantly tell my two boys. When she's not writing, she is reading, which makes her perfect for Get Booked. Lauren, hi, thank you for joining the show. Hello, no, thank you for having me. You are very welcome. Now, I don't even know where to start, which is rubbish for a presenter. The books, they're so in-depth. Can you tell our listeners a little bit about what the Mist Saga is about. So the whole Mist Saga follows two main characters, Brandon and Asha. In book one, they meet each other at a summer camp. Obviously it's got a bit of romance in it, and they sort of quickly realize that they're quite significant to each other in a supernatural way. So book 1 leads up to a big decision at the end of it that has the potential to change their lives. And then book 2 sort of follows on with their journey and the consequences that come from the decision that they both made. And Brannan, she goes on a sort of supernatural treasure hunt. So there's more adventure and book 2 ends on a big cliffhanger that's going to lead up to book 3. I mean, you say a bit of romance, but for 18-year-olds, I mean, they are so into it. Love. I was sitting there going, "Oh, nobody talks about me like this!" Yeah, they're very in love, yeah. They really are. And I've just been reading about the spells, which to be honest, I don't think I read every single word because I was just going, "The spells are quite intense!" You must have done either an incredible amount of research, and especially into Latin, or are you a little bit of a witch yourself? No, I did have to do research. I took— I did do a language at school, so I have a lot of good apps that help you translate things, so I just— I choose those. Right. I did want to say, do you not— do you believe in the supernatural world? Oh, I don't know. I wouldn't say 100% no, but it's sort of my favourite genre to read or to, like, watch series on, so therefore it's also my favourite to write about. So I did actually read, I was reading up about you and I know that yes, you like to read and write, but you also like to rewatch lots of your favourite programmes and movies. So go on, which is your favourite? The Vampire Diaries. I just can't beat it. Wow. Okay. It's interesting, you know, because one of my friends at work, she calls herself a witch and she actually does do you know, you can, you can buy a spell or a potion off her and what— yeah, there are so many people that believe in it and there's grounds for it. And I think, you know, I think everybody should be able to believe in whatever, whatever suits them or whatever kind of strikes a chord with them. But I would— I'm quite surprised that you're not convinced or you're not necessarily a believer in the supernatural world because it's so in-depth, the Mist Saga, isn't it? Yeah, it did take a lot of planning, yeah, but I'd love to believe it's all real, I really would. Maybe I'm trying to convince myself in these books. And so there is number 3 coming out? Yeah. So, and you know, you're, you're 18, you're already a published author, um, where do you go from here? Oh well, after Christmas I'll start writing number 3, but obviously I do writing at university, so I'll still have a good few years to figure out what to do after number 3. I'm still doing writing all the time for uni, so right at the moment it's okay, I've got it figured out. Good, good. And I've read book number 2, and I hadn't read book number 1 first. What do you think? Do you think they can be standalones? Do you think there's enough of an explanation that's going on, or do you think I've really missed quite a bit, quite a lot about what's happened by going straight to book 2? No, I think you can definitely still read and enjoy book 2 without book 1. Book 1's sort of just about them meeting and explaining the background, so it's good to know it all, but obviously book 2 has its own storyline that is standalone from book 1. So I think, yeah, you can still read it without book 1. Yeah, because you kind of fed into the dialogue about things that have led them there anyway. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What inspired you to create the Mist Saga? I would say again, it's definitely all of the things that I read and watch about it, just brings all these ideas into my head, and that was the main one that I sort of loved the most. And obviously we was in lockdown when I wrote it, so I had lots of time to explore the idea. So I'd say it's definitely things that are supernatural-based that inspired me to write this one. Yeah. And it's just, writing is— this is something that I talk about regularly on Get Booked— writing is cathartic. Whether you're writing a diary, whether you're writing a blog, you know, whether it's for somebody to read or whether it's not, whether you're writing fiction, it's a kind of ordering thoughts process that I just think is invaluable, isn't it? Yeah, definitely. Writing's definitely a bit of an escape, isn't it, from the real world? You can make whatever world up you want and then totally get lost in it. And there's, I must say, there's quite a few elements of this book where what you talk about, about love and death, it's so incredibly profound. It's like you wanted to squeeze a little bit of yourself into this book as well, would that be right? Yeah, possibly. I think every author does that though, you can't help but write about your own experiences sometimes. Yeah, and what kind of just ignites you as well. And I just think, especially what you wrote about, about being in love and how you should never say, "I love you too." And I was just thinking, you know, um, age is irrelevant, isn't it? We all experience life, we all have our own opinions on life. And I've kind of, ever since I read that part of the book, whenever I've said to my friends or my kids or, you know, anybody, I've kind of stopped myself from saying, "I love you too," because I was just like, "I do that." It is, you suddenly, once it was highlighted, I was like, "Oh yeah, I'm never doing that again." And just so the listeners can kind of understand, it was just one of the lines where someone said, "I love you," and you're like, "I never want to say, 'I love you too,'" because it feels like something that you're responding to that's part of like a social contract, whereas you're If you say, "I love you," it's a statement. Yeah. And I absolutely loved that. Now, you do like writing about supernatural world. Is there anything else on the cards if you possibly finish with the Miss Saga? Is there something else you have in mind? I don't have anything supernatural planned yet. I'm getting into sort of contemporary fiction at the minute, like real world stuff, talking about society. So I have a few ideas for books like that, but I would love to do another supernatural one. It just takes quite a lot of thought to make it all make sense. And it's nice to be in a different world, isn't it? It's a nice escape. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. And I think especially for the last 18 months, people are really liking the concept of another world or some sort of dystopia so they can kind of escape the current issues that are going on. Everybody likes a little bit of fantasy. Don't they? Yeah. But I must say, there are a lot of people that listen to Get Booked that are writing their own book. I think there's many people have got a book in them. How did you go about getting published at such a young age? So when I finished with it, I sort of, I showed my mum and she was like, we need to do something with this. So we printed it ourselves first and sort of sold it ourselves, and then I went on BBC Cambridgeshire Radio, and I had an interview on there, and my publisher Ian, he was listening to it, and then he sort of got in touch with me, and he was like, I'd love to do a deal with you and to publish your books. Oh, and he's lovely as well, isn't he? Yes, he is very helpful, yeah. And that's Ian from bookreality.com, and how do you pronounce it? Is it Leshtenhout Press? Leshnault Press, I say. I'm not 100% sure. I should, I should. Leshnault. Leshnault, yes. I think that's right. Yeah, yeah, that sounds right. And you should go and check out his website, actually. They've got some fantastic books on there. Yeah, so do you have a favourite author or a favourite genre? My favourite genre would be fantasy. I am one of those typical Harry Potter fans that just loves to reread the books, but at the moment I really like Colleen Hoover and her books. I'm really into those at the moment. I find them really easy to read and I get through them really quickly. What's her name again? Sorry, I like looking, so basically, although I do lots of book reviews and stuff, I like hearing what other people have to say about books as well for recommendations. So who was that? Colleen Hoover. Colleen, yeah, cool, I'm on it. Oh yeah, found her. Yeah, yeah, definitely worth a read. Do you have a favourite? It Ends With Us, Ugly Love, Verity. It Ends With Us is my favourite, yeah, It Ends With Us. Oh really, so that's 2016. Oh, there you go, I'm gonna put it on my list. Yeah, you should, it's definitely worth a read. Oh, fantastic. I do love that, and I do kind of encourage listeners as well to get in touch at Hazel Butterfield world.com with some of their recommendations. And people can find out a little bit more about you on Facebook, can't they, at LaurenVin.Inc, is that right? Yeah, that's right, yeah, I post it all on Facebook, yeah. Are you a fan of the socials, are you on them? Yeah, I do have an Instagram as well. I recently got Twitter, but I'm still working out how to use that. Do you know what, Twitter's brilliant for writers. I mean, I do love Instagram because everybody loves a picture. What are you on Instagram so we can the listeners to follow you? It's just Lauren Bin on Instagram. Oh, that's nice and easy. I must say, Twitter, when you get the handle of it, and I know that it's kind of saying for people a little bit older who want to have a bit of a whinge about life, but the hashtag writing community on there are so supportive, especially for kind of indie authors. Okay, yeah. Super nice, um, and just kind of get involved with that. But while we are talking a little bit about social media, um, there are some incredibly annoying people out there on social media and some people that kind of are not taking a reality, and there are some fantastic people out there that are either funny, inspiring, or just really good class. Is there anybody out there in the public eye that you think is just brilliant to watch out for? So the first person that sprung to mind, this might be a bit of a strange answer, but it's David Attenborough. I just love watching his programmes, I love following him on social media. I think he does so much to promote a better way of living, and I always feel inspired and positive after watching him or reading what he's said recently. He's— that's not a weird answer, that's like one of the best ones. He is an absolute legend. He actually walks in my local park a lot. Oh really? Yeah, and if I ever struggle with insomnia, I just get either, um, I put one of the Lonely Planets on, or Blue Planet, or something like that, and just his dulcet tones in the background sends me off into the most beautiful slumber. He is fantastic, but also it's the passion he's got in his voice, and for all the topics he discussed. He discusses. He is just brilliant. So I love that. Oh, great answer. Um, and you obviously smashed the pandemic out the park. There were a lot of people your age that kind of struggled with not being able to do things that you should be allowed to do at that age, you know, going out, seeing your friends, or just living life. And everyone just kind of had to stop. So rather instead of sitting there and just kind of letting life pass you by, you decided to become a published author, which, you know, why not? But I'm guessing that must have done wonders for your mental health, because I know that a lot of people have struggled. Do you have any good tips on how to achieve good mental health? Yeah, definitely. I'd say other than writing, I'd say going on long walks and being outside. I find that's always helpful. And sort of replacing the time that you'd spend on social media with reading or writing. And I think you'd be surprised at how much of a difference that can make to your mental well-being if you just get, get off the social media scrolling and just get a book out. 100%. And also think maintaining like a clean bedroom, workspace, just your environment. If you keep it clean and organised, it sort of reflects on your mind a little bit. Oh, tidy house, tidy mind. If ever I think my brain is getting overloaded, you know, clean out a cupboard and reorganise your wardrobe and you're laughing, aren't you? Yeah, my wardrobe just feels like a lot. Does it? Yeah, mine's definitely in immaculate sections. What I would like to know is a little bit about the process of, of writing. You're obviously, um, very motivated, and I'd love to hear about how you got started. Um, with book one, it was sort of, again, just because we was in lockdown, it was sort of the idea of this will be something that can keep me busy. So I didn't really plan it, there wasn't much of a process, I just started writing and then sort of let it take me where I wanted to go. But with book 2, because you have to make sure everything you say aligns with the first one, there was a lot more planning. So I sort of— my process with that one was sort of just writing out questions that needed answering and then finding the answer to them and then making like a little timeline and going from there. But I don't find it very useful to plan every single thing because I think it can be quite restrictive. Yeah, it stops being the kind of the organic process, doesn't it? Yeah, yeah, it's supposed to be creative and you just write what you think of in the moment, and that's how I like to do it. Oh, I like that. And have you got any tips for anybody that would be thinking, I want to do what Lauren's done? Is there anything that you kind of think that, yes, that works, and oh wow, that didn't work well, you know, if I could have had a do-over, I'd make sure I'd do something differently. I'd definitely say be confident and stick with your idea, because I know that it's very easy to doubt yourself and to think, well, this isn't what people are gonna like, but there'll always be someone out there that likes what you've wrote about. So I think that's definitely something that I'd say to do, just stay confident. With not to do. I'm not too sure. I think you can sort of do whatever you want when it comes to writing, as long as it makes sense, and you've got a book, really. Oh, I like that, because that just tells people, you know, that they should just do it their own way. Yeah, definitely. Yay! Do you have a favourite book that you've— I mean, I know that you like the Colin Hoovers. Are you reading something at the moment? I'm reading The Unhoneymooners at the moment. I don't know if you've heard of that book. I'm just going to Google it now. I'm not very far in yet, but it's quite good. The Unhoneymooners. Oh yeah, Christina Lauren. Yes, that's the one. Does that sound about right? Yeah, yeah, brilliant. That's right, yeah. Oh wow. That's a good book. Now, what I would like to know, and this is purely for me actually because I'm just finishing my first book at the moment, how long does it take from finishing a book to actually getting it out on the shelves? I'd say it can take a while. I was just lucky enough that, like me and Ian always say, it was just fate because he was listening at the exact same time that I was on the radio, but if he hadn't been listening, I might not even be published yet. But I think you just have to persevere with it and keep going because it will be so rewarding when you do see it online or on the shelves and stuff. Would you— do you think you would have gone down the self-publishing route? Yeah, probably. Yeah, well, I sort of did because I printed it myself. I just didn't get the barcode and everything. So yeah, I would have looked more into it, definitely. And when I read a book, I always read the acknowledgements because I'm quite keen as to who's been supportive and what the author has to say. So I am going to read something out if this is okay. Yeah. So halfway down the acknowledgements: For as long as I can remember, I've had a second family, the King family. I owe a massive thank you to Michael, Kelly, and Lewis for supporting and encouraging me as if I was one of your own and for making me me laugh until my belly hurts. And to Abby, the last member of the King family, while she isn't very loving or caring or kind most of the time, she's my best friend and I wouldn't change her for the world. When my name first appeared in the newspaper article, she got more excited than anyone. Beneath the sarcasm and borderline rudeness, she is extremely supportive, encouraging, and hilarious with a beautiful heart. Abby, I will never be this nice to you ever again, so appreciate it. I mean, as far as acknowledgements go, it's a good one. Thanks. So, I mean, I know I've got a really terrible sense of humour, and I'm sure that my friends would write similar about me if they wrote acknowledging me. Tell us more about Abi. Yeah, she's Yeah, she's got, like, one of the dark sense of humours, a bit of a dry sense of humour. But, you know, it's all just funny. That was just an inside joke that her and her family would understand, that we all say to her all the time. But she is nice deep down. Did she know that you were going to write that, or did she get to see it when the book was published and you handed her a finished copy? No, I didn't tell her. What I did was at my book launch party, I read the acknowledgements out for the first time to everyone, so that was the first time that she heard it then. It's nice that you got to have a book launch because so many people over the last 12 to 18 months have had to just kind of really hit it on the socials because they weren't allowed to go out anywhere. So tell us about your book launch. So I didn't have one for book one because obviously it was COVID and everything, but yeah, for book 2 I had all my family and friends come to my house and we sort of just turned the house into a bit of a party room and just had a party. Well, that sounds like a good excuse really, doesn't it? Yeah, exactly. Now, have you kind of, now that you're going to be starting book 3, have you got into that stage where you're like, "Family, I'm an author, you're going to have to give me some space, I have a process, I need you to leave me alone." Do you kind of Do you think that's going to be happening in the new year? I don't, I think even if I did ask to be left alone, I don't think it would happen, so I'm not even going to try. Do you think you're going to be having any new characters in book number 3? I'm not sure yet. Yeah, there will be some, there will be some. And do you think there's anything that we should be looking out for, or are you not really quite at that stage yet? No, not at that stage yet, no. But I think paying attention to book 2 is important. There's a few hints in there what's going to happen. And I mean, I'm intrigued because, you know, you've got 2 books out already since, since the beginning of 2020. How long from start to finish does it take you to write a book? For the first 2 books, it's taken me a few months each, um, but for number 3, I think it's going to take me a bit longer because I've already planned that it's going to be bigger. But yeah, it hasn't taken me too long so far, which I know is quite shocking to a lot of people. A lot of people have said to me, you're getting these out very quick. But it's when you enjoy doing something, I feel like you just do it all the time. And that's what I've been doing. That's how it gets done so quickly. Do you know what though? If you find something that you are passionate about, it's not a chore and you can just Get on with it. Yeah, I'm just hoping that my kids get passionate about maybe cleaning or something. I don't think it's gonna happen. It's not gonna happen, no. I think I'm just setting myself up for a fall, really. Thank you so much, Lauren, for chatting to us here on Get Booked for Women's and Men's radio station, and I've loved hearing a little bit more about the Mist Saga. Now if people want to find out a bit more about Lauren and her books, you can go on to bookreality.com/ourbooks or /authors. Um, but Lauren, if you just tell our listeners where people can find out a little bit more about you as well, I've just given them a quick reminder. Yeah, so on Facebook I have my Facebook page Lauren Vinn Inc., and I also have Instagram which is just Lauren Vinn, and I post all the updates and links to how you can buy it on there. That's brilliant. Thank you so much, Lauren. Thank you for joining us here on Get Booked. Good luck with book 3. Thank you. I'm Hazel Butterfield, and you've been listening to Get Booked, the women's and men's radio station. We've just been chatting to Lauren Wynn, the author of The Mist Saga. Now, the Publishing house for this book is Leschenholt Press and the Book Reality Experience publisher. They publish new authors from Australia, the USA, and the UK. You can check out their latest titles at bookreality.com/ourbooks, and there's crime fiction, science fiction, self-help, poetry anthologies, and teenage dramas like The Mist SAGA to Kindergarten Adventures, and they are always on the lookout for fresh new stories. And yes, they are open for submissions. Just go and check out their website. Le Chanel Press and Book Reality— great stories from great authors. And for those of you that were listening to the conversation with Lauren, I do love it when I hear from you. If you want to get in touch with me on Twitter @nuttybutty and let me know about the books that you've been reading and loving. Or maybe, maybe you want to send through a quick 1-minute recording of a book review, then we will play out on Get Booked. Regular listeners to Get Booked will know that I am a huge fan of audiobooks, and Leschenault Press is proud to announce the release of their latest audio titles available now. At lechonautpress.com/audio-books, including the award-winning Wright and Tran series of detective novels, narrated no less by HBO's Game of Thrones star Gemma Whelan, fresh from her success in ITV's The Tower. Wow. Uh, yeah, Lechonaut Press and Book Reality, great stories for from great authors. Now, next up on Get Booked, we have today's second author, which is Paul Shephard, author of Be on the Ball, a novel inspired by Lewis FC and their Equality FC campaign. Paul is Welsh-born but spent most of his professional life in Northern Ireland, where he worked as a probation officer, no less. He is still a registered social worker and now lives in East Sussex. He co-edits the matchday program for his local community-owned football club, Lewes FC. In 2017, Lewes announced its Equality FC campaign, becoming the first professional or semi-professional club in the world to pay their women's teams the same as its men's, which is brilliant. Absolutely love it, and I love it that he's raising awareness of gender inequality in football, and this is what inspired the idea for B on the Ball. Now, there are so many topics to discuss, so we just need to jump right into it. Paul, thank you so much for joining us here on Get Booked for Women's and Men's radio station. My pleasure, Hazel, my pleasure. Now, you have written— do you know what, I thoroughly love this book, and I had— I knew that it was about women's football, but I didn't know anything other than that. So you— and then I read the book and I was like, wow, you covered so much in less than 250 pages, and I was just like— thanks, thanks, that's what I tried to do, yeah, yeah, I wanted to cover so much. Well, yeah, so I was quite surprised, I mean, you covered eating disorders, family dysfunction, poverty, the FA, disability, bullying, just to name a few. And, and wow, tell, tell us a little bit more about that. Oh, where can I start? I was gonna say, I wanted to cover a lot. Yeah, I wanted to cover a lot, Hazel, and I, I wanted to show Beatrice, Bea, and her friends standing up in the face of adversity, because it seemed to me when I sat down to write this that young people face so many difficulties in the modern day, far more so than in my day when we had a functioning welfare state and an era of full employment. And my generation was so fortunate. I was actually paid as a mature student to go to college, you know, how good was that? And these opportunities have been ripped away from young people through ideological reasons and political expediency, I feel. And I would think young people have every right to be angry today, so Bee has to deal with a range of issues, and yeah, that's what I included. And do you know what? You did it so incredibly well, it kind of— none of it was like the main point, it just kind of all fed in together because there are so many issues that society, parents, children have to deal with, and it kind of really nicely all fed in together. And what I must say, I know that you covered disability, but it was just kind of, just kind of slightly touching on it because it's not the be-all and end-all, is it? It isn't the main thing about somebody. No, well, that's right. You're talking about Jack, who is Bee's cousin, and yeah, yeah, Jack Jack ends up in a wheelchair after a tragic accident. But yeah, I wanted to— I suppose that, you know, Jack was part of the spectrum of the people that I include in the book and the issues I include. And I'm not sure where Jack and his disability came from, but I suppose it's just part of the spectrum that I wanted to include, really. But that's the thing, it doesn't need to come from anywhere, it's just part of life. And I think that the more that that's included in books that are now being released, I think the better. It's not a case of, okay, we need to tick a box. It is just life, and I think that's very important. Yeah, you know, resolving problems and difficulties, and I thought, you know, I might have hit the mark with being all-inclusive in a lot of ways, which I'm happy about, you know. Yeah, well, you definitely are working for inclusivity, and thank you. Now before we go on to talking a little bit about the campaign for Lewes FC, it's just I want to know what it was like for you writing from the viewpoint of a 15-year-old girl. I was asked this live on a radio interview, Hazel, and I wasn't expecting it. There you go. I thought I answered it quite well. And so it goes like this. I have this obviously rehearsed now. Brilliant. As I say, it hit me live on radio. The best way I answered it was the only way I could resolve it, that for a whole 12-month period I was myself the father of a 15-year-old girl. Oh, I'm sorry. That was, that was a starting point, and I thought a pretty good starting point. Yeah. And I did give it a lot of thought, and I actually found myself searching the internet for colloquialisms and what language young people were using today. I suppose it's a good thing that I don't have in my circle of friends very many, well in fact none, no 15-year-old girls, and that's a pretty good thing I think. But I suppose if you're writing it could be quite interesting. I mean the thing is I was reading it and I was thinking 'Oh, even I don't know some of these things.' I was like, 'Oh, brilliant, brilliant.' Yeah, but I'm sure my very soon-to-be 15-year-old son will know, and I'm sure he would deliciously cringe if I tried to write from the viewpoint of a 15-year-old boy. As much as I'd like to. Sorry, yeah, I've been searching for it for a good idea. I've never had an original idea in my life, and I was searching for a good idea for a story. And initially I was going to write about a boy and football, because that's what you do, boys are associated with football. Been there, done that, yeah. Yeah, with the prominence of equality, the Equality FC campaign at Lewes, I turned the boy into a girl, and the girl became Beatriz and became B on the Ball. So that's how that came about, purely from the Equality FC campaign that Lewis operates. Yeah, well, anybody can write about something that has already proven to be popular, but you know, how is that interesting? How is that unique? And I must say, I learned so much from Be on the Ball, even though it's fiction, although I'm sure there's a lot of truth in there. I mean, I know that you kind of commentate on the match reports, and I found out so much about the history of women's football, and I found that itself quite an entertaining part of the book. And, you know, I love a book that kind of makes you feel like you're a little bit wiser by the end of it. Thank you very much, that's great to hear that. I think the book is— yeah, the book is timely as well because 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the FA, the Football Association's 50-year ban on organized women's football. You just think a ban? That's a complete coincidence, by the way, but yeah, it was banned after the First World War. So it was only lifted in, I think, was it 1970? 1971? Yeah. So it's really taking off today. I mean, Women's football is the— well, I was going to say the next big thing, it is the big thing, right? Oh, it is, it is. Women are just smashing everything out of the park, and we can no longer be held back. And I mean, football is a huge thing in our house anyway. I mean, even today I have to drive halfway around the other side of London to take my son to various training sessions and then be up at the crack of dawn on Sunday to be standing pitchside, you know. I am one of those mums that it's really, come on, baby! And I've even— you know what, Hazel, that is brilliant, because do you know how many famous professional footballers credit their mums and dads with driving them to training, driving them to matches, standing on freezing cold touchlines? I mean, and you, you know, there could be, there could be a time when your son is making big bucks and enjoying his football and say, you know, I owe it all to my mum. Well, good. I hope he remembers that I'm very fond of Fast Cars. But no, I mean, the thing is, I never used to be a fan of football, mainly because of the bad press it gets for the fans, you know, the fans that ruin it for everybody else. And it's just— that's completely been knocked out of the park over the last year or so because I thoroughly love my Sundays, and it's just the excitement and learning about the different skills and seeing them come together as a team. And it's not just about extremely rich divas kind of running around and, you know, scoring a goal. It's everything. It's to do with, you know, if you've got a rubbish coach, you're not going to do well, and it's the whole teamwork element of it all and recovering from when it goes wrong. And I think this isn't something that should just be aimed at for boys, it needs to be girls and women as well, and they're very good at that. And that's why Equality FC, I love the campaign, I think it's so incredibly important. Well, Lewis FC, Lewis has become more than a football club, Hazel, it's, you know, it's right to say it's a leader on social issues. I mean, football can be a massive vehicle for social change, and I think people are only just waking up to this, Premier League excepted, which is all about big bucks and cash. But Lewis FC is a leader on social issues. It's from their Men Against Misogyny campaign. Yeah. You know, gambling, you know, gambling-related suicide campaigns, free school meals for kids. You know, I'm really proud to be an owner and a supporter of Lewis FC. I think it's brilliant, it's a leader, yeah. Well, do you know what, one of my things is that if it's sport or if it's literature, the kids know I'll pretty much spend anything and I will go out of my way to get them here. There and Everywhere, because one is exercising the mind and the other is all about, you know, it's keeping fit and healthy and teamwork. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? I just think it is, it's up there, and it's, it's so important that women are given those opportunities as well. I do want to know though, what did your daughter think of the book? Oh, Can I, can I? Well, look, okay, I'm going to answer the question. She is immensely proud of me, my daughter Gronya, that I produced this book. Yeah, I mean, I don't want to say any more than that. She's just immensely proud of her dad, and you know, and that gives me, you know, that's reward enough in itself, really. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, that sounds like Hazel. I was a football nut. As a kid, you know. I mean, that's— I hope that's— that probably shows in the book. I know, I do know about sort of— do know a little bit about the game. Uh, none of my 3 kids would even look at a football. Oh, you know, they just weren't interested. And I'm so pleased that that didn't bug me in any way, you know. I mean, it didn't worry me that they, you know, that I was a football nut and remained a football nut, and neither of them would, you know, were remotely interested in football. So then you've had to go and hang out at Lewes FC so you can go and hang out with people who are interested. Yeah, yeah. I must say, I am loving appreciating the sport a bit more, and to be honest, for the last 3 or 4 years, you know, my son has been dragging me onto either the garden or the local park, and, you know, I've been playing football for hours, and I'm really competitive, so I am that mum that really tackles quite hard. I mean, if he doesn't come home with a bruise, we haven't really played properly, you know. We both quite often, and there are various comments about why I'm so covered in bruises, but we just completely go for it and we, you know, we're diving everywhere. The dog just has to sit at the side. Um, but yeah, we are very much so into it, and, um, I, I'd love it. I might actually see if I can get my son to read this because, well, because kids now, especially my youngest, who's the one who's into football, he's 11, and it is just second nature to talk about women's football as well and where they are in the league and how they're doing. I hope boys will read it as well, Hazel. Absolutely, yeah. I think there's a lot in it for, you know, both genders. Oh, definitely. Yeah, yeah. And I must— I know it's supposed to be for young adults, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as well. It's one of those books that I think there's something in it for absolutely everybody. And I know that you write short stories, do you think they're gonna maybe get published now? Yeah, I've had a few short stories published when I lived in Northern Ireland. I relocated to Lewes in 2015 and I'd had 3 or 4 published short stories prior to that. My intention was to come here and write but instead of that, because I'd moved lock, stock and barrel. I got so caught up in work and, uh, that, um, writing went out the window. And really, um, I'm retired now, and, um, I retired because of lockdown. I just simply couldn't operate as a social worker from my kitchen. Yeah, B is the product of lockdown, um, when I had basically time to sit down and, you know, and write that. Life does indeed get in the way, and I think it's quite interesting because you would regularly hear people say, oh, I've got a book in me and I just, I just don't seem to have the time, or I haven't been given the opportunity to sit down and, and get it started. And that is the thing, getting it started. And there were so many people in lockdown, they kind of went one way or another. They either suddenly went, right, now's the time to write a book. So many people have written a book in lockdown. I know, I have never been been so busy. But it's great because everybody wanted to read. They wanted to read about other people's lives. They wanted to escape. They needed entertaining. There's only so much TV you can watch, and, you know, I think people completed Netflix quite often. Angela, I have to tell you, when I started, because I'd only had— I'd only written short stories, and then I said I had 3 or 4 published. This was my first attempt at a novel, if you like, because of time issues. And I've said before, in some ways I feel a bit of a fraud about the book because once I'd started writing, the characters took on a life of their own, and it's uncanny. And I'm sure you'll have heard writers talking about this before, how their characters start doing the most unexpected things and the writer just has to go along with it. This intrigued me as it was happening. And it was fantastic. I mean, they were just doing their own thing and I'm sort of screaming to keep up with them. It really was uncanny. That's when there's passion involved though, and I love to hear that. And when the kind of the story is you and it's all kind of just meshing together beautifully. I love that. And I'm sure hours and hours just went by and you suddenly went, I only meant to do 15 minutes. Minutes today. Yeah, ideas were coming to me and I'm scribbling them down. I might have been out walking or whatever, and you know, you must take a notebook with you if you're going to write anything because ideas will come to you. But I'm scribbling bits down and I'm thinking, God, I can't wait to get back to, to the computer to, to, to, to map that out, you know, and develop it as a story. It's— yeah, it's fantastic. It was great. I mean, great therapy, Hazel. Brilliant. Writing, writing is therapy. I mean, recommend it to anybody. I know it's, you know, everybody's— we're all individuals and we're different and there's no one-size-fits-all, but, but writing is therapy. I, I'm a great believer in it. Yeah, I was saying this to Lauren Vinn earlier, um, and how cathartic it can be. And I write all the time, and I say to my friends who, if they talk about how they have insomnia, I say, do you know what, spend 15 minutes writing before you go to bed because whatever it is that's stopping you from falling asleep, put it on the paper and your brain goes, oh, I don't need to keep on going over it because it's written down somewhere, there's a reference to it. Absolutely, that's it, that's it, you know, get your problems out, let them flow down your arm through the pen onto the paper and you've got them in front of you, you don't have to juggle them in your mind, you can and did it help to resolve the issues when you see them written down? Look, these are the issues I have, how am I going to resolve them? Yeah. I can't actually remember the actual sciencey bit, but there is something between how your brain reacts with your hand while you're actually writing. So if you can actually write instead of typing, there is another level that gives you a kind of Control-Alt-Delete. Well, and, and do you know what? I'm on social media a lot because of my job. I don't just have this show that I do, I have other shows and I blog and I write for other people. So I've got 4 Instagram accounts, 3 Twitter accounts, a couple of Facebook pages, my own website that I have to write. So I'm in front of a screen quite a lot. So I really need to make sure that I find ways to bring it back round again pen, and that is writing, even just writing the reviews for books that I read, I find it so cathartic. Yeah, absolutely Hazel, absolutely. But I really, you know, it's an age thing clearly, but I mean all those social media accounts, that would drive me insane Hazel. Well it would, it does, it does, but I do— I'll just stick to pen and paper. The thing is I need to use use the socials to promote the shows, to make sure that people are listening in as well. And I think it's kind of— it has a good end because one of the things I love about this show is that we get to— I get to chat to authors, but people who are fans of reading and writing, they get to find out a little bit more about authors whose books they've read and finding out the qualities. And as we were talking about, the cathartic element, And I think it's important for people to be reading more, to know the benefits of writing more, and just hearing other people's stories. The more we know about other people, the better people we can be. Yeah, absolutely. It works for me, Hazel, writing works for me. And do you know what? Books, whether they're fiction or autobiographical or just facts, it's just it just contributes to our understanding, it contributes to how much we know about the world, and I think it's so important. And, you know, some people don't like to read, you have Audible, some people, you know, they don't want to take books around with them, yeah, but they'll take their phone and they'll take their iPad, which is another way that they can do it, and it's just, you know, it all works. Yeah, I mean, I know we're all individuals and we're all different, but I I do literally feel sorry for people who can't read for pleasure, you know, it's— yeah, it's, for me, it doesn't make, you know, it doesn't work for me. No, I mean, I have, I'm very lucky, both my kids absolutely love reading, and it very much is that thing of, you know, Mum, can I have an Xbox voucher? No. Mum, can I have 3 books? Yes, here's the credit card. Great, yeah. It's so, so important, it's critical, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So making the world a better place, that's what it's critical about, yeah. Yes, my hand is raised. We will try, we will try. And what has the response been like to Be on the Ball? Well, I'm not entirely sure. I think it is becoming quite, quite popular. I mean, I had no personal ambition for it when I wrote it, But it seems to have taken off. There's one shop in Lewes has just ordered another load of copies because they sold out. Yeah, so, you know, I don't know how popular it is really. I don't keep a track on it, Hazel, to be honest with you. Well, I will be putting a review up on hazelbutterfield.com and Amazon because I know that you authors love it. And just a little bit of a reminder to all of the listeners, if you read a book and you like it, it is invaluable to the authors to have those good reviews on there. It really does help get it to the top of the list, doesn't it? It does, yeah. No, as I say, I had no personal ambition. I wrote it for therapy, basically, and because I was searching for any— to find out if there were any books on girls in football, and I searched the internet and went round all the bookshops here in Lewes, couldn't find one. I thought, well, I'm gonna write one. And, and yeah, it was, it was therapy for me. And actually, you know, I'm immortal now. I've written the book, I am immortal. My book has an ESPN number. Yes! That is so exciting. I do, it's quite nostalgic for me as well because when I did my psychology degree degree. I did some of my— I actually did it with the Open University, but I did my residential cognitive elements at Lewis University. Oh, so, um, no, it's a Lewis campus. It was a campus that was in Lewis, so it was just outside. Ah, right, right. So I think it's— yeah, it's just out in the heart of Lewis, and I was like, oh, I've not been there for about 15 years. Oh, brilliant. Oh, So yeah, I absolutely loved it. Now there's a couple that— we're running out of time because we've been gassing away, but there's a couple of my favorite questions for all my guests on Get Booked Here for Women's and Men's radio station. Because we're very mental health focused, I, I like to focus on positivity, and I like to know who my guests think are a positive person in the public eye? Who do you kind of look at, hear what they say, and just think, you're smashing out the park, you're a good egg? Yeah, well, I'll tell you who I've become particularly fond of very recently is Miriam Margoyles. Oh, she lives down the road from me, she's bomb! Oh, you're joking! Oh man, I, I would just love to meet Miriam. I just, I just love her, you know, she's just I don't know, irreverent and hilarious raconteur. I've just come to love her over this past number of years, you know. She doesn't care. Yeah, she's just got this brazen self-confidence about her, but she's so lovely as well. I mean, I think she'd be a little bit awkward in a dinner party, I must say. Oh no, no, no, no, she'd be great. Oh no, I'd love it. Yeah, yeah. I love Miriam. Oh, and she lives— you're her neighbour, that's absolutely brilliant. Yeah, so I live in Twickenham, so she's just past the White Swan by the river. Well, it's a very famous and lovely pub just on the River Thames, so you know, it's not uncommon. So have you read her book then? I haven't, but I'm going to buy it, yeah, definitely. I know she's got a book out, yeah, absolutely, yeah. Yeah, it's one of those ones where I kind of think I do want to read it, but will I cringe? Because I know she's just got such strong opinions, which I, which I love. And I just think there needs to be more people that just go, we've got to stop caring so much about what other people think. As long as we're not offending people, as long as we're not upsetting people, I just think, just get on with it, you know. You have to choose to take offense. You don't give offense. Yeah, it's a choice. I mean, you know, Hazelight, I just think the state of the world can be so despair-inducing that, you know, that I think if I counter that by trying to perform small acts of kindness, really, you know, small acts of kindness, they have an immense well-being reward for the individual, you know. I think that's— if anything works for everybody, I think small acts of kindness would. Yeah, I think so too. It's incredible what a smile can do, and you never know how that's going to affect a recipient. Smiling at somebody is never going to ruin their day. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. But another question that I do ask all of my guests, which I think we've kind of at least come across one of these answers, is 3 tips, 3 of your favourite tips on just good mental well-being. What helps you get through? Well, Hazel, I I would, you know, I would always be very reluctant to offer tips because, as I've already said, you know, there's no one-size-fits-all, and I'm a peculiar individual. I live alone. I choose to live alone, although I can be gregarious. Being alone doesn't bug me, and I think that's one of the big bugbears, you know, loneliness in society for people. So, so I am a peculiar individual, but, um, I— can I just point out peculiar people are the best people? Yeah, yeah, I love eccentricity, love it. But you know, I mean, try not to take yourself too seriously. I mean, the world's serious enough, isn't it? Um, but try, try and find something that works for you. But writing is therapy. Don't take yourself too seriously. Small acts of kindness. Eliminate boredom if you can. But I do feel for people who are not like me and need company, and I find that, you know, I can have company in Lewis. You know Lewis, Lewis is great, there's always something going on. But yeah, loneliness is a big thing for a lot of folk, I think. It is, and I do hope that, you know, if you know anybody that's struggling with loneliness, This is why I like to do this show as well. The listening figures increased quite a bit during the lockdown because people are just wanting to listen to people having a good old chat, you know. And, you know, when we were allowed out for our 1 hour of exercise, you know, people didn't just stop and say hello, it was like, 'What are you up to?' And, you know, an hour later you're thinking, 'Oh my!' It was great, wasn't it, when you met people on a walk and, as you were saying there 5 minutes ago, they would smile at you and sort of nod and, you know, 'I know what you're going through' kind of thing, you know, or what you might be going through. And I think we need to remember, you know, I mean, I think people who are sad and down and in low mood look around them and everybody's having a great time, you know, everybody's got their bag of problems, so just kind of remember that as well. Yes, and just, just remember how much of an effect we can have on people and be very mindful of it. Um, unfortunately we've run out of time, and I know it flies by. I've loved chatting to you, Paul, and, and, um, all the best with Be on the Ball. I think it's fantastic. And listeners, go out, get it, go get it for your friends, get it for your son, your daughter, thanks, Fred next door, anyone. Anybody. And thank you so much, Paul, and get in touch when you release your next book. I have a feeling there might be another one on the way. I will, Hazel. Thanks a million. Thank you for joining us here on Get Booked. See ya. Such a great chat there with Paul Shepherd, the author of Be on the Ball, published by Letton Hall Press and the Book Reality Experience. Who publish new authors from Australia, the USA, and the UK. You can check out their latest titles at bookreality.com/ourbooks. There you will find crime fiction to science fiction, from self-help guides to poetry anthologies, and from teenage dramas to kindergarten adventures. They are always on the lookout for fresh new stories, and yes, they are open for submissions, all you budding writers out there. Just go and check out their website, Leschenhaupt Press and Book Reality. Great stories from great authors. Now, regular listeners will know that I am quite a fan of an Audible book, and Leschenhaupt Press is now proud to announce the release of its latest audio titles available now at leshenaultpress.com/audio-books, including the award-winning Right and Tran series of detective novels narrated by HBO's Game of Thrones star Gemma Whelan, fresh from her success in ITV's The Tower. Leshenault Press and Book Reality Go and check them out. Thank you so much for listening to today's Get Booked. I've had an absolute joy chatting to today's two authors, Lauren Wynn and Paul Sheppard. Make sure that you join us here at Women's Radio Station every day of the week at 5 PM for Get Booked, and every Tuesday at 4 PM on Men's Radio Station. Thanks for listening.