Following the release of her debut family saga, Lochdarnock – The Kiss and Curse, author Ri Adam tells us the top 10 things her readers should know about her:
Ri Adam
- It is never too late. Hurdles had to be leapt so I started late on my academic career (BA 1st Class in Drama and Theatre Studies and MA in Theatre Research) and my book – Lochdarnock – The Kiss and The Curse – is published now I am sixty-one and staying young.
- I am focussed. When I watch rugby, I see the look of Greg Laidlaw (Scotland’s goal kicker) as he prepares to make a conversion – it is a look I recognise in myself! Focus! As a woman of a certain age I was not encouraged to have focus but I have always known (I was a tomboy) that being ambivalent does not get a job done. Always go for goal and have fun!
- I love walking in Richmond Park (I have a pair of Nordic walking poles, get me!) I swim for around forty minutes daily.
- I am very proud of my family heritage. Especially the strong women who make up a significant number of my forebears. Women on all sides of my family were quite something. They bore children, worked extremely hard and made a difference in their communities. They deserve so much recognition. They got so little reward! My book attempts to show the true significance of all humans regardless of gender, social background or opportunity.
- I love writing for the stage and working with actors. It is amazing how others interpret your words and make what you’ve written better than you could ever imagine. Working collaboratively really enhances writing and clarifies your knowledge and others’ understanding of your own written word and, hopefully, the world.
- I am lucky! I have the best friends in the world – I include many of my family members in this friendship group. Friendship is sustaining. I believe that a friend is one who is there when you most need them and my lovely bunch are always about when I need them. You see –Lucky me!
- Guilt-free acceptance of little treasures matters! I like pampering others as well as receiving pampering. Everyone likes to be spoiled whether it is having a make-over, hair done or having someone make you a hot chocolate on a cold day or providing ice cream on a hot day.
- Until I heard about the discovery of the ‘Interstitium’ by doctors, I wanted to come back in my next life as an opera singer. Since that discovery, I want to come back as a research scientist – so I’m learning the Periodic Table. Do we take memories with us? The discovery of this new organ will change medical science as we know it – so I need to know this stuff.
- I love daffodils and the springtime (I was born in March) and russet leaves in the autumn. The deliciousness of cool and cooling weather, pre and post summer heat is irresistible.
- The inscription on my grave should read – “She endured the bad times and enjoyed the joy!”
Lochdarnock – The Kiss and Curse follows the story of the Lochdarnocks, the Cassidy’s and the Ewarts and how their lives interweave. It begins in the present day when Jenny Munroe takes up her job at Lochdarnock house as Marketing and Promotions Director and discovers she bares a resemblance to Lady Isabelle Lochdarnock whose newly restored portrait Jenny unveils… The book is out now and is available from Amazon, The Book Guild and all good bookstores.