Afternoon tea launch for Goring author Wendy Greene's new book

“It’s about a young social worker who has had to make a quick escape from London – for reasons which become apparent early in the book – and is seconded to a Sussex town where her job is to unite a strange little community brought together by one man but kept apart by secrets.

“It’s full of intriguing back stories of all the residents. When I started writing it, I used to hand-write the drafts in my garden. Just as well because someone managed to delete the first six chapters from my computer while removing a virus. I had to retype it all but did do a lot of improving and editing on the way.

“Originally I was trying to write short stories, having completed a course through The London School of Journalism. Some of the stories have made their way into the novella, including one about a social worker.

“It could lend itself to a sequel. I think it would be great as a TV series, but I’m not a screen writer so unless someone picks it up and runs with the idea I’ll keep a sequel on the back burner until this one’s sold out.

“I started out as a journalist in the 60s. I worked on Family Circle Magazine and Pins & Needles where I was able to use my artistic ideas as well as writing the instructions. More recently I was features editor on Essentially Worthing and Caring4Sussex magazines. I have one other book available, an anthology of poems called You Can’t Wrap Your Fish In The Internet. I hope to put together a second book of poems soon.

“I’ve always made up poems and stories as long as I can remember, often acting them out with my brother when we were small. I also persuaded my teachers to let members of the class perform short plays I’d written.”

“I am giving a talk at an afternoon tea event at Indigo in The Ardington Hotel, Steyne Gardens on Wednesday. May 19. It starts at 3pm and tickets, which must be booked in advance, are £15. Telephone 01903 230451.

“It’s part of the Food For Thought series that I help to organise with Simon Margaroli. We had to cancel a lot of speakers last year – some of them three times over – but hopefully things will start to improve. I love getting people together at events. Maybe subliminally that was what inspired me in the plot line of the book.”