‘Accidental Damage – Tales from the house that sat down!’ by Alice May
‘Accidental Damage’ is the tale of a family of six (mum, dad and four kids) who suddenly find themselves homeless after their old cottage falls down completely out of the blue one day. With nowhere to go they are forced to move into a tent in the garden. The tent is supposed to be a temporary solution but then they find out that their house insurance policy doesn’t cover them and the tent becomes a more permanent fixture.
Told retrospectively from the mother’s point of view, ‘Accidental Damage’ is packed with both humorous anecdotes and brutally honest emotional reactions to what it is like to live in your garden whilst working out how you are going to rebuild your home.
It is a tale of family love and loyalty, proving that if you pull together as a team and look after each other you can survive anything.
Living in a tent! Yes dear reader a story I can get to grips with. I can't wait to read and discover if the family/tent relationship is love or hate, and will the family find out more about themselves than they expected? After all, living in a tent can give you lots of time to think about things in its limited confines.
And so we must interrogate our author Alice May...grab a camping chair and a marshmallow on a stick and we shall begin
Who would be at your dream dinner party?
I would love to hold a dinner party for Katie Fforde, Trisha Ashley, Anne McCaffrey, J.K. Rowling, H. T. King and Kate Fenton. All are authors whose books have kept me going through the years and I would enjoy cooking up a feast for them to say thank you!
What's the best advice you have ever received?
‘Never ever give up!’ My parents have been instrumental in encouraging me to pick myself up and dust myself off after every setback in life. They are right. Anything is possible, you just sometimes have to believe in yourself, grow a thick skin and get on with it.
What's the worst advice you have ever received?
“Do a French A-level. You’ll be really good at it!” Hmmmm – I passed, but only just!!!
Who is your hero or heroine?
Soppiness alert! My Beloved Husband is my hero. Just because! awww!
Where are you happiest?
I am happiest walking along the beach, whatever the weather, listening to the waves and just ‘being’.
Who would you like to star in the film of your life?
Victoria Wood. She was such a talented lady. I have thoroughly enjoyed all her work, especially her poignant portrayal of Ella Last in ‘Housewife 49’.
Describe your best ever holiday.
Surfing (I really mean body boarding but I like to pretend I can surf) in Cornwall with my husband and kids. A whole day on the beach followed by chips and a pint of cold lager (lemonade for the kids of course) in the evening is my idea of heaven. Maybe I will take a learn-to-surf course one of these days.
If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
If I could be invisible for a day I would probably sleep if, I am being completely honest. As a busy working mother, I spend my life running from one spinning plate / disaster issue to another. If I was invisible no one would see me just relaxing. Could I be deaf to all the people grumbling that I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing too, please? Ooh nice choice...
If I joined you on your perfect day, what would we be doing?
My perfect day would involve sunshine and good coffee. Probably cake as well! I don’t have terribly high maintenance needs.
What do you think is the best thing about social media?
The best thing about social media is connecting people with similar interests and the opportunity to share knowledge. I totally agree!
And the worst...?!
The worst thing is how much of the day can slip away if you are not careful to limit the time you spend on social media. (Also true, due to recent Twitter changes I'm on there less than before and have rediscovered reading!) As an author you need to be really firm with yourself or you find that all available writing time is used up scrolling through Facebook or Twitter and not finishing that next chapter you need to write.
Big thanks to Alice for some fun answers (I'm now thinking about beaches, chips and snoozing as well as tents) Follow Alice (but try not to distract her) on Twitter and Facebook and check out her book Here
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