This book came about in 1988 when the UK government decided to introduce section 28. I was teaching Maths at the time and overnight the LGBT+ community was plunged back into the dark ages.
I was powerless to say anything that would promote homosexuality. Frightened to open my mouth about anything. AIDS was rife and this feeling of helplessness angered me intensely. And so this idea of a utopian world was born. Where everyone could live their lives as they chose.
I hated writing anything down other than in note form. Writing detailed lesson plans, when I had to, took me ages. And yet, there I was, writing, letting my frustrations out into this fantasy world. Hardly anyone knew or understood why I was doing it.
That summer holiday went by in a flash, and so did all the other school holidays, as I finished this special project.
It took over two years to write. I allowed three people to read it. Then the finished manuscript sat in a bottom drawer for twenty-five years.
In early 2015, I found out it was possible to self-publish. And so I searched for the original floppy disc, finding old computers to transfer it, firstly onto a cd, then onto a flash drive. And without any knowledge of what to do and how to do it properly, I put it out there warts and all.
We, as a community, have come so far since those days. Thank goodness.
For me, something positive came out from all of that rubbish. Without section 28 I would not have put pen to paper.
In my retirement years I have taken up writing part time and have now published my seventh novel.