The Curry Mile: a Series in the Making?

I've lived in Manchester since 1990, which was the year my family moved from Blackburn in Lancashire to a suburb of South Manchester. Unbeknownst to me at that time, our new home was located in an area of the city which was also the home of the team behind Danger Mouse; it was a dream come true for a fan of the series (I hope my arrival didn't precipitate its end!).

And I've been visiting the Curry Mile ever since.

I guess the Mile must have have slowly, imperceptibly, percolated away in my head until the novel was produced. The idea for the story actually came to me when I was living in France, bien sur. However, since the novel's publication, my muse hasn't stopped bubbling away, granting me tantalising glimpses of other stories.

It has taken  much longer that I would have anticipated to get the next book published, but let me share one tale about the adventure of getting the second book onto the shelves.

Soon, after The Curry Mile was published by Suitcase, agents came a-knocking and I signed up with a London-based agency (aren't they all London-based? Well almost), and my agent was sending out manuscripts and letting would-be publishers believe I was a woman.

You see, my agent, a junior at a large agency was ambitious and keen to cut her teeth in a competitive industry and she must have thought it would fast-track the book to publication. However, it was a deceit too great for me, and shortly after she shared her cunning plan with me, I asked the Agency to release from the contract...

You might think it was silly of me, that I should have gone with the flow, and maybe it was a mistake on my part. Following the debacle, I needed to take some time out to think things through. And I have.

Since then, I've been working on a series, in fact, on a series of series. I'm nearing the end of a prequel to The Curry Mile and I've been planning the follow-up to the novel itself...you know, that big question, "So, what happens to Sorayah after she takes over the business?"

The original version of The Curry Mile was a trilogy. I cannot say for certain that it will be a trilogy, but the story continues.

Since the launch of The Curry Mile, I've been working on some children's stories and I've also penned some YA (Young Adult) fiction. My aim now is to dedicate more time to writing and publishing and just, well, to share my stories. Life is richer for it.

ZHZ.