How many times have we all heard someone exclaim, “I could write a book!” Of course, it is true; we all have skeletons jangling in cupboards, dark secrets we have frantically buried, and shocking relationships that must be worthy of a bestseller. We’ve all been in love, hurt, happy, and in pain. Yet, if we dared to let the truth spill, what would happen? Who would judge? Who would get hurt?
When my mum was terminally ill, I struggled to let her go. The emotional pain was beyond anything I could manage. There were sinister demons in my cupboards, not merely skeletons. I was lucky enough to work for a global publisher at the time who were exceptionally pro-counselling. Those sessions were a lifeline. However, I will never forget my counsellor saying very seriously, “you should write a book.” I smiled, remembering all the stories I’d written since I was around ten years old – possibly younger.
She then shook her head and added, “I don’t think anyone would believe it, though!” It was true; I had stories that would blow most people’s minds. But, I could never tell these stories as raw, unfiltered truths. Thank goodness for fiction.
The blue diamond that inspired my first book, Some Diamonds Are Blue, was real. But, alas, it was not the flawless, priceless blue diamond depicted in the book. The real one was beautiful, but it was internally flawed (as most diamonds are)… and cursed! It came from the Kimberly Mines in South Africa. My grandfather gave it to my grandmother (they lived in South Africa), but she rarely wore it and claimed it was bad luck. My mum inherited the diamond and kept it in her jewellery box, out of sight.
When I finally put pen to paper (fingertips to keyboard) in 2019 to start writing the book, I could be found at the bar with a Gin Fizz or on a deckchair tapping away on my over-heating laptop, surrounded by the magical Indian Ocean. There is something indescribably surreal – almost spiritual – about the Maldives. Surrounded by pale white sand, sparkling clear water with baby reef sharks basking along the shoreline, and the golden sunshine… this is where the story began, about a blue diamond with an underlying power linked to the fate of five women. The first few chapters required heavy editing – I’ll blame that on the Gin Fizz.
