Auteur: James Stoddah

At the age of fourteen I moved to a farmhouse in Matterdale with my mother and sister. We discovered a wages cupboard behind the plaster in the main room. I remember the excitement of that discovery and the disappointment when all it contained was horsehair and dust. Still, I »ve fantasised about it many times since. The beauty of being an author is that I can bring the fantasy to life. I grew up in the Penrith area of England and fondly consider it as home, even though I live in Lancashire now. I hope to return one day – maybe I can open Eddie »s shop. Maybe I can make Penrith a writing town. Asexuality is a topic I »ve planned to write about for a while. I wanted to reject the myth that asexuals are cold and incapable of love. They are not. They are passionate and have a need to love and be loved. They can still have crushes and engage in long-term relationships – often with the same gender. Some often have children; they just don »t enjoy the physical aspects of a relationship or have that desire for fulfilment. Kayleigh is typical of many. As I write this, a remarkable film is about to be released based on the life of Vincent van Gogh. Loving Vincent was animated by paintings made by a team of artists in his unique style. I was never an artist – indeed I was so bad that it was crossed off my list of options for O Levels, but I have always loved and appreciated art. I am inspired by the passion and creativity in an artist as much as I am in their vision. I enjoyed researching and entering the mind of a painter in writing Unwinding Time. I always enjoy engaging with readers and other authors.