On June 6 writers at our Wiltshire retreat were inspired and enthused by the very talented Claire Fuller who kindly came to talk about her journey to getting published, the inspiration behind her best selling novels Our Endless Numbered Days and Swimming Lessons and the tricks of good story telling. She also gave loads of helpful advice about pitching and finding an agent  After a walk around the grounds on a beautiful summer’s evening followed by a delicious dinner, we were treated to a reading from her new book Bitter Orange which hits the bookstands this summer. It was her first reading to an audience and Claire had us captivated from the first line. Here’s the first paragraph

“They must think I don’t have long left, because today they allow the vicar in. Perhaps they are right, although this day feels no different from yesterday, and I imagine tomorrow will go on much the same. The vicar – no, not vicar, he has a different title, I forget – is older than me by a good few years, his hair is grey, and his skin is flaky and red, sore-looking. I didn’t ask for him; what faith I’d once had was tested and found lacking at Lyntons, and before that my church attendance was a habit, a routine for Mother and me to arrange our week around. I know all about routine and habit in this place. It is what we live, and what we die, by.”