A MOSSLEY author is making waves in the book world with her first published work.
And if the name JA WInterford rings a bell, that will be because she is named after the road she was born on!
Fall From Grace is attracting rave reviews and many calls for a sequel after fans fell in love with the title after taking it from the shelves.
The book, which was released on September 26, tells the story of Dan and Grace Hearn, who sell their haulage business in Derbyshire and retire to Anglesey, only for their world to be shattered.
And its success certainly justifies the conversation the Micklehurst author had with her husband and completes a childhood dream after her mother worked in the typing pool for local newspapers.
She said: “I started writing it at the back end of last September. People may think, ‘Was it lockdown?’ It wasn’t.
“It was during the lockdowns that I read more and I happened to read a book, a romantic novel, and I said to my husband, ‘I can’t even finish this. This isn’t even good.’
“He said, ‘You love writing, why don’t you do it?’ I said, ‘I think I can do better than this.’ He replied, ‘Why don’t you, go for it,’
“So I had the manuscript ready in early January, scoured the internet for Manchester-based publishers and found i2i in Prestwich.
“Some ask for so many words and payment to read them. They didn’t. It was a case of, ‘Send us your manuscript.’
“I thought I’d edited it but when we got into the process, it was like a new world to me. There were things like continuity errors, there’s so much to it.
“I write the way I like to read, that’s very important. I’m proud of that. It’s a case of ‘Let’s read then book,’ not, ‘What was happening then?’
“And a person with dyslexia told me, ‘I couldn’t put it down.’ That’s really helped me.
“I started writing stories when I was six or seven-years-old, only because my parents bought me a toy typewriter. I was just a little girl, so my mum was a typist, I’m going to be one.
“That’s what I wanted to do and they knew I wanted to do it. She could touch type, though. I still can’t, even though my children can on their phones. They don’t even look.
“But I got this typewriter, it came in a carrying case and I loved it. I just sat there and typed stories for hours on end.”
JA Winterford is not the author’s real name – that remains a secret – but the link to the police, who play a part in Fall From Grace, is long-lasting.
Her father was an officer and his job took him from Mossley to Ashton – but home is where the heart is, and where the name is.
The choice, though, has brought some drawbacks as she added: “I was born on Winterford Road, so when I was thinking, ‘Should I just use my own name but some like a fancy name.’
“I didn’t want a fancy name but I liked the initials and why not put the road I was born on?
“It’s a nice name but the thing I didn’t think about is how long it is! When someone says, ‘Can you sign my book?’ I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness. Why didn’t I just pick a shorter name?’”
After growing up in Mossley and with such a strong family connection, one question that may be asked is, ‘Why is it set in Anglesey and not Mossley?’
The answer is simple and a book based closer to home may be in the pipeline eventually.
JA Winterford told the Correspondent: “It’s based in Anglesey as I’ve been going there since 1986, it’s my home from home and the obvious place to base the story.
“It’s still amazing and I look at other authors, like Ann Cleeves and Peter James, who even includes maps in some of his books, so even if you don’t live in Brighton you know what he’s talking about.
“He lives in that area and I really feel that comes out in his writing, I really admire that.
“I’d say that’s me and Anglesey and a lot of the feedback I’m getting is, ‘You know that place, I can picture it in my mind.’
“People say, ‘Can you write about Mossley?’ I will eventually, why not? I was born here, my mother was born here, her mother was born here and her mother was born here.
“I come from a very long line of Mossley women and they all have a history and a story. So eventually, I’ll maybe write about the town.
“For now, though, I’ll stick with Anglesey as it’s an inspiration.”
As her first book is a success, the obvious question for the author is, ‘What next?’
Well, she revealed another one is already done. It may be delayed, though, because of the success.
Speaking at an event at Mossley’s Gillery, she said: “It’s sat there on my PC and it’s nothing to do with my first one – it’s Anglesey-based, though.
“There are a lot of calls for a sequel to this, though. People have got very involved with the characters.
“Someone described it as the ultimate page turner and many people have told me they couldn’t put it down.”