About Hunger By S L Rosewarne, Plus An Extract
This week I have a return visit on my blog from Sue Kittow, writing fiction as S L Rosewarne. Not afraid to tackle difficult issues in her fiction, Sue has recently published her latest title Hunger and joins my blog to tell us more and to share an extract. Over to Sue …
Hello Morton, and thanks so much for having me back on your blog!
Sue and LainyI know people get confused as I write non-fiction as Sue Kittow, my maiden name. I decided to use Rosewarne to write fiction, as it was my mum’s maiden name and now she is no longer with us, there are no Rosewarnes to carry the name on. So I felt my books should do that job!
I’ve written five Cornish literary themed walks books as Sue Kittow and have now diversified into writing fiction – The Rescue, a tale of overcoming bereavement, narrated by woman’s best friend, Moll, and the sequel is Lainy’s Tale which details the rollercoaster of adopting a rescue dog, also narrated by Moll.
Hunger, my third novel, is not written by Moll. Sorry for all Moll fans, but it wasn’t appropriate as Moll was very greedy, and Hunger deals with a mother’s desperate journey to find help for her daughter who’s suffering from anorexia. This is drawn from my own experiences of being anorexic many years ago. It’s such a taboo subject, and one which no one really understands, so this is my attempt to shed some insight into a truly brutal disease, but also to give hope that there is life, love and humour after an eating disorder.
More About Hunger
When Laura’s partner leaves home, their 13-year-old daughter Jess copes by losing weight and getting fit, running for miles along the Cornish coastpath with her beloved dog.
Her other obsession is photography, and she lives for Saturday mornings, when she and her father meet to take pictures.
But when they have to move house and change schools, Jess feels her world fall apart and gradually retreats into anorexia: a fierce, constant battle against starvation. How can Laura persuade Jess to get help before she becomes dangerously ill?
Laura and Jess must discover the importance of friendships and of accepting help, and must learn to trust again with help from their new friends as well as their treasured four-legged companions.
Extract from Hunger:-
16 year old Jess is talking to her therapist, Angela, about Jess’s imaginary twin, Maddy, who personifies her eating disorder:-
I had another session with Angela. She said,’ have you thought about how you’d make friends with Maddy?’ She smiled. ‘Or Madeleine, depending what mood she’s in.’
‘She’s definitely been Madeleine over the past few days, throwing a real wobbly,’ I said.
‘Was she shouting or crying?’
‘Both.’
‘Why?’ she said. ‘What caused her wobbly?’
I had to think about that. ‘I think it’s cos she’s scared.’
Angela’s face brightened, like I’d said something really clever. ‘Why is she scared?’
‘Because she can’t do what she wants,’ I said. That wasn’t quite right, so I added, ‘cos she’s out of control. And that’s really scary for her.’
Angela nodded and then she said, ‘What is she good at? Apart from schoolwork and games. What are her hobbies, her interests?’
I shrugged.
Angela said, ‘Perhaps she’s jealous because you’re the talented one.’
‘Me?’
And she grinned. ‘Yes, you,’ she said.
I could feel my face go red and I couldn’t say anything.
Angela sat back and said, ‘If Maddy was upset, what would you do?’
I had to think about that. ‘Well, we could hang out. Go and see a film maybe.’
‘And what would you talk about?’
‘I dunno,’ I said. ‘I’d ask her why she was upset, I guess.’
‘How would you feel after you’d talked, do you think?’
‘I suppose I’d feel good.’
‘Why is that?’
And I said, ‘Because it’s nice to make other people feel better.’ I told her about Shelly. Then it dawned on me that apart from her, I hadn’t tried to make anyone feel better for a very long time.
Angela nodded and said, ‘Yes, anorexia makes you very selfish.’
That really hurt, and I said, ‘It’s not like I want to be selfish, it’s that I’ve been taken over by anorexia. By Maddy. I don’t upset people on purpose, you know.’
Angela nodded but didn’t say anything. And that really got to me. I hate the idea of being selfish. And though I don’t like to admit it, she might be right. All I’ve thought about recently is me, my weight, how to avoid eating. I haven’t really considered how Mum must feel. Or Em. Or how Nick feels coming to visit me here.
And I felt really small. I think Angela knew because she smiled and said, ‘That’s the trouble with depression. It does make you very introverted, so you don’t have the energy to think about other people. And you forget how good life is with those that you love and care about.’
That’s really stayed with me. I don’t want to be that selfish person. Then I realised that Mum and I haven’t been close since Dad left, and I really miss that. And I don’t want to be selfish with Nick or Em or Mum or Gran or anyone I love. Even Dad.
Buying links – www.suekittow.com
Amazon – http://bit.ly/4i3j8ZJ
About Sue Kittow
I write contemporary women’s fiction with an underlying theme which can be overcoming grief (The Rescue), second chances and dealing with a traumatised rescue dog (Lainy’s Tale), how to live with and overcome anorexia (Hunger) – everyday dilemmas that many of us face.
I hope that by sharing my experiences, wrapped up in characters that have grown from my imagination, you may laugh and cry with us, and enjoy reading how they overcome their troubles.
My other books are my series of literary Cornish walks – Walks in the Footsteps of Poldark, Daphne du Maurier, Cornish Writers and Rosamunde Pilcher, also available from my website as well as Amazon.
To keep in touch with Sue you can use the following links:-
Links – www.suekittow.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/suekittow2016
Instagram – walks_cornish_writer
Twitter/X – @floweringpot
Substack – @ suekittow Walking – and writing – with Sue
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Published by Choc Lit an imprint of Joffe Books
