Oldies love Stonewylde!

Old people love Stonewylde – that’s a fact. It was my dad’s 70th birthday recently and I went down to his retirement home in Dorset to take him out for lunch. I gave him a copy of Magus of Stonewylde to put in the communal library, and today he told me that it’s caused a great stir amongst the residents. They love it! Several have gone out to the local bookshop to buy the next two books and the more technical ones have ordered them on the Internet. My dad says they’re all talking about how much they enjoyed the book, how different it is to anything else they’ve read, and how very much they need to know what happens next! Sound familiar??

I’ve had other feedback in the past from elderly readers – several people in their seventies and eighties have taken the trouble to write to me in praise of the books, which is lovely. One lady in her late eighties said that Stonewylde took her back to her childhood, when life was simple and natural. The orchard and cider house scenes in Moondance of Stonewylde were an echo of her past memories of apple-picking as a child. Another elderly lady said she loved the beautiful storyline of Sylvie and Yul’s developing love, and their bravery in taking on Magus. A couple said that they’d always felt something special and spiritual about the countryside and woods, and Stonewylde helped them to understand this natural affinity with the landscape. In fact many people of all ages, including a girl of 11 year old, have said this.

One of the problems with elderly readers of course is failing eyesight. I’ve buy phentermine from india also had an e mail from a lady who’s desperate to read the Stonewylde Series, but can’t read properly any more. She wanted to know if the books would be published in large print format, which is something I’d love to do in the future and am looking into. It must be awful not being able to read any more, particularly at a time in life when your mobility’s affected too, and reading should be one of the remaining pleasures. I’m also looking into creating an audio book, which would be very exciting. The hundreds of children I’ve taught in my previous life will remember just how much I loved reading them stories. I can’t think of anything better than reading Magus of Stonewylde aloud! Although I suppose a professional actor would do a better job. It will require quite an investment to produce an audio book, so that’ll have to stay on the back burner for a while.

I’m so glad Stonewylde brought pleasure to the men and women in my dad’s retirement home. If anyone has a relation in a similar place with a communal library, let me know and I’ll send them a copy of Magus. It’s great to know that older people love the books (one of my most profilic forum members bought the books for his elderly mother who’s in her eighties – or it may be her nineties – and she really enjoyed them). Another lady e mailed me and said she’d read the whole series, then her husband nabbed them, then her two teenage kids, then her mother read them, and finally her grandmother! Wow!

Waterstones – please take note!!!