Mother and daughter writing team
About Jacqui Burns
Jacqui was born into a very humble working-class family, and brought up on a council estate. Her parents were avid readers and books provided an escape, offering a ticket to a better life. She studied English Literature at university and has spent a life teaching in secondary schools. She loved words and has always dreamed of being a writer. She brought her daughter up on her own and they both loved books and films, and shared the same sense of humour. They are very close, speaking every day and enjoying annual holidays together. It was on one of these trips, a cruise where they visited Montenegro for the first time and had the gem of an idea for a book. The rest is history, as they say...
About Anna Burns
Anna grew up in South Wales, close to the beach, and loved taking long walks before coming back to snuggle up with a good book. She has always enjoyed reading and writing, as well as crafts such as painting and baking. Despite being creative, at school she performed well in Science and went to Birmingham to study Medicine at the age of 18. She chose to specialise in Psychiatry as she loves getting to hear people's stories and help those struggling with mental illness, and is hoping to train in forensic psychiatry in the next few years. She currently lives in Derbyshire in a small village called Melbourne (which interestingly gave Melbourne, Australia its name!) with her pilot boyfriend and cat Socks.
Love at Cafe Lompar
'Love at Cafe Lompar' is the first novel written by this mother and daughter writing team, by Honno Welsh Women's Press.
The novel follows a mother and daughter, Grace and Kat, who go to Montenegro after the death of Danilo, their husband and father. They find their lives become entangled with those of his secret other family, and they become enchanted by the stunning Montenegrin scenery. Will both find what their looking for, and will food and family help to cure their broken hearts?
The novel was written during the first UK coronavirus 'lockdown' in 2020 over the course of a month and a half. Anna and Jacqui would write a chapter each (Anna writing from Kat's point of view and Jacqui covering Grace's) and email the developing novel back and forth to each other. Having always wanted to write, both found the process of feverishly working on 'Love at Cafe Lompar' gave a focus and a way to get through the lockdown. They are thrilled it will be published by Honno later this year, and a sequel is in the works....