MEET TAMARIND SMYTH
A late starter- in practically everything...
MY STORY
Everyone thinks they've got at least one book in them. Until recently, I thought the same. And then I began to write, and something bizarre happened. I would start a story, create a new character, and the character began to take over and write the story.
And suddenly, every new character needed their own book. I look back fondly on that innocent 60 something woman who thought she would write a story, then stop.
Any author will tell you the same: there is NO stopping. (And sometimes no starting , either) Characters you thought you had imagined decide on which story comes next, then compel the unfortunate author to get it down quick. So I no longer have a life, I have a head full of made-up people.
Sometimes I love them, and sometimes I really don't, but there's no escape. So here we are, surrounded by them and their weird stories. Except of course, I've only completed one book to date (The Camp at Cassiobury Park, although there are currently two others in development). I also write children's books, but more of that another time. The point of this is that I would love to share with you, lovely reader, my progress with all the stuff necessary to write a book, get it published, sort out the website and anything else that I trip over. I am expert in precisely nothing, so it's going to be an interesting time!
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
My Qualifications
Sometime in 1977
DENTAL NURSE
I loved this job! My friend and I were both unqualified dental nurses at a surgery in Bushey Heath, near Watford in Hertfordshire. We were scatty, unreliable, often untidy, but somehow lovely Mr and Mrs Buck put up with us. I remember this particular job for the Friday lunch time feasts in the Chinese restaurant across the road.
Circa 1983
MOTHER, CLEANER, BALLET DANCER
Whilst working at the dentists and aged 17, I inadvertently became pregnant, so that was the end of that particular job. Single mothers were viewed as somewhat unsavoury then so I left Watford and moved to sunny Worthing where I struck up a mild and part time friendship with Anita Roddick, the founder of Body Shop. Occasionally I would blow the family allowance on one of her fantastic creations. I would gallop along to her shop about once every 6 months-it was good value- to have my little plastic bottles refilled. She did a lovely scent called carnation, which has never been duplicated as beautifully, to my knowledge.
This is where I started a not very lucrative career as a cleaner. Anita Roddick inspired me, but not enough to think I could do something relevant myself.
Worthing became a bit lonely, so I moved back to Watford into a hostel with my darling little boy, Neil. In those days you could only get social housing if you lived in dire conditions, which we certainly did. Shortly afterwards I bumped into my ex ballet teacher, Sandra Patmore, who influences my life to this day. She restored my faith in myself, and in the rest of mankind, with her persistent kindness, no matter how ridiculously I behaved. Better yet, she taught me how to teach dance and performing arts. Those skills kept my son, and the four subsequent children that happened, in food and clothing and with a roof over our heads for all the years that followed
January 1992-quite recently
PRINCIPAL OF THEATRIX PERFORMING ARTS
I had a love/hate relationship with this chapter of my life. By this time I had married and moved to the Isle of Man (long story). I loved the people who came to my school, and I love remembering all the exciting stuff that seemed to be happening all the time. There were some notable downsides though. My school was what's known in the industry as 'inclusive'. This means that anyone could join regardless of age, gender, colour, creed or disability. There were good times and bad. For one, I am an unholy terror where admin is concerned, and mostly just did not do any. And for two, in an age that worshipped perfection I came in for a lot of stick for including people with disabilities. I am not kidding you when I tell you that a member of the public once complained about the performance of a disabled child on stage in one of my productions. In fact he didn't just complain; he went to the trouble of writing to the local paper, which published his comments on the FRONT PAGE! I am still so aghast at this that it features in one of my books. Seriously, you couldn't make it up. It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all good, either.
It all came to a grinding halt when two giant ovarian tumours came to visit, and wouldn't leave. They were eventually sent packing by a phenomenal team of surgeons at Liverpool Women's Hospital, the nearest hospital who had the weaponry and skills to defeat tumours of such whopping dimensions- they weighed about 4 lbs each.
And that caused a change in me. Yes, you've guessed it, I suddenly became a writer. I have often wondered if someone hypnotized me while I was anaesthetised. Around the same time I had a peculiar experience involving a past-life regression. And so, the obvious thing was to become a hypnosis practitioner. And now my day job is conducting QHHT (Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique) sessions to help other people overcome the strange and difficult afflictions that blight their lives. There's a big, fat crossover here, into my writing life. you'll find the clues once you start reading...
EDUCATION
My Schooling
God only knows when; I certainly don't
HOLY ROOD RC PRIMARY SCHOOL, WATFORD
Holy Rood School, and Cassiobury Park, just down the road, were the inspiration for my first adult book, 'The Camp at Cassiobury Park'. I wrote this because Covid and lack of funds prevented me actually going back to those places, which I love, so I wrote about it instead. And whilst I wrote, I was there, in those happy (mostly) places.
A lifetime of no qualifications
ST JOAN OF ARC CATHOLIC GRAMMAR SCHOOL, RICKMANSWORTH, HERTS.
That's not strictly true, I have dance qualifications coming out of my ears. Not literally though. I also have a smattering of various 'O' levels. I was a useless student, despite having won a scholarship to St Joan's in Rickmansworth. I spent hours gazing out of windows, and applying mascara during break. One particularly amazing thing happened at this school, however. A wonderful English teacher, whose name I don't remember, told me I had the skills to be a writer. Also Sister Joan, who deserves a mention for encouraging me to read everything and anything. I took her advice, and now, only 45 years later, the encouragement of these two wonderful women has paid off.
Should also thank Mr Harrold, our history teacher, who tried very hard to make me remember things, but I can't recall what, and our lovely Art teacher Beryl Stevenson, who enabled me to see gourds in a new and magical way. They are the magic that weaves through my life . The teachers, not the gourds.
MY SKILLSET
Competence & Aptitude
Oh, my giddy aunt. Competence? Aptitude? Alright then, here goes...
I'm excellent at loading a dishwasher, not too bad at cooking a roast chicken, and an absolute devil for starting new and exciting projects. These usually fall at the first hurdle. You know, the one that begins with something like 'now download and embed your document'. That's usually the end of that particular project. No worries though, in five minutes flat I have started a new one.
I watched a documentary the other night about Robert Maxwell. Someone was describing his office as a disorganised mess. They continued that his mind was all over the place, he had loads of projects on the go, and that most of his activities were criminal. I don't know about poor old Bob Maxwell, but I certainly recognised some of those traits. I'm like him, but without the millions.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I don't think being Tamarind Smyth involves anything resembling customer service. However, the lady on the right is how I would like to look, so that picture is also staying.
THE PICTURE ABOVE DENOTES MY DREAM OFFICE
So it's staying, in the hopes that this might work like some sort of digital vision board, and one day I might actually have a surface that doesn't contain gravy.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
And look at these lovely shelves! don't get me wrong, I do have files. They contain recipes from 1995 and photos of the kids. One day I will buy albums like proper mothers.
Quote
“The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies.”
Fahrenheit 451 -Ray Bradbury
Not sure which one applies to me-
Tamarind Smyth wrote this bit
CONTACT
This is how the gates of Cassiobury Park used to look when I was a child. Somehow their ghost still stands. I know this should just be about how to contact me but this picture brings such happiness I had to include it. I was gutted when they were knocked down.
