Grey plumes of tall grasses sway in the wind. The hues of the leaves; some red, some bronze, and some mingled with greens and yellow, surely catch your eye, possibly making you gasp at the beauty. Fading hostas; curly, slug and snail bitten, their once pristine green leaves giving way to shrivelled brown and yellow ones, soon to disintegrate to nothing, but still, for now, maintaining structure and a ragged majesty. A rose here and there, a hardy geranium hanging on for a week maybe. Soon this muddle will all be gone, died back to blackened clumps and a winter home for the dwindling insect population.
I enjoy and embrace autumn, dazzled by its bright and contrasting colours, happy that it heralds winter and the time for plants and soil to take a break, rest and recuperate, and make ready for the early snowdrops and spring and summer’s unfolding magnificence.
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My recent publications
Otto and Frankie, my latest novel, is about a dying man’s fight against injustice, his wife’s unusual affair, and the love from his long-lost daughter.
Otto and his daughter Frankie could not be more different. He’s rich, an acclaimed author, human rights activist, and lives in England. She lives in New York, just about survives from one pay cheque to the next and hasn’t seen or spoken to her father for twenty years. Dutifully reunited by his impending death, she’s amazed to find him a kind and noble man who, while grappling with his wife’s bizarre affair, champions for the world’s forgotten and dispossessed to his last. After Otto’s death, Frankie’s admiration for her father leads her into a dangerous and life changing pursuit.
Life in four stories
Recently I donated a substantial sum to the INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC) from the proceeds of this little book of shorts. ICRC help the most vulnerable communities fight COVID – 19.
Four shorts: two about life, love, and death; one a poignant and disturbing memory that dangles a question unanswered; and one a wild fantasy – plus the first chapter of my latest book, Otto and Frankie.
By buying this book you are helping fund ICRC in its valuable work.
Thank you.
Nick Wastnage 