By Janet Mawson

Members of Airedale Writers’ Circle were treated to a very enjoyable and entertaining evening this month with the guest speaker, Ilkley writer Mandy Sutter. She spoke about her writing and especially about her debut novel, Stretching It, which was published in June this year by Indigo Dreams. Her book was the Telegraph & Argus Book of the Week in September, and was shortlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award.

Stretching It is set in Leeds and is a mostly light-hearted novel about a 32-year-old woman’s search for love, mainly via the local lonely hearts column, while living with her hypochondriac mum, Alicia, and working as a PA for her new boss, Greg. Mandy spoke of how she had been inspired by members of a writing group, who were very passionate about their writing, and of how she had wanted the experience of writing a novel. She had been encouraged to write about what she knew and about ordinary people.

Members enjoyed her readings of two passages from her book.

Mandy went on to talk about the trials and tribulations of getting a book published (a subject close to the hearts of many members), and then on to the practical side of being published by an independent company that releases novels, and the additional work this can entail for the writer. The evening was rounded off by a very informal and friendly question-and-answer session, which Mandy and the members found very useful.

Mandy is a woman of many talents. She says she has been earning her living from writing and writing-related work since 1988. According to her website she is a Buddhist, who has blogged regularly for Wildmind Buddhist Meditation since 2010. She is a keen gardener and does a really lovely blog entitled Reluctant Gardener, where she writes about her dad (aged 87) and the allotment he tends in Ilkley. She has worked as a freelance journalist, has published more than 30 short stories, and her poems have been published in quality publications and have been read out on Radio 4. She has been teaching creative writing in lots of different settings since the 90s, and she has done much, much more (see the details on her website). Mandy wrote Stretching It as part of a Writing MA at Sheffield Hallam University.