My book ‘Snipped Tales: Because you can always cut up the old story and write a new one’ is available to purchase from my Etsy shop. I post worldwide and send each copy happily on its way with a one-of-a-kind snipped-tale-on-a-tag, plus a handwritten ‘thank you’ for company.
And my proud parents probably have a few copies laying around to offer up to unsuspecting passers-by too.
what exactly are 'snipped tales'?
Picture a chance meeting (across a crowded work desk) between the art of collage and the shortest of short short-stories. Picture them falling into a deeply crafty and wordy lust until they become infatuated, intertwined, inseparable. Now picture them making small but feisty papery babies together … babies of just a single page in size who go by the name of Snipped Tales. Together these petite patchwork narratives form the pages of my first published book.
Like so many of life’s stories Snipped Tales are about finding one small, heartfelt, truth inside a grander narrative. Each line, each word even, has battled its way out of the confines of existing old book pages, then been cut free, rearranged and reshaped into a memorable new version of events.
And while you can tell each tale in, just about, a single breath they manage to include some of life’s biggest themes including vulnerability, frustration, love, and lust. (Then, just to keep us all going, it also includes a chapter on food and drink at the end!)
Dip in and out of these immediate, bite-size, life-affirming treats whenever you feel like hitting ‘pause’ on a busy day. They can illuminate like a glimmering firework, offer comfort like an enveloping spritz of a familiar perfume and encourage mischief like an unattended bowl of cake mix.
Snipped Tales is ultimately a collection of good-hearted moments which you can hold in your hands and which will do their very best to hold you in return.
praise for snipped tales
Award winning novelist Andrew Miller (author of The Crossing, Pure, Ingenious Pain etc) has offered his support for Snipped Tales in the form of this generous quote:
As a long time admirer of his work (he's written some of my the best sentences I've ever read) it means a great deal to me to have his support and approval. It's not a dream come true ... because who would ever have dreamed such a thing could ever happen?
And here are just some of the wonderfully warm responses the book has received from satisfied readers:
"I absolutely love this book! Such a clever, original idea. Some tales made me laugh, some were just so cleverly put together, and one in particular brought a tear to my eye. If you are looking for a totally different, interesting book, look no further!"
"This is fantastic. Perfect for often interrupted reading and actually quite magical to read. I love it!"
"I love this book for so many reasons. Beautifully printed and designed and lovely to flick through randomly."
"Beautiful and intriguing."
"Devoured it over a big mug of tea and will go back and re-read. Made me smile, made me think. Love it."
"This is a gem of a book ... something for everyone."
snipped tales ... in numbers
For 7 years on my blog I summarised the events of each month using numbers as a hook to tell my stories … now it’s my book’s turn:
- I broke or damaged at least *three* pairs of scissors while crafting the stories in this collection – which is where the dedication in the front of the book comes from.
- I first began sticking Snipped Tales into my notebook back in 2010 and it took *6 years* to fill the pages of that first book. It was then that I realised I had a ready-made book that I could share with the world, so I did.
- Due to the slow, gradual, incremental nature of how each one builds up from a single phrase into a complete narrative, I usually work on *at least 4* tales (often more) at any given time.