CORINNA
EDWARDS-COLLEDGE
Corinna Edwards-Colledge is a Brighton based writer, and author. She writes mystery and psychological thriller novels, poetry and short stories. She has featured on BBC Radio 4, been commissioned by the Royal Literary Fund, and has collaborated with a range of fantastic artists, bringing together the power of words with compelling music and visuals.
Buy now in ebook or beautiful illustrated hardback from Claret Press, online or all good bookstores.
THE DOOR THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE
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“A lovely poetic book - beautifully balances the universal & particular - layered and powerful imagery draws the reader forward, running to catch their breath.”
Award-winning writer and broadcaster
HENRY NORMAL.
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Watch a short film from the launch event here.
PRINT & E-BOOKS
"A masterful insight into the human mind and how one individual deals with his unbearable sadness. The author has poured her heart into this moving tale.”
(Dr Angie McCartney)
Once upon a time, a husband watches as his wife opens a door that shouldn't be there. He tries to follow her but wakes to find his beloved has died. A beautifully illustrated novella about grief and recovery available in hardback and ebook.
From award winning Independent Publisher Claret Press
“A gripping novel that uncovers some of the darkest chapters of WWII...a lightness of style allied to a compelling narrative.”
(Viva Magazine)
A village haunted by the past,
two people haunted by the present.
"Beautifully observed & stylishly written with flair & energy." (The Book Club)
Have you ever had a phone-call that has changed your life forever?
"The kind of story you put your life on hold for and emerge from with a renewed sense of mystery." (Amazon)
A childhood mystery is reignited when Maddie takes up the offer of a gardening job in Italy.
"A fast-paced gem craftily fusing contemporary life & ancient lore. Left me spellbound." (Goodreads)
Who or what is Mary, and what does she want with Niall Costello and his family?
REVIEWS
ABOUT ME
I was born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester, and spent much of my childhood reading fantasy books and exploring the dramatic local countryside fueled solely by Kendal Mint Cake and a vivid imagination. Unsurprisingly a love of the natural world and a hint of mystery is something that often appears in my writing.
My passion for writing started when I won a poetry competition at the tender age of seven. Since then I have had a brief sojourn as an actress and singer touring with the wild, wonderful and unfortunately, late, Brian Behan; written poems, short stories and five novels, and worked as a TV & editorial
journalist. I studied English & Media at the University of Sussex and have worked in local government and trade unionism for the last 20 years, something which has engendered in me a passionate belief in public services and equality.
I live in Brighton in a loving if sometimes hectic menagerie including my husband, kids, step-kids and pets. I love hot curries, long walks, passionate conversation and laughing until it hurts. Most of all I love words, the infinite worlds they can create, and the limitless opportunities they provide to communicate and connect.
NEWS & EVENTS
DEATH SALON – THURSDAY, MARCH 27 (6.30-9PM), FABRICA BRIGHTON
Luna Arts is a new community arts and well-being organisation
dedicated to creatively exploring the cultural dimensions of death and
dying, founded by Wendy Pye and Dagmara Rudkin.
Luna Arts has recently been awarded an Arts Council project grant to
grow their organisation and to explore and develop ideas on how
workshops and public events can use creative expression to ease
anxieties and spark meaningful conversations about death, dying, and remembrance.
readings from my poetry and The Door That Shouldn't Have Been There.
Tickets are £5 and can be purchased here: https://fabrica.org.uk/events/making-space-luna-arts-2
WORD HABIT - LIVE POETRY PERFORMANCE, SUNDAY 30 MARCH, 2-5PM, THE BREWERY TAP, 21 EAST STREET, SUDBURY
I was honoured to recently win joint runner up at an open-mic poetry night hosted by Henry Normal as part of Hastings Book Festival.
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One of the best things about the night was meeting some great poets, and then to be invited to perform with them!
MY 'MAGIC HOUR' AT ART HOUSE BY THE POST BOX, ARTISTS' OPEN HOUSE, 11 MAY, 6-7PM
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Join Me for an hour of storytelling, poetry and magical thinking!
6-7pm at the Art House by the Post box, 198 Hollingdean Terrace, BN1 7HE. The Open House will stay open till 7.30 so plenty of time to browse and buy from the wonderful artists in residence, and I'll also have signed copies of my latest book, The Door That Shouldn’t Have Been There from the award-winning Claret Press for sale.
SECRETS, RELICS & LOST LIVES. COMMISSION FROM THE ROYAL LITERARY SOCIETY FOR MOSAIC
I was commissioned to write this very personal piece about The Findings and the extraordinary things I found about my dad and my uncle for Writer's Mosaic. It was an honour to write for such a fantastic Royal Literary Society Funded organisation, that does so much to champion, support and raise awareness of a the writing of a huge diversity of talented voices, most from the Global majority. You can read the essay
here, and do check out their online magazine. It's an absolute treasure trove.
MY POEM, 'TOO YOUNG' ADAPTED INTO A SONG BY RENOWNED MUSICIAN, TED BARNES
I am moved and humbled that my poem, Too Young, which I wrote in memory of a wonderful woman called Ann Bibby, has not only been chosen several times to be read by people at the funerals of loved ones, but also turned into this heartbreakingly beautiful song, by renowned musician, Ted Barnes, best known for his work with Beth Orton. Ted also writes for film and theatre, as well as continuing to work with songwriters. Click on the image to hear it
INTERVIEW ON RADIO 4'S SATURDAY LIVE!
I was thrilled to be invited on to Radio 4's #SaturdayLive recently with the legendary Reverend Richard Coles, Nikki Bedi, and guests Paul Merson, Jamie Laing and Susan Tilley.
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The show has over 2 million listeners but everyone was so lovely that it felt like hanging out having a chat with a few friends! I talked about The Findings, and the importance of objects in our understanding of ourselves and our personal histories. If you missed it you can listen here.
THE FINDINGS FACEBOOK GROUP & ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND BID
I have created a Facebook Group called #TheFindings where hundreds of people are now sharing precious personal and family artefacts and the stories behind them. It is part of the continuing discoveries I have made about my own father and uncle, following retrieving boxes of their possessions years after their deaths. I'm also developing The Findings into a performance piece and workshops, and am working on a bid to The Arts Council to help make it happen. Come along and join the group, there's some fascinating and moving stories to hear!
'SURVIVAL MANTRA' RUNNER UP IN WORLD POETRY DAY COMPETITION
I was honoured to be the joint runner up of Unison's 2021 World Poetry Day competition with my poem, Survival Mantra.
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The event also included the premiere of 'Before the Flame Goes Out' a moving performance piece on the social impact of Covid 19 on public sector workers by renowned poet, Raymond Antrobus.
FOLLOW ME ON VIMEO FOR MY POETRY AND SHORT FILMS
Since the Covid pandemic I have rediscovered a love of poetry. Sometimes I feel a new poem sitting inside me like a stone, and there is a great sense of release when it is written into being. Follow my Vimeo channel to see several of my poems made into films and set to music. I'm uploading more all the time. A great way to fit a bit of art into a busy day!
THE SOCIAL ISOLATION SONNETS
When lockdown hit in March, I, like millions of others, felt a profound sense of disorientation and anxiety. One thing that helped me, was making the commitment to write one poem a day for the first two weeks of lockdown. Click below to read the full collection.
**COMING SOON**
THE DOOR THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE
If a door that shouldn’t be there appeared in your house, would you go through it? Should every door be opened? Should we always follow those we love? These are some of the questions faced by the protagonist of The Door That Shouldn’t Have Been There as we follow, through fairy story and first-person narrative; his journey through grief after the shocking death of his wife in the night.
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My fifth book will be out later this year, and it also contains beautiful illustrations by the amazing Becky Gough. Watch this space for news!
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THE FINDINGS
My dad, Paul Edwards, died a few months after my son was born in 2002. Apart from being a social worker for a lot of his working life, he was a prolific writer. A large portion of dad’s writings, spanning fifty decades from the 1950's to the 1990's, was put into storage at a friend’s house and only returned to me last year when they had to clear their loft. Since then the boxes have been stored at my husband's studio, and then spent several months at the top of our stairs.
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I finally went through the boxes earlier this year, and I share fragments of some of the beautiful and intriguing things I found in The Findings. See the whole series on my author Facebook page.
READING EVENTS:
I read my flash fiction 'The Box' at Bovine Cemeteries 'The Future is Now'.
Extraordinary night of dystopian visions and science fiction at Bovine Cemeteries last reading event at The Komedia. I read my flash fiction story 'The Box' about a radical potential solution to humanities survival of an environmental catastrophe.
JOURNALISM - WHY WE NEED TO TALK TO KIDS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
"I talk to my kids about sex and drugs, so why don't I talk to them about climate change?"
As my eldest son went off to join the climate marches I started to reflect on my feelings & fears about climate change & why I wasn't talking to my kids about it. Click on the picture to read the full article.
READINGTO LOCAL SCHOOL KIDS AS PART OF THEIR WWII CURRICULUM.
It was such a privilege to read 'Jean's' chapter in Argemourt to the year 6 children at a local primary school.
I spent an amazing morning recently talking about what was happening in France during the violent death-throes of World War II to over 100 year six children at a local Primary school as part of their history curriculum. I read Jean's chapter from Argemourt, which describes the terrifying morning in June 1944, when an SS Panzer division roles into his quiet French village.
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The kids listened with rapt attention and made some insightful and sensitive observations. A genuinely moving experience.
SHE'S COMING...
RETURN OF THE MORRIGAN AUDIOBOOK OUT NOW.
My third novel is now on Audible.
After doing such a fantastic job narrating The Soul Room, the talented, multi-voiced Jac Knight of JaCh Creatives joined me again to record Return of the Morrigan. I am also hugely grateful to The Left Outsides who gave me permission to use their sublime track 'Time Makes a Fool of us All' for the credits. Music and narrator work perfectly in bringing my dark story with its heady mix of contemporary life and ancient Pagan myth to life.
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Authors Reach
LTD
Publisher of 4 of my books, Authors Reach, is both an author co-operative and a publisher owned by its authors with the aim of bringing a varied collection of their books directly to readers, and to invite interaction. The publishing arm offers a wide variety of books across several genres and from a range of authors including international bestsellers. All AR titles are available to order from all good bookshops in the UK.
Claret
Press
Claret Press is a long-standing and respected traditional Indie publisher based in Clapham and is the publisher of my latest novella, The Door That Shouldn't Have Been There.
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They publish page turners that engage, move, disturb, inform and entertain and also promote dialogue and debate issues on their YouTube channel.
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CONTACT
I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
