Hey there, lovely reader!
I hope you enjoyed Halloween. I had a blast! I stayed in, doled out candy, and reminisced about Halloweens of years past which were SO much fun, they are permanently etched onto my memory.
This week I am revisiting a story I've told before but it's so good, it deserves another outing and a request.
My M&S Dress
I moved to California on October 30, 1996. Virgin Atlantic flight VS019 arrived at SFO at 2:50 p.m. to be exact.
I sat in seat 49C.
Five years prior to that or maybe it was ten, I forget, I bought a dress from Marks & Spencer, a British high street chain.
It was a floaty, swingy, summer dress with tiny flowers printed on it.
I loved that dress. It was loose. I could gain a few pounds and hide them.
It had crinkly fabric, which meant I didn't need to iron it.
It hid my knees.
I wore that dress over and over for many years but fast forward two decades and it was time to say goodbye.
It had been worn to death and reincarnated several times but it was now finally the end.
My crinkly dress became a rumpled mess in my upstairs bathroom wastebasket.
Fast forward a couple of years and I volunteered for a rummage sale at my kids' school.
The day after we had a clean-up and I was asked to box up leftover books.
When I took a break, the organizer insisted that I take a look around for something that might take my fancy.
I could have anything I want.
Initially, I demurred. Frankly, rummage sale leftovers aren't typically inspiring.
But boxing up hundreds of books isn't terribly thrilling either. I decided to take the organizer's advice.
I walked around the toys but pieces spilled from puzzles. I walked around the media section but only old video cassettes were left.
And then. Gasp. I stopped.
Everything stopped. My heart. My lungs. The world. For there, on a hanger, was a very familiar-looking dress.
Surely not? Could it be? I don't believe it!
It was.
5,000 miles away and twenty-odd years later, there at a rummage sale in California, USA, was an identical floaty, summer M&S dress.
In my size.
I have worn that dress many times in the years since. And told many people my story. It makes me, and them, smile.
You see, magic can happen in the unlikeliest of places; even where it's dusty and dirty and cold.
A school rummage sale may appear a rare place for magic and wizardry.
But, as my story shows, even the unlikeliest of places can make Harry Potters of us all.
How you can help me
It being the start of the month, I uploaded some new images to the internet, this time for the Roxy series. I use images like these to promote my books and starter library. This is how I gain most of my new readers and subscribers to this newsletter.
Now my request: If you see any of my ads in your feed, would you consider leaving a comment? They act like book reviews in that the algorithm loves interaction and will amplify those with the most likes and comments. You will not only be helping me but also people like you who might love my books. Thank you! ?
One of these three images (the one above and the two below) was immediately more popular with readers than the others. Can you guess which one? Reply and let me know!
Happy reading!
