Readers Place

1. Your memoir is very revealing; does this bother you when you come face to face with your readers?

am not at all bothered when I come face to face with my readers. What I feared was ridicule from the critics; when the reviews were good, I was happy and remain so.

2. I would imagine A Round Heeled Woman would be read and enjoyed mostly by a mature female audience, what kind of feedback, if any, have you received from both younger and male readers?

I have been surprised by the warm reception given the book by younger and even young women, something on the order of “You go, girl!” As for men, I am told by bookshop owners that men who buy the book say they are buying it for their wives, also that men will pick up the book and take it to the back of the shop to peruse. On the other hand, there are those men who see the book as an invitation to intimacy and misbehave accordingly.

3. Have you been propositioned by lots of men since the publication of this book?

Yes, I have been propositioned by lots of men, not always let’s do it now proposals but leading in that direction. Have I accepted any? You’ll have to read my next book which I am writing now.

4. What are you working on at the moment?

I am working on a follow-up to Round-Heeled Woman. It will answer questions such as What happened then? Are you still seeing Graham? and so on. It will also include stories of others as they have come to me over the past two years.

5. Do you think the book would have been received differently had it been written by a man?

If a man had written a book like this, nobody would have published it. Serial sex, a May-December love affair is no big deal if it is the man who is older and the woman younger. So why write a book about it?

6. Were your family and friends supportive of you throughout the experience, what did they think of the book?

My son was supportive of my putting the ad in; however, he has not read the book and does not intend to. My friends? Some of them were supportive, some not. Those who were not are no longer my friends. If you want further details, you’ll have to read my next book which I am writing as soon as I stop writing to you.

7. What advice would you give to someone planning to embark on a similar adventure to the one you have experienced?

I simply can’t give advice, but if you insist I would advise that 1) you send not your best photograph but your third best; that way, you will be a pleasant surprise when you show up. 2) Figure out who and how your action might hurt; if the answer is “only me,” then be prepared and go ahead or not.

8. How did you go about writing this memoir? Did you write it/ take notes as you went along or did you write it from memory after the experience?

I have kept journals for many years, so it was sort of automatic to keep one when these amazing things began to happen. I found writing in my journal a way of keeping total chaos at bay. When I decided that maybe this might be a book, I turned to my journals.

9. How did it feel when you first saw the published book in the shops?

Fortunately, I was with a friend when I first saw my book in the shop window because I damn near fainted and he caught me (a pleasant experience). When I recovered, I just got very happy.

10. Are there any plans to make a film of A Round Heeled Woman if so; is there an actress you would want to play you?

Sharon Gless, of TV’s Cagney and Lacey, has optioned the book. She is not sure what she will do with it though she hopes to play part of me. I guess Madonna is busy as are the Spice Girls so any old actress will do.