Author Description

This is not a chronological account of a life, it is a fictionalised memoir delivered in over twenty short stories. Joanne's sharply remembered moments create a pattern out of snapshots from a childhood in post-war Berlin (haunted by fearsome Russians with packs of hunting wolves), through mid-life adventures in Morocco (and some delightful hospitality), to the aftermath of a brain haemorrhage (and its effects on her beloved tennis playing). Her memories deliver connections created by corridors and railways, by fruits and by school lessons. Pam Barnard is a reflective and pensive observer, whose narratives are tinged with irony and a touch of humour. She was born in a small Midlands market town, followed her officer father to RAF camps, and returned to her birthplace for her secondary schooling. Pam worked for 40 years in state education, as an English teacher, a County Adviser and as Vice-Principal of a large Further Education College. After retirement, she wrote a book about the local fire-service and its volunteer fire-fighters and led writers' workshops at a local Arts Centre.