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Ali was born in Cheltenham, England but has been a resident of Torquay in Devon for many years. Growing up in a landlocked county, Ali soon developed a love of visiting the ocean and has been moving slowly south ever since. She now feels privileged to call the ‘English Riviera’ home. Ali started her career as an ‘author’ by researching and writing speeches for top civil servants but, for the last five years, has had the privilege of editing a glossy life-style charity magazine with a readership of 35,000 plus across Devon. She is also a published non-fiction features writer, mostly focusing on people and places, historical figures and events and the natural world. When need demands, Ali has also been known to turn her hand to cookery writing and crossword compiling! When not writing, Ali and her husband David love to travel, having lived and worked in the United States and travelled extensively, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. Ali also has a very special place in her heart for southern Africa, particularly the Western and Eastern Capes of South Africa and Zambia. When not travelling or writing, Ali also has a love of subtitled Scandi detective series, walking for fitness and logic problems and puzzles of all kinds.
The Matchmaker, the Milliner and the Man from Maastricht
E-book Price: 0.99
Blurb: If true friendships can be forged across continents and cultures, can true love?
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When up-and-coming celebrity hatmaker Anna Peel gets divorced, she starts looking for something fulfilling to occupy her time and signs up to become a sponsor at a school on the banks of the Zambezi. So begins her correspondence with precocious 10-year-old Henry Sissonga, the founder of Mwabonwa School – and part time matchmaker – Grace Nkomo, and former Captain in the Royal Netherlands Army and now Geography Teacher, Dann Huismann. But when Dann abruptly ends their written correspondence, Anna is once again thrown into emotional turmoil. Is his sudden disinterest linked to the mysterious death of his wife and son or perhaps it is his growing attachment to visiting Danish academic Dr Lottie Lund. When an opportunity comes to spend time in Zambia tutoring at the newly created Women’s Art Centre, Anna embraces the opportunity for adventure and personal fulfilment, but must balance her commitment to the empowerment of the village women of Twalumba with her growing affection for a man – damaged by war and personal tragedy – who clearly does not reciprocate her feelings. The book is set in England and Zambia and takes the form of a series of warm-hearted letters, emails and correspondence between Anna, Henry, Grace, Dann and Anna’s older sister, the witty and insightful Izzy Rowbottom.