When a dream becomes a reality, it is an extraordinary feeling.

Looking back I see that I first contacted Unbound in January 2019 having read The Good Immigrant and been inspired by the concept of a sponsored publication. I loved the idea that by capturing the imagination of the public, we could make this project happen together. I scrolled through the names of sponsors in the back of the book and thought – YES! This is the way I want to proceed. A community enterprise.

Other people then stepped in with ideas and offers of contacts ( thank you John Don, Mary Munro, Bea Ramsay and Lucy-Anne Holmes) and before I knew it my proposal was on the desk of Mathew Clayton, head of publishing at Unbound. Within a week they had accepted me, and the long road of fundraising began. And goodness me – it was long- £5.5k is a lot of money!  I absolutely hate asking for money and up till that point, social media and I had a very long-distance relationship.

However, the whole business of writing and illustrating a book was a new process so to fulfil this dream, I had to put on a brass neck and carry on.  The result was extraordinary.  Family, friends, and generous strangers rallied to the call and now, here we are, on the cusp of publication.  

Huge thanks to you each one for your contribution. I hope you have enjoyed being part of this crazy wild journey with me. It has not been without its frustrations, mishaps, and setbacks but happily we made it!

Hopefully by now you have your copy in front of you and are pleased that you trusted in me. I hope it proves useful – it takes a lot more work to write a small accessible book that is lean of words but rich in truth than a massive tome.

Please go to my website www.leavesoflove.co.uk for updates from now on and follow me on Instagram @lucyaykroyd.

I look forward to seeing you at book signings  after the Official Publication Date – 20 August 2020. Meantime you can pre-order more copies from most major online bookshops, including Waterstones, Foyles, The Hive and Amazon. Reviews will always be welcome! (only good ones of course!)

Covid permitting there will be a book launch in the West Country on 19 September 2020 at The Lost Kitchen, Devon, https://www.lostkitchen.co.uk/

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your support. Please continue to put the word out there so that the important message of Leaves of Love touches as many people as possible. My dream is not over until we can find Leaves of Love, stories for ageing and dying well in surgeries, waiting rooms, Libraries, Health Centres and independent bookshops throughout the country. Let’s make it happen!