Top Shropshire authors trade in thrillers and fantasy for everyday kindness

Tibberton-based Adam Hamdy and Natasha Bache of Shrewsbury are among the 55 authors whose short stories will feature in Everyday Kindness: A collection of uplifting tales to brighten your day, a heart-warming new anthology that celebrates the compassionate acts of everyday life.

Adam Hamdy, a Sunday Times best-selling British novelist, screenwriter and film producer, is best known for his novels, Black 13, Pendulum and Private Moscow, co-written with James Patterson.

His fictional story, Jackals, takes readers to California where a homeless man, down on his luck, helps out a woman who passes by every day, and she repays his kindness.

He said: “It’s an honour to have a story included in the Everyday Kindness anthology. Jackals was inspired by a real life experience. I’d sold my first film pitch to a Hollywood studio and was on my way back to Topanga when I saw a homeless man hitchhiking on the Pacific Coast Highway.

"In a ‘pay it forward’ moment, I picked him up, and we talked about his life and experiences as I drove him to his destination. Much has been changed in Jackals, but the underlying sense of what it’s like to be homeless in California, the daily struggle, and the importance of kindness and understanding came from our encounter.”

Natasha Bache is author of The Arcane Tales of Tamsyn Pride, a contemporary series of fantasy and witchcraft. Her story, Waiting for the Westwind, follows a woman as she attempts to change the sweltering weather with some spells passed down from her mother.

She said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to be included in Everyday Kindness, alongside many great writers and for a cause that’s close to my heart. The idea behind Waiting for the West Wind was born from the heat waves we’ve been experiencing over the past few years.

"I already had a character in mind, a hedge witch called Tamsyn Pride, who is inspired by my sister who sadly passed away three years ago. Tamsyn must put aside the self-doubt and fear implanted within her by others, in order to help the people in her village.”

Edited by internationally bestselling author LJ Ross, the Everyday Kindness anthology features over 50 uplifting tales from new, established, bestselling and award-winning authors from across the country.

It came about from the author’s desire to combine the skills of those in the wider writing community to promote positivity and raise funds for Shelter, a vital charity that works to prevent homelessness and bad housing across the UK.