In December 2015 Soulla Christodoulou resigned from her teaching role and an increasingly toxic environment at a local secondary school to take some time out for herself. “I had no idea what I wanted to do,” she says, “but I knew I had to leave work; stress was affecting my health and I didn’t want my career to go down the pan.”
Earlier that same year, she began to write a book. With the guidance of a host of creative writing peers she continued to write, persevered with her research, and developing her writing and own style soon became a habit. She envisioned becoming an author as a possible future career for her and trusted her instinct to continue.
“I’d always enjoyed writing and was thirsty for something new; I loved learning and listened to every podcast going, bought countless books to learn the craft and filled my days with writing. In many ways, writing was therapeutic.”
Fast forward eight years and she has published four books, her second novel, The Summer Will Come, is a book-to-movie project and she is running a successful business offering writing, editing and mentoring support to emerging writers.
“Giving new writers the motivation and inspiration to write their own stories is both a privilege and hugely rewarding. And mentoring links back to my teaching days which I will always be grateful for,” she says.
Her fifth book – part of a three-book signing with a publisher – is about to be released. A Palette of Magpies is out on 28th October 2023.
“It is a novel partly inspired by an art teacher I used to work with and I have created a feel-good story set in The Cotswolds with some beautiful themes and hard-hitting messages: life, pain, hope, healing, kindness, forgiveness and love.”
Published with Kingsley Publishers, A Palette of Magpies, is available for pre order now in both e-book and paperback formats.
You can also connect with Soulla on Instagram: @soullasays or contact her through her website: www.soulla-author.com