Mirabelle Maslin – författare

The main author of this book is a therapist of many years' experience. It is predominantly about sexual abuse of children with its long-term consequences and therapeutic aspects, but it is couched in the arena of broader social comment. It is in two parts: the first is presented as fiction, and the second is a number of relevant submissions and essays. The final essay was written by a psychiatrist - who is one of the editors.

I am a therapist of many years' experience. I have written this collection of essays, short stories and reflections as my contribution to helping any reader to see more clearly what is happening in daily life in his or her immediate surroundings. The subjects in this collection of writings are drawn from a broad range of human experience, and they touch the daily lives of most of us, whether or not this is apparent. In our society, we are mostly helped to see what we are meant to see. But each household, be it single person or more, has much that is hidden from view, and society itself (the collective version of the household) shares many tacitly-agreed 'blindnesses'. Those who comment openly upon secrets and blindnesses find that they have a mixed reception. "The Tale of the Emperor's New Clothes" is far from having lost its relevance, and of course, we all accept that the world is not flat! Much of our understanding of life is programmed in us by what we have seen and experienced around us when we were small.Unless we make considerable efforts to find ways in which we can view this original patterning in an objective light, we are likely to continue to enact the habits and belief systems which we absorbed during our early years. Such causal links might not be obvious to those who live life without looking sufficiently beneath the surface, and the consequence of becoming aware of them can at times provoke feelings of denial and shock. However, we must accept the fundamental truth that full or partial obscurity only serves to enhance the power of the links and their consequences.

This story takes place in a primary school in Scotland (where pupils attend for seven years, class P1 to class P7.) It is suitable for all readers aged eight and upwards. It is the last week of the summer term. The teacher of the primary 6 class has flu, and a supply teacher stands in for her. She turns out to be a wonderful teacher, and also she has some great ideas for the summer holidays. The 24 pupils in the class start to make plans for some projects...

This is the first book in a series of self-help fiction titles. By reading about the lives of fictional characters, the reader learns much about how to unravel present day problems. The understanding of stresses that began in childhood years casts light on why the characters are struggling with the difficulties that they are having now. Description on the back cover reads as follows: Newly unemployed, Miranda is feeling directionless and dejected. Then she encounters Kate, a former work colleague. Kate is now facing redundancy. Their friendship is rekindled, and as the two women share their problems and dilemmas, they begin to confide about experiences that have affected their lives. Miranda had helped to mother her two younger sisters when they were growing up, but they rarely contact her and she feels puzzled and hurt by this. It emerges that the impact upon Kate of her father's leaving when she was young has many facets. Inspired by memories of her Granny Ann, whose many stories delighted her, Miranda's creative self begins to emerge, and Kate's vision of her own future matures.Miranda and Kate gain confidence and optimism about self-employment, and their personal relationships begin to flourish.

This is the second book in a series of self-help fiction titles. By reading about the lives of fictional characters, the reader learns much about how to unravel present day problems. The understanding of stresses that began earlier in life casts light on why the characters are struggling with the difficulties that they are having now. Description on the back cover reads as follows: Victimised by the new office manager and worried about her mother's health, Lynne feels at a very low ebb. When she decides to be more open with her mother about her concerns, she is surprised to find that they both benefit. Lynne's mother is determined to help her daughter explore why she had lost interest in finding a partner for herself, and she approaches the subject sensitively. Thus supported, Lynne faces the challenge of preparing to look for a new relationship. Together Lynne and her mother take a number of positive steps that lead to change and enrichment of their lives.

Deep in the Cheshire countryside, Philip Thornton has created 'Field Fare' - a hotel with a special reputation for its game dishes. The building contains a secret, known only to Philip. Feeling lonely while her husband, Grant, is away, Teresa dines at 'Field Fare', and Philip entices her to sample a unique cordial. When Teresa confides about her experience to Carrie, her young herdresser, she learns that Carrie has had a similar encounter. Could there be more? Concerned, Teresa approaches her friend, Monica. Aided by Grant, they devise a plan...

The author documents her experience of the diagnosis and treatment by plastic surgery of the lentigo maligna melanoma which was in, above, and to the side of her left eyebrow. She also describes the first appearance and the development of brown markings which were the precursors of the lentigo maligna melanoma. The book directs the reader to www.lentigomalignamelanoma.info where there is a series of photographs with dates and descriptive captions. These images show the early brown markings, the lentigo maligna melanoma and stages of its treatment.

This book provides a fascinating, detailed account of the family background and social context in which the writer's eating disorder developed and manifested. However, this book covers much more than an account of the sufferer's lengthy struggle with anorexia nervosa and its many effects. The book is about the author's lifelong work to recover, and to understand the illness from a psychological and spiritual perspective. It also includes broader discussion of related social and ecological matters.

IntroductionIn the summer of 2012, Paola Cannas, by then in her 80s, invited her son, Marco Vichi, to dine with her. At that meeting, she asked him if he would read two of the poems that she had written. She wanted to know if they were any good, and whether or not he liked them. As he read them he was moved to tears by their beauty, simplicity, honesty and goodness, and he felt sad that he had not known his mother in this way before. He subsequently collected together all her poems, some written on scraps of paper, others in old jotters, all of them scattered in drawers and boxes around her home.Marco , a well-established author, wanted to be certain that his mother's poems were valued in their own right - 'walking on their own legs' as he said. He identified a possible publisher in Pisa - Felici Editore - but did not at first reveal that the poems had been written by his mother. He received a very quick response to say that the poems would be published. Respiri e Sospiri - 'The little big book', as it became known in Italy - was received with tumultuous applause across the country.When Marco told his mother that the poems were to be published, she said, 'I only wanted to see if you liked them. Do you mean they liked them too?' Shortly before she died, Paola was interviewed by the Florence newspaper Corriere Fiorentina.These beautiful poems were written at various stages throughout Paola's life. Using freeform verse, she draws the reader into each situation and experience with some of the clarity, depth of vision and gentle affection with which she was gifted. These poems speak for themselves. Paola Cannas was born in Lucca in 1928, and lived all her married life in Florence (Tuscany). She died in her beloved Tuscany on 17 March 2013. She had very deep feeling for Sardinia - the land of her forebears.* * * * *I translated these poems almost immediately after reading them. I had been so moved by them that I wanted my wife and friends to be able to read them, too. Paola's dying wish was that any possible proceeds from publication of her poems should go to charity. Her son, Marco, nominated Il Filo di Juta (The Jute Thread), which, based in Florence, builds schools in Bangladesh.In 2014, a school to teach literacy to the children of Bangladesh was renamed 'The Paola Cannas School'.Having read the translated poems, Augur Press wanted to make them available to the English-speaking world.Bernard Wade, translator, Dublin, Ireland and Lucca, Tuscany, April 2015. * * * * *When we received the first sample of the translated versions of Paola Cannas' poems, we knew immediately that this material carried a depth of focus that is rare. And we knew that the poems had been translated by someone who loved and really felt and experienced them in both their original language and its translation. Meaning can be lost in the process of translation, but in this case, the poetry has retained the original vital message - sometimes gentle, sometimes forceful, always powerful, filled with truth and spiritual wisdom. Mirabelle Maslin, Augur Press, April 2015.