Locks Heath author publishes short story and poetry collection

Tim Saunders, 43, has published a poetry collection called Poems for Today and a book of short stories, both of which are available as paperback and e-books.

Speaking about his collection of poems, Tim said: ‘It has heart-warming subjects such as romance, cooking and gardening but so too are more pressing matters like cancer, knife crime and climate change.

‘Thank goodness then for poetry, which allows a subject to be explored in a concise way. Nonsense rhymes lighten the mood.’

Tim decided to become a writer after being inspired by his mother, who wrote books and poetry on a typewriter under the stairs of his childhood home.

Aged just ten years old, the young writer wrote and illustrated his first story, The Tree Men which was rejected - but six years later he was runner up in the BBC Radio 2 Young Campaigning Journalist of the Year competition for his article on the plight of the barn owl.

Since then he has been the business and motoring editor at the Bournemouth Echo

Now the dad-of-three says his Harriett, 10, Heidi, eight, and five-year-old Henry have picked up the family passion for penning poems and stories – with Henry recently finishing a book called The Nosey Crocodile.

Speaking about his short story collection - A Book of Short Stories Volume I - the 43-year-old added: ‘It allowed me to tackle a number of topics. Short stories are fun to write and not too demanding to read. “In this collection, I have enjoyed creating a variety of characters who experience some of life’s challenged with a mix of outcomes.

‘Age old afflictions of greed and addiction are touched upon while happier themes such as motivation and the power of friendship also feature.’

Tim has had six books published in total and has another novel in the works, as well as the next volume of his short stories and also more poetry.

He said: ‘Writing, editing and publishing a book always feels like a massive achievement and does make me smile. It's a great start to a new year.

‘My ambition is to continually improve my writing - it's a very exciting journey.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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