The Art Of Reinventing Yourself

Hi, I’m Alex Stone. I’m a psychological suspense writer, based in Dorset.

But I wasn’t always.

I used to have a different name. A different life.

I grew up in the West Midlands. To me the coast was somewhere I went to for summer holidays. My visits there were always temporary. There was always a date on which I went home. Back to normality. Back to real life.

And then in 2018 the coast became my home.

I remember everyone telling me how brave I was. But, at the time, brave wasn’t the word I would have used to describe walking away from everyone and everything I knew and moving to a new town. No family. No friends. No job. I thought I was crazy.

And yet, I did it anyway.

In the summer of 2018, I received an email from the bestselling author, Katie Fforde, to announce that I was going to be a recipient of her Katie Fforde Bursary the following year. Up until that point I’d been an accountant who dreamt of being a writer someday. Katie’s email inspired me to stop waiting for someday, and to go after my dreams now.

So, I took a career break and moved to the coast. I gave myself 12 months to finish writing my book and enjoy living by the sea. 12 months to literally live my dream. The plan was that at the end of that time I would return to my nice sensible stable life in the West Midlands. Because as brave as everyone told me I was, I never fully believed that the dream would actually workout. I kept a safety net. I took a career break, instead of resigning. I rented a flat, instead of buying. I was living my dream, but like those summer holidays to the beach when I was a kid, my dream had an expiry date.

However, the reality is that you can’t live with a foot in two different worlds. Eventually you have to make a choice. At the end of my 12 months, I was an unpublished writer whose lease had ended. The sensible thing to have done would have been to return to my old job as planned.

But I didn’t.

I stuck it out in Bournemouth. I found a new apartment. I found a part time job. I started writing a new book.

And then, in 2021 I signed a four book publishing contract with Boldwood Books. My debut; ‘The Perfect Daughter’ was published in October, about a young woman trying to find the truth about herself and her life. It’s a book I probably would never have written if I hadn’t stayed in Bournemouth.

I’m still amazed when I look back on how much my life has changed in the last few years. Would it have happened if I hadn’t received that email from Katie Fforde? Possibly not. It was the nudge that I needed. The realisation that someone believed in me and my writing. And not just anyone. Katie Fforde!!! But not even Katie could have predicted what her email would lead to.

Following my dreams wasn’t an easy choice. It was terrifying. There were so many times when it seemed like it would all fall apart. So many times when it was tempting to run back to what I knew. But taking those chances, putting faith in myself, allowing myself the opportunity to try (and admittedly sometimes fail), was all part of the path that brought me here.

I’m a published author now.

I’m still amazed that I can say that. I still stare at the paperback copy of ‘The Perfect Daughter’ and can’t quite believe that it’s real.

But it is.

My second book; ‘The Other Girlfriend’, will be released on 28th July. It’s incredible to think that soon I will have two books published, when the idea of even having one published seemed like an impossible dream not that long ago.

It turns out that dreams can actually become reality.

I’ve learnt so much from this journey. I try to be braver now. I try not to wait for someone else to be the source of my courage and confidence. I try to trust my own instincts and abilities.

I’m not always successful. But I am still trying.

Wishing you every success in following your dream.

Alex

May 2022

You can pre-order Alex’s new book here.