Salie Thomas has lived a colouful life working with horses but can now add to her CV a published author too.
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00:00Hello there Sally, how are you? Hello. So it's Sally but it's S-A-L-L-I-E, bit of a
00:07different spelling and we're here today to chat about you and your book. So just
00:13fill us in, you've already had one book published haven't you? What was the first
00:16book then? High Vista. And what was the first one about then Sally? It's
00:22about a person that goes to on holiday to Ferencarola and starts writing from
00:33there. Yeah. And it's people that sell their business well after their son was
00:42killed and then decide to buy a holiday home in Ferencarola and then they find
00:50High Vista, which they didn't know was a drug trafficking place and it proceeds
00:59from there. What's your experience of drug trafficking? So your second book, is it a
01:09totally different story or is it connected? Yeah. So give us the synopsis of the second
01:14book that's just come out then. People, Gracie who lives in London with a
01:22husband and her family, two children, and her husband has a heart attack and
01:28dies. Yeah. And she sells the business and the house and moves to Worcester with
01:33her parents and then decides to go and buy a place in Dartmouth. Yeah. A place
01:41where she'd had lots of holidays. Yeah. And liked it, you know. And it proceeds
01:46from there. So Dartmouth is a place that's close to your heart, isn't it?
01:50You've had lots of holidays yourself there. Oh yes, lovely, yes. And is writing
01:54something you've always done throughout your life? No, but I've always wanted to.
01:59When I was at school, yeah, I wanted to be a writer and Mrs. Platt was a
02:03marvellous teacher for English and English literature and she used to
02:07encourage me and she used to give us three subjects to write an essay on for
02:13prep. Yeah. And you chose one. Well, I used to do the three, but she got thoroughly fed up with me.
02:21But she did say to me you ought to be a writer and that was when I was at school. But then again
02:26life took over and I didn't get a chance. Well, you certainly can't be accused of
02:32not making the most of your life. You've lived in California, you've had a life
02:37with horses, haven't you really? Yes. What's kind of, just fill us in on what
02:41your role's been over the years with horses. You've had your own horse
02:45stables. Yes, well I've always loved riding from when I was, I think I had my first
02:52pony when I was two. Oh wow. And you know, pony club and all this sort of thing, pony
02:58camp. Anyway, then I had the Huff Riding Club at Eccleshall. Yeah. Which was very
03:07popular and I made the money there to go to America. Yeah. And I went under
03:14contract to work at Wellesley Schools and in Vermont with the horses. Yeah.
03:24From there, then I didn't go, when we were in California I didn't work with horses.
03:30Yeah. I got married, Peter and I went to California, we always wanted to. So I was
03:37the dining room hostess and manageress. Yeah. At a lovely country club called El
03:44Macero and Peter worked for Hydric Farms. So we had a good time, you know, and
03:49earned a lot of money and it was great. Made lots of friends. Yeah. So that you
03:55kind of, like you say, life kind of, it was a busy life. Mmm, very busy. So what gave you
04:00the confidence to kind of first put pen to paper with that first book then? Was
04:04it, was it you like, if I don't do it now it's never gonna happen? Was it one of
04:07those? Yes, certainly, but the thing was I had COVID and I had terrible COVID for
04:14eight and a half months and I couldn't go out and do things. Yeah. And I couldn't
04:20sleep at night, so I thought this is no good. So instead of keeping Peter awake
04:25at night, I started writing. So that's when I wrote the two books. So initially
04:30were you thinking, well I'm writing these and I want to finish them and I want them
04:35to be out there in, you know, in the world. Is that always the plan, yeah? Yes, oh yes.
04:40So they said a second book, it's, you've given us a little bit, that's it,
04:46Something's Wrong in Paradise Cove. Yes. Fantastic. So is there a third book in
04:52you? What do we think? Oh yes, and a fourth and a fifth and a sixth. This year I want to have
04:58at least two more published, if not three. Yeah. And then I'm going to start my
05:04life story with Peter, who was a car racing driver, you know. Yeah. And see how we go then.
05:12A little bird tells me. If I live long enough. Well, fingers crossed. A little bird tells me
05:17you're working on a book for a cat's charity. Yes, that's right. It's called
05:21Cat Tales. Yeah. I've nearly finished it. Yeah. And I've spoken to the local vet,
05:28the little vet company in Market Drayton and they're interested and I wanted to
05:33support the, come on, Cats Protection. Cats Protection, yes. And the RSPCA and Vets for Pets. Yeah.
05:46So that they can, if somebody's got a pet and they can't afford to have it
05:54seen to. Yeah. The money from that book hopefully will help them to be able to
05:59save their pet. Cool. So I'm tempted to get you just to read the first couple of
06:03lines from the second book. You up for that? If you want. Go on, just read the first couple of lines for us.
06:09Just, just tempt us, tempt us in. Alright, alright. It's probably boring at the firm, I don't know. Right. Oh, I'll have to put my glasses on. That's quite alright, we'll allow you that. Right.
06:23So we're learning, you're never too old to write a book and become an author, aren't we?
06:27That's what we're learning as well. Yes, that's it, that's it. 83 when I get my first two
06:32published. That's crazy, isn't it? Yes, yes. Anyway, it starts off, the 3Gs
06:39graphic design studio in Earlsfield, London was a dream job of Gordon Blest
06:45and Grace, his wife and best friend from school days, Graham Trent. What do you
06:53want me to read now? Ding, ding, ding. We need the EastEnders. So if people want to get hold of a
07:01copy of the book or find out more, how can they do that? I presume on the old
07:08Google? Yes, they're on all the internet things. Yeah, yeah. In fact, I went to hospital just before Christmas and the ambulance and we were
07:18talking and I said, oh yes, I write, because this one fellow, you know, Kieran, he said he
07:24loves reading. Yeah. And I said, oh you want to have a look at my book? And he got it on the
07:29internet, right on his phone. And he said, oh yes, oh I'll buy those. He said both of them. Fantastic, fantastic. Well, thank you for inviting us to chat about
07:39your books and we look forward to hearing about the next ones that come out.
07:43Thank you, Sally. Thank you.