From Prison Inmate to Prison Chaplain - a great foundation for a novel

GLOUCESTER, U.K. - Dec. 11, 2017 - PRLog -- Local author Mary Brown knows a lot about prisons, not just the bricks and mortar ones, but the imprisonment and isolation suffered by those who society rejects. During a long and varied career she has experienced arrest and imprisonment, has worked in education in prisons, and then spent a decade as a prison chaplain. She knows a great deal about the fringes of society on which most of us turn our backs. Retired now and in her 80s, Mary sees the launch of her debut novel, I used to be, this week.

I used to be, published by Fantastic Books Publishing, is not a story of prison life per se, but draws on Mary's prison experiences and focuses on people trapped on the fringes of society: an older woman, Maude, and an adolescent, Kayleigh. 'I met many men in prison,' Mary says, 'who could have been the fathers, brothers or uncles of Kayleigh and her set. Despite everything, they were an inspiration, in the way they supported and helped one another.'

Mary's original motivation came from William Golding after hearing him talk at the Cheltenham Literature Festival many years ago about his own inspiration for Lord of the Flies. 'I don't deny his book's literary merit,' she says, 'but I disagree with Golding's views of how the children would have behaved. I vowed at the time that one day I would write a book about a group of girls stranded on an island.'

Although a theme of mutual support runs through Mary's novel, it doesn't run smoothly. This is not a tale of loveable rogues, it is a heart-wrenching story of people rejected by society, pushed aside and disregarded. Kayleigh's plight is starkly told through the eyes of an older woman, Maude, herself one of society's rejects.

Mary Brown's career has provided the perfect foundation for insights into those on the fringes of society. Much of her career was spent in education, including teaching at an open prison; she spent ten years as a prison chaplain, publishing a memoir, Confessions of a Prison Chaplain in 2014, and she herself spent time in HM Prison Holloway in the 1960's following her arrest at a peace protest.

'As soon as we saw Mary's first draft of I used to be, we knew what a powerful story we were reading,' says Dan Grubb, CEO of Fantastic Books Publishing. 'It is ultimately a story of hope, and of belief in the innate goodness of people from all walks of life, but readers should arm themselves with tissues. It's an emotional rollercoaster.'

About the book
'I used to be' was officially launched 10th December 2017. http://Tinyurl.com/MaryBrownIUsedToBe

About Mary Brown
Find out more about Mary Brown on the Fantastic Books Store: https://www.fantasticbooksstore.com/authors/mary-brown.

Further information and contact details
Further information can be obtained from Fantastic Books Publishing

Email: fbp-publicity@outlook.com          Phone: 074 1538 8882