I've always loved books. Getting lost in the stories that other people have created has always been one of my favourite ways to spend my time.
As well as being an avid reader, I started writing plays and stories in primary school. I continued to write short stories throughout my adulthood, but it is only recently that I have written my own full length novel.
I left teaching about three years ago to start up my own cafe.
At The Gingerbread Tea House it was important to me to give something back to the community. My teaching days clearly demonstrated to me the link between reading for pleasure and academic achievement. In order to help the community develop that love of reading I decided to introduce a book exchange. It started out small with just a couple of shelves with books donated by myself and my children. Now we have more books than we know what to do with!
Prior to lockdown in the UK I added a "Donated by the Author" section and encouraged indie authors to donate a copy of their book. Each author created their own info page and we posted pics of the donated books on our Facebook page and Instagram.
The Gingerbread Tea House is still closed due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. When we open again I plan to expand our "Donated by the Author" section and would love to add more titles. If anyone is interested in donating a book please E-Mail me nicolethorneauthor@gmail.com
