Author: Cat

The diary is filling up with dates for KATHY’S SONG… twenty five so far. There are some wonderful venues to look forward to, including a 19th century Grade 2 listed town hall in the Cotswolds, a lovingly restored 1920s Picture House on the Welsh borders, a converted 18th century chapel in Hay on Wye and a fabulous historic house in the Black Country that dates from 1791.

We’ll be in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Devon, Herefordshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Derbyshire and the Black Country. Full dates & booking info will be on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backstorymusic

Another wonderful school visit, organised by Authors Abroad. I had two truly delightful days at the International School of Latvia which, like many international schools was situated outside the city, in a suburb called Pinki. The lovely librarian Marla encouraged me to extend my stay so I could see the city itself. So I treated myself to three nights in an Air BnB right in the middle of the Old Town after my working days were done.

What a city! I fell totally in love with it. There was much to see and do, from art nouveau buildings to the former headquarters of the KGB… A magnificent library, its design inspired by the folk tale The Glass Mountain… The biggest covered market in Europe, housed in five former Zeppelin hangars from World War 1… Winding streets, enticing souvenir shops… The Black Magic Cafe, with its interior like an eighteenth century apothecary shop… I need to go back!

Getting to Shanghai was a bit of a challenge. My original flights were via Dubai, which was bombed just a few days before I was due to fly out! But the team at Authors Abroad sorted it (they are miracle workers) and I flew direct, over Sweden, Russia and down over Mongolia.

And I was so glad I made it, because it was a great trip. Four days at the huge Nord Anglia bi-lingual school in Shanghai (NACIS) working with students aged 6 – 15. I was very impressed with the little ones’ English skills. They were great! It was lovely to see their Book Week costumes too. There were many I had never seen before. The embroidered emperor costumes were especially wonderful.

Another fantastic author visit with Authors Abroad, this time to Bulgaria. The Anglo-American School of Sofia is beautiful, situated outside the city centre with a backdrop of mountains which were blanketed in snow for my visit. It was a short but action-packed visit, with workshops for every primary class. It’s always great to get a whole school fired up about stories.

I managed to get into the city centre to see the sights, including the Nevski cathedral and a fascinating rotunda church, built in the 4th century by the Romans. There are Roman remains everywhere in Sofia; in Roman times, the lower part of Bulgaria was in Thrace.

I was told a lovely story by a taxi driver while I was there. I hadn’t mentioned the fact that I was a storyteller. He simply offered it as a gift:

‘In the beginning, God gave land to all the peoples of the world. But when he had finished, he discovered he had left the Bulgarians out, and he had no more land left to give. So he gave them a piece of Heaven.’

This was a full-on trip! Eight international and Kuwaiti schools, countless sessions and THOUSANDS of children in attendance. One of the schools had the biggest screen I had ever seen!! I was dwarfed by my own book covers.

It was tiring and stressy at times, but it was also exhilarating and different. I always get out of the hotel and go wandering to see the sights and explore the culture. I loved sitting in the old souk, eating freshly baked flatbreads and hummus, sipping peppermint tea and watching the world go by. Loved the fragrance shops! People take fragrance very seriously in that part of the world – the men even more than the women, it seems. The old souk had a dozen or more fragrance shops, all busy with customers. I bought two fabulous versions of sandalwood (one of my favourite scents) and every time I use them, I am instantly transported back to the warm nights and equally warm welcome I received from everyone. When I tried to pay for my hummus in the souk, the cafe owner waved his hands: ‘No, no. You are guest!’ I love travel moments like that .

Thank you to the team at Authors Abroad for making this happen!

BestTellers Copenhagen…. What a fabulous place to perform. It has long been one of my favourite spaces. It’s such an intimate space, and the audience listens so intently. I was there for one night only recently, telling BLUEBEARD and a selection of shorter stories from my repertoire. Amazingly, I had never told signature stories like The Old Woman in the White House on the BT stage – I am usually booked to perform the ‘big’ shows there. It was wonderful to share them. And I got a standing ovation at the end!! I was chuffed to bits.

Here are the venues and dates for our mini tour of Kathy’s Song:

17/10/25 8pm Cubley Village Hall

25/10/25 3pm The Enterprise Hall, Sutton on Sea

29/11/2025 7.30pm Heightington Village Hall

30/11/25 7.00pm Ruddington Village Hall

05/12/25 7.30 Tennyson d’Eyncourt Memorial Hall, Tealby

24/01/26 Swayfield Village Hall

All these shows are organised via Live & Local. Find ticket links here: https://www.liveandlocal.org.uk/whats-on/