Chale Show August 2025

Jo Cooper at Chale Show, Isle of Wight

Like every show, we meet lots of lovely people who tell me their tales.  People who have read the books and have enjoyed them come up and tell us.  ‘I couldn’t put it down,’ is a phrase we often hear, but one lady added that she found reading it the way Jo writes you understand the characters immediately, and you feel that you are there.’  What a lovely thing to say. 

When I was being coached on how to write a book, my tutor Sue Court told me once, ‘you haven’t introduced me to this character.’  I knew what she meant, and I now make the descriptions of them clearly throughout.  I also make sure that the locations are suitably described.

Another visitor to our display was Jo Skinner.  It was lovely to see her again.  I first met her when she bought the first book, then she returned to the next show and bought the other two.

With her sister, she took a trip to Binstead, known to us as Little Bridge, and found the places described in the book.  She went to the beach and looked over to Portsmouth, she went into the church and walked around the grave yard, where Reggie had hidden the golf balls. 

Half way through, she noticed people walking by, and in Jo Skinner’s dulcet tones shouted out,

‘Buy this book, it’s really good.’ 

A lady was waiting to buy a copy of ‘Sparkles in the Navy Blue Sky.’  Suddenly Jo said to her, ‘you don’t just need this one, you must have this one as well.’  She picked up a copy of ‘There will be Blue Skies’ and put it in her hand.

Jo made her good byes and left to enjoy the rest of the show.  The lady in front of me said, ‘Apparently I would like to buy both of them!’