As one of the editors, an author and the production leader of this book, I need to declare my involvement - as well as my absolute love for every one of these diverse stories that were selected from so many quality submissions. They're mostly from Australia but some from other regions, for the Valentines Day 2024 release.
There's genuinely something for everyone here - heartfelt memoirs, heart-healing narrative non-fiction, and creative short stories that are heart balm for the soul.
The spectrum of authors covers both emerging and experienced, with short and longer pieces. Personally, as an author, I appreciated the scope to write the story I needed to tell within the maximum scope of 5,000 words. Mine is the only story in the book that deals with the loss of a child, but there are others that delve with sensitivity and vulnerability into the topic of grief.
This is by no means a sad or gloomy collection though. The reader journey was carefully considered, along with a balance between genres, story length and tone. I believe it's an enjoyable collection of new writing on the theme of 'heart moving', a long-held desire of the publisher, Anjanette Fennell.
It makes a wonderful gift for readers of fiction or non-fiction about human vulnerability, relationships, connections, love, anguish and everything in between.