"Bill Bryson meets a lesbian Bridget Jones " - new book by East Sussex author

Saltdean author Cat Walker is in print with The Scoop, the story of the rather hapless Casey Jones – a 30-something frustrated adventurer going nowhere.
Saltdean author Cat WalkerSaltdean author Cat Walker
Saltdean author Cat Walker

It has been published by RedDoor Press (reddoorpress.co.uk) and is available from Amazon as a paperback or Kindle.

Cat said: “Casey’s charity job depresses her, her parents confuse her, and she has repeated nightmares about her ex-girlfriend. In a moment of sudden clarity she chucks in her job, contacts her old schoolfrien Danny, and they plan a pilgrimage of sorts to find some real meaning in their lives.

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“What she didn’t plan for was an extra passenger in the shape of Danny’s estranged 12-year-old son Ari, who has problems of his own. The three of them are thrown together for an intense rollercoaster ride through some of the world’s most beautiful and dangerous places from Tulse Hill to Tibet, allowing the history and culture they encounter to change the way they see the world, and each other.

“In a nutshell, The Scoop is about the journeys and relationships – planned and accidental – that help to define our lives. I like to think of it as Bill Bryson meets a lesbian Bridget Jones; a Sophie’s World on wheels; or a Zen and the Art of Ice Cream Van Maintenance.

“The idea for the novel came about thirteen years ago when I went travelling myself. I was on the run from some situations in my life which weren’t really going that great – little things like my job, my relationship and having something to aim for in life – that sort of thing.

“Travelling gave me the headspace I needed to think about what the meaning of life is (a big preoccupation of mine) and to figure out what I wanted to do next. I wrote a blog as I went, which I sent back home to family and friends. Several people commented that I should write a book about it. So I did!

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“I suppose you could say that writing this book gave me the direction I needed at that point. It allowed me to work through some of the questions I had about life and what we’re all here for. When I started to think about writing a book I knew that I wanted to include this search for the truth in it, and I wanted to do it in a humorous way that people could relate to. Hopefully I succeeded in that in some measure.

“I very much hope that The Scoop will speak to all kinds of people on any number of levels because who hasn’t, at some point in their lives, been bored by their job or found themselves in a relationship they wanted to get out of or lost connection with people they loved or wondered what on earth they’re here for and what’s the point of life?

“I think The Scoop is particularly relevant right now for three main reasons. Firstly, while we’re all observing social distancing measures, it reminds us of that golden age when we were able to travel to foreign lands and encounter new cultures and people. It also reminds us of the importance of family, friendships and relationships.

“Secondly, and you may not remember this very well, but in the dim and distant past before the pandemic, there was this little thing that irked a lot of people, called Brexit. Brexit focussed our minds on what it means to be British, alongside what it means to be European, how we relate to Europe and the rest of the world, what we all share and where there are differences. The Scoop explores these ideas alongside questioning the moral codes people live by.

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“Thirdly, we are now living in an age where social media is largely dictating the nature and quality of our relationships, whether romantic, platonic, or familial. One of the central themes of The Scoop is how important our relationships with others are, and how important it is to have real connections, not just online connections – something we are learning in extremis right now.”

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