First novel for Bexhill writer

It is called The Rainbow Over The Clouds and is a story based on the lives of animals and humans in an imaginary land.

Sandra, who lives in Brassey Road, has written under the name Ilaria Ingram, and the novel has been published by AuthorHouse and is available to order from bookshops.

She said: "This is my first book. It is very exciting, and at the same time wonderful to be able to give a bit of myself to other people through my book, through the ideas that are introduced and brought forward by characters in their actions and behaviour and what they say.

"I believe the style of the book is very therapeutic and could be a help to people who read it. The words are put together in such a way as to relax and soothe the spirit.

Sandra chose to write the book under a different name because this felt to her like making a new start in life.

"Also, it is because Ilaria is one of my mother's favourite names, so I chose it for a change. It just sounded easy to remember."

An Italian who married an Englishman, she was born in a small village in the mountains near Genoa, where she spent much of her childhood before moving to Rome.

Passionate about history, music and art as well as literature, she became a lecturer and teacher in college and University, and also worked as a translator.

She started writing the book in 1994 and took breaks away from working on it before concentrating her efforts in 2004/5. There's no doubt this has been a labour of love, as she said: "It has been ongoing for about ten years. It is a book where there is a lot of me. There is a lot I want to say to those who will read it. All the characters are very easily imagined, you can visualise them very clearly and see them and hear them speak in front of you."

The Rainbow Over The Clouds, by Ilaria Ingram, is available from W.H Smith, or Waterstone's, or can be ordered on their websites, as well as Amazon.com.