Fashion retailer starts new chapter of life by writing romantic novel

A former Edinburgh business owner has made a successful career change to become an author.

Former fashion retailer Angela Grant's debut novel is set in Africa. Picture: Scott Louden

Angela Grant from Eskbank saw her days as a company owner end after the financial impact of lost custom during the disruptive Edinburgh trams project - which a public inquiry has been told will have a final price of £1bn.

But instead of being deterred by the experience, Angela released the story If I Only Knew through Melrose Books, after years of running The Extra Inch fashion shop in the Capital’s West End with her sister Christine Cooper.

Explaining why she decided to pen the romantic novel, which is set in Africa, Angela said: “Edinburgh City Council decided to put in the trams and shut off the streets at the West End. We became an island and our customers couldn’t get to us. Lots of businesses couldn’t make it. We lost the shop.

“I have never written anything before. I said to my husband ‘I’m not retiring at 71’. But at that age who would employ me? So I thought, I’m going to do something I have always wanted to do but never had the time.

“I know about Botswana and Morocco so I sat down and did it. It just started to flow and took off from there. On and off it took a couple of years. I would leave it for a while then all of a sudden think of something and go back to it.”

The book’s main female character, Julie Marshall, only ever wanted was to become a renowned international chef, owning her own Michelin-starred restaurant. But an infatuation takes her to Morocco and a new a relationship followed by an earth-shattering experience that opens a new chapter in her life after she relocates to Botswana.

It is while working in the African bush, amidst crime and murder, that she makes a life-changing discovery and is faced with a decision that she would have to live with, or face the dire consequences that would place her life in enormous jeopardy with no way back.

Angela has been delighted with the reaction to her debut novel and has high hopes of a career as a writer.

She said: It was absolutely wonderful. I couldn’t believe it.

“I think it has been a great success and is getting a lot of interest. It’s a girls’ chick flick type of book. It’s got intrigue and a bit of love in it. The publisher said it have never read anything like it and that it was very original.

“I could see it as a two or three part series on TV. That’s just my opinion. If the book sells it would be wonderful. It entertains you. That’s the bottom line.

“I’m not sure about a follow-up right now. I’m going to wait and see how this goes.”

If I only Knew’ is available to buy from www.melrosebooks.co.uk/buy-online/if-i-only-knew

KEVIN QUINN