AWARD winning Midlands writer, Anthony Etherington will be hosting a book signing of his debut novel, Europia in Bromsgrove on July 15.
Etherington will be signing copies of his mystery thriller at WHS Smith, High Street, Bromsgrove between 11am and 2pm, following its release just over a year ago.
Set in an alternative Europe in 2030, Europia follows Marta Ionescu, a 34-year-old who lives on the run down Goval estate. She has good friends a secure job and runs a popular youth club.
Marta believes she has discovered a dirty secret about her frequently absent and heavy drinking boyfriend, Arpad all whilst caring for her increasingly fragile elderly mother.With her dream of settling down and having children in limbo, Marta decides to look elsewhere for the husband of her dreams but her decisions set of a chain of events that threatens the people and things she loves and her own life.
The debut novelist, a former shop manager, mental nurse, recruitment and development specialist and drummer has also written several teleplay pilots and audio plays as well as three feature length dramas.
One of these, Yellow Dragon and the Red Fox, won Best Screenplay awards at the European Independent Film Festival and The International Film Festival of Wales in 2014.
Anthony said: “Europia was originally inspired by friends’ experiences of internet dating.
“Most made light of the challenges and risks involved, stressing the steps they took to ensure their safety.
“That said, despite some enjoyable and fun-filled encounters, few relationships that went beyond a first meeting survived more than a few months.
“The process often sounded depressingly tacky and fraught…I decided to set the tale in the near future in order to explore, through Marta’s eyes, where we may be heading.
“Three trends, in particular, play a part in Marta’s story: technology and its impact on relationships; globalisation and its impact on family life; and the debate around the future of the EU and its impact on people’s identity and sense of belonging, their hopes and fears for the future.
“With that little lot to contend with, it’s a good job Marta turns out to be a pretty tough individual”.
