A YEAR IN KRONOBERG

This is a story about snow.

About winter and even more snow.

But it's also a story about ice cream and sunshine.

It's a story about a gate, helpful neighbours, an angry squirrel and a drunken moose.

About a country in Europe that many people never visit.

This is a story about Sweden.

And it's the story of two Brits who move to Sweden and find a new home there.

You already know the country for its dark, gripping dramas - Wallander, the Bridge, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - but what's it really like to live in Sweden? 

One of the most advanced countries in the world, Sweden is a fascinating mixture of almost endless forest, abundant wildlife and ultra modern technology. Long cold winters and deep snows give way to long hot summer days spent on beaches which wouldn't look out of place on a Greek island. The people are stylish, cool, and often reserved, but also friendly, English speaking and always ready to help.

A Year in Kronoberg is a light-hearted account of two people learning to navigate the idiosyncracies of Swedish culture, landscape and climate.

BLOND BOY, RED LIPSTICK

"The girl opposite me wasn't a girl. It was a boy."

This is a love story, deliberately pitched at a mainstream audience and at a level far removed from the dark and often sordid world of transsexual prostitution on Bois de Boulogne in Paris. The idea is to subtly lead the reader into this setting and give them an insight into the life of a transsexual. 

In this first book, we meet the Narrator and Alley – a vivacious young boy with bleach blonde hair and red lipstick.

The two begin a gentle romance. Issues such as homophobia are only touched upon, rather than explored fully. By the time readers finish the book, they will know the characters, be interested in them, and they will have some empathy towards and a little more understanding of transsexuals. 

Blond Boy, Red Lipstick is the first of two, where the sequel, already planned out, will be a darker story (albeit with a happy ending).