Book description
I blow her a kiss. She catches it and puts it in her pocket for later
like she always does. And then it happens. Why doesn't she look? Why
doesn't the bus brake? Why is my body frozen? When
16-and-a-half-year-old Clementine Footner witnesses the tragic death of
her eccentric aunt Stella, she feels as thought her world will never be
the same again. Clementine idolised her aunt, and their intimate bond
was something she treasured deeply. But after finding and reading
Stella's diaries, she learns about a very different woman - an unstable,
erratic Stella. This Stella suffered from Bipolar . . . and the whole
family knew about it. Feeling betrayed and angry, with her life
spiralling even further out of control, Clementine trudges through
grief, despair, and the middle of nowhere to discover what truly
matters. Hayley knew she wanted to be a writer when she was six years
old. Her story 'The Vegetable Man' was awarded a highly commended silver
certificate at the 1983 Wagga Wagga show. A whole lot of stories, a
Bachelor of Education degree and some years later while working at
Taronga Zoo as an Education Officer, Hayley expanded her imagination
further and learnt to talk to the animals - well, more specifically, a
chicken named 'Omo' and a pig named 'Clementine'. Hayley hopes to add to
this list one day. After much unconditional support from her pet Bearded
Dragon, Muresmo, and on one particular Tuesday when she was mere moments
away from calling on the Cat in the Hat to help her with the housework,
Hayley, who was suffering from postnatal depression, decided she would
write a novel. Writing is an escape for Hayley; she does this at night
when the rest of the house is sleeping. Divine Clementine is Hayley's
first novel (and does not feature a pig). Hayley has also published a
picture book titled When's My Turn? and numerous educational resources.
Sheis a passionate storyteller and looks forward to the world getting to
read and enjoy more of her work. Hayley is addicted to chocolate-covered
almonds, is petrified of moths, and wishes life were a musical. She
lives in a brick house on the beach in Sydney (to avoid big bad wolves)
with her husband, Brett, five children (Indhi, Memphys, Tallulah, Sadie
and 'The Bump'), two dogs and the Bearded Dragon.
