Writer reborn

Antonia Urduja Roberts has led an exciting life, having spent her early years in the Philippines and her teens in Germany. She had to learn to balance traditional Filipino folklore with life in late twentieth century Europe. Today she has captured all this in an autobiography that is ‘melancholy yet greatly uplifting, mixing dreams with reality’, which she self-published through Athena Press.

Antonia has greatly enjoyed the publishing process and has lately been busy marketing and trying to sell copies of the book, Schizo-Whispers: My Autobiography (Athena, £7.99).

‘I’ve enjoyed immensely the process of publication, the contacts with the directors, editors and other members of the publishers through correspondence. However, the outlets for marketing this type of book are rather limited.

‘We recently had a musical concert in our local church, all proceeds to charity - Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and Frimley Park Hospital Special Baby Care Unit. I asked if I could sell my newly-published book. I got £90 for thirteen books sold and I gave all of them to their charity. I really had fun that evening.’

In future Antonia is planning to sell more at the forthcoming Frimley Park Hospital Fete and possibly through a car boot sale. When not selling books she works three nights as a care assistant in a small residential home which she greatly enjoys. As a mother of two she had found it hard to find the time to write, but since her children have left home she’s renewed her Writers’ News subscription and got back on the writing horse. Now she is currently completing her next book, Lucifer’s Dream-Magic, which features some similar elements to her autobiography, despite being a work of fiction.

‘This book is the result of my years of writing and scribbling on bits and pieces of paper. I am still enjoying and having fun typing this on the computer.

‘I hope to be able to submit this second book within this year and start a third book about my experiences in the care homes where I’ve worked, but fictionalised. I’ve already got materials written and filed somewhere in the house. I feel reborn...’