FLUSHED AWAY

Menopause is just a blip in the great elastic knicker line of life.'An irreverent gift book of more than 100 relatable poems on one neurodivergent mum’s chaotic journey through the menopause.A self- confessed calamitous Bridget Jones, 'only with hot flushes and bigger pants,' this will make you snort into your coffee and the author hopes, by her own shameless confessions, to use poetry as conversation starters to break the silence of suffering alone - especially if neurodivergence lurks.Its Liverpudlian author woefully admits that Mother Nature has left her '’Flushed Away’ and scattier than ever, with greying pubic hair and ’as dry as a crispy chip'.With no claim to any medical knowledge, she staggers forgetfully through chapters on hot flushes, brain fog, weight gain, in a visual and sensory experience of a before, now and bemusedly after '’The Change.'From 'Ode to My Hairy Nipple, Human Compost Bin, KY, Just Why? 'to a fan girling tribute to her fave 'Golden Buzzer Menopauser’ in the ditty, ’I Want to Look Like Amanda Holden When I’m putting Out the Bins,' to identity loss, in the raw and sombre, ’No one,' and ’Empty Nest,' it’s a positive, feel-good read, and ideal for those going through perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause, their families, or anyone who wants a giggle! Perfect for self care treats, birthdays, events, Christmas presents or girls’ nights in- or to read when menopause bladder gets you up for those nightly wees. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHYAmanda Ward has crawled out of creative retirement on hard skinned, creaky knees, to produce her first creative writing in more than 20 years.Liverpool-born, she read English at Bristol University andworked as a journalist for more than 15 years in London and Bristol. She got her first break at a local newspaper The Hendon & Finchley Times, in north London, where she won Feature Writer of the Year, before working as a staff feature writer for several national newspapers, including Today, The Mirror and The Sun. She also freelanced for Femail at The Daily Mail, Woman’s Own, Chat, and Marie Claire magazines. She is single, a divorced mother of three, and lives in Bristol, with her teenage son, six cats, autism assistance dog, and a coffee addiction.