Author Louise Ellis calls on her own experiences as a journalist in Bristol in the 1980s to write a novel set against the backdrop of the underground acid house scene in the city.
In Overlapping Circles, the main character Anna who lives in Clifton, is grieving for her fiancé who died after taking ecstasy at a rave.
While cycling across the Downs to her appointment with her bereavement counsellor, she is knocked down by a hit and run driver. Billy, her rescuer that fateful day, could just be the perfect boyfriend.
However, as she is drawn into his life, she realises he is hiding something from her. On a weekend away, secrets emerge which connect them in ways they couldn’t have imagined. And they both find themselves fighting to keep their lives from spiralling out of control.
Louise worked as a journalist at HTV during the late 1980s and 90s, and remembers the stories on the news about police trying to stop raves being held in abandoned warehouses in Bristol.
She explains, “Young people gathered in pubs and service stations, waiting for a message about where that night’s rave was happening. Mobile phones were still new, and not everyone had them. The location was kept secret until the last minute, to stop police raids.
“I went with friends to a few raves, one in a warehouse next to the Watershed on the harbourside, which has now been turned into a restaurant.
“But people saw an opportunity to make money, and drug dealers sold pills, including ecstasy, cut with toxic substances.”
Overlapping Circles is published this month by Cinnamon Press, and is available from local bookshops and on Amazon.
Waterstones in Clifton is hosting a launch event on Wednesday, 17th June, at 6.30pm. Tickets are available on their website. www.waterstones.com/events/an-evening-with-louise-ellis/bristol-clifton