about the author

Steve Murray is a former journalist and assistant television producer who has worked as a teacher and lecturer since the early 2000s, including 16 years at Havant Sixth Form College (now HSDC). He has lived in the town for nearly 20 years. As a teacher and former Trustee of the Spring Arts and Heritage Centre, Steve has been at the heart of many heritage projects, including research into the history of local factories Kenwood and Minimodels (inventors of Scalextric), the 1970s punk scene in Portsmouth, the history of Hayling's holiday camps and the experience of soldiers and civilians in both world wars. 

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Steve said: 'Our projects focus on key events and historical timelines, but it's social history that's always fascinated me. The everyday experiences of people in times past echoes loudly today. While it’s important to record facts, I believe there is leeway to tell fictional stories informed by the past. That's why I set up Sandbar Books - local history gives us a foundation, storytelling lets us populate it.  

 

'I wrote Postcard from Sunshine with that in mind; it's a fictional mystery set in the modern day but is strongly rooted to the past. The book's epigraph is a quote from William Faulkner, ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past.’ I strongly believe this to be true.​ The book is the first of what we hope will be many that will appeal to people locally and beyond. If you have an idea for a book, get in touch!'

 

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