Hilary and David

David, a lonely elderly struggling novelist, contacts Hilary, with whom he has a friend in common, via Facebook, and an unlikely friendship develops via a series of messages. The two begin to share details of their past and current lives. Hilary is a solo mother with two children. One of the children has Down's Syndrome and the other has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Both are struggling. David, who suffers from agoraphobia, is wrestling with his sixth novel, and is under pressure from his publisher to complete it. Hilary feels the pressure of raising two young children alone, whilst also trying to complete a distance degree. Although they are on opposite sides of the world (David in London and Hilary in New Zealand), the two provide support and friendship for one another via their messages. Each shares secrets from their past. – David reveals that he had a nervous breakdown in the seventies, while working as a clerk. Through a series of messages, Hilary and David share their thoughts on life, the universe, men, women and everything else in between and provide companionship and advice for one another. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Laura Solomon was Joint-Winner of the inaugural international Proverse Prize (2009) with her novella, Instant Messages, subsequently published by Proverse Hong Kong in 2010. Of her, Maggie Gee, Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, UK, wrote, "Witty, clear-edged, both lemon-sharp and seductive, Laura Solomon is a writer to watch." Born in New Zealand, Solomon spent nine years in London before returning to New Zealand in 2007. She has an honours degree in English Literature (Victoria University, 1997) and a Master's degree in Computer Science (University of London, 2003). She has published two novels in New Zealand, Black Light (1996) and Nothing Lasting (1997). Her short story collection Alternative Medicine was published in the UK in 2008 and her novel An Imitation of Life was published in the UK in 2009. Her first poetry collection, In Vitro, was published in 2011 by Headworx (New Zealand). Her plays have been produced at the Wellington (New Zealand) Fringe Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (UK). Among other writing prizes, she has twice won a prize in the Bridport (UK) International Short Story Competition. “Her short story, "Sprout", first published by Flame Books in the UK, was translated into Czech by Olga Wall? and appeared in kr?sn? in the Czech Republic in 2011.”──Hilary and David was a semi-finalist for the international Proverse Prize, 2010.