Check out Fire & Ice III...
The camera, and lights and glamor crusade began.
Write a book Jade.
Hah! I really wonder why I even bothered to begin with. But alas, here I sit in my home that is being lit up and transformed into a spectacle. There are cameras and people and lots of lights everywhere. This is a whole production.
I was sat beside Al Ladarius, world renowned interviewer for the BBC. We were doing a televised interview, just Al and I to promote my book, Fire & Ice.
Al was getting his touch ups as was I.
My Val put makeup on my face, blotting some powder on my nose and cheeks, forehead and all. "You nervous, mum?" She finally asks, after biting her lip.
I look her in her blue eyes. She's got her daddy's eyes, the prettiest most innocent blue you could imagine. They're sincere and calm, much like her soul is. She's got my black hair, that falls around her beautiful face. She's lucky she's gotten her dad marvellous cheekbones. All of the children were blessed like that.
"Yes. I am." I tell her. "But I know this is for a good cause. Not many people know how good daddy was."
She nods, mentions the book, Fire & Ice. "I can't believe it's finally out."
"Neither can I." I whisper, and look at the cover. My eyes travel to Al who smiles at me.
"You ready, Mrs. Shelby?"
I nod, Valerie kisses my cheek. "You'll do great mum."
"Thank you, sweetheart."
I lick my lips and sit up straight. I look at Al, who smiles kindly at me. The folks behind the camera look at me and break into smiles, they count down from five and before I know it, a man is saying we're live.
"Welcome all. I am Al Ladarius, and tonight we have a very special interview with a woman whose life has been very private for the most part. She's a mum of five with OBE, Thomas Shelby. A man most of England has heard of." Al Ladarius is a great interviewer, he talks with a strong mighty voice. He's also oddly calming, even though this is nerve-wracking. "She's been in the spotlight recently due to her best-selling memoir, Fire & Ice, that has been called a work of art and a true love story by many prolific people."
"Mrs. Shelby," He turns to me. "Welcome, might I say how incredibly lovely your home is."
"Thank you." I break into a smile. "Please call me Jade."
He grins. "Jade, tell me why you decided to write this book, and why now?"
"Well, a lot of people don't know much about my husband and all that he's done over the span of his life. I knew it was a matter of time, really." I inhale, "People only hear rumours and they run with it, Al, you know this."
"All too well," He adds with a wink. "Well why don't we start with talking about your children, all of them are here just behind the camera there."
I glance past the camera and lights to see all five of them smiling at me.
"Yes. Tom and I first had a daughter called Aretha Shelby. Thomas wanted to honour his older brother Arthur and that was the closest we could get." I chuckle, raising my head to see Aretha grinning. "We had another daughter, a little less than two years later, we called her Madeline after my mum. Then a son, Grayson, named after Tom's late-aunt Polly Grey. And then two twins, 'Cub and Val. Cubby is named after my brother Jacob. We were so fortunate to have children of our own." I smile at Al, "Our children became our lives."
