Meet Author – Jan Slimming | Organizer of the annual Dunwoody Author and Friends Bookstore at Lemonade Days

We had the good fortune of connecting with Author – Jan Slimming and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Author – Jan, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
From the UK, I’m a twin, born south of London in Carshalton, Surrey, to parents who had experienced the traumas of World War II a decade before. We led fairly quiet lives within our family unit of uncles and aunts and cousins, and I remember the endless days of summer during our childhood, playing in the fields and going to primary school, a five-minute walk. Until recently, I never thought our childhood had much impact on my future…apart from staying alive of course! But I now realize the fundamental basis of our family – sometimes with its ups and downs – formed the bedrock of our family success. My parents were working class (blue collar) and their parents instilled in them the importance of education for better jobs and more opportunities than they had. One of my grandmothers was a seamstress and the other a cook for the upper classes. One grandfather owned what we would today call an antique shop (back then it was a Junk Shop), the other built roads, or was sometimes a nightwatchman. None of that generation had the opportunity to excel or own property, but my father after the war was allowed a mortgage on a newly built house. My parents had saved for the deposit for 8 years (mostly due to my mother’s diligence, but she was not permitted to put her name on the mortgage papers!). Together they scrimped and saved and eventually we were born eight years after they married. Impact: In short, we worked hard at school to qualify for reasonable jobs that paid well and saved for the near future. Our family never had credit (except the affordable mortgage) or went into debt. Another impact was my father’s love of travel. He was in the British Army during the war and setting off from Liverpool found himself at sea on a ‘Winston Churchill secret voyage.’ Although we never knew the full details of his journey across the Atlantic Ocean, the voyage of three months took him to Nova Scotia, Trinidad, Cape Town, India and Singapore. Unfortunately, that final destination resulted in him, and his 18th army division, being captured by the Japanese as Prisoners of War – a 3 1/2year incarceration. Sometimes he spoke of the lighter and fun times of his experience, but mostly my twin sister and I we were discouraged to delve deeper into this history. My mother was not fond of travel abroad, at all, (“ships sink!”), despite working in the travel business for some of her career, and for the Foreign Office during WWII. She also had a secret she was not allowed to discuss.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I worked in publishing for more than 25 years and thought I might one day write a book but had nothing interesting to write about! Now I’m an author with three successful books after researching my parents’ secret wartime history.

My international career, was followed by bringing up three children, with my husband, in a different country. I had worked in publishing in the UK selling co-edition Rights of 4-color illustrated reference books for children and adults. I traveled to many countries working with American and foreign language publishers to build print runs in multiple languages and different editions of the books we published, including Book Clubs. The experience was global and at a high-profile corporate level. I look back now and think it was all easy as I really enjoyed my job, but initially it was luck in finding the right company. I had no idea that I wanted to be in publishing, until I landed a position in the production department of The British Printing Corporation in London. BPC, as it was called, had several sub-division publishing companies. At the time the color explosion in reference books for school children around the world was taking off and, during my time, expanded exponentially through our company and its divisions.

The employees were young and friendly, and it felt easy, but there were long periods of hard work, and occasional stress. For the most part I enjoyed my career and then motherhood immensely. I was fortunate to be able to do both.

Making certain decisions in my twenties and, later, thirties, was key, with dedication to work, learning new skills, having the right friends, listening, talking, and moving onto newer things when appropriate. This brings me back to the impact of my parents and grandparents – education and savings, making the right choices and taking chances (a mortgage – changing job – getting married – immigrating!). Truthful things that felt right – do them with gusto! – and I became resourceful and adaptable when things didn’t go quite the way I expected. Some parts of life might have been upsetting, but finding a positive, true and happy path was, and still is, important for overall contentment and ultimate success.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

1) Walk by the Chattahoochee River. My current favorite spot is Indian Trails. Meal at Vintage Pizzeria, Dunwoody

2) Bike ride along the Greenway. Computer Museum of America – where they have an Enigma Cipher machine in Roswell, GA. I would then introduce them to all my author friends at A Novel Idea (Currently at the Brimstone Tavern & Restaurant, Alpharetta).

3) Go to Brook Run Park for a ‘Groovin on the Green’ concert, the Lemonade Days Festival, a bike ride or a walk.
Eat outside at Marlow’s or Bar N, in Dunwoody.

4) Visit the High Museum or another art installation.
Georgia Tech – Olympic pool. Dinner at ‘Basil’ in Buckhead

5) Visit The Queens Pantry, in Marietta and Taste of Britain in Norcross….both sell ‘proper’ Cadbury’s chocolate (American Cadbury’s is made by Hershey – a different recipe….). Dinner at the Sundial Bar above the Westin Hotel at dusk. Atlanta’s skyline is riveting.

6) Stone Mountain – walk to the top! Take in the views from this amazing lunar landscape.
Drive back to our home in Dunwoody and visit our local Moon Dog Growler to drink craft beers with our friends and neighbors.

7) Recommend a day in Athens to the UGA campus and take in a game. “Go Dawgs”.

8) The Delta Flight Museum, and the amazing art installations at Hartsfield Jackson airport, between concourses.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, Allan Slimming, who has provided the love and security in our relationship and for our family, and the space to excel and try new experiences, such as moving to America.

Atlanta Writers Club, supporting local writers.

Dunwoody Preservation Trust and Lemonade Days, and their continued interest and support for the annual Dunwoody Authors and Friends annual bookstore. (Held in April)

Website: https://www.casematepublishers.com/search-results-grid/?contributor=jan-slimming

Instagram: @codebreakersdaughter #codebreakersdaughter

Linkedin: Jan Slimming

Twitter: @JanSSlimming

Facebook: Jan Slimming – Author

Other: Facebook – Descendants of Bletchley Park www.dunwoodypreservationtrust.org https://www.computermuseumofamerica.org/

Image Credits
Atlanta Writers Club Churchill Library, Cambridge, UK