Villy Tichkova
Growing up without a television, Villy loved reading stories and poetry and dreamt of being a writer. She was 8 years old when Communism ended in Bulgaria. In her twenties, Villy emigrated alone to the UK. She first worked in a fish factory, then acquired a BSc in Psychology, nannied for 17 years, studied homeopathy, trained as a Conscious Dance teacher, became British, and all the while she danced. Villy now lives in Bath with three West Highland terriers, writes poems for breakfast, reads YA for lunch, snacks on middle grade magical realism in the afternoons and skips dinner so she can dance.
Dancing on Fire
YA Contemporary Verse
At home she is Bulgarian. At school she is British. In the rise of Brexit, 16-year-old Rose feels like she’s walking on burning coals.
Her uncle Miro — whose name means Peace — is violently attacked, and the family seeks solace and safety in their native Bulgaria for the summer. There’s hot sunshine and a rave that goes wrong; an attempted rape and prejudice against the Roma.
Called by the fire in a mystical dance ritual, Rose burns the generational thread of shame and discovers her right to choose who she wants to be.
You can contact Villy via her email and follow her on Instagram / X (Twitter)