Tales of the Countess: Conversation with Cali Bird

This week I have something different for you, a video interview with a friend & novelist Cali Bird.

I met Cali several years ago & her story is on my blog & in my book. She writes & blogs about the how creativity helps us, we share a love of Elizabeth Gilbert’s work & have attended a couple of her events together.

Cali recently published her first novel, Tales of the Countess which she started writing 20 years ago.

I wanted to support & help to promote Cali’s book (which I’ve read & absolutely love) & also to talk to her about creativity & how it’s helped her.

In our conversation we talk about why she started to write & how it was her catalyst for development. We discuss how it’s possible for your pain to become your greatest treasure (or as it’s termed in Buddhism ‘karma to mission’) & the healing powers of creativity.

Although Tales of the Countess is a novel, elements of it & the Countess character are based on Cali’s life at the time, & she explained what it felt like to go back & write as her younger self & she also gives some fabulous tips on how you can use this concept & creativity to support you.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Tales of the Countess, it’s not the sort of book I usually read but I genuinely loved it.

I highly recommend it & this is what I wrote on Amazon.

I absolutely loved Tales of.., I couldn’t put it down & might even have got a tad emotional towards the end.

It’s different, quirky, excellently written & perfect for the times we’re in.

Here’s the text from the back cover:

How can a woman so capable at work be so useless at getting a man?

Kennington, London, 1998

The Countess of Kennington awakes one morning after a heavy night and realises it all has to stop.

She has to stop drinking her problems away. She has to stop acting irresponsibly. And she has to stop obsessing over the MSL: the Man She Loves.

But things are often easier said than done, and when she discovers the MSL is attending a conference where she is presenting, she cannot hold back her burgeoning hopes.

In a Sex In the City meets Toy Story scenario, the Countess lives in an unusual household where her chief confidantes, known as the accessories, are a collection of beloved handbags, a beautiful sheepskin coat and her teddy bear who provide her with support and advice.

As the conference gets underway, the Countess tries hard to focus on work, but encouraged by the accessories, she cannot resist the draw of the MSL.

The bags might talk but this is no kids book…

Tales of the Countess is a highly original chicklit novel by British author Cali Bird, about the need to find happiness in yourself before you get your man.

Buy it now for the perfect piece of romantic escapism.

You can purchase Tales of the Countess on Amazon UK:   and Amazon US:

And here’s more about Cali:

Cali is in her mid-fifties and lives in Bedfordshire. She was single until she was nearly forty and used to be the archetypal career girl, living in Central London and working in investment banking. One day, she had an epiphany, realised that she needed to honour her creative side and started writing. Since then, she had various side projects including running a life-coaching business, giving self-development talks and blogging about creativity at Gentle Creative. She has practised Buddhism for over thirty years and is a self-confessed tree-hugger.

Cali has known her husband, Graham, since they were at school together. Although they once had a smooch when they were nineteen, they didn’t get back in contact for many years. Within a month of their first date, they realised they had found someone special in each other, but it was another few years before they were married at the tender age of forty-six. It’s never too late to find love!

Please leave a comment if you enjoyed the video, & please buy Tales of the Countess.