Author behind “dadverts” to give talk at Nantwich Bookshop

An acclaimed non-fiction author who searched for father figures by placing adverts – or “dadverts” – in newspapers and magazines will give a talk at Nantwich Bookshop next month.

Georgie Codd will share the story of her adventure at the talk on Wednesday 29th October.

She began the personal project aged 31, after being inspired by a stranger’s practical joke.

She will talk about the events that shape her second book “Never Had a Dad: Adventures in Fatherlessness” (William Collins).

Georgie said: “I can’t wait to talk about fathers, families and other adventures with local readers in Nantwich.

“The dad project often sparks some seriously engaging conversations.

“As a result of my dadvertising efforts, I had a range of weird and wonderful responses from over 50 men.

“Each of them brought something different to the experience, and helped me pinpoint what I should be looking for.

“I also spoke with experts around the world to learn how fatherhood works in different cultures, and whether there’s anything dads do that mums can’t.

“Since I grew up never knowing my biological father, it was a pretty big learning curve!

“I won’t give away too many spoilers, but the ultimate outcome was something I would never have expected.”

Denise Lawson, who runs Nantwich Bookshop on High Street with husband Steve, said: “Not only will you hear about this interesting book, but you will learn about Georgie’s fascinating life journey – having worked in a funeral parlour, taught English in a Himalayan nunnery and shadowed drug dealers in Florida City, to name a few of her exploits.”

Georgie’s first book “We Swim To The Shark” is a non-fiction adventure about the sea, scuba diving, and the roots of fear.

It was published by Fleet in 2020, attracting coverage from BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, ABC Melbourne, TLS and more.

Two years later, “Never Had a Dad” caught the attention of the hit US radio show This American Life, which previewed it to millions of listeners globally.

The paperback was published in June, and the story has so far been featured by the BBC World Service, The Express, i News and others.

Tickets for the talk are £15 for one, £20 for two – including a welcome drink and a copy of the book.

You can buy them in the shop, by phone at 01270 611665, or by email at [email protected]