Josephine Lay / J.J.R. Lay
Published Author & Poet
About the author
Josephine Lay is a poet and writer living in Gloucester. She has a BA (Hons) and a MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University. She has published a collection of short stories, Saffron Tones (2017), novel Creating Stanley (2022) under the name J.J.R. Lay, and children’s book Jeremiah Duckling (2026).
As a poet Josephine has published three collections, Inside Reality (2018), Unravelling (2019) and A Quietus (2021).
Josephine was Director of Ops for the Gloucestershire Poetry Society from January 2020 till December 2022. When lockdowns struck, she started and hosted the Society’s online, monthly event ‘Crafty Crows’. Josephine also runs live poetry events and recently started Poetry Cafes in Cheltenham and Gloucester Libraries.
Josephine is editor for Black Eyes Publishing UK and is presently working on her fourth poetry collection, A kind of alchemy.
Read below about Josephine’s prose titles. For her poetry collections, click the button.
Jeremiah Duckling
by Mary Pearce and Josephine Lay
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-913195-37-3
Published by Black Eyes – 14th April 2026
Back cover
Available by direct sale from Black eyes website (via IS direct sale link), from Amazon or by order from your usual bookshop.
Mary Pearce
Dr. Mary Pearce is a linguistics consultant, specializing in phonology and orthography, who works with a faith-based charity. She has spent many years researching, teaching and translating in Africa.
She is now UK based as she has health challenges, including Parkinson’s, that slow her down, but she is determined to keep smiling and enjoying life. She still finds enough energy to play music in a band and paint for pleasure. She particularly enjoys painting lions.
All profits from this book will be donated to,
A Rocha UK
On behalf of Mary Pearce
A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working to equip Christians and churches to protect and restore the environment – for God, nature and all people. We aim to inspire individuals and families, equip churches and church leaders, build partnerships and manage land for nature and people.
In the face of accelerating climate change and species loss, we need more than ever to take action to protect and care for nature today.
CREATING STANLEY
An unhappy woman conjures an unlikely lover
Online book launch, Tuesday 21st June 2022
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From the moment the fat man appears unexpectedly in her bathroom, the un-named writer feels compelled to create his story. Trapped in an unhappy relationship, she invents Stanley and falls in love with him.
When Stanley loses his job, he has to dig deep to find his talents. Two women friends suggest he starts an unlikely business.
This unusual and poignant story touches on the challenging issues of mental health, physical and emotional abuse, unemployment and male prostitution. But these elements are woven into the story seamlessly, and without creating an uncomfortable read.
A warm and sensitive portrayal of life, love and sensual experiences, which will enthrall the reader to the end.
Quotes
'A terrific debut novel... skilfully draws us with a seamless blend of real and imagined worlds... a sensitive... witty, compassionate and charming book...' Debbie Young
'In ‘Creating Stanley’, Josephine Lay is continuing the wonderful metatextual tradition of novels like ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Frankenstein’. Her story within a story speaks of identity, emotional and physical abuse and the joy sensuality can bring. Her themes are brave and ambitious and both in her narrator and her narrator’s creation, Stanley, there is a reminder of the 2006 film, ‘Stranger than Fiction’ and like the film, Lay challenges both our perceptions of reality and narrative techniques. It is a thoughtful and timely novel that deserves a wide readership.' Claire Dyer
'Creating Stanley is such a novel novel. J.J.R Lay has created an unforgettable character in Stanley. If you're looking for a vividly drawn metafiction, page turner with a twist, then this might just be for you.’ Emma Purshouse, poet and novelist
‘A gripping read…’ Silas Marne
Saffron Tones
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By Josephine Lay
Josephine Lay’s short stories focus on the human condition. This collection is all about people, their relationships and how they cope with loneliness and loss. Some of her stories are light and amusing, some darker and sadder, and some are frankly strange. They were written over a period of ten years, yet all have a thread that strings them together; a slim strand of colour… The many tones of Saffron.
The Short Story has, in the past, been less fashionable than the Novel, but it is gaining popularity in this frenetic, modern world, where people have less and less time to read. As Silas Marne says, ‘The world has accelerated; people no longer have the time to read pages and pages of literary eloquence.
Book Cover Design: Jason Conway - thedaydreamacademy.com
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