A university summer break at Camp America started Iryna Garkusha’s journey to England when she made friends with a Frodsham lass.
Back in her native Ukraine, she fled the ruins of Donetsk, settled in Kyiv and when the Russians invaded in 2022, she was married with two small children. She had published her first book in 2020 which covered the dangers of sexting for primary school children. This sold over 20,000 copies and she quickly became well known. She followed this up with a book about dreams.
Her friend, Suzy, offered refuge and the family made their way to Frodsham. Since arriving, Iryna has made quite an impact. With her husband resuming his career and her children in a local school, she spends her time writing, mentoring other writers, reading in schools, delivering workshops including Weaver Words and on the “Danny” steam ship as well as singing in church.
Her third published book is in English and deals with a dinosaur giving and asking for help and is dedicated to the people of Frodsham for their kindness and welcome to our community. Why not pop into The Curious Cat Bookshop for a copy of ‘Irwin’s Huge Help’, published under the name of Ira Bova.