AN AUTHOR who honed her craft at Blackburn College has been thrilled to see her new book A Thousand Names published.

Matilde Tomat, 41, is the author of five previous titles and has now completed an art and design foundation course at the college’s University Centre.

Her newest work was conceived as part of her course’s final major project.

Ms Tomat said: “This book is the story of a grieving woman who decides to leave everything and everybody to move to a large house by the sea and wait for her life to end.

“When even death snubs her, the only thing left for her to do is to use her pain to grow and understand what really matters in her life.

“The book is, of course, intense and I wrote it on purpose as an almost internal monologue.

“I touch on existential topics such as death and purpose in life, but I am also an existential psychotherapist by vocation, so this work allowed me to merge art with therapy.”

As well as writing, Ms Tomat is also a prolific sketch and voice over artist.

Her foundation course could be the beginning of further academic success, with students who complete the University Centre’s art and design foundation diploma guaranteed an interview at all of the highly rated University of the Arts London institutions across the country.

Ms Tomat’s success is one of many that the college has been pleased to make public, with students achieving excellent results in courses ranging from accounting, to hair and beauty to public service and 85.45% of students were satisfied with their course quality, an increase of 10% compared to last year.

This comes despite a year in which the college experienced unprecedented difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic, with normal service only just beginning to resume and the threat of renewed lockdowns continuing to loom.