"The day I nearly drowned, I was wearing a new swimming costume. Mum had always given me plain, navy, one-piece suits: sometimes second-hand, I realised now - their thin, elastic threads poking through the sheen of the fabric in barbs...". The second collection in The Blue Hour series, The Day I Nearly Drowned continues an exploration of the challenges faced by ordinary people, at pivotal moments in their lives. A father is reunited with his daughter; a woman attends a funeral; a child almost drowns. Dreena Collins again brings us characters that will resonate - in tales full of twists, humour and emotion. "I find it remarkable that some people have the skill to write like this, to let the reader in just enough to make us care and make us wonder and want to know more." Rose Brookins, author. "That Collins is a highly skilled writer is not in doubt. She is a master of the short story format."Simon Gary, author. "Dreena creates strong images with her writing, often focusing on the little details. I felt more like a fly on the wall, a fly that has somehow found its way into the house to spy on people's private and intimate lives..." Georgie Bull, blogger. Listed in Mslexia; Bridport Prize; Wells Festival of Literature; Eyelands International, Fish Publications, Flash500 and Retreat West competitions, Dreena Collins lives in Jersey, Channel Islands.