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My latest novel is out!
Marguerite ...
The mythical village of Polpiran in which this novel is set is based on my favourite place in all the world, the magical Cornish fishing village of Polperro, the place I escape to whenever I can. The last time I was there I befriended a little dog called Angel and this happy encounter gave me the idea for the important role in the novel of another little dog, also called Angel, who gets involved in the machinations of her human friends - and their enemies.
My readers may have to make allowances for the way artists of many descriptions seem to have a way of creeping into my books, probably because of the many years I spent as a painter ... not that Marguerite does much painting, she's too busy falling in love, getting to the bottom of intriguing mysteries and rescuing her family from others who would harm them, and from themselves.
The mythical village of Polpiran in which this novel is set is based on my favourite place in all the world, the magical Cornish fishing village of Polperro, the place I escape to whenever I can. The last time I was there I befriended a little dog called Angel and this happy encounter gave me the idea for the important role in the novel of another little dog, also called Angel, who gets involved in the machinations of her human friends - and their enemies.
My readers may have to make allowances for the way artists of many descriptions seem to have a way of creeping into my books, probably because of the many years I spent as a painter ... not that Marguerite does much painting, she's too busy falling in love, getting to the bottom of intriguing mysteries and rescuing her family from others who would harm them, and from themselves.
What is holding back beautiful artist Marguerite, on holiday in the Cornish fishing village of Polpiran, from responding to the advances of Jamie, the alluring naval captain she’s insanely attracted to? Marguerite has a deadly secret, and her reasons for being in Polpiran are not as straightforward as they seem.
When Richenda, a young waitress at Marguerite’s favourite café, confides in her about the incomprehensible suicide of her brother Saul eight years ago, Marguerite enlists the help of Jamie and the beguiling Anne, who seems to have an unnatural interest in Marguerite, to discover the reasons behind it. As they go deeper into their investigations, more and more troubling questions arise and Marguerite finds herself up against a dangerous predator and her family in mortal danger.
Can they overcome the difficulties they are faced with? And will Marguerite finally be able to overcome the obstacle that is keeping her from loving Jamie, before it is too late?
And now for my latest, a new departure or perhaps a bit of a one off ... crime ... oooh. Not my usual thing and this one is definitely a bit off the wall but I hope some readers will enjoy something a bit different.
Show Me Your Darkness
Two men, one woman, caught in a triangle of suspicion, love and desire. George’s little sister Polly has been killed in a road accident. Ethan, the car driver who killed her, takes a break from his unfaithful partner Jenna to spend the summer writing in a woodland retreat. Devastated by Polly’s death and looking for forgiveness he seeks out George, resident in a nearby school for disaffected youngsters, but the answer he gets is not what he expected. Add into the mix the beautiful meditation teacher Remy, also holidaying nearby, and you have the ingredients for an explosion with lifelong consequences for all three.
This book is different ... technically a crime novel and possibly not for the fainthearted! All the same one I really hope my readers will enjoy.
Show Me Your Darkness
Two men, one woman, caught in a triangle of suspicion, love and desire. George’s little sister Polly has been killed in a road accident. Ethan, the car driver who killed her, takes a break from his unfaithful partner Jenna to spend the summer writing in a woodland retreat. Devastated by Polly’s death and looking for forgiveness he seeks out George, resident in a nearby school for disaffected youngsters, but the answer he gets is not what he expected. Add into the mix the beautiful meditation teacher Remy, also holidaying nearby, and you have the ingredients for an explosion with lifelong consequences for all three.
This book is different ... technically a crime novel and possibly not for the fainthearted! All the same one I really hope my readers will enjoy.
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And something different but which I hope will appeal ...
The Bird and the Rose Rhea, a young writer, grapples with grief and devastation following the death of her small son. She is distracted from her heartache by her compassion for Mavis, her confused and demanding elderly neighbour, and by Alice, a good-looking, unhappily married young woman who is obsessed by Toby, the attractive curate from the local church, and determined to seduce him; in vain, as Toby's heart belongs to Rhea. Alice's obsession for Toby leads her to greater and greater excesses which Rhea fears can only end in tragedy. She worries about Alice, and about Mavis whose erratic behaviour begins to put not only herself but others in danger. Rhea moves through the stages of grief and mourning, her slow recovery helped by a meeting with a stranger who had accosted her when, numb with shock, she was carrying her dead child through the wintery streets. She learns from this meeting a great truth which does much to help her finally to start to live again. |
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And it's here ... Show Me Your Darkness is out
shadows on the wall |
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The year is 1972. Following the death of her father Luis in mysterious circumstances, sixteen-year-old Nelly and her older brother Alain have fled with their mother Sonia from St Colombe, their beloved Caribbean island home, and come to England.
Sonia, beautiful but neurotic, has now married charming English crime writer Patrick Carey, and all three are attempting to settle into conventional middle-class life in suburban Roehampton. But Nelly, desperate for the marriage to succeed and haunted by vivid flashbacks to dark and horrifying episodes in her Caribbean childhood, watches in frustration as her mother, apparently unable to throw off the shadow of her unhappy past, seems determined to sabotage the marriage. Now an innocent-looking letter from St Colombe has turned her mother into a terrified bundle of nerves, driving her relationship with Patrick even further to the edge of breakdown. To make matters worse, Patrick’s gorgeous ex-fiancé Laura has reappeared on the scene.
Can the situation be resolved before everything finally falls apart, or is Nelly about to lose the first real chance of security and happiness she has ever known?
Now I Can See the Moon
Sonia, beautiful but neurotic, has now married charming English crime writer Patrick Carey, and all three are attempting to settle into conventional middle-class life in suburban Roehampton. But Nelly, desperate for the marriage to succeed and haunted by vivid flashbacks to dark and horrifying episodes in her Caribbean childhood, watches in frustration as her mother, apparently unable to throw off the shadow of her unhappy past, seems determined to sabotage the marriage. Now an innocent-looking letter from St Colombe has turned her mother into a terrified bundle of nerves, driving her relationship with Patrick even further to the edge of breakdown. To make matters worse, Patrick’s gorgeous ex-fiancé Laura has reappeared on the scene.
Can the situation be resolved before everything finally falls apart, or is Nelly about to lose the first real chance of security and happiness she has ever known?
Now I Can See the Moon
NOW I CAN SEE THE MOON
Seventeen-year-old Milly is adored by (almost) everyone at Half Moon House, the rambling family home in the Surrey countryside she shares with an eclectic mix of friends.
To outsiders, Milly’s life appears idyllic, but beneath the bright surface her mother’s violent death casts a dark shadow over her life. Her days are filled with torment at the hands of Pascale, her mother’s childhood nurse. When night falls, she is plagued by mysterious and terrifying nightmares. Has Milly done something unforgivable, something she cannot remember?
Then Luke enters her life, a charismatic older man who arrives to fulfil a family obligation to watch over Milly. Drawn to Luke’s warmth and charm, she falls in love with him, but when a dark secret from their past is revealed, Milly’s fledgling trust and faith are tested to their limits.
Can she escape the ghosts of her past and find true happiness?
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Florabella
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FloraBella ... the story of a woman in her late twenties, tied by guilt and duty to an abusive mother and longing for freedom.
Overweight, with a head full of dreams, Flora feels stuck in a life which she fears she will never escape. Kind and loving by nature, she wouldn’t mind her role of carer for her handicapped mother if her mother were not so dominating and unkind. Over the years, knowing nothing different, she has become resigned to her mother’s appalling treatment of her and puts up with it uncomplainingly until one day a young man moves in next door and catches Flora’s eye. Her infatuation for Simon proves to be the catalyst that fans the flames of her discontent and forces her out of her apathy.
She starts to realise that although her mother will not change, she can. Through new friendships which begin to persuade her that she is loveable and valued, and through a new belief in the possibility of love she begins to realise that the poor self-image her relationship with her mother has given her may actually be twisted and wrong. For the first time in life she finds herself faced with a choice.
Can she find the courage, despite the obstacles stacked in her way, to stand up for herself and to go out and seek a new and different life where she can be happy and fulfilled?
Overweight, with a head full of dreams, Flora feels stuck in a life which she fears she will never escape. Kind and loving by nature, she wouldn’t mind her role of carer for her handicapped mother if her mother were not so dominating and unkind. Over the years, knowing nothing different, she has become resigned to her mother’s appalling treatment of her and puts up with it uncomplainingly until one day a young man moves in next door and catches Flora’s eye. Her infatuation for Simon proves to be the catalyst that fans the flames of her discontent and forces her out of her apathy.
She starts to realise that although her mother will not change, she can. Through new friendships which begin to persuade her that she is loveable and valued, and through a new belief in the possibility of love she begins to realise that the poor self-image her relationship with her mother has given her may actually be twisted and wrong. For the first time in life she finds herself faced with a choice.
Can she find the courage, despite the obstacles stacked in her way, to stand up for herself and to go out and seek a new and different life where she can be happy and fulfilled?
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Thank you to my loyal and interesting readers whom I appreciate more than I can say ... would love a few more reviews, but I know people find giving them very boring...
Thank you anyway ...and happy reading! |