WARNING! No sex!

If you are looking for a slutty book, filled with sex and raunchy scenes, or where the helpless female is swept off her feet by the powerful charming businessman, then read no further. In fact you might as well move on now. My book is not for you.

And yet…..

No sex, no smut, no “overwhelmed with desire” (I can hardly even write that without blushing!) Sadie’s House:The Secrets is just a charming historical tale, and a love story with a bit of a difference. It’s the story of the history of a magic, living house, how it came to life and the story of the child for whom it awakened. It tells of two brothers, and desolate secrets that one of them must keep from the other for the sake of them all.  A dark and sad story of the house’s passion and desperation to have a happy ending. It may surprise. It may make you cry. And the awful revelations and huge plot twist will shock…….

So maybe take a look, then if the “Mummy porn” is more your cup of tea, then no harm done. But if your enjoy a  tale with drama, suspense, tragedy, romance and magic, spanning nearly  a hundred years, with twists and turns and the supernatural element of a house reacting to, and trying to influence its occupants, then this book IS for you.

The Secrets is my second book, the prequel to the first, Sadie’s House:The Key. As a fledgling author I am learning and improving all the time and this book has a personality of its own. You don’t need to have read the first to follow and enjoy the second (although, spoiler alert in chapter one. The full story begins in chapter two).

Available in the next couple of weeks. Look out for giveaway offers and freebies, and all links for purchasing will follow.

A Secondary Blog

I have come to realise that I write about quite a few different aspects of my life on here. This blog was originally developed so that I could chronicle my journey as would-be author, pretty much warts and all. Reading back, reflecting, learning and moving forward has been invaluable.

However, now my second book is complete and about to be launched, it seemed a good time to look at where I was going with it. I have two projects on the go right now. One is the redrafting of Sadie's House- The Key and removing the errors and inconsistencies. This will then be reprinted. The second is the third novel, of which I have begun chapter 1. I'm quite excited about both. So this main blog will focus on my writing.

The new blog "Behind the Scenes.....family, travel and cake" will be more personal and about other aspects of my life. I've explained on the blog, the link to which is above. So here we go again. Another journey, another adventure. Some people always seem to have it all figured out. I don't, I'm just making it up as I go along and sometimes this works and sometimes it doesnt. I don't think I'm alone in this.

So I hope you'll take a look, maybe even comment or like occasionally, but you are most welcome to drop by from time to time. And thanks for the continued support. You're fabulous!

The ups and downs of life

Nothing in my life, it seems, is straightforward. In a year in which many things have improved and gone well, I am still stricken with setbacks and irritations that it would be easy to dwell upon. And yet I remain the eternal optimist, despite often being riddled with anxiety. That's my nature, a true Gemini, split personality. It's true.

Lots of lovely things have happened this year. But lots of unhappy things too. Nothing on the scale of the last couple of years, but still enough to leave me sighing and wondering "what next?" And yet there seems to have been Gremlins in the machine for many who have said the same. It's not just me then? But I can't complain. My glass is half full, not half empty. Always.

Which brings me to the update. Sadie's House-The Secrets is about to be printed but not before I have spent another month, after editing, going backwards and forwards to the publisher, to get it right. I was becoming a little frustrated by the whole process, truth be told. But I'm finally happy and I have signed it off. 


So I suppose the moral of the story is this. Rubbish things happen to people, but so do good things. It's easy to ignore the many blessings we have because one thing has gone wrong. Successful people have setbacks but they get over them and move on. Problems are there to be solved, they make us stronger. And better. I strive to improve.

And one more thing. I like this little saying. "Don't be so intent on reaching your destination, that you don't enjoy the journey. Stop once in a while and enjoy the scenery." Wise words.

Sneak peek

Sneak peek 😀

There was a loud knock at the door, and Sadie, dozing by the radio, jumped. She stood to go and answer the door, but fell back onto the chair. She stood again, but fell back once more. Puzzled, she stood, more carefully this time, and turned, holding on to the back of the chair so that she could not fall again, then stepped to one side so that she could go and answer the door. The visitor knocked again, firmly, and Sadie reached for the door handle, but it had now disappeared, and there seemed to be no way of letting the visitor in. Sadie knew that house was up to mischief.
     “Sorry,” she shouted through the door, “I’ll be with you in a minute.”
     “You need to let me open the door,” she scolded the house. “Stop playing games!”
     “SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS” a whisper resonated throughout the house, and Sadie scolded again.
     “Stop that!” she said.
     “Sorry, what?” came the voice from outside.
     “Not you,” Sadie said, then looking down at the door again realised that the door handle was back in place. She reached for it, and pulled at the door, which refused to open. She scolded the house again. She reached for the door handle once more, this time turning it quickly and forcefully and pulled open the door, startling her visitor in the process.
     “Hello?” she enquired, to a tall slim young lady with hair a similar colour to her own, dressed in a pale blue long coat and with gloves in her hand, and being, Sadie speculated, probably somewhere in her late twenties to early thirties.
     “Hello,” the visitor said, “I’m sorry to trouble you. I’m looking for Sadie. Sadie Pickersgill.”
  “Who are you?” Sadie asked her, rather curious about the woman asking after her.
     “I would rather speak to her personally if you don’t mind,” the stranger said.
  “You had better come in then,” Sadie invited. “I am Sadie.” The stranger looked at her.
     “I have been looking for you for quite a while” she said.
     “Do you mind telling me why? And who you are?” Sadie enquired. They went to sit in the kitchen, and Sadie busied herself making tea, whilst the stranger sat fidgeting with her gloves.
     “It’s a rather delicate situation” the lady responded. “I need to speak to you about a rather, shall we say, uncomfortable state of affairs.”
     “I don’t know what delicate or uncomfortable state of affairs could involve me?” Sadie told her, “I am actually not that interesting. I haven’t been anywhere, or done anything.” She faltered. Could this be something to do with Albie? Was this the woman Albie had been going to marry when he lived in the city? She became uncomfortable, and she instinctively knew that the woman did not have good news.
     “Perhaps we could sit in the….sitting room? Parlour?” she asked, “it’s imperative that I speak with you.”
     “I think I might prefer you to come back when my husband is here….” She began. The other woman stood her ground.
     “I really need to speak to you now. I have come a long way,” she added. Sadie led the ways to the sitting room and made the lady comfortable on the sofa, asking to take her coat and if she required sugar in her tea. She knew that she was delaying, but something told her that she did not want to hear what this lady had to say. Sitting comfortably in the front room of the little house, the woman began her story.
     Half an hour later, Sadie was frozen to the spot. The colour had drained out of her face and she felt that the life had left her body. How could her life change in the space of just a few minutes? And having seen all the evidence presented before her, she knew that the woman was telling the truth. It was beyond terrible. She could not speak, could not cry, and could not move.
     “I’m so sorry,” the stranger told her, “but I’m sure you understand why I had to come to see you.”
     “I……I…..of course,” Sadie faltered, but could not say any more. Her mind was racing, and she could not find words that would make sense.
     “I’m sure you will need to discuss this with your husband,” the lady continued. “I can come back another time if you have more questions. I will leave you my card.” She stood, clinging tightly, as if for comfort, to her gloves. “It’s taken me so long to find you,” she said, and Sadie looked up at her, still rooted to the spot. “I hope we can meet again soon. I know that you will have questions. I’m so sorry.” She stepped to one side, wondering if she had indeed done the right thing, and sensing that the younger woman was in shock. “I’ll see myself out, I….” but she had run out of things to say, and she left.

Sadie's House-The Secrets
Coming soon

Fame at last!

Some tasty snippets of advice

James's RR Martin's useful advice for writers.https://www.facebook.com/authorspublish/posts/526038454250609

I'm expecting!!! (Book Two is on its way.....!)

I have some happy news! So I finally sent my second manuscript to the publishers! And what agony it's been as I have edited, edited again, double checked, asked friends to proof read, ( and huge thanks to them for their kind assistance!) edited again and re read. I even took it with me on a romantic trip to Cyprus with the hubby, and continued editing by the pool! No rest for the wicked, they say! But I have to say, even though it's taken nearly six months (just to edit!) I am proud of the finished product and hoping that between us, we have nailed it.

If you remember, my first book was rather riddled with silly little mistakes which had been sadly overlooked due to my haste in publishing ( for personal reasons which I won't dwell on). So I have been all the more determined to polish this and not publish until I was satisfied.  But careful editing alone won't make a good book, of course. I have worked very hard on the story, and love the premise and my characters. So here's a quick synopsis.

Once upon a time, a little house was born. Built on a hill and surrounded by the rolling hills of the countryside, the little house was infused with the spirits of the land and the trees and the wind. And when a child was born within its walls, the little house awakened from its slumber and claimed her as its own. Born three generations before her namesake, Sadie inspired the love of two brothers. But the ill-fated secrets that consumed them all left one of them hanging between madness and despair. And all the time, the little house watched, waiting and yearning for its very own happy ever after.

The second in the Sadie’s House trilogy, The Secrets reveals the history of the house, and unleashes a twisted tale of treachery and deceit that spans almost a century. What were the secrets that the little house held? Who could maintain such deceptions? And what was to become of them all?

The book is written as the prequel to The Key, but would also stand on its own without reading the first. That was always the idea, as they are quite different books. But it's gone to the publisher now, and I look forward to sharing the happy news of its safe delivery. Sadie's House: The Key has a little brother on the way. The family grows. I hope you will join us on our journey.