Reasons to be Happy…

Someone is going to be very happy when I announce the winner of the competition from my last blog and there is another competition today which I’m certain will result in more smiles for someone else particularly as the competition prize is a signed copy of the latest book from USA Today bestselling author and my friend and colleague at QVC, Jackie Kabler, which just happens to be called, The Happy Family – are you seeing a theme here with the word happy?

Jackie is also the author on my Between the Lines feature today and although I’ve worked alongside her now for about eight years, there are a few things revealed in her answers that I never knew about her!!! All that is coming later, but first a couple of things that have made me happy over the past couple of weeks.

I’ll start with the decorating! I’m not a fan of decorating per say, but once I get started, I properly get stuck in as I’m impatient to see the finished result. We’d been considering different paint shades for a while and finally arrived at a Farrow and Ball colour called Scotch Blue. I’m not going to lie, when we opened the lid on the tin it was a very scary bright purple but, fortunately after applying an undercoat followed by two coats of Scotch Blue it dried to this beautiful shade.

It looks slightly different depending on the light but is a purple/navy and I absolutely love it! Once the paint was on the walls, we moved our pale grey sofas from our lounge, which are being replaced with yellow velvet ones next month. Although that was only last Tuesday, it already feels as though the room has always been that way. It is completely different from how it has been since we built the extension three years ago but I’m so happy it has turned out so well. It’s the perfect vantage point from which to watch the birds and gaze out on the garden trying to come up with new ideas for my next novel.

Both our children have been around with their respective partners to check out the changes to our family room and to have dinner with us. It’s so good to be able to have people around now that Covid restrictions have been lifted.  I’m relieved to say it won approval from all!

I had another eye appointment on Wednesday (which I won’t bore you with as nothing conclusive has been decided about future treatment) after which we went to our son’s for lunch as the hospital was midway between our house and theirs. We enjoyed a pub lunch in their village and then had a stroll up the high street with their puppy Quin, which is where I spotted this gift shop. How funny that it should be called Between the Lines – it definitely needs further exploration next time we’re there.

After that we went to their local garden centre as I’d promised to make a few suggestions of plants for their garden. Trust me, I’m no expert but I was able to help select a few shrubs that are in flower now as nothing is flowering in their garden at the moment apart from the hostas, which are almost over and the pot of sunflowers I got them.

Quin was getting quite tired by this time, not surprising really as he only has little legs, so he hitched a ride on the trolley which drew lots of happy smiles from other customers and staff alike. It was a really pleasant afternoon and beautifully sunny, unlike yesterday and today. Whilst it would be nice to have some sunshine for my days off from work, I’m not too fussed as we have some more decorating to do. We’re attacking the first of the guest bedrooms next which we are going to do in a beautiful pale sage… pictures on my next blog, where there will also be a competition to win a signed copy of my new book, The Woman on the Beach.

Which leads me nicely into the competition winner from my last blog. There were over a hundred entries, thank you if you were one of them, but there can only be one randomly selected winner and it is (drumroll) Julia Jenkins. Congratulations Julia! You correctly answered that Absolutely Fabulous was the name of the sitcom (as did everyone else to be fair!) Your Christian Lacroix notebook and signed copy of My Mother’s Secret will be heading your way early next week. By the way, if you didn’t win and would like to read an ebook of My Mother’s Secret, it is currently on a reduced price for a very limited period – load your kindle now and read at your leisure.

So, to this week’s competition… (there won’t be one every blog but do make sure you are signed up to my newsletter so that you will know when to expect them). As mentioned above, my friend and colleague from QVC, Jackie Kabler is featuring on Between the Lines, and she has very generously offered a signed paperback of her latest book, The Happy Family as a competition prize. The question, to be in with a chance of winning is:

What is the surname of the popular American TV cartoon family where the parents are called Marge and Homer?

Please leave your answers in a comment at the bottom before midnight on August 19^th and the winner will be randomly selected and announced on my next blog on August 20^th.

So, without further ado, let’s find out a little bit more about bestselling author, Jackie Kabler in this month’s Between the Lines.  

 

Q & A session with Jackie Kabler

Posted on August 6th 2021

1. What was your first job after leaving full-time education?

I did a zoology degree, so my first proper job was as a zoologist with an organisation called CABI, which helps solve problems in agriculture and the environment around the world. I was based in Oxfordshire and worked in the Animal Breeding and Genetics department. I retrained as a journalist a few years later but I look back at my zoology years with great fondness.

2. Who was your first crush – real life or famous?

I think the first must have been Shakin’ Stevens. I had posters of him all over my bedroom walls and I remember being devastated when I found out he was married! I was probably about 13 at the time.

 
3. What was your first piece of creative writing outside of school/college/uni?

I started by writing poetry in my twenties. It was mostly humorous verses written in birthday cards for friends and colleagues; then word got around and I used to be asked to produce poems for all sorts of other occasions too. (Looking back, it could have been a good small business!).

4. Do you have a favourite tipple, alcoholic or otherwise?

It’s a toss up between Champagne and Earl Grey tea (no milk, no sugar!).

5. Are you a cat or dog person?

Both! We always had cats growing up but I’d love a dog. One day I hope to have one of each but my husband and I both currently work long hours so our lifestyle is incompatible with pet ownership unfortunately. We have two wood pigeons who live in our garden and who we’ve named Jack and Vera (yes, a Coronation Street reference!) and I feed them every day and love to watch their antics; they’re my pets for now.

 
6. What is your favourite TV show or series from the past twelve months?

Taskmaster. We discovered it on catch-up TV during the first lockdown and over the past year we’ve watched every single episode. It’s just an hour of pure silliness and happiness and literally makes me cry with laughter.

 
7. Do you have a favourite holiday destination or special memorable holiday?

A few years ago we went to an island called Ibo, off the coast of Mozambique. It has a few lodges where you can stay and eat, but no proper hotels, shops or restaurants. It was so unspoiled and beautiful – really unforgettable.

8. Do you like to read in the same genre as you write?

Yes – I write crime and psychological thrillers and those are absolutely my favourite genres to read. I run an Instagram book club and we’ve read everything from historical fiction to supernatural, but left to my own devices I’m always drawn back to a good crime novel.


9. How do you deal with negative reviews?

I’ve written six books now and I’m working on the seventh, so my novels have had many thousands of reviews and I’ve developed a thick skin! But in the early days the bad reviews used to really upset me. You put your heart and soul into writing a book and to have it dismissed as absolute rubbish really hurt! But these days I don’t mind at all. I actually find some of the negative reviews hilarious, and others quite constructive and useful. It’s all part of the job and as long as there are more positive reviews than negative, that’s fine.  

10. Cast your mind back to when you were thirteen and complete the following sentence:

When I grow up I want to be… A vet. Then I realised how squeamish I am when faced with things like blood, so I decided on a zoology degree instead. If you told that very shy 13 year old that one day she’d be a TV presenter and crime writer, she would never, ever have believed you…!

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My family has just been reunited. So who’s trying to tear it apart?

A mother who disappeared… 
When Beth was 10 years old, her beautiful, wild mother Alice disappeared. Beth’s life since hasn’t always been easy, but now she’s settled, with a successful career, a loving family and a beautiful home. 
 
An unexpected visitor…
Then one day there’s a knock at the door. Alice has returned. Desperate to rebuild their relationship, Beth invites her mother to move in.
 
A life that comes crashing down…
At first, everything is wonderful. But then Beth’s friends start to drift away, strange things happen at home, and rumours about Beth begin to circle. Someone is out to destroy Beth’s newfound happiness. But who? And how far will they go?