Today I’ve been invited to join Phillip on
his brand new blog, which looks great. I recently met Phillip when he asked to
join Famous Five Plus and showcase his debut novel, Reno Splits. From this
Phillip asked if I’d like to talk about my latest book, Storm Clouds Gathering. I never need to be asked twice about
talking about my books! But first I need
to introduce myself to you.
I am British and was born and brought up in
Yorkshire, but have lived in several different locations including, Suffolk , UK ,
Surrey , UK island of Lanzarote
Years ago I gained a BA (Hons) degree from
the Open University, today I spend my time writing fiction. I have four books
published:
Sometimes It Happens...
Magnolia House
Satchfield Hall
Storm Clouds Gathering
I am also the person behind the Indie
Author Group, Famous Five Plus. A group I started back at the end of October
2011. The idea was to offer Indie authors a platform to showcase and share
their experiences and at the same time, support others in the knowledge they
would be supported in return. That concept has not changed. FFP continues to grow and whilst it takes far
too much of my time, I believe it is worth it. There are some wonderful authors
in FFP who just need to have enough exposure to really make it big.
Now back to my latest book and here is the
blurb for my book 4, Storm Clouds
Gathering:
Shirley Burton is too busy cheating on her husband, having a laugh and looking for fun to alleviate the boredom of her childless marriage. Kathleen Mitchell is too wrapped up in running around after her beautiful family to worry about her health. Anne Simpson has two things on her mind: her forthcoming marriage to Paul Betham, who seems to want to control her, and her career, which she does not want to give up.
Can Shirley really expect to deceive her husband and get away with it? Can Kathleen hold it all together, and is Anne able to have the best of everything?
Storm Clouds Gathering is a story of human emotion, passion and heart-rending grief. Set against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, these three families will be tested to the limit as betrayal, loss and love threaten to change their lives forever.
If this has given you a taste, here is….
Chapter ONE
Shirley
Burton and Kathleen Mitchell crossed the cobbled stone yard with the rest of
the shift workers. The bitter cold morning made their step hurried and their
breath steam as they headed for the Mill, a three-storey building, its bricks
blackened with soot, smoke belching out from the massive chimney on its
left-hand end. Shivering, Kathleen glanced at the thin layer of ice floating on
top of the millpond that ran the length of the yard. So far as she could see,
Spring was not so much around the corner as out of sight.
‘Morning ladies,’ the Overlooker called,
leaning on the jamb of the spinning shed door, a cigarette stuck to his lips,
his hands stuffed in the pockets of his brown coat. Tall, dark and ruggedly
handsome, Billy Smith at twenty-eight had still not succumbed to marriage. His
reputation for enjoying the ladies was well known around the millworkers.
Despite the dangling cigarette he managed a cheeky smile as he watched the
women march towards the clocking-in shed, their chattering voices filling the
yard and creating a merry atmosphere in the grey, frosty surroundings. Raising
his head and pursing his lips Billy exhaled a mouthful of smoke letting it
plume into the frigid air. Nipping the end of his cigarette he dropped the tab
end into the breast pocket of his coat, frowning as he caught sight of the
women’s curlers. Thankfully, most were concealed by headscarves, but two always
seemed to peep out at the front. Smirking, he called out, ‘Must be Friday I
see,’ and gave a loud wolf-whistle, rubbing his nicotine-stained fingers
together to remove bits of tobacco.
‘Not
much gets past you Billy boy, does it?’ Shirley Burton called back and at the
same time patted her headscarf where curlers were neatly rolled in her hair.
‘If I’m lucky tonight, it just might be the last time you’ll have a chance to
squint at me dressed to kill,’ she scoffed, then nudging, Kathleen, ‘he’s a
cheeky bugger and a dirty one too.’
‘Well
you should know,’ Kathleen remarked sourly. She knew Shirley and Billy had been
having an affair for the last three months.
Shirley
snorted and linking her arm with Kathleen’s, walked into the small and draughty
lean-to clocking-in shed.
Rigid
with disapproval Kathleen reached for the “Out Rack”, pulled out her card and
dipped it into the heavy grey machine, listening for the deep clunking sound as
it stamped the time. ‘I take it you’re coming with us tonight then?’ She
retrieved her card and stepped forward to push it into the “In Rack”. Turning
back she looked to see how many cards were left in the “Out Rack” and scanned
the names, satisfied she did not have to clock-in one of her mates. ‘So are
you? You’ve not answered my question.’
Shirley
sidled towards her. ‘Give over Kath. You know the score, but I’ll try and stop
by before the game begins, you know me.’
‘That’s the point Shirley, I do know you and
believe you me you are playing a very dangerous game.’
‘Just
cover for me and no one will be any the wiser. No one’s going to get hurt.’
Kathleen
shook her head, her tone registering her disapproval. ‘Well don’t come running
to me when it all gets nasty and your Jimmy throws you out.’
‘I’m
just having a bit of fun, Kathleen.’ Stepping back to the entrance, Shirley
gave a little wave to Billy Smith, who was still propped against the door.
‘What
are you playing at?’ Kathleen hissed, her voice thick with concern as they
nudged their way through to the cloakroom. ‘You know as well as I do there’s no
good in that Billy, he’s only interested in one thing and he’ll hurt you in the
end.’ Tucking a strand of loose hair under the hairnet hidden beneath her
turban, Kathleen saw a sly smile cross Shirley’s face and wondered what had
happened to her friend that she was behaving like a common trollop. As fond of Shirley as she was – they went
back a long way – this carry on with the Overlooker was ridiculous. Shirley and
Jimmy had problems, but she had not expected her friend to turn to someone like
the lecherous Billy Smith, who was neither married nor interested in anything
more than getting his leg over, ruining other people’s relationships in the
process.
Shrugging
out of her coat, Shirley answered, ‘Having some fun Kathleen, and it’s time you
thought about it too. That Joe of yours is a good man, but when did he last
take you out and make you feel special? Like most women of our age, I bet
you’ll not even be able to remember.’
Kathleen
winced, but she had no intention of having a row with Shirley so did not
retaliate. Instead she repeated, ‘Like I said, he’ll hurt you. And what about
Jimmy? As for me, I’ve my Joe and my kids and I’m happy enough with my lot.’
‘Billy
Smith won’t hurt me, it’ll more likely be the other way round, but before I’m
past me prime I’m going to have a bit of fun. Anyway, these days Jimmy’s only
interested in his tea being on the table when he gets home and a bit of how’s
yer father on a Saturday night. I don’t care what anyone says, we’re all too
young to be sitting in front of the fire every night smoking a fag and wishing.
I’m thirty-two not bloody sixty-two. I’ve done with years of wishing. Now I’m
doing.’
Shaking
her head, Kathleen knew better than to say any more. If Shirley wanted to play
with fire by having a fling with Billy Smith then why should she care? She had
enough of her own troubles. Leaving the cloakroom, she said ‘Come on Shirley,
the wool won’t spin itself, unfortunately.’
Stepping
through the heavy, green sliding door, the noise of the clattering machinery
assailed their ears. The ever-present mist of fluff hung in the air and
Kathleen sneezed as it tickled her nose, she could already feel the fine fibres
lodging in her throat. Thank God she only worked the morning shift. Tightening
the belt on her pinnie she pulled her sleeves down so her cardigan covered as
much as possible of her arms. The fluff irritated her skin. Tapping Shirley on
the shoulder, she mouthed, ‘I’ll see you later,’ and not waiting for a response
hurried along the walkway towards her two looms, one on top of the other.
Stepping
up to them, Kathleen checked that all the woollen threads ran smoothly and
there was no slack or breaks in the yarn. She looked after ninety bobbins,
forty-five on each loom. It took not only concentration to make sure the lines
ran smoothly, but deftness in her fingers if a line broke. When this happened
she tried not to panic, stopping the spinning bobbin where the thread had
broken and at the same time speedily tying a knot to rejoin the wool. She knew
that when a break occurred time was of the essence to get the bobbin spinning
again. The last thing she wanted was to get her loom in a tangle, because it
meant the Overlooker having to sort it out. This wasn’t too bad if it was the
likes of Billy Smith. She didn’t like him much, but he was fair at sorting out
any mess that happened when she couldn’t make a repair fast enough herself. One
or two of the other Overlookers were less easy going than Billy and once too
often she had felt the sting of their barbed tongues.
Trying
not to dwell on the irritating side of her job, Kathleen focussed her attention
on scanning the bobbins, thankful it was Friday.
Here is the video… http://paper.li/famousfiveplus/1322995187?utm_source=subscription&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=paper_sub
Magnolia
House
Satchfield
Hall
Sometimes
It Happens…
Links:
Web site: www.paulinebarclay.co.uk
Blog: http;//paulinembarclay.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/paulinembarclay
Twitter: @paulinembarclay
A BIG thank you Phillip for having me on
your wonderful Blog site and thank you also for joining Famous Five Plus. I
hope one day you’ll let me return the favour and you’ll come and sit round my
pool to talk about your book and a little about you too!
The thanks go to you, Pauline, for all that you are doing to promote indie authors.
