The Whole of the Moon

Every moment is a chance to start again.

When Harry Jarvis arrives in Kearton Bay on the evening of the Samhain ceremony at The Hare and Moon Inn, he causes a tidal wave of resentment, anger and anxiety. His ex-wife is worried their daughter will be hurt all over again, and her husband is afraid he’ll lose the love of his stepdaughter. Harry, meanwhile, just wants to rebuild his relationship with his little girl and start afresh.

But Amy isn’t the same child he left behind, and she’s not going to let him off the hook that easily. And with two ex-wives to placate, a failing career, a tumbledown property to renovate, and a terrible reputation to live down, Harry’s about to find that making a fresh start in Kearton Bay won’t be as easy as he’d hoped.

Rhiannon Bone understands what it feels like to be estranged from a child. Her son, Derry, left Kearton Bay nearly four years ago to live with his grandfather, and their relationship is difficult, to say the least. When Derry returns to the village for a special event, she hopes they can put the past behind them and start again.

But Derry is not the same person who left for Cornwall, and Rhiannon fears her father has succeeded in turning him against her for good. Her son has clearly got something on his mind, and until he finds the courage to tell her what it is, how can they ever move forward?

For both Rhiannon and Harry, the mistakes they made in the past are still making ripples in the present. But as secrets are revealed and life-changing decisions are made, they begin to realise that it’s not just other people’s forgiveness they need. If they’re to have any sort of future, they must first forgive themselves…

Return to the North Yorkshire coast village of Kearton Bay for one last time, with The Whole of the Moon, the fourth and final novel in the popular series.

Another publication day!

This time, it’s quite a special one for me, as The Whole of the Moon marks the final chapter in my Kearton Bay series, the series that began my writing career.

It was a little over six years ago that There Must Be an Angel was published, and that book set me on the path to somewhere I’d never, in a million years, expected to be. Between publishing that book, and the final book in the series, I’ve written another eighteen novels. I’ve also had two audiobooks published with WF Howes, five large print editions for libraries published by Ulverscroft, two People’s Friend pocket novels published by DC Thomson, and even had a short story published in The People’s Friend, too.

Not only that, but just over three years ago, I was able to leave my day job to become a full time author – a total dream come true, and one I never expected to achieve.

And it all began with three characters who popped into my head, quite unexpectedly, on a car journey to Somerset; the three people who persistently chatted to me and forced me to grab a notebook and pen as soon as we reached our destination. After decades of writing “Chapter One” and getting no further, I knew there was something different about this story.

I’ve always written stories, as long as I can remember, inspired by the likes of Enid Blyton and the countless pony book authors whose novels I devoured. But whenever I tried to write anything longer – an actual novel – I never got past the first few pages. It was only when those three characters – who turned out to be Lexi Bailey, Will Boden-Kean and Joe Hollingsworth – appeared, that I realised the problem. I’m a plotter, and I’d never plotted a story before in my life.

This time, I plotted it carefully. Even though the story changed dozens of times from that first outline, it made a huge difference. I entered NaNoWriMo and managed 120,000 words during the month of November. Don’t ask me how, because I honestly haven’t a clue! I thought I’d written a book, but what I’d actually written was a mess. However, it was also a start. As they say, you can’t edit a blank page. Joining the Romantic Novelists’ Association and getting a professional critique from one of its authors was invaluable.

Finally, I knew what to do to make the book better. I could see where I’d made mistakes, and what needed to change for the book to flow properly. It took me around four years from start to finish, but finally, on March 28th 2015, There Must Be an Angel was published.

And now, over six years later, the fourth and final Kearton Bay novel, The Whole of the Moon, is available, and it’s a sad goodbye to all my friends in this beautiful little village on the North Yorkshire coast, which was inspired by Robin Hood’s Bay, a place that will always be special to me.

I hope you enjoy your final visit to Kearton Bay. If you haven’t yet discovered this series, you might like to know that There Must Be an Angel is currently FREE to read on Kindle. This offer runs throughout today and tomorrow, so if you want to grab a bargain, make it quick!

Thank you so much to those of you who have supported Eliza, Rose, Lexi, Rhiannon, and all their friends, family and neighbours over the last six years. Without you, nothing that’s happened to me during that time would have been possible. I really appreciate it.

Have a great week, and happy reading!