Ruby Fiction – the new imprint from Choc Lit – has really got me quite excited, with their plans to publish books that I just know I’m going to love reading. You’ll perhaps remember how much I loved their first release, The Best Boomerville Hotel, by the lovely Caroline James – you can read my review again here. And I’m sure I’ll equally love their second release – romantic comedy The Purrfect Petsitter by Carol Thomas is now available for kindle, Kobo and all major ebook platforms, and looks absolutely wonderful.
Introducing Lisa Blake, the purrfect pet sitter!
When Lisa Blake’s life in London falls apart, she returns to her hometown rebranding herself as ‘the purrfect pet sitter’ – which may or may not be false advertising!
But being back where she grew up, Lisa can’t escape her past. There’s her estranged best friend Flick who she bumps into in an embarrassing encounter in a local supermarket. And her first love, Nathan Baker, who, considering their history, is sure to be even more surprised by her drunken Facebook friend request than Lisa is.
As she becomes involved in the lives of her old friends Lisa must confront the hurt she has caused, discover the truth about her mysterious leather-clad admirer, and learn how to move forward when the things she wants most are affected by the decisions of her past.
Do you enjoy book trailers too? You’ll find a lovely one for this book here.
I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to fit this one into my reading list (yet!), but I’m really delighted to welcome Carol Thomas as my guest – talking family, fun and those things that children say…
Family relationships are very close to my heart; I am the youngest of six children, I have four children (three still of school age) and two grandchildren. Life is fun and busy, with a healthy amount of chaos thrown in.
In The Purrfect Pet Sitter, circumstances mean that Lisa Blake, my main character, has lost touch with those who were once closest to her, not just her ex-best friend Felicity and first love Nathan Baker, but her family too. While she is still in contact with her parents and brother, it is clear their relationship is not what it once was. In contrast to Lisa, Felicity has a husband, and four children – all below the age of nine and each with their own unique characters.
I greatly enjoyed writing the scenes involving Felicity’s children. I am a collector of snippets, anecdotes and conversations that make me smile and record them in my notebooks. Having worked with children for over twenty-years, and having a young family myself, I had plenty of material to work from.
One of my favourite scenes in the book involves a conversation that takes place around the dinner table. Felicity’s daughter Alice, who is determined to be a doctor when she grows up, has had a sex education lesson at school and is a bit too keen to overshare the things she has learnt.
The children’s words for this scene were taken from conversations had by my daughter and her classmates after their year-two sex education lesson. Having come literally out of the mouths of children, they are more natural and funnier than I could have made up. For me, adding moments like these into a story helps to bring it to life. And, of course, I hope readers will enjoy them as much as I did when they encounter them within the book.
As for Lisa, her story takes her on a journey of rediscovery, one that includes reconnecting with those around her. I fell in love with her parents, especially her dear dad, as much as I did with the two lovely men who enter her life,The blurb:
Thank you Carol, and wishing you every success with the book – and thank you to Lusana Taylor at Choc Lit for her support with this feature.
About the author
Carol Thomas lives on the south coast of England with her husband, four children and lively young Labrador. She has been a playgroup supervisor and taught in primary schools for over fifteen years, before dedicating more of her time to writing. Carol is a regular volunteer at her local Cancer Research UK shop. She has a passion for reading, writing and people watching and can often be found loitering in local cafes working on her next book. Carol writes contemporary romance novels, with relatable heroines whose stories are layered with emotion, sprinkled with laughter and topped with irresistible male leads.
Thank you for having me on your blog, Anne. xx