The Prodigal Sister: An emotional drama of family secrets
Page 31
An idea began to develop as our camper van swallowed up the miles. I imagined sisters together in this confined space, all with a shared past – each with their own versions of that history. They are travelling towards their youngest sister Cathy – and their physical journey also becomes an internal one. It links into the spectacular landscape that will eventually lead them to their destination and a tense-filled reunion with their younger sister whom they have not seen since she ran away from home when she was fifteen.
I jotted down each adventurous, funny, argumentative and quirky incident that happened on our trip. When I returned home I had a journal crammed with memories that could so easily have been forgotten in the bigger picture of such a long trip. I also had the beginnings of a new journey with a new cast of characters. Sadly, the ‘bra fence’ at Cardrona which features in the story has been removed since we stopped to admire its colourful array of fluttering bras that were hung there, I suspect, by liberated sisters from all over the world. I’ve used poetic licence and left them in place for the Lambert sisters to appreciate.
I hope you enjoyed The Prodigal Sister. If you have any thoughts on the story I’d be delighted to hear from you and am always happy to respond to my readers. I’d also be most appreciative if you would consider leaving a review on amazon.com.
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Laura Elliot
PS. You might also enjoy another of my books - Fragile Lies - which is out now!
@Elliot_Laura
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www.lauraelliot.com
Also by Laura Elliot
FRAGILE LIES
STOLEN CHILD
Fragile Lies
His name is Michael Carmody. He is a writer and a father. His son is lying in a coma, fighting for his life.
Her name is Lorraine Cheevers. She is an artist and mother. An illicit affair has destroyed her marriage.
Michael is desperate to find the couple who left his son for dead, a victim of a hit and run. Lorraine is desperate to start a new life for her and her daughter.
Michael and Lorraine are about to cross paths – damaged souls, drawn to one another. They don’t know that their lives are already connected. They don’t know the web of lies surrounding them.
They are each searching for the truth. But when they find it, it could destroy them both.
Fragile Lies is a gripping tale of love and betrayal, which will entice fans of Liane Moriarty, Lucie Whitehouse and Jane Shemilt’s Daughter.
FRAGILE LIES
‘Dealing with passion, adultery, deception and tragedy, and how the past has a way of creeping up on you…a really intriguing page-turner with a surprising twist.’ Evening Echo
‘This page-turner is gripping, all the more because it presents the dilemmas of betrayal with brutal honesty.’ Irish Independent
Stolen Child
It's every mother's worst nightmare…
Carla Kelly wakes to find her two-day-old baby daughter's cot empty.
Isobel has been taken.
Susanne Dowling has kept a terrible secret following her fifth agonising miscarriage. When at last she welcomes her new baby daughter into her life she realises they will both be safe as long as Susanne keeps her daughter close, and confesses her lie to no one. Ever.
Carla, a top model, launches a fierce national campaign to find her baby – but the trail is cold. She receives threats and recriminations from strangers – she flaunted her pregnancy in the media, she cashed in on it, she deserves everything she gets – and, pressured by well-meaning loved ones to move on, she begins to fall apart.
But one letter Carla receives stands out from the rest, offering support from a surprising quarter. It sparks a chain of events that opens wounds and exposes shocking secrets from Carla’s past that suggest what happened to her daughter was revenge a long time planned.
And it will bring Carla unknowingly close to the stolen daughter she has sworn she will do anything to get back …
STOLEN CHILD
‘Entertaining and highly thought-provoking.’ Closer Magazine
‘A bittersweet tale of love and heartache.’
Evening Echo
Acknowledgements
My sincere thanks to the many people who helped with support and information when I was writing The Prodigal Sister. To my husband, Sean, who accompanied me in a camper van throughout the South Island of New Zealand, where the idea for The Prodigal Sister gathered life on numerous scraps of paper. To my family, Tony, Ciara and Michelle, my son-in-law, Roddy and daughter-in-law Louise. A special BIG shout out to the two small ones, my grandchildren, Romy and Ava, who never fail to enchant and delight me.
To Moya O’Connor whose expert teaching skills guided Cathy through her earlier Letters to Nirvana.
To Barry Considine who willingly checked my South Island locations to make sure I wasn’t going off course.
Special thanks to the team from Bookouture, especially to Claire Bord and Kim Nash for their enthusiasm and support - and to my agent Faith O’Grady, who has travelled a long journey with me.
Thanks also to my extended family and friends ― those who write and are ready with advice when the Muse goes AWOL – and those with wider horizons, who order me to press Log Off and meet them for coffee. Writing can become a solitary occupation. The value of such friendships prevents it becoming a lonely one.
About the Author
Laura Elliot, writing under her own name June Considine, has written extensively for children and adults. Her twelve books for children include the Luvender fantasy trilogy, seven books for young adults published under the heading The Beachwood Series and also View from a Blind Bridge and The Glass Triangle.
Her adult novels include When the Bough Breaks and Deceptions. Her work has also appeared in a number of short story anthologies for teenagers and adults. She has worked as a journalist and magazine editor, and has written scripts for children’s television/radio.
She lives in the coastal village of Malahide, in Dublin, Ireland.
The Prodigal Sister is her first novel under the pen name, Laura Elliot. She is currently working on her new novel, Stolen Child.
@Elliot_Laura
lauraelliotauthor
www.lauraelliot.com