‘Remember the time-lapse video on the Kendrick’s website? It was made by Colm’s friend, a documentary filmmaker. He filmed the gig and loves your story. He’s interested in making a short documentary on the reunion, adding some extra pieces to camera with us all. BBC Films liked his pitch, and they want to launch it with The Silver Five performing . . .’
‘A launch, you say? Would there be a press conference, too? I’ve always fancied doing one of them. In a posh hotel, preferably.’
‘I’m not sure. Maybe.’
‘Sounds fun. Gaynor will probably have to take up pole-dancing classes for Bill Lancaster to keep him sweet, but I imagine she won’t mind. I can persuade the others to come, no problem. Since the Palm Grove gig, Tommy’s been insufferable with round-robin emails. So where’s the gig? London again?’
Mattie smiled. ‘In Cannes. At the film festival. Next May.’
The violet crème stopped midway to Reenie’s lips. ‘Now you’re having me on.’
‘What do you think?’
‘I think you’re bleedin’ nuts, Mattie Bell. What do you want to hang around with a bunch of geriatric has-beens for?’
Mattie leaned over and pulled the shawl up closer around Reenie, as if tucking in a small child at bedtime. ‘Because they’re the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. And the world needs to remember them.’
‘Oh – love . . .’ Reenie clutched Mattie’s hand, pale grey eyes wide as she held her gaze. For a few moments she was silent, as if trying to construct a worthy response. And then the Reenie Silver that Mattie loved made a magnificent, glittering return to Beauvale’s wintry garden. ‘So, Mattie Bell, what are we waiting for?’
THE END . . . ?
Acknowledgements
When my first book was published, I was stunned that anyone other than my family wanted to read my stories. Eight books later, I’m still amazed.
First – and always first – thank you to you, dear Reader, for picking up this book. I wrote it for you xx
Huge thanks to my amazing agent Hannah Ferguson for her unwavering faith in me and her excitement about everything I write. It means more than I can say. Much love to my editor, Caroline Hogg, and the wonderful team at Pan Macmillan, in particular Claire Gatzen, Fraser Crichton, Camilla Rockwood, Amber Burlinson, Alex Saunders, Francesca Pearce, Wayne Brookes and Jeremy Trevathan.
Lots of love to my incredible writer friends, who are my biggest cheerleaders, vital support network and source of incredible inspiration: Julie Cohen, Rowan Coleman, Kate Harrison, Tamsyn Murray, Cally Taylor, A. G. Smith, Kim Curran, Rachael Lucas, Cathy Bramley and Kat Black. Big love to the Dreamers for your advice and support. Sincere thanks to Lesley Snowdon (www.vivacity-health.co.uk) for wise words and support. Big love to my church family at Springs Church, Gornal.
Once again, I asked the gorgeous lovelies on Twitter, Facebook and via my newsletter to suggest things to include in this story. I even sneaked some of them in! Take a bow, beauties!
Reenie’s karaoke songs were chosen by @kezzacahill and @AllyyyVixoxo. Cambridge was suggested by @bookish_yogi. Llangynidr is included for my sister Bev, brother-in-law Ro and nieces Freya and Anya. Aline Sommerville and Clare appear as Reenie Silver’s fans. Gemma Harris @gemmiejewel appears as the receptionist at the Alnwick hotel. @MrDerryDude appears as Derry, bar manager at Kendrick’s. And Charlene Wedgner @hellosweety26 appears as Charlene, the Beauvale nurse.
This book couldn’t have happened without the support of my wonderful families. Being a full-time mum and full-time writer can be tough, but Mum, Dad, Mom and Popsy have helped so very much. Thank you!
Finally, all my love to my amazing husband Bob and stunningly fab Flo. I love you to the moon and back, and twice around the stars xx
This is a book about second chances and the power of forgiveness, for hoping for better and for never being defined by the past. I hope it inspires you to believe for the best.
Miranda xx
Read on for exclusive material
from Miranda Dickinson . . .
Reenie’s Cocktail - The Blood and Sands
Miguel, the head bartender at The Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, invented this cocktail for Reenie during her five-week residency there in 1971. It’s a riff on the classic 1920s cocktail, Blood and Sand, named after the Rudolph Valentino movie. This version blends Reenie’s favourite cherry brandy with fresh orange juice and ruby-coloured Italian vermouth. But instead of the classic Scotch, Miguel used smoky, intense mezcal, the agave-based spirit from south of the Mexican border. The red-gold colour matches her jewellery and her lipstick. Like Reenie, the drink is potent stuff: sweet, smoky, fruity and not for the faint of heart!
Ingredients:
1 shot mezcal (or Scotch for traditionalists)
1 shot freshly squeezed orange juice
1 shot sweet (red) vermouth
1 shot cherry brandy (e.g. Cherry Heering)
Garnish: orange wheel, maraschino cherry, sprinkle of edible gold dust
Method:
Chill a martini or wine glass by adding a couple of fresh ice cubes to the empty glass (discard before pouring the drink). Add your ingredients to a cocktail shaker or large lidded jar. Add plenty of ice, close and shake for 10 seconds, then strain into the chilled glass. Garnish with the orange wheel, cherry and a sprinkle of gold dust. Serve with smoked nuts and a huge shot of sassiness . . .
Recipe by Kate Harrison,
author and huge cocktail fan
@katewritesbooks
www.kate-harrison.com
Author Q&A
I asked my lovely readers what they wanted to know about this book and my previous novels. Here are the questions they gave me and my answers. Enjoy!
1. Which character is most like you?
(Lara Fletcher @LaraMitch)
That’s a tough one to answer because I think most of my characters have aspects of me. I suppose Rosie in Fairytale of New York is the most like me because the first character you write tends to be the closest to you. Romily and her band in It Started With a Kiss were very much based on me and my musician friends – their wedding gig stories are inspired by actual concerts we played! In Searching for a Silver Lining I think Mattie’s sense of humour and delight in other people’s stories probably come from me. But I also hope to be as ballsy as Reenie when I’m eighty-four!
2. Which character did you have the most fun creating in all your books?
(Sharon @ShazsBookBlog shazsbookblog.blogspot.co.uk)
They are all fun in their own ways, but I have to say I’ve had an absolute blast creating Reenie Silver. I wasn’t expecting her at all but as soon as she arrived on the page she was so much fun to write. I loved creating the relationship between her and Mattie, too, which I think is the central focus of Searching for a Silver Lining – how each one needs the other to forgive the past and believe in better for the future.
3. Which of the books you’ve written is your favourite? And why?
(Vicki Bowles @Vikbat rockchickblog.wordpress.com)
That’s like asking a mum to choose between her children! I love them all because they’ve kind of documented my life for the past eight years. I know exactly where I was and what was happening when I wrote each one. Fairytale of New York will always be special because it’s my first book. Welcome to My World was set in the town I grew up in, so is very close to my heart. It Started With a Kiss is special because my best friends (as The Pinstripes) and lovely in-laws (as Uncle Dudley and Auntie Mags) are in it. When I Fall in Love was written as I was preparing for my wedding to lovely Bob, so it represents the love and trepidation I felt on the verge of making a commitment for life. Take a Look at Me Now was our honeymoon and falling head over heels in love with San Francisco, I’ll Take New York was going back to my first character crew and imagining new stories, and A Parcel for Anna Browne was the first book written with my gorgeous girl Flo. I love Searching for a Silver Lining because I’ve wanted to write a story with a road trip and 1950s storyline f
or a long time – and because it looks to the future as well as the past!
4. Who influences your writing most? Who are your writing heroes?
(Kate @murronsmama thequietknitter.blogspot.co.uk)
The people I meet and the stories I hear inspire me more than anything else. A lovely part of being a writer is that people want to share their stories with you. I’m a bit of a magpie for shiny bits of information, so when I write it’s a little like weaving all of the things I hear and see into a story. My writing heroes are people who refuse to be boxed and who write what they love – Sarah Addison Allen, Sir Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Cecelia Ahern, Ian Rankin, Ann Cleeves and Simon Toyne are my go-to writers when I want to be inspired.
5. Have you found writing harder since having the distraction of mummyhood and having an adorable little person living with you?
(Natalie @Flutterbybat myflutterbybooks.blogspot.co.uk)
Good question! Yes, I have. Being a full-time writer and a full-time mum is exhausting – not least because my brain never switches off. And time to write has become a luxury rather than the norm. Book deadlines and two-year-olds aren’t particularly compatible! What I do like about my new life, though, is having time to think. So I’m learning to make use of any scrap of time I can to immerse my mind in the stories I’m writing. I keep a stack of Post-It notes with me and jot ideas down as they arrive. I’m becoming much more of a plotter, too, which helps me stay on track with my writing. I naturally write better in the evenings and always have, so this has stood me in good stead for writing after Flo has gone to bed! Also I have to say that our families have been incredible in helping look after Flo when I’ve had a deadline looming. I appreciate their support so much.
6. Are there any of your characters you’re desperate to revisit to discover what happened to them since we last saw them?
(Catriona Merryweather @shoefiend1984 fabulousbookfiend.blogspot.co.uk)
I always said I would never go back to any of my characters, feeling very strongly that I’d interfered in their lives enough. But then I wrote I’ll Take New York, which was a lot of fun, and a Christmas special novella on my blog, which featured characters from all my books, so now I’m not sure . . . I did always wonder what happened to Elsie, Woody and their unorthodox choir The Sundaes from When I Fall in Love, but I wouldn’t go back to them unless there was a strong enough story to tell. So for now I’ll say I won’t write another sequel, but in the future, who knows? A
7. What three pieces of advice would you give to aspiring writers?
(@AnnetteHannah sincerelybookangels.blogspot.co.uk)
1. Write – as much as you can, as often as you can.
2. Cultivate your love of writing – keep reminding yourself why you wanted to write in the first place by writing stories you love. That passion will carry you through the hard bits, blocks, setbacks and general slog of writing a novel.
3. Write like you’ve made it already – believe in yourself, share your writing with others, ignore doomsayers and never give up on your dream.
8. If you could live inside a book for a day, which story would you choose and which character would you be?
(Amanda Moran @onemorepage www.onemorepage.co.uk)
Oh wow – so many possibilities! I would probably go for The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen and I would be Chloe Finley, who is followed around by books that magically appear whenever she needs them. I adore Sarah Addison Allen’s book worlds – so inventive, adventurous and sparkling – so to spend a day in my favourite one would be heaven!
If you have a question you would like to ask me, email [email protected], comment on my Facebook page (MirandaDickinsonAuthor) or tweet me @wurdsmyth. I’ll answer your questions in my regular vlogs – subscribe to my channel at www.youtube.com/mirandawurdy to see them all x
Searching For a Silver Lining Playlist
I created two playlists that I listened to while writing this book. The first – of songs released and recorded in the 1950s and early 1960s – can be found in all the chapter headings. The second, of more modern songs, is below. Enjoy!
1. ‘Does Not Bear Repeating’ – The Weepies (Sirens)
2. ‘Love Life’ – Natalie Taylor (Single)
3. ‘Ordinary World’ – Duran Duran (Duran Duran – The Wedding Album)
4. ‘Wild Horses’ – Charlotte Martin (On Your Shore)
5. ‘Changes’ – Sarah McLachlan (Laws of Illusion)
6. ‘Keep It There’ – The Weepies (Happiness)
7. ‘If Wishes Were Horses’ – Kris Drever (If Wishes Were Horses)
8. ‘Grace’ – Will Young (Let It Go)
9. ‘A Sky Full of Stars’ – Coldplay (Ghost Stories)
10. ‘The Star That Guides You Home’ – Emma Stevens (Waves – Deluxe)
11. ‘I Was Gone’ – Finnegan Bell (I Was Gone)
12. ‘In Love’ – Miranda Dickinson (January Nova – EP)
13. ‘Place From Where I Fell’ – Elenowen (For the Taking)
14. ‘Together’ – Brandon & Leah (Together – EP)
15. ‘Life Keeps Moving On’ – Ben Rector (The Walking in Between)
Bibliography
While researching background for The Silver Five, Reenie Silver and Joe Bell’s diary entries, the following books and resources were invaluable:
The History of British Rock ’n’ Roll: The Forgotten Years 1956–1962 by Robin Bell (Robin Bell, 2014)
Picture Post on Liverpool by Colin Wilkinson (The Bluecoat Press, 2011)
Ministry of Rock website – www.ministryofrock.co.uk
Searching for a Silver Lining
Miranda Dickinson has always had a head full of stories. From an early age she dreamed of writing a book that would make the heady heights of Kingswinford Library and today she is a bestselling author. She began to write in earnest when a friend gave her The World’s Slowest PC, and has subsequently written the bestselling novels Fairytale of New York, Welcome to My World, It Started With a Kiss, When I Fall in Love, Take a Look at Me Now, I’ll Take New York and A Parcel for Anna Browne. Miranda lives with her husband Bob and daughter Flo in Dudley.
@wurdsmyth
MirandaDickinsonAuthor
www.mirandadickinson.com
Also by Miranda Dickinson
Fairytale of New York
Welcome to My World
It Started With a Kiss
When I Fall in Love
Take a Look at Me Now
I’ll Take New York
A Parcel for Anna Browne
First published 2016 by Pan Books
This electronic edition published 2016 by Pan Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-1-4472-7606-7
Copyright © Miranda Dickinson, 2016
The right of Miranda Dickinson to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Pan Macmillan does not have any control over, or any responsibility for, any author or third-party websites referred to in or on this book.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Visit www.panmacmillan.com to read more about all our books and to buy them. You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that you’re always first to hear about our new releases.
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