The Family Before Us by Tracy Martin-Summers

Please join me in welcoming Tracy Martin-Summers and her latest novel, The Family Before Us, to Celtic Connexions.
family

Blurb

I was only seven when I first met Eva. She stood at the front of the classroom, pale and petrified, clutching her hands as our teacher introduced her.

There was something about her—something that pulled me towards her immediately.

Maybe it was the sadness that lingered in her eyes, or her oversized, second-hand clothes, or the shoes so tight they pinched with every step.

Whatever it was, I knew I had to be her friend.

It’s ironic that her one simple mistake at the age of sixteen contributed to turning our lives upside down.

How was it that one single act of kindness exposed a web of inconceivable deceit, so mind-blowing, it was impossible to comprehend

What would you do if you discovered a secret so shocking that you no longer knew who you were?

How far would you go to protect the people you loved?

family

Book Links

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222383821-the-family-before-us

Purchase Link:  https://mybook.to/familybeforeus-zbt

My Review

Abandonment, bullying, deception. And behind it all? Someone in a position of trust.

The title made me think of Lisa Jewell and her books. This wasn’t like them at all. I flipped through the virtual pages, trying to figure it all out.

This is the first Tracy Martin-Summers book I’ve read, and it won’t be my last. I still get shivers when I think of the book.

About the Author

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Tracy was born in Harrow Weald, Middlesex, growing up in a loving family home. She married her first husband in 1990, has two grown up children and two granddaughters.

She studied a variety of topics via moduled learning, embarking on City and Guilds and NVQ courses, ranging from a brief spell in hairdressing to administration and now works for a utility company in North West London.

Tracy has numerous hobbies ranging from landscape painting to landscape gardening and always likes to paint the scene, even if it’s changing the colour scheme,yet again, within her home.

Tracy has always enjoyed writing and used to write short stories for her own children’s amusement but it has only been in the last few years that she has taken this more seriously and has gone on to write her first police procedural psychological thriller series, comprising Gordon Square, Arlington Terrace and Keeper’s Lodge.

On the 1st August she released her latest psychological thriller 101 and is now already plotting her next book.

Tracy married her second husband in 2014 and now lives in Bedfordshire in a sleepy hamlet where she writes whenever she gets a spare moment.

Author Links

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TracyMartinSum1

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tracy_martinsummers/

Website:  www.tracymartinsummers.co.uk

Red Daisy by Gemma Owen-Kendall #REDDAISY

I’m thrilled to have a new-to-me author here at Celtic Connexions today, Gemma Owen-Kendall to find out more about her novel, Red Daisy.

Blurb

What if the girl who wore the red coat fell in love with the wolf?

Grace Kennedy was once a quiet teenage girl growing up in a rural area with her parents. When Grace turns sixteen, she moves to a new town to live with her grandparents to study for a diploma in Dance at the local college.

It’s there that Grace’s life changes when she meets the polite and charming Daniel and also encounters the dark and mysterious Ben.

But are both boys truly who they say they are …

Dealing with the sudden strange events happening to her and a complicated love triangle, Grace’s world implodes when she learns that werewolves and spellcasters do truly exist.

Red Daisy

Buy Link

Amazon

Excerpt

I dropped to my knees onto the wet, cold and snowy ground. I could not understand why one moment he was caring and affectionate towards me then suddenly just vanished. I let the tears fall down my face, then a feeling of anger hit me. My fists clenched to the point I dug my nails into my skin, blood pressure increasing.

Letting out an almighty scream, I screamed so high and so hard that

I felt the veins through my body tighten and surface. I screamed that much that I struggled to breathe, then became light-headed and collapsed further into the snowy ground. I just wanted to be swallowed up. I didn’t care right now if I was to be taken onto the spirit world. I closed my eyes and just waited to see what would happen next.

Inspiration for Novel

I was inspired to write Red Daisy back in 2013 when I had an epiphany whilst in my car wearing a red coat, I came up with a sudden idea that I wanted to write my own version of Red Riding Hood and also go down the route of what if the girl in the red coat fell in love with the wolf.

I’ve always loved the Twilight books so author Stephenie Meyer has always had a big influence on my writing xx

About the Author

Red Daisy
Gemma is a writer from North East Lincolnshire, UK. Graduated at the University of Lincoln in 2009, she studied a degree in Drama. However years later Gemma has discovered writing is her hobby and passion. She hopes to one day to be able to go back to University to study creative writing. As well as her own writing, Gemma is a huge supporter for writers within her local area.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

www.facebook.com/innocenttimesauthor

www.instagram.com/gemma.authorpage

X – @gemmaowenkendall