Hello again!
I’m pleased to announce (finally) that my
editor has cleared Deception and Denial
for publication. It’s based on an amalgam
of three real-life events that have appeared in newspapers over the years - I brought
the stories together into a single plot.
I don’t want to give too much away here, but this is the outline and a
short extract to whet your appetite:
Adults only: some explicit sex scenes render
this story unsuitable for people under 18 years of age.
When Mike and Ruth suddenly find their nest
empty, with their sons at college, their life changes. Ruth has a secret that
she's keeping from Mike; if he finds out, it could ruin their marriage. He has a well-paid position in a local firm
but, when his boss decides to retire, a string of events lead to Mike having to
keep a secret from his wife. Ruth knows
she has to confess her secret to Mike... but how will he react? Is there a way to save their
relationship? Will the cost be too high
if Ruth were to know about his secret?
SAMPLE EXTRACT:
Mike cast his mind back to the days when he and
Polly were in the first throes of young love.
Although they had lacked the maturity that would come with the passing
of time, they had felt truly committed to their relationship and – although
they had never discussed getting engaged or considered the enormity of a
lifetime together – everyone in their circle of friends had assumed that they
were going to get married. They were so
natural together, they had said.
He had felt terrible when he lost Polly. But, as soon as Ruth’s pregnancy had been
confirmed, his family – and Ruth’s parents – had agreed that it was the right
thing to do. Mike had always been
brought up ‘to do the right thing’ and he felt that he didn’t have any choice
in the matter; fate had cruelly intervened and an alternative future had been
decided for him.
Ruth and Mike had seemed quite happy together,
once the children had come along. She
had her own projects to occupy her mind, once released from the chores of being
a full-time mother, and Mike had steeped himself in his career and had risen by
degrees in the firm. But he had never
forgotten Polly. He couldn’t get her out
of his mind; throughout their marriage, when he was making love to Ruth, he had
been holding Polly’s body in his imagination.
The next morning, memories of the extraordinary
offer made to him the previous evening had jolted him awake. He felt unnerved; it was impossible for him
to lie still next to Ruth. He sat up on
the side of the bed, staring out of the window, while she slept on.
* * *
This is currently available on Amazon Kindle and Smashwords. You'll be able to purchase it through Apple and Barnes & Noble as soon as an ISBN number can be allocated... and this is out of my hands. Here are the links:
Best,
Rachel
email: rc@rachelcray.com
Twitter: @RachelCray1
