Another Woman's Child - Kerry Fisher Page 0,116
test as they are faced with an impossible choice…
From the bestselling author of The Silent Wife, The Secret Child is a heartbreaking and unputdownable novel about family secrets and lies. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Jojo Moyes and Diane Chamberlain.
Order here!
The Island Escape
‘Funny, warm and beautifully written – I loved it.’
MILLY JOHNSON
Can one woman’s marriage survive her best friend’s divorce? Veronica Henry meets Erica James in this gorgeous summer read.
Get it here!
Octavia Shelton thought she’d have a different life. One where she travelled the world with an exotic husband and free-spirited children in tow.
Instead she’s married to safe, reliable Jonathan, and her life now consists of packed lunches, school runs and mountains of dirty washing. She’s not unhappy. It’s just that she can barely recognise herself.
So as Octavia watches her best friend’s marriage break up, it gets her thinking. What if life could be different? What if she could escape and rediscover the person she used to be? Escape back to the island she visited years ago? And what if the man she used to love was there waiting for her?
After the Lie
An addictive and gripping read about love, life and living a lie.
Your past will devastate your family. But your lies could destroy them. What would YOU do?
Sometimes a lie can split your life in two. There is ‘before’, and there is ‘after’. Try as you might – you can never go back.
When Lydia was a teenager, she made a decision that ruined her family’s life. They’ve spent the last thirty years living with the consequences and doing their best to pretend it never happened.
Lydia’s husband, the gorgeous and reliable Mark, and her two teenage children know nothing about that summer back in 1982. And that’s the way Lydia wants it to stay. The opportunity to come clean is long gone and now it’s not the lie that matters, it’s the betrayal of hiding the truth for so long.
When someone from the past turns up as a parent at the school gates, Lydia feels the life she has worked so hard to build slipping through her fingers. The more desperate she becomes to safeguard her family, the more erratic her behaviour becomes. But when the happiness of her own teenage son, Jamie, hangs in the balance, Lydia is forced to make some impossible decisions. Can she protect him and still keep her own secret – and if she doesn’t, will her marriage and family survive?
A powerful and heartbreaking story, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.
Take My Hand
Get it here!
In this heartfelt, brave and honest account, Kerry Fisher and Pat Sowa share everything they’ve learnt from surviving the darkest of times. They shine a light on what it really feels like when your world shatters and how they found hope in the deepest despair.
Best friends since they met at university, Kerry and Pat had no idea that thirty years later, they’d need every ounce of their friendship to survive. In 2017, their worlds came crashing down when their teenage sons were both diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses within weeks of each other.
During the following rollercoaster months, Kerry and Pat regularly snatched time to message each other – often with black humour – providing a momentary refuge from their frightening realities. Together these two ordinary mums found a way to survive their extraordinary challenges and to navigate a new normal in an alien and isolating world. With raw honesty, they share the things they’ve learnt and what they wish they’d known – from how to tame raging mother guilt to restoring their natural optimism in the aftershock of tragedy.
In this profoundly moving book, Kerry and Pat take readers on a very personal exploration of the universal experiences of grief and loss, love and friendship that connect us all. Like a wise companion offering comfort, Take My Hand is a lifeline both to those overwhelmed by heartbreak and for friends and family who don’t know how to help. Most of all, it’s a powerful reminder that no matter how difficult life gets, you are not alone.
Buy now!
Acknowledgements
I am very lucky in my professional life. My editor, Jenny Geras, is a joy to work with – I have complete faith in her judgement and know that my books are in the safest, most meticulous hands. And from the edits onwards, the whole Bookouture team is professional, detail-driven and enthusiastic – working their magic to make the books the best they can possibly be. And such kind people. Goodness knows, the world needs as much of that as possible. Special thanks to the publicity team – Kim, Noelle and Sarah – for working so hard to get our books to as many readers as possible. This is long overdue because I’ve worked with her a lot but a big shout out to Jade Craddock, my eagle-eyed copy editor – she does a brilliant job.
This is my eighth novel and ninth book overall. I first sat opposite my agent, Clare Wallace, in 2013, and heard the wonderful words ‘I’d like to offer representation’. I was delighted, of course, but had no idea back then just how much the publishing gods had smiled upon me. I do now. It’s been a real gift to have someone as smart, committed and thoroughly decent as Clare champion me. Thanks, too, to the rights team at Darley Anderson – Mary, Kristina, Georgia and Chloe – who are brilliant at getting my books out into the wider world.
It’s been a very busy year workwise, and finishing the book while in lockdown presented a new set of challenges, so I’m grateful to my family for (mainly!) doing their best not to disturb me. In particular, I owe a huge thank you to my daughter, Michaela, for rescuing me from a technology meltdown more than once.
I’m very grateful to author Jacqui Rose for reading the manuscript from a race sensitivity point of view. Her observations have been invaluable. As well as the many articles I read to research casual racism, I also read The Clapback by Elijah Lawal, which helped me consider a lot of aspects that hadn’t occurred to me. I’m still learning and trying to educate myself so thank you.
Also, I appreciate everyone on my author Facebook page who took the time to respond to my queries about how teenagers get hold of drugs and what happens when they shoplift. Your input was really helpful and terrifying! Thanks also to Jayne Puttman, who kindly contacted me about one of my other books and in the course of our discussion said that her dad had told her to meet each day ‘with fierce determination’. Not only have I borrowed her dad’s wisdom for this novel, but I try to live by it.
Finally – a huge thank you to the bloggers and readers who buy, review and recommend my books – and especially anyone who takes the time to contact me personally. Those messages make my day.
Published by Bookouture in 2020
An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
Copyright © Kerry Fisher, 2020
Kerry Fisher has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-83888-846-6
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.