GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN "An assured, tremendously entertaining successor to 'Reading Between the Lines' which launched her career so auspiciously" - Surrey County Magazine 'Going Against the Grain' was chosen by Reader's Digest for their 'Of Love and Life' series along with Ben Elton's 'Inconceivable' and Susan Madison's 'The Colour of Hope'. Being between the covers with Ben Elton, Britain's leading satirical comedy writer, was as exciting as I'd always imagined, and also led to Reader's Digest asking me to be the guest speaker at the Romantic Novelists' Association New Writer's Award ceremony at the Arts Club.

'Going Against the Grain' is a romance, if an unusual one. At the beginning of the novel, Louise finds out that she is pregnant - but her relationship has just ended. Her sister Rachel's live-in relationship with Hallam is under pressure - especially once she meets Benji, a charismatic doctor. Olivia, the mother of Louise and Rachel, is unhappy at work and finding her life empty since the death of her husband, so panics when she receives a sudden invitation to an Old Girls' reunion dinner. She feels she hasn't fulfilled the potential she showed, all those years ago, at school. What is she going to tell the other women? While Louise struggles womanfully through the sudden shock of her pregnancy with the varying support of Sally, her best friend and Ash, the electric violin player she's met at the Jobcentre, the story of the three women unfolds, and throws up shocks, surprises, sadness and laughter - and even love - along the way.

"Linda again mixes serious contemporary themes with humorous touches... surprise turnarounds are a hallmark of the lives of Linda's novel heroines" - Kent and Sussex Courier

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Excerpt...

'How do you con a sheep?' Olivia quipped.

'What?'

'It's a joke. Sarah told it to me at work.'

'A joke? You don't tell jokes.'

'Shut up, Louise.' Olivia closed her eyes. Now she was snapping. It must have been the extra glass of wine. 'I said, how do you con a sheep?'

'I don't know, how do you con a sheep.'

'Pull the wool over its eyes,' Olivia said through gritted teeth. There was a long pause. Now she felt really silly. She shouldn't try telling jokes. Bob used to tell bad jokes, and the girls used to tease him about it, but she couldn't be Bob, even if she tried.

'That was really sad, Mum.'

'Well blame Sarah, not me. Neal told it to her. I thought it was corny too, but I was just trying to cheer you up. Perhaps I shouldn't bother.'

‘It sounds as if you’re the one who needs cheering up. Are you sure you’re all right?’

Olivia took another sip from her wine glass. 'I'm just a bit - bit worried about something. That's all. That's what I rang to tell you.'

'Oh?' Louise sounded very alert now.

'It's silly really. It's just that Katherine Muff rang and wants me to go to a dinner, and I can't go.'

'Muff?' Louise gave an explosive laugh.

'You know, I was at school with her. Katherine Muff.'

Louise went off like a hyena. Olivia leaned against the kitchen cupboard and listened. No, she wasn't like Bob. Her girls only laughed at her when she said something in earnest.

'So why can't you go?'

'It's just...' Olivia thought of all the reasons that she didn't want to go. She opened her mouth and tried to formulate a concise summary. It was difficult. She didn't want to emotionally blackmail Louise into offering to come with her. She didn't want to use words like 'alone' and 'insecure'. She was starting to wish that the girls respected her, just a little bit, for the person she was. 'I - I haven't got anything to wear.'

Louise collapsed into giggles again. Olivia smiled to hear it. Perhaps she’d met somebody? It was ages since she’d heard her so cheerful.

'Blimey, Mum. There's not going to be anybody from the press there, is there? Just a load of women with bubble perms complaining about their corns. Just wear what you're comfortable in.'

'I haven't got a bubble perm.' Olivia tried to joke, fingering the soft waves of white hair around her face, but she was wounded. 'Or corns. If I went, I'd like to look nice.'

'Why bother dressing up? It's just going to be a mother's meeting, everyone going on about how much their kids earn. You'll probably be bored senseless. In fact, why go? You've never kept in touch with anyone from school, have you?'

Olivia's mouth wobbled. Why go? That wasn't what she expected to hear. But then again, Louise had a social life. She had friends in London. She went out, to nice places. She was always meeting people in pubs. Olivia stood up straight and frowned at the cupboard door.

'I want to go!' she asserted. 'And I want you to help me decide what to wear, not to talk me out of it. Don't you understand? I never go anywhere. Nobody ever asks me.'

'You went to see Betty recently, didn't you?'

'I want to go to a restaurant!' Olivia realised with a shock that she was almost shouting. 'And what's more, I want you to come with me! It’s not much to ask, Louise. I think it’s the least you could do!’

There was a silence. Louise seemed perfectly still on the other end of the line. Olivia began to wonder if she'd gone off to watch television. She wasn't used to her own mother issuing orders at her. Not for many years.

'Louise? Are you still there?'

'When is it?'

'Less than two weeks' time. On the Saturday night. You could come down on the train, and we could go together. You could even go back the same night if you wanted to,' then she added quickly, 'but you could stay over. You know you can sleep in your old room.'

She heard Louise blow out as if she was thinking hard.

'Okay, Mum. I'll come with you.'

'It's all right dear, I understand.' Olivia put down her wine glass with a clatter, her voice rising an octave. 'You'll come with me?'

'Yes, yes. I haven't seen you for a while, have I? It might be a good thing. And it’ll give us a chance to talk properly. Yes, why not?' Louise’s voice gained life. 'Why the hell not? I'll come with you, and we'll take the piss out of the bubble perms together. How about that?'

'Oh, good grief!' Olivia put her hand to her mouth. She could feel tears in her throat. They must not show in her voice. Louise would feel pressured, as if it was a great event.

'Okay Mum, I'm going to crash out now, but why don't you ring me nearer the time, and we’ll sort out the details.'

'That's, that's fine.' Olivia cleared her throat. Her lips had spread into a wide grin that she couldn't control. It was stupid to be so absurdly happy. 'Thank you, darling. I think we'll have fun.'

'Oh, and Mum? I've got some good news for you. I won't tell you now. I'll tell you when I come down.'

Olivia stopped as she had began to jig around on the kitchen tiles. Her brows knitted into a frown.

'You're not getting married?'

Louise laughed again.

'I thought all mothers wanted their children to settle down, start families, and all that stuff.'

'Not to Jon?'

'Don't panic, Mum. I need Jon like a haemophiliac needs a leech. No more clues. I'll speak to you next week.'

After she'd put the phone down, Olivia finished her glass of wine, pondering over Louise's statement. It was worrying. Was she getting married? Who might she be thinking of marrying? Who could she have possibly met in the few weeks since she'd last mentioned Jon? It was far too quick. She couldn't know what she was doing.

She took herself up to bed, watching her slippers slide over the swirls on the carpeted stairs. For now she wouldn't worry about Louise getting married. She was going to the dinner, and she would show off her beautiful blonde daughter who lived in a flat in London. That would show them. And it struck her finally as she tiptoed into Louise's old bedroom and gazed at the Malory Towers books lined up on the shelf that Bob had put up, that Shaun's chart had been bizarrely accurate. She could feel a surge of increased independence. She had made a stand and got what she wanted. And she had a warm feeling inside that told her that things weren't going to stop there.

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also available

Reading Between The Lines

Going Against The Grain

Beating About The Bush

Rising To The Occasion

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