About the Book
Title: A Falling Friend
Author: Sue Featherstone and Susan Pape
Genre: Women’s Fiction
After spending her twenties sailing the globe, making love on fine white sand, and thinking only of today, Teri Meyer returns to Yorkshire – and to studying. That’s when she discovers John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester, and poet of all things depraved. What she doesn’t realise is even beyond his grave, his influence over her is extraordinary. To hell with the consequences.Having gone out on a limb to get old friend Teri a job at the university at which she teaches, it doesn’t take long for Lee Harper to recognise a pattern. Wherever Teri goes, whatever she does, every selfish choice she makes, it’s all setting her up for a nasty fall. But Teri’s not the sort to heed a warning, so Lee has no choice but to stand by and watch. And besides, she has her own life to straighten out.
A clever, raw and hilarious character-driven masterpiece that follows the lives of two friends with the same ambitions, but who have vastly different ways of a achieving them.
I looked around for Lee. She was talking to two other lecturers – Stella Lastings from History (what was she doing here?) and a tall, dark-haired man I vaguely recognised, presumably having seen him in the senior common room. I went over, and just as Lee was about to say something, I butted in and said conspiratorially to no one in particular, 'Isn’t this a farce – having to entertain these media tarts just so our dear dean can sit in a studio reading autocue?' I noticed Stella’s plump little face light up in delight at some secret joke, no doubt. Then I turned to the man and asked, 'Which department are you in?'
He looked at me with a slight smile. 'I’m not with the university.'
I suddenly felt very hot. Stella giggled, and Lee looked at me with an earnest expression.
'I’m with the media tarts.' He grinned.
'Oh. What do you do?' I asked already knowing the answer.
'Oh, this and that,' he said. 'I’m Dan Caine, television presenter, but I mostly sit in the studio reading autocue.'
At least he had the grace to smile.
My embarrassment was plain; I was lost for words. Lee, bless her, stepped in.
'Oh, Teri,' she gasped. 'As usual – say what you think without thinking.'
Dan laughed. 'You know,' he said, 'it’s amazing the number of people who believe that’s all I do: turn up at six o’clock to look pretty in front of the cameras and read whatever’s put in front of me. Of course, it’s not as intellectually demanding as being an English tutor in a former poly.'
Ouch!
'Of course not,' Lee said, leaning towards him in mock conspiracy, her red wine sloshing in the glass. 'Anyone could write the sort of stuff you tell us about on the news: "One person was ever so slightly injured today when he was hit by a yodelling parrot riding a bicycle along the inner city ring road".'
'Well, at least we’re on to the big stories,' laughed Dan, 'which we wouldn’t be able to do if we worked your hours.'
'Our hours? What could you possibly mean?' Lee was getting into her pseudo-indignant stride and clearly loving every minute of it.
'Don’t work Mondays as you’re travelling to university from your bijou cottage in North Yorkshire,' Dan said. 'Do an hour’s teaching on Tuesday; read an improving book for the rest of the day. An hour’s lecture on Wednesday and possibly a tutorial – although be careful, as you don’t want too many students cluttering up your day. Hour’s lecture on Thursday – perhaps – and then bugger off in the afternoon as you’ve got to get back to the bijou cottage and prepare for Friday’s "research", which, if I’m not mistaken, is usually into some existential nonsense about "The Creativity of the Sense of Soul in Mankind and the Media: Representations of the Skateboarding Duck in an Enlightened Digital Age".'
'I’ll have you know there’s a lot of research to be done into skateboarding ducks,' Lee said.
I do believe the girl was flirting.
Author Bio
More recently they have worked in higher education, teaching journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students – Sue at Sheffield Hallam and Susan at Leeds Trinity.
The pair, who have been friends for 25 years, have already written two successful journalism text books together – Newspaper Journalism: A Practical Introduction; and Feature Writing: A Practical Introduction.
Sue, who is married with two grown-up daughters, loves reading, writing and exploring the cycle paths near her Yorkshire home. She blogs about books at http://www.pinkbicyclebooks.com
Susan is married and spends her spare time walking and cycling in the Yorkshire Dales and on the east coast, and playing the ukulele.
Links
Publisher Webpage - http://lakewaterpress.com/index.php/our-books/a-falling-friend-by-susan-pape-and-sue-featherstone/
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