Sitting Round my Pool - Carol Wareham talking about Resolution

Today, I am delighted to have, Carol Warham sitting round my pool talking about her passion for writing and her book, Resolution.

Do help yourself to a glass of something well chilled and when you are comfortable tell us all about yourself….

Thank you Pauline, here I go....

Carol Warham’s passion for writing has been a life-long affair.

From making comics for her childhood dolls and friends she progressed to training as a journalist and writing short stories and articles in adulthood.

Carol has had a varied career, while bringing up her family of two daughters. It included working for the ‘taxman’; running convenience stores and a lawncare business with her husband; and eventually a recruitment company. During this time she managed to find the time to be a Guide Guider and a magistrate.

She has lived in the same Yorkshire village for over thirty years now, where she runs a small but enthusiastic writing group and is a member of the library reading group and the local W.I.  In recent years she has been a judge for the RoNa Awards for the Romantic Novelist Association and for the short story section of the HysteriaUk

Five years ago she decided to have a go at writing a novel. The idea came from visiting the town of Celebration in Florida. A ‘what if’ moment occurred. What if the town was called ‘Resolution’ and the plot happened around New Year.  Initially the story was set in the U.S but Carol soon realised and took advice it simply wasn’t right.  So, it was moved to a location close to her home and the town became Yeardon. However the book title remained the same to tie in with the New Year theme.

The first draft was written five years ago and put away. Over the next two years it was tweaked and re-written in parts. It was really only in the last twelve months, with the mentoring of a good friend, author Paula Martin, that the novel was edited and polished to be good enough to consider submission to publishers.

She was delighted when three out of four replied they would be interested in the book. Carol settled on the Irish independent company of Tirgearr Publishing. Through Tirgearr, ‘Resolutions’ (yes, it gained an extra ‘s’) will be published on August 9^th.

It tells the story of Carly Mitchell who returns to the small town of Yeardon in Yorkshire almost a year after running away on her wedding day. Now she wants to try to make amends with Steve, his family, and the townspeople who had prepared a huge party to celebrate her New Year’s Eve wedding.

She intends to stay only for a few days at the Resolution Hotel, owned by Steve’s parents. However, her plans change when Steve’s father is taken ill, and she feels obliged to step in and help with running the hotel. This also means having to deal with Steve’s antagonism since he has never forgiven her for humiliating him.

A further complication comes in the form of Ben Thornton, the local doctor, to whom Carly feels an immediate attraction. They enjoy getting to know each other and falling in love, until a famous model from Ben’s past arrives in the town, and stays at the hotel.

Steve attempts to get his revenge on Carly by driving a wedge between her and Ben, and by threatening to reveal what he knows about Ben’s troubled past unless Carly leaves town.

The resolution lies in Carly’s hands as she struggles between wanting to flee from the town again and wanting to stay with the man she has grown to love.

Here is a little taster for you…

CHAPTER ONE

The large, dimly lit sign appeared momentarily through the driving rain.

YEARDON

WELCOME TO OUR TOWN

PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY

WE HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY

Carly Mitchell pulled her car over to the grass verge at the side of the road. Indecision gripped her as her heart hammered against her ribs. Did she drive on into the town, back to the place where she believed she was hated, or should she drive straight through and not stop?

Darkness shrouded the long road across the bleak moors. A thick swirling mist was broken only by the beam of her car’s headlamps. The windscreen wipers were the only thing which moved, as if bored, by the effort of clearing the rain. She stared at the sign until the glare of oncoming headlights made her blink and bite her lip. This is it, her decision, her choice. Could she do this? She nodded to herself. She knew she could now. Twelve months ago she’d have been in pieces at the thought of what she intended to do, but not now. She had changed, grown-up, learned to stand on her own two feet. The old Carly Mitchell wouldn’t have dared make any decision, like this, for fear of upsetting someone. But her life had changed and for the better, and so had she.

Taking a deep breath, she slowed down her heart beat and controlled her shaking hands. A few minutes to recover her equilibrium were all she needed. Then she would drive into the town. She would do what she had come to do and leave. After that people could say and think what they wanted. She wouldn’t care.

It was past midnight when she drove into the quiet town. The wet road glistened under the street lights. Driving down the empty streets of the old Yorkshire mill town, her stomach churned. How well she knew all of these buildings.

 A large Victorian mill loomed up before her. The grey stone walls and rows of neat windows were highlighted by the street lamps. It almost resembled a barricade, another warning. Slowing down to look at the building, she smiled at her own foolishness. You’d never know inside were some charming tourist and gift shops and the little tea shop. She drove over a stone bridge where the road crossed a small river. In the dark she could hear the water as it babbled and gurgled over the boulders that lined its path.

Would she ever be able to walk through this town and into the shops again and receive a warm welcome? What sort of greeting would anyone give her now? What sort of greeting did she deserve? Yeardon had been a wonderful place to grow up. It was one of those towns where you knew everyone and they knew you.

Her mind a maelstrom of anxiety, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Who would have believed anyone’s hands could shake so much?

On the far side of the town she turned into a drive, which led down a short, narrow lane to an hotel, a converted mill owner’s house. After finding a space in the car park, she switched off the engine, but remained in the car for a few minutes. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes.

RESOLUTIONS  is available in pre-order from Amazon for 99p