The Ballynoon Friendship Circle
by
Pauline Morgan
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour today!
I’m absolutely delighted to share a very exciting extract from The Ballynoon Friendship Circle by Pauline Morgan! But before we dive into the extract, here is a little more about the book and its fabulous author!
About the Book:
Is it ever too late for Happiness?
When Edel Marston, a fifty-year-old retired teacher spots her dream cottage in a magazine she makes the life-changing decision to relocate back to Northern Ireland following the death of her husband Ben.
But starting again is never easy, a rocky start with her new neighbours, and the knowledge of her past being a little too close for comfort, leaves Edel questioning whether she has made the right decision.
As Edel tentatively starts to immerse herself into the local village life of Ballynoon , friendships are forged, wires are crossed and new love blossoms, she struggles to protect her new life from the secrets of her past.
Now Edel must decide where her future lie
Will she choose happiness a second time round?
A cosy and charming story of new beginnings , second chances and finally laying the ghosts of your past to rest , perfect for fans of Fern Britton, Kitty Wilson and Nicola May
About the Author:
The call to Pauline Morgan’s native Northern Ireland was too strong and, after a fascinating stint overseas, she recently relocated there. Pauline had some unique mystical experiences in various houses she lived in and, as a result, self-published the paranormal Special Houses. She has been a member of the Romantic Novelist Association and participated in their New Writers’ Scheme. She attended a day course in Editing, tutored by author/mentor Morgen Bailey.
Pauline is a member of Writers Ink, a multi-award winning http://www.writing.ie
She has written short stories; published in Woman’s Way and Irelands Own iconic magazine. Pauline enjoyed entering Flash Fiction competitions and was long-listed at Kanturk Arts Festival.
Her first poem Airborne, published on Pendemic.ie website March 2020
Pauline has completed a women’s ‘fiction book called The Ballynoon Friendship Circle, her debut novel to be published by SpellBound Books in early 2021. Pauline is working on a standalone book Christmas novel.
She engages with an extensive network of social writing groups on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Pauline turns her incredible imagination into words to create beautiful stories in different genres. She has a relaxed style of writing, and her mentor describes it as heart-warming and cosy. Pauline never shies away from any given written tasks.
Follow her at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulinemorganachievingauthor/
Instagram: https://twitter.com/paulinemorgan56
The sunshine is warm and soothing like nature’s way of providing an energy tonic. Liam pulls out the two chairs, and I rest the mugs on the bistro table.
“What a beautiful garden you have to sit in and enjoy nature through the seasons,” Liam announces quite formerly, taking in everything in view.
A cheeky little robin lands close by. I watch him bob about before he erupts into the most beautiful birdsong before flying away. It leaves me thinking that life is marvellous, and must go on, no matter what the circumstances. My thoughts drift to Martin. What’s he like in his own surroundings? From what the ladies at the Stitch and Bitch club said, he doesn’t mix well with the locals. Liam glances at his watch.
“Sorry but I’ve got to leave. I didn’t realise the time and I’m giving a talk to the women’s guild in a neighbouring village. Would you like me to come over and cook the pheasants for you? They’ll need to hang for three days before cooking.”
Taken by surprise, I examine Liam’s face of uncertainty. He’s watching to see if I’ll turn his offer down again.
“Yes, that’ll be lovely. On one condition, I purchase the red wine,” smiling, I show my guest to the front door. At the same time, Martin’s car slows down as it passes, then speeds off fast towards his home. Thankfully, Liam never passes a comment about my ‘rude’ neighbour.
After seeing Martin’s car, I feel uneasy and have an urge to get out of the house. I decide to pay a visit to the nearest D.I.Y. store. Hours later, I return home with cans of paint amongst other things; blowing yet another budget on more new soft furnishings and rugs to replace the damaged ones and complete my cosy cottage theme.
After two days of hard work and late nights decorating the interior, no one would ever know a disaster had happened. I’m also happy to say Paddy McGee, the local sweep, has given the chimney a thorough clean and a full inspection, thankfully no damage. Outside, I give the front door a final stroke of the paintbrush and, stepping back, I’m satisfied with the shiny finish of the post-box-red colour. From the corner of my eye, I see Martin’s car pull into the driveway and him getting out.
“Are you checking to see if I’ve started any more chimney fires?”
“I noticed Doctor O’Brien’s car here and thought you might be ill or injured,” Martin lowers his head.
“He’s a friend,” I state, putting the lid back on the paint can.
“I see you’re busy just now, but would you like to come for lunch at my house tomorrow? Neighbourly thing,” Martin’s voice is edgy; and his eyes narrow.
Martin Crawford, the village property mogul, asking me to have lunch with him?
Before I can stop myself, the words are in mid-flow, rolling off my tongue. “Yes, great, thanks. What time?”
“Would 1 pm be okay? Are you a fussy eater – I mean, is there anything I should avoid?”
Martin seems very nervy, judging by the way he is tugging at the sleeves of his jacket. I bet he is worrying if I am vegan or vegetarian. Better to put him out of his misery.
“No food allergies. Would you like me to bring anything?” I say, shrugging my shoulders trying to act calm when, deep down, I am nervous with excitement.
Martin’s cheeks go a rosy, pink colour; I notice his increased awkwardness before he relaxes a little and gives me a brief grin.
“No thank you. There’s plenty of food; just turning up would be a good sign. I better go.” I watch Martin turn and leave in a hurry towards the village.
Why did I say, yes? According to the Ladies’ Group, Martin’s luck on the lottery pushed him into a world of grandeur.
Tomorrow I could learn some more about him, and the blonde female with the red car. What is her business with Martin I wonder?
Out NOW!
The Ballynoon Friendship Circle publishes on 21st May 2021 in ebook, from Spellbound Books.
For your copy, you can follow the link below:
Follow the bloggers on #TheBallynoonFriendshipCircle blog tour!
With thanks to Zoe at Zooloo’s Book Tours and Spellbound Books my blog tour invite!
Ronnie Turner ~ Author & Book Blogger 
Thank you so much Ronnie for taking part today and sharing your post xx
LikeLike