Now this wonderful read is available on paperback and thanks to the book fairies over at Books and the City I have a chapter to share with you and also a UK only giveaway for your chance to get your hands on your own copy.
Chapter 1 Extract
True Friends Will Always Be There
Warriors Chat Group.
April 30. 10.48pm
WriterTori: Guys,
help!
Nathalie33: Hey
Tori! What’s occurring?
WriterTori: Gah.
Gah. GAH!
Nathalie33: Drama.
Drama. DRAMA ;) Come on. Tell Aunty Nat . . .
WriterTori: Are
Sue and Hugh online?
Nathalie33: Who
knows . . . who cares . . . ?
WriterTori: Nat!!
Nathalie33: Kidding!
Anyway, talk to me. What’s up?
SueSue52: Oi,
Nat, you cheeky mare! I’m here Tori. Managed to place any of your articles yet?
WriterTori: No,
and that’s half the problem.
Nathalie33: What’s
the other half?
WriterTori: Paying
my rent! My landlord is being patient, but he said he wants the money the next
time he sees me.
SueSue52: Ah,
the joys of life as a self-employed writer. I thought you were going to look
for a part-time job?
Nathalie33: Nah,
she gave up that idea to focus!
SueSue52: How’s
that working out?
Nathalie33: How
do you think it’s working out? Her landlord’s chasing her . . .
WriterTori: Jeez,
thanks guys . . . But seriously – I’m skint. I have a million ideas for
articles out, but so far, no interest. AND I’m struggling for rent, hence the
landlord issue. Also, I haven’t been paid by puddle.com, even though I wrote
six weeks’ worth of content for them before they went under!
SueSue52: Nightmare!
Wish I could help you out, but with the twins’ birthday coming up and OH’s
hours cut, we’re tight too. Maybe think again about getting that part-time job?
WriterTori: Cheers
Sue, but I wouldn’t want to borrow from you guys anyway. And I don’t want to
give in and look for a job yet. Would seem like admitting defeat . . . Anyway,
this one opportunity has come up, and I need your advice about whether or not
to go for it.
Nathalie33: Spill
. . .
WriterTori: You
know I don’t accept any advertising on the blog?
Nathalie33: If
you did, you wouldn’t be having these problems. The Beginner’s Guide to
Loneliness is so insanely popular – you’d be raking it in, especially after the
recent publicity you’ve been getting. And don’t get me started on all the
interview opportunities you’ve turned down . . . !
WriterTori: That’s
not what the site’s about! The blog’s anonymous and I want to keep it that way.
But, this place in Wales called The Farm made contact a couple of weeks ago.
They run wellness retreats and they’ve offered me a spot on the latest course
in exchange for a review.
SueSue52: What’s
the course?
WriterTori: It’s
a mixture of mindfulness and counselling, designed to teach people how to
improve their mental health and wellbeing. You work on building authentic
relationships, self-acceptance, with a bit of yoga thrown in there for good
measure. They reckon my readers are their target audience.
Nathalie33: Erm,
yep – I can see their point! So are they going to pay you?
WriterTori: No,
but it’s a free three-week course that normally costs £3k, and they provide
food, somewhere to stay and they’d cover travel costs too. What do you think?
I’m not sure if I should go . . .
Nathalie33: Why
the hell not? It sounds like it’s practically tailormade for you!
WriterTori: 1.
Because the site’s anonymous! 2. Because it feels a bit like I’d be selling out.
SueSue52: The
anonymity thing is easy enough to get around. Just contact them via the blog’s
generic email address and say you’ll send ‘one of the site’s reviewers’. Stops
them knowing that you’re the face behind all the articles.
WriterTori: Oh.
Actually, that’s a good plan.
Nathalie33: And
you wouldn’t be selling out by writing about an experience that could benefit
so many of your readers.
SueSue52: Have
you got a link?
WriterTori: Sure,
two secs . . .
I paste the retreat’s
website address into the chat for Sue and Nat to peruse and then slump back on
my sofa. With my computer balanced precariously on my lap, I reach over for my
glass of wine and take a gulp. It’s not just my need to stay anonymous that’s
making me hesitate. The thought of sharing
my problems, face to face,
makes me feel a bit sick. That’s why I need the Warriors’ second (and third and
fourth) opinions.
I really don’t know where I’d be without this lot. Nat, Sue and Hugh
have been my one constant for the past two years, ever since I lost my mum. Things
got…desperate. I didn’t
have anyone I could talk to
about how I was really feeling, so I went online and found a grief support
group. Nat came to my rescue within minutes of me posting to the communal chat.
We talked so much that we were clogging up the thread, and it was gently
suggested by a moderator that we shift over to our own private message channel.
We chatted for hours on end, and she was just amazing. I credit her with
single-handedly saving my sanity that first week.
If you like the sound of this one then here is your chance to win your own copy by entering below.
No comments:
Post a Comment