My Book
Some of you will be aware that I’ve recently self-published my first novel ‘Distant Relatives’.
I was inspired to write Distant Relatives after I made the unexpected decision to go to university in 1998. I took the risk, walked away from regular money and had no idea how things would turn out (luckily it all went well). Although Distant Relatives is fiction, the main character is loosely based on me (my middle name is Claire).
I wanted to explore two things: 1) How making an out-of-the-blue decision that you're not quite sure about can sometimes be the best thing you've ever done, and 2) How failure to communicate feelings can lead to all sorts of trouble further down the line. In this case it has affected three generations of the same family. If they had all told one another what they really felt, then they wouldn't have been Distant Relatives.
Prologue
“Dad, I’ve got something to tell you,” Claire said, her hands shaking.
They were in Tom’s living room. It was the twenty-seventh of December and the sun was trying to shine through the window. Claire had wanted to tell her father on his own as she didn’t think that she could handle her sister’s hysterics or her brother’s angry words.
Tom Hadley removed his reading glasses and looked at his eldest daughter.
“And you’re going to disown me when you hear what it is.”
Her voice sounded as if it was someone else’s as she told him what she’d done.
“But why, Claire? Why after all this time?” he demanded. “Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m so sorry,” she told him, tears running down her cheeks. “But I feel that it’s something I have to do.”
“No, it isn’t! You don’t have to do anything of the sort!” he exclaimed angrily. “Just go, please. I can’t handle this right now.”
“OK,” Claire whispered. Oh God, what had she done?
Suddenly her eyes flew open, her heart racing. Where was she?
She must’ve fallen asleep. Then she remembered: she was in a taxi on her way to Heathrow airport. It was January the second and a week after she’d made her decision. She’d got this far; now all she had to was get on the plane before she changed her mind.
What people are saying about Distant Relatives:
Julie Bozza: "Seymour's first novel soon had me hooked - I had to know how it would end! Claire is a flawed and very likeable main character, who the reader quickly learns to care for, while Lily makes a horribly plausible villain - horrible because so realistic! Seymour keeps up the pace while developing a range of characters, and deftly handling the back story. Local detail colours the main settings in England, Singapore and New Zealand. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to read the tale of a young woman trying to take charge of her life. And I'm looking forward to Seymour's next effort!" Annie O'Neill: "I thoroughly enjoyed this first novel and hope there are more to come. Perfect holiday reading."Feature in The Bracknell Standard!
Distant Relatives is available from www.amazon.co.uk - click the link below to buy a copy!
Buy Distant Relatives here!