Thank you to Francine Howarth for hosting this Online Book Fair and providing authors with a chance to meet their readers. Today I shall be introducing you to  my novel, Come, Dance With Me, a contemporary romance inspired by the TV shows, Strictly Come Dancing or in the USA, Dancing with the Stars. So kick off your shoes and get dancing!

Come, Dance With Me

Mary Middleton

When television chat show host, Sasha Johnson, interviews international ballroom dancer, Andrei Kovalevsky, her life is altered forever. And six years later, when fate thrusts them together once more, Sasha does all in her power to prevent him from blowing her world apart for a second time. But can she defuse a bomb that is already ticking?

Andrei Kovalevsky has won almost every ballroom dancing prize known to man, apart from television’s coveted Celebrity Dancing Trophy.  When Andrei is partnered with an old flame, Sasha Johnson, her two left feet threaten to kick the glittering prize way out of his reach.

With just eight weeks to do it, Andrei determines to break down the barriers between them, knock her into shape and turn Sasha Johnson into a dancer.

But secrets, lies and an irresistible attraction impede his way and their path to the Celebrity Dance final is fraught with trouble.

Mary Middleton’s latest novel, Come, Dance With Me, will waltz you through the glitzy, glamorous world of ballroom dancing and leave you breathless.

 Come, Dance With Me

Mary Middleton

 Chapter One

 ‘Guess what’s happened!’ A candy-striped straw fell from Lisa’s lips as Sasha slipped into the seat opposite. She pushed away the dregs of her milkshake and met her friend’s dancing eyes and pretended to hazard a guess.

‘Erm…?’

As usual Sasha was brimming with secrets but she extended the moment by summoning a waitress and ordering a large mug of hot chocolate. Then she dug in her bag, took out her phone and began to text, biting her lower lip as her thumb flew across the buttons.

Lisa slumped back in her seat, watching from the corner of her eye as Sasha unwound a multi-coloured scarf from about her lower face.

It was cold outside, the coldest December for thirty years and the tip of Sasha’s emerging nose was attractively pink, unlike Lisa’s which was an interesting shade of puce and beginning to peel after a heavy cold. 

Pulling the scarf free of her neck, Sasha gave Lisa the benefit of her infectious three-cornered grin and leaned forward confidingly over the table.

‘My boss, Mike, is in hospital.’ 

Lisa raised her eyebrows. ‘And that’s good news is it? Well, whatever happened to Christmas spirit?’

‘No, no. Of course, I’m really sorry Mike is sick but … you must see what this means.’

Sasha flicked back her hair and pinioned Lisa with her dancing eyes.  Beneath the table Lisa squeezed the roll of fat at the top of her waistband, already regretting the extra mince pie and cream she’d indulged in.

‘No, I’m sorry, Sash, I don’t get it. I don’t see how Mike being ill can, in any way, be good news. It’s only five days until Christmas, doesn’t he have a wife and kids?  It could ruin their holiday. What’s up with him, anyway?’

Sasha waved a hand, dismissing the question. ‘I’m not sure, it’s his appendix, I think; but that’s not really the point.’  She sat back and smiled a thank you as the waitress set before her a large steaming mug of hot chocolate, complete with whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles.

As always, she bit the chocolate flake in two and handed Lisa the remaining half before picking up a spoon and beginning to eat whipped cream from the top.

‘It means that they have asked me to do all his interviews for the duration of his illness.’

Lisa narrowed her eyes, beginning to understand what all the excitement was about.

Sasha was a rookie chat show host; a sort of runaround-come-dog’s-body for Mike Bywater, the biggest cheese to ever hit the small screen.

Delighted at last to have Lisa’s full attention, Sasha gave a short burst of triumph, stifling a squeal as Lisa’s mouth fell open and her eyes widened.

‘But, isn’t he supposed to be meeting Andrei Kovalevsky for the Christmas Eve show? Surely they are not letting you to interview him. I mean …oh, my God …they are …’

Sasha dropped her spoon and the girls clasped hands over the table, squeezing tight, Sasha’s face stretching into a comical grimace.

She was fit to burst with excitement. ‘I know, I can’t believe this is happening.  Andrei Kovalevsky, the most beautiful man on the planet and me, Sasha Johnson. It’s like a dream.’

Lisa picked up the spoon and began to demolish Sasha’s cream before it disintegrated into the hot chocolate.

‘Hey, do you want to borrow my Valentino, the red one? It is a size twelve and way too tight for me. Even when I could fit into it, it just emphasised my fat bits but on you it will be stunning.’

Sasha put her head on one side, her strawberry blonde hair trickling like water over one shoulder.

‘You don’t think dressing up too much will make it look like I’m after him or anything?’

‘Well, you are, aren’t you, if you’re really honest?’

Sasha’s face darkened to a colour not too far removed from the dress in question.

‘Of course not. You know I’m not like that. I’m waiting for the right man.’

‘Sash, get real; when it comes to Andrei Kovalevsky every woman is ‘like that.’ Flippin’ ‘eck, go for it, girl, what better man to lose your virginity to? You’ve held on to it far too long in my opinion. Even a one-night stand with him would be enough for me …I‘d be over the moon with a quick snog under the mistletoe.’

Sasha gave a wistful, uncertain laugh.

‘As if he would ever look at someone like me.’

Lisa’s eyes swept across her friend’s flawless skin, wide blue eyes and what she could see of her perfectly proportioned figure. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Sasha really had no idea of how good looking she was or the effect that she had on almost every man she met.  While Lisa relied on four-inch heels and half an inch of foundation to get her through the most ordinary day, Sasha dared to leave the house with no makeup at all. And when they kicked off their high heels at a dance Sasha still managed to look elegant while Lisa was so short, she didn’t look old enough to be out. Sometimes Lisa wondered why she didn’t find herself a shorter, fatter, plainer friend.

Sasha and Lisa had known each other for ever but it was a wonder their friendship had lasted, for their working lives were worlds apart. Shortly after graduating from university, Lisa had secured a dull secretarial post at the social services while Sasha had landed her dream job in television.

Sasha had worked hard, leaving little time for a private life or romance. In the early days she had been employed as a runner, making tea, taking messages. Later she had been raised to the post of researcher, slowly edging her way up the ladder until she was finally allowed into the inner sanctum of Mike Bywater, the smooth-talking, self-obsessed chat show host that prime time audiences loved to hate.

The producers were always promising her a shot at hosting the show but, until now, her job had been restricted to digging for information, compiling a list of questions deep enough to penetrate the surface, but not intrusive enough to offend.  The gently probing interviews convinced the celebrities that, when they were with Mike, they were with a friend, a confidant. It was her hard work that had put Mike where he was, at the top.

Sasha knew she could go far if she were just given a chance. She had begun to think she would never rise any higher, never get her face fully into the limelight and she thanked God for the burst appendix that had laid the mighty Mike Bywater low, and just might finally prove to be her lucky break. 

To read more about Sasha and her romance with Andrei click here in the USA 

Here in the UK

Also available in Paperback from the publisher click here to purchase

Mary Middleton's other books include:

For One Night Only click here to purchase Kindle copies in the UK

here in the USA

Vittorio's Virgin click here to purchase Kindle copies in the USA

Here in the UK

The Greek Tycoon's Secret Daughter

Click here to purchase kindle copies in the UK 

here in the USA

Where the  West Wind Blows 

Click here to purchase kindle copies in the UK

Here in the USA

All books available in paperback here direct from the publisher or for signed copies from the author email marymiddleton1@hotmail.com

Death, Emotional Collapse and Healing

Mary Middleton

It is never easy to discuss grief without resorting to clichés but Grief is a funny thing.

‘Hilarious’ I hear you say. But what I mean is that we have all, without exception, lost somebody precious, somebody irreplaceable and most of us recover from it. But when that everyday occurrence falls especially close to us, it can leave us floored.

The loss of a child is probably the worst scenario anyone can experience. We expect our children to outlive us; they represent a little piece of us that will carry us into the future. Such a loss is the most difficult to accept.

But, even when death comes after a long illness and is verbally hailed as a 'happy release', the fall-out often presents a huge emotional mountain for those left behind. At such times we can only try to think of happier days and be thankful for the laughter and the happiness the deceased enjoyed during their time on Earth.

It is possible to celebrate death as a life well-spent and take comfort from the fact that although the person (to risk another cliché) may be gone they will never be forgotten. As long as we remember them, they live on in some small way and by talking about them, reminiscing about the special moments of their lives, we heal ourselves and allow them to live again.

Day by day, although it may not seem like it, we are healing, and as the pain subsides so the memories become sweeter. But occasionally death falls so unexpectedly that the bereaved are left reeling and struggle to carry on as they did before.  

My novella Where the West Wind Blows deals with bereavement, grief and healing. Fiona Japp is one of those people who lack the psychological strength to carry on as before.  When her husband suffers a sudden and catastrophic heart attack early one Sunday morning Fiona descends into a pit of despair that is so deep she has no wish to even try to crawl out of it. Initially she may come across as weak and you may think from your (hopefully) happier perspective that she needs to get a grip. But Fiona isn't weak, she is just broken and needs your understanding. There are millions of us every day suffering as Fiona does and by looking at her predicament and providing her with a happy outcome, I hope I have shown that there really can be life after death.

Until James has gone, Fiona does not realise how much she has relied on him and without his support, she has no idea how to operate as a single person. The mental collapse she suffers is so intense and prolonged that she gives herself up to her despair and runs away, unconsciously embarking upon a whole new life path.

Desperate to escape a pain that cannot be escaped, she turns her back on herself and her previous life. With no expectation of ever rediscovering happiness she ends up in the small Welsh seaside village where an encounter with the reclusive Jezz McAlister on a lonely cliff top reveals a mental anguish even greater than her own.

A review of Mary Middleton’s novella WHERE THE WEST WIND BLOWS

This lovely title is perfect for this absorbing story. Fiona’s husband James succumbs to a fatal heart attack right at the beginning, leading to a veritable maelstrom of personal heartbreak and loss, which anyone who has suffered bereavement will understand and find intensely moving.

It is written in the first person, which means we are drawn right into the depths of despair with our heroine, who goes through the turbulent storm of trying to find some way to be able to move on and build a new life. Despite her efforts she fails in this, largely because she has no wish to go on without James...

Mary Middleton’s writing probes the very essence of the tragedy of trying to make the transition from being a couple to being single, with all its disappointments and delusions, and by the time Fiona is eventually able to move to a  small cottage in Wales, we have come to realise how difficult this will be for her, as the storm of loss and anger still rages.

There is only a short period of balmy breezes, with lovely descriptions of the small Welsh village and its kindly but narrow-minded inhabitants, before the turbulence is with us again, with the appearance of Mr McAlister, who blows in. We are not at all sure which way the wind will blow now!

There are still surprises to come, and it is a pleasure and a privilege to enter into this slice of Fiona’s life, and accompany her on the journey to calmer waters...but not too calm, for surely the best lives are always lived in a stiff but invigorating breeze?

Another triumphant page turner for Mary Middleton, with penetrating observation and deep empathy for her characters, don’t miss it! -  Helen Spring- Author of Memories of the Curlew, Strands of Gold and The Chainmakers

From the back cover of Where the West Wind Blows

When bereavement turns Fiona Japp’s life upside down she cannot find her way forward.  Abandoning her career, her home and her past, she escapes to a tiny hamlet on the Welsh coast, where her anguish is diluted in the rain, blown by the winds and finally extinguished by a suffering even greater than her own.

Where the West Wind Blows is a story of loss, mental collapse and healing, proving that there really is life after sudden death.

Set amid the splendid scenery of the west coast of Wales, the landscape and atmosphere is as dramatic as the story. This short novella will blow you away.

Where the West Wind Blows is a departure for Mary Middleton who is known mainly for her light romance novels. This novella is very different. There is not a muscle-bound billionaire in sight as Mary traces the dark and stormy internal battles of two very different people struggling to come to terms with personal tragedy.

Where the West Wind Blows is now available in Paperback direct from the publisher. Click here to purchase.

Visit Mary's  Website

All Mary's Books are available on Kindle: Mary's Amazon page

January - Janus Looking Back to 2011 and Forward to 2012

January is named for the Roman god Janus, a god of doorways, portals, transistions and new beginnings. He is usually depicted with two faces, one looking back and one forward.  That is what I am doing right now. Looking back  to 2011 and forward to 2012.

2011 was  hard, although there were many sunny days, it also held disappointments, sickness and sadness. Luckily I had my best friend with me and we had some good times among the hard. I am fortunate that my best friend is also  my husband. 

This year though we hope will be better. We are both looking forward to some big changes in both home and working life.  We are putting our house on the market, downsizing to something more manageable, seeking pastures new. This will give  me time to write without feeling guilty about the lank lawn and weed choked flower beds or the dust that is collecting in the sitting room.  A smaller house will give us both the financial space to take life easier - have more fun.

One good thing that happened in 2011 was that I finally became published as a Romance author. With the advent of Kindle I was able to publish in quick succession For One Night Only, a gently erotic romance set within a tired marriage, Vittorio's Virgin, a more complex story about a man's struggle to come to terms with his traumatic upbringing and first marriage and find love and trust with the honest but sharp tongued, Jennifer Trent. Then came The Greek Tycoon's Secret Daughter, which examines the complex relationship between Charlotte Martin and billionaire playboy, Nicholas Barberis Jones.

At first things were quiet, sales were slow, but soon some nice comments and emails began to arrive. 'I've read them all now and want to know when the 'next one' will be out.'
Since I hadn't even begun to write it I published a small booklet of short stories to give myself some time. Something for the Journey is also now being well recieved.

I cannot stress how much these reader's comments mean to me. They really help. The don't just provide a much needed boost to my creative ego but help me discover what my readers really love ... and what they don't.  By using a mix of their praise and criticism I am now able to move forward with Come, Dance with Me with more confidence than ever before.

Writers are babies (or is it just me?) In order for them to continue writing they need to know that their work is appreciated.  An email, a short comment on a blog or an Amazon review or Facebook of 'I loved it' or 'I told all my friends about it,' can make all the difference.  So, if you read a book and love it, let the author know, if you hate it also let her know but gently, please, she is a sensative soul and only wants to please you.  I write a lot of reviews but tend to avoid being less than positive. Constructive criticism is the key to helping an author improve.  We appreciate that - thank you.

As I said, Come, Dance with Me is coming along nicely.  It is set within the world of ballroom dancing competition, a growing interest and armchair sport in both the UK and America.  It is a world that I find fascinating and repelling. WRiting in this genre also means that I can sit with a clear conscience and watch re-runs of the hit dancing show, Strictly Come Dancing, all in the name of research.

When Sasha finds herself drawn into the glizty, glamorous world of ballroom and is swept off her feet by the beautiful Russian heart throb, Andrei Kovalevsky, at first she can scarcely believe her luck. But, as ever in the world of romance, the path to true love is not an easy one. When the curtain falls,will they live to dance again?

 All four of my current Kindle books can be found on Amazon Kindle, please download a free sample and see if you like them too.

Mary Middleton on Kindle

More details about me and my work can be found on my web page