Blog - Leigh Cunningham

What's popular about rain

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -1100

When you read a book on the Kindle, you are able to highlight text as if you are using a highlighter pen on paper. You can then view the sections you’ve highlighted by selecting "View Notes & Marks."

Popular Highlights are sections of text that have been highlighted by a number of readers ie passages that are meaningful to the greatest number of readers. You can view Popular Highlights by opening a particular book on your Kindle and selecting “View Popular Highlights” from the Menu options.

Ten passages from my novel, RAIN, now appear in Popular Highlights (see below). As a writer, it is valuable and interesting to see what strikes a chord for readers, and I thought you might find it interesting as well.

Popular Highlights in Rain from Kindle readers (most popular first):

"When someone dies, they take something from you, so you can never again be the person you were before they left."

"When someone suspects a lie, their mind will pursue another truth that is often worse than the reality. That’s the risk of being secretive."

"In a real sense, the hour is late, the clock of destiny is ticking out, and we must act now before it is too late. (Martin Luther King Jr., 24 March 1963)"

"The emptiness is not the heart, but the mind for it knows to think incessantly about what has been lost."

"I asked of life, what have you to offer me? And the answer came, what have you to give?"

"Happiness comes through doors you didn’t realize you left open."

"Your mind decides for itself what you’ll waste hours thinking about."

"What seems stranger to me is that every single person will experience losing someone they love more than life, and come to wish they had been a better person because of the pain. If only they could know now, how bad it will be and perhaps less hearts would be ugly, and more would think twice before speaking or acting."

"Repetition goes on, rituals go on, routine goes on, but that is not life. I guess this proves the world is full of the living dead and most do not even know it has happened to them."

"I once read that a truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour."

Thank you to those readers who used the highlighting tool on their Kindles.

RAIN has loitered for a while on the Amazon.com bestseller lists after a stint at #1 (Women’s Fiction) before Christmas, and is currently at #25 in Family Saga (Kindle), #32 in Family Saga (Books) and hanging in there at #97 in Literary Fiction (Kindle). When an author makes a bestseller list, it’s not the work of the author that should be credited, but the effort of readers who put it there, so these statistics are evidence of your good work, not mine, but I thank you for it!

Regards
Leigh

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The trouble with Leigh is...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -1100

My name, Leigh, means meadow, which is a curious meaning to apply to a person although I do like the outdoors. Leigh and Lee are the same and traditionally, Leigh was for boys and Lee was for girls, but that does not seem to apply anymore, and obviously, I have the boy's spelling and I am not.

I have never thought much about my name—it’s not an unusual name, and it is recognizable in the west, but in Singapore, it presents some problems. The locals have no idea how to pronounce ‘Leigh’ and I am usually called Leg, Lay or Layjj, and other interesting creations. My solution to this problem was to switch to the other spelling of my name, Lee, which I figured would be easy for the locals as Lee is a common Chinese surname. This however, was a mistake.

In Asia, a person’s surname appears first so when I switched to Lee Cunningham, it was assumed that Lee was my surname and Cunningham was my first name. Asians also tend to have two first names, for example, Kong Weng or Wei Peng so my ‘first’ name(s) became Cunning Ham. I was therefore welcomed or introduced as “Cunning” or “Ham” for example, “Good morning, Cunning,” or “Hello, Ham”. At one place, I devoted considerable time patiently and clearly (with perfect diction) explaining that Cunning was not my name; my name was Lee, but the next time I visited, I was once again welcomed as Cunning.

I have reluctantly reverted to Leigh and now accept whatever pronunciation it inspires with a silent D’oh!

Back when I was employable and working as an executive, people would call and ask to speak to “Mr Cunningham”. My secretary delighted in never correcting the caller so when I answered the phone with “Leigh Cunningham speaking,” they would again ask for “Mr Cunningham”. When I repeated that I was Leigh Cunningham, this was often greeted with silence then “You’re a girl,” to which I would think, 'well thanks for letting me know.'

My middle name is Kayrene, a name my mother created by combining her nickname and my aunt’s name ie Kay (officially Catherine) plus Irene = Kayrene.

I have several nicknames. My childhood name, still used by Steve, family and friends, is Leighzie. Steve has several other nicknames for me, but mostly he calls me Leo, which originates from The Paul Hogan Show. Leo Wanker was an inept daredevil stuntman (see Leo in action), and I have no idea how Leo the stuntman became associated with my good self—you would have to ask Steve regarding the commonalities he obviously sees.

Steve also calls me Baldrick or Balders for short. This originates from a British sitcom series, Blackadder, starring Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder and Tony Robinson as his dogsbody, Baldrick. Since I am now a fulltime writer, and unemployable :), Baldrick/Balders reflects my current station in life. I don't believe there are any other similarities between myself and the 'real' Baldrick, although we do make Cappuccinos the same way.

Basically though, given the aborted efforts at my real first name, I will answer to just about anything.

Do you have a problem name? Do you blame your parents?

Regards
Leigh

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It's easy to remember

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -1100

Last weekend I settled with Steve on the sofa to watch the Malaysian Moto GP. Two laps in, a crash took the life of 24-year-old Marco Simoncelli and as I watched his lifeless body on the bitumen, my mind of its own accord saw my brother, Paul, laying on a coasty road in the early hours of March 1979. I was sixteen at the time and have carried with me certain ‘facts’ of the accident. For example, I recall hearing that Paul had died on impact when a steel rail pieced his chest. Since he died on impact, I reasonably concluded that he passed from this life alone, and of course, that fills me with sadness even now, 30+ years on. But a Medium I met with recently gave me different information after ‘connecting’ with Paul. Paul had shown her injuries to his stomach, and he had ‘said’ there were people with him on the roadside before he died, or perhaps they were with his body after he died, I’m not entirely sure. All the same, he remembers them. Obviously I do not know the truth and never will and it is possible that the policemen who knocked on our door at 2am that morning told my mother he had died instantly to save her that additional pain.

Paul, Paulie or Paulo as we called him, was just past his eighteenth birthday when the tire on his motorbike blew out, he lost control and died. His motorbike was a birthday present from my mother. She was reluctant but typically, anything we wanted, she would find a way to make it happen—I don’t know how. I went with her that Saturday morning to inspect the prospective bike at a house in Dean Street—I cannot drive past it without this memory—and I’ve never been able to shed the thought that if she had not bought that bike that day, it would have been someone else’s son and brother who died, not ours. I presumed the tire was faulty but that might not have been the case. All the same, I blamed them for the longest while.

I’ve always been a light sleeper, so I was the one to hear the knock on the door that morning. I called out, “Who is it?” and the answer came, “It’s the police.” I replied, “I don’t believe you,” and was told, “Open the door.” It was an order and I obeyed. I called out to mum and as soon as she saw the policemen standing in our living room, she knew, and collapsed on the couch. Marko (my younger brother) and I stood there not knowing what to do or how to feel, as mum rocked back and forth frenetically like an autistic child, screaming and crying. A neighbor arrived to take control and Marko and I set off, arms around each other, to walk the length of our street in the dark. There were no tears or words and it seemed fitting that the rain should fall as it did—softly as if it was being gentle with us. The glow from each street light was like a misty shroud and I looked in each expecting to see Paul saying goodbye. A goodbye would have been nice, and perhaps an apology for leaving as he did: “I’m sorry for the pain and misery that is to come from this moment, for lives that will be destroyed, relationships that will disintegrate, and for those who will never recover. I’m sorry that for some, the darkness of this morning will never pass.”

And so the darkness of that morning returned last weekend and all I could think of was the pain the Simoncelli family were about to endure.

Regards
Leigh

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Goodreads Book Giveaway

Rain

by Leigh K. Cunningham

Giveaway ends December 14, 2011.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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What did you marry?

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -1100

Well that’s the Singapore Grand Prix for another year, capped off perfectly this year with Linkin Park at the Padang. And living at Marina Bay now makes it all so much easier to get to and from the track—it is effectively in our front yard.

People tend to be surprised that I follow motor racing and not just Formula 1 for ‘the event’ but the sport itself—I know the teams and I know the drivers although not personally :) I also follow Moto GP (motor bikes) and used to follow the Touring Cars when we lived in Australia. But fast cars and motor racing were not interests of mine growing up, and no one in our household—my father, mother or three brothers—had even the slightest interest in cars. In fact, I disliked everything about cars, especially since we lived across the road from a house with a Speedway car. Weekends were disturbed by the sound of revving engines and the smell of burning fuel and I used to wish it would stop. I was also glad that the underneath of our house was not similarly cluttered with the black greasy mess of a mechanics lair. On the occasions I went to the Speedway with my neighborhood friend, Sheryn, to watch her father race, I found the experience unpleasant and actually felt sorry for her that this was her childhood. Today it is a completely different story, but this is what comes from committing totally to a marriage, in my opinion. If you want to enjoy a long, happy life of togetherness, then it’s helpful (in most cases) if you share interests.

When it comes to sport generally, and football codes in particular, we watch most of it (AFL, Rugby League, Soccer and Rugby Union). I don’t go off on my own when Steve is watching sport on TV—we watch and enjoy it together. The only exception to this would be sailing, which I enjoy watching on TV (there’s so much strategy involved) but do not enjoy ‘doing’. The storyline in RAIN (Chapter 51) where Carl enrolls in sailing courses to support Ethan with his love for sailing is pretty much based on reality … although I did not manage to complete the first course I enrolled in, or even return for the second session of the first course since someone vomited on Day 1.

On the other side of the coin, one of my primary interests is interior decorating, and although I only get to do this every five years or so, Steve always contributes whether it is helping me choose between options, driving me all over the countryside looking for a particular piece for a particular spot, or shopping until 10pm every night. And although it is only every five years, it does take a lot of time and energy—with trial and error, the pursuit of the right piece at the right price, or that elusive combination—over several weeks or months until the last item is placed, and he never does not usually complain when I always go over budget.

We’re also fortunate that we like the same music. Linkin Park is a band that Steve followed when they first began; subsequently I do too. Similarly, I introduced Steve to my favorite band, LIVE (now without Ed and effectively defunct for me) and he has attended every concert with me over the years. Apart from Rage Against the Machine (Steve) and my secret enjoyment of Engelbert Humperdinck (don’t tell anyone), our music tastes are pretty much identical.

We’ve been happily married 28 years now (anniversary 17 September) and I think the success of our marriage has a lot to do with sharing interests (with mutual respect being #1 in my view). I also think it has a lot to do with being different in ways you need to be different, and the same in ways you need to be the same, for example, we have different temperaments, but the same values and we're both neat and tidy. This is a theme that runs through my next novel, BEING ANTI-SOCIAL, and here’s a brief extract from the story’s narrator, Mace Evans:

“A part of the problem with Adam and Sophie is that they are alike in the ways they need to be different and different in ways they need to be alike: tidy cannot live in harmony with messy; non-smoker with smoker; athlete cannot live with slob; opera cannot live with Metallica; equestrian cannot live with motor sports; and trades people who like to fill their garages with carpentry, car engines or metal work cannot expect to live in harmony with obsessive compulsive order freaks like myself. Then there are the essential differences: two tempers cannot live together; two attention-seekers cannot live together, two handbrakes cannot live together nor can two accelerators. There must be one of each, and clearly, two lawyers cannot live together for Sophie and Adam are evidence of that."

When we marry, we don't just marry the person, we marry interests and hobbies, and of course, we marry a family, but that's perhaps a whole other blog :)

Regards
Leigh

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Words of wisdom

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -1100

Back in 1995, Steve (husband) and I were strolling down High Street, Prahran (Melbourne) and came across a book stall on the footpath out front of a bookstore. Now, as many of you would know, you can often find some real gems on these bargain tables (I'm saying that in anticipation of one day finding my own books on one) as was the case in 1995. I picked up a rather antique-looking book for $5 titled, The Marriage Book which had no publication date but an expert has said sometime in the 1950s. Out of curiosity rather than a desire to become a better wife, I flicked through its pages to instantly find some valuable insights and I'd like to share some of these with you.

Chapter 1, Happiness in Marriage: "Somewhere, when the promise of marriage ends in disappointment, there has been blundering." Also, "Do not bother your husband with your problems when he returns from the office after a long day. Be well groomed and ready to greet him with a smile and gentle voice."

In the Chapter, The Problems of the Growing Child in the paragraph, Good Manners I learned that: "When a small son or daughter takes the opportunity on a rather important social occasion to throw his manners to the winds and to behave like a little hooligan, it is only natural for his mother to feel somewhat humiliated."

There's more important advice on children in the section, Mud Pies: "It is natural when formal visitors call to feel a little ruffled if a muddy, disheveled object bursts into the drawing room looking like nothing on earth. Perhaps we should prefer not to listen to any attempts to uphold the rights of mud but children revel in it. They are intensely happy stubbing their toes in it, splashing it around and handling it. Mud is nature's free gift to our children for instilling confidence." I had no idea mud could do this.

In the Chapter, Getting to Know Ourselves, it seems, "Men usually have a far better idea of their sex organs than women of theirs." I'm pretty sure I know where they're going with this.

If you've read my novel, RAIN, you might recall that I refer to The Marriage Book in Chapter 10 (1967) and I assure you that this is the advice offered in the book. Michael and Helena have just moved into their new home in Orchard Road (yes, named after the famous street in Singapore) and Helena reverts to The Marriage Book to assist with her argument that Michael should not smoke in the house:

"An additional issue arose with regard to cigarettes, which drew nicotine into Michael’s lungs and precious sums out of the domestic purse. They were responsible for the stained tongue and groove walls at Park Lane, which were now tinted orange with no evidence of the military green beneath. To protect the fibro and furniture at Orchard Road from similar mistreatment, Helena had outlawed smoking in the house. In support of her argument she had reverted to The Marriage Book, which had merely reported that although for grown-ups smoking had undoubted advantages, there was an almost unanimous medical opinion against smoking for children. There was no mention of any alleged pernicious effect on chattels, and Michael retorted that he had no plans to share his Marlboros with William, and so the case closed in his favor. It was not however, a closing of all arguments related to money, which would settle on the marriage like nicotine on timber."

So, if you're looking for guidance on any number of important subjects including common questions of married life, well-kept floors, how to explain to a child 'where did I come from' using an egg and a nest, a list of items you must have in your kitchen, dishes for invalids (husbands), dressmaking precautions (don't do it) or household management and accounts (remember to pay the fish monger on time), just to name a few, please do not hesitate to ask and I will be happy to 'advise' you directly from The Marriage Book.

Regards
Leigh

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Let's get moving

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -1100

This year has not progressed at all according to plan, with the primary diversion caused by an unexpected relocation within Singapore, which occurred immediately after we returned from holidays.

We lived in our previous condo at Amaryllis Ville for seven years since moving to Singapore in 2004. Aside from the fact that we don't have a live-in maid, this lengthy tenancy is also highly unusual and a point of curiosity with all the agents we met. But we were perfectly happy at Amaryllis Ville and saw no reason to move for the sake of it, and certainly not simply to have something bigger, better and shinier.

We also were not keen on moving because of the search—spending endless weekends viewing one condo after another then trying to rate the pros and cons for an overall score. In the end it all came down to two criteria: (1) does it have a built-in dishwasher and (2) location, ideally a CBD location so Steve could walk to work.

You would be surprised to learn how many condos were immediately out of the frame because they didn't have a dishwasher. While most of us are used to this being a given in modern homes and especially in brand new homes, here in Singapore where live-in maids do all the chores, and people do not tend to cook and eat at home, a built-in dishwasher is a rare find. Sometimes landlords will offer to provide a dishwasher if one is not installed but these will then be placed (a) in the yard (laundry area) a long way from the kitchen or (b) it will be a mini bench-top dishwasher which is pretty useless.

The other difficulty in finding a place to live in Singapore these days is construction noise. When we first arrived, rental agreements had clauses that allowed you to escape if there was excessive noise, but that clause disappeared around 2008 when construction became inevitable given the relentless progress of development.

So, here we are at Marina Bay Residences (MBR) overlooking Marina Bay and the east coast (where there is construction in progress naturally, but at least it's no longer outside our windows!) Some of the construction is the new Gardens by the Bay which will offer more fantastic walking trails when it is completed. We're already enjoying evening walks around the bay (through Marina Bay Sands) and along the Esplanade.

This is not to mislead you into thinking we're living a healthy life. Unfortunately we are surrounded on all sides by restaurants including Level 33 above us and the Marina Link Mall below us which stretches from MBR to Raffles Place MRT, and of course across the street is the magnificent Marina Bay Sands. This location is absolutely brilliant but it is causing irreparable damage to the waistline and we're finding it hard to care; plenty of time for that later.

It all feels rather rosy and we're glad our former landlord sold our condo and forced us to make a move for greener pastures. There's just one niggling doubt in our minds: three times now when we've moved after being a while in one place, within days or months, we're outa here! For example, in Rockhampton we lived at Thirkettle Avenue, our first home, for seven years, decided to build a new home and 13 days after moving in, Steve was offered a job in Melbourne. In Melbourne, we lived in Prahran for four years then decided to buy a new townhouse in Toorak—seven months later, Steve is transferred to Sydney. We lived in Rozelle for three years in Sydney, bought a new townhouse and within four months we're packing our bags for Singapore. Can it possibly happen again? Is this our fate?

Regards
Leigh

PS posting photos of our new condo on Facebook soon.

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Back to Reality

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 -1100

We're back from a fabulous time in The Netherlands and Belgium. And for those of you who are still confused about Holland and the Netherlands, Holland is the most populated region in the west of The Netherlands which includes Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. The Dutch prefer if you do not refer to the country as Holland which is akin to calling Australia "Queensland".

Several things struck me when we arrived in Amsterdam 6am that first day: (1) the Dutch are incredibly tall thanks to genetics and a high-protein diet when young, (2) they're very friendly in the same chatty way Australians are (3) they party hard!

The day before our arrival was Queen's Day (Koninginnedag) which is Queen Beatrix's official birthday. Her actual birthday is on 31 January however the weather at that time is not conducive to the kind of celebration the Dutch have in mind and we saw the aftermath—Amsterdam was a rubbish tip with ankle-deep garbage covering every street, and the canals, and the infamous public urinals gave rise to an unbearable stench. For two kids from the cleanest city in the world, it was a little confronting, but by the next day, we had a chance to see the real Amsterdam.

A highlight, one of many, was visiting the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam—family and friends will no doubt recall my decade-long obsession with Vincent. Other highlights were the historic town of Brugges, eating Belgium waffles for breakfast, Belgian chocolate, and generally, the beautiful countryside as we cruised the rivers of Belgium and The Netherlands. I love greenery and I love water, and the two merged everywhere on our path.

Unfortunately the tulips bloomed early this year due to an un-seasonally warm spring, but we still had a chance to see plenty at the incredible FloraHolland Aalsmeer flower auction where 20 million flowers are auctioned every day. This was another highlight of our trip. It was so alive with activity and of course masses of beautiful flowers of every kind, and you can no doubt imagine what a massive warehouse filled with 20 million flowers might smell like. You might be familiar with the term "Dutch auction" which has negative connotations in the business world, but this is how the flower auction is conducted, with prices starting high then moving lower. You bid (press a buzzer) when the price is at your level if you're not too late. If I lived in Aalsmeer and was retired, I would spend my mornings at the flower auction.

We were blessed with perfect weather on our holiday until the final two days when the real Amsterdam summer revealed itself, and it is colder and wetter than any Melbourne winter. At least we experienced the truth before we espoused the brilliance of a Dutch summer. According to our tour guide, the two weeks of perfect weather we enjoyed (and preceeding six weeks) might well be the only warm, sunny two weeks for the entire summer.

We thoroughly recommend The Netherlands and Belgium, and river cruising is the best way to do…it if your waistline can survive four-course meals three times a day.

I've posted photos on Facebook, and news of recent awards for RAIN on my Facebook author page.

Regards
Leigh

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About Rain

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -1100

I've received a few queries about Rain, which was released as an e-book on 17 March 2011 on the anniversary of my brother, Paul's passing. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share their thoughts on the story. It is fascinating to see how readers react to the characters, and as an author, it is rewarding that readers feel passionately in the extremes, for example, Michael evokes hatred or compassionate understanding, but everyone seems to know exactly how they feel about him, one way or the other.

Rain is a dark story for sure, but the key message, which only really reveals itself in the final chapter, is one of hope and renewal. Throughout the story various characters have searched for it, perhaps found it, or not. In our lives though, I believe, it is never too late to make a change and set a new course for generations to follow—what has gone before you doesn't have to follow you. That's a choice, and obviously a tough one for some to make since mistakes do seem to repeat themselves through the generations.

Regarding the title, it is also pleasing that readers understand why "rain" was chosen as the title. I did sway briefly onto another title, but I was constantly drawn back to Rain. Rain is, I believe, symbolic of the story, and as readers would know, does feature in pivotal scenes, most poignantly I guess, in the cemetery scene in Chapter 32. And this passage from Carla's letters to her mother while she is living at the monastery:

I am waiting for the rain to pass so I can hike again through the bush—I go there in search of my guide. There is something about the rain. I have always found it comforting. It makes me feel warm even when it is cold. I love the way it smells, especially the way the bush smells after the rain. I love the way it tastes and I love the way it feels on my skin. Rain is life—everything grows from it. Maybe I should go now while it is still raining, and tempt fate. Maybe I can catch the proverbial death of a cold. Maybe a dose of pneumonia is all I need to set me free. There is nothing quite like the rain.

Ordinarily after 'finishing' a novel (note: I don't believe a book is ever really finished), one feels quite euphoric, but given how many times over the past six years I've had to read, rewrite and edit, Rain, and since it is quite a dark story, I actually feel quite exhausted. I hope it passes soon, like the rain.

Rain was dedicated to my husband, Steve (see FAQ on my inspiration for writing rain), and to the memory of my brothers, John and Paul.

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Introducing Jefferd

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -1100

OK, so that's the end of the Rain extracts for a while. The time has come to talk of other things ... that's a cheeky steal from one of my favorite lines of all time, from The Walrus and The Carpenter (Lewis Caroll, 1872)

Today I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our sponsored family, 3-year-old Jefferd who lives on a small island in the Philippines.

His father is self-employed and is unable to provide for the family that includes Jefferd, his brother and their mother, due to insufficient rainfall and infertile land in an area where the main sources of income are farming and basket-weaving.

Malnutrition, lack of education and infrastructure, and agricultural technology are some of the critical issues for the families in the area.

We hope our sponsorship makes a difference to this family, and that we might also make a trip to visit Jefferd one day in the near future, although one does not get on a Philippine ferry without fear of death. Steve will have to improve his swimming before then.

We have four other sponsored children: John Paul in Uganda and Dolon Biswas in Bangladesh (through World Vision, Australia), and Sarita-Maya in Nepal and Oscar Ayca in Peru (through Plan Australia). See our sponsored family album!

When sponsoring a new child, our primary consideration is for the poorest countries, and then where there seems to be the most children waiting for sponsors. From the World Vision, Australia website, it seems Zimbabwe has a lot of children in need of sponsorship. In total there are 1,417 children on the waiting list for this one site.

Since we first started sponsoring in 1994, we've seen a number of children through school and into adulthood. We receive regular updates on both the children and their communities, and messages, photos and cards from the children. Through World Vision Australia, you can also contribute further for birthday and Christmas gifts. One year, through Plan Australia, we sent a scarf with an Aboriginal theme for the mother of our first sponsored child, Monowar. We chose the scarf because there are weight restrictions when you send gifts through the system. Some time later we received a photo with the scarf featured ... except it was being used as a tablecloth :)

For us, it's important also to learn more about the communities and the issues they face on a daily basis—this ensures we never forget to be thankful that our lives are full of blessings.

Another important initiative we support each year is the Smiles Catalog through World Vision Australia.

So, as Supertramp says, "Give A Little Bit," if you possibly can.

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Rain extract 5

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -1100

Extract from Chapter 10, RAIN (publication date: 2011)

December 1967

James divided the proceeds from the fire sale three ways. Grace had no need for her share, but accepted it anyway as of right while James invested his third in the stock market hoping to generate a flow of cash sufficient for the term of their natural lives. Helena and Michael purchased a piece of land one small step above Park Lane, and akin to moving from Old Kent Road to Whitechapel Road. It was also like decamping to the countryside since the parcel was a good twelve minutes out of town. A market gardener no longer able to compete with the conglomerated farmers association had subdivided the tree-less area and christened it Woodlands, retaining a manageable slice for himself to prolong his only known subsistence.

The agent who sold the plot to Helena and Michael assured them, with his hand placed firmly across his heart, that the cabbage patch adjoining the rear boundary of their property would be redeveloped before the paint dried on their new home. In any event, he claimed, the sewered, mustardy odor that rose forth would not be carried in the direction of their back windows due to the propensity of the wind to blow a more favorable course. Extending this logic, he assured them that the accompanying nettlesome bush flies would also be kept at bay due to some implied inability to travel against prevailing breezes.

Helena kept Dorothy apprised of the land purchase and construction plans, hoping to hear her confirm at some point that she would relocate with them as was Michael's fervent wish. She was frail with bones protruding in her collar that made each menial task an onerous one. Dorothy loved her son and her grandson, but Helena feared this would not be enough to incise roots that had coursed through the earth at Park Lane for nigh on fifty years. They had their own family to think of now, and it was time for a rebirth and liberation from Michael's stigmata that seemed inextricably linked to his childhood in Park Lane.

Extract 1 from Chapter 2

Extract 2 from Chapter 5

Extract 3 from Chapter 7

Extract 4 from Chapter 8

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