Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, aspiring mothers, mothers-to-be, mothers-at-heart, and single fathers! 🙂

I love writing about mothers in fiction, and being one myself, there is no shortage of inspiration to draw on… the fun, the challenges, the heartwarming and heartbreaking moments, I can make sense of these things in my life by putting them into stories.

Today for Mothers Day I’d like to introduce you to the mothers in my books, and I’ll share a little ‘motherhood’ snippet from each book:

Mother #1: Kelli McSnelly from FAST FORWARD

Kelli suddenly becomes a mother when she transforms overnight from a 25 year old model to a 50 year old woman with two grown kids, a grandbaby on the way, and a husband she doesn’t like. As she navigates her way through the future, she’ll come to realise a few important things about life, love, and motherhood.

Excerpt:

Hang on, if she was pregnant, then that meant I was going to be … a grandmother. No way!

This couldn’t be happening. Real grandma’s knitted and had short curly mauve hair and stored tissues up their sleeves, didn’t they? I was too young for this. Two children and a grandchild-to-be all in one day? I needed Valium. Preferably intravenously. Damn! I should have asked the doctor for a prescription.

Mother #2: Dr Sylvia Greene from THE JANUARY WISH

Sylvia became a mother as a teenager, but she gave her baby up for adoption. In The January Wish she meets her now eighteen-year-old daughter and must discover how to adapt her life to make room for the child she never thought she’d see again.

Excerpt:

Sylvia turned away to give them privacy, and leaned over Maria’s grave to place down the single sunflower she’d brought with her. Silently, she thanked Maria. Thanked her for taking care of Grace, for loving her, for being the mother Sylvia wasn’t able to be back then. She wished she could hug her the way she’d hugged David, but she couldn’t. She simply placed a hand on the cold, rough headstone, and somehow hoped to communicate just how thankful she was that her daughter had been well cared for. Maria’s life may not have been long, but Sylvia knew it would have been fulfilling, having Grace in it. And suddenly Sylvia felt a strong sense of responsibility, that although she wasn’t taking Maria’s place, she was taking on a new role in Grace’s life. At sixteen, it wasn’t her time. But now, at thirty-five, it was.

Mother #3: Chrissie Burns from FEBRUARY OR FOREVER

Chrissie has recently gone through a divorce and is now single mum to Kai, a challenging six-year-old boy. She moves to the town of Tarrin’s Bay when she inherits her aunt’s beach house and hopes she can make a fresh start and help both herself and her son open up to the joy and possibilities of life.

Excerpt:

‘Oh, but Mum. You don’t understand. You don’t know what it’s like to be this tired.’ He strung out the last word with dramatic emphasis.

‘Oh for heaven’s sake.’ Chrissie bent and hooked the heel of one shoe on her finger, then the other, and flung them into her son’s room. At least they were out of the way; he could put them in the wardrobe himself later. Chrissie picked up Kai’s school bag that he’d dumped next to the couch, and chuckled. Don’t know what it’s like to be this tired? She shook her head at her son’s naivety. Granted, he was only six, but if only he knew. Getting up five times a night on average for the first year of his life? That was the definition of tired.

Mother #4: Carrie from my short story SISTERS AT HEART

Carrie is also a single mother with a young son who doesn’t want to go anywhere without her. She’s starting from scratch in a new town and living with her parents, desperate to find her own way and make new friends. When she volunteers for the school cake stall she experiences something profound that gives her hope for the future.

Excerpt:

‘I have to look after the cake stall along with another mummy, sweetie. Grandma and Grandpa will take care of you.’ I widen my eyes and nod in reassurance.

He cautiously turns his head towards my dad, who bends forward and holds out a lollipop of swirling, jarring colours.

Dental decay and hyperactivity to look forward to – thanks Dad!

Zac’s uncertain eyes glance back at me, then back at his grandpa. He releases one hand and holds it out to the lollipop while Dad inches back slightly so it’s just out of reach. Zac sighs and releases my other wrist, his pout soon replaced with a smiling red stain on ripping open the wrapping and licking the treat with gusto.

Bribery. Works every time. 

🙂

FREEBIE ALERT! Do you have a favourite fictional mother character from a book, movie, or TV show? Let me know in the comments and you’ll receive a FREE copy of my short story SISTERS AT HEART! This isn’t a prize draw, everyone will get a copy, as long as you answer the question and leave your email address in the comment too so I can send the story to you! It is a quick story you can read over a cup of coffee 🙂 *Comment must be left before 16th May when the freebie offer will close. Spread the word! 🙂