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Back The Cottage Save as PDF
Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. ONE
  4. TWO
  5. THREE
  6. FOUR
  7. FIVE
  8. SIX
  9. SEVEN
  10. EIGHT
  11. NINE
  12. TEN
  13. ELEVEN
  14. TWELVE
  15. THIRTEEN
  16. FOURTEEN
  17. FIFTEEN
  18. SIXTEEN
  19. SEVENTEEN
  20. EIGHTEEN
  21. NINETEEN
  22. TWENTY
  23. TWENTY-ONE
  24. TWENTY-TWO
  25. TWENTY-THREE
  26. TWENTY-FOUR
  27. TWENTY-FIVE
  28. TWENTY-SIX
  29. TWENTY-SEVEN
  30. TWENTY-EIGHT
  31. TWENTY-NINE
  32. THIRTY
  33. THIRTY-ONE
  34. THIRTY-TWO
  35. THIRTY-THREE
  36. THIRTY-FOUR
  37. THIRTY-FIVE
  38. THIRTY-SIX
  39. THIRTY-SEVEN
  40. THIRTY-EIGHT
  41. THIRTY-NINE
  42. FORTY
  43. FORTY-ONE
  44. FORTY-TWO
  45. FORTY-THREE
  46. FORTY-FOUR
  47. FORTY-FIVE
  48. FORTY-SIX
  49. FORTY-SEVEN
  50. FORTY-EIGHT
  51. FORTY-NINE
  52. FIFTY
  53. FIFTY-ONE
  54. FIFTY-TWO
  55. FIFTY-THREE
  56. FIFTY-FOUR
  57. FIFTY-FIVE
  58. FIFTY-SIX
  59. FIFTY-SEVEN
  60. FIFTY-EIGHT
  61. FIFTY-NINE
  62. SIXTY
  63. SIXTY-ONE
  64. SIXTY-TWO
  65. SIXTY-THREE
  66. SIXTY-FOUR
  67. SIXTY-FIVE
  68. SIXTY-SIX
  69. SIXTY-SEVEN
  70. SIXTY-EIGHT
  71. SIXTY-NINE
  72. SEVENTY
  73. SEVENTY-ONE
  74. SEVENTY-TWO
  75. SEVENTY-THREE
  76. SEVENTY-FOUR
  77. Suggested topics for reading-group discussion
  78. Keep Reading …
  79. Lisa Stone also writes under the name of Cathy Glass.Don’t miss her latest book …
  80. About the Author
  81. Books by Lisa Stone
  82. About the Publisher

That morning she’d switched off the motion-sensor light at the socket in the spare bedroom. It wasn’t needed any longer and, as Camile had said in her text, the light gobbled electricity. It wasn’t just when the floodlight came on; the sensor used electricity too, so it was a steady drain on the power. She’d texted Chris to say she’d successfully blocked up the hole and all was well. He’d replied with a thumbs-up emoji. She’d also texted Camile – I’ve used some of the wood and netting from the shed to block up a hole in the hedge at the bottom of the garden. Hope that’s OK.’

She’d replied straight away. Yes, fine with me. Sorry you’ve had a problem with something getting into the garden.

Which, Jan thought, was slightly odd because she hadn’t told Camile something was coming into the garden. She supposed Chris had.

She took another sip of her tea and set the mug down within reach. Her fingers were poised expectantly over the keyboard, ready to begin. She stared at the page before her, blank except for the title and Chapter One. It was so hard getting started, and she knew a good opening was crucial. Those considering buying a book based their decision on the blurb on the back and the first page. Online advice for new writers stated: Don’t worry about writing the perfect first page, just get down what is in your head. You will revise and edit it once the book is complete. Just start.

Easier said than done, Jan thought.

She forced her fingers to start typing with the thought in her head: It was a cold winter’s night and a frost was already beginning to settle on the lawn. She stopped and read what she’d written. It seemed OK, so she continued: At 11 p.m. Melissa was the only one in the house still awake. She stopped again. She thought she’d heard a noise outside. She listened but it wasn’t repeated. Tinder was still fast asleep, so it was nothing to worry about. There were plenty of noises in and around the cottage, especially at night, that Tinder was used to and she was not. He was her barometer.

Jan looked at what she’d written and then deleted it. It would be better if it was set in summer, as it was a romance. She began again: It was a hot summer’s night. At 2 a.m. the temperature had hardly dropped. Melissa lay naked below a single sheet, her bedroom window wide open. Yes, that sounded much better. She was pleased. Her fingers hovered above the keyboard as she waited for the inspiration to continue.