Book Extract: The Shaw Thing by Tanya Mounts

It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Tanya Mounts to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for The Shaw Thing.

Recently separated Demelza is nearing 50 and learning to live life again away from her problematic ex. The menopause is causing havoc with her hormones and after years of frustration she finds herself attracted to a much younger man.

28 year old wanna be comedian Stephen Shaw knows he’s attractive. He’s worked hard on his talent and physique but he never imagined being instantly smitten by a woman old enough to be his mother.

After an almost one night stand, Stephen starts work as Demelza’s new PA and the sparks continue to fly.

When Demelza’s ex comes back on the scene, she has to stand her ground and find the strength to fight for what she believes in.

Stephen shows Demelza what it’s like to have a man that’s kind, considerate and confident in life and also in the bedroom.

Will their relationship turn into something lasting or is Stephen just a Shaw thing?

This dual POV spicy romance has a supportive cast of friends and sizzling chemistry.

Tanya has shared an extract from The Shaw Thing with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

*****beginning of extract*****

This extract is from the opening chapter of the novel. It’s where we first meet Dem and it gives a real feel for her friendship with her old school friends. The whole book was inspired by a weekend I spent with my old school friends where we laughed nonstop and many things in the beginning few chapters are based on real events.

Dem hadn’t laughed this much in a very long time. Her jaw ached, she felt like she had a stitch from the constant giggles and guffaws and her eyes were sore from the tears that kept falling down her cheeks as she rolled around the floor literally pissing herself with laughter. Not for the first time since entering her late forties had she thanked the lovely people who had invented Tena pads.

A much-needed trip to visit an old school friend with her other two school friends had resulted in many gins and odd looks from strangers in the rather upmarket town that Faith now lived in on the outskirts of London, after all, you could take the girls out of Coventry, but you couldn’t take Coventry out of the girls. It was always the same when they were together, reverting to the teenagers they once were, being wholly and utterly themselves as none of them were able to be with anyone else. When someone has known you since you were four, you really have no need for pretence.

Raucous laughter in the busy streets because everyone was out enjoying the hottest weekend of the year so far. Jumping over bollards, flirting with stall holders at the food festival and Beth trying to chat up the local constables were just some of the highlights of the weekend. Faith had found her old keepsake box in the attic, and they spent hours reminiscing about their school years, pouring over old letters, and wondering why Dem had signed Faith’s end of school shirt with a four versed poem about you know who plus a P.S. and no one could remember who the boy was and why on earth everyone was mentioning June the 18^th 1992.

‘It’s got to have been Jamie Ward, that’s who I was seeing at the end of fifth year.’ Faith had insisted to which the others had agreed but not one of them could remember what significance the date had, and Dem was very annoyed with her past self for writing the words “We’ll look back at this in years to come and wonder what it was all about”, because after thirty-one years, that was indeed what was happening.

*****end of extract*****

Click to buy The Shaw Thing on Amazon. You can connect with Tanya on X.

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.