A Woman of Previously Good Character is my ninth novel and was first published on September 7th, 2020. It took much longer to write than any of the others and a significant proportion was completed during the latter part of lockdown.

It is about a woman who is forced to attend counselling sessions as part of the conditions of her suspended sentence. She finds it impossible to discuss the events that led up to her court appearance, but is persuaded to write them down, in the form of a story in which she is the main character. The novel is written in alternating chapters from the point of view of Penny and Mariella, her counsellor, and explores the present, the recent past and Penny’s teenage years.

This is the blurb:

     When Penny receives a suspended sentence, she has to attend counselling sessions. However, she has no intention of engaging with the process. How can she, when she feels as if the events of the past couple of years happened to someone else? How could an innocent email to an old boyfriend who has found fame late in life, have such extraordinary consequences?

     In the absence of any meaningful dialogue, Mariella, Penny’s counsellor, persuades her to write her story. This proves to be a stroke of genius, but Mariella’s own life is fraught with problems, both past and present. As the weeks progress and Penny’s story unfolds, the relationship between the two women develops until something happens to change everything.

Here is a link to A Woman of Previously Good Character on Amazon.