Today I’m delighted to revisit my Five on Friday interview with Kate Field which was first posted in March 2018. It’s been brought up to date to reflect Kate’s latest publications.

Kate contemporary women’s fiction, mainly set in her favourite county of Lancashire where she lives on the edge of the moors with her husband, daughter and cat. Kate’s debut novel, A Place to Begin Again, won the Romantic Novelists’ Association Joan Hessayon Award for new writers.

Over to Kate:-

Which five pieces of music/songs would you include in the soundtrack to your life and why?

‘Take on Me’ by a-ha. It came out when I was a teenager and the whole package – a catchy song, imaginative video, and handsome Norwegian men – hooked me like no other music had done up to that point. I became a huge fan, buying every record, joining the fan club, and collecting every copy of Smash Hits in which they appeared. I still listen to a-ha, much to my daughter’s disgust.

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‘Love is all Around’ by Wet Wet Wet. This song makes me think of my wedding, back in the 1990s. It was only a small do, with no evening reception, so there was no first dance or anything like that. But the day before the wedding, I watched ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ for the first time with my bridesmaid, and the soundtrack featured this song. I remember watching the film and thinking, ‘Crikey, this is actually happening’ – in a good way, of course!

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‘17 Again’ by the Eurythmics. One of our first holidays as a married couple was spent driving round the Kent and Sussex countryside listening to the album ‘Peace’ that featured this song. Although it was a long time ago, it’s one of the holidays I remember most clearly. I was writing my first novel at the time, a Regency romance, and spent many hours sitting in a wing-back leather chair in an old barn thick with cobwebs, scribbling away.

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‘The Wheels on the Bus’. My daughter was very late to start talking, although she communicated effectively with a series of noises and gestures. One day, when she was almost three, we were sitting at a table sticking and gluing when I heard an indistinct but recognisable version of Wheels on the Bus drift across the table. It was an incredible moment.

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‘Tonight we Fly’ by The Divine Comedy. I love The Divine Comedy’s music – the soaring melodies, and the way they can tell a complete story in a song – but this is one of my favourites. I particularly like the last few lines about not missing out as this life is the best we have.

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What five things (apart from family and friends) would you find it hard to live without.

Books. It has to be the top answer. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t read, and I can’t imagine a time in the future when I won’t.

Ribena. I don’t drink tea or coffee, so this is my drink of choice. There’s something extremely comforting about a hot Ribena on a cold day.

Holidays. We try to have at least two every year, three if we’re lucky. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – quite often we hole up in a tiny cottage in the UK, dodging rain showers – but getting away from the routine of daily life, and seeing somewhere different, always leaves me feeling more cheerful and inspired.

Hair straighteners. I wish they had been invented when I was a teenager. It would have saved a lot of angst!

Pen and paper. I like the physical act of writing, of seeing words produced on the page, even if it’s nothing more interesting than a shopping list.

Give five pieces of advice to your younger self?

Don’t be so self-conscious. No one is looking at you.

Don’t put off having a family because you’re busy at work and the boss wouldn’t like it.

Talk properly to your grandparents. Ask them about their lives before it’s too late.

Don’t let shyness limit what you do and who you meet.

Ignore the hairdresser who wants to cut your hair short and layered. It will never grow back properly.

Tell us five things that most people don’t know about you

I was born with ‘clicky hips’, which means that my hips hadn’t developed fully before I was born. I spent the first months of my life with my legs in plaster, fixed in a V shape, and my dad had to adapt the furniture so I could lie in a cot and sit in a chair. There are no photos of me from those early months, so I often used to wonder if I’d been adopted!

Continuing the health theme, I suffered a knee injury in my first year at secondary school, and wasn’t able to join in with PE for the rest of my time at school. I had to spend PE lessons  helping the librarian instead – no hardship for a bookish, unsporty child!

My nickname at primary school was ‘shrimp’, as I blushed so often that I was always pink. It’s not something I’ve ever grown out of.

Both my parents are only children, so I have no aunts, uncles or cousins. I’ve always wished I could have belonged to a large family.

I have an A level in Latin. It hasn’t proved particularly useful so far.

Tell us five things you’d still like to do or achieve.

To see the Northern Lights.

To visit the Scilly Isles.

To spend a month living in London, visiting the museums and galleries, going to the theatre and concerts, walking in the parks, and generally seeing what city life is like.

To volunteer at a stately home.

To own a Mulberry handbag.

Kate’s Books

(NB This post features Affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases)

Finding Home

She might not have much in this world, but it costs nothing to be kind…

Meet Miranda Brown: you can call her Mim. She’s jobless, homeless and living in her car… but with a history like hers she knows she has a huge amount to be grateful for.

Meet Beatrice and William Howard: Bill and Bea to you. The heads of the Howard family and owners of Venhallow Hall, a sprawling seaside Devonshire estate… stranded in a layby five hours from home the night before their niece’s wedding.

When fate brings the trio together, Mim doesn’t think twice before offering to drive the affable older couple home. It’s not like she has anywhere else to be. But as the car pulls into the picturesque village of Littlemead, Mim has no idea how her life is about to change…

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A Dozen Second Chances

What are the chances that twelve little tokens could change a life?

Seventeen years ago, Eve Roberts had the wonderful life she’d always dreamed of: a degree in archaeology, a gorgeous boyfriend, and exciting plans to travel the world with him, working on digs. But when her sister Faye died, the life Eve knew ended too. Faye’s daughter Caitlyn came to live with Eve, her boyfriend left, and she quickly gave up on her dreams.

Now approaching her fortieth birthday, Eve faces the prospect of an empty nest as Caitlyn is leaving home. Caitlyn gives Eve a set of twelve ‘Be Kind to Yourself’ vouchers, telling her that she has to start living for herself again, and that she should fill one in every time she does something to treat herself.

With her very first voucher, Eve’s life will change its course. But with eleven more vouchers to go, can Eve learn to put herself first and follow the dreams she’s kept secret for so long? Because life is for living – and as she well knows, it’s too short to waste even a moment…

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The Man I Fell in Love With

Sometimes we find happiness where we least expect it…

After twenty years of contented marriage, no one is more surprised than Mary Black when her husband announces he’s leaving her… for another man.

For the sake of the children, Mary has no choice but to pick herself up and start again. She hosts family meals that include Leo and his new partner. She copes with the kids wanting to spend less time with her and more time with their ‘fun’ dads. But one thing she can’t quite ignore is Leo’s gorgeous brother, who has just come back to town…

After living a life of sliding doors and missed opportunities, can Mary finally put herself first and take a chance that could change everything?

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The Winter That Made Us

When Tess finds herself unexpectedly alone and back in Ribblemill, the childhood village she thought she’d escaped, she’s sure she can survive a temporary stay. She’s spent a lifetime making the best of things, hasn’t she?

Determined to throw herself into village life, Tess starts a choir and gathers a team of volunteers to restore the walled garden at Ramblings, the local stately home. Everything could be perfect, if she weren’t sharing a cottage and a cat with a man whose manner is more prickly than the nettles she’s removing…

As winter approaches, Tess finds herself putting down her own roots as fast as she’s pulling them up in the garden. But the ghosts of the past hover close by, and Tess must face them if she’s to discover whether home is where her heart has been all along.

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The Truth About You, Me and Us

Sometimes the hardest person to be honest with is yourself…
Five years ago Helen Walters walked out on her ‘perfect’ life with the ‘perfect’ man. Wealthy, glamorous and bored, she longed for something more.

Now a talented artist with a small business, Helen creates crazy patchwork crafts to support her young daughter, Megan. Penniless, content and single, she is almost unrecognisable.

But when her past unexpectedly collides with her new life, Helen finds herself torn. She knows what the easiest choice is, but is it what she wants?

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A Place to Begin Again

*Previously published as The Magic of Ramblings*

When Cassie accepts a job as companion to an elderly lady in a remote Lancashire village, she’s hoping for a fresh start that will help her forget the pain of her past.

But from the moment she meets her new companion, Frances, she soon finds herself drawn into the lively community in a way she never expected. And when she encounters Barney, a local farmer and Frances’ nephew, Cassie’s new life is suddenly far from the quiet one she imagined. . .

As she grows closer to this rural community, and to the people within it, Cassie realises that to move forward with her life, she’s going to have to face the secrets of her past.

After all this time, will Cassie finally be able to begin again?

From the author of Finding Home comes a beautifully written, escapist tale of love and friendship, complimented by unpredictable twists and turns. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Heidi Swain.

*Previously published as The Magic of Ramblings*

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Midsummer Magic at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium: A heartwarming anthology of uplifting, feel-good summer stories (Miss Moonshine’s Wonderful Emporium: a series of uplifting anthologies)

Are you ready to meet Miss Moonshine? Life may never be the same again…

It’s summer in Haven Bridge and Miss Moonshine is getting ready for a busy season. From the window of her Wonderful Emporium, at the heart of the pretty Yorkshire town, she watches and waits, weaving plans to bring happiness to all who step through her door. For Miss Moonshine is no ordinary shopkeeper. She may not have what you want, but she will always have what you need…

Nine romantic novelists from Yorkshire and Lancashire, including best-selling and award-winning authors, have joined together to create this anthology of uplifting stories guaranteed to warm your heart. This magical collection of contemporary romances will make you laugh, cry and wish for a Miss Moonshine in your own life.

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Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium: An uplifting collection of feel-good festive stories (Miss Moonshine’s Wonderful Emporium: a series of uplifting anthologies) 

When the magic of Christmas is just what you’re looking for…

There’s something magical about Miss Moonshine’s Wonderful Emporium, and at Christmas she brings an added sparkle to the inhabitants of the pretty Yorkshire town of Haven Bridge. Customers who step over her threshold find an eccentric collection of gifts, but Miss Moonshine has a rare knack for providing exactly what they need: a strange Advent calendar whose doors give a glimpse of a happy ending; a vintage typewriter that types a ghostly message from Christmas past; a mirror in a silver case that reflects the person you’d like to be.
Step inside Miss Moonshine’s quirky shop, and the thing you need most for Christmas will be right there, waiting for you…

Nine romantic novelists from Yorkshire and Lancashire, including best-selling and award-winning authors, have joined together to create this collection of uplifting festive stories guaranteed to warm your heart. This intriguing mix of historical and contemporary romances will make you laugh, cry, and believe in the magic of Christmas.

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Miss Moonshine’s Emporium of Happy Endings: A feel-good collection of heartwarming stories (Miss Moonshine’s Wonderful Emporium: a series of uplifting anthologies) 

Sometimes what you need is right there waiting for you…

Miss Moonshine’s Wonderful Emporium has stood in the pretty Yorkshire town of Haven Bridge for as long as anyone can remember. With her ever-changing stock, Miss Moonshine has a rare gift for providing exactly what her customers need: a fire opal necklace that provides a glimpse of a different life; a novel whose phantom doodler casts a spell over the reader; a music box whose song links love affairs across the generations. One thing is for certain: after visiting Miss Moonshine’s quirky shop, life is never the same again…

Nine romantic novelists from Yorkshire and Lancashire, including best-selling and award-winning authors, have joined together to create this collection of uplifting stories guaranteed to warm your heart. This intriguing mix of historical and contemporary romances will make you laugh, cry, and believe in the happy-ever-after.

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