Showing results by narrator "Laura Brydon" in All Categories

Shyness is often misunderstood. It's not a personality flaw, it's a complex trait with many positive aspects. However, shyness means many kids struggle to speak up in class, get involved in activities, make friends, put themselves forward and compete. As a result they can miss out on exciting opportunities, and are often overlooked, ignored and side-lined...but it doesn't have to be this way. Shy And Mighty offers a new way of looking at the subject that will comfort and reassure shy children and help them overcome the aspects of their shyness that are holding them back.

Meet the cool creatives behind awe-inspiring art, with this non-fiction title for kids. Pour paint onto a canvas with Jackson Pollock, laugh along with the pranks of Hokusai, and find beauty in your self-portrait with Frida Kahlo, as you follow the stories of more than 50 fabulous artists and their groundbreaking work. Through charming storytelling rich in detail, Artists covers celebrated figures as well as lesser-known trailblazers, each with a tale as intriguing as it is unique.

Sue Young has never asked for much apart from a quiet life. She’s always been happy with her call centre job and dinner on the table at six o'clock. That was until a tragedy tore her tranquility into little shreds. With her life in tatters, Sue is persuaded to join a charity cycle ride led by morning TV’s Kath Fuller, who is having a crisis of her own, and Sue’s self-appointed support crew are struggling with their own issues. 

Summer 1940. The war is raging on but the Steel Girls are fighting their own battles closer to home. After patching things up with Archie, Patty is miffed when he appears to have forgotten all about her 18th birthday. New girl Hattie has a lot to deal with as she trades the counter at Woolworths for the Vickers factory floor. But is she keeping a secret and are things tougher at home than she’s been letting on? Meanwhile, Nancy is besides herself when she receives word that Bert is missing in action and is struggling to keep it together.

Only the boldest of ladies risks her heart and her reputation . . . THE FIRST BOOK IN THE STATELY SCANDALS SERIES 1826. At first sight, Ellen Turner does not seem the type to elope with a stranger. So when the young heriess vanishes from her boarding school in the arms of the rugged scoundrel...

After losing her job, boyfriend and flat just a few weeks before Christmas, Ellie Lancaster makes some resolutions: 1. Exact revenge on ex. 2. Be unboring. 3. Find a job. With 1 complete, Ellie manages to tick off 2 and 3 simultaneously by accepting a mysterious archiving job on a tiny Scottish Island that doesn't seem to exist on any map. In the new year, her equally new bosses - celebrity baker Clementine Jones and her straight-laced twin brother Cole - introduce Ellie to the archives: a vast network of underground caverns, filled with scrolls dating back centuries.

From the bestselling author of "A Village Affair" comes a warm, witty, wonderful new Westenbury tale... As the Yorkshire village of Westenbury mourns the loss of one of their own, the women can't help but contemplate who will fill the vacancy in handsome widower David's life. Meanwhile, Grace Stevens has decided to move on without her good-for-nothing husband. Right now, she needs to focus less on men and more on wrangling with her unruly class of pre-teens. And thankfully, there's plenty to keep her occupied.

A winter tale of love rekindled in a cherished York bookstore. Megan Taylor, a young widow, finds comfort in organising book clubs and author events in her family bookstore nestled within the snow-dusted cobbled streets of York. When prize-winning author Xander Stone literally bumps into her and trashes her taste in books, Megan can sense that her self-imposed hibernation from romance might be at an end. Their view on literature clash, leading to animated debates that breathe a new passion into her life, but will it be enough to thaw their frozen hearts.

Sisters Hannah, Rosa, and Eva are on a mission to sustain picturesque Heatherly Hall, in Yorkshire's Westenbury village. So when they hear the legend of the Jet Set - a necklace with a rare diamond, commissioned by royalty and hidden in their hall - they plan a fundraiser: an Agatha-Christie style am-dram production and treasure hunt.

The most life-affirming and uplifting story you will read this year. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Fiona Gibson and Clare Pooley. What would Lily Bennett do? This is the question Lydia Grey finds herself repeatedly asking ever since she discovers Lily’s bucket list at the bottom of her...

How far would you go to hide from the past? One-year old Maisie Lewis is missing. DC Jan Pearce is in hiding from her past but is drafted onto the case when things escalate. What forced Jan to come back to Manchester to start a new life? Who is she hiding from? What is making this kickass woman hide away and work on cold cases rather than step up to the action? Is it business - or is it personal? A chain of paper dolls and a series of sinister messages leads Jan to the truth and into the dangerous territory of hidden secrets - but is it too late for little Maisie?

DS Jan Pearce has a big problem. Her 15-year-old son, Aiden, is missing. Jan draws together the threads of missing-person cases spanning 50 years and finds tragic connections and unsolved questions. Bessy Swain, an elderly woman that Jan finds dead on her search for Aiden, and whose own son, Thomas, was also missing, may have the answers.

Hannah leaves her unhappy marriage with her daughter Ava and moves to the village of Leadsham to start afresh. She plans to keep a low profile, focusing on Ava and making a new life for them, far away from her violent ex-husband. What she hadn’t counted on was Andrew Brody. A police officer with a strict moral code, he knows something’s wrong as soon as he meets Hannah, and he wants to help. But Hannah has been let down by the police – and men – before, and pushes him away. But the more Hannah tries to ignore Brody, the more she’s drawn to him.

We are the North. With ground-breaking new authors, a thriving independent publishing scene and vibrant grass-roots networks, the North is driving a revolution in new literature. This anthology showcases the best of its talent, from every corner of the region and across all its vibrant genres. Some contributors are well-known established names, others are newcomers - all of them are part of the new northern writing scene.

DS Jan Pearce is still searching for her missing son. When she finds a little girl, Elise, alone in a pram in a busy town center, she must unravel a mystery that takes her to the edge of her emotions. Then, another child, Dara Price, goes missing. Lisa Connelly, Elise's mother, has been forced into a life of prostitution and has been leaving her little girl alone. Her gangland boss is holding her prisoner but she wants her little girl back. Jan finds herself balancing her search for her son with finding Dara.

Set against the backdrop of a large teaching hospital, the story is about Annie. She is a naïve young woman who finds herself plunged into a world of responsibility and social situations for which she is ill-prepared. Follow Annie on her journey. What will she discover? And what will it tell her about herself?

Ever wondered why we knock on wood, cross our fingers, or avoid black cats? Dive in and learn about fascinating superstitions from all over the world! The Good Luck Book explores the surprising - and sometimes scary - history of the world's most practised superstitions (and plenty more that you probably won't have heard of!). Discover superstitions old and new from cultures around the world.

Things are not quite okay. What is around the corner that is about to change everyone's lives? Set in the month of March, we follow Jalaal, a diligent but confused doctor. Despite being married with two children, Jalaal has never taken root anywhere. He's spent his career living out of a bag in sterile, lifeless accommodation as a locum doctor but now it's time to join his wife and children and finally settle in the East End of London.

The follow-up to the highly reviewed Askew, Askew 2 is another intriguing, insightful, and impressive web of short stories written in the flash fiction format. Askew 2 pulls characters from Dr. Aman Amir's debut novel Annie! Are You OK? and sees the tangled, complex stories intertwine in their own style while hinting at events, emotions, and excitement of the main Annie! Are You OK? story and the upcoming second book in the series.

The "amuse bouche" to Annie! Written as contemporary flash fiction stories to accompany and complement the debut novel Annie! A sneak peek into some of the characters, maybe? Intriguing, exciting, and bold.