Today I am pleased to welcome Fiona Gibson to my blog to celebrate the publication of her latest book, The Mum Who Got Her Life Back, a fantastic book full of humour and observations of the emotions felt by mums as they bring up their children and prepare for them to leave the nest and partake in university life.
The laugh-out-loud Sunday Times bestseller is back and funnier than ever! Perfect for fans of WHY MUMMY DRINKS.
When her 18-year-old twins leave for university, single mum Nadia's life changes in ways she never expected: her Glasgow flat feels suddenly huge, laundry doesn't take up half her week, and she no longer has to buy `the Big Milk'. After almost two decades of putting everyone else first, Nadia is finally taking care of herself. And with a budding romance with new boyfriend Jack, She's never felt more alive.
That is, until her son Alfie drops out of university, and Nadia finds her empty nest is empty no more. With a heartbroken teenager to contend with, Nadia has to ask herself: is it ever possible for a mother to get her own life back? And can Jack and Nadia's relationship survive having a sulky teenager around?
A gloriously funny and uplifting new book perfect for fans of Gill Sims and Jill Mansell.
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780008310967
ISBN: 9780008310967
The Mum Who Got Her Life Back is a really funny read, perfect to give to friends who have children who will soon be leaving for university or who just want a great laugh.It has loads of great observations about how mums feel when they start to suffer from Empty Nest Syndrome, all written in a great story which will leave the reader laughing out loud.
The publishers, Avon, have given me an extract to share with my blog readers …...
We were thrilled when we found out we were having twins, but from the word go we fell into pretty traditional roles. While Danny toiled all hours to get his career off the ground, I threw myself into the hurly-burly of toddler groups. We’ve been lucky to have always lived in a decent area of Glasgow: a little shabby, but friendly and safe. We stretched ourselves to upgrade to a four-bedroomed flat so the kids could each have their own rooms, and Danny could have a much-needed study.
For a few years I worked from a desk in our bedroom. I am a freelance illustrator, and had accumulated a small roster of clients before the twins came along. During my early years of motherhood, I’d tackle any commissions after the kids had gone to bed. I also did some occasional life modelling – i.e. with my clothes off – for local art classes, to bring in extra cash. In a weird sort of way, they offered a bit of respite from family life. Reclining nakedly on a sofa was pretty soothing compared to chipping hardened Weetabix off the floorboards – and I assumed the kids would never find out what it really involved. Anyway, I was around so much after nursery and school that Alfie and Molly didn’t actually believe I worked at all. Their primary school teacher laughingly told me that, when she’d asked Molly what her mum did for a living, she’d replied, ‘She colours in.’
In contrast, Danny did go to work – not in a nine-to-five sense, but for weeks at a time if he was away filming, or to his study at home where he’d hide away to work on edits or scripts.
‘Nadia, the kids keep coming in!’ he’d yell.
‘They just need to see you for a minute, Danny. Alfie wants to show you something he made at
school . . .’
‘Honey, please. Can’t you just keep them at bay?’ he’d say, as if they weren’t his six-year-old children, but wild bears. But then, Danny’s work was all-consuming, and it was my job to thwart the kids’ access to He Who Must Not Be Disturbed.
‘Daddy’s busy being Steven Spielberg,’ I’d explain, ushering them away.
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