After completing her second novel in The Georgie Connelly series, E.L.Lindley decided to write about a new character. This stand alone novel introduces Nicola Mills, and is based in the UK rather than the USA. The backdrop to the story is Brighton, a place where E.L lived for a number of years and still loves. The idea for Dare To Lose came when E.L. read an article which stated that readers didn't like their heroines over the age of thirty two. She created Nicola to prove that you are never to old for an adventure and hopefully to show that readers are not as narrowly defined as some so called experts would have us believe.
Synopsis
For Nicola Mills, approaching middle age doesn’t seem so bad as she enjoys the settled, ordered life she has always dreamed of. Cracks start to appear, however, with the arrival of her mother, whose chaotic life threatens to overshadow Nicola’s routine. Life becomes even more uncertain when she loses her job but, encouraged by her friend Lizzie, Nicola embraces the opportunity to follow her dream and opens a seafront cafe. Fate it seems has other ideas though and, when one of her of her employees goes missing, Nicola is thrown into a dangerous world of crime and murder, which leaves her dreams in tatters. Dare To Lose, is a novel about friendship, loyalty and strength in the face of adversity. By losing everything, will Nicola finally be able to live?
Read the first chapter and introduce yourself to Nicola Mills.
CHAPTER ONE
The first memory that Nicola had of hating her mother was in 1969. Gene Pitney was playing on the radio, as the
seven year old Nicola hopped from one foot to the other in a desperate attempt not to wet herself. She was standing in the back of the blue van which came around the estate in the absence of any decent shops. Nicola was balancing on a plastic crate which was waiting to be filled with empty pop bottles, craning to try and see behind the counter, into the bowels of the van, where her mother had gone to examine Mr Hills’s stock.
She could hear strange noises and what sounded like heavy breathing but she couldn’t see her mother. As the pee threatened to flow, she began calling to her mother desperately, but still no answer, just the strange sounds. As the scalding pee finally flooded down Nicola’s bare legs and hot shameful tears sprang from her eyes, she hated her mother more than she had ever hated anything.
Strange that her mind had reached for that early memory, one she hadn’t even known was there until she just
thought of it. Nicola wondered if it was her subconscious trying to comfort her by trawling through past humiliations as she sat here awaiting this latest one. She stared out of the window, across the field, her eyes settling on a group of magpies scavenging for food, she tried to count them but more kept joining and she couldn’t keep track. It was probably just as well she reasoned it was bound to be an unlucky number, heralding doom – her own doom. It was all so unfair, she had worked hard all her life, always doing the right thing and more and more she was coming to see that it got you exactly nowhere. Look at her feckless mother, who had never done the right thing in her life, she was doing just fine since turning up at Nicola’s expecting to be welcomed with open
arms.
Hearing somebody at the door, she looked up as Richard Warren entered the room, sitting at his desk, opposite
Nicola as he inspected the sheets of paper he had just been to retrieve.
“Sorry to keep you waiting Nic,” he offered, not sounding sorry at all. Nicola hated the arrogant little shit; she
couldn’t believe she had actually nurtured him when he had arrived at the school, twelve years before as a particularly inept NQT. And now look where they were; he was acting as Head Teacher, trying to prove himself as one of the big boys and she was about to be thrown under the bus. She should have let him drown all those years ago when he used to come snivelling into her office after the kids had wiped the floor with him.
He looked up now, giving her a patronising little smile which she wanted to wipe off his face.
“The thing is Nic, you are a great Head of Department, no doubt about that, but you are not applying the new
criteria for teaching and learning rigorously enough. We have got to weed out any weak teachers and we can only do that if we have the evidence. I believe and, the data supports me in this, that Molly is a weak teacher.” Nicola took a deep breath.
“Richard, as we all know, teaching is a tough job,”she stared him straight in the eye as she said this, hoping that
the words would strike home. “Molly is only in her second year, with a bit of support she will be a great teacher. I don’t think constantly monitoring people is particularly helpful.”
It was clear from his next words that Richard had not felt in any way targeted, “With all due respect Nicola,
that’s not your call to make. Now I want you to complete an observation on Molly. I have done mine and found her teaching to be inadequate; I would expect your evaluation to be the same.”
“What exactly are you telling me here, Richard?”
He sighed, showing some exasperation, “There is no place in a modern, thriving school for someone like
Molly Chambers. We need to move her on.”
“Move her on where?”
“Frankly, I don’t care but I want her out of my school. There have been parental complaints. We are due to be
inspected next year. She has to go.”
Nicola looked directly into Richard’s eyes, not bothering to hide her contempt for the pathetic, cold-blooded, excuse for a human being that he was.
“So where does that leave us Richard because I am not prepared to hound out a teacher who I believe just
needs a bit of guidance and encouragement?” Richard’s face had become very red and he couldn’t quite meet Nicola’s gaze as he spoke with a harsh finality.
“You either do your job, Nic, or I will be forced to do mine, which would be to recommend that you don’t have what it takes to be a Head of Department in a successful, modern school.” Nicola surprised herself when she actually threw back her head and laughed out loud in genuine amusement.
“Richard, you are truly the biggest wanker I have ever met. I’ll tell you what; you can have my notice now. I don’t
want to work in a modern, thriving, successful school anymore. Not while there are little weasels like you in charge anyway.”
Richard’s mouth fell open as he gaped at Nicola in astonishment.
“I’m shocked,” he said, “I always thought we were friends.”
“No, Richard, we were never friends. I felt sorry for you when you were pathetic but then you became the
archetypal worm that turned. I think that you will find that you don’t actually have any friends, not in this school anyway. Just the creeps, who tell you what you want to hear in order to further their own careers and everybody else pretty much hates you.”
“Nicola, you are suspended. I want you off the premises now.”
She didn’t even bother returning to her classroom, heading directly for the staff car park. Unfortunately, before
she reached the exit she came face to face with Jenny Ward, her Second in Department, who was almost as contemptible as Richard. She was one of the new breed of teachers, who seemed to care more about data and government targets than the kids. Nicola had little doubt that Jenny had been instrumental in getting them to this point. She would take Molly, an enthusiastic, dedicated, young woman, who actually loved working with kids over a thousand Jenny Wards. Sighing, she regarded Jenny, not bothering to hide her contempt for the other
woman.
“You should be happy now, Jenny, you have got what you wanted. You will be able to jump straight in and become Head of Department. Good luck weeding out all those failing teachers.” Nicola swept straight past Jenny not waiting for a response. She walked purposefully, head held high, holding her breath until she got to her car. Once inside, she began to shake as the reality of what she had done took hold.
Reviews
Oct 19, 2012Nicki rated it 5 stars
What a good story! This is one i only downloaded because it was a kindle freebie. The cover is uninspiring and doesn't do the book justice. I didn't really expect I would read it all. Just a free impulse download. Certainly nothing I would pay moneyfor. Imagine my surprise when this drew me in right from the start! I can honestly say I loved every minute of it and I did not skim once (and I'm terrible for that when I got bored). It was a refreshing change to read about a 50 year old heroine who quits her teaching job and persues her dream of owning a cafe. Along the way she is drawn into trouble with a crime gang and may also have met the man of her dreams in the process. I just loved the character of her mum, too, she is so funny. All the characters here are really good.Liked it so much I just downloaded two of the authors others for $3. Look forward to reading them!
Sep 17, 2012Rachael Thorne rated it 5 stars
I love a book that you can lose yourself in and identify with the characters, and this definitely falls into that category. Right from the start I found myself getting angry with other characters on Nicola’s behalf, a sure sign that my mind is lost in the story and a good sign that the writer has achieved their goal of creating a convincing world for the reader. This is a gritty story of an ordinary woman drawn into a world of crime and forced to watch her life spiralling out of control, whilst trying to keep things together. It never loses sight of what really matters though, that through everything the friendships and love these people have for each other must survive. This
is the first E.L. Lindley book I have read but it certainly won’t be my last. A great read.
Synopsis
For Nicola Mills, approaching middle age doesn’t seem so bad as she enjoys the settled, ordered life she has always dreamed of. Cracks start to appear, however, with the arrival of her mother, whose chaotic life threatens to overshadow Nicola’s routine. Life becomes even more uncertain when she loses her job but, encouraged by her friend Lizzie, Nicola embraces the opportunity to follow her dream and opens a seafront cafe. Fate it seems has other ideas though and, when one of her of her employees goes missing, Nicola is thrown into a dangerous world of crime and murder, which leaves her dreams in tatters. Dare To Lose, is a novel about friendship, loyalty and strength in the face of adversity. By losing everything, will Nicola finally be able to live?
Read the first chapter and introduce yourself to Nicola Mills.
CHAPTER ONE
The first memory that Nicola had of hating her mother was in 1969. Gene Pitney was playing on the radio, as the
seven year old Nicola hopped from one foot to the other in a desperate attempt not to wet herself. She was standing in the back of the blue van which came around the estate in the absence of any decent shops. Nicola was balancing on a plastic crate which was waiting to be filled with empty pop bottles, craning to try and see behind the counter, into the bowels of the van, where her mother had gone to examine Mr Hills’s stock.
She could hear strange noises and what sounded like heavy breathing but she couldn’t see her mother. As the pee threatened to flow, she began calling to her mother desperately, but still no answer, just the strange sounds. As the scalding pee finally flooded down Nicola’s bare legs and hot shameful tears sprang from her eyes, she hated her mother more than she had ever hated anything.
Strange that her mind had reached for that early memory, one she hadn’t even known was there until she just
thought of it. Nicola wondered if it was her subconscious trying to comfort her by trawling through past humiliations as she sat here awaiting this latest one. She stared out of the window, across the field, her eyes settling on a group of magpies scavenging for food, she tried to count them but more kept joining and she couldn’t keep track. It was probably just as well she reasoned it was bound to be an unlucky number, heralding doom – her own doom. It was all so unfair, she had worked hard all her life, always doing the right thing and more and more she was coming to see that it got you exactly nowhere. Look at her feckless mother, who had never done the right thing in her life, she was doing just fine since turning up at Nicola’s expecting to be welcomed with open
arms.
Hearing somebody at the door, she looked up as Richard Warren entered the room, sitting at his desk, opposite
Nicola as he inspected the sheets of paper he had just been to retrieve.
“Sorry to keep you waiting Nic,” he offered, not sounding sorry at all. Nicola hated the arrogant little shit; she
couldn’t believe she had actually nurtured him when he had arrived at the school, twelve years before as a particularly inept NQT. And now look where they were; he was acting as Head Teacher, trying to prove himself as one of the big boys and she was about to be thrown under the bus. She should have let him drown all those years ago when he used to come snivelling into her office after the kids had wiped the floor with him.
He looked up now, giving her a patronising little smile which she wanted to wipe off his face.
“The thing is Nic, you are a great Head of Department, no doubt about that, but you are not applying the new
criteria for teaching and learning rigorously enough. We have got to weed out any weak teachers and we can only do that if we have the evidence. I believe and, the data supports me in this, that Molly is a weak teacher.” Nicola took a deep breath.
“Richard, as we all know, teaching is a tough job,”she stared him straight in the eye as she said this, hoping that
the words would strike home. “Molly is only in her second year, with a bit of support she will be a great teacher. I don’t think constantly monitoring people is particularly helpful.”
It was clear from his next words that Richard had not felt in any way targeted, “With all due respect Nicola,
that’s not your call to make. Now I want you to complete an observation on Molly. I have done mine and found her teaching to be inadequate; I would expect your evaluation to be the same.”
“What exactly are you telling me here, Richard?”
He sighed, showing some exasperation, “There is no place in a modern, thriving school for someone like
Molly Chambers. We need to move her on.”
“Move her on where?”
“Frankly, I don’t care but I want her out of my school. There have been parental complaints. We are due to be
inspected next year. She has to go.”
Nicola looked directly into Richard’s eyes, not bothering to hide her contempt for the pathetic, cold-blooded, excuse for a human being that he was.
“So where does that leave us Richard because I am not prepared to hound out a teacher who I believe just
needs a bit of guidance and encouragement?” Richard’s face had become very red and he couldn’t quite meet Nicola’s gaze as he spoke with a harsh finality.
“You either do your job, Nic, or I will be forced to do mine, which would be to recommend that you don’t have what it takes to be a Head of Department in a successful, modern school.” Nicola surprised herself when she actually threw back her head and laughed out loud in genuine amusement.
“Richard, you are truly the biggest wanker I have ever met. I’ll tell you what; you can have my notice now. I don’t
want to work in a modern, thriving, successful school anymore. Not while there are little weasels like you in charge anyway.”
Richard’s mouth fell open as he gaped at Nicola in astonishment.
“I’m shocked,” he said, “I always thought we were friends.”
“No, Richard, we were never friends. I felt sorry for you when you were pathetic but then you became the
archetypal worm that turned. I think that you will find that you don’t actually have any friends, not in this school anyway. Just the creeps, who tell you what you want to hear in order to further their own careers and everybody else pretty much hates you.”
“Nicola, you are suspended. I want you off the premises now.”
She didn’t even bother returning to her classroom, heading directly for the staff car park. Unfortunately, before
she reached the exit she came face to face with Jenny Ward, her Second in Department, who was almost as contemptible as Richard. She was one of the new breed of teachers, who seemed to care more about data and government targets than the kids. Nicola had little doubt that Jenny had been instrumental in getting them to this point. She would take Molly, an enthusiastic, dedicated, young woman, who actually loved working with kids over a thousand Jenny Wards. Sighing, she regarded Jenny, not bothering to hide her contempt for the other
woman.
“You should be happy now, Jenny, you have got what you wanted. You will be able to jump straight in and become Head of Department. Good luck weeding out all those failing teachers.” Nicola swept straight past Jenny not waiting for a response. She walked purposefully, head held high, holding her breath until she got to her car. Once inside, she began to shake as the reality of what she had done took hold.
Reviews
Oct 19, 2012Nicki rated it 5 stars
What a good story! This is one i only downloaded because it was a kindle freebie. The cover is uninspiring and doesn't do the book justice. I didn't really expect I would read it all. Just a free impulse download. Certainly nothing I would pay moneyfor. Imagine my surprise when this drew me in right from the start! I can honestly say I loved every minute of it and I did not skim once (and I'm terrible for that when I got bored). It was a refreshing change to read about a 50 year old heroine who quits her teaching job and persues her dream of owning a cafe. Along the way she is drawn into trouble with a crime gang and may also have met the man of her dreams in the process. I just loved the character of her mum, too, she is so funny. All the characters here are really good.Liked it so much I just downloaded two of the authors others for $3. Look forward to reading them!
Sep 17, 2012Rachael Thorne rated it 5 stars
I love a book that you can lose yourself in and identify with the characters, and this definitely falls into that category. Right from the start I found myself getting angry with other characters on Nicola’s behalf, a sure sign that my mind is lost in the story and a good sign that the writer has achieved their goal of creating a convincing world for the reader. This is a gritty story of an ordinary woman drawn into a world of crime and forced to watch her life spiralling out of control, whilst trying to keep things together. It never loses sight of what really matters though, that through everything the friendships and love these people have for each other must survive. This
is the first E.L. Lindley book I have read but it certainly won’t be my last. A great read.