Today I have the very great pleasure of welcoming fellow author, and RNA chum,
Kathleen Whyman to the blog!
She's sharing the inspiration behind, and telling us all about, her fantastic debut -
WIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM
'Stop talking about writing a book and just write one.'
It was these words, delivered by my seven-year-old daughter, that gave me the push I needed to write the novel – Wife Support System – that I’d been thinking about (and clearly talking about!) for a long time.
The inspiration for the book had come on a typically frantic day. I was trying to test spellings, get to an after-school club, cook dinner, book a plumber and meet a work deadline. Oh, and make a gas mask for a school project that was due in the next day! Many of my friends were struggling in the same way and it occurred to me that if we lived together, we could help each other out and life would be much easier.
I’m not as brave as the three women in my book to do this (although I was often as desperate during lockdown!), but thought it’d make a great story, that many women could relate to.
Frustrated friends!
Wife Support System (published by Hera Books and available in paperback, ebook and audiobook) is humorous women's fiction featuring three friends who are frustrated by the lack of support they get in their family homes. They decide they’ve got the balance wrong. Instead of living with their partners and struggling with careers, childcare and housework by themselves, they should live together and help each other out, and date their partners.
At first, life’s easier when the childcare and workload is shared, but over time resentment builds, as they judge each other’s parenting styles and bicker over cleaning, cooking and whose turn it is to buy toilet rolls.
Can Erica, Louise and Polly keep their friendships and relationships strong, as one has her head turned by a handsome colleague, one resorts to spying on her husband and one fights to keep a dark secret? Or will their perfect mumtopia fall apart?
As I don’t have my own wife support system, it took seven years to write, but, having dreamt of being a published author all my life, it was worth the wait!
Write here
My children are a bit older now (12 and 14 – I wasn’t exaggerating when I said Wife Support System took me seven years!), so I have more time to write and have finished my second novel, which was shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print prize in the unpublished category.
When we’re not in lockdown, I write at the library. It’s the best way of ensuring I don’t get distracted by jobs at home, although I do get distracted by all the books! It’s so important to support libraries. If we don’t use them, we’ll lose them. I’m very glad they’ll be reopening soon and thrilled that Wife Support System will be on their shelves!
How to buy…
Wife support System by Kathleen Whyman is available in paperback, ebook and audiobook.
Amazon https://amzn.to/2Nm50BM
Waterstones https://bit.ly/3rIrig2
Foyles https://bit.ly/3voW5kl
Wordery https://bit.ly/3tpUcC5
Apple https://apple.co/2zJTskY
Your local book shop can also order it in if it’s not in stock (in other words, if my mum got to the shop before you!).
About Kathleen Whyman
Kathleen Whyman is an author, freelance journalist and copywriter.
Kathleen’s debut novel, Wife Support System, was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon award. Kathleen’s novel Second Wife Syndrome was shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print prize in the Unpublished Comic Novel category. Although very pleased to have been nominated, Kathleen’s still gutted that both awards evenings were cancelled due to Covid. There were going to be party bags and everything!
Kathleen writes a column for Writers’ Forum and contributes to the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s magazine Romance Matters. She also wrote short stories for Jackie magazine in her teens. These were, thankfully, never printed.
Kathleen lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and two daughters.
Contact Kathleen at
Twitter – @kathleenwhyman1
Instagram – @kathleenwhymanauthor
Facebook – @kathleenwhymanauthor
Photography ©Alexa Loy Photography
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