Jane Lambert - The Start of Something Wonderful

It’s never too late to follow your dreams …

Forty-year-old air stewardess Emily Forsyth thought she had everything a woman could wish for: a glamorous, jet-set lifestyle, a designer wardrobe, and a dishy pilot boyfriend. Until he breaks up with her …

Catapulted into a midlife crisis she wishes she’d had earlier, she decides to turn her life upside down, quitting her job and instead beginning to chase her long-held dreams of becoming an actress!

Leaving the skies behind her, Emily heads for the bright lights of London’s West End – but is it too late to reach for the stars?

Don’t miss this heart-warming and uplifting debut, perfect for fans of Colleen Coleman and Cate Woods!

The Start of Something Wonderful

Jane Lambert

ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Copyright Copyright Author Bio Dedication Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Acknowledgements Endpages

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018

Copyright © Jane Lambert 2018

Jane Lambert asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Excerpt from Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, translation by Peter Carson, is reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.

The extract from Miranda by Peter Blackmore is used by the express permission of the publishers, Creselles Publishing Company Limited, Colwall.

Lines from On Golden Pond by Ernest Thomson by kind permission of Earl Graham at The Graham Agency, New York.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © January 2018 ISBN: 978-0-00-828390-2

Version: 2017-12-12

JANE LAMBERT

taught English in Vienna then travelled the world as cabin crew, before making the life-changing decision to become an actor in her mid-thirties. She has appeared in ‘Calendar Girls’, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ and ‘Deathtrap’ in London's West End. The Start of Something Wonderful is her debut novel.

This book is dedicated to

my mum, who believed I could write,

and to my dad, who told me to get on with it.

Contents

Cover

Blurb It’s never too late to follow your dreams … Forty-year-old air stewardess Emily Forsyth thought she had everything a woman could wish for: a glamorous, jet-set lifestyle, a designer wardrobe, and a dishy pilot boyfriend. Until he breaks up with her … Catapulted into a midlife crisis she wishes she’d had earlier, she decides to turn her life upside down, quitting her job and instead beginning to chase her long-held dreams of becoming an actress! Leaving the skies behind her, Emily heads for the bright lights of London’s West End – but is it too late to reach for the stars? Don’t miss this heart-warming and uplifting debut, perfect for fans of Colleen Coleman and Cate Woods!

Title Page The Start of Something Wonderful Jane Lambert ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Copyright Copyright Copyright Author Bio Dedication Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Acknowledgements Endpages An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018 Copyright © Jane Lambert 2018 Jane Lambert asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. Excerpt from Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, translation by Peter Carson, is reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd. The extract from Miranda by Peter Blackmore is used by the express permission of the publishers, Creselles Publishing Company Limited, Colwall. Lines from On Golden Pond by Ernest Thomson by kind permission of Earl Graham at The Graham Agency, New York. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. E-book Edition © January 2018 ISBN: 978-0-00-828390-2 Version: 2017-12-12

Author Bio JANE LAMBERT taught English in Vienna then travelled the world as cabin crew, before making the life-changing decision to become an actor in her mid-thirties. She has appeared in ‘Calendar Girls’, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ and ‘Deathtrap’ in London's West End. The Start of Something Wonderful is her debut novel.

Dedication This book is dedicated to my mum, who believed I could write, and to my dad, who told me to get on with it.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Acknowledgements

Endpages

PROLOGUE

Reasons for and against giving up the glitzy, glamorous world of flying:

Pros:

No more cleaning up other people’s sick.

No more 2 a.m. wake-up calls, jet lag, swollen feet/stomach or shrivelled-up skin.

No more tedious questions like, ‘What’s that lake/mountain down there?’ and ‘Does the mile-high club really exist?’

No more serving kippers and poached eggs at 4 a.m. to passengers with dog-breath and smelly socks.

No more risk of dying from deep vein thrombosis, malaria, or yellow fever.

No more battles with passengers who insist that their flat-pack gazebo will fit into the overhead locker.