Rachel Dann - Pieces of My Life

A journey she never expected…

Kirsty is happy. Really , she is. After five years with her boyfriend, Harry, she’s ready to take things to the next step and turn that spare room into a little nursery. And she thought Harry was too.

Only, it turns out that Harry’s ‘big news’ is actually not that he wants to try for a baby, but that he wants to travel to South America – with Kirsty! She’ll just have to trust that after their trip of a lifetime, Harry will be ready to settle down for good.

Arriving in hot, steamy Ecuador it soon becomes clear that Harry is hiding something. Something that he’s been hiding for years. And as Kirsty’s dreams are at risk of shattering, she begins to pick up the pieces of the life that she’s put off for so long…

Don’t miss this uplifting debut from Rachel Dann, perfect for fans of Sara Alexander, Jules Wake and Isabelle Broom.

Pieces of My Life

Rachel Dann

ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Contents

Cover

Blurb A journey she never expected… Kirsty is happy. Really , she is. After five years with her boyfriend, Harry, she’s ready to take things to the next step and turn that spare room into a little nursery. And she thought Harry was too. Only, it turns out that Harry’s ‘big news’ is actually not that he wants to try for a baby, but that he wants to travel to South America – with Kirsty! She’ll just have to trust that after their trip of a lifetime, Harry will be ready to settle down for good. Arriving in hot, steamy Ecuador it soon becomes clear that Harry is hiding something. Something that he’s been hiding for years. And as Kirsty’s dreams are at risk of shattering, she begins to pick up the pieces of the life that she’s put off for so long… Don’t miss this uplifting debut from Rachel Dann, perfect for fans of Sara Alexander, Jules Wake and Isabelle Broom.

Title Page Pieces of My Life Rachel Dann ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Author Bio RACHEL DANN was born in Sussex and grew up with her nose in a book, always dreaming of becoming an author. Her first finished work was a story about two rival horses which was read out to the class by her primary school teacher, much to her mortification. Rachel feels very fortunate to have travelled the world from a young age, accompanying her father on many adventures in Europe, the USA and beyond. Her childhood travels fuelled Rachel’s interest in languages and she graduated from Durham University in Spanish and Italian. She has visited many parts of Latin America, and spent some time in the Yucatan, Mexico, teaching English to the local police. Rachel was overjoyed to become a mother the same year she wrote this book and currently lives in Quito, Ecuador with her young family.

Acknowledgements My heartfelt thanks go to Charlotte Mursell and all at HQ Digital who believed in this book based on just a few chapters, sent in a moment of crazy hope…and for their subsequent patience with me as I tried, and failed, to meet deadlines during late pregnancy and early motherhood. Thank you for all your guidance which helped shape a story into a novel. Eternal thanks to my Mum and Dad, to whom I owe everything, for your love and support; and also to my bonus parents – David, Pauline, Pam, Victoria and Daniel, for all you do and have done for me. Siempre gracias a mi querido Alex, for supporting me, for being nothing like Harry, and for all the long walks you took that enabled me to do this. And to our precious Sofia for your patience and good nature with us both…you are my daily inspiration and joy, and everything I do is for you. Massive thanks to my two most valued critics – Janine Swann, for being my partner in crime (and writing) since we were small, and Debbie Carbin, a.k.a. Beth Thomas, for your ongoing feedback, ideas and insistence that I gave this a shot in the first place. You both inspired and encouraged me to keep going when I felt I couldn't. Thank you to my dear Unc for your support and guidance, and for being a lifelong example of making dreams come true through writing. Big thanks to all my wonderful friends, and other tenuously related people, in particular Zach, Beth, Amy, Roberta, Tam, Ania, Tania, Rory, MSL… Thank you also to Kirsty Mc for going on the original adventure with me, and for letting me borrow your name. If it does not sound too strange to thank a country, I also feel an immense gratitude to Ecuador, especially Quito…the place that has become my second home, and whose vibrant beauty and diversity provide the perfect setting for anyone who wants to write. Last but not least, this book owes so much to the women whose experiences I have heard about, and whom I have had the privilege to meet, in prison in South America. You gave me a new perspective on life, and I hope that through this I have gone a little way towards telling your stories.

Dedication For Sofia, with all my heart.

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

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Endpages

Copyright

RACHEL DANN

was born in Sussex and grew up with her nose in a book, always dreaming of becoming an author. Her first finished work was a story about two rival horses which was read out to the class by her primary school teacher, much to her mortification.

Rachel feels very fortunate to have travelled the world from a young age, accompanying her father on many adventures in Europe, the USA and beyond. Her childhood travels fuelled Rachel’s interest in languages and she graduated from Durham University in Spanish and Italian. She has visited many parts of Latin America, and spent some time in the Yucatan, Mexico, teaching English to the local police.

Rachel was overjoyed to become a mother the same year she wrote this book and currently lives in Quito, Ecuador with her young family.

My heartfelt thanks go to Charlotte Mursell and all at HQ Digital who believed in this book based on just a few chapters, sent in a moment of crazy hope…and for their subsequent patience with me as I tried, and failed, to meet deadlines during late pregnancy and early motherhood. Thank you for all your guidance which helped shape a story into a novel.

Eternal thanks to my Mum and Dad, to whom I owe everything, for your love and support; and also to my bonus parents – David, Pauline, Pam, Victoria and Daniel, for all you do and have done for me.

Siempre gracias a mi querido Alex, for supporting me, for being nothing like Harry, and for all the long walks you took that enabled me to do this. And to our precious Sofia for your patience and good nature with us both…you are my daily inspiration and joy, and everything I do is for you.

Massive thanks to my two most valued critics – Janine Swann, for being my partner in crime (and writing) since we were small, and Debbie Carbin, a.k.a. Beth Thomas, for your ongoing feedback, ideas and insistence that I gave this a shot in the first place. You both inspired and encouraged me to keep going when I felt I couldn't.

Thank you to my dear Unc for your support and guidance, and for being a lifelong example of making dreams come true through writing.

Big thanks to all my wonderful friends, and other tenuously related people, in particular Zach, Beth, Amy, Roberta, Tam, Ania, Tania, Rory, MSL… Thank you also to Kirsty Mc for going on the original adventure with me, and for letting me borrow your name.