Author Post. Christine Stovell

Today's guest is Christine Stovell and she will be sharing her favorite scene from her new book, Follow a Star.

Follow A Star: My Favourite Scene

I loved writing Follow A Star, perhaps because the two main characters May Starling and Bill Blythe suggested themselves to me very quickly.  I knew exactly how each of them would set the other off, so I put them on a small yacht together and had a lot of fun creating sparks and misunderstandings between them.  It’s hard to pick out one scene in particular, but as someone who went from novice sailor to sailing half way round the British coast in a little wooden boat, there’s one scene where I was able to draw on my own experience of almost getting us sunk by a French Navy vessel to ramp up the tension between May and Bill. Like me, May was ordered to retrieve the grab bag – the survival kit filled with emergency supplies.  Here she is preparing for the worst:

‘Is it going to hit us?’ she asked, hoping that Bill would laugh and tell her not to be such a silly girl; couldn’t she see it was miles away? But Bill remained silent, keeping his eye on the huge great monster slicing almost malevolently through the water towards them.

‘Is it—’

‘I heard you,’ Bill snapped tersely. ‘Just get ready.’

Ready for what? Ready to fall cleanly over the side only to be shredded by the prop shaft of the container vessel? Ready to be horribly mangled, caught between steel and wood like a clove of garlic on a chopping board? Ready to drift for days in her life jacket and finally be washed up on some distant shore where they’d shake their heads and say ‘Poor girl, if only she’d been able to get at her Mars Bar.’ How could she get ready to die when she hadn’t had sex for weeks? She was practically a virgin again. She hadn’t even had time to be kissed by Bill!

‘Bill! Kiss me, Bill!’

He shot her a look of sheer exasperation. ‘May, this is no time to do your Nelson impression. If you think I’m letting go of anything until this thing’s gone past you’ve got to be joking.’

You did say “gone past”, didn’t you?’

Bill grinned. ‘Just look, will you? But make sure you’re braced until we’re clear of the wash.’ 

Sure enough the massive stern was gliding slowly by, close enough to make out a few tiny faces aboard, but far enough away for Lucille to be out of danger. Only when it finally dwindled to bath tub size in the distance did May’s nerves feel convinced. Sinking back into the cockpit she thanked her lucky stars, and anyone else who might have an interest, for her deliverance. She could breathe! Flex her toes and fingers! Feel the sun on her face! Hear Bill saying—

‘What?’

‘I said, about that kiss …’

And in case you’re wondering, the French Navy vessel squeezed past us too, and as for my skipper?  Reader, I married him!

Thank you Christine for this post :)

PS. Stay tuned for my review of Follow a star tomorrow :)

Follow a star is available in paperback tomorrow and out now on all eBook platforms.' Amazon UK  / US

Sometimes your heart’s the only navigator you need .
May Starling’s had enough of her demanding career and even more demanding ex. Responding to a ‘crew-wanted’ ad, she follows her dreams of escape only to find herself at sea with red-haired Bill Blythe.

Bill warns May that close-quartered living can create a boiling pot of emotions, but even May is surprised by the heat building up inside the vintage wooden boat. And when May and Bill tie up at Watling’s Boatyard in Little Spitmarsh, May’s determined to test her new-found feelings on dry land. 

But May’s dream of escaping her former life is in danger of being swept away when several unwelcome blasts from the past follow her ashore, all seemingly hell-bent on reminding her it’s never that easy to clear the decks. 

You can find Christine on her blog Home Thoughts Weekly, tweet her at @chrisstovell and find her on Facebook.