Finding happiness one stitch at a time
When Dee Blackthorn’s brother, JP, breaks both wrists not only is he in need of a helping hand – or two – but the knitting shop he owns can’t function. Sisterly duties take Dee away from her demanding job and she is unceremoniously fired amidst rumours of inappropriate behaviour. Dee is certain that her hot-shot nemesis, Ben, is behind it all but has no proof.
When Dee bumps into an old friend who is new mum to a premature baby she convinces JP to enlist his knitting pals to make lots of tiny woolly hats. Then Ben turns up denying involvement in Dee’s sacking and she ropes him into helping the knitting cause.
But before long Dee’s good intentions backfire and she risks losing her friends, her family and Ben, who’s turned out to be not so bad after all…
But before long Dee’s good intentions backfire and she risks losing her friends, her family and Ben, who’s turned out to be not so bad after all…
A feel-good romantic comedy about learning what life is really all about, The Woolly Hat Knitting Club is perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Tilly Tennant and Carole Matthews.
Links to Book:
Guest Post
Write as you go…
My average writing day is hard to describe.
Because where and when I write has to change so frequently that there is no
average and it’s extremely rare I get a whole day to spend at my keyboard. Most
often, I write in manic hour-long bursts first thing in the morning before my
day job begins, with a steaming cup of tea by my side, and then during my lunch
break if I can, trying not to get sandwich filling on my laptop. If I am very
very lucky, once a year I book myself into a tiny cottage in the middle of
nowhere and write my socks off. The last time I did this I got around 9,000 words
down. Rough, first draft words, but still! I felt like I’d run a marathon and
only kept myself going by mainlining Maltesers.
This doesn’t sound ideal, I know, but there
are actually some real advantages to having to squeeze your writing into a tiny
chunk of time. 1) There is NO opportunity for procrastination. When the clock
is ticking down on your 60 minutes, you’re much less likely to spend 23 of
those of Twitter and another 17 looking for the perfect pair of grey ankle
boots with leopard print accents (by the way, if anyone does find those, please
let me know). 2) Waffling begone! I have a tendency to lapse into pointless
rambling jokes or reflections when given too much rope but with a limited
writing session I just want to get on with carving out the story so the plot
really shines through. 3) No time for obsessing! It can be really easy to start
a writing session by pouring over what you did last time and fiddling with a
word here or a comma there. With a countdown hanging over me, I just need to
barrel on with the next scene so I’m not guilty of too much constant editing.
I’ve written two books in the last year and
I’m still not sure how I managed it around full time work, plus family and
friends, but I think weirdly even if I had been writing full time I wouldn’t
have been any more productive. I tend to fit the deadline I’m given, however
long. And I love that last minute rush of speeding towards the finish line! So
that woman you spot in the local cafe at 8.30am, typing like a mad thing, only
stopping to slurp back to tea and cram in a bit of toasted tea cake - that’s
me. But please don’t say hello just now, because I’m on a deadline.
About The Author
Poppy Dolan self-published her first book, The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp, in 2012 and was amazed that someone other than her mum bought it. It made the Amazon top 100 and no former boyfriends have since come forward to sue.
Her next book, There's More to Life than Cupcakes, was published in the autumn of 2013. It's about baking, babies and not knowing when to grow up.
Poppy's third book The Bluebell Bunting Society was a published in 2017 and tells the story of a little community pulling together in their hour of need, and how a little crafting can go a long way.
Book number is The Woolly Hat Knitting Club and is about a brother and sister who need to rescue their family haberdashery before their woolly world unravels...
When she's not glued to her laptop, Poppy loves cooking, reading and getting emotional over reality TV. She is in her mid-thirties and lives just outside London with her husband. She writes in a coffee shop nicknamed Terence and also - when it's not too chilly - in the shed.
You can get in touch with Poppy on Twitter @poppydwriter and on Facebook at PoppyDolanBooks. She doesn't bite. Unless you are a muffin.
Her next book, There's More to Life than Cupcakes, was published in the autumn of 2013. It's about baking, babies and not knowing when to grow up.
Poppy's third book The Bluebell Bunting Society was a published in 2017 and tells the story of a little community pulling together in their hour of need, and how a little crafting can go a long way.
Book number is The Woolly Hat Knitting Club and is about a brother and sister who need to rescue their family haberdashery before their woolly world unravels...
When she's not glued to her laptop, Poppy loves cooking, reading and getting emotional over reality TV. She is in her mid-thirties and lives just outside London with her husband. She writes in a coffee shop nicknamed Terence and also - when it's not too chilly - in the shed.
You can get in touch with Poppy on Twitter @poppydwriter and on Facebook at PoppyDolanBooks. She doesn't bite. Unless you are a muffin.
