The Vine (41 page)

I think Luke will put that down to one of the hardest moments of his life, having to watch me in that much pain, knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. It was also the day he told me that his Angel turned into a demon, shouting and swearing and throwing flannels at him when he was just trying to mop my brow to ease the pain. Katy, who was also with us on delivery day, piped up with, “Yeah, Lucas, that will do it. Nothing like a good old flannel to ease the pain of childbirth.” He scowled at her while I briefly cracked up, laughing hysterically before turning on poor Luke again with more insults. He said it was like watching reruns of Jekyll and Hyde.

It was all worth it when Dylan and Honor entered our lives and turned our worlds upside down in the best way ever. Luke has stopped giving me pennies for my thoughts, as after we were married he said there was no need. Any concerns or worries I had from here on in I had to share with him immediately so he could take the burden from me; he really is the most incredible, thoughtful, caring, loving man.
Just like my dad
, I think smiling.

I still have a pot with all the pennies in it Luke had given me during our time together; I don’t think he even knows I kept them all. I’m hoping that one day I will use them on our children so they’ll know they can tell us anything, and never to bottle things up because if you do, they can end up destroying you—as I know only too well.

I enter our study and plonk the baby monitor onto the desk as I slide myself into the over-sized chair and open my laptop. After months of writing notes, today is the day I’m about to start what I hope will be my debut novel under my pen name Ella Castel, and I think briefly about where to start. Excitement fills me at this momentous point in my life, and I smile as I begin…

There are two things that are certain in life—birth and death.

I have times when I’m so glad I was born, and I pray death will never take me because it feels so good to be alive.

In between life and death, there are key people and moments that define you as a person. I am Elizabeth Jane Castle, and here is who I believe are the people, and also the moments during my life that define me—my best friend Katy, my parents, meeting and marrying the love of my life and having my beautiful children.

I have learnt to turn my back on misery, because happiness can be just around the corner. You can have that happily ever after; it is possible. I know because I lived it, and this is my story.

THE END

It has been my dream forever to write a book, and I’ve finally done it.

Two things were the catalyst for me; firstly, I turned 40, and secondly, a conversation I had whilst having coffee with friends one morning. After confessing what I’d really like to do, one of my friends said, “Go and buy yourself a notepad and start writing some ideas, right now, today.” I did just that, and “The Vine” is the end product. T, I definitely owe you a coffee! The other friend there on that day was Louise, and she has been through this whole journey with me. She has read this book so many times, and as an avid reader of books in this genre, I took every word of her advice and I can’t thank her enough for her support. *
fist bump explosion
*

It’s been an amazing experience, and one I’m going to pursue further because I’ve got the writing bug, but I was truly plunged into a world that was completely alien to me, and would have never made it without some professional help.

A massive Thank you to Andy and James and the team at FMG. Andy, not only are you a professional in all that you do, but you are a great friend too, and James, you have been an absolute gem when this novice has been in meltdown. I can’t thank you both enough and am eternally grateful.

I’d also like to thank Emma Graves for her outstanding and professional work on the gorgeous cover of “The Vine”. Thanks for your patience and for working with me to get the exact cover I wanted; it’s perfect for Lucas and Lizzy’s story and truly beautiful.

There are two other ladies who I have to say are the most wonderful, encouraging people I know, and I would have loved to have been there when they received my manuscript. I bet their faces were a picture, thinking,
Geez, we’ve got our work cut out here.
I couldn’t ask for better Editors, so thank you Becky, Kayla and all the team at Hot Tree Editing. Becky, thank you for being there; knowing I could contact you with any worries took a lot off of my mind. Kayla the Bibliophile, what can I say? You are a superstar. My British words made you laugh, and your comments made me laugh right back, not to mention that filthy mind of yours! Remember, my mum’s got to read this.

As an Indie author, you rely on help from book blogs, the women who run these blogs do a wonderful job even though they often have careers and families to juggle. A massive Thank-you to Gitte & Jenny at Totally Booked who are just awesome and also a huge Thank-you to the four wonders, Jo, Natalie, Francesca and Krystle, who make up “Four Brits and a Book”; you are all honest, frank and so supportive, and your banter just cracks me up.

Thank you in advance to any other book blogs that will be supporting my journey; you are all so good at what you do, and I really do appreciate all your efforts.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I must thank all my family—especially my husband, Jamie, for his support and encouragement, and for putting up with a messy house at times when writing was taking priority over housework, my two girls, for being as quiet as they could be when Mummy was writing (not easy for a seven and nine year old) and my Mum, for being the strongest woman I know and for putting up with my missing visits. I love you all.

Lastly, a humongous thank you to readers everywhere; if one person reads this book and it makes them smile, cry or even laugh out loud, then I’ve accomplished everything I set out to do!

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED “THE VINE”.

WHAT’S COMING NEXT FROM C.A ELLIS…

YOU MET HIM BRIEFLY IN “THE VINE”, NOW FIND

OUT MORE ABOUT SEXY ROCKSTAR,

JETT MATTHEWS in:

JETSON

COMING IN 2015

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