A Day That Changed Everything

Beth Moran

Description

At a time when I needed a lift, this novel came into my life.' 5* Reader Review

Amy Piper is in need of a bit of luck. She’s lost her confidence, her mojo and her way.

But one thing she has never lost is her total love for her thirteen-year-old son Joey, and for his sake she knows it’s time for a change. But first she has to be brave enough to leave the house…

What she needs are friends and an adventure. And when she joins a running group of women who call themselves The Larks, she finds both. Not to mention their inspiring (and rather handsome) coach, Nathan.

The trick to changing your life, is to take it one day at a time. Now, with every ounce of strength she has left, Amy is determined to make just one day special - for herself and for Joey. And who knows, today might be the day that changes everything…

Uplifting, funny and unforgettable, Beth Moran returns with a joyous tale of friendship, love and facing your fears.

This book was previously published as How Not to be a Loser.{::}**
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Praise for Beth Moran

'Beth Moran's heartwarming books never fail to leave me feeling uplifted' Jessica Redland

‘Life-affirming, joyful and tender.’ Zoe Folbigg
*
'Every day is a perfect day to read this.’ Shari Low

'A British author to watch.' *Publisher's Weekly
*
'A wonderfully warm-hearted story full of love and laughter.' Victoria Connelly

What readers are saying about A Day That Changed Everything:

'Beth Moran has such wonderful way with words and can brilliantly write about feelings'

'An inspirational story that will make you want to put on your trainers and go for a run. It is about second chances, friendship, love and hope'

'Hilarious and thought - provoking'

'Beth Moran has created a family dynamic that will capture your heart. At a time when I needed a lift, this novel came into my life.'

'Uplifting and inspiring.'

'I just binged this book in just over a day and really enjoyed it.'

'A poignant and heartwarming story that kept me turning pages as fast as I could.'

'Uplifting in the truest sense of the word'

'Such a positive story! A fabulous read and especially for everyone who has struggled, or is currently struggling, with life.'

'Wonderfully Inspirational'

'Warm and funny and inspiring.'

'From beginning to end this book had me hooked.'

'This uplifting and ultimately life-affirming story serves to remind us that help can come from the most unlikely people, and that maybe that first step is the most important.'

'A very beautiful story about second chances and friendship'

'Lovely read guaranteed to touch the heartstrings.'

Sujets

• Holidays
• Siblings
• Romantic Comedy
• Sibling
• General officer
• General
• Holiday
• Family Life
• Romance
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Boldwood Books
• Date de parution: 24 mars 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781838893392
• Langue: English

Extrait

A DAY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING


BETH MORAN
For my mother, Judith Robbins, a woman of extraordinary courage and wisdom. And in loving memory of Alan Sutherland who showed me that I was only afraid of the fear
The lark at break of day arising

From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate
SONNET 29
CONTENTS



1. Stop Being a Loser Plan

2. Stop Being a Loser Plan

3. Stop Being a Loser Plan/Programme

4. Stop Being a Loser Programme

5. Stop Being a Loser Programme

6. Stop Being a Loser Programme

7. Stop Being a Loser Programme

8. Stop Being a Loser Programme

9. Stop Being a Loser Programme

10. Stop Being a Loser Programme

11. Stop Being a Loser Programme

12. Stop Being a Loser Programme

13. Stop Being a Loser Programme

14. Stop Being a Loser Programme

15. Stop Being a Loser Programme

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19. Stop Being a Loser Programme

20. Stop Being a Loser Programme

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27. Stop Being a Loser Programme

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29. Stop Being a Loser Programme

30. Stop Being a Loser Programme

31. Stop Being a Loser Programme

32. Stop Being a Loser Programme

33. Stop Being a Loser Programme

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40. Stop Being a Loser Programme

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42. Stop Being a Loser Programme

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58. Stop Being a Loser Programme

59. Stop Being a Loser Programme

60. Stop Being a Loser Programme

61. Stop Being a Loser Programme

62. Stop Being a Loser Programme

63. Stop Being a Loser Programme


More from Beth Moran

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Beth Moran

About Boldwood Books
1

STOP BEING A LOSER PLAN
DAY ONE

It wasn’t intentional. I didn’t get woken up by my phone alarm blaring, spring out of bed and decide today was the day. I didn’t open up Facebook and one of those irritating quotes – embrace the rain if you want to dance under the rainbow – actually inspired someone for the first time ever to change something. After cajoling my son, Joey, out of bed, I didn’t gaze at his beautiful face as he poured a second giant bowl of cereal, raving about the school football match coming up, and in a surge of love and regret suddenly experience the pivotal moment in a decade of non-moments.
In fact, apart from the invitation that arrived in the morning post, most of the day went precisely as expected. Which was, in summary, exactly the same as pretty much every other weekday. I waved Joey off to school, reminding him to hand in the form about the meeting that evening and cleared away the breakfast dishes. I worked at my desk in the kitchen, breaking the monotony of writing about corporate social responsibility policies by swanning off to eat lunch in the living room, because that’s the type of wild and crazy woman I am.
I rescued Joey’s football kit from festering on his bedroom floor and stuck it in the wash, because despite telling myself on a daily basis that it’s time he learnt the hard way, circumstances dictate that I also live with an extra-large pile of parental guilt, so I make life easier for him where I can.
By the time Joey came home at four, I had spoken to no one since he left, unless you count talking to myself. Oh, and to the enormous spider who appeared out of nowhere and started edging across the kitchen while I debated whether to have another chocolate cookie or the bag of seeds I’d bought precisely to avoid eating a whole packet of cookies.
‘I’d get out of here if I were you. While your impressive size might earn you respect in the spider world, my son doesn’t take kindly to home invasions by anything with more legs than him, and he’ll be home any minute. Go on, shoo. Or else I’ll have to squish you.’
Too late. While the spider was weighing up whether to heed my advice, Joey burst through the front door, in his usual whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm.
‘Hey, Mum. I’m starving, are there any of those cookies left?’
I clicked save and pushed my chair back to face him. ‘Hi, Joey, and yes, I had an okay day, thanks. How was yours?’
‘Oh. Sorry, yeah. It was good, actually.’ He paused, mid-search of the snack cupboard, to offer an apologetic smile. ‘We did this experiment in science where we had to heat up this white stuff, and— WHAAAAAAT!?’
In an instant, my strapping thirteen-year-old reverted to a frightened child, leaping up to sit on the worktop, cookie packet hugged protectively to his chest.
‘How long’s that been there?’ he shrieked.
‘Not long.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me the biggest spider in the universe was right behind me?’
It was a pointless question. We had been through this too many times before. Joey knew that the reason I hadn’t told him was because of what would inevitably happen next.
And, in line with the rest of the day’s predictability, it did. After a brief negotiation about Joey’s phobia, the value of the spider’s life and what I was willing and able to do about both these things, given that I didn’t think it was quite worthy of calling either the police or pest control, I ended up scooping the monster arachnid in both hands and facing my own worst nightmare.
‘Ready?’ Joey looked at me with solemn eyes as he gripped the door handle. He tried to keep his voice steady, but the rise and fall of his chest betrayed his terror.
I nodded, aware that my own eyes, while the exact same light brown as my son’s – caramel, his dad used to call them – were darting wildly like two wasps caught in a Coke bottle.
Before I had time to take another wheezing, shallow breath, Joey flung the door open and ducked behind it. I threw myself forwards, crashing against the door frame, eyes now firmly squeezed shut, and flicked my hand outside. A sudden gust of wind sent me reeling back in panic.
‘CLOSE THE DOOR!’ I gasped, clutching at my heart as it careened about my ribcage and stumbling back into the middle of the kitchen.
‘Is it gone? Are you sure it’s gone?’ Joey garbled back.
‘Yes! It’s gone. CLOSE THE DOOR, JOEY, NOW!’
I heard the door slam, took another two calming breaths and forced my eyes to take a peek. ‘Oh, please.’
The spider levelled me an ironic gaze from the welcome mat. It was so humungous I could see the lazy challenge in each of its eight eyes.
‘What? What? What is it? Is it still here?’ Joey spoke from where he’d scrambled behind me.
‘It might be.’
‘WHAT? Where-is-it-what’s-it-doing-is-it-moving-is-it-near-me-how-is-it-still-inside? MUUUUUM!’
‘It may have blown back in and now be sitting on the mat.’
‘Then throw it out again!’ Joey whined, the good nature that insisted we went through this palaver, rather than simply squashing the spider, hiding behind his fear. ‘Maybe you could lean right out this time, make sure it’s really outside.’
While I contemplated this impossibility, the spider took a couple of exploratory steps across the mat.
My teenage son screamed at a pitch that would have been unreachable if his voice wasn’t currently breaking, and before I could react, the spider was pinned to the mat beneath two fork prongs.
We stared in awed silence for a few seconds. The spider waved one leg, like a feeble farewell.
‘Joey, I can’t believe you hit it from that distance. You are one impressive athlete.’
‘I didn’t mean to hurt it.’ He grabbed my arm, distraught. ‘It was, like, an automatic reflex thing.’
‘It’s pretty cool, though. Maybe you’re actually a superhero and now you’re thirteen your powers are starting to manifest.’
‘A superhero wouldn’t murder an innocent life with a fork.’
‘They might kill a bug by accident while still learning to control their new capabilities.’ I put one weak arm around him, as the bug in question assumed the classic death curl, as best it could while stabbed in two places.
‘You’re still going to put it outside, aren’t you?’
‘It’s dead. Can’t it go in the bin?’
‘No!’ Joey bumped against me, beseechingly. ‘I’ll know it’s there. What if it’s not really dead, and it recovers enough to crawl back out and drag itself up the stairs while I’m asleep, looking for revenge.’
‘What revenge? Poking you with it’s one remaining leg?’
‘Mu-uu-uum!’
‘I could post it out the letter box?’ I didn’t normally indulge my son like this. But I had my irrational fear, he had his (‘ Really, Amy, is it really irrational to be nervous about going into a world where people get run over, mugged, mocked, detained by security when they accidentally steal a packet of tampons? ’ my anxiety leered). When it came to patience and understanding, I owed Joey a lifetime debt.
He took one look at my face, then slumped away from me. ‘It’s fine. I’ll call Cee-Cee.’
‘No!’ I fought to wrestle back the returning panic at the mere thought of opening the door again and reminded myself that feeling like I couldn’t suck in enough oxygen to survive didn’t make it true. ‘Give me a minute, and I’ll put a cup over it. Then I’ll throw it