Breakfast at Cordelia's Aquarium

Breakfast at Cordelia's Aquarium
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 17
Release: 2015-04-05
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1910635421

This is a very short, fun interlude in the Hiding Behind The Couch series. Unlike the rest of the series, which is written in third-person (semi-omniscient) past tense, this short story is written in first-person present tense. It has no real bearing on anything else that happens in the series. It is what it is: an Easter Egg. It is entirely self-indulgent, for which I make no apologies. ~ Deb ~ * * * * * NOTE: this story should be read after Reunions (Season Seven).

Meredith's Dagger

Meredith's Dagger
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 495
Release: 2019-08-20
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786453193

Huddled in a doorway, unseen by the men passing on great horses, Meredith watched from within the hood of her cloak. The pain of the cold, wet morning impaled her, rooting her in place, even as the cat rubbed against her shins with a force that should have felled her. She shooed him away. Go home. But he would not. She wished she had died that night. She wished she had died, for to live like this was not to live at all. * * * When Richie Moorcroft takes a housekeeping position to finance his studies, it means moving back to his childhood home: an ancient, almost-derelict cottage locals claim is haunted. But he never believed those stories; he knows where they came from, and in any case, he has a job to do: keeping nineteen-year-old Julian Denby on the straight and narrow without Julian realising his wealthy parents are paying Richie to do so. Luckily, Julian’s not very astute, although the same can’t be said for their newest housemates: Richie’s bestie, Anneke, and Julian’s older sister, Tamara. Add in George, the cat who appeared from nowhere and is in no hurry to leave, and that makes five…about to uncover the sinister history of their new home.

Beginnings

Beginnings
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 80
Release: 2013-05-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1909192392

Journey back to childhood, where the buds of friendship blossom; take a peek into the lives of the primary schoolchildren who would become...The Circle. A prequel to the Hiding Behind The Couch books. As the title suggests, this short story focuses on the early school days, long before the birth of the full 'Circle' - a series of sectors, if you will. Contains no real spoilers, so can be read independently of the rest of the series and in any order. "A very sweet short story of blossoming friendships and childhood traumas." "...a wonderful, engaging story that made me feel good inside.... Highly recommended for readers who love richly written characters and clever dialogue." * * * * * WARNING: this story deals with themes of child sexual abuse, sudden infant death, and parents' marriage breakdown due to infidelity. All issues are written about sensitively and in a way that is intended to be accessible for children aged ten and above.

Perfect Tenor

Perfect Tenor
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 107
Release: 2021-12-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786455293

When his music fills your heart, note by note, beat by beat, and your harmonies entwine, effortless, complete. That’s how you’ll know you’ve found the perfect tenor. A cosy festive romance set in the world of Hiding Behind The Couch.

A Snowy Ball

A Snowy Ball
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 62
Release: 2017-12-19
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786451964

London: December, 1981. A White Christmas is on the cards, but as the temperature drops, the pressure on Arty mounts. He’s got far too much planned in the coming days to have it all buried under a mountain of snow. Between his retirement surprise for Jim and the Christmas party at the dance school, Arty might need to curtail his daydreaming a little to ensure everything comes together. Still, if all else fails, at least he and Jim have each other to keep them warm through the impending blizzard. Note: this story follows on from When Skies Have Fallen and as such contains spoilers for anyone who has not read the novel.

To Be Sure

To Be Sure
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 98
Release: 2017-12-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786451476

Saorla Tierney’s sons are conspiring against her, and at their age, they should know better. After all, she’s nearly seventy-one herself, and, quite frankly, whether she still ‘has needs’ is none of their business. OK, so, maybe she was a bit harsh with Sean when all he did was ask if she and Aileen wanted a double hotel room. And of course she feels bad for biting Finn’s head off when he was only having a wee joke. Between her grandson’s unconventional baptism and the decades-long feud between her sons, even with Aileen at her side it’s not as easy a decision as they seem to think. Or maybe it is. Saorla doesn’t know anymore, and until she’s sure… * * * * * To Be Sure is a stand-alone, novella-length character special in the Hiding Behind The Couch series. Chronologically, it comes a couple of months after the end of Reunions (Season Seven) and coincides with the ending of Reverberations.

Hiding Out

Hiding Out
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 98
Release: 2015-03-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1910635383

If any adult was going to get the chicken pox, it would be Sean Tierney. That alone would be bad enough, but his illness means friend and colleague, Josh Sandison-Morley, has to step in and face his fears: guest-speaking at a university in Norwich. As Josh gathers his husband and his foster daughter for the trip, he is unaware that their world is about to collide with that of another makeshift family: Noah and Matty's. Matty is agonising over his impending dance show. Sure, talent scouts will be in the audience, but there's an even bigger problem. Noah - Matty's on-again, off-again boyfriend - has promised to be there, too. And Matty's dance? It has a secret meaning he's not sure he's ready to reveal to Noah. Can Josh and Matty face their fears and perform for their respective crowds? More importantly, will the Sandison-Morleys' influence be enough to get the young men to express their feelings to each other before it's too late? This novella continues the stories of Josh and George from the Hiding Behind the Couch Series and Matty and Noah from the Checking Him Out Series.

The WAG and The Scoundrel

The WAG and The Scoundrel
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2016-09-22
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786450720

Three years after the death of his civil partner, DCI Gray Fisher is finally ready to make the break from the police. For too long, he has used his work as a means of survival; now, he’s looking forward to a nice, quiet life in academia. Investment banker Will Richards is a walking, talking contradiction. With his love of surfing and his farmhouse menagerie of rescue animals, he’s far removed from Gray’s idea of the perfect man, but that’s ‘not a problem’. Gray wants nothing more than friendship, and Will seems happy to accept that. After all, with his mum’s illness and resigning from his job, he’s got enough on his plate already. Assuming, of course, he’s telling the truth. When former colleague, Rob Simpson-Stone, asks for Gray’s help with a case of a destitute banker who faked his own death, Gray is understandably reluctant to get involved…until Rob reveals the identity of one of the suspects.

The Making Of Us

The Making Of Us
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2017-06-20
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786450437

When English Lit. student Jesse Thomas meets Leigh Hunter, he has to reconsider a few assumptions he's made about himself. Two years ago, Jesse joined Pride—the uni’s LGBT+ society—to support best friend Noah, and Noah’s boyfriend, Matty. As a straight, cismale ally, Jesse keeps a low profile—not difficult for someone as shy and body-conscious as he is. Leigh Hunter is Noah and Matty’s new housemate. Born with a life-threatening congenital condition, Leigh is intersex and identifies as queer—none of which alters Jesse’s conviction that they are the most beautiful person in the world. While Jesse and Leigh get to know each other, a new academic year begins in earnest, bringing with it the usual challenge of balancing work and play. Add in a week’s holiday in Cornwall that Jesse and Leigh half-wish they hadn’t agreed to, Jesse’s unplanned involvement in the election of Pride’s new officers, and some big decisions for Noah and Matty, it’s going to be an interesting semester all round. NOTE: this is a stand-alone novel, but you might wish to read the series in order. *** In the Checking Him Out Series Checking Him Out (Book One - Sol and Adam) Checking Him Out For The Holidays (Novella - Sol and Adam) Hiding Out (Novella - A crossover featuring Matty and Noah, and Josh, George and Libby from Hiding Behind The Couch) Taking Him On (Book Two - Noah and Matty) Checking In (Book Three - Sol and Adam) The Making of Us (Book Four - Jesse and Leigh)

Reverberations

Reverberations
Author: Debbie McGowan
Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
Total Pages: 577
Release: 2022-12-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786455668

Mysterious happenings are mounting up for Josh, Sean and their estranged alumni. Josh Sandison-Morley was born a sceptic. Why else would he insist there’s no such thing as ghosts when he’s eliminated every plausible explanation for the noises in his former therapy rooms? Sean Tierney’s having some ‘performance issues’. His GP says there’s no physical reason: his blood pressure is under control, and he’s stayed off the booze, ergo it’s all in his head. In the circumstances, being a palliative clinical psychologist isn’t proving (self-)helpful. Despite two decades of friendship and their grand plans to open a private psychotherapy centre, neither man confides in the other. That is, until news reaches them both, via different avenues, that their experiences are but part of a bizarre cluster of unexplained phenomena, for which there is only one common denominator. Whether real or the product of overwrought imaginations, Josh, Sean and their alumni must lay to rest the spectre of a once-beloved friend…or admit defeat and crawl back under the safe, weighty stones of the jobs and relationships they’ve left behind.