




Fantasy has always been part of M. K. Theodoratus’s life from having an imaginary friend to reading. Now she also writes fantasy.

Fantasy has always been part of M. K. Theodoratus’s life from having an imaginary friend to reading. Now she also writes fantasy.
A Cornish town is slowly fracturing under the weight of its growing university…
Prominent businessman, Harry Manchester will not stand by and see his beloved hometown turned into a student ghetto — and many residents and students are relying on him.
But Harry’s stance sets him on a collision course with Dawn Goldberg, formidable Vice Chancellor of Poltowan University, who is set on doubling its size and cementing her career legacy.
As Harry’s marriage falls apart, his business comes under threat, and fellow traders accuse him of halting progress, Dawn is battling her own demons, not least the need to live up to her late father’s expectations and erase the memory of his tragic death.
There can only be one victor in this battle for the soul of a close-knit community…
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EXCERPT
(From Chapter 9)
This extract features the character of Dawn Goldberg, the ambitious Vice Chancellor of Poltowan University, as she recalls her late father.
Her memory of that day was a blur, almost to the point that she sometimes questioned whether she had been in the car with her father at all. He had been taking her to her entrance exam at the nearby girls’ school, something he had perceived as a formality for the brilliantly academic Dawn – not that she possessed the same level of confidence in herself. Until then she had been unduly tainted by her mother’s unrelentingly gloomy outlook, believing that her father was, in contrast, overly ambitious on her behalf, riddling her with a desperate anxiety that she would fail him.
Bramley Hill was a twenty-five-minute journey, along roads that her father had driven numerous times. He loved to drive his green Cortina Mk4, purchased from his savings when it rolled off the production line the year before. She often helped him to wash and polish it on Saturday afternoons, and sometimes he would let her top up the oil and check the water. On occasion she would lie under the car next to him as he worked on the underside, revelling in the dark intimacy they shared, her mother tutting and berating her from the kitchen window. It was during these times that his faith in her began to permeate Dawn’s mind, nourishing her self-belief and feeding her courage; letting her dare to dream. He was a man of few words, often quiet and reserved, but he chose those few words carefully, and she treasured every one of them. How she had longed to know all his thoughts.
Other times he would stand with his head under the bonnet for hours, removing parts and replacing them, humming to himself. It was when he was at his happiest; it was when he was at his kindest.
She had insisted on sitting in the back seat that day. She wanted to do some last-minute, uninterrupted revision on her French verbs. Her father had sat silently in the driver’s seat, his oversized brown suit jacket looking faintly ridiculous on his narrow shoulders. He had bought it when he was promoted to factory manager some two years before. It had always been slightly too big for him, almost as if he thought the higher rank, the improved status, would in itself take up the slack. His hair had been slicked across his head in the way he wore it on important occasions. His very demeanour suggested he had finally arrived, that his life’s journey had been about this moment.
Author Bio
Nicola K Smith is a freelance journalist contributing to a number of titles including the The Times, Guardian.co.uk, BBC.co.uk, BBC Countryfile and Sainsbury’s Magazine. She lives in Falmouth, Cornwall, a town which inspired A Degree of Uncertainty, although it is set in the fictional Cornish town of Poltowan.
Social Media Links
Twitter: @NicolaKSmith
Instagram: Nicolaksmith740
Facebook: @NicolaKSmith74
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Arriving at work to find she’s lost more than five-and-a-half days (133 hours), Briony Chaplin, has no recollection of where she’d been or what had happened to her. She is distraught. Has she been ill, or had a breakdown, or could she have been drugged and abducted?
Doubting her own sanity, Briony is fearful of what she’ll find. Yet she’s driven to discover the truth. When she trawls her memories, she’s terrified by visions, believing she may have been abused and raped.
Assisted by her friends Alesha and Jenny, and supported by a retired detective, she’s determined to learn where she’s been and why.
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Introduction and context
Paula is the police officer assigned to take Briony’s statement and question her about her suspected abduction..Briony has been accompanied by her friends, Jenny and Alesha.
“Have you ever researched to find who your real parents were, or whether you have any other relatives?” Paula asks.
I’m affronted and it’s not only her questions; I find her style of asking to be confrontational and very intrusive. How dare she make assumptions or try to impress her own values onto me? I’m also annoyed with Jenny. How could she leave me open to this when she must already know my feelings on the matter?
“I know who my real parents are – they’re the ones who’ve cared for me and raised me for the last twenty-five years. Just because some man and woman went through a random act of fornication, resulting in an egg being fertilised, doesn’t make them parents. It certainly doesn’t make them my parents. There’s no reason why I need to, or want to, find out more about my biological mother and father.”
I know I’m sensitive on this issue and I shouldn’t let it get to me. Maybe it’s guilt, because, if I were to be honest, I’ve often thought I’d like to research where I came from, but I don’t want to upset Mum and Dad. They haven’t ever discouraged me, but I’m concerned it might be taken as a betrayal. It’s nobody’s business but mine, so I won’t have anyone, whether they be police, friend, or anyone else, trying to tell me what I should have done.
“I’m sorry,” Paula says. “I didn’t mean to upset you. The purpose of my question was to find out if there might be…”
“Might be what?” I’m trying to calm down but it’s a struggle.
“If we’re going to properly investigate to find out what happened to you, then you need to be completely honest with us. We need as much information as possible, so we don’t waste resources looking down blind alleys and so we explore every relevant avenue. You may think it improbable, but we need to research whether your adoption has any relevance to the enquiry.”
“In case I’ve inherited any mad genes,” I say, my tone caustic.
Jenny places her hand on my arm. Whether it’s to support and comfort me or to restrain me, I can’t tell. I’m intolerant and shake her off.
“I won’t pull my punches,” Paula replies. “Yes, it’s our job to consider every possibility. We can’t rule out that your complaint might be frivolous. We also need to consider whether any family members could have an involvement, be they birth or adopted family. Statistically, a very high percentage of crimes are committed by family members, so we will want to carry out checks on your birth family. For what it’s worth, I believe what you’ve told me. However, I’m duty-bound to follow the standard procedures.”
I inhale deeply, considering her words. “I’m sorry if I overreacted. My emotions are very near the surface.”
“That’s understandable, given your situation.” She continues, “I think it best if we can move on.”
“Yes,” I agree, nodding.
“Are you currently, or have you recently been, in a relationship?” Paula asks.
I frown and shake my head.
“Please answer, verbally, for the recording.”
“No, nothing serious.”
“Can you tell me the last time you had sexual intercourse?”
Jenny clasps my hand, and this time I don’t withdraw. She knows the answer because I’ve told her about it. I should have expected this question. I expected to be questioned about my personal life, but nevertheless, someone I don’t know quizzing me on such personal issues feels intrusive.
“Saturday night,” I reply. “The Saturday before last Friday,” I correct. I feel the need to explain further. “Michael and I were in a relationship for over a year. We were very close. I thought we would get engaged, but then he was offered a transfer to a big job in Newcastle. This was six months ago, about the same time as I was being recruited at Archers.”
I sigh, then carry on. “I was telling you the truth when I said I haven’t recently been in a relationship. When Michael moved away, we agreed to have some time apart… see how it worked as a long-distance relationship. At first, we talked daily but gradually it became less frequent. He called to tell me he was coming up to Glasgow last weekend. We met on the Saturday and it was as if we’d never been apart. We shared a meal and a bottle of wine. He stayed that night at my flat and yes, we did have ‘sexual intercourse’, but in the morning he admitted to me he’d found someone new in Newcastle. I was furious because he took advantage of me, acting as if we were a couple and not telling me it was a one-night stand. I threw him out and told him I never wanted to see him again.”
Despite my determination that I’d never let the bastard upset me again, I feel the trickle of tears roll over my cheeks. Jenny is holding my hand reassuringly and Alesha has taken my other hand.
Much as I don’t see the point, Paula takes Michael’s contact details.
“I’ll contact his local police force and get them to speak to him,” she says. Knowing he may be inconvenienced doesn’t displease me, even a bit.
Having the background of a successful career in commerce and finance, Zach Abrams has spent many years writing reports, letters and presentations and it’s only fairly recently he started writing novels. “It’s a more honourable type of fiction,” he declares.
Writer of the Alex Warren Murder Mystery series, set in Scotland, Zach has also written the psychological thriller, Ring Fenced and the financial thriller, Source, as well as collaborating with Elly Grant on a book of short stories.
Zach is currently producing a non-fiction series to help small businesses – using the collective title Mind Your Own Business. The first, So, You Think You Want to be a Landlord, is already available.
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