Half the World Away by Rebecca Banks

 

Rebecca Banks’ debut novel, Half the World Away, just released this week on April 1^st.  Thank you to the publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for this book. I hope it will transport you to a fun place to escape. I’ve included an extract of the book to give you a preview of what you’re in for. I hope you enjoy!

 

Description

Divorced and keeping a heart-breaking secret, Abbie Potter is sleep-walking through her life as a publicist at a London football club. She seems to spend more time covering their scandals than celebrating their wins, and has had enough. Though she’s already prepared for a fresh start, some shocking news pushes her to take an opportunity even further from home - in Salt Lake City.

The first morning of her new life, Abbie bumps into Kyle Miller. He’s persistent, and Abbie’s more than intrigued by him. Everything else seems to fit into place too: she has a fulfilling job, is on a journey of self-rediscovery, and has revived her love of music thanks to a new-found friendship.

She can’t risk losing what she’s built for herself, but how can she stop it from slipping through her fingers without shattering the façade she hides behind?

 

Extract

Abbie couldn’t speak. She knew if she did, she wouldn’t be able to stop an emotional outburst and she couldn’t deal with that on top of everything else that was going on.

Violet never could leave a silence, and Abbie saw concern shoot to her face as she waited for a response and saw she wasn’t going to get it.

                ‘Don’t you agree, Abs, you’ve not been yourself? All you do is work. You never go out anymore. When was the last time you dragged me to one of your grungy underground music dives to listen to groups that look like they need a good scrub?’

                She grinned, and lifted her brows.

                ‘Don’t worry, I’m okay really. I’ve just been busy.’

                Violet’s grin fell.

                ‘Don’t give me that shit. More than ten years I’ve known you, Abigail bloody Potter, I know you better than you know yourself. We’ve got to do something. This has been going on too long, and it’s killing me watching you live this empty life. There’s never any light in your eyes anymore.’

                Violet let the ensuing silence continue while she stared at Abbie, a mixture of frustration and concern etched across her face.

                Abbie sat there. She felt the bubble of the upset, the one that she tried hard to keep squashed, building in her stomach. Yes, Violet was right, but was it going to do any good to bring all her past crap back to the surface?

                Violet continued to stare at her. Abbie looked up and Violet folded her arms across her chest.

                ‘We’re not going anywhere until you start talking so you may as well just get it over and done with. It’s time.’

                That did it. The tears started slowly, then began to cascade, and Abbie was grateful she’d picked a discreet corner table.

                ‘I just can’t make it go away, every day I think about what happened. If I work it makes me think about other stuff for a while and it’s the best way to cope.’

                ‘It’s clearly not because you haven’t dealt with it. It’s been two years now since the divorce and six years since, well, you know, and you’re getting worse, not better. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that you didn’t do anything wrong. It was his fault. He’s the fuckwit. God, Abbie, I love you more than life itself, I need to help you get out of this hole.’

                Abbie swallowed and breathed deeply, trying to calm down before the people in the pub started staring at the slightly tipsy girl who was ruining the ambience of their relaxing Sunday evening.

                ‘What we need is a plan,’ Violet stated simply.

 

Author Info

Rebecca Banks owns a boutique public relations agency specializing in sports and entertainment, and has 20 years of experience in PR and events.

She is also a freelance journalist. For over a decade she has written features from celebrity interviews and human profile pieces to motoring and travel reviews. Half the World Away is her debut novel.

You can keep in touch with her on via her website, www.rebecca-banks.com, Instagram at @rebecca_banks or Twitter @rebeccabanks