Front Page Fridays Week-35
Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-35. On Fridays I showcase the first page of a new book.
My Front Page Fridays Week-35 guest is Maggie Chistensen and her heartwarming small-town romance, Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing, published by Cala Publishing on 5th August.
Here’s the opening:
One
Olivia Grace gazed down at the familiar landscape, her lips curling into a smile. She would soon be home, home to Pelican Crossing, back in the small coastal town where she’d grown up and where her two children had been born.
She’d been in England, staying with her daughter, Nancy, her planned visit of a few months for the birth of her third grandchild extending to almost a year. But while it had been special to be with her daughter for Shannon’s birth, and she loved Nancy and her granddaughters so much, her life wasn’t there in the busy town in the south of England where the narrow streets and tall buildings made her feel claustrophobic and long for the clear skies, the scent of the ocean and the sand between her toes.
Now Christmas was over, she couldn’t wait to be back home, back in her little cottage, to resume her position as counsellor in the local medical centre, to see all her friends again, and her son, Dylan.
When she’d left, Dylan had been based in North Queensland, picking up work on various yachts as positions became available, seemingly unable to settle to anything permanent. It was only a few months earlier he’d called to say he was back in Pelican Crossing. Rory, a good mate of his, had been attacked by a shark when, coincidentally, the yacht Dylan had been working on was docked in Cairns. He’d rushed back to see him and decided to stay, taking on his mate’s job at Pelican Marine. It would be good to see him again. Dylan had always been a sensitive soul, and Livvy suspected he and Rory had been more than friends before he’d left home several years earlier.
The seat belt sign came on, and the aircraft began its descent. Livvy peered out the window, her sense of excitement building. Dylan had promised to meet her, to drive her home, and her best friend, Erica, had promised to buy in enough basic food to keep her going for a few days. She couldn’t wait to see Erica again too. While Livvy had been gone, her friend’s life had undergone a huge change, and she was now living with her childhood sweetheart a few doors along from Livvy’s own cottage. She’d heard all about it on calls and emails, but there was nothing quite like hearing the news firsthand over a cup of tea or a glass of wine.
With a slight bump, the plane landed and taxied along the runway, then everyone was getting to their feet to collect their belongings from the overhead lockers. They were here!
As soon as she stepped into the terminal, Livvy saw a grinning Dylan walking towards her. He’d changed since she last saw him, his face more tanned, his shoulders broader, his manner more confident. But he was still the little boy who used to run after her, pulling on her skirts and demanding her attention, always would be.
‘Mum!’ He pulled Livvy into a warm hug, almost lifting her off her feet, and she inhaled the scent of the sea that had always been part of him since he first set foot on a boat. She’d known then that Pelican Crossing would never hold him back, but always hoped he’d finally decide to settle down and come home to live.
‘It’s so good to see you, honey. Let me get a good look at you.’ Livvy pulled away to peer at her son. His face, in addition to being tanned, had developed a web of lines around the eyes and there was the hint of a beard on his cheeks and chin. But the blond hair she remembered was just the same, albeit a tad longer and a few shades lighter due to his outdoor lifestyle, and it still fell over his forehead the way it always had.
In a habitual gesture, Dylan raised a hand to push it back. ‘We should get going. Your luggage?’
About Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing
A heartwarming story of second chances to snuggle up with
Sad to leave her daughter and granddaughters behind in England where she has been visiting for the past year, Olivia Grace is excited to return to her hometown of Pelican Crossing and resume her life as a counsellor. But a shock awaits her, threatening to destroy her future and forcing her to make changes she’d never anticipated.
Dan Parker has moved to Pelican Crossing with his teenage daughter after the death of his wife, intent on making a fresh start. Now, having fulfilled his long-held dream of opening a Wellness Centre, he confronts an unexpected challenge.
Faced with an unforeseen situation and frustrated by her friends' relentless matchmaking, Olivia finally admits her attraction to Dan and agrees to a date. But real life isn’t a romantic novel, and things don’t go smoothly.
Can these two lonely people find a future together, or are they destined to grow old alone?
For fans of heartwarming small-town romances, this is a must-read. With vibrant descriptions of the charming coastal town and two endearing characters who struggle with loss and loneliness, this book will tug at your heartstrings.
Purchase Link
About the Author
After a career in education, Maggie Christensen began writing contemporary women’s fiction portraying mature women facing life-changing situations, and historical fiction set in her native Scotland. Her travels inspire her writing, be it her trips to visit family in Scotland, in Oregon, USA or her home on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. Maggie writes of mature heroines coming to terms with changes in their lives and the heroes worthy of them. She has now written over 30 novels, including three trilogies and three longer series, all of which can be read as standalone titles. Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing is book 7 in the Pelican Crossing series, set in a fictional small coastal town on the Queensland coast.
Maggie has been called the queen of mature age fiction, and her writing has been described by one reviewer as like a nice warm cup of tea. It is warm, nourishing, comforting and embracing.
From the small town in Scotland where she grew up, Maggie was lured to Australia by the call to ‘Come and teach in the sun’. Once there, she worked as a primary school teacher, university lecturer and in educational management. Now living with her husband of forty years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, she loves walking on the deserted beach in the early mornings and having coffee in her favourite cafe overlooking the beach. Her days are spent surrounded by books, either reading or writing them – her idea of heaven!
Website: https://maggiechristensenauthor.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggiechriste33/ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maggie-christensen?list=about Twitter: https://x.com/MaggieChriste33 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120020.Maggie_Christensen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggiechristensenauthor Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/maggiechriste33.bsky.social
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-35. Please come back next time when I’ll be featuring a different author and the first page of their book.
And please take a look at books already featured on Front Page Fridays:
1. Blood Ribbons by Lin Le Versha – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-1/
2. Fatal Blow by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-2/
3. Can I Trust You? by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-3 – Rachel Sargeant
4. The Last Bird of Paradise by AJ Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-4 – Rachel Sargeant
5. Never Forgive You by Hilly Barmby – Front Page Fridays Week-5 – Rachel Sargeant
6. The Mists of Pencarrack Moor by Terri Nixon – Front Page Fridays Week-6 - Rachel Sargeant
7. The Thief of Joy by Stacey Murray – Front Page Fridays Week-7 - Rachel Sargeant
8. Edge of the Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake – Front Page Fridays Week-8 - Rachel Sargeant
9. The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood - https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-9/
10. The Midnight Man by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-10 - Rachel Sargeant
11. Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler – Front Page Fridays Week-11 - Rachel Sargeant
12. Her Charming Man by Rachel Sargeant – Front Page Fridays Week-12 - Rachel Sargeant
13. Wedding Bells at the Lakeside Hotel by Linda Huber – Front Page Fridays Week-13 - Rachel Sargeant
14. Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey – Front Page Fridays Week-14 - Rachel Sargeant
15. The Shame by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-15 - Rachel Sargeant
16. Dead Mile by Jo Furniss – Front Page Fridays Week-16 — Rachel Sargeant
17. The Violin and Candlestick by David Jarvis – Front Page Fridays Week-17 — Rachel Sargeant
18. New Memories by S.E. Shepherd – Front Page Fridays Week-18 — Rachel Sargeant
19. Young Blood by Victoria Gemmell – Front Page Fridays Week-19 — Rachel Sargeant
20. Private Investigations by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-20 — Rachel Sargeant
21. The Car Horn revolution by A.J. Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-21 — Rachel Sargeant
22. What Lies Beneath by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-22 — Rachel Sargeant
23. A Safe Place by Stephanie Carty – Front Page Fridays Week-23 — Rachel Sargeant
24. Fatal Image by Brian Price – Front Page Fridays Week-24 — Rachel Sargeant
25. Run For Your Lies by A.A. Abbott – Front Page Fridays Week-25 — Rachel Sargeant
26. A Walk in the Park by Natalie Kleinman – Front Page Fridays Week-26 — Rachel Sargeant
27. A Storm in a Teacup by Rachael Gray – Front Page Fridays Week-27 — Rachel Sargeant
28. The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-28
29. A Death in the Afternoon by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-29 — Rachel Sargeant
30. Justice by Madalyn Morgan – Front Page Fridays Week-30 — Rachel Sargeant
31. Let Me Out by Amanada Brittany – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-31
32. A Pocketful of Poisons by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/85orb6bc15cs2voyn37yv3jprw0jec
33. Tribute by Madalyn Morgan – Front Page Fridays Week-33 — Rachel Sargeant
34. Mistress of the Manor by Cara Clayton –https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-34