Front Page Fridays Week-52
Front Page Fridays Week-52
Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-52. On Fridays I showcase the first page of a new book.
My Front Page Fridays Week-52 guest is Karen King with her brand-new feelgood novel, Growing Old Disgracefully, published by Boldwood Books on 20th April.
Here’s the opening:
Chapter One
May
Nancy
The letter was waiting for her, propped against the tea caddy when she came home from work on Friday. A white envelope with her name on the front, written in Clifford’s slanted black handwriting, with the little flick on the top of the ‘N’ and the curl on the ‘y’ of Nancy. He must have come home early and written this. Her stomach fluttered with unease. Was this bad news that he couldn’t bring himself to tell her face to face? Had he lost his job? Her hand flew to her mouth – was he seriously ill? Cancer? He had looked a bit peaky just lately and she’d been nagging him to get a check-up.
Then she took a breath, opened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of crisp, white paper.
Dear Nancy,
There is no easy way to tell you this but I have left you. I’ve taken early retirement and am going to travel around the world. I’ve thought about this a lot and realise that I don’t have many active years left. I’ve plodded through life, hardly doing or seeing anything. So now I’m going to take this opportunity before I’m too old. I know that it’s something you won’t want to do, and that you will try to talk me out of it. That’s why I’ve gone now, while you are at work. I’ve taken everything I need; you can get rid of the rest how you see fit.
I’ve withdrawn the savings to fund my travels, until I receive my pension, which is only fair as you have the house. Although, I’m afraid that the mortgage won’t be paid off next year, as we planned, because I fell into financial difficulties a few years ago and had to remortgage and could only afford an interest-only one. So you will have to sell up, but there should be enough left to get yourself a little flat, which will be quite adequate for you.
Goodbye,
Clifford
Nancy gasped, blinked then read it again. And again, more slowly this time. But it made no difference however many times she read it; it still said the same. Clifford had left her.
About Growing Old Disgracefully
‘Aren’t you a bit old to live in a house-share?’
When Nancy’s husband disappears to ‘find himself’ on a worldwide tour, just before he’s due to retire, she’s devastated to find he’s left her penniless.
She has the house though… and so she does the only thing she can. She finds lodgers. Her sister Val thinks it’s a mad idea, but Nancy’s sure it’ll be fine, as long as she doesn’t have anyone young and chaotic, so she selects three lodgers of similar age to her.
But she soon realises that life model Jackie, fortune teller Phyllis, and ageing rocker Marvin might be a more crazy group than teenagers would be. What’s more… they’re determined to help Nancy find her own wild side!
Buy Link: https://mybook.to/GrowingOldDisgracefull
About the Author
Karen King writes psychological suspense and women's fiction. Her 8th psychological suspense novel, The Stepsister’s Secret, was published on 16 February 2026 by Bookouture and her 'golden years' novel, Growing Old Disgracefully, was published by Boldwood on 20th April. This is her 14th woman's fiction novel.
Karen’s suspense novels The Mother-in-Law, The Perfect Stepmother and The Stranger in my Bed and her women’s fiction novels, The Runaway Wives, The Old Gals’ Bucket List, and The Cornish Hotel by the Sea all became International Amazon bestsellers. Several of her books have been translated into other languages.
Karen is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists.
Buy links for some of Karen’s other titles
Women’s Fiction
The Old Gals’ Bucket List: https://mybook.to/OldGalsBucketList
The Runaway Wives: https://mybook.to/RunawayWives
Psychological Suspense
The Stepsisters’ Secret: https://geni.us/B0G4HPF9Q9author
Don’t Trust Him: https://geni.us/B0DTV5DNWFauthor
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-52. 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 Amanda 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
35. Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Chistensen – Front Page Fridays Week-35 — Rachel Sargeant
36. A French Inheritance by Jennifer Bohnet – Front Page Fridays Week-36
37. Beneath the Same Moon by AS Andrejevic – Front Page Fridays Week-37 — Rachel Sargeant
38. The Fallen by Maureen Myant - Front Page Fridays Week-38 — Rachel Sargeant
39. The Bad Women by Jennie Ensor – Front Page Fridays Week-39 — Rachel Sargeant
40. Lies Between Friends by AA Abbott – Front Page Fridays Week-40 — Rachel Sargeant
41. Fatal Shot by Brian Brice – My Front Page Fridays Week-41 — Rachel Sargeant
42. The Alibi by Katharine Johnson – My Front Page Fridays Week-42 — Rachel Sargeant
43. The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-43
44. If I Were You by Helen Matthews – Front Page Fridays Week-44 — Rachel Sargeant
45. (Not Quite) Done With Dating by Bella Osborne – Front Page Fridays Week-45
46. Poison at the Wild Haggis Bookshop by Jackie Baldwin – Front Page Fridays Week-46 — Rachel Sargeant
47. Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane Riley – Front Page Fridays Week-47 — Rachel Sargeant
48. Missing… Rose Malone by Linda Huber – www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-48
49 Fiasco by Nicola Kelsall – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-49
50. 27 Church Street by A.J. Hobart – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-50
51. The Girls of Maple Close by Amanda Britanny - www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/blog/front-page-fridays-week-51