April 17, 2017

Cink Street Spring Reading Week: "Peanuts & Eggcups" by Sara Mendes da Costa Guest Post

Displaying Spring Reads Social Banner.jpg

30648470

Book: Peanuts and Eggcups

Author: Sara Mendes da Costa

Publisher: Clink Street Publishing

Synopsis: For Maggie Parsons there’s only ever been one man: the stunningly delicious Luke Henderson. Unfortunately, he left her, without explanation, after their ‘first night’ together …breaking her heart in the process. 

Now ten years on, without any contact, he’s back and going to her school reunion. Great! And, to confuse matters…so is his suave, sexy, brother Tony who makes a major play for Maggie, then turns up with his insufferable - supposedly ex – fiancée! 

Via the reunion, a black eye, getting the sack (as a result) a madcap girlie holiday and juggling her confused emotions around the two alluring brothers…Maggie starts to build a picture of what she really wants in life. 

Trouble is, Maggie’s a pawn in a game she doesn’t even know she’s playing …and things are about to get a whole lot more complicated. 


Guest Author Post

Magical spring

Well, how fabulous is spring! I have to say I simply love it.
Fresh starts, more sunshine, longer days, people smiling more, getting out and about into the world. It’s like spring is Britain’s morning. It’s our awakening time after the long sleep of winter. It’s when we rouse and stretch and say: ‘Hey world, we’re up, we’re awake, we’re ready – what’s in store for this year?’

I so love the different seasons but spring brings something a little extra special.
For me, it feels like the season of hope, of possibilities and of that extra ‘spring’ in the step. We’ve done our hard graft, we’ve survived the dark days, we’ve done our hibernating and it’s time to venture out, to not rely on Netflix in quite the same way (actually, I’m not sure that’ll ever happen for me!) and it’s time to think about adding more colour to our wardrobe. To pack away the long boots in favour of ankle boots. To shake off the thick winter coats in favour of thinner, lighter, brighter layers and, certainly for me, to wear less black. That in itself feels pretty healthy.

There’s nothing quite like the wonderful energised, newness of spring and everywhere I look in nature, there’s a gorgeous sense of fresh growth and evidence of a new cycle. I simply love the first stirring sightings of the spring flowers, particularly the yellow ones. Funnily enough yellow isn’t a colour I’m drawn to or ever wear, it’s not a colour which features in my home either, but when it comes to the garden and nature, yellow flowers are so uplifting. The wonderful first daffodils then the crocuses and later on freesias (my favourites) …and then mix those with the glorious blues of the forget-me-nots, the bluebells and the purple irises and it’s quite a heady combination. And how fabulous do spring flowers smell; delicious!

There’s also the promise of warmer, longer days and summer just a little out of reach but up ahead for sure. For me, in particular, there’s the knowledge that it’ll soon be time to sit out in the garden on the garden swing chair, gin & tonic beside me on the old tree stump, wiling away the hours dreamily; bliss.

I love the bees beginning to buzz around and even the ants building their nests. Everywhere I look in the garden, there is something new sprouting up and coming alive and there’s that wonderful fresh green that you don’t quite match at any other time of year. Out of the old comes the new; the gardens die down in winter and are reborn in spring.

There’s a difference in the way I feel too, I imagine it’s the same for so many of us; we fill up with renewed energy. I always think it’s wonderful that we are lucky enough to have real changing seasons. I know we all complain about the lack of sun and warmth but one of the great things about our good old British weather is that we do have variety – perhaps a little more wind, rain and cloud than we might like, but still. We have defined seasons and with spring, there’s a very definite change and a reminder of what we’ve been missing, with memories of the previous year ‘spring’ing up to prompt us. It’s the one time where the buds grow in this unique way, we have the random pockets of warm sun we’ve missed for so long and we can finally start venturing out a little more.

I think that witnessing the newness all around me promotes positive emotions; I feel better. Things inspire me. Spring gives me ideas for new projects and renewed enthusiasm to tackle things I didn’t want to do during the darker days of winter. I certainly have more energy in the longer lighter days and I can set about clearing my space, my home, my garden, my office and my mind… as if there’s something inside me telling me it’s going to be a good thing for me to do – to create a clear canvas on which to paint a new chapter.

You can probably tell by now – I’m a fan! This is such a positive time of year, full of possibilities and hope…and anything that helps us to feel good, has my vote.


So, thank you spring – I think you’re rather ‘blooming’ special.

About the Author

Displaying Sara Mendes da Costa.jpg

Sara Mendes da Costa is the voice of the BT Speaking Clock; the fourth person to hold this prestigious title since 1936.

A successful, world-renowned voiceover artist, her dulcet tones are easily recognisable on television, radio, film and across countless media.

Never far from the press, she’s known for her appearances on BBC Breakfast, ITV This Morning, Children in Need, Wake up to Wogan and The Today Programme, and balances her prolific voiceover career with her passion and commitment as a novelist.

Peanuts & Eggcups, her debut novel - hotly anticipated by the industry - is “The perfect & highly addictive reading companion for women’s fiction fans”. `

A lover of laughter, creativity, great storytelling and a wee dram, Sara adores writing novels and seeks to entertain, uplift and inspire.


Her upcoming novels: Time & Time Again & Maggie Ever After, are expected in 2017.


Join the conversation!

Please leave a comment down below because I would love to hear your thoughts. To ensure you see my reply, make sure to click "Notify Me".