Author
Carol M Mottershead
What's JOAN about
“Loved this book! A definite page-turner and easy Sunday chill read. I loved the subtle references and historic notes and I look forward to reading more from this author!”
Judy scanned the headlines with disbelief:
"Children's favorite seaside puppet show at risk?"
"Should Punch and Judy be banned?"
"Change the storyline..!"
She was livid! "Does no one understand what my show is truly about? What's wrong with these people?" She stomped round the room in frustration! Furiously, she wrote a 3-page rant intending to send it to the press. "How dare they try to censor Punch and Judy? It's against the law!" But three pages didn't seem enough. "A video. That might make them listen." With every thought her anger grew. Her puppets weren't about promoting violence; they gave her son a voice when he struggled to express his emotions. They helped him resolve conflicts with his father... why should they be banned? It was time she spoke up.
Judy, known as Joan to her close friends, began to tell her story...
Her dolls were her only 'real' friends. They'd given her comfort when she was upset. It was the reason she began making puppets for Nicholas. Initially, they were just puppets of her son and his father, but they evolved. Father and son would embark on adventures, laugh, and talk to one another when his father couldn't make it home to say goodnight. Who would have guessed that her modest puppet show would gain such popularity over 400 years? She chuckled bitterly at the thought—'Punch & Judy' had taken on a life of their own. Every puppet was a cherished friend. Some had moved away, others had passed on, but when they played with the puppets, those friends lived on in their memories as if they had never left.
Curious about Joan? How has she lived for more than four centuries? Whether you prefer an eBook or a paperback, grab your copy now and immerse yourself in her story! Feel her fury, her frustration, and the deep connections she holds with her puppets.
Joan - Put on a Happy Face, is Book One in the series 'The Elixir Chronicles' available at many good online bookstores
Happy reading!
Ships In The Night
Nicky faces an eternity alone. Dorothy is a struggling young journalist in a turbulent relationship. Neither fates compare to that of his father – death by guillotine!
Italy 1977 - I remembered arguing with my father before hurtling to the ground then nothing, until waking in these unfamiliar surroundings to blackness and a stench of decay. A myriad of questions ran through my mind, questions that only my father could answer...
I needed to head home to Paris but upon my return, I discovered that as well as being penniless, I was also homeless, and my father is facing imminent execution in Marseille!
My mother is missing somewhere in England. I face my worst fear, an eternity of loneliness unless I can first save my father, and then find my mother. My future... is dire!
A chance meeting with a young journalist named Dorothy who is dealing with her own tumultuous relationship, promises a friendship I've not experienced before. She is on the trail of her first big news story - a story involving my father. Helping her could bring me one step closer to my father...
Ships in The Night is our story; fleeting moments of mutual tasks mixed with short, but sweet moments of happiness!
Book Two in the second book in the series ‘The Elixir Chronicles’ a 20th-century historical fiction saga.
Memories Of...
"A real window on to history in an engaging love story-
I really enjoyed the attention to detail in this novel, which gave a real sense of place and time to an exciting romp of a love story. It took me to a place in history, about which I previously knew very little, and really set the scene to enjoy the twists in the unfolding story. A good read!"
I am desperate to save the life of the woman I love. It has been rumoured that a medicine woman, to the north, possesses a miraculous cure-all elixir. I must choose between staying by her side or embarking on a hazardous journey fraught with danger.
It's 17th Century Virginia, disease and pestilence has spread throughout our island, claiming the lives of many of Master Hugh Gwynn’s indentured servants. My wife has fallen gravely ill, and I face a difficult decision: stay by her side or take the risk of never seeing her again.
The path ahead will be perilous, spanning vast terrains and treacherous waters; yet, as I gaze upon my poor wife’s sweat-soaked brow, I realize that the slim hope of saving her is worth any risk. Failure would mean losing my beloved forever.
I am not the only one who could lose all. For Master Hugh's wife has a secret that she has never dared to tell. It could destroy everything she has...
Memories Of... was inspired by 'The Elixir Chronicles' and follows John Punch adopted son of Joan on his travels to follow his dreams.
Follow the islanders and the story of my family in this romantic historical fiction set in a time when friendship, hope and love, were precious.
Alexa Young, CA
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