Journey back to childhood, where the buds of friendship blossom; take a peek into the lives of the primary schoolchildren who would become...The Circle. A prequel to the Hiding Behind The Couch books. As the title suggests, this short story focuses on the early school days, long before the birth of the full 'Circle' - a series of sectors, if you will. Contains no real spoilers, so can be read independently of the rest of the series and in any order. "A very sweet short story of blossoming friendships and childhood traumas." "...a wonderful, engaging story that made me feel good inside.... Highly recommended for readers who love richly written characters and clever dialogue." * * * * * WARNING: this story deals with themes of child sexual abuse, sudden infant death, and parents' marriage breakdown due to infidelity. All issues are written about sensitively and in a way that is intended to be accessible for children aged ten and above.

Simon is young and handsome. To the people around him, he looks like he’s got it all—money, looks, a future with a wife… All mapped out by his parents. But Simon is gay. And Simon is high. And when Simon sees his fake girlfriend Jess alongside a boy called Taz, suddenly all the choices explode. Will Simon follow his orders? Or will he follow his heart? *** A fully stand-alone short story - part of Hiding Behind The Couch. For readers of the series, this coincides with Ruminations. Part of Take a Chance Anthology.

If any adult was going to get the chicken pox, it would be Sean Tierney. That alone would be bad enough, but his illness means friend and colleague, Josh Sandison-Morley, has to step in and face his fears: guest-speaking at a university in Norwich. As Josh gathers his husband and his foster daughter for the trip, he is unaware that their world is about to collide with that of another makeshift family: Noah and Matty's. Matty is agonising over his impending dance show. Sure, talent scouts will be in the audience, but there's an even bigger problem. Noah - Matty's on-again, off-again boyfriend - has promised to be there, too. And Matty's dance? It has a secret meaning he's not sure he's ready to reveal to Noah. Can Josh and Matty face their fears and perform for their respective crowds? More importantly, will the Sandison-Morleys' influence be enough to get the young men to express their feelings to each other before it's too late? This novella continues the stories of Josh and George from the Hiding Behind the Couch Series and Matty and Noah from the Checking Him Out Series.

Huddled in a doorway, unseen by the men passing on great horses, Meredith watched from within the hood of her cloak. The pain of the cold, wet morning impaled her, rooting her in place, even as the cat rubbed against her shins with a force that should have felled her. She shooed him away. Go home. But he would not. She wished she had died that night. She wished she had died, for to live like this was not to live at all. * * * When Richie Moorcroft takes a housekeeping position to finance his studies, it means moving back to his childhood home: an ancient, almost-derelict cottage locals claim is haunted. But he never believed those stories; he knows where they came from, and in any case, he has a job to do: keeping nineteen-year-old Julian Denby on the straight and narrow without Julian realising his wealthy parents are paying Richie to do so. Luckily, Julian’s not very astute, although the same can’t be said for their newest housemates: Richie’s bestie, Anneke, and Julian’s older sister, Tamara. Add in George, the cat who appeared from nowhere and is in no hurry to leave, and that makes five…about to uncover the sinister history of their new home.

Sometimes a murder mystery is the least of life's challenges... This sequel to Hiding Behind The Couch finds Josh and The Circle fighting to prove the innocence of one James Brown, a well-liked and respected MD of a pizza restaurant chain. But his past is far from helpful in freeing him of suspicion, and Eleanor is all set to call it a day. It's the perfect time to make new friends, make amends...and solve a murder case. * * * * * "...a beautiful tapestry which is a story encompassing so many lives and their interconnections." "I wanted more just so I could find out what the future held for my newfound 'friends'." "All I can hope is for the possibility that Debbie McGowan might like to make this into a trilogy, or even a series that I can keep indulging in for either the rest of my own or the characters' lives!!" NOTE: contains Hiding Behind The Couch plot spoilers - it is therefore recommended that these novels are read in order. * * * * * No Time Like The Present is season two in the Hiding Behind The Couch series. The story follows chronologically from Hiding Behind The Couch (Season One) and continues in The Harder They Fall (Season Three).

A weekend in an ancient castle and a murder-mystery game that becomes all too real. It's safe to say Josh's plans for a romantic anniversary with George are not turning out the way he'd hoped. In spite of his cynicism, and his promise not to embark on any more life-threatening pursuits for answers, when one of the guests turns up dead, Josh can't help but put his talents to use to solve the murder. The Advent of Reason is a (more or less) stand-alone novella-length character special in the Hiding Behind The Couch series.

London: December, 1981. A White Christmas is on the cards, but as the temperature drops, the pressure on Arty mounts. He’s got far too much planned in the coming days to have it all buried under a mountain of snow. Between his retirement surprise for Jim and the Christmas party at the dance school, Arty might need to curtail his daydreaming a little to ensure everything comes together. Still, if all else fails, at least he and Jim have each other to keep them warm through the impending blizzard. Note: this story follows on from When Skies Have Fallen and as such contains spoilers for anyone who has not read the novel.