Beginnings

Journey back to childhood, where the buds of friendship and romance blossom; take a peek into the lives of the primary schoolchildren who would become...The Circle.'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.'* * * * *Beginnings is a stand-alone prequel (novella) to Hiding Behind The Couch.The story continues in Ruminations (Novel) and Hiding Behind The Couch (Season One).* * * * *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. Debbie McGowan is an award-winning author of contemporary fiction that celebrates life, love and relationships in all their diversity. Since the publication in 2004 of her debut novel, Champagne-based on a stage show co-written and co-produced with her husband-she has published many further works-novels, short stories and novellas-including two ongoing series: Hiding Behind The Couch (a literary 'soap opera' centring on the lives of nine long-term friends) and Checking Him Out (LGBTQ romance). Debbie has been a finalist in both the Rainbow Awards and the Bisexual Book Awards, and in 2016, she won the Lambda Literary Award (Lammy) for her novel, When Skies Have Fallen: a British historical romance spanning twenty-three years, from the end of WWII to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. Through her independent publishing company, Debbie gives voices to other authors whose work would be deemed unprofitable by mainstream publishing houses. The story of The Circle...Nine friends from high school,Nine friends for life.Hiding Behind The Couch is an ongoing series of stories, written by Debbie McGowan.The series is based in a fictional location in the north-west of England.