As part of Sue Watson's latest publication day, for her new book Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams, she has agreed to write a lovely guest post for us, about how she became inspired by dancing.
As a permanent couch potato who would rather sit and eat cake than move any part of my body, dancing wasn’t the obvious subject for my latest book ‘Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams.’
But like my heroine Laura I think there’s nothing nicer than settling down with a glass of wine and a large bag of Maltesers to watch Strictly Come Dancing. Even the glamorous celebrities are transformed by the process of training and dancing, with improved posture and even more confidence in themselves and their bodies. So I asked the question: if a few weeks on Strictly can transform a celebrity, what could a few months dancing do for an ordinary, unfit, slightly overweight woman like me?
So I put single mum Laura behind a supermarket checkout, then sent her to Zumba class – a huge shock to her system, and a hilarious beginning to Laura’s journey which takes her to Granada in Spain. Here she learns to dance Flamenco at Escuela Carmen de las Cuevas – a real dance school set in caves in the mountains above the city. I spoke to the school who then put me in touch with a woman, who like Laura had travelled from the UK to learn Flamenco. She now runs Flamenco classes in her home town of Hebden bridge, but was so enthralled with the dance she lived in Spain for a while and she described the school and daily life in Granada. I also spoke with a British friend who is part of a flamenco group in Marbella where she lives and she gave me loads of information on the dancing, the language and the culture. I loved the idea of Granada – it’s a beautiful city where people dance in the streets - and when Laura meets Juan she learns to dance in a whole different way.
This is a book for all us ladies out there who think it might be too late or we’re just not perfect enough to put on our dancing shoes and strut onto the stage of life with confidence. It’s about learning to love who you are, what you are and chasing your dreams. And you don’t have to love dancing to enjoy Laura’s ride – there are also sparkly dresses, sexy dancing, a sizzling Spanish guy and lots of laughs.
Thank you so much Sue for that wonderful insight, I can now see exactly why the time Laura spends in Granada is so detailed and brilliant. I hope you have a fabulous publication day, If this has whetted your whistle to read Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams please do check out my review coming up later today.
Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams is out today in e-book and paperback!
Dance like nobody’s watching. Love like you’ll never get hurt…
Laura Watkin’s heart isn’t broken, she’s just forgotten how to use it.
After years on her own, the highlight of single mum Laura’s week is watching Strictly Come Dancing with a glass of Pinot Grigio and a large helping of imagination.
With her daughter Sophie going travelling, Laura knows the time is right to do something for herself for a change. One disastrous Zumba class later and Laura ends up at the feet (literally) of gorgeous dance instructor Tony Hernandez.
A natural dancer and inspiring teacher, Tony rekindles in Laura a passion she inherited from her ballroom dancer father – and with it comes a dream… to make him proud.
But when Tony enters them to perform at the National Championship, can Laura’s new-found confidence survive the test? And with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn Flamenco in Spain, could Laura truly learn to dance like nobody’s watching… and love like she’ll never get hurt?
A laugh-out-loud, uplifting comedy about finding the courage to be yourself, the importance of dreams, and learning to grab life by the glitter balls.
About Sue Watson
Sue Watson was a TV Producer with the BBC who combined motherhood and family life with a busy career. However, one day it dawned on Sue that Cosmo magazine may have been telling porkies about 'having it all,' and her life had become a slightly crazed juggling act.
So after much soul searching (and comfort eating) Sue abandoned her TV career, bought a pink laptop and wrote a novel. Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes, became a Kindle bestseller.
Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives with her husband and teenage daughter in Worcestershire. When she's not toiling over her latest novel, Sue can be found enjoying large bags of chicken crisps, huge tubs of Caramel Chew Chew ice cream while watching 'The Biggest Loser USA'.
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As a permanent couch potato who would rather sit and eat cake than move any part of my body, dancing wasn’t the obvious subject for my latest book ‘Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams.’
But like my heroine Laura I think there’s nothing nicer than settling down with a glass of wine and a large bag of Maltesers to watch Strictly Come Dancing. Even the glamorous celebrities are transformed by the process of training and dancing, with improved posture and even more confidence in themselves and their bodies. So I asked the question: if a few weeks on Strictly can transform a celebrity, what could a few months dancing do for an ordinary, unfit, slightly overweight woman like me?
So I put single mum Laura behind a supermarket checkout, then sent her to Zumba class – a huge shock to her system, and a hilarious beginning to Laura’s journey which takes her to Granada in Spain. Here she learns to dance Flamenco at Escuela Carmen de las Cuevas – a real dance school set in caves in the mountains above the city. I spoke to the school who then put me in touch with a woman, who like Laura had travelled from the UK to learn Flamenco. She now runs Flamenco classes in her home town of Hebden bridge, but was so enthralled with the dance she lived in Spain for a while and she described the school and daily life in Granada. I also spoke with a British friend who is part of a flamenco group in Marbella where she lives and she gave me loads of information on the dancing, the language and the culture. I loved the idea of Granada – it’s a beautiful city where people dance in the streets - and when Laura meets Juan she learns to dance in a whole different way.
This is a book for all us ladies out there who think it might be too late or we’re just not perfect enough to put on our dancing shoes and strut onto the stage of life with confidence. It’s about learning to love who you are, what you are and chasing your dreams. And you don’t have to love dancing to enjoy Laura’s ride – there are also sparkly dresses, sexy dancing, a sizzling Spanish guy and lots of laughs.
Thank you so much Sue for that wonderful insight, I can now see exactly why the time Laura spends in Granada is so detailed and brilliant. I hope you have a fabulous publication day, If this has whetted your whistle to read Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams please do check out my review coming up later today.
Summer Flings and Dancing Dreams is out today in e-book and paperback!
 |
| Amazon UK |
Laura Watkin’s heart isn’t broken, she’s just forgotten how to use it.
After years on her own, the highlight of single mum Laura’s week is watching Strictly Come Dancing with a glass of Pinot Grigio and a large helping of imagination.
With her daughter Sophie going travelling, Laura knows the time is right to do something for herself for a change. One disastrous Zumba class later and Laura ends up at the feet (literally) of gorgeous dance instructor Tony Hernandez.
A natural dancer and inspiring teacher, Tony rekindles in Laura a passion she inherited from her ballroom dancer father – and with it comes a dream… to make him proud.
But when Tony enters them to perform at the National Championship, can Laura’s new-found confidence survive the test? And with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn Flamenco in Spain, could Laura truly learn to dance like nobody’s watching… and love like she’ll never get hurt?
A laugh-out-loud, uplifting comedy about finding the courage to be yourself, the importance of dreams, and learning to grab life by the glitter balls.
About Sue Watson
So after much soul searching (and comfort eating) Sue abandoned her TV career, bought a pink laptop and wrote a novel. Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes, became a Kindle bestseller.
Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives with her husband and teenage daughter in Worcestershire. When she's not toiling over her latest novel, Sue can be found enjoying large bags of chicken crisps, huge tubs of Caramel Chew Chew ice cream while watching 'The Biggest Loser USA'.
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