So I’ve bounced back from the shock of netgalley, realising that it means I can now QUOTE my arse off. This is from Night Beach.  Abbie, the main character, is remembering her grandad. One of the things I was thinking about while writing it is how losing that special grandparent is kind of like losing your childhood …

He came down here every day. In summer, he’d swim in the tidal pool. In winter, I’d often see him standing at the very edge of the rocks beyond the pool, staring out at the horizon, enjoying the cold spray and bracing winds. You could almost hear his big breaths of contentment, each one another share in the secret. That’s what this place is in winter: a secret. In summer it’s the place to go, and everybody’s here. But winter sifts out the true believers. The ones who can’t stay away from it, and love it in all its moods. People who can’t breathe unless the air is salty.