Guest Post: Friendship by Katey Lovell

Right from the earliest planning stages, I knew The Café in Fir Tree Park was going to explore all manner of relationships.  My debut novel (The Singalong Society for Singletons) focussed mainly on Mon and Justin’s long distance relationship, sibling bonds and the dynamics between a large group of friends.  Although community and belonging is also a big part of The Café in Fir Tree Park, I was keen to create a diverse mixture of relationships this time around.

Cross-generational friendships were something I was desperate to portray well in the novel, especially as it’s something I love reading about myself.  Café proprietor Maggie has a close-knit relationship with her ex-husband’s aunt Pearl (who is twenty years her senior) and also waitress Fern (nineteen years her junior).  Reflecting on my personal experience of having a brilliant relationship with my best friend’s parents encouraged me to think about how important age gaps are in friendships.  My conclusion, and Maggie’s too for that matter, is ‘not very’. 

I did return to exploring the bond between siblings through Maggie’s grown-up children Kelly and Josh, although their relationship is far more fractious than the sibling solidarity Mon and Hope had in Singalong. 

Then there’s love – it’s me, of course there’s love! – in a variety of guises.  First love, unrequited love, forbidden love, second-chance love… you name it, if it’s love, there’s a good chance there’s at least reference to it in this book.

The Café in Fir Tree Park also explores parenthood and parent/child dynamics, as well as the importance of bonds across the wider family unit. For example, Lacey, who’s using the park to train for a half-marathon in memory of a family member who died from cancer, has a strong bond with her uncle Carrick, and Warren was very close to his Grandma who also recently passed away.

And with Pearl’s dachshund Mitzi causing havoc, the bond between pets and their owners is covered too!

I really hope readers will find the characters in The Café in Fir Tree Park relatable and that they’ll enjoy getting to know them.  Some of this cast have had a particularly rough ride…

About the author

Katey Lovell loves love and strives to write feel-good romance that'll make you laugh and cry in equal measure. When she's not writing she'll most likely be found reading or watching musicals.

Originally from South Wales, Katey now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and son.

Katey Lovell on Twitter: @Katey5678

Katey Lovell on Amazon