Blog Tour ~ Stand By Me by S D Robertson

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on the 

Stand By Me Blog Tour

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of the book and also for the invitation to be part of this tour
 and for permission to share this extract with you.

I am delighted to be able to share with you this extract from Stand By Me

Johnny and Carl were the ones who actually stripped him, who jeered at how he looked in his underwear, joking that he needed a bra for his ‘boobies’. Peter stood to one side, looking awkward. But he didn’t do anything to stop them. He didn’t say a word. Then Johnny turned to him and asked why he wasn’t getting involved, suggesting it was because he and Elliot used to be ‘bum chums’. That was when Peter stepped forward and pulled Elliot’s glasses off his face.

‘Don’t, Peter,’ he pleaded. ‘Please. They’re new. You know I can’t see a thing without them.’

But his former friend didn’t listen. Instead he dropped the glasses on the floor, stamped on them countless times and then threw them into the distance. In his semi-blinded state, Elliot didn’t have a clue where they ended up. What would be the point in looking, anyway? Peter had wrecked them.

Johnny and Carl seemed as impressed by Peter’s actions as Elliot was aggrieved. The three of them left together, as thick as thieves, which was exactly what they were, since they took Elliot’s clothes and shoes with them.

Once he was sure they’d gone, Elliot allowed himself to cry. He wept big fat tears. And then he pulled himself together, hid behind a bush and waited for help to come, as it eventually did in the form of Lisa. His one small consolation was that he hadn’t broken down in front of the boys. He’d come close, but the shock of Peter’s betrayal had actually hardened his resolve not to give them the satisfaction.

Extract Five: Chapter 6, pp.57-58

Avon
11 January 2018

Lisa and Elliot have been best friends ever since the day they met as children. Popular, bright and sporty, Lisa was Elliot’s biggest supporter when the school bullies made his life a misery, and for that, he will always be grateful.

Twenty years later, life has pulled the pair apart and Lisa is struggling. Her marriage is floundering, her teenage kids are being secretive, and she’s so tired she can’t think straight. So when Elliot knocks on the door, looking much better than she remembers, she can’t help but be delighted to see her old friend again.

With Elliot back in their lives, Lisa’s family problems begin to improve – he’s like the fairy godmother she never had. As their bond deepens, she realises how much she’s missed him, and prays that this is one friendship that will last a lifetime. But sometimes, life has other ideas…

My thoughts about it...

Stand By Me is a thoughtful story about the power of friendship and of the importance of keeping those we love always in our hearts. Lisa and Elliot were friends as children but as adults, time and circumstance have caused them to live very separate lives. Now twenty years later, Lisa is facing a difficult time, as her marriage to her husband, Mike, has hit rock bottom. With her personal life in disarray, the last person Lisa expects to see standing on her doorstep is her friend, Elliot. And as Elliot slowly starts to infiltrate into her life again, so things start to improve for Lisa and her family.

This is one of those stories which gives you a lovely warm feeling inside. The characters are so realistic that you feel as if you could have met them at the local shops and called for a coffee with them. Lisa and Mike's problems are so reminiscent of modern day life that you can't help but feel sorry for them as they try to work out their problems in their own inimitable style. In places, the story moves back, in time, to Lisa and Elliot's shared childhood and it was great to see the references of their life as teenagers in the 1990s.

Stand By Me gets right into the heart of a family which have been fractured by circumstances and yet, with love and understanding, it shows that they can come through their troubles with new hope.

About the Author

Former journalist S.D. Robertson quit his role as a local newspaper editor to pursue a lifelong ambition of becoming a novelist. An English language and literature graduate from the University of Manchester, he has spent time living in France, Holland and Australia, working in roles as diverse as a holiday rep, door-to-door salesman, train cleaner and mobile phone network engineer.

Stuart’s love of writing and inquisitive nature led him back to university to study journalism. He went on to work at various newspapers in Lancashire and Greater Manchester. He lives in a village near Manchester with his wife and daughter. There’s also his cat, Bernard, who likes to distract him from writing – usually by breaking things.

Twitter @SDRauthor #StandByMe

Amazon UK

@AvonBooksUK

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