Today I’m pleased to welcome Joanne Nicholson to the blog. Joanne is the author of In Another Life, Intution and Music Score. Her latest novel, Positive, was published on 11 January 2018 in the UK.

Joanne kindly wrote a guest post about her latest novel, Positive.

Firstly I would like to thank Janet for hosting this guest post. She is a great supporter of authors and bloggers. Her generosity of spirit in showcasing others in this industry is phenomenal.

I should introduce myself; I’m Joanne Nicholson, an Australian indie author of contemporary women’s fiction. My latest novel ‘Positive’ was published late last year. The story follows Ruth, a single woman in her mid-30s who is desperate to settle down and start a family. She goes to extreme lengths to make her dream of becoming a mother come true and rides a rollercoaster of emotions as she tries internet dating before looking into IVF with a donor.

I’m often asked whether I base characters on myself. My life couldn’t be further from this scenario. I married my high school sweetheart and have four gorgeous kids. We celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this year and will be cruising around the Greek Isles to celebrate. I was one of the lucky ones to snatch up an amazing guy before anyone else had the chance. We had friends who chose to backpack around the world in their twenties, living a carefree life as we were up to our elbows in dirty nappies. They were confident that marriage, family and mortgages would all be things that they would settle into later in life. Some made that transition, but others never found the right person to marry and share the experience of having kids. Many of my friends have laughed over horrendous encounters they’ve had with people they met through online dating sites. It seems in the majority of cases, the guys they met were not interested in a relationship, just a one-night stand. I’ve had several friends give up on the pursuit of love and instead focus on becoming a single mother. It’s a hard and arduous journey and that’s before the baby is even born. I take my hat off to single mothers, because I know how tiring and stressful being a parent is, even with the support of a partner.

I wanted this book to be a snapshot of what life is like for modern women, who have lots of choices and have ethical decisions to make about how they choose to live their lives. I hope this story strikes a cord with many women, who may either find themselves in this predicament or who find it relatable to someone they know. This easy reading novel draws upon the strength of friendships and other support networks available for people. It might make you laugh, it might make you cry, it might even inspire you to sing karaoke. Positive is available to purchase as an e-book or paperback through Amazon.

If you are interested in finding out more about me and my other novels, you can follow me on Twitter @jolnicholson, Instagram joannenicholsonauthor or Facebook Joanne Nicholson Author. My website is joannenicholsonauthor.com.

About the book

After spending her twenties travelling and living a carefree life, Ruth dreams of getting married and having a family. In her mid thirties and with her biological clock ticking loudly, Ruth goes to extreme lengths to become a mother. She is in shock when she finally gets a positive test result back from the doctor.

With the love and support of her friends and family, she adapts to her new state of being and prepares for the challenges ahead of becoming a single mum.

Set in Australia, this contemporary fiction novel explores the modern day conundrum of internet dating, IVF and raising a child as a single parent.