Second Chapter: A Box-set of 3 Novels

See more by Jane Davis

Available at Select Retailers

A collection of three thought-provoking novels from an award winning author

'Jane Davis crafts imaginative ideas into beautiful prose. Each book is a jewel so this box set is a trove of treasures.' J J Marsh, Founder of Triskele Books and Author of the Beatrice Stubbs Series

 

Like Margaret Atwood, Davis conjours a fresh, new voice and style for every story, be it a man's rediscovery of his mother through her photographs, the taboo of pupil/teacher relationships outside the classroom or a haunting tale of a young girl and her visions. But what do the featured novels have in common? Says Davis: 'It took me some time to work out that the common theme running through my novels is the influence of missing persons in our lives. In my experience, that influence can actually be greater than that of those who are present. In I Stopped Time, it was an estranged mother. I addressed the theme head-on in A Funeral for an Owl which considers teenage runaways. And in These Fragile Things mother Elaine is obsessed by the child she lost, almost to the exclusion of the child she has. Fiction is never going to provide a complete answer, but it does force both writer and reader to walk in another person's shoes. And, in many ways, it is the exploration and not the answer that is important.'


Each book in this superb collection has been awarded an average 5-star rating by readers as of March 2015. Read what some of them had to say below.

 

I Stopped Time

Wouldn't you feel cheated if the woman you'd imagined was the villain of your childhood turned out to be someone rather extraordinary?

 

A Funeral for an Owl

A powerful exploration of the ache of loss, set in a landscape where broken people can find each other.

 

These Fragile Things

Life can change in a split second. And there will be nothing you can do to stop it.

 

Praise for the author

'When a story pulls you into it so you care about the characters and believe in every moment you're with them, and in addition the quality of writing enriches your experience, you've found something special. That's how I feel about Jane Davis' work.' Jean Gill, Author and Photographer

'You'll love this if you enjoy books with great characters such as those by Maggie O'Farrell, Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler.' Bookmuse

'Intellectually and emotionally engaging.' James Metcalf, book blogger and reviewer

Other books by Jane Davis

About the author

Jane Davis

Hailed by The Bookseller as ‘One to Watch’, Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners with razor sharp dialogue and a strong commercial edge.

She spent her twenties and the first half of her thirties chasing promotions in the business world but, frustrated by the lack of a creative outlet, she turned to writing.

Her first novel, 'Half-Truths and White Lies', won a national award established with the aim of finding ‘the next Joanne Harris’. Further recognition followed in 2016 with 'An Unknown Woman' being named Self-Published Book of the Year by Writing Magazine/the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust, as well as being shortlisted in the IAN Awards, and in 2019 with 'Smash all the Windows' winning the inaugural Selfies Book Award.

Interested in how people behave under pressure, Jane introduces her characters when they are in highly volatile situations, then, in her words, she throws them to the lions. The themes she explores are diverse, ranging from pioneering female photographers, to relatives seeking justice for the victims of a fictional disaster.

​​​​​​​Her latest novel, 'At the Stroke of Nine O’Clock', was published in July 2020. Set in post-war London, and featuring three very different women whose worlds collide, it has been featured by The Lady Magazine as one of their favourite books set in the 1950s, selected as a Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice, and shortlisted for the Selfies Book Awards 2021.

Jane Davis lives in Carshalton, Surrey, in what was originally the ticket office for a Victorian pleasure gardens, known locally as ‘the gingerbread house’. Her house frequently features in her fiction. In fact, she burnt it to the ground in the opening chapter of 'An Unknown Woman'. It continues to provide a rich source of inspiration. Her work in progress asks the question why one man would choose to open a pleasure gardens at a time when so many others were facing bankruptcy.

When she isn’t writing, you may spot Jane disappearing up the side of a mountain with a camera in hand.

Find out more about Jane at:

Website: https://jane-davis.co.uk

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JaneDavisAuthorPage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janedavisauthor

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/janeeleanordavi/boards/

Get a FREE copy of her time-slip, photography-themed eBook, I Stopped Time, when you sign up to her mailing list at https://jane-davis.co.uk/newsletterAdd an Author Biography