An exclusive first glimpse at Fearne's novel: your questions answered

0:10Hello and welcome to the Happy Place Book Club Club with me Fern Cotton. More mentions of her name. Her eyes jumped... Today, scripted by me, Fern Cotton. Adam. What? Her eyes ran back up to the top. Above the first line of script, headed with her own name, was a stage direction. Jade leans against the kitchen worktop. One of the cupboard doors overhead is wonky, as the top hinge is loose. Jade stares at the floor to avoid eye contact with Adam. Jade's stomach lurched. Her kitchen cupboard door, the one that stored her ever-growing assortment of mugs, was hanging by loose hinges. Scripted is my first novel.

0:58It's a happy place book club pick for June and it is out right now. You just heard a tiny snippet of the audiobook, narrated amazingly by Erin Doherty. you'll probably know her as princess anne in the crown my god she was so brilliant as princess anne in the crown i was just mesmerized watching her just such a legend and do stick around because a bit later on i'm going to give you you gorgeous happy place listener an exclusive listen to the whole first chapter of the book and i really hope you enjoy it but first i want to do what quite honestly I've been wanting to do for so long and that's chat to you about the book and all the ideas and words and characters that have been swirling around my head for the last few years.

1:45Do come over to Instagram we're at happyplacebookclub and you've been sending in so many lovely questions about Scripted which I am utterly grateful for.

1:59The market's uncertain, revenues tied and hiring on hold. That's why results driven companies are using Upwork to keep work moving. Go to Upwork.com today and start hiring proven freelance talent fast. No bulky overhead, no rigid long-term contracts, just the right expert right when you need them. Work smarter and faster with Upwork. Go to Upwork.com now and find your freelance expert. That's U-P-W-O-R-K.com. Post a job for free and get started today. Your business is one of a kind, so your website should be too. With Wix, it's easy. Almost too easy to create a website that's perfectly yours. Just tell AI what kind of site you want to build or choose from thousands of templates.

2:43Change whatever you want, whenever you want, and get everything you need to start running your business your way. No matter what you sell or what you aspire to be, you can do it all yourself on Wix. Hey, I'm Dr. Z and I'm a neurosurgeon. So that means long hours, early rounds, late nights, and everything in between. And through it all, I wear figs. They're comfortable when it counts and functional when I need them the most. So where do you wear your figs? On shift, on call, on the couch in the break room listening to this podcast? Wherever it is, they fit right in. And now listeners of this podcast can get 15 % off their first order.

3:19Just head to wearfigs.com and use code FIGSRX at checkout. That's wearfigs.com, code FIGSRX.

3:29As I said, you're going to hear the first chapter of the book in just a moment. But first, let me give you a little summary of the plot. So the main character is called Jade and she's got some pretty tricky relationships going on in her life. She's got a really tricky sister who causes her many, many problems. She's also got a boyfriend who just doesn't really respect her, to be honest. She's also got a mum who they can have a bit of role reversal between them where Jade feels more parental towards her mum. She's got a dad who's quite dismissive. She's got a boss who is really authoritarian at work.

4:03And she's really struggling with all of these dynamics. And what she's really struggling with is finding her voice, finding the ability to be able to say no when she really means it and set proper boundaries. So within the first chapter of the book, Jade finds a script on the floor nearby to her flat. She has no idea what it is. It looks like how you would imagine a theatre script to look, with the text running down the middle of the paper. And she's intrigued at first, excited. Why is there a script lying around on the floor? Then when she looks down at the piece of paper, she sees not only her name, but her boyfriend Adam's name too, which obviously totally freaks her out.

4:41She has no idea why these names from the script. She reads in more detail. And it's a scene from her life that is yet to happen, but is entirely true of the dynamic between her and her boyfriend. She's even more freaked out, obviously, hides the script, doesn't know what to do about it or what to do with it. Jade keeps finding these scripts throughout the book. And I don't want to give too much away, but through the arc of the story, Jade starts to find her voice. And lots of truly beautiful things happen because of that. Right. So I want to get to your questions now. As I said, thank you. I'm so grateful you've sent these in.

5:19The first one is from at the Brit with a lip. This person asks, how long was the book in your head before you put pen to paper? so I had this idea whilst I was out on a run and it landed pretty fully in my head pretty fully formed and I was like what is this strange idea is it I don't know like a tv show or is it an essay I could write or or is it a novel would I dare to write a novel so the idea swam around in my head for a few weeks and then I met up for a cup of tea with my mate Claire and my mate Claire is a writer. And I said, look, I think I've had this idea for a fiction. I've never written fiction before.

6:03I don't know how to start, if I should start. And Claire said to me, tomorrow, open your laptop and just bloody start writing it. Stop talking about it. She's like, look how much you're smiling as you're explaining the story to me. So the next day, I opened my laptop and I just jotted down a few sentences of what is an iteration of the first few sentences in the book. And I went from there. And I just secretly wrote in my free time, whether it was before the kids woke up in the morning in my lunch break or after the kids went to bed. And at some point I had 40 ,000 words sat there. And I thought, God, I should probably show someone in case this is utterly shit.

6:44So I sent it to my literary agent, who was very encouraging and said to crack on with it and keep going. So I did. And it ended up as a book. So really, I have Claire to thank. Thanks, Claire. All right, this is a question from Deb. Deb, what have you got for me? Hi, Fern. I'm interested in finding out about the character development and whether the characters come fully from your imagination or did you base them on real people? Keep doing what you're doing. Love you. Yeah, this is a good one. So with Jade's character, I guess you're always going to put parts of yourself into the book. And I've definitely had moments where I've not felt I could say exactly what I wanted to in life.

7:26So some of that pain was channeled into Jade's character. And then what I wanted to do was create characters to interact with Jade that I haven't necessarily experienced in life. So Jade has a nightmare sister called Lily. I have a really lovely and really chilled out brother called Jamie. So I'm not used to that sibling dynamic. I've got a really easy, relaxed relationship with my brother. So it was the ultimate fun to play around with this nightmare character. So I just tried to make her as nightmarish as humanly possible, which was beyond fun. And then the other characters, again, all fell into place whilst I was thinking about how Jade might feel stifled or how Jade might feel small and not very confident in certain dynamics.

8:22So I wanted her dad to be really loud and brash because that made Jade always go a bit more inwards and for her mum to be at times a little bit reckless actually and to cause Jade lots of sort of moral based problems, how much she should help her mum out and how much she should push to sort of get her help. And she's also got some lovely characters in her life, like Sophie, her best mate at work. And Sophie is just a pure figment of my imagination. She's just the ideal best friend, always there when you need her, but equally gives you space to do your thing. She's just a magical, beautiful person.

9:01So all of them were dreamed up after I'd established what I wanted Jade to experience and the learning curve that I wanted her to go on. OK, another voice note. Hi, Fern. My name's Emma and I'm a big fan of all things Happy Place. My question to you is, how did you approach planning your story? Did you have a clear idea in mind or did it change as you went through the process? Thanks very much. Love you. Bye. I did. I did have a bit of a plan. I knew that I wanted there to be a big wedding scene in the book. The wedding takes up, it might even be 10 chapters towards the end of the book. It's quite a big bit of the book.

9:43And that was directly influenced due to my love for weddings and a funeral. It's one of my favourite films of all time. I've watched it about eight trillion times. And I just love, do you know what I love about weddings? I love that it brings out such strangeness in all of us. I don't think any of us act normally at weddings. I don't know what it is about weddings. But we become either a sort of accentuated version of ourselves or we get a bit too pissed or we become even more shy and reserved. I think it kind of brings something odd out in us. And I think it's because of all the formalities and the strange rules that weddings often bring to the table.

10:23The fact that you've got to, first of all, wait so long to eat lunch. What is that about? also do like a really long complicated photo shoot in the middle of the day and sit next to people you don't necessarily know or like at lunch or dinner it's just all so weird so I knew there was going to be a wedding towards the end a big sort of dramatic wedding and also there's a scene right in the middle of the book where Jade is at a big family dinner and it ends up being a very explosive moment in the book. And again, that was influenced by, you will remember this if you love the show, in Dr. Foster, there is the most intense scene at a dinner table I think I've ever seen, beautifully executed by Saran Jones, who I adore.

11:08And I remember watching that scene and just thinking it was the best thing ever. It was just sort of perfect TV. It kept you on the edge of your seat and it was tantalising. So I knew there was also going to be a dinner party scene in there as well. So I had these moments I knew that I wanted Jade to arrive at. I just needed to get her there. There was also a fair chunk of the book is set in Dorset and that is because I love Dorset. It's one of my favourite places on the planet. It's somewhere I visit a lot with my kids so I could describe it pretty well because I know the scent of Dorset and the certain beaches.

11:44I I know the colours, I know the feeling of it. So I really wanted to explore that lyrically. So I knew roughly where I wanted Jade to go and what I wanted her to experience. I just needed to get her from A to B throughout the book. A juicy question from James. Is any of the book based on anything you've been through in real life? I think definitely we've all been through those moments where we have said yes when we really meant no. or we've done a favour for someone that we don't want to do a favour for because we either don't like them or they ask too many favours already. I wanted all of that to be threaded through Jade's life experience because I think it's entirely relatable, but also they've been some of the most painful moments in my life and actually some of the moments that have taught me the most, getting things drastically wrong.

12:32So having to really dig deep to make changes personally and set boundaries, which feels really cringy at times, or say no, which feels embarrassing and excruciating. And sometimes you don't feel like you deserve to say exactly what you're feeling. So a lot of that I wanted Jade to experience. So, yeah, I mean, nothing directly. There's no direct anecdotal stuff in the book that's from my life. But I think some of the things that Jade feels, we've all felt. This is a really interesting question from Hannah. She says, have you brought in some of your wonderful knowledge of mental health? Yes, most definitely.

13:10I don't think I could write any book, whether it was fiction or nonfiction, without touching on something to do with how we cognitively work or at times feel like we're not working. So Jade goes through all sorts of mental turmoil, trying to work out how to deal with these characters that she feels really overshadowed by in life. Big characters who have a lot to say and say it really loudly and sometimes forcefully. And where that sends her, whether it's into a place of insecurity or time self-loathing, there's a part in the book where Jade's partner, Adam, is away on a work trip. and she's looking on his Instagram page and seeing all of these women that are tagged and they all look completely Californian with their sort of gorgeous sheeny skin and bodycon dresses and caramel cascading hair.

14:07And she's feeling really shit about herself. And I think, you know, on the lighter sort of end of the spectrum of mental health, again, social media propels so many of us to just feel really crap about ourselves. So I definitely wanted to get that in there. And the self-doubt that creeps in, the insecurity that can lead to paranoia, all of that stuff. So, yeah. And there's also a little moment looking at Jade's relationship with her mum. Her mum isn't necessarily classified as an alcoholic, but she has these moments where she binge drinks and Jade feels really compromised and doesn't know what to do about it.

14:45and she ends up trying to look after her mum at times and feeling overly concerned for her, for her mum to actually be quite dismissive about all of it and constantly wondering whether she should intervene or say anything at all. So there's a little nod to that in there as well. But I think reading the book, you'll pick up on much more, just the mental exhaustion of dealing with people, which we all have to go through. Jade is definitely treading through that throughout the arc of the story. One here from at take a look inside the book on Instagram. I like this question a lot. You asked if I can share a favourite quote from the novel.

15:29So there's a bit in the book. When I was writing this book, there were little moments of magic that I can't explain where I'd be out and about and something would happen that would inspire this whole tangent that the story would go off on. or someone would say something to me that was exactly what the book needed at that point. So I was with a mate and she said to me quite out of the blue, do you know the true meaning of the word abracadabra? I was like, it's just like a magic trick, isn't it? Isn't it just like abracadabra, Paul Daniels, here's a rabbit, whatever. She's like, no, no, it's an Armaic word.

16:06And I've now got to look at the exact thing so I don't truncate it and totally fuck it up. But this is one of my favourite quotes from the book because it had a massive impact on me at the time. And I've thought about it ever since. And there's a character in the book called Jackson. And he's just this really lovely, very chilled, extremely quiet, reserved character who works in the warehouse with Jade. Jade's a set designer and she works with this really brilliantly colourful group of people. And Jackson is so quiet. Sometimes he barely speaks. He might just, you know, wave in the morning and that's all he'll say.

16:50But then sometimes he comes out with these beautifully prophetic sentences or just little tidbits for Jade to grab hold of. And she really does. And the more she listens to him, the more she starts thinking about how she's got herself into this pickle. So Jackson says this to Jade. Do you know the meaning of abracadabra? And she says, no, isn't it just a magic trick thing? And he says, no, it means I create as I speak, which is really key for Jade to hear those words because a lot of the time she feels victim to what's going on around her. She feels like she has no say, like the creation of her life is almost out of her hands.

17:28It's just unfurling due to the characters around her. so that's a pivotal moment where she gets to really let that sink in like oh wow I can create what the future looks like due to what I'm saying or what I'm not saying so I love that one so thanks to my friend Jo I think it's important to end on this question because I know this might be why some of you are listening to this episode Lisa says she would love to write a book one day but has no idea where to start any tips I will be your version of Claire and say just bloody start there's no right or wrong there's no rule book on it people have different writing styles people you know are coming out with new ways to write books and new ways to tell stories just start writing it this iteration of scripted is not vastly different but definitely different from the first manuscript that I wrote and handed in to my publishers Michael Joseph and then I worked with the editor for a year on fine-tuning everything and I think if you've got someone in your life who is willing to read the book and give you really honest feedback I guess okay what I'm going to say is you want honest feedback from people that you love and respect but I think you've still got to go with your gut intuition and there were moments where I said to my editor yeah I'm still going to stick to this way of doing it and other times where I I was like, yeah, you're so right.

18:56This character needs to be accentuated or this story art could be toned down a little bit or whatever it might be. But if you've got someone who can give you great feedback after you've written the first draft of it, then I think that's really a valuable thing because you can get fresh eyes on it and you can step back from the project and you can keep thinking about it. But as far as starting goes, just start. I didn't have a publishing deal when I began writing scripted. I did it for fun. And I think that is the main thing you've got to keep in mind is doing it for the sheer enjoyment of writing.

19:31I could have finished scripted and it have just sat in the drawer forever. That would have still been OK because the joy I got from it was so immense. And I'm really holding on to that thought tightly because now is the really shit scary bit where other people get to read this little idea that's been brewing in my head for a few years. That's terrifying to me. You know, everyone will have their own interpretation of it. Some people will like it. Some people won't like it. Some people might critique it, whatever. I don't want to look at any of that stuff. What I want to do is focus on the fact that I loved writing this book.

20:09And for two years, I was lost in Jade's world. And it was the best escapism that I've ever experienced. So just start and really, really enjoy it. They're my only words of wisdom, if they can be classed that. I am so grateful for your questions. It means the world. And I hope that any of you who pick up this book, enjoy it, get something from it. feel like you could challenge the dynamics in your life that don't feel healthy or good or if there are moments where you're not saying exactly what you want to or need to in life I hope this encourages you it's still encouraging me because I haven't nailed that one I'm still at times useless at saying what I really want to say so that's my hope for the book and I hope that you just have fun reading it as well because it's a fun it's a fun story but look enough from me now waffling on.

21:03I'm going to hand you over to our gorgeous audiobook narrator, Erin, who does the most phenomenal job of reading this book. She plays the main character, Jade, but she reads the whole book with a whole host of different voices and accents. Here's an exclusive listen to the first chapter of my debut novel, Scripted. Enjoy. Chapter one. It was the worst summer Jade could remember. Although the late June sun sat lemony in the sky, the air was cool enough to bring goosebumps to the bare skin of her arms. It was the sort of summer's day that made her question why she lived in England. Standing outside the main doors to her block of flats, she tied her brown, unbrushed, waist-length hair into a ponytail.

21:53She tapped her phone and opened the playlist, Run, Jade, Run, letting the first track fill her whole head. But just as she was about to pick up into a jog She heard a low voice cutting through the music from above Turning to look up to her 50s style balcony She saw Adam, his sleep ruffled hair Its usual mess of blonde and brown Leaning over the white iron railings Waving a set of keys and mouthing the word Jade, theatrically Jade yanked out her earphones and stage whispered back What? Adam? What? What? Your keys? He held them aloft, pointing at them accusingly, his eyes squinting in the light.

22:36I'm not gonna be here when you get back. I'm going for a coffee with Benny, then I'm meeting Tomo for a few beers later. For fuck's sake, she muttered to herself as Adam lobbed the keys with a little too much punch in her direction. You really ought to invest in proper running here at some point, he added once she'd caught them. You look like a teenage boy off to drink cider down the park. With that, he turned quickly back inside, still in his boxer shorts, his arms wrapped around his bare torso. Jade looked down at her oversized, creased tie-dye t-shirt, then down to her legs and the grey tracksuit bottoms that sagged at the knee and ballooned at the ankle.

23:18She'd never seen the point in spending extortionate amounts on sleek, elaborately patterned leggings when she was more than comfortable in her favorite tracksuit bottoms. She stood motionless for three long seconds and felt the sting of his words. Then she started to run, one foot in front of the other, as if each step further from the flat could distance her from her problems. Today she needed the hypnotic flow of water, so she headed for the river. She didn't want to think about Adam's reluctance to spend any decent amount of time with her Or his regular slights and put downs And she really didn't want to think back to their incredibly irritating conversation in bed last night She winced and shook her head Picking up her pace, she could feel her hair splaying out like knotted tentacles behind her As gravity pulled her down the length of the hill She let her legs pick up momentum and move in cyclones Swinging her body, she took her right down River Lane, past the impossibly big houses with Georgian windows and trees sculpted into cones.

24:24She could see a glimmer ahead, early morning sunbeams skipping across the grooves in the water. Her breathing and legs settled into an even rhythm, her heart matching the drumbeat in her ears. The houses that lined the far bank of the river always piqued her curiosity, Sending her into a fantasy world of people she didn't know Her favourite was a small wooden house That she thought should be in the woods of Yosemite National Park Jade could almost smell moss, smoke and cedar Just looking at its porch and decking that overlooked the river But despite the meditative state she could slip into when running Adam's words still rang in her head When had it all started to go so wrong?

25:10More and more hairline cracks were appearing in their relationship And still she found herself trying to replace her worries with memories of better times Maybe everything would be okay Maybe she could glue the cracks back together Letting her shoulders drop Jade allowed her mind to meander back to the night they met Sophie had dragged her to the opening of a new exhibition by an artist who painted rotting fruit using natural dye from the very fruits themselves. Jade had thought it sounded extremely pretentious, but they'd rushed straight from work in their paint-splattered overalls, and any excitement Jade had felt about the prospect of free wine and a night out had disappeared in the face of the preened and pampered fine art crowd.

25:56Sophie had floated off to talk to an old friend from art school, and Jade had stood awkwardly, feeling out of place and dishevelled, her eyes darting from the crowd to the ground. She had noticed the veins that ran down the front of his biceps first. Then, daring to glance up at his face, the naturally lighter streaks of hair that twisted messily through the darker shades beneath. He seemed to take up space without effort as he moved around the room, gesticulating as he spoke, his head thrown back with uninhibited laughter. Watching him made her aware of how tightly wound she felt. And as the evening progressed, her body had gravitated towards his like a magnet.

26:41He had said something to her about her dungarees. She had made a quip about his spotless t-shirt. Now she smiled, remembering the moments that evening when she had felt Adam's eyes on her, even when she wasn't looking at him. His half smile when she stole a glance. Reminiscing about that first night felt like the recovery of something A safety rope to better times From their first meeting she was hooked And felt herself slowly unravelling at the seams In those early days, Adam's confidence and breezy approach to life Seemed to be the missing puzzle piece she so desperately needed His self-assurance rubbed off on her like delicious aftershave He had turned up when she was mostly made of tears and bowls of cereal for dinner.

27:30And she had raced into combining their lives, feeling she could at last breathe. But recently, his unruffled demeanor, the space he took up, felt like a block of concrete dragging her down. But she didn't want to be single at 32. She didn't want to feel the surge of pain she knew was sitting just below one thin layer of skin. It would all be okay. It had to be okay. Reaching Teddington Lock was a relief. She touched a tree with her fingertips as if to mark the halfway point, then turned on her heels to make her way home along the river path. Dodging dog walkers and bedraggled parents pushing sleeping babies in buggies, she arrived back at the main road which led to her flat at the top of the hill.

28:18Once she'd left the river behind her, the roar of car engines invaded the silence And Jade lifted her gaze with mild dread Jogging back up the hill felt like a battle with gravity Her lungs pumped as she began her ascent, legs as heavy as steel Finally, she reached the small concrete stairway that ran alongside a row of luxury apartments that overlooked the Thames It was her favourite view The expanse of sky, the silky bend of the river that snaked through the trees. Slowing to a walk, she gulped down cool air and stretched her arms above her head. As she took the first step, she looked down at the fluorescent trainers she knew Adam hated, and then to the random objects that littered the soil either side of the steps.

29:08A solitary rubber glove, which took a sinister edge without its matching pair. A curled crisp packet A decomposed apple core She pushed each step away, her thighs twitching with fatigue A crushed juice carton A contorted empty can of beer So much litter hidden just out of view from the high earners As her right foot hit the penultimate step, her eyes landed on a wad of paper Compared to the rotting and crumpled litter strewn about this stack of paper seemed pristine untouched by human hand she leaned in closer it looked like a script not that Jade had seen one since drama club at school the font looked similar to that of a typewriter with short stabs of text and names above each section shoving her phone into her sports bra she wrapped the bottom of her baggy t-shirt around her fingers pincered the sides of the stapled sheets and picked it up.

30:14Jay turned it over in her hands, inspecting it as if it were a fossil. Maybe a film star was staying in the adjacent apartments while on location. A couple of years ago, Brad Pitt had allegedly stayed down the road in Petersham while filming at Shepparton Studios, although she never did catch a glimpse of him, despite altering her run route to glide past his supposed rental twice a week. Maybe it was for a play. Richmond Theatre often showed small but acclaimed shows that had been touring nationally. Her mum, Sue, had once dragged her to watch Anton de Bec's one-man show there. As a huge Strictly fan, Sue had worn a purple sequined top to try and catch Anton's eye.

30:59At one point, Jade remembered with a grimace. Her mother had even waved at him as he jived towards their side of the auditorium, spilling her plastic glass of wine all over Jade's lap. Jade had then excused herself to spend an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom. Throwing a look over her shoulder to ensure she was alone, Jade started to read. Jade. She froze. Scanning the page, she took in very little, but tried to spot more mentions of her name. Her eyes jumped over every other word until they landed on Adam. What? Her eyes ran back up to the top. Above the first line of script, headed with her own name, was a stage direction.

31:49Jade leans against the kitchen worktop. One of the cupboard doors overhead is wonky. As the top hinge is loose, Jade stares at the floor to avoid eye contact with Adam. Jade's stomach lurched. Her kitchen cupboard door, the one that stored her ever-growing assortment of mugs, was hanging by loose hinges. Her eyes flipped to the next chunk of script. Under the stage directions were Jade's first lines of the script. Jade, Adam, are you sure you need to go to LA? Aren't long haul flights quite expensive? Jade looked up from the page and dug her toes into the ground to steady herself. The trees around her spun.

32:33Last night, her boyfriend of three years had casually stated that he probably needed to go abroad for his next work project. Now Jade finally allowed herself to think back to the irritation she had felt as he had nonchalantly mentioned it in bed, then rolled over to face away from her. Adam's clothing line, Good Too, had been in business for four years. Initially, he had started the brand alongside his day job of styling for an established men's clothing line. But two years into creating Good 2 Miley Cyrus had worn one of his t-shirts on a prime time chat show in America And after a period of press interest and online hype He had saved enough money to make the leap and quit his styling job Although the brand still sold in Selfridges as well as on his own website The yearly turnover had dropped Yet his lifestyle choices often didn't reflect it A trip abroad in the midst of a period of low business felt excessive to say the least Reckless, in fact.

33:33Adam's relaxed approach to anything remotely practical had once calmed Jade's nerves, but it now rattled her every bone. Whenever she questioned his rate of spending, he would simply blame their rent being too high. Last night, after his mention of a trip abroad, Jade had let her hand linger centimetres from the bedside lamp, while silence engulfed them both. Jade blinked herself back into the present moment, letting the memory fade and her eyes focus on the page in her hands. The script continued with another stage direction. Adam leans against a wall where a brass clock is hung. The clock reads 8.10pm and the weather dial shows sun and cloud.

34:16The clock. This was Jade's clock. The most generous and well-thought-out gift presented to her on her 30th birthday by her godmother, Belinda. Each time a new weather front moved in, the mechanism would gently whir, and a little picture of a sun peeking out from a cloud, or raindrops, or even thunder and lightning would appear. This script was a terrifyingly accurate look into a world that felt very much like Jade's. The names, the clock, the wonky cupboard. Her neck muscles tensed, and she noticed the uncomfortable stitch below her ribs for the first time since she'd left the house. She dared to read on.

34:57Adam. It's really important, babe. It's the right scene, the right vibe. I can't get that inspiration here. It's so middle class. I can hardly design an edgy top for young people while walking around high street chains and the farmer's market on a Sunday. As much as I love popping into Whole Foods, it's about as edgy as a sponge. Jade's eyes widened. Her large cup of pre-run coffee pulsed through her veins. She needed anchoring. Letting her thigh smack onto the step below, she sat down and read on. Another stage direction. Jade keeps her head tilted down and her gaze on her feet. Jade, I just think that flights are, like, well over 500 pounds to get there and back.

35:47Where would you stay? Adam. I don't know, with a friend. Jade You have friends in LA? Who? Adam I don't know, people I've met over the years. I'll work it out. Jade So you really need to go and do this. Adam Babe, yes. I've told you. You want to see my brand expand, right? This is an important part of my creativity. I'm probably going to go next Tuesday. Jade continues to look at the floor and kicks a clump of granola by her toes. Adam, it's an important trip. I'm sure flights won't be too bad. Jade, okay, it's just. This was not a conversation that they had had. But the script bore an uncanny resemblance to a typical conversation between them.

36:39And not only because of the storyline. It was as if the script was transcribed from her mind. It was typical Adam, typical her. Adam making light of a huge decision which impacted Jade, Jade unable to find the right words. Her throat had become the pit stop for all the expletives she didn't dare shout. The question she was too scared to ask, the no she never felt brave enough to say. Jade closed her eyes and let her head flop back, face to the sky before her eyes flashed back down to the page. She hoped to see more text under her name, questioning Adam's trip, saying a vehement no, the right words to wrap the conversation up tightly.

37:23Adam, I'm probably going to stay in West Hollywood. There are some good flea markets there. I think they call them swap meets or meat swaps or something. I'm already feeling inspired. I'm going to bring more of a skater feel to the line, but only subtly. It's still got to look classy, clean, and continue with the brand's core feel that I've established. Jade. Sounds good. Adam. Right, I'm having a bath and getting an early one. Jade gulped, freeing her fingers from her scrunched up t-shirt as they fumbled to turn the page, the whole wad of paper falling to the ground. She grabbed at it, scooping it back up into her arms, then pinched at the pages and turned to continue reading.

38:08But there was nothing. The rest of the pages were blank. She tried again, working her way from the page she had just read and rubbing at it to ensure she hadn't missed anything. Nothing. Glaring white emptiness staring back at her. Heart racing, she rolled the pages into a tube and slid them down into the waistband of her joggers. She walked home, her head spinning. One foot, the next foot, one more step, every now and then tapping the side of her waist to check the rolled up script was still in place. As she approached the main door to their block of flats, her neighbour, Mr Merry, was leaving.

38:49Morning, Jade. Bit nippy out today, isn't it? said Mr Merry as he tipped his flat cap towards her. Mr Merry was indeed always Merry, which had led to Adam secretly calling him Mr Men behind his back. Always with endearment as both Jade and Adam were very fond of their brief yet sunny corridor chats. Oh, hi, morning, Mr Men, Jade blurted out. Mr Merry, Mr Merry, she clarified. Have a lovely, lovely walk. Flustered, cheeks burning red, she rushed past him and ran up the stairs to her first floor flat She fumbled for the keys she shoved down her bra and ripped them out Scratching her chest as she did, thrusting the key into the lock She pushed through the door and fell to her knees in the hallway Pulled the paper from her joggers and lay on her back staring at the ceiling What the hell was she going to do now?

39:49Call Sophie? Definitely not her mum, that would only create more drama. Maybe she should tell Adam. Yet somehow that felt entirely wrong. Jade sat up and crossed her legs, letting her head hang towards the curled script on the floor. She was so consumed by the feeling of anxiety in her chest that it took her a whole minute to notice that Adam had walked mud across the carpet of the hallway on his way out. Picking the script back up, she stared at the words and read them over and over. Who wrote this? How did they know such intimate details about her flat and relationship? She lay back on the floor, letting the adrenaline slide off her skin, leaving her numb and quiet.

40:42Oh, thank you, Erin. And again, thank you to Erin for saying yes to reading the audiobook. What an absolute treat and what a legend. I'm just so chuffed with it. And I really hope that you enjoyed listening to that. And maybe it's whet your appetite to listen to more or read the book in its physical form. I want to say a big thank you to all of you for asking me all of those wonderful questions. It means the world. And it was actually really fun thinking back to the writing process and looking back over that period of time writing the book. So thank you so, so much. these kinds of discussions are exactly what we like to do over at book club if you love getting into the nitty-gritty of books and chatting about whether it is creative writing or just a really good read then head to at happy place book club on instagram we chat about books all day long you'll love it all bookworms are welcome we read a different book every single month and they're all really different some are fiction some are non-fiction we've had a whole host of different subjects covered so lots of interesting things to chat about over there my novel scripted is out right now and i cannot wait to hear what you make of it i think i believe myself when i say that i am also shitting myself about hearing what you say about it um but look i want to say again a massive thank you to you lot for your questions massively appreciate it to the producer anushka tate at happy place studios and to you for listening you're my absolute favorites

42:37Say what you want about AI, but it's here and it's helping businesses get more done in a day. Wix's website builder is infused with AI so you can stay ahead. Create a beautiful functional website just by describing your idea. Track how your site appears in AI search results. Create custom images on demand or launch an entire campaign in a matter of minutes. Wix gives you AI wherever you need it. Try it out for yourself at Wix.com. Dr. India Woods here. As a veterinarian, I demand a lot of my scrubs on the job. That's why I show up in FIGS. FIGS are made for the sometimes crazy situations I find myself in.

43:16It doesn't matter if I have to squat, sit, bend, or even chase after one of my patients. FIGS moves with me and keeps me comfortable in the highest pressure situations. FIGS gives me one less thing to worry about. Get 15 % off your first order by visiting wearfigs.com and use code FIGSRX at checkout. That's wearfigs.com, code FIGSRX.