‘The Things We Leave Unsaid’ is a Macchiato of a Must-Read!
I am beyond excited to have fellow Crooked Cat Book author, Megan Mayfair grace the blog today. Megan is one of the loveliest and most supportive authors I have met since starting out on my writing journey. And her debut novel, The Things We Leave Unsaid is no exception.
Imagine my surprise when I was asked to endorse it!
‘Steaming with emotion, percolating with comedy and romance.’
And that’s no exaggeration…
Megan and I both share a love of hygge, hip and trendy coffee shops (plus the cakes that decorate them), so I now have an even greater pull to visit Mebourne, Australia, where she lives.
Take it away, Megan and please tell us all about your gorgeous book:
About The Things We Leave Unsaid (and coffee)
The Things We Leave Unsaid is about two women, Clare and Tessa, both of whom work at Double Shot, a fictitious café in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
Why a café?
Let’s face it there are a lot of books about cafés – who doesn’t love reading about delicious cakes? It’s a nice, feel-good topic. But for me, the setting has a couple of important meanings:
Firstly, Melbourne has a very strong café culture. World Barista Champion Pete Licata, from the United States said “It’s nearly impossible to find a bad cup of coffee in Melbourne.” And I tend to agree. Coffee is such a strong part of Melbourne’s history and culture. The setting, I hope, gives readers a little taste of the Melbourne food scene.
Secondly, the café is important for my characters. It’s Tessa’s pride and joy. She’s had a tough time with her family – her mother has been going through hell and her father ran off to Rome some years before. All her focus and ambition is purely in her café. It’s her family. It’s her life.
For Clare, the café is a stop-gap. It’s a place to work. She’s moved to Melbourne for her husband’s job and when she was unable to find a job in public relations, she ended up working with Tessa. But ultimately, the café is good for her. It helps her grow as a person.
Finally, in terms of the story, we see many important events happen over coffee. And that’s no accident. Our opening scene is in a café where Tessa dumps a boyfriend – and she makes the observation that the ritual of having coffee is one that makes secrets tumble out, gossip relished and feelings revealed. She’s seen this in her own café and we see it happen several times in the Things We Leave Unsaid – several important conversations happen over coffee.
What those conversations are, I won’t spoil the surprise, but it’s safe to say that Tessa’s observation is extremely accurate.
About me
I’m a Melbourne-based writer who likes fiction with a dash of family intrigue, a sprinkling of comedy and a spoonful of romance.
Mum to three kids under seven, I write around my own chaotic family life, as well as teaching and working in public relations. Generally, all these activities are fueled by copious amounts of coffee and most of my writing takes place in my local coffee shop, staffed with extremely supportive baristas.
I love collecting scarves, the smell of new stationery, torturing myself at pilates and a bit of #bookstagram.
My debut novel is The Things We Leave Unsaid, published by Crooked Cat Books. This will be followed by Tangled Vines and The Problem with Perfect over 2018 and 2019. I’ve also written a couple of short stories and regularly blog interviews with other authors on my website.
The blurb for The Things We Leave Unsaid
Is it the things we don’t say that haunt us the most?
Clare is anxious to start a family with adoring husband, Pete. When she takes on the seemingly simple task of obtaining her late mother’s birth certificate, she finds herself in a family history search that will challenge everything she thought she knew about her life.
Scarred by her parents’ ill-fated marriage, Tessa lives by three rules – dating unavailable men, building her café into a food empire, and avoiding her father. However, when her carefully planned life is thrown into chaos, Tessa is forced to decide which of these rules she’s willing to break.
As Clare and Tessa’s paths cross and their friendship grows, can they both finally unlock their family secrets in order to realise their futures?
Contact:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meganmayfairauthor
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mayfairmegan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganmayfairwrites
Website: www.meganmayfair.com
Blog: www.meganmayfair.com/blog
Purchase The Things We Leave Unsaid: https://mybook.to/leaveunsaid
Isabella May Author 