Dearest reader friends, I’m as excited as a toddler who’s just seen snow for the first time to announce that I have a new book coming in July and it’s all about happiness.

Happiness is a funny old thing, isn’t it? We all search for it, sometimes fail to find it and often only recognise it when it’s gone. To be honest, I feel the same about Double Deckers, which in a quirky twist of fate are also a great source of happiness for me. Uncanny, I know.

I did a lot of research on the subject of happiness when I was writing this book, some chocolate-based (I suffer for my art), some word-based. There’s mountains of advice out there on how to find happiness. Everyone from the NHS to Wikihow has tips on how to be happy. As I read and absorbed these ideas, the following questions leapt like Olympic snowboarders through my mind:

Is happiness something you can learn?

And if it is, what would the course which taught you how to be happy look like?

And so, my bookish chums, The Happiness List features my own version of such a course along with three female characters from three very different generations and backgrounds. Each has their own reason for attending the course run by Scandinavian Hygge-fan, Nik at their local community hall.

Heather is in her twenties and has just moved to Hope Street, close to where her late mother grew up. She is convinced that her forthcoming marriage to fiancé Luke will bring her everything she needs in life, if only she can persuade him to spend less time at work.

Fran is in her early forties and since being widowed two years ago, has done her best to bring up her teenage son, Jude and ten-year-old daughter, Charlie alone, whilst deflecting her own grief with darkly sarcastic wit.

Star-baker and community stalwart, Pamela is in her mid-sixties and is fed up with being taken for granted by her garden-fanatic husband and grown-up children. She’s ready to step out of her comfort zone and try something new.

With these three characters, I wanted to explore how people’s versions of happiness change depending on their age and circumstances and also how different generations learn from one another.

I loved writing this book because it enabled me to return to Hope Street and tell a new and fresh story about friendship, community and how important they are in bringing us happiness. Like most of my books, I aim to make readers laugh and perhaps shed the odd tear. I wholly recommend the addition of your favourite happy-making snack whilst you are reading and above all, I hope you enjoy it.

If you would like to pre-order a copy, you can click here: Amazon UK

And if that’s not enough, here’s a sneaky peek of the bright, beautiful cover to bring you just a little extra happiness on this chilly Wednesday.

Happy reading, my friends!