Bio
Helen Bateman was born in 1978 in Northumberland. She studied English Literature and Language at Lancaster before completing her teacher training in Durham. She lives with her husband and three children and tries to write during the little bubbles of time that life occasionally blows in her direction.Her first book, Soul to take, has been widely praised on amazon, goodreads and mumsnet as an “excellent debut novel” . It is described as “an original take on life and birth, choice and acceptance” and follows a dormant Soul observing four prospective mothers. With its “chic lit style characters and a contemporary fiction method of writing”, it has sold copies across the World.
Throughout the last year, Helen has been working on her latest novel What they didn't tell you, a story about the lengths we go to for those we love. Rupert Appleby must save his sister, who has been caught up in the dark and dangerous world of sleeping rough on the city streets. Time is against him, as he tells the truth that will unravel the mystery of what happened to their family on Christmas Day.
Genres
Free Book Giveaways
Soul to take
Vicky is desperate to make her mark, in a world which just doesn't seem to notice her.
Silence and smiles hide the pain that Nell is keeping to herself.
Sarah's dreams of having a family seem hopeless.
And then there's Shannon, who's in trouble at school yet again.
But what these four women don't know is that someone - or something - is watching them.
A much-recycled soul, suspended between one life and the next, realises that Vicky, Nell, Sarah and Shannon are embarking on their journey towards Motherhood. As memories from past incarnations return to this Soul, it becomes clear that one of these women will be chosen to guide it once more.
Soul to take explores what it is to become a parent and considers the possibility that actually, our children are the ones who carefully select us
You have to believe me
There's nothing Kate wouldn't do to keep her children safe. Nothing.
A short story (3,000 words) ideal for a coffee break read.