Calamity Chicks 4.3

Meet the cast

Helen Jackson
“I try not to treat you like a little girl, but sometimes I forget how quickly you’re growing up.” A sigh. “But you’ve always had an old head on your shoulders. Just now you sounded more like a sister than a daughter.”
Helen buried her head in Mum’s shoulder, squeezing tightly. She desperately wanted to confide about the things Dad did which made her uncomfortable, but she was too afraid of the consequences. And it wasn’t just him.
Helen rarely questioned her lot in life – it was what it was. From what she could tell, her mum had to put up with a darn sight more, so she felt it her duty to support her every way she could.

Nikos

Dark, enigmatic and initially  hostile, she soon discovered hidden depths.
In halting English, he explained how the girl’s faithless boyfriend had left her for another woman, but snapped his fingers and she went running back.
She nodded. “A total rat. “I bet he’s still seeing other women.”
He nodded vigorously. “I think this, too. But Eleni has no senses about him. She is stupid.”
“Women in love rarely have any sense. Or dignity.”
“Yes. You speak right. She has no dignity about him. Like most girls. Ruled by their …” He used a Greek word which sounded like moon, but his hand gesture made the meaning clear and the curled lip showed his distaste.
She glanced out of the window, trying to hide her involuntary shiver – he was every bit as arrogant as her father.

Janet Jackson
Even though Helen repeated the words exactly as her sister had, he obviously didn’t believe her. Then Janet peeked round the door, taking great pleasure in dobbing her in. “She’s got her fingers crossed behind her back.” Her smug smirk turned into a squeal as he morphed into the daddy monster and chased her out, saying she had five minutes to hide before he came to gobble her all up.
Over breakfast, Janet point blank refused to help. “I’m not a slave, I’m only nine. Far too young.”
“Janet. I didn’t bring you up to be so rude. You apologise right now.” Mum looked mortified.
“It’s alright.” Aggie’s face wobbled. “The last thing I want is to make anyone feel like this is the Victorian age when they sent children up chimneys.”

Stella Brent
Helen watched her mum’s face desperately trying not to crumple into despair. But the anger which fuelled Mum’s every waking moment rose to the surface and she gripped Helen’s arm, the jagged edges of her bitten-to-the-quick nails digging into the soft flesh, seeking blood
Mum didn't understand why Janet called her a fat, ugly old cow, so Helen tried to explain.
“Janet’s too young to know any better. When she moaned that you never let us have any fun, he said you’re jealous of us because we’re young, slim and pretty – everything you’re not.” She gulped as mum’s face went all wobbly. “It’s not true. You’re dead slim and gorgeous– ”

Jax (Sean Jackson)

Helen stared at the scruffy man whose beard and unkempt hair gave the appearance of a tramp.
He caught on, smoothing a dark lock which refused to be flattened. “Here’s me talking, I probably look in a far worse state. I came straight from the airport, but I probably should have had a haircut and shave first.”
“The Wild Man of Borneo motif suits you.” With a wink, Aggie returned to tea-making activities.
Jax was unlike any man she’d ever met – somehow she knew instantly he was worthy of her trust. For starters, he didn’t ogle her with the dark, greedy smiles of Dad’s creepy mates, nor cower behind anxious expressions like the timid characters she saw on TV. He seemed serious and sincere, suggesting strength like Sean Connery’s James Bond.

Auntie A (Aggie)
Aggie – nobody called her Agatha, despite her stern face – had recently bought a three-storey house overlooking the sea. The view out of their bedroom showed a long structure Aggie called a pier: one of two in Brighton.
“It’s a tourist attraction with a theatre at the end where famous comedians go to perform. I’ve booked us in for a show so you’ll see for yourself.”
After the weekend exploring the busy seaside town, Aggie explained her plans for restoring the house to its former glory and opening it as a guesthouse. “There’s an awful lot of work to clear all the bedrooms, and strip off the old wallpaper, and I’d appreciate any help. Otherwise, I’d have to pay a lot of money to a decorating firm.”

Penny
Helen met more of Jax’s family, discovering she had several cousins, including Clive’s daughter Penny, a year younger than Janet. On Penny’s first day, Janet brought her to the library after eating lunch, and Helen was surprised how much the younger girl’s studious attitude influenced her sister.

Chloe
Vaguely aware of a third girl joining Janet and Penny, she was struck by the girl’s ethereal fragility – far too insubstantial and naïve to survive in the tough school. The word fairy sprang to mind, and she couldn’t help but smile when she spotted her with a skinny lad who gave off a distinctly effeminate air. Truly a well-matched pair.

Charlie Evans

“Hey, Charlie. I thought I told ya to sort that so’s we can get some peace.”
A short, thickset girl with an almost military crewcut snorted. “I did. You know I did. He must’ve fixed it.” As the alarm clanged, she swore. “Shit. He’s rigged it with an alarm. The place will be swarming with staff any second.”
As the others fled, she jumped down, staring at Helen’s head. “Bloody hell, girl. What happened to you?”
“A psycho with a pair of scissors.” Helen caught sight of herself in the mirror, the scars showing prominently against the dark stubble.
Charlie bent down to pick up the wig, in a sorry state after being trampled by several pairs of uncaring feet. “Looks like the wig bought it.” She tried to straighten the knotted strands.
The door burst open and a tall man in a beige overall loomed over them. “Gotcha.”

Justin Palmer
She couldn't decide if he were a glib, “love ’em and leave ’em” type with a well-notched bedpost, a thief, or the worst kind of troublemaker. Basically a reprobate who reeked of dodgy dealings.
“Are you buying? Otherwise clear off.” The barman’s demeanour spoke of weary irritation.
“A Coke please.” He glanced at her. “Would you like ice in that?”
She nodded, not wanting to add to the man’s woes by challenging Justin’s arrogant assumption.
“Make that two cokes, both with ice.”
His grin suggested he’d read her thoughts, but he honestly looked the type who would be drinking beer despite being underage. For once, she couldn’t quite get a reading on him, but she would have put money on there being something dodgy, albeit buried deeply.

Calamity Chicks 4.2

Who doesn't love a Greek island? Here's one of Helen's first experiences on one - not what you might expect.

   “Looks like it’s only you and me for the windsurfing.” Jax winked at Helen.
   She groaned. It looked quite technical, something she suspected Janet would have been much better at. But the idea of spending the day with her dad, doing something he enjoyed, appealed to her.
   Surprisingly, she managed quite well, once she understood it was mostly a matter of balance, and going with the flow. He suggested most people failed because they were afraid to fall in the water. “Once you realise a dunking is inevitable, you stop fighting it.”
   She wasn’t kidding when she said Janet was much better suited to sporting activities, but for some reason this one worked for her. Despite his forebodings, she didn’t fall off once. The half hour was over far too soon, but he hired a pedalo and they pedalled their way over to the other part of the beach to explore the cliff.

   When they reached the top, he asked if everything was okay with boys.
   “How do you mean, okay?”
   A scowl. “I don’t want to pry, but I definitely got a bad vibe off that Jason character.”
   “Jason?” A beat. “You mean Justin. That was ages ago – we finished at Easter.”
   He nodded. “Good. I got the impression it was all over, but you never mentioned it and, as I’ve said many times, I don’t like to pry.” His expression, however, said prying was exactly what he wanted to do. Or at least getting a feel for how the relationship had gone.
   She took pity on him. “I know you're desperate to ask but worried about what I might reveal.”
   His face scrunched up. “Really? I’m that obvious?”
   “You have no idea. I’m guessing all fathers go through this at some point with their daughters.”
   He deadpanned. “You have no idea.”
   She chuckled. “I haven’t actually gone out with that many boys, because I find the majority to be far too immature. Most of them are only interested in the one thing I’m not prepared to give.”
   His eyebrows rose. “Pleased to hear it.”
   A sigh. “And I guess my experience with men has been somewhat tainted.”
   “Of course. Stella, I mean your mother, has been reluctant to shed too much light on what happened. But there are a number of things I wish she’d known about.”

   Helen was caught completely unawares as he grabbed her from behind. “What the heck?”
   “What would you do if someone did this to you?”
   Trying to get past the shock gripping her brain, she focused on how he was holding her captive, looking for the weakest link. His obvious strength meant there was little point in struggling against the grip on her wrists. At the very least, it would result in bruising.
   “Come on. If you don’t do something he could have you half-naked by now.”
   Helen knew one of the best strategies for a woman was to aim for her assailant’s genitals, but that only worked if the guy was face to face. She had no chance of kneeing him in the testicles with her back to him. And a head-butt was out of the question, although she doubted that particular tactic was something she would ever dream of using. Particularly on her beloved dad.
   The only weapons available were her feet, and she tossed up between stamping on his foot and kicking his shin. However, she couldn’t imagine practising on her dad because of the whole hurting thing.
   “Don’t worry about hurting me. I promise, you won’t do that.”
   She went for the foot stamp, figuring it would be easier to manage and less likely to overbalance her. But somehow he knew, moving his foot away so she only stamped the ground.
   “Good attempt, and it would have worked on most attackers, as long as they weren’t army trained.”
   But she was banking on the fact he didn’t know she’d watched several films featuring self-defence techniques. She followed up the manoeuvre with an elbow-jab aimed at his midriff, figuring his attention would be diverted enough to give some slack on his grip of her wrist.
   Unfortunately, she hadn’t reckoned on him being well versed in anticipating any moves she might make. He dodged her elbow, catching her arms behind her back, and capturing both wrists with one hand.
   “Good try. What will you do now?”
   She tried flexing her wrists, but his tight grip gave no room for manoeuvre. The part of her brain which registered pain stuck up a tentative hand, muttering about the level of discomfort, but what she understood as the fight-or-flight instincts shouted it down, needing full power to focus on an escape strategy.
   “Come on, girl. Every second counts. What are your instincts telling you to do?”
   She wanted to snarl at him to shut up and let her think, but she understood he was deliberately raising the stakes so the appropriate parts of her natural defence mechanism would kick in. Without the benefit of the sort of training he obviously received during his military career, she instinctively knew the only way she could best him would be with speed and something unexpected.
   Figuring most women would merely struggle against the grip holding them captive, she quickly dismissed this as a waste of energy. The whole superior strength thing. A couple of moves sprang to mind, but she wouldn’t feel at all comfortable doing them to her dad.
   “Stop analysing, just act. Whatever comes to–”
   He didn’t get a chance to finish as she sprang back, simultaneously twisting half a turn and jerking her shoulder into whatever part of his body was closest. Using the shock of the unexpected move and the momentum of her body against him, she managed to free her wrists and shoved hard, sprinting down the path, panting for breath.

   Half-way down she stopped, surprised he hadn’t appeared. Her first thought was she’d injured him in some way, and this quickly gave way to an image of the scene. Surely he wouldn’t have overbalanced and fallen down the cliff? Unable to bear the thought he could be suffering, she ran back, but he was nowhere to be seen. Was this even the right place? She scouted around for some indication, finally spotting an unusual cluster of rocks which reminded her of a badly-formed big cat. More of a tiger than a lion.
   “Of course, if you were really being attacked, you would never return to see if you’d injured your assailant.”
   She jumped as he appeared from behind a tree. “I thought you’d fallen over the cliff or something.”
   “Sorry. Badly-timed call of nature.” A chuckle. “And I had to search for some water to wash my hands.”
   “Did I hurt you? I heard a thump, but I was doing what you said and obeying my instinct to run.”
   “Not at all. More importantly, did I hurt you? I was trying to be gentle, but the instructor was clear that if we took it easy on the girls, they’d never be able to defend themselves against a real attacker.”
   “My wrists may be sore later on, otherwise I’m okay. A little warning would have been nice.”
   “That would have defeated the object. I wanted to assess your reflexes, and I have to say, they’re way better than I could ever have hoped. Your first instinct should always be to run, and that’s what you did, the moment you could.”
   “Except I came back.” She grinned.
   “Because you don’t realise how tough your old man is. I meant it when I said you couldn’t do anything to hurt me.”
   “You think?” She described one of the tactics which had run through her mind, and he winced.
   “Ouch. I pity the guy who tries to take you on.”
   “Am I right? Would it hurt more if I dug my nails in or twisted really hard?”
   His face screwed up. “Depends what he’s wearing. You won’t be able to do much through thick denim.”
   “But if he takes them off, it only leaves thin cotton.”
   “And you can be pretty sure of his intention if he’s down to his underwear. But would you have the nerve to grab hold of a stranger’s privates?”
   “If it was that or be raped, there’s no question. Nails or twist?”
   “Both if you can.” A shudder. “I consider it my duty to arm both you girls with some rudimentary self-defence techniques. It’s just a shame I couldn’t have taught Stella before I left. Then maybe the three of you wouldn’t have suffered so much.”
   “No point crying over spilt milk. If you had, then maybe we wouldn’t have Janet.”
   “True. I love the way you always look on the bright side, no matter what.”
   “That’s all down to Mum. Despite what she thinks, she’s really strong and brave and resourceful.”
   “You don’t need to tell me that, I promise you.”

Calamity Chicks 4.1

The fourth book in the series is Helen’s Hazard – here’s a little more about it.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Helen figures she must’ve done something really bad in a former life to end up with her family: a sneaky sister dobbing her in to their deranged dad who delights in administering his twisted punishment ritual. Her mousey mum is too busy dodging punches to notice, and probably couldn’t do anything if she did.

Her Cinderella lifestyle takes a dark turn when Dad’s slimy mate babysits. He and his creepy girlfriend have strange ideas about games suitable for pre-teens, and she’s forced to swear a blood oath not to tell Mum. Those capricious fates have a few tricks - like a fairy godmother who reveals her true dad. But is it too late to save her from the monster?

As for handsome princes - they’re decidedly thin on the ground in her small English hometown, and inevitably turn into frogs when she kisses them. She never expected her first true love to be a Greek island, but she loses her heart to their way of life. Returning to work the summer before starting college, the first Greek man she encounters reeks of pride and arrogance. And she’s had way more than her fill of that.

A moonlit kiss gives her hope — but what’s the secret her sister won’t share, and will it destroy everything?

A modern Cinderella story with a flavour of Shirly Valentine and Mamma Mia
This cheeky piece of 70s British nostalgia features a courageous Cinderella, girl-powered escapes from hairy situations, a couple of unlikely heroes and the nastiest of villains. Feel free to boo and hiss.

Calamity Chicks:
Endearing, coming-of-age romances with lashings of adventure and a hint of spicy danger. Set in 70's Britain, they provide an immersive experience of growing up in a world without mobile phones and computers, but with the best soundtrack everrr!
#1 Tina's Torment - Ugly Duckling
#2 Chloe's Chaos - Goldilocks
#3 Linda's Lament - Reluctant Rock Star
#4 Helen's Hazard - Cinderella








And the answers from this week
A. Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree 62
B. Wizzard – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day 73
C. Greg Lake – I Believe In Father Christmas 75
D. Perry Como – It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas 1951 (Michael Bublé 2012)
E. John Lennon/Yoko Ono – Merry Christmas (War Is Over) 72
F. Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody 73
G. Jackson 5– Santa Claus is Coming to Town 70 (Bruce Springsteen 85)
H. Elton John - Step Into Christmas 73

Christmas Hits of the 80s and 90s

Part 2 of the Christmas lyric quiz - answers next week, and the ones for last week at the end of this post.

A) Let the Christmas spirit ring, later we'll have some pumpkin pie.
B) You know that sweet Santa Claus is on the way.
C) Hallelujah, Noël, be it Heaven or Hell The Christmas we get, we deserve
D) Soon the bells will start and the thing that'll make 'em ring is the carol that you sing.
E) So this is Xmas and what have you done.
F) Look to the future now, It's only just begun.
G) He's making a list, And checking it twice; Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice.
H) Here we are as in olden days, Happy golden days of yore.



And here are the year-by-year Christmas hits from 80s, 90s and beyond

1980s
1980 – Jona Lewie – Stop The Cavalry
1981 – The Waitresses – Christmas Wrapping
1982 – David Essex – A Winter’s Tale, Shakin’ Stevens – Blue Christmas, Cliff Richard – Little Town, Frank Kelly – Christmas Countdown
1983 – Paul McCartney – Pipes Of Peace, Pretenders – 2000 Miles
1984 – Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas?, Wham! – Last Christmas, Queen – Thank God it’s Christmas
1985 – Shakin’ Stevens – Merry Christmas Everyone, Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Aled Jones – Walking In The Air
1987 – Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale Of New York
1988 – Cliff Richard – Mistletoe And Wine, Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas, Freiheit – Keeping the Dream Alive
1989 – Band Aid II – Do They Know It’s Christmas

1990s
1990 – Cliff Richard – Saviour’s Day, John Williams – Carol of the Bells, Whitney Houston – Do you Hear What I Hear?
1991 – Shakin’ Stevens – I’ll be Home for Christmas, Cliff Richard – We Should be Together
1992 – Darlene Love – All Alone on Christmas
1993 – Dina Carroll – The Perfect Year, Kate Bush – Home for Christmas
1994 – Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You, East 17 – Stay Another Day, Bon Jovi – Please Come Home For Christmas
1995 – Luther Vandross – Every Year, Every Christmas, Michael Jackson - Earth Song
1996 – The Smurfs – Your Christmas Wish
1999 – Cliff Richard – The Millennium Prayer, Tom Jones & Cerys Matthews – Baby, It's Cold Outside

2000s
2003 – The Darkness – Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End), Billy Mack – Christmas Is All Around
2004 – Band Aid 20 – Do They Know It’s Christmas?, Celine Dion – O Holy Night
2007 – Kylie Minogue – Santa Baby, Michael Bublé – Have Yourselves a Merry Little Christmas 2008 – Status Quo – It’s Christmas Time, Alexandra Burke – Hallelujah
2009 – George Michael - December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas), Sir Terry Wogan & Aled Jones – Silver Bells
2011 – Michael Bublé – All I Want for Christmas is You, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
2012 – Michael Bublé – It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, White Christmas


 



Answers for last week:
1. Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale Of New York 87
2. Wham! – Last Christmas 84
3. Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas 88
4. Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You 94
5. East 17 - Stay Another Day 94
6. Shakin’ Stevens – Merry Christmas Everyone 85
7. Kate Bush – Home for Christmas 93
8. Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas? 84
9. Kylie Minogue – Santa Baby 07 (Eartha Kitt 53)

Christmas Hits of the 60s and 70s

I used to run a lyric quiz on my last lesson before Christmas every year. Nothing to do with maths, but we'd do 3D initials on Isometric paper, or Christmas co-ordinates - basically a colouring in lesson with lots of Christmas music playing. See how you get on - answers next week.

1) You were handsome, you were pretty, Queen of New York City.
2) This year, to save me from tears I'll give it to someone special.
3) I sing this song to pass the time away, driving in my car.
4) I just want you for my own. more than you could ever know
5) Baby if you've got to go away, don't think I could take the pain.
6) Snow is falling all around me.
7) You know that I'll be waiting to hear your footsteps saying.
8) At Christmastime we let in light and we banish shade.
9) Think of all the fun I've missed Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed.

It's no good looking for clues below - all but one were released after 1979.

And now for the year-by-year Christmas hits.
This is not a comprehensive list by any means, but it includes many of my all-time favourites.

Early Hits
1942 – Bing Crosby – White Christmas
1951 – Perry Como – It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
1952 – Bing Crosby – Silent Night, Jimmy Boyd – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
1953 – Eartha Kitt – Santa Baby
1957 – Harry Belafonte – Mary’s Boy Child, Frank Sinatra – Have Yourselves a Merry Little Christmas
1958 – Johnny Mathis – Winter Wonderland
1959 – Max Bygraves – Jingle Bell Rock, Dean Martin - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

1960s
1960 – Ella Fitzgerald – Frosty The Snowman, Adam Faith - Lonely Pup (In A Christmas Shop)
1961 – Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song
1962 – Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
1963 – Johnny Mathis – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Andy Williams – It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,
The Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick, Bing Crosby– Do you Hear What I Hear?, The Crystals – Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer,
Dora Bryan – All I Want For Christmas Is A Beatle
1964 – Burl Ives – A Holly Jolly Christmas, Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas
1966 – Elvis Presley – If Everyday Was Like Christmas, Dean Martin – A Marshmellow World
1967 – Barbra Streisand – The Christmas Song, The Beatles – Christmastime Is Here Again
1969 – Engelbert Humperdinck - Winter World Of Love

1970s
1970 – José Feliciano – Feliz Navidad, The Carpenters - Merry Christmas Darling, Jackson 5 – Santa Claus is Coming to Town
1971 – John and Yoko and The Plastic Ono Band - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
1972 – Mud – Lonely This Christmas
1973 – Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody, Wizzard – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day,
Elton John – Step into Christmas, Steeleye Span – Gaudete
1974 – The Wombles – Wombling Merry Christmas, Showaddywaddy – Hey Mr Christmas, Mud – Lonely This Christmas
1975 – Greg Lake – I Believe In Father Christmas, Chris de Burgh – A Spaceman Came Travelling, Mike Oldfield – In Dulce Jubilo,
The Four Seasons – December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night), Dana – It’s Gonna be a Cold, Cold Christmas,
Love Unlimited - It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart It's Spring
1976 – Johnny Mathis – When A Child Is Born, Jethro Tull – Ring out Solstice Bells
1977 – Donna Summer – Winter Melody
1978 – David Bowie and Bing Crosby – Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy, Boney M – Mary’s Boy Child
1979 – Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmas Time, Kate Bush – December Will Be Magic Again

Your 1970s Memories

The Calamity Chicks books are set firmly in the seventies and are loosely based on things which happened to me - especially the dancing, sailing and skating. And even the bits set in recording studios or featuring bona fide Hell's Angel bikers.
Yep, I had full-on teenage experiences which inevitably find their way into many of my series, one way or another.

I'm hoping several of the things which happen to my beleaguered heroines will resonate - particularly with readers of a certain age brought up in the UK ;)


To give you a clue, here are some examples. Remember these are coming-of-age stories, so they start off young:

Tina's Torment
* Playing in a den in the park
* O-levels/A-levels
* Nasty bully
* School disco at lunchtime
* 6th form sports afternoon (sailing)
* Saturday afternoon shopping - Woolies!
* Cinema showing short film before main feature
* The stench of pot in the uni students union bars
* Dad moaning if a phone call lasted longer than ten minutes

Chloe's Chaos
* Playing British Bulldogs
* Being on the dummy tables
* Nasty homophobic bully
* Peer pressure to “do it”
* Leaving school after O-levels/CSEs
* Near-escape with “bad-lad”
* Saturday afternoon skating
* Dreadful misogynistic rules of biker gangs
* Reuniting with first ever love

Linda's Lament
* I’ll show you mine …
* 11 plus tests – weird brain wiring required to succeed
* Neurotic mother who gave up career when pregnant
* Nasty bullying nuns at convent school
* School musical productions
* Saturday job in recording studio
* Learning to drive – getting first car
* Working in pub – MC club baptism of fire
* Meeting “the one” at uni freshers disco

The next book, Helen's Hazard is now available to pre-order - released on 2nd January 2026.

Helen's Hazard
* Sibling favouritism – cuckoo in nest
* 11 plus test – the consequence of failure
* Gangs guarding gym entrance
* Seeking refuge in school library
* Unsavoury attentions of babysitter
* Discovering real father – life begins
* Falling in love with a different country - Greece
* Tackling a demanding psychology degree
* Taming an arrogant Greek restauranteur


I'd love to know if any of these resonate with you - let me know in a comment
And the first 5 people who add an experience of their 70s - in particular your top 3 songs from that decade - will get a code to download a free copy Tina's Torment.

Calamity Chicks 3.3

Linda
Linda’s childhood saw her stumbling from one disastrous scene to another, mainly due to bad choices of her parents. Her dad, Chris, a loveable rogue, was the leader of Granite’s road crew, but his boss, Uncle Teddy, had some unsavoury inclinations. But her mother Marcia’s neurotic hang-ups result in even more heartache.

Jack Thomas
Undoubtedly the best-looking boy in her junior school, Jack was also the brightest. And all the teachers loved him; even grumpy Mr Hotchkiss, the deputy. Despite this, he was the only person in her entire life who hadn’t made her feel fat, ugly or a nuisance. When they met again in high school, they partnered as leads in a couple of school shows, but the onstage chemistry between them fizzled out when she met his girlfriend.

Granite
Lin’s experience on tour with the band forced her to grow up faster than normal, but there were advantages – mostly in the shape of Mindy, the band’s seamstress who was married to the lead guitarist. The woman had a gentle compassion and generous nature – the exact opposite to Lin’s mother.

Convent

After a couple of vindictive mothers lock horns, Lin ends up in a strict convent to be subjected to casual cruelty from spoilt rich girls and nasty nuns alike. As ever, she finds some high points in a couple of sympathetic nuns and two wonderful friends. Violet teaches her some tactics to navigate the impossible rules, and Colleen brings music back into her life.

Studio
Her dad finally opens a recording studio, and Lin helps out, finding a knack for organisation and proving to be an inspirational muse to several bands. One in particular, Rogue, decide she’s their lucky mascot and she gets quite involved when the lead singer, Zac, takes a fancy to her.

Don
Studying his plain white tee-shirt, black leather jacket and flared blue-jeans, she thought he looked much more comfortable than in the sparkly gear the manager insisted they wore. As he followed her in, she realised the seriousness of her situation, alone in the house with a much older guy. Common sense prevailed – Don was a nice guy and if he had evil on his mind like the boy in Helen Reddy’s Angie Baby, he wouldn’t be afraid of people laughing. She narrowed her eyes. “Laugh at what?”

Nut
The VP of a rough MC, Nut has a softer side, teasing her to guess how he got his nickname. Working on the Battle of the Bands together, they got closer and she couldn’t help but notice his height and broad shoulders. But as ever, trouble isn’t far away as one of the biker groupies takes offence at Nut’s interest in Lin.