London Fields, England; Scottish Isle - Present Day

Hannah is no different from any other insecure and gawky fifteen-year-old. When she was five, Hannah’s desire was to be a pirate, dolls and dresses held no interest for her. But that was then. She is now is enrolled in a theater production group at St. Matthew's Church. Even though she doesn’t get the female lead in the Little Shop of Horrors, she will be the Venus flytrap plant. Even better, Ollie, a cute boy who likes Hannah, will be the dentist. After rehearsals, to Hannah’s delight, Ollie asks her out. Hannah tries to be cool, and when she and Ollie enter a pub, she makes the decision that she is ready for the next step in her life. However, Hannah hits a bump in the road. She comes home drunk, gets smart with her mother, and promptly gets sick.

Even though Hannah’s parents, Jane and Max, are divorced, they are still close. Since they don’t date anyone, Hannah feels they should get married again. She has never known why they got a divorce; what happened? But as Hannah is changing, so are mom and dad.

Jane is at the end of her patience with Hannah. Not only is this new behavior distressing, but with her new best friend, Zoë, Hannah is embracing the latest fashions in clothes, music, boys, and...shop lifting! Max is now seeing someone. Jane decides she needs to make some changes in her life. For the past ten years, she has worked at Nipper’s Day Care. Also during this time, Jane has done side jobs creating beautiful stain glass windows for houses and small, old churches. Now she wants to make a go with her craft. So when an advance stained glass class is advertised in Scotland, she signs up to take the weeklong course. But, it seems her mother, Nancy, along with Hannah and Zoë, want to tag along. So much for “me” time. With her small car packed and loaded, and after a long thirteen-hour trek, they arrive at the Hope House in Scotland. What will Jane find? Or whom will she meet? Who will behave badly?

SOMETHING GOOD is a quirky, fun read. Hannah is at that frustrating, difficult juncture of her life. Her fumbling attempts at being cool are awkward, yet endearing, but will she discover, all she needs is to be herself? Jane is a fashion-deprived mom who has a hard time adjusting to Hannah’s new vision of herself. The more Hannah rebels, the more typical she is. Can Jane survive her teen years?

Fiona Gibson is a freelance journalist and has written for The Observer, Red, Marie Claire, and The Guardian. She was formerly the editor of More magazine. Ms. Gibson has done an exceptional job in grabbing the reader’s attention, giving SOMETHING GOOD a healthy dose of British flavor. This warm, delightful story will enchant those of us who have survived the teenage years, and give a taste of what to expect for those who have not yet taken this rite of passage. With a chuckle and laugh, the reader will enjoy SOMETHING GOOD.

Deborah C Jackson