"Vinny sat on the bank close to the water, caught up once again in the spirit of the place. When she'd been here in late May the yellow flags were blooming at the margins of the ditches. Today, there were little electric blue damselflies zipping about just above the water, like fairies in Lycra. I'm 45, she thought, the age when people begin to ask, "Is this all there is?"" This is a black comedy of failed communication and emotional manipulation, deeply seasoned with compassion and hope. Jonathan arrives in the Somerset Levels and shuts himself away in a lonely cottage to write about his obsession - water. He poses an irresistible challenge for Pamela, a forceful pillar of the community. But why does she find him so resistant to her blandishments - and so rude? Only Pamela's long-suffering companion Vinny has the desire and the sensitivity to get to the bottom of Jonathan's strange behaviour. But she herself is trapped by emotional blackmail. Will Jonathan prove to be her saviour, as much as she is his? Vinny is forced to make a difficult decision, and comes to her own personal watershed. Storms, fire and floods suddenly raise the stakes for everyone. As the waters rise, emotions are also set to burst their bounds.

Author Biography

Maggie Makepeace came to writing late in life, having begun her career as a zoologist. She had a number of jobs in scientific research and Wildlife Trusts, the most rewarding of which was a 3-year contract on a Scottish estuary studying the social behaviour of shelducks. In the 70s Maggie worked as a television presenter replacing David Bellamy on Yorkshire TV's Don't Ask Me and moved on to present London Weekend TV's How to Stay Alive with Colin Welland. She gradually became more interested in the psychology of human behaviour, especially communication - or the lack of it - and in the way that some people attempt to control the lives of others. When in the 80s she moved back to the Westcountry, she began to write in earnest. Her first novel was published by Random House when she was 50, followed by 3 others. Watershed her 5th, is inspired by the view of the Somerset Levels from her house, the countryside about her and the influence and beauty of water on the landscape. Maggie lives in Axbridge Somerset. For more information about Maggie and her work visit www.transita.co.uk