Novelist Judy Leigh, who is based in Wellington, has a new book out set in a fictional Somerset village in summer-time.

The Old Girls’ Network, her fourth novel, is set against a backdrop welly-wanging, fetes, morris dancing, plays on the green and cricket matches. 

After a health scare, 77 year-old spinster Barbara goes to convalesce in sleepy Winsleigh Green with her sister Pauline, who is now a widow.

The sisters are like chalk and cheese – Barbara, outspoken and aloof, and Pauline, good-natured and homely – so it’s not long before tension starts to rise.

But when Pauline accidentally knocks down a vagrant who goes by the name of Bisto Mulligan, the ladies find themselves with another house guest.

As he recovers, it becomes apparent that Bisto is not who he first seemed, and as the sisters get to know the kind and courageous man he really is, it’s clear Bisto has the potential to change both of their lives.

As spring turns to summer, and Winsleigh Green comes to life, can the three friends make the changes they need to, to embrace fresh starts, new loves, new lives and new horizons. Or do old habits die too hard? Judy’s last novel, Five French Hens, was in the top 20 UK Amazon chart, the top ten in the USA and number one in Australia. 

All her novels, including A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure, celebrate the ups and downs of life, relationships, the power of laughter and the belief that everyone has a second chance at happiness, whatever their age.

She is a prolific writer but when she is not at her computer she can be found on the beach, walking, doing yoga or splashing in the sea. She is also a Reiki healer, a vegan and an animal lover. She has three black cats and enjoys live music, theatre and football.

Judy has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall and after teaching theatre, writing lyrics for a punk band and setting up Shakespeare Festivals, she completed an MA in Professional Writing.

The Old Girls’ Network, published by Boldwood Books, was published last week in ebook, paperback and audio.