You might recall I reviewed this book when it first came out in paperback, well now it’s out as an audiobook and the clip suggests a deservedly professional performance. Here it is:

And here’s the press release:

P R E S S R E L E A S E
AUDIOBOOK EDITION

MEETING LYDIA GOES AUDIO
Linda MacDonald’s first novel Meeting Lydia is about the powerful
long term effects of school bullying and of internet relationships.
First released in 2011, it has now been abridged and turned into an
audiobook, narrated by talented voice actress Harriet Carmichael.

When Marianne comes home from work one day to find her husband talking to a glamorous woman in the kitchen, insecurities resurface from a time when she was bullied at school. Jealousy rears its head and her marriage begins to fall apart. Desperate for a solution, she finds herself trying to track down her first schoolgirl crush …

“Edward Harvey. Even thinking his name made her tingle with half-remembered childlike giddiness. Edward Harvey, the only one from Brocklebank to whom she might write if she found him.”

“Many women have said they can relate to the character of Marianne,’ says Linda. ‘She’s in her mid forties and fearful of ageing and no longer being attractive to her husband. When a younger woman appears on the scene, she over-reacts and creates more problems.’ Linda adds that it was the arrival of Friends Reunited in 2001 that gave her the idea for the novel. ‘This was the beginning of the social media explosion which along with MySpace and Facebook, gave people a chance to find long lost friends and classmates,’ she explains. ‘We sent off emails without thought of where this might lead and the potential consequences to existing relationships. In Meeting Lydia, I wanted to highlight the issues. It’s quite an introspective novel and I’ve always felt it would be perfect for audio. Now my dream is being realised and I’m very excited by the outcome.’

Born and brought up in Cockermouth, Cumbria, Linda MacDonald has a degree in psychology and a PGCE in biology and science. She retired from teaching in 2012 in order to focus on writing, and has now published three novels with Matador. She lives in Beckenham, and travels to speak to various groups about the Lydia series and the psychology of internet relationships.
For author interviews, review copies, articles, photos or extracts please contact Linda MacDonald: Email: linda.mac1@btinternet.com
Twitter: @LindaMac1 Facebook: www.facebook.com/MeetingLydia
UK ASIN – B01MXKO1BW
Audiobook produced by Essential Music Ltd, 20 Great Chapel Street, London, W1F 8FW. Tel: 0207 439 7113. Email: james@essentialmusic.co.uk