Local Teacher, Kay Carswell, Publishes Her First Novel

Wincanton teacher Kay Carswell was taught to read long before she went to school. Over the years she has, she says, “devoured hundreds of books”: and has always wanted to write a book. And now she has published her first novel – Looking After Number One – an exciting romantic thriller with enough twists to keep the reader turning the pages into the small hours.

Kay, a senior teacher at a South Somerset primary school, lives in an almost idyllic setting for a writer, with views across open countryside from her home in a peaceful village. But as a busy teacher she can only write during school holidays. She is a judge in Chris Evans’ annual BBC Radio 2 competition for a 500-word story for children.

The title of her first novel is clever, with its direct reference to the house where much of the action takes place and the subtext of self-interest that emerges as the story develops.

The central character is Anna Boyd, a jobless orphan, who grew up in care and has only one skill, gardening. Thanks to Suzanne, her best friend from their troubled childhoods, Anna gets what sounds like a dream job, house-sitting in a grand house for a wealthy couple, the Carltons, who are off on a lengthy cruise.

But all at Number One is far from straightforward – there are locked doors, odd noises, items that disappear and a terrifying accident in the big glasshouse. The people Anna meets are extraordinary – the lovable former housekeeper Mabel with her revolting preserves and jams, gay Huw with his skintight leather trousers and frustrating love-life, and handsome gardener Harry who disappears, just as Anna thinks the attraction she feels may be mutual.

And then there are Suzanne’s troubles – living with the unpredictable and violent son of the salon-owner from whom she rents a hair-dressing chair.

Casting a weird shadow over everything that happens during the weeks of Anna’s increasingly worrying house-sitting job, there is the question – why did the Carltons choose Anna, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the daughter who walked out of their lives years ago?

Looking After Number One has a complex plot that unravels with considerable pace. It is not only a romantic thriller, it also looks at some serious contemporary concerns, including drugs to domestic violence.

This is an impressive debut, a real page-turner that promises well for more books from this talented Somerset writer. Kay is already working on her second book – we may have to wait a couple of years, but it’s likely to be worth the wait!

Looking After Number One can be bought in paperback or Kindle format here on Amazon.

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