POLLS APART by Clare Stephen-Johnston is published

Sept. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- POLLS APART
AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER OF LOVE AND AMBITION
The debut novel by Clare Stephen-Johnston

Published by Thames River Press,
Launched, October 2011, in paperback, priced £8.99

A national heroine tormented by the memories of childhood abuse and neglect.

A fiercly ambitious politician who puts the demands of spin doctors beyond those of his wife.

And a Sunday tabloid, hell-bent on tearing them down but whose wrongdoings eventually lead to the paper and its journalists becoming the story.

Polls Apart, published by Thames River Press, is the debut novel from Edinburgh-based author Clare Stephen-Johnston.

It tells the story of actress Anna Lloyd who is married to Leader of the Opposition Richard Williams. Life seems to be going well for the pair as they head into a General Election campaign, with Richard's Social Democratic Party almost assured a landslide win. But when a Sunday tabloid (the Sunday Echo) exposes Anna's past as an escort girl, her husband is forced to decide between his marriage and his chances of election victory.

His resulting betrayal ignites terrible memories of Anna's childhood abuse and, when she decides to relent to the Echo and give an interview, she reveals her past suffering to the world – unleashing a wave of public sympathy.

Anna soon finds she holds all the cards as far as winning the election is concerned, but her increasing insecurity in the face of intense scrutiny causes her to reconsider her ambitions. Meanwhile, the Sunday Echo reporter tasked with dishing the dirt on Lloyd and her husband finally cracks under the pressure of producing constant exclusives – with disastrous consequences that see both her and her editor become the story.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clare Stephen-Johnston, 38, is a journalist from Edinburgh, where she lives with her husband, two sons and stepdaughter. She is a former editorial director of the Press Association in Scotland and Ireland, and magazine editor with the Daily Record and Sunday Mail. Polls Apart is her debut novel.


ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Thames River Press is an imprint of the Wimbledon Publishing Company, dedicated to producing original works of fiction and non-fiction.  www.thamesriverpress.com.

For further information contact Thames River Press: 0207 401 4200

Media Enquiries:  cjeditorial@yahoo.co.uk

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Thames River Press is an imprint of the Wimbledon Publishing Company, dedicated to producing original works of fiction and non-fiction.

www.thamesriverpress.com.