Miranda McVitty, wife, mother and campsite owner. Miranda loves to sing as she goes about her work and this summer she’s learning to sing her prayers as well as her to do list… which seems never ending when the chaos of life begins to assault her from all angles… Her husband faces potential redundancy, her oldest daughter is struggling with self-doubts, her mother is recovering from an operation and her business needs new direction? Will her songs be enough to carry her through?

Naomi, Miranda’s oldest daughter, is distraught after failing one of her exams in Building Surveying. She’s never failed an exam in her life. Now more than ever she needs peace and quiet to study for her resit, but in a house and campsite where there’s always something happening (and a madcap mother who’s taken to singing all the time), that’s unlikely. To top it off, her mum has hired recent graduate, Lewis Carter, for the summer. And her mum isn’t exactly subtle in her manoeuvres to get these two together, much to Naomi’s annoyance.

Join the McVitty family in the chaos of family life and running the Eden Cove campsite in this contemporary story of balancing work, life and family, all covered by a Mother’s Song.

What is something interesting readers would enjoy learning about you?

I live in Scotland with my husband and three (almost adult) children. I love being outside, no matter what the Scottish weather is doing. Also, I love tea! I drink between six and ten mugs of tea per day.

What does a day in the life of your characters look like?

The Mother’s Song features the McVitty family, who stay at 11 Sycamore Street. Miranda McVitty is a busy woman. She has three children, she runs the Eden Cove campsite, and she loves singing and getting involved in all kinds of activities in the Eden Cove community, including beach cleanups, the community choir and the wild swimming club. She starts her day with a song—putting her to-do list to music to make sure she remembers everything. She’s also learning to put her prayers to music, and singing for her family and friends. She’s trying not to meddle in her daughter, Naomi’s, love life—but she’s not very good at staying out of it. 

I would love to have Miranda’s energy!

What was the inspiration behind your story?

Anna Jensen came up with the idea of having a multi-author, multi-genre series set in a village on the English coast, and she asked if I would like to take part. Part of Anna’s inspiration for the series was the song Our House by Madness (a much loved song from my youth!). As I thought about my story, I listened to Our House several times and read over the lyrics. The words inspired me to write about the McVitty family. A busy, always-on-the-go family living in a bustling house. And as the story was inspired by a song, then the book needed more music—more hits from the 80s and worship songs. 

What did you learn while writing this story?

We’re all busy people, trying to juggle work, life and rest. The rhythm of life looks different for each one of us—but whatever it looks like, it’s important for us to find that rhythm in Jesus.

Caroline Johnston lives in Paisley, Scotland with her husband and three children. While writing, she drinks lots of tea and eats lots of biscuits. When not writing, she loves to be outdoors.