Every picture tells a story, but it’s not always the one we expect, or remember, in this festive drama about family and forgiveness. 

Kate Cavendish: Photographer, mother, sister, wife, daughter, friend, and pet wrangler. Not great in the kitchen or at wearing heels. Like walking a tightrope, Kate’s life requires focus and balance. She’s also stuck in a rut. That is until a former colleague contacts her and offers her a chance to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a successful photographer. 

But with her focus pulled in all directions by her children, her sister, her newly-dating mother, and the niggling worry that her husband may be having an affair, Kate is filled with self-doubt. And with one tiny miscalculation, Kate’s about to topple, and bring her world and all who she loves, crashing down. 

With airbrushed precision, Robyn, Kate’s heavily pregnant sister, is an Instagram darling, a bone fide social media sensation. Her posts, photographed by Kate, scream perfection and happiness, but Robyn struggles to live up to the images she posts. Despite Kate’s concerns that her sister, increasingly trolled online, should consider her posts more sensibly, Robyn is determined to prove she is living the perfect life. But at what cost? 

As the countdown to Christmas begins, and memories of her childhood resurface, Kate’s anxiety deepens – both personally and professionally. Can she move on from past events and rebuild her future? And can the power of social media finally stop hindering her family, and help her create something successful? 

Christmas Actually is a snapshot of modern family life; addressing Instagram to motherhood, and everything in between. 

From the author: 

I write contemporary fiction and like writing stories that balance elements of drama and comedy - dramedy. A common thread throughout my novels is women finding the strength to move forward when faced with challenging circumstances and triumphing over diversity. These characters deal with real-life circumstances such as divorce, betrayal, heartache, and addiction, with behaviours that are unpredictable, messy, flawed, and generally lead to more chaos, but there’s always a sprinkling of humour to lighten darker themes. 

Hopefully readers recognise a little of themselves in the way these relatable characters ultimately reinvent themselves for a more promising and fulfilling future, because we all have flaws and most of us are trying to overcome and learn from them, so that we may become more compassionate and charitable.