Colette Dartford writes contemporary fiction with compelling emotional themes. Her debut novel, Learning To Speak American, was shortlisted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and published by Bonnier Zaffre. Her second novel, An Unsuitable Marriage, was a Kindle bestseller for over 18 months. In addition to her novels, Colette has had award winning Flash Fiction, short stories and poetry, published in popular magazines and anthologies. Her third novel, The Mortification Of Grace Wheeler, was
published in August 2022.
The Mortification of Grace Wheeler coming August 2022
Faced with an empty nest when her only child, Josh, goes to university, the flaws in Grace’s twenty-year marriage to Cal are sharply exposed. He is much older than her and she wonders what they have in common, other than their son. Finding excuses to escape the taut atmosphere at home, she is drawn into an affair that ignites a mid-life sexual awakening.
But when her secret is discovered there is a terrible price to pay, and Grace is not the only one who pays it.
Colette’s Books
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The Mortification of Grace Wheeler
Faced with an empty nest when her only child goes to university, the flaws in Grace’s marriage are sharply exposed…
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An Unsuitable Marriage
Olivia had everything - a loving husband in Geoffrey, a thoughtful and intelligent son in Edward and a beautiful…
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Learning to Speak American
Could your marriage survive the ultimate betrayal? A sharp and emotional novel of a family under pressure…
What People Are Saying
about Colette’s writing
‘A moving and engaging debut…
shortens the dark nights’
— Santa Montefiore
‘…beautifully written book with engaging characters and a powerfully emotional storyline’
— The Book World of Anne
“A heartrending story, well told…Dartford evokes strong, sympathetic character while writing fluently and from the heart ”
— Hilary Boyd, author of Thursdays in the Park
‘A beautiful read, lyrically written,
poignant and emotional’
— Nicola Cornick, author of House of Shadows
“I’m not going to lie to you, writing a novel is a long and difficult process. There will be moments of elation and despair and everything in between.
But when you finally have your finished manuscript, the feeling
of achievement is amazing”