K Slater Quotes

It always amazes me how it is so easy to appear one way to the people around you but to live inside as someone else entirely.

You could say it feels a bit like dressing up in the brightest party clothes so nobody sees how low and lost you feel underneath. You'd be surprised how easy it is to hide your true feelings with a smile and a kind word.

You don't always know how you're going to react to a sudden tragedy breaking your life into little pieces.

Just give yourself permission to feel it all, Jenny. The sadness, the anger, the heartbreak… let it come. All your feelings are valid. You don’t have to choose between them.

Why is that everyone can forget about physical ailments quite easily, but when it comes to mental illness, it sticks to you like glue for the rest of your life?

If hope is like the softest snow, then the dread that replaces it is the razor-sharp ice that will slash and pare your very soul to ribbons

This was a wretched place that most people would never get to see. Lucky them. Hope didn't feel that strong here, but fear loomed large

All the dark stuff nobody’s saying is stacking up in the silences between our words. It lives and breathes in the space around us where we can’t touch it, see it, or escape it.

Sit down, Mum,’ Ben says kindly when he’s finished mopping up the cream. I look down and see that the large area of polished wood is now dull and smeared, and although he’s done his best, the cream has surreptitiously seeped in between the boards where it might never be reached. ‘Mum?

The pork is in the oven with the foil off now, and a quick satisfying peek confirms that the crackling will be done to perfection. Just how Ben likes it. The apple crumble, with my own special oaty topping, sits on the side, and I have a big carton of Marks and Spencer’s vanilla custard stowed away in the fridge. I find nobody notices a little cheat, so long as it’s just here and there. The trick is not to overdo it.

pick Maddy and Josh up from Mum’s house no later than six each day, and we’re always home around ten minutes later. I thought that was enough to qualify me as a good mother, a parent who is there for her children. Yet I feel a niggle deep down that tells me he’s right. Once I get through the door each evening, I simply set my laptop up on the kitchen counter and carry on working. I often cook the children’s tea around updating the InsideOut4Kids website. The reality is, I’m there… but I’m not really there. Not all of me. For the first time, I consider the echoes of my own childhood, when Mum spent so much time in her bedroom. I can’t remember the last time we all sat down and ate together, or watched TV as a family. We often stay in different rooms until it’s time for bed. And the outings to the park or the cinema we used to plan and enjoy at weekends? I seriously can’t remember the last time we did that. I thought I was being Superwoman, and it turns out I’m struggling to tick all the boxes like any other mere mortal. The realisation renders me speechless, and it doesn’t take Tom long to

Truth never disappears or deserts us; it’s there forever, shining strong. It can be covered and disguised but it’s still there.

The full horror of what he did here is still too much for the village psyche to handle.

I realised a long time ago that unless a person has experienced true terror, there is nothing you can do to make them understand how utterly debilitating it can be. Or how your safe, ordinary life can disappear in the space of a heartbeat.

I start each day promising myself I’ll do better, I tell myself I can stop the destructive eating pattern. But something inside of me is broken and I always let myself down… By nightfall, the early morning hope has turned full-circle, back to self-loathing.

titivating herself before work had made a change from her usual rushing out

Soon the boys will be here and the house will be transformed into a home once more. Noisy, glorious chaos again, just like when Ben and David were young. Long before the bad decisions and the terrible consequences.

believed Geraldine would look for me, that she’d suspect I was the one who killed Brendan. I’ve felt Evan’s presence in my head… as if he’s missing me too.’ Her voice drops and becomes faint. ‘But none of it was real.’ ‘But why hurt Mrs Barrett? After everything she did for you… and you pretended to be my friend. This is how you repay us?’ ‘I liked you, David. I really did.’ She says it in such a regretful tone, I almost believe her. ‘You know what it’s like to be an outsider. Perhaps we could have been true friends under different circumstances.’ I stand up. ‘I have to call the police

Imagine if someone took away all the chores and pressure and worries and replaced them with the sweetest joy that filled your heart and left you wanting nothing. If you can imagine that, then you start to come close to feeling what a grandparent feels.

You made it through. You’re strong, clever and kind.

smiled. ‘I’ve got a whole new life waiting

I can't believe you. You can kiss your cover goodbye because the next time I talk to Kane I'm tellin' him how much of a big, fat, c**k lover you really are!" Aideen gasped. "You wouldn't!" "I would, blow job lips, trust me." Aideen covered her mouth and screeched. "You promise not to call me that anymore!" I smirked when I looked over to find Alec was in a fit of laughter next to me. "Please..." he laughed, "continue!" I looked back at Aideen who was fuming but silent. Just the way I liked it. "You're evil," she hissed at me. I grinned. "I was raised by the Devil, I picked up few things up." "I'll say," Aideen muttered. I chuckled. "I miss you." "I miss you, too. Has anythin' happened? Besides hanky-panky with one of the Slater God’s of course." "Slater God," Alec snorted.

There’s a point at which you may might realise the journey isn’t really for you any more. But every time you get a chance to change paths, you just stay put because it’s easier. You end up trudging along the same old way and watching as life happens to other people as you pass by. Then one day you just stop looking around you

send myself birthday cards every year, but it was the first time I’d done flowers.

You can never be sure quite how much time you’ve got with the people you love

Over time, our marriage has faded, like a vibrant painting left in strong sunlight for too many years. Time has slipped through our fingers like melting snow. We thought we had so much of it, but suddenly it’s just cold water, trickling away fast. We’re

works.

believed she was innocent.

his brother,

He had a good sense of direction. His class teacher had said so last summer when they went on the mini-beast hunt, here at Newstead Abbey. And so Billy forged ahead, his inner compass telling him that the kite was definitely around here somewhere.

buy

I’ve learned the hard way that people who don’t fit the social norm, for whatever reason, are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Simple as.

or

failed

near

happened to help her make sense of it. ‘It seems

I see it all the time. People will readily accept violence from men if they're pushed to their limits, but a woman? She's just expected to keep taking it and never complain. It's an attitude rooted in our society

You asked about death? Well, not once did I consider he might go before me, I thought... I honestly thought he would eventually kill me. Or that I would kill myself because of him. I was so far gone it never occurred to me I had a choice in the matter

You can't accept that people have their own lives... you can't accept your way is not always the best way.' The words bled out of her. "You try to control every last detail in your life, including the people around you, because if not... well, you'd have to stand back and look at yourself, wouldn't you? See you're far from perfect, see that you don't always know best. Could you cope with that? I don't think so.

His reactions were at the centre of my world and I was completely absorbed in just getting through the day on that basis

was

the more nervously you act around people like that, the more power they draw from it.

Try to avoid going from zero to one hundred miles an hour on the strength of a look, a comment or mere suspicion.

and I strain to

do about it.

Cole learned to shrug his shoulders each time and walk away with a smile on his face when inside, he crumbled a little more.

Adam swallowed, racking his brains for what Grey might consider a reasonable excuse. Saskia would have him by the balls if he wasn’t ready to go out at seven tonight. One cancelled meal with her boss was serious; two and it would be curtains for him

Detective Superintendent Grey offered Adam her office to take the Zoom call with Asmin Khalil. He sat behind her desk and she sat over the other side of the office with Nell. Sitting in Grey’s chair felt like when he’d once gone on a trip to Kensington Palace with school and for a dare had sat on one of the roped-off thrones. He’d got a week’s worth of detentions and his mum had stopped his pocket money for a month

some people crave familiarity, but it’s not for me.

some people crave familiarity, but it’s not for me. I don’t feel as if I belong around here anymore.

and

Embrace every moment of life rather than wasting it in conflict. We should strive to demonstrate to others the love, grace, and mercy God has extended us.

When the lion’s roar is laden with too much pride, God will send a tiny thorn of humility to hush the mighty beast.

Disrespect is like tossing a stone into calm water. It causes ripples to travel outward, upsetting what was once a serene environment.

Scripture remains the lighthouse that defines us, gives us hope, and guides us through life’s perilous storms.

Patience is like a faucet handle. It controls the flow and timing of our reactions, satisfying the thirst of kindness.

Kindness can change a moment, but it can also change us if practiced consistently.

Envy erodes our conviction of being blessed by God and diminishes faith in Him knowing what’s best.

Selfishness consumes everything around us until nothing remains, including ourselves.

Managed anger fades like the sunset, but when uncontrolled and released, it can create those lasting memories we wish we could delete.

We sometimes suffer through self-imposed life sentences on ourselves or others for wrongdoings, despite having the key to freedom in our hearts

We sometimes suffer through self-imposed life sentences on ourselves or others for wrongdoings, despite having the key to freedom in our hearts.

The truth always frees us from the self-imposed shackles of lies found in worldly desires.

If we want to protect others, we should first seek to protect them from ourselves.

Our trust, like iron, can withstand enormous weight, but if constantly exposed to corrosive elements, rust can form, weakening its once-reliable strength—it becomes untrustworthy.

like Evie’s nice round pink heart had been ironed flat. So it felt like a grey pancake hanging inside her chest. It was really hard to make the adults understand it all, so Evie decided it was better to just stay quiet. Today, when they’d got home from school and Evie had been upset, Mummy had looked at her as if she was disappointed, somehow.

little help.

I continued. ‘My mother encouraged me to move up to Nottingham. It felt like it was time for us to make a clean break.’ For a moment I couldn’t speak.

I am trapped in a vacuum that exists between life and death.

One Present day Anna The small silver car coming the other way is moving far too fast, and as it takes the bend, the driver loses control and veers over on to the wrong

There is no such thing as a memory-keeper, no entity exists that has the power to declare whether things really happened or not. All we have are the pictures and the short films we play over and over in our mind's eye.

Sometimes my memories get a bit blurred, good and bad ones together, until it is virtually impossible to separate them. But after all, what are memories but pictures in your mind?

This morning it happens at three thirty a.m. and I am scared to move. Scared of what? I haven't got a clue and that just makes it worse.

Is he going to be alright?’ Ivy presses a fist to her lips. ‘All will be revealed in good time,’ Dr Khan replies without looking at her. ‘Head injuries can be tricky things; no two are the same.’ ‘He doesn’t seem to know me, Doctor,’ Ivy says. ‘Some memory loss can be expected under the circumstances,’ Dr Khan mutters, studying a printout. He looks up sharply with raised eyebrows. ‘Give it time, Mrs—’ ‘Bradbury,’ the nurse supplies. We are asked to move outside to the waiting area in the main ward. Ivy falls silent and sits with her head bowed,

mustn’t cough. You don’t want to wake them, set the sillies screaming and crying. Leave them to their dreams, they will learn soon enough. The flames grow larger, then fuse together. You know it’s a sign that they are silently promising to help you and yet, for a second, you actually consider changing your mind. You could stomp down the flames and shout for help. You could wake them up. Then you hear

hear this a lot but reviews are so massively important to authors. If you’ve enjoyed ‘Safe with Me’ and could spare just a few minutes on Amazon or Goodreads to say so, I would so appreciate that. You can also connect with me via my website, on Facebook or Twitter. If you’ve enjoyed this, my debut novel, you might be interested to know that I’ve been

because the hospital

As our kids get older and become adults themselves, there’s a stage we unknowingly pass, from which point forward our role as parents diminishes in

how easy it is to hide your true feelings with a smile and a kind word.

In some ways, a long marriage is a bit like embarking on a journey. There’s a point at which you may might realise the journey isn’t really for you any more. But every time you get a chance to change paths, you just stay put because it’s easier. You end up trudging along the same old way and watching as life happens to other people as you pass by. Then one day you just stop looking around you … and well, here we are.

6

So, have we decided what we’d like to order?’ The waiter reappears, a little more confident now, his pencil poised expectantly above a small white order pad that looks brand new. Isaac’s pet hate: condescending waiter-speak. ‘Yes, we have decided. You can now take our order,’ Isaac says snappily, and the waiter blanches slightly.

I’ve always thought it amazing how, up to about nine or ten years of age, kids see chores and responsibilities as proof of a kind of grown-up status. But once they get any older than that, it’s like pulling teeth to get them to do anything to help.

You’ve got to learn to let go of stuff that doesn’t matter. Whatever happened, it’s all in the past. It has no bearing on your own happiness today.

murdering

Karma has no menu. You get served what you deserve

against the

he

that

clipping

There’s a solution for every problem. You just have to be creative enough to find it.

let you carry on putting our daughter in danger

bleached

The physical pain in my chest is unbearable; the thought of losing my daughter is an ache like no other.

would definitely have been filed, and reported to the police as well.’ I bite down on my tongue. What is he saying? That I’m lying? ‘I am not doubting what you say,’ he adds hurriedly, breaking the terse silence. ‘Just that I will need to investigate this issue further with my colleagues.’ He asks me to put everything in an email and send it to him personally. When I end the call, I sit for a moment with my head in my hands. My first thought is that I’ve hit yet another brick wall but it’s swiftly followed by a far more troubling conclusion.

There are a thousand ways to control or be controlled." Simone gave a sad smile. "We put our faith in out partner, our friend, a close relative, We want to believe they are good and true and so we do. We run with that. Then suddenly we can't see what's around us anymore; we can't spot the signs. We're blind to anything other than what they place right in front of our eyes and tell us is the truth.

I felt an electric bolt shoot through me, and I knew, in that moment, I probably wouldn't be able to fully trust another human being again

If only people with busy lives understood that kindness, however brief, could linger and get a soul through a long, quiet evening.

We want to believe they are good and true and so we do. We run with that. Then suddenly we can’t see what’s around us anymore; we can’t spot the signs. We’re blind to anything other than what they place right in front of our eyes and tell us is the truth.’ ‘I

The gradual disintegration of their close relationship meant that Justine felt she couldn’t air her concerns with Esme.