Blueberry Wishes (17 page)

“Abbie, quick!” Marco cried, pulling me in and wrapping his arms around me.

I grinned as the flash went off, then glanced around as Mum, Annie, John, Trish, Liam, Summer, Marco, Ben, Saff, Emily, Grace, Maisy and Aran stopped posing and started chatting. Then we all burst out laughing as the flash went again.

“Got you!” cried Summer gleefully. “The surprise shot's always the best!”

Half an hour later, the party was in full swing. Liam's “tunes” turned out to be “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang on a loop. He'd got fish and chips from Mavis's place for us all, and he and Mum were working their way through a bottle of champagne and threatening to chronically embarrass me by playing Twister. Jim, Summer's older brother, had come to get a lift home and ended up joining the party. Now he was dancing with Saff, who'd sneakily put on a fast song to get him up, and then changed it to a smoochy one once she'd got hold of him. It was “Make You Feel my Love” by Adele. Not big on subtlety, my sis.

When the music slowed, Summer dragged Ben onto the dance floor (well, the area where the sofas had been pushed back), and I looked at Marco and raised my eyebrows. He held out his hand, and pulled me into his arms. “I can't believe you're staying,” he said, as we swayed together. “It's perfect.”

“Your perfect life!” cried Summer. “Personally, I think your taste in boys is a bit dodgy, but—”

“Oi. This is a private conversation!” said Marco.

I giggled. “Everyone knows slow-dancing with boys is just an excuse for girls to chat to each other, right?” I leaned to the left so I could see Summer. “It's true. I've got everything I could wish for,” I said to her. “So, if I had
another
Blueberry Wish, I'd just wish for things to stay as they are…oh, except to grow the business more, of course, and to get my own bedroom, and to stop being headless…”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Girls…they're never happy!” he groaned.

“Hey!” cried Summer, and swatted him one, so he danced her into a wall.

Then Mum called out, “Right, that's enough of you teenagers mooning over each other!”

We all burst out laughing and Saff said, “Mum, I think
mooning
probably meant something a bit different in your day!”

Mum raised her eyebrows. “I'm still down with the kids,” she said. “How about this?” And with that she put on a Korean horse-riding-based party song (ha ha!) and dragged Saff, Grace and me over to dance with her. As we bounced around, giggling, my head swam with all the colours surrounding us, and all the friendship, fun and laughter. And I knew for sure that our dream really
had
come true. We were in that magical place, that place
somewhere over the rainbow
.

Our new beginning had become our happy ending.

Mixing up a
Rainbow Beauty
fruit smoothie is a fun, fast and yummy way to help ensure you're eating lots of fresh fruit – perfect for feeding your skin and hair with all you need to give you that gorgeous glow.

Always remember the
Rainbow Beauty
motto:

Beauty from the inside out!

You will need:

1 banana

150g (5oz) blueberries

150g (5oz) natural yogurt

If you don't have a jug-style blender, use a handheld blender instead.

1. Peel the banana and cut it into thick slices. Rinse the blueberries and dry them on a paper towel.

2. Put the fruit in a jug-style blender with the yogurt and whizz together until smooth. Then kick back, relax, and enjoy!

To make this an extra-special
Rainbow Beauty
smoothie, you can pop in some raspberries for a bigger burst of fruity goodness. Or for something a little bit sweeter, why not try adding apple juice or a dash of runny honey? Delish!

For more mouthwatering recipes that are perfect for parties, sleepovers and girly nights in, check out

ISBN: 9781409532767

Abbie's life feels like one big rain cloud since her parents split up. Now she lives with her mum and sisters in a grotty flat. Only new friends, Ben, Summer, and gorgeous, guitar-playing Marco, offer Abbie a silver lining.

But then Abbie has a bright idea to turn her family's fortunes around. She's always loved making her own luscious beauty products. Could opening a new business – the Rainbow Beauty parlour – bring her family a pot of gold and heal their hearts too?

ISBN 9781409539605
ePub ISBN 9781409564546

School's out for the summer holidays, but there's no stopping Abbie. With business booming at her family's exciting new venture – the Rainbow Beauty parlour – and heart-throb Marco whisking her off on dates, life is one big whirlwind.

But while Abbie longs to see Dad again, everyone else thinks he should be left out in the cold. Will Abbie's summer be filled with sunshine and strawberries, or are there storm clouds up ahead?

ISBN 9781409540557
ePub ISBN 9781409564560

Blueberry Wishes starts with Abbie going back to school. What was your favourite subject?

English! I loved reading and writing, and talking about books and poems. And History and Spanish. I'm afraid I was a total Hermione at school but, like Abbie, quite bad at Maths!

The students have to devise a product for Media class. What would your new invention be?

Erm, Dog-Nav, so you know where they have gone when they bolt off chasing rabbits. And maybe dog treats with a long-range smell-activation so you could get them to come back again straight away. And some way of keeping pairs of socks together. And self-making beds… And self-cleaning children… I could go on…

This book has such a cosy autumnal feel. Which season do you enjoy the most?

The turn from summer to autumn is my favourite part of the year. I love the back-to-school feeling (see my Hermione-ness!) and the way the air changes and everything smells different, with more golden sunlight and all the gorgeous falling leaves.

What is your favourite Rainbow Beauty product from this book?

It's gotta be the Blueberry Wishes Face Mask – I might have a go at making some of that, actually! And I've always loved the sound of the Carrot and Calendula Hand Balm, too.

Abbie, Summer, Saff and Grace all have a very individual sense of style. How would you describe yours?

I'm totally into skater dresses at the moment, and wear them all year round, either with ballet pumps, or with black leggings and boots. And I couldn't be without my battered old leather jacket, which seems to work with pretty much everything else in my wardrobe.

In the series, Abbie changes from a glam city girl to a laidback country chick. But which one are you?

Ha ha! Good question! Like Abbie, I'm a bit of both. I'm just about to hop on the train to London, but this morning I was deep in the woods walking the dogs. So I'm lucky – I've got the best of both worlds.

Vire Island is such a special place for Abbie. Where's your favourite place to be?

Anywhere where there are trees, I'm happy. I love the woodland and heathland where I live, and Chiswick House Park in London. I also love Lazienki Park in Warsaw – I've only been there twice but it's very, very special.

Abbie's friends are so ingenious in helping to raise the cash to save Rainbow Beauty. If you had to hold a fundraiser, what would you do?

Maybe a sponsored silence cos my family and friends would know how massively hard I'd find that and sponsor me loads. Or a vintage fashion show – that would be fun!

So, we know Liam's a big fan of “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang, but what's your ultimate celebration song?

Anything that makes me go
Woo-hoo, yeeeaaahh!
when it comes on! I put on Katy Perry or Adele to celebrate finishing writing a book (or just a chapter or scene – any excuse to get up and dance around).

Imagine Abbie in ten years' time. What do you think she'll be up to?

Back from her travels around the world learning the beauty secrets of different cultures? Engaged to Marco? Running the London branch of Rainbow Beauty with Saff? You decide!

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