Mr Smelleigh's great, great grandfather arrived from France with no money but a recipe for smelly cheese tucked in his sock. He built the famous cheese factory that Mr Smelleigh now runs. The cheese is so smelly that it makes cars break down and flowers wilt. But it's so delicious that nobody minds.Mr Smelleigh is sure that his cheese is the smelliest thing in the world. He's so sure that he tells people he'll eat his pet skunk if he finds something that's even smellier.So wh...

Grumbling guests and escaping piglets are precisely what Martha doesn't need. She's already struggling to run a holiday cottage and a rather large smallholding single-handedly. Since her husband Mark died, three years ago, her rural property in France, beautiful as it is, has become an increasingly heavy millstone around her neck.So whilst she's horrified to stumble across a corpse at the local farm supplies shop, it does at least distract her from her own woes. Best friend Lottie s...

Cackling Carol sets out to find her dog Big Roddy ad her broom. After she was moved out of her cavern and into a flat by social workers, Carol became de-witched. She forgot about her friends so they set off to find a new home. But Cackling Carol is hot on their trail now. She realises how silly she's been.Unfortunately Broom and Big Roddy bump into Egbert, the wicked blue wizard, again. Can Carol save her friends from his evil magic? Can she even save herself?Fun and adventur...

Anna Partridge is house-sitting for family friends in a very cold cottage in the middle of snowy France. She'll be there for a fortnight over Christmas. It's all rather quiet and unexciting until, on Boxing Day, a pheasant gets tangled in the pear tree in the garden. Anna can't possibly leave it there but her rescue attempt goes horribly wrong, leaving her the stuck one. All she can do is wait to be rescued by a knight in shining armour, or at least a passing Frenchman in posh wellies…

Kelly is throwing everything she's got into her new bone health Pilates course. Her elderly landlord, ex-policeman Tom, and his friends help distribute leaflets so news of the forthcoming classes reaches our other main characters of gardener Ginnie and her relentless mother-in-law Mabel; self-employed, vivacious and voluptuous sewist Violet; quiet, retired deputy-headteacher Heather, and her son's partner of French descent, Vincent.Pharmaceuticals sales rep Aidan sees a leaflet too...

Everything is going well for Keira – until four cawing birds move into the attic and insist on waking her at the crack of dawn each day. Keira isn't a morning person at all, so this is too much to bear. The crows have to go.However, persuading the birds to move to alternative accommodation turns out to be tricky. Keira tries several different tactics, all without success. One in particular brings trouble, and a policeman, to her doorstep.But not all the unintended consequence...

Emma has started at a new school and wants to make friends. So when the twins in her class announce that they have started an animal rescue club, she's determined to become a member.She begins to hunt for an animal to rescue, but that proves to be much harder than she ever imagined.Will she ever be a member of the Animal Rescue Club?

Total Immersion: Ten Years in France is the sequel to Heads Above Water: Staying Afloat in France. It picks up where the first book left off, namely with us about to start earning our living from our holiday cottage, three fishing lakes and team of four laid-back trekking llamas. But despite all our thorough groundwork and careful preparation, things didn't go quite as planned. We hurled ourselves enthusiastically down dead ends whilst simultaneously tripping up over red tape. We faced new...

It's very nearly Christmas and, temporarily jobless and homeless, Noelle is back living with her parents. However, a phone call from her cousin Joe, who runs a house-and-pet-sitting service, saves her from a festive season of Whist, boredom and overindulging.So Noelle is off to France to mind a dozen South American mammals. She arrives amidst a blizzard and quickly discovers that something is definitely wrong at the farm. The animals are there all right, but pretty much nothing else...

Mum and Dad are going away to a farming conference, so Auntie has come down from the city to look after Robyn and Paul. No one is looking forward to it. Auntie doesn't like dirty farms, and Robyn and Paul think Auntie is boring. But this time round, Auntie's visit is very exciting - for all sorts of reasons! A fun story for young, confident readers.

It's nearly Christmas, a time for peace and goodwill. Or maybe not.First the house of a Spanish family of flamenco dancers is burned down, then a Dutch man is nearly battered to death with his own clogs. On the night of the carol service, at which the Worldwide Friendship Club's choir is singing, a Scottish bagpiper is found dead. By Martha, who has come across enough dead bodies already this year to last her a lifetime.Convinced there's a link to the choir, Martha and best f...

It's the second day of Christmas, which Myrtle has wisely chosen to spend in Bordeaux in France, far away from her warring parents in England. She has a big event coming up tomorrow - a meeting with her newly-found half-brother. Being rather timid and prone to worrying, the very thought of it is already stressing her out. So for now she's indulging in some escapist sight-seeing. A little flirtation briefly brightens her day even more, but the appearance of a second Myrtle Dove sends everyt...