David George Richards

Five girls, Louise, Chrissy, Jo, Angela and Victoria start their first year at Manchester Metropolitan University together. Most of them are friends from school, while one is new to the group. Louise is shy and introverted, mainly because of her sexuality, which in the past has caused her both ridicule and pain. She has got to know the other girls, but hides her sexuality, scared of 'coming out', but yearning for the soul-mate she lacks. Chrissy, Jo and Angela are avid night-clubbers, but where Jo is only interested in fun and boys, Chrissy has dreams of better things. Beautiful, smart, and with a wicked reply to any chat-up line, she also yearns for the perfect soul-mate. But for Chrissy it must be a rich soul-mate, one who can buy her all her dreams. Victoria is loud, uninhibited, and always at the centre of attention, the life and soul of any party. But Victoria also hides a darker side. She is not just an extrovert, but an utter exhibitionist bent on self destruction. She lives to the extreme, and often dangerously so. On Friday night the girls hit the cafe bars and night clubs of Manchester. It is an eventful night out, a night out that will lead to romance, the fulfilment of young dreams, and for one of them, murder...

I like writing about women and they often feature prominently in leading roles in most of my stories. These are often science fiction or fantasy stories where events are not what you would call normal or every day, so I decided to take a holiday from these extremes and spend some time with women in a more realistic setting. In The Look of Love we are introduced to a group of girls on the edge of womanhood as they enter University. This isn't a story about University life, but about the dreams and ambitions of each of the young women as they move from childish things to the realities and pressures of adult life. But real life can be harsh, and some of them already bear the scars of early skirmishes. Although it has its sad and sombre moments, this is a fun story, with excitement, surprise, love and adventure –and watch out for the money game. At the heart of the story are Louise and Chrissy. Each has an ideal partner and ambitions for the future in mind. But life often throws you a curve ball when you least expect it, and each of the young women in the story deals with the shocks and surprises in a different way. Some make the wrong choices, some make the right ones. But for the romantic among you never fear, there is a wedding at the end. But I won't tell you whose it is!