I’ve Been Waiting For You by Elaine Robertson North Blog Tour!

I’ve Been Waiting For You

Esther grew up with a violent criminal father and suffered the loss of her mother at just fourteen.

When her brother, Matt, turns up after another long unexplained absence he falls for Esther’s friend, Abi. Two months into their relationship, Abi is dead and Matt is missing.

Now Esther must do everything she can to find Matt but doing so means opening herself up to a past she has worked hard to escape.

Esther knows she has no choice and must act quickly.

Matt’s life could depend on it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ive-Been-Waiting-You-thriller-ebook/dp/B0CS4VDS7Z/

https://www.amazon.com/Ive-Been-Waiting-You-thriller-ebook/dp/B0CS4VDS7Z/

Elaine Robertson North spent twenty-five years working in marketing and communications in the media and entertainment industries. This included seven years marketing national newspapers, running the publicity campaign for three Red Nose Days and a number of years working in entertainment PR. She held senior communications roles at Capital Radio and UKTV, and latterly, she was the MD of a small marketing agency. It was all fast and furious and a fantastically rich source of material.

Having harboured a desire to write for many years, Elaine finally made this her focus once she’d hung up her corporate hat, publishing her first book, I Can’t Tell You Why in 2019. Her second book, Bring Me To Life,followed in 2022.

Today Elaine lives in North London with her husband and their two sons. When she’s not writing, she can be found looking harassed on the school run, on the side lines of her sons’ football matches, or singing her heart out with her local branch of Popchoir.

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Just Sing!

by Elaine Robertson North

When I’m not writing or enjoying family time, I love to sing. For over a decade now I’ve sung with a choir called Popchoir. We’re basically a room full of people belting out iconic pop songs and it’s pure joy!

There’s been masses of research into how singing is good for the soul and I wholeheartedly agree with every word I’ve read. I can head to a rehearsal with my head down, oozing stress from every pore, only to come out an hour and a half later with my head up, my body relaxed and energised and feeling like I could conquer the world! There's an increasing amount of evidence that singing releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine, a veritable cocktail of 'happy' chemicals that boost your mood and make you feel good about yourself. That in itself, makes it all worthwhile but apart from being a mood-enhancer, there are genuine health benefits to singing, and mental health benefits too. Singing definitely improves your breathing and your posture, it reduces stress and anxiety and increases feelings of connection and social support. It also builds confidence, pushing you out of your comfort zone to try something new.

My favourite discovery, however, was the research that showed members of a choir saw their heart rates beat in unison in relation to the speed of their breathing. The research showed that heart rates were directly affected by the melody of the music and the pulses of those tested rose and fell at the same time when they sang in a group. How beautiful is that?! And you may be surprised to hear that singing might even increase life expectancy! A joint study by Harvard and Yale Universities published in 2008 did, in fact, find that this was indeed the result for a group of people participating in a choir in a Connecticut town.

And there’s certainly something wonderfully collaborative about singing in a choir. We enjoy a strong sense of community and there really is a lovely sense of belonging and connection. And perhaps most importantly, you don’t even need to be a really strong singer to play your part. The collective sound will be amazing, even if you’re not hitting every note!

For some, just the experience of attending rehearsals is enough but the extrovert that lives deep within me does love to perform and Popchoir has given me loads of opportunities to exorcise my inner diva, from summer concerts on London’s iconic Southbank with Tower Bridge providing an epic backdrop, to being the backing choir at a Barry Manilow concert at the equally iconic O2 (yes you read that right, Barry Manilow!!!) I’ve had endless opportunities to sing my little heart out and loved every second.

And I bet you do it too, and way more than you realise. A little tune in the shower, a bit of humming while you make a cup of tea, or simply singing along to the radio at home or in the car when you can really let rip. Feels good, doesn’t it?