City Hospital by Keith Miles - BLOG TOUR

I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for City Hospital Book 2 - Flames by Keith Miles. To celebrate this I have an exclusive excerpt from the book and a great competition for you to enter! Read below for the excerpt and details of how to enter the competition.

Blurb

Join five young trainee medics as they learn about life and love on the wards of City Hospital. Suzie, Mark, Karlene, Gordy and Bella share a house, and the ups and downs of being a medical student in a busy teaching hospital.

In City Hospital Book 2: Flames...

A terrible fire destroys lives, but was it an accident? Karlene is determined to get to the truth.

Gordy meets an old flame who won't take no for an answer.

A young man makes a drastic, and violent, decision, and Bella struggles to understand why.

The City Hospital series is perfect for fans of medical dramas like Casualty, Holby City and Doctors.

Excerpt

Next morning, Gordy Robbins and Mark Andrews walked to the hospital together. It was a fine but chilly day. Gordy wore his garish wool jacket and green chinos. In his old denim jacket, Mark looked rather dowdy beside his friend.

As he caught sight of the building, Mark thought of the fire and the appalling damage it had left behind. He wondered how Mrs Palmer and her son were doing in the Burns Unit. Mr Palmer, he knew, would be lying in the hospital morgue. Gordy’s mind was on something else.

‘Do you think she’ll come round in the end, Mark?’

‘Who?’

‘Suzie. She can’t hold me off for ever. I’m sure she fancies me on the quiet.’

‘Suzie just doesn’t want to get involved.’

‘That’s what’s so frustrating!’ said Gordy. ‘I share the house with this gorgeous girl and she keeps me at arm’s length.’

‘Maybe you’re not her type,’ said Mark, tactfully.

‘I’ll wear down her resistance in time.’

‘Don’t bank on it, Gordy.’

‘I drive most girls crazy. Why not Suzie?’

Mark said nothing. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Still rather shy with girls himself, he didn’t feel able to offer any advice. Gordy was much more experienced. Or, at least, he pretended to be.

‘It’s this stupid rule of Suzie’s,’ said Gordy. ‘Because we share a house, we mustn’t get involved.’

‘Nothing stupid about that,’ said Mark. ‘If two of us become an item, it makes it hard on the other three. Forget Suzie. Find someone else.’

‘Only as a stop-gap,’ said Gordy. ‘I’ll still carry a torch for Suzie. She’ll always be top of my list.’

‘I think Suzie’s got that message by now.’

Gordy went through the main gate of the hospital with his jaunty stride. His face was beaming. He was in good spirits. He sensed that he would have an enjoyable day at the medical school.
A female voice shattered the illusion.

‘Gordy!’

He stopped dead and stiffened, Mark beside him.

A tall, slim, shapely girl was running towards them. Her fair hair swinging, her pretty features glowing.

‘Hi, Gordy!’ she said.

‘Harriet!’

‘I was hoping I’d bump into you.’

‘Er, yes,’ gulped Gordy. ‘Nice to see you again.’

‘Aren’t you going to introduce me?’ she prompted.

‘What? Oh, sorry... This is Mark Andrews.’

‘Hi, Mark,’ she said, shaking hands with him. ‘I’m Harriet Collins. An old and very special friend of Gordy’s.’

Gordy looked more uncomfortable than ever. ‘Nice to meet you, Harriet.’ said Mark. ‘You’ll have to excuse me, I’m afraid. I mustn’t be late.’

‘Don’t leave us!’ begged Gordy.

‘I have to,’ he said, amused by the look of panic on Gordy’s face. ‘You two must have a lot to catch up on. I’d only be in the way.’

‘Wait!’ Gordy clutched at him but Mark walked away across the car park. Harriet stared up at Gordy, her eyes shining. She let out a sigh of sheer pleasure.

‘You look wonderful!’ she said.

‘Thanks, Harriet... Er, so do you.’

‘Are you pleased to see me?’

‘Yes, yes,’ he lied, searching for an escape.

‘I wanted to surprise you.’

‘Well, you certainly did that!’

‘It’s brilliant just to be with you again, Gordy.’

‘Is it? Good.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Heavens! Look at the time. I must be off.’

‘Of course.’

He backed slowly away. ‘Nice to... meet you again.’

‘I just had to get in touch with you.’

‘I’m glad you did,’ he said, uneasily.

‘That’s why I moved down here.’

Gordy froze. ‘What do you mean?’

‘To be near you,’ she said, touching his arm. ‘You’re going to be seeing a lot of me from now on, Gordy.’

‘I am?’

‘Yes, I’ve taken a job at the hospital!’

‘Here!’

‘As a receptionist.’

‘Oh... great...’

Gordy was in the grip of cold terror. His mouth went dry and his eyes misted over. He couldn’t move a muscle.

Harriet kissed him softly on the cheek.

‘I knew you’d be thrilled,’ she whispered.


Buy City Hospital books 1 and 2 on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Competition

Would you like to have a character in the next City Hospital book named after you? Well here's your chance!

The City Hospital novels are written by Keith Miles, who has written scripts for primetime TV and soaps. City Hospital is perfect for fans of shows like "Casualty" and "Holby City". It follows the lives of five medical students - Suzie, Mark, Karlene, Gordy and Bella - who share a house, and the ups and downs of working in a busy teaching hospital. Each novel mixes their own personal dramas with patients' stories. The series was a huge hit in print, and is now being reissued as e-books for the first time.

To be in with a chance to have a character in the next "City Hospital" book named after you, simply e-mail competition@greatstorieswithheart.com, with your name and the answer to the question - who writes the City Hospital series of novels? The deadline for entries is midnight on Monday 6th October. A winner will be picked at random and announced on Wednesday 8th October.