Welcome…to the world of
Hiding Behind The Couch

The Series

About HBTC

Hiding Behind The Couch is a multi-part series of stories surrounding a single group of nine friends that takes place over the course of many years.While storylines are intermingling, the focus of the story and the point of view frequently change.It is best thought of as a literary soap opera, with seasons and special episodes – some are 'character specials', some are 'festive specials'.All stories conclude, but there will be overarching plots that continue from one instalment to the next.The inspiration for the characters, events and settings is the real world, but all characters, events and locations are entirely fictional.

• Setting

• Stories

• Characters

Setting

Services

The town has a hospice and hospital, and a number of larger businesses are based there. For many years, Campion Holdings PLC was the most prominent local business, located in a large, multistorey office block on the outskirts of the town centre.There are two primary schools (Parkside County Primary School and St. Mark's C of E Primary School) and a high school (Moorcroft High School) in the area of the town where the characters of the series grew up. The town also has a college of further education and a university.There are several churches and other places of worship, including St. Mark's C of E, Our Lady's (The Church of Our Lady and St. Joseph) RC, Methodist, LDS, spiritualist churches, Kingdom Hall and a synagogue.

Interactive Map

The interactive map shows some of the real-world locations that inspired locations in the series (I like to think of them as the places where our reality converges with the reality of The Circle).You can access the map using this link:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zCeM6Pw9_JLA.kza83xNxnbqg&usp=sharing

Location

The series is primarily set in a fictional semi-rural town in North West England – essentially an amalgamation of the real towns of Southport and Ormskirk – located on the coast and surrounded by agricultural land, with a number of outlying villages of varying sizes.The Gray Fisher trilogy is set in and around (a fictional representation of) London.

Housing

Within the town, there are areas of older Victorian houses, newer council housing and new-build exclusive housing, as well as the traditional mix of post-war semi-detached houses and apartment buildings. On the outskirts of the town, there are a number of vast Victorian/Edwardian detached properties with extensive grounds.

Retail & Leisure

The retail area of the town centre has a shopping mall and traditional department store, as well as a number of restaurants, including fast-food outlets with 24-hour drive-thru facilities. The Pizza Place – a national chain of pizza restaurants with HQ in Birmingham – has a restaurant in the town.There is the usual mix of traditional and new pubs in the town, several nightclubs (including the notorious Red Back Club) and a low-key bar with permanent 'open mic' for live jazz music.Further along the high street, there is a milk bar and vintage community cinema. Open-air facilities include several parks of varying sizes, small, managed woodlands and an educational farm in one of the outlying villages. The town is within commuting distance of Liverpool and Manchester and a large, out-of-town shopping centre; a theme park is a train ride away.

Spin-Offs

Gray Fisher

The Gray Fisher trilogy is a stand-alone spin-off featuring Gray and Rob (two secondary characters from HBTC), with some cameo appearances from Josh.

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Offshoots

Front of House

Front of House is an offshoot of the main series featuring the next generation of characters – Krissi (Shaunna's daughter), Jay and their peer group.

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Timeline

Hiding Behind The Couch has many instalments. Below are some suggested ways to read the series.I've also put together a downloadable checklist so, whichever order you prefer to read and whenever you begin, you can keep track of which stories you've read.

Ways to Read

MAJOR INSTALMENTS ONLY
For those readers who aren't (yet) interested in side stories, the main books in the series are the 'seasons' (listed below). These may contain references to events from the minor instalments (which are not crucial to the main story).The seasons are:
1. Hiding Behind The Couch
2. No Time Like The Present
3. The Harder They Fall
4. In The Stars I
5. In The Stars II
6. Two by Two
7. Reunions
8. Elementary (in progress)MAJOR INSTALMENTS + SPIN-OFFS
For readers who want to bite off a little more of the series, there are two spin-off mini-series as well as several stand-alone novels. These are listed below and can be read as series in their own right.Gray Fisher Trilogy
(Also available as a box set via Kindle Unlimited.)
1. The WAG and The Scoundrel
2. Tabula Rasa
3. DistractionsFront of House
1. Goth of Christmas Past
2. Scene But Not Herd (in progress)

HBTC

Gray Fisher

Front of House