First time book success for Aylesbury author - as mum picks up project after ten years

Terri Boas, 39, who grew up in Aylesbury and attended The Grange School, first got the idea for her book has written Two Scoops Not Three, the story of three close friends and their interlinking adventures over a number of springtime days.

She first had the idea for the book when she was 29 and was working as a receptionist, during that time she used breaks, weekends and evenings to plot out the perfect story.

The big plan was for Terri to publish the book in time for her 30th birthday, but, as life tends to do, it just kept getting in the way.

She said: “I was diagnosed with epilepsy, then I got married and had my daughter, Portia, who is now four, so the novel kept getting put on the back burner.”

But while her book dreams were on the back seat, Terri got stuck into other aspects of her life, which have ended up providing scenes for Two Scoops Not Three, which is out now on Amazon Kindle and Paperback.

Terri trained and qualified as a personal trainer and group exercise Instructor, and these experiences have led to the novel being set partly in the gym.

One of the characters in the book embarks on a racy affair with a spin class instructor, but Terri is keen to point out that this part is not based on personal experience.

She said: “My day job did inspire me, but none of the characters is based on anyone I’ve come across in real life!”

Terri, who now lives in Farnborough with Portia and her husband Rich, decided to pick up her book project again as she approached her 40th birthday, ten years after she originally started working on it.

And she says she is very pleased with her new life as a writer, even before the book had left the printers, she already had many pre-order sales to fulfil, and she is now looking forward to her first reviews.

While lockdown has prevented her from having an official book launch, Terri has celebrated her novel’s publication with a Zoom party with friends and family from around the UK.

Terri added: “I’m hoping that Two Scoops will offer a bit of escapism for people who have been stuck at home, as it features locations we used to take for granted, such as the pub, the gym and restaurants. Although I’m sorry not to be able to have a book launch, I certainly feel it’s a memorable time to be publishing my first novel. I’ll definitely never forget it.”

Terri has been hit by the writing bug and is now working on her second book, which is aimed at teenagers. “I fell in love with reading at that age and I want to encourage others to do the same,” she said.

Two Scoops, Not Three is published by Wrate’s Publishing and is available to buy from Amazon as a Kindle or paperback. Alternatively, you can order directly from Terri through her Facebook page @twoscoopsnotthree