Thrown: SARA COX'S GLORIOUS FEELGOOD NOVEL

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At that point, my youngest child was 10 and I felt like I was making 1,000 sandwiches a day because they all just needed feeding and I had no head space. I was getting up early and trying to get in a 5am chunk of writing." Don’t get me started. I’ve been in London longer than I lived up north but on my dad’s side I come from generations and generations of farmers and then it’s screeched to a halt with us five – we’re lawyers and artists and NHS workers. I think a bit of that might come through in my next book. The dream is a smallholding one day – I’ve got a horse now, Nelly, so I’m getting there. She’s really my escape. The assorted neighbours come together to try out a new skill, under the watchful eye of their charismatic teacher, Sasha. And as the soft unremarkable lumps of clay are hesitantly, lovingly moulded into delicate vases and majestic pots, so too are the lives of four women. Concealed passions and heartaches are uncovered, relationships shattered and formed, and the possibility for transformation is revealed. Jameela: all she's ever done is work hard, and try her best. Why won't life give her the one thing she really wants? I think they are competitive with themselves, but we are all pretty supportive of each other," explains Cox.

He’s an absolute sort!’ she says. ‘He’s just a lovely, lovely man and I think we’re a brilliant team. We laugh a lot together, even when the kids are rolling their eyes. That’s a sign of true love, I think.’ A keen runner, horse rider and cyclist, Cox takes active steps to protect her mental health, mainly through exercise. It does feel like I’m in a really golden era of my career. I’m blessed at the moment with a great balance.’– Sara Cox Putting herself out there This story has Sara’s voice ringing true throughout. A fresh, cheeky, insightful take on how change can happen through female friendships.’ DAWN FRENCH I have my best friend and soulmate, who's up north, and down here there's a group of five of us. Two of them I met through Radio 1 and the other two through my husband," says Cox. The assorted neighbours come together to try out a new skill, under the watchful eye of their charismatic teacher, Sasha. And as the soft unremarkable lumps of clay are hesitantly, lovingly moulded into delicate vases and majestic pots, so too are the lives of four women. Concealed passions and heartaches are uncovered, relationships shattered and formed, and the possibility for transformation is revealed. My Review of Thrown

Female friendship is a major feature in her debut novel, Thrown, about four women from the same estate who meet for a new pottery class at the local community centre - a setting inspired by her time as presenter on The Great Pottery Throwdown. Radio has always featured a lot of brilliant women and a lot of great female producers and execs. I've an all-female team - a female producer and female assistant producer - and it's a really supportive place to work." This story has Sara's voice ringing true throughout. A fresh, cheeky, insightful take on how change can happen through female friendships.' DAWN FRENCH The metaphor of pottery is perfect for Thrown. Not only do many characters find themselves thrown by events, but they themselves are like the items made in the community centre. Some are more perfect than others. Many have flaws. Some are broken and every single person is unique. What I found so successful too, is the fact that at the end of the book, not every single plot element is resolved; just like real life not everyone gets a happy ending or knows exactly what will happen next. Cox eventually moved permanently to Radio 2 in 2013 to host Saturday night show Sounds of the 80s and it was from there that her patience began to pay off and her fortunes started to change.

The bra wire was currently jabbing her left breast every time she breathed in and, today of all days, she’d need to take some deep breaths. The inhabitants of the Inventor's Housing Estate keep themselves to themselves. There are the friendly 'Hellos' when commutes coincide and the odd cheeky eye roll when the wine bottles clank in number seven's wheelie bin, but it's not exactly Ramsay Street.

Becky

She became the go-to stand-in for then-Breakfast Show presenter Chris Evans – big boots to fill, but the listeners adored her – and, within two years, had landed the role of host on BBC2’s The Great Pottery Throw Down, which would later inspire her novel. It’s seen her metamorphose from the party girl with a penchant for goofing around, into something close to a national treasure – losing none of the irreverence and wit that made her stand out from the crowd in the first place. I liked the setting of the housing estate. It brought these disparate group of people together, giving a sense of commonality to them. The community centre was at the heart of the story, reflecting the intention of it in the estate. The story was getting increasingly ridiculous and was really resembling a soap opera more than a well-written novel, so that's why I've decided to finish off here. I won't leave a star review, because it doesn't seem right if I haven't even read to the end. Nonsense.’ He frowned. ‘You can handle this – it’s a pottery class you’re organising not a military coup. It’s a positive thing, people will love it. They need something like this to bring them together a bit.’