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The Little Captain

21st February 2011 by Helena 6 Comments  

I have been worried that Leo is far too nice for his own good. He never does anything remotely mean or nasty, is constantly kind and considerate and generally just gorgeous. But yesterday he proved that he has a little more mettle than I credit him with.

He is doing an Inter-Milan football training camp three times a week (he refused to go the Man United one, but an Italian team is acceptable, especially Jose’s old team). We walked from the pitch towards the car and he was grinning from ear to ear.

“Did you have fun?” I asked him.

“Mummy, there’s a boy in my football training that’s really mean to me. Today I was captain and I know he hates going in defense.

I told all my other players they could choose where they wanted to play and told him he had to go in defense. He got angry and shouted ‘I’m not going in defense'”.

“So what did you say?”

“I said ‘Yes you are. I’m the captain and you’ll do as you’re told.’ He was shouting in Arabic and all I could understand was the word ‘defense’.”

“So did he go in defense?” I asked him.

“Of course, he hadded to,” he smiled.  “Revenge is…..good.”

It is indeed.

Fingers crossed tonight for Chelsea – thank goodness it is too late for us to watch it here, I’m not sure I can bear to see my little captain cry again….even if he can be tough at times.

And fingers crossed for me too….the sales figures are out this afternoon for the book.

Copyright: Helena Frith Powell 2011


Filed Under: Children, Sport, blog --> Tagged With: captain, little

6 thoughts on The Little Captain

  • Antonia says:
    24th February 2011 at 8:23 am

    My local bookshop here in Frankfurt rang today to tell me a copy of your book had arrived….I went straight there to pick it up!

  • Helena says:
    25th February 2011 at 9:35 pm

    Great news Antonia – so hope you like it x

  • Lady Sue says:
    27th February 2011 at 12:46 pm

    Reading and thoroughly enjoying your book. It such a lovely, light romantic read and has all the right ingredients to appeal to a wide audience. I’m sure sales will go through the roof! Well done and I hope you are busy with the next one.

  • helena says:
    27th February 2011 at 10:07 pm

    Thanks Sue much appreciated, especially good to hear from you as I know you are a tough and discerning critic. Hope to see you somewhere soon xx

  • Antonia says:
    27th February 2011 at 10:41 pm

    Helena, its brilliant, I love it!
    Spent a rainy Sunday happily curled up with it

    Congratulations!

  • helena says:
    27th February 2011 at 10:43 pm

    Thank you!! x

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Helena Frith Powell was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and Italian father, but grew up mainly in England. She is the author of eleven books, translated into several languages including Chinese and Russian. She wrote the French Mistress column The Sunday Times about life in France for several years. She is a regular contributor to the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Tatler Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.

Helena has been the editor of four magazines, including M Magazine, a supplement for the Abu Dhabi-based National Newspaper and FIVE, a high-end fashion glossy, also published in Abu Dhabi. Helena was also editor-in-chief of 360 Life, a quarterly glossy magazine published with the Sports 360 Newspaper in Dubai, part of the Chalhoub Group.

Helena contributes regularly to UK-based newspapers and magazines and holds a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. She is working on a thriller set in Sweden as well as a novel about the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield called Sense of an Echo.

In 2022 her short story The Japanese Gardener came second in the Fish Publishing Short Story Prize. One of her stories was also shortlisted for the Bridport Short Story Prize. When she’s not writing, she works as a headhunter for the media and entertainment industry for the Sucherman Group. 

Helena, who was educated at Durham University, lives in the Languedoc region of France with her husband Rupert and their three children.

Bibliography

More France Please, we’re British; Gibson Square 2004

Two Lipsticks and a Lover 2005; Gibson Square (hardback)

All You Need to be Impossibly French; (US version of above) Penguin 2006

Two Lipsticks and a Lover; Arrow Books (paperback) 2007

Ciao Bella Gibson Square; (hardback) 2006

Ciao Bella Gibson Square; (paperback) 2007

So Chic! (French version of Two Lipsticks) Leduc Editions 2008 (also translated into Chinese, Russian and Thai)

More, More France; Gibson Square 2009

To Hell in High Heels; Arrow Books 2009 (also translated into Polish)

The Viva Mayr Diet; Harper Collins 2009

Love in a Warm Climate; Gibson Square 2011

The Ex-Factor; Gibson Square 2013

Smart Women Don’t Get Wrinkles; Gibson Square 2016

The Arnolfini Marriage; Amazon Kindle December 2016

Smart Women Don’t Get Wrinkles (paperback); Gibson Square spring 2018

The Longest Night; Gibson Square spring 2019

 

 

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