A paragraph from Chapter 20 It felt odd driving into Guildford on Christmas Day; it was eerily deserted, with empty streets and shuttered shops. There can’t have been more than ten people in the auditorium but I felt a certain camaraderie with my fellow Christmas refugees, washed up, as we were, on the shores of Bollywood. Here we were, all More →
A paragraph from Chapter 19 Without Jeremy, my life made no sense. Getting out of bed each day became harder and harder. What was the point? Some days I couldn’t manage it at all. At some point late in the afternoon, bleary-eyed, I’d summon just enough energy to haul my heavy limbs out of the bedroom to feed Tabasco before More →
Always With You – A true story of love, loss…and hope – a memoir written by Just Jhoom! founder Shalini Bhalla-Lucas Buy your signed copy from our shop. At 21, Shalini Bhalla (founder of Just Jhoom!) knew where she was heading in life. Born into a successful Indian family in Kenya, Shalini – at university in England – was preparing More →
A paragraph from Chapter 17 I turned to look at Jeremy, sure that he would be having the same thoughts. But in that moment, something shifted. His whole face and body relaxed. The strain of all the past weeks and months disappeared and his face slipped into an expression of calm repose. It happened in seconds. In the same few More →
A paragraph from Chapter 14 As I gazed into Jeremy’s eyes, everything around us seemed to melt away. We could have been alone or surrounded by a thousand people – I wouldn’t have noticed. All I saw was him…. It was Tuesday 18 November 2014, just two months after Jeremy’s operation and 17 and a half years since we first More →
A paragraph from Chapter 12 My head was full of that one word: cancer. Jeremy sat, as still as a statue, next to me. He remained fully composed and focused on the consultant’s words. He spoke occasionally, to ask questions, but I couldn’t take anything in. Tears streaked down my cheeks. A kindly assistant offered me a tissue and put More →
A paragraph from Chapter 10 After years of travelling all over the world, there was only one place I wanted to return to. I missed the friendliness of the Kenyan people, their melodious language, the changing, dramatic weather and the beauty of the landscape. From its bountiful national parks teeming with exotic wildlife, to its bustling coastline and cool mountain More →
23 months ago today I lost the most important person in my life – my beautiful husband Jeremy. Today, in his memory, I am proud to reveal details of my new memoir Always With You…. Always With You is about my personal battles with mental illness, the coping strategies I relied on to regain a positive mental state after severe More →