FINALIST The 2016 People's Book Prize 

VOTING OPEN until 10 July 2016 

PLEASE VOTE HERE!

As the world's worst housekeeper, running holiday homes wasn't, with hindsight, a sensible idea. But two collapsing buildings on Susie Kelly's land would cost more to demolish than to restore. Thus she became a seasonal landlady.

Swallows & Robins - The Laughs & Tears Of A Holiday Home Owner is the true story of a beginner's attempts at running two holiday homes in remotest France and her love/hate relationship with her guests. But before the guests came the builders. No's 1, 2, 3 all started promisingly, but by builder No. 4, and with her first guests just hours away, Susie's patience was stretched to its limit. 

Her summer and winter visitors couldn't, as they say, be made up, though, to spare their blushes some of them have been air-brushed. They brought with them laughter, tears, romance, friendship and occasional madness. And they all left behind jars of jam and pots of pepper. From them Susie learned that you don't need to travel to find adventure. If you run holiday homes it comes to your doorstep. Unfortunately for Susie, and her attempts at homes and gardens housekeeping, this included Ivy. The cleaning lady from hell.