Gil McNeil – författare

From inspirational mums who are not afraid of anything - except spiders - to magical mums, reluctant mums and mums behaving badly, this is a wonderful collection of fiction and memoir from some of Britain's best-loved writers. With touching and amusing anecdotes from celebrity mums such as Nigella Lawson and Arabella Weir, as well as original illustrations from the likes of Shirley Hughes and Quentin Blake, this rich treasure trove with proceeds going to children's charity PiggyBankKids reflects many voices from across the generations and is a glorious celebration of motherhood.

Eighteen of Britain's most exciting authors have written brand new stories especially for this spellbinding collection: Andrea Ashworth, Kate Atkinson, Celia Brayfield, Christopher Brookmyre, Lewis Davies, Isla Dewar, Emma Donoghue, Maeve Haran, Joanne Harris, Jackie Kay, Gil McNeil, John O'Farrell, Ben Okri, Michele Roberts, Meera Syal, Sue Townsend, Arabella Weir and Fay Weldon. Miracles, mystery, romance and humour - from Louisiana mud-swamps where enchantment is for sale to a bra-making workshop where dreams come true, this is British fiction at its fizziest, least predictable and best. The National Council recently launched its Magic Million Appeal, with the aim of raising one million pounds to fund services for single parents and their children so that they can get the help and support they need, when they need it. GBP1 will go straight to the charity with every copy sold of MAGIC.

Is it better to forgive and forget, or should you just get even? Is it possible to live in the country and not lose your mind completely? Do chickens really make good pets? And what exactly is a hardy perennial? Alice Mayhew, part-time architect and full-time mother to Alfie, is to gardening what Alan Titchmarsh is to deep-sea fishing. So finding she's been volunteered to design a new garden for the village comes as a bit of a shock, because apart from anything else she's far too busy trying to convince Alfie that wearing green trousers doesn't make you Peter Pan, and that flying is best left to the experts. Molly O'Brien is finding it hard enough coping with Lily (aged four and likes washing up) and Matt (aged thirty two and doesn't) before she discovers she's pregnant. And then there's Lola Barker, who causes havoc wherever she goes, and brings a whole new meaning to the word high-maintenance. Toddlers, jelly, bad behaviour, romance and gardening tips all loom large in Gil McNeil's hilarious and heartbreaking new novel. Stand By Your Man turns prejudices and assumptions upside down with humour and passion, telling it like it really is. Sometimes it's hard to be a woman

Didn't anyone tell you that divas don't knit? Knit-one Jo Mackenzie needs a new start and jumps at the chance to take over her grandmother's wool shop in a small seaside town. Purl-one But it's not going to be easy with two young sons to cope with, an A-list actress moving into the local mansion and a knitting group addicted to cake. Stitch and Bitch! Gil McNeil's funny and uplifting novel turns prejudices and assumptions upside down, telling it how it really is in the world of knit-one, purl-one.

After losing her husband and having a brief fling, which leads to a surprise baby, Jo MacKenzie is ready for some calm - unfortunately, life, as always, has other plans. As a single mum, Jo has her hands full with her ever busy seaside knitting shop and her kids. Then there's Jo's budding relationship with the well-meaning Martin, who is dependable but not passionate and exciting. But when Daniel, the father of her baby, returns on the scene and wants to give family life a go, everything gets turned upside down...