Breaking The Fence
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Karen Haase
Karen Haase is a co-owner of Yorkshire Eyewear and has spent many years working as a dispensing optician in North Yorkshire, alongside her husband, while raising their four children and family dog. Her career in optics has always been about more than eye health alone; through daily interactions with patients, Karen built meaningful relationships and encountered countless personal stories, all rooted in the local community Yorkshire Eyewear proudly serves.
'Breaking the Fence'
AVAILABLE NOW
The sequel to the much loved
'Over The Fence'
Karen's story
Although writing was never part of Karen’s original plan - her interests lay more in sport, maths and optics - the challenges of the pandemic years brought an unexpected creative shift. During this period, writing became a powerful outlet, allowing her to reflect, process and reconnect at a time of personal and professional pressure. What began as a private release soon revealed a creative voice she had never believed she possessed.
Through Yorkshire Eyewear, Karen met Julie Martin-Jones, and a shared interest in storytelling led them to attend a creative writing course together. Their friendship and collaboration grew naturally, resulting in their debut novel, Over The Fence, published by Fisher King Publishing. Karen’s journey from optician to author reflects the values at the heart of Yorkshire Eyewear - empathy, connection and truly seeing the person behind the prescription.
The diary of two women, how they view and judge life, and how one discovers a secret so well hidden, it could tear both their worlds apart…
Seren is happily married to a successful doctor, Bobby. With their two young boys they move from the South of England to an up-market town in the North.
The house they are moving to is Seren’s dream home and she is looking forward to her new life and meeting her new neighbours.
Clarissa is married to a wealthy semi-retired financial advisor, Michael. Her life on the surface appears perfect.
The initial pleasure at having respectable new neighbours is soon lost when she realises they have children, and the regimented tranquillity of her life is thrown into disarray.
The very sight of Seren triggers in her an extreme dislike and stirs up memories that she preferred not to recall.
What ensues is a catalogue of confrontations that grow increasingly out of control.
Each woman keeps a journal which illustrates how very differently they experience similar events, and how they react to them.
After escaping the heartbreak and hostility of their life in Yorkshire, Seren and Bobby begin a new chapter with their children in Geelong, Australia.
Surrounded by sunshine, beaches and a welcoming community, Seren finally feels she can breathe again. Yet despite her happiness, one unanswered question continues to overshadow her life.
Told through deeply personal journal entries, Breaking The Fence follows two women connected by secrets, misunderstandings and a shared past neither fully understands.
While Seren embraces a fresh start in Australia, rediscovering her confidence, independence and passion for art, Clarissa embarks on a painful journey of self-reflection and redemption.
Moving between Yorkshire and Australia, this emotional family saga explores family, identity, forgiveness and the lasting impact of the choices made for us by others.
Filled with humour, warmth and heartbreak, Breaking The Fence is a compelling story about second chances, buried truths and the powerful bonds that continue to shape our lives across generations.
