The Unconscious Theme While Writing The Approval Of Sheep by Karen Storey
Another new face on my blog this week. Karen Storey’s debut novel The Approval of Sheep is published on 10 October 2025. Karen is also in the Birmingham chapter of the Romantic Novelist’s Association, so we see each other at meetings. I wish Karen well with her intriguing debut and hope her post encourages you to pre-order her book. Over to Karen …
Thank you so much, Morton, for welcoming me to your blog. This is a special invitation for me as it’s my first guest blog as a debut novelist! Today, I would like to explore the idea of unexpected themes in our books. It’s a question I remember writing mentors asking me when I first started out. ‘What theme do you find comes up in your work repeatedly?’ I’d sit there perplexed, thinking I don’t have just one theme. I’m an eclectic writer, and my short stories and novel manuscripts range from dark women’s fiction to uplifting, humorous book club stories.
My debut novel falls into the latter. The Approval of Sheep has been described as whimsical, touching, and funny by early reviewers. It’s the story of a man down on his luck, about to lose his job at a posh London hotel, until he discovers a historic covenant that allows sheep to run through the premises. He sets out to find the Welsh Right descendants in order to get his boss to believe the hotel is in danger. With a bit of planning, he could then be the man to save the day. Except the elderly Welsh farmer and his aging hippy brother, along with their sassy American shepherdess, might have other ideas.
What does this humorous tale have in common with my darker short stories and a domestic noir manuscript I’m working on? There is definitely a common thread quietly running through everything I write, and it’s something that has happened organically. The unconscious theme for me is family bonds.
When I look closely at the characters in all of my stories, I can see the subtle threads that whisper how people grow up and who they grow up with affects their decisions and actions. For example, with the psychological thriller I’m polishing up, my main character is desperate not to repeat the disastrous relationship patterns of her mother, and that fear drives her own poor choices.
In my fun, uplifting debut, The Approval of Sheep, Gordon is forty-two-years-old, has a small rented flat in London, and until now a decent job. Yet, he’s still trying to escape the shadow of his high-achieving siblings. In his determination to match his family, he makes some reckless decisions.
This sibling theme follows Gordon to Wales, where he meets the descendants of the sheep Right. The two elderly brothers are comically opposite in character. Well, it may be comical for the reader, but Gordon finds the two farmers’ differing views about the sheep covenant frustrating. Yet, despite the petty bickering between the brothers, there is an undeniable bond. When I worked through the edits on this manuscript, I realised I hadn’t just written about mischievous sheep, a posh hotel, and historic covenants. I unintentionally created a story exploring unconditional love between family members, no matter how often they drive each other crazy!
It’s not just sibling bonds that appear in this book. I found another family theme had worked its way in while my mind thought it was writing about ruthless bosses and a city guy herding sheep. There’s a gentle thread touching on that special connection with grandparents.
Gordon as a child had a close bond with his grandfather, a successful London hotelier, and he strove to emulate him. Gordon’s boss, in the rare moments he shows a softer side at work, keeps a photo of his much adored granddaughter on his desk.
The fact that this grandparent theme found its way into my book should be no surprise to me. My own grandmother had a huge impact on my life. She was a strong, vibrant personality. During the 1960s, she worked her way up from a secretary to the chairwoman of the Board of Education of the City of New York. These were the days when high-flying career women barely existed. When she retired at the age of seventy, she went straight into politics, running for New York State Assemblywoman. To this day, whenever I face a complex decision, or a tricky situation, I find myself pondering how my fiercely wise grandmother would act.
Back to the novel. Little did I know while I was editing and noticing this grandparent theme, that I would soon learn I was about to become a grandmother myself. My lovely daughter lives with her wife five doors down from me and is currently expecting twins! For those of you who kindly purchase The Approval of Sheep (please do, you won’t regret it!) you’ll see a little dedication in the early pages to The Rockcliffe Twins. The babies are due in early November, but friends are taking bets on them arriving the night of my book launch party, which is 14th October!
I’m hoping the babies will choose to behave for Grandma on launch night and stay put until closer to their due date. Or at least wait until my guests have finished their Prosecco!
But coming back to themes, where I will now leave you, here’s a question. The next time you’re engrossed in a story, can you detect any quiet thread outside of the main plotline that the author may have woven in unintentionally, then decided to keep?
More about Karen Storey:
Karen Storey is an award-winning fiction writer, featured on the acclaimed book podcast The Bestseller Experiment. Her stories have been placed in several international competitions, and her memoir pieces published within The New York Times bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
Originally from New York, Karen lives in Warwickshire and has written articles for American in Britain magazine. She lives with her husband, whose surname Storey was the perfect wedding gift. They share their home with a snarky cat who writes Karen’s monthly author newsletters and a crazy dog who barks at the wind.
The Approval of Sheep is Karen’s first novel.
To visit Karen’s website and subscribe to her cat’s snarky newsletter you can use the link below. Newsletter subscribers can opt in to win an amazing sheep herding experience from the shepherdess who taught Karen about herding for her book! The experience is for four people, to take place on a farm in Wiltshire any time during 2026. Free newsletter subscription via her website.
Website: www.karenstoreyauthor.com
You can also connect with Karen on various social media links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenstoreyauthor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karen.okeefe.773
X: https://x.com/StoreytellerK
More about The Approval of Sheep
Gordon Slee fears he was never meant to be born. Anxious since childhood after hearing he was an accident, the forty-two-year-old is still struggling to escape the shadow of his high-achieving family.
But a glimmer of hope is on the horizon – a huge promotion within his hotel group is up for grabs, and he is sure that his time has come to make a mark on the world.
However, within his own department, redundancies are afoot. He may lose his job before he gets the chance. Until he learns of a historic covenant that preserves the right for sheep to run through the company’s top London hotel. Could he convince his boss that he’s the man to save the hotel from catastrophe?
Up in Bryn Nefyn, North Wales, live the descendants of the covenant owner. The elderly sheep farmer and his aging hippy brother could use the money the hotel might offer. But along with their strong-willed American shepherdess, they laugh at Gordon’s attempts to negotiate a deal. Surely, they couldn’t use a covenant that’s been forgotten about for over a hundred years.
Or could they?
For lovers of upmarket commercial fiction with a touch of romance and comedy, The Approval of Sheep is an uplifting story about family and love, overcoming adversity and discovering our reason for our place in this world.
Praise for The Approval of Sheep
“This idea is brilliant. I can see it as a movie.” Sophie Hannah, Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author.
“Accomplished, funny, touching and clever’ – bestselling author Stephanie Butland
“Parts of it made me laugh out loud.” Mark Stay, bestselling author and presenter of the Bestseller Experiment podcasts.
‘This book is sooo amazing. I can’t put it down!’ – bestselling author Helga Jensen
Book Buying Link – Here
Out 10th October 2025. Available for pre-order now. The Approval of Sheep
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