Category Archives: #amreading

A facelift for the writing cave …

Since I moved into my writing cave, I’ve been using a variety of setups, not all of which were conducive to creativity. The only thing that remained constant was the IKEA desk which measured only 41 3/8″ x 19 5/8″. For just a laptop and a mousepad the space sufficed. But when a second monitor was added to the mix, and a cup warmer things began to get crowded. Plus it made it next to impossible to see my corkboard that was on the wall in front of my work surface.

On New Year’s Day, I got thinking why not go back to the setup I used when I worked from home in the kitchen office? External monitor and keyboard and use the ACER as just the brain. As in, keep the lid closed.

I was spoiled then with a 32″ curved monitor. I could have at least four windows on the screen at one time. Handy when you’re working with spreadsheets and other applications.

The kitchen office setup worked well and we had at least one extra monitor kicking around that was large enough it would allow me to have at least two applications open on it at the same time.

That monitor made its way back into my life and my writing cave. The trouble was, it took up the entire desk. There wasn’t even enough room to put a keyboard in front of it.

Part of the solution to that problem was a sheet of 3/4″ white melamine 60″ x 30″ that would sit on top of the desk. We could get such a beast at the local Home Depot, so off we went to get it the following day. While in the store, we picked up the wall mount for the monitor. It meant my corkboard had to come down and get moved to another location, but that was minor.

It wasn’t so much the huge monitor itself that took up a ton of space, but the stand it sat on. It was big and heavy and took up too much room.

writing cave

With the new writing cave setup, I have plenty of room in front of the wall-mounted monitor for my MacBook which I use for writing.

writing cave

There’s even enough room for it and the additional screen I bought for when I’m editing.

writing cave

And then Windows for all my other tasks – social media, puzzles, weather-watching, etc.

My corkboard was mounted on the wall beside the desk. It meant I had to take the pictures down and put them back up again because it went from its original landscape orientation to portrait. But, the entire thing is visible! I don’t have to stretch or crane my neck to see around computers to see it. The pictures aren’t up-to-date, but I love Quebec City so don’t mind them being there.

writing cave

And then there’s my reading nook. A comfy chair where I can relax and read, either under the light of the floor lamp behind it

writing cave

or the under-cabinet lighting. I’ve since brought in a faux fur blanket to cover my legs with when I’m comfortably ensconced in my chair.

And I have lots of furry friends to keep my company while I’m holed away in the writing cave, too.

Now that I’m retired, I’ll be spending even more time in here than I did before.

Hunter’s Chase by Val Penny #HUNTERSCHASE

Hunter’s Chase Audible Tour

Hunter’s Chase, book 1 in the Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series, written by Val Penny is now available as an audiobook through Audible.

Val Penny

BLURB

Hunter by name – Hunter by nature: DI Hunter Wilson will not rest until Edinburgh is safe.

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson knows there is a new supply of cocaine flooding his city, and he needs to find the source, but his attention is transferred to murder when a corpse is discovered in the grounds of a golf course.

Shortly after the post-mortem, Hunter witnesses a second murder, but that is not the end of the slaughter. With a young woman’s life also hanging in the balance, the last thing Hunter needs is a new man on his team: Detective Constable Tim Myerscough, the son of his nemesis, the former Chief Constable Sir Peter Myerscough.

Hunter’s perseverance and patience are put to the test time after time in this first novel in The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series.

Val Penny

MY REVIEW

Well plotted and fast-paced. I loved this book! al Penny wrote a fantastic debut novel. I can’t wait to read more DI Hunter Wilson stories.

This is my first time listening to an audiobook, so I’m glad it was one I was familiar with. I loved the narrator. Give me a man with a Scottish accent and I’m automatically in swoon mode. If there was a downside to the book, I found the breaks between chapters a wee bit too long. As I said, it was my first time with an audiobook so perhaps that’s the industry standard. Also, in one of the later chapters (I’m sorry I didn’t make note of it at the time), the narrator started a sentence and then started it over again.

I can’t wait for the rest of the Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series to be available in audio format.

AUDIBLE BUY LINK

Hunter’s Chase Audible

ABOUT VAL PENNY

Val Penny

Val Penny’s other crime novels, Hunter’s Chase Hunter’s Revenge, Hunter’s Force Hunter’s Blood, and Hunter’s Secret form the bestselling series The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries. They are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by darkstroke. Her first non-fiction book Let’s Get Published is also available now and she has most recently contributed her short story, Cats and Dogs to a charity anthology, Dark Scotland.

Val is an American author living in SW Scotland with her husband and their cat.

You can connect with Val at the following links:

Website: www.valpenny.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Authorvalpenny

Facebook: www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

Friends of Hunter Wilson & The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries: www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303

Val’s Book Bundle: https://www.facebook.com/groups/167248300537409

Twitter: https://twitter.com/valeriepenny

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17300087.Val_Penny

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/val-penny

Val Penny

 

Evie Baxter’s novel, An Italian Affair, goes on tour

XPRESSO TOURS presents An Italian Affair by Evie Baxter #bookblitz #giveaway

Evie

Ella⁣

Having suffered through a recent humiliating break up, I wasn’t ready to dive back into the dating game. I thought I was off men, but then along came Sandro de Luca. Gorgeous temptation in a suit. I worked on a ship. He lived in Venice. There was no way a relationship could work between us. But a summer affair might be just what was called for.⁣

⁣Sandro⁣

⁣My attraction to Ella had an incendiary chemistry that couldn’t be denied. She didn’t want a commitment. I wanted to imprint myself on her soul. I was determined to make her mine, even if life was continually throwing obstacles in my path. Some things were worth fighting for.⁣

⁣Don’t miss out on An Italian Affair by @eviebaxter! Get it FREE on #KindleUnlimitedhttps://amzn.to/2UysmaG

Evie

⁣⁣⁣#Bibliophile #Bookshelf #BookClub #Bookish #Booksy #BookNerd #BookWorm #ireadromance #romance #contemporaryromance #eviebaxter #XpressoTours @XpressoTours #BookBlogger #BookQueen #BookLove #BookStack #GoodReads #BookShark #BookCommunity #ReadersOfInstagram #BookBabe #Reading #BookAesthetic #BookishPost

Book & Author Details:

An Italian Affair
by Evie Baxter
Publication date: May 31st, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Extract from – Chapter Seven

As we descended from the rooftop back to the restaurant, the feel of Sandro’s eyes on my back was visceral. The luncheon had been wonderful despite my momentary discomfort when he had touched my back and kissed my neck. He thought it was because I was leary of men after what Alex did to me. And maybe partly it was.

More like I was so overwhelmed by my reaction to Sandro that I didn’t know what to do. He was a stranger. I had barely known him a few hours. But when his knuckles brushed down the length of my spine, exposed by the design of the dress, my knees had weakened and my breath quickened. It had been so unexpected and so sensual. I just had to think about his actions and the hairs on my arms stood on end and my belly shuddered as I relived his touch.

His lips on my nape? Bloody hell! It was the lightest of touches but enough that I felt their firm press, his breath tickling the little hairs at the base of my hairline, the whisper of a sigh from his lips as they met my skin. The rasp of his beard tickling my nerve endings. I had felt my nipples tighten in response and the surge of heat that flowed through my body and straight between my legs was startling. If that was what the lightest of kisses could do, then what the hell would a full-on assault accomplish?

I didn’t think the man realised the power he had over me already. It was scary, and tantalising. It stirred my interest to find out more. It had been a long time since I had indulged in casual sex, not since my university days. Ships were a morass of gossip and sex, everyone knew everyone, and if you slept with someone it was almost guaranteed someone else on board had as well. There was no avoiding it, so I had been much more circumspect in my relationships since going to sea.

But would I consider breaking all my rules and having an affair with someone shoreside. I had never been tempted. Until now. Sandro brought out my sensual nature in a way that was impossible to ignore. The way I reacted to him was all the more obvious to me because not once had Alex stirred such physical responses in the time I spent with him.

About the Author

Evie lives in the countryside close to Oxford where she writes stories, accompanied by her eldest daughter’s very fluffy cat. When not writing she can be found ignoring housework, reading voraciously, feeding her family and hanging out with the alpacas at the farm behind her house. Before settling in the countryside, she travelled the world working on cruise ships and doing stuff like jumping out of airplanes, cycling around South Pacific Islands and taking helicopters over glaciers and volcanoes.


Author links:

Italian

GIVEAWAY!

Enter the giveaway for your chance to win an ebook copy of An Italian Affair by Evie Baxter.

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Hooray for Read a Book Day! #amreading #amwriting

Hooray for Read a Book Day!

Hooray for Read a Book day! Here in North America, it’s our Labour Day weekend, so we can extend our “bookish” holiday into another full day of reading enjoyment.

Hooray for Read a Book Day!
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

What’s your preferred medium for reading? Are you a fan of ebooks or do you prefer print, either paperback or hardcover?

And then there are genres? Which do you like to read? Crime? Thrillers? Horror? Romance? Historical? Or a blend of all of the above.

I’m lucky in that being an author, I’ve met authors from other countries around the world – England, Scotland, Australia, France, the US, and back here at home in Canada.

I write in a number of genres, but my favourite is romance. You can see my books here. To find out more about any particular title, click on the cover and you’ll be taken to the book’s page where you’ll be provided with the description and buy links should you be so inclined to purchase.

possibly a title or two you might be interested in?

My brand “where fact and fiction meet” stems from the fact I take real events and spin fictional stories around them, changing place and characters’ names to protect the ‘guilty.’ 😉

Now before you think this blog post is all about me, I’m going to introduce you to two authors you might not have heard of before.

I’ll start with Chris Longmuir. Chris and I first met virtually in early 2001 when she contacted me asking permission to use a photograph. We met in person later that same year and see each other as often as possible.

Another is Wendy H. Jones. I’ve not known Wendy as long, but she Chris and I make up the Princesses of Pandemonium. While their books are crime – gritty, humourous or historical – we have a great time when we get together.

Here we are outside the Old Town Jail in Stirling, Scotland.

And inside one of the cells.

I hope you enjoy Read a Book day, and maybe even discover some new-to-you authors.

National Book Lovers Day

Think this girl will get through that stack of books today?