Category Archives: PTSD

book review, Chris Fox, Novels, Psychological Thriller, PTSD

White Nile by Chris Fox

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I’m hosting another ‘new-to-me’ author on my blog today. Chris Fox and his novel, White Nile, are in the limelight.

White Nile

Blurb

Captain James Hillsdon, an Iraq War veteran, is scarred by his tours of duty. Desperate for solace, he travels up the course of the River Nile in an act of soul-searching. When he reaches the city of Khartoum, Sudan, he makes a discovery that places him at the heart of a global crisis, and into the hands of two American officials.

But Hillsdon is hiding a secret, and the Americans know about it. If his secret is ever revealed, the consequences for Hillsdon’s family will be unthinkable. He needs to make a choice, but if he chooses poorly, there will be no escaping the repercussions.

White Nile

My Review

Once in a while, you need to read a book that pushes you out of your comfort zone. For me, this was that book.

James Hillsdon suffers from PTSD, and to get his mental health back on track, he travels to Khartoum, Sudan, for a much-deserved break. However, things don’t turn out that way for him, as he becomes entangled in a web of secrets, lies, and unspoken truths.

The flashbacks to his time in Iraq are vivid, but war is a gruesome affair. Chris did an excellent job writing the book. It kept me engaged since I wanted to know how it turned out for him.

I look forward to reading more of Chris’s books in the future.

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221234410-white-nile

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/whitenile-zbt

About the Author

White Nile

Chris Fox was born in Bromley, southeast London, but he grew up in a Rutland village near the market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire. He attended Stamford School and the University of Sheffield, before embarking on a career in Education. He has earned two master’s degrees, from the universities of Warwick and Oxford, respectively. When he gets a break from teaching, Chris enjoys playing cricket during the summer holidays. Other hobbies include reading, gardening and walking in the countryside. He lives in Oxford with his delightful greyhound, Lilly. White Nile is Chris’s second book. He has already started writing the sequel.

Follow Chris at

Twitter: https://x.com/CDFoxAuthor

Website: https://cdfox.weebly.com/

#amwriting, #Canada, #sweetromance, It Happened at Percé Rock, It Happened Series, novella, PTSD

It Happened Series – Book 3 #sweetromance

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A year later than originally planned because the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown sent my writing mojo running for the hills until late in the year. Thankfully, it returned and Book 3 in the It Happened series (It Happened at Percé Rock) will be out this summer.
It Happened series

What’s it all about you ask? Here’s your answer.

When Melissa Scott flees to the village of Percé, she’s determined to leave her painful memories behind her.

Gareth Young, a soldier with the Canadian Forces, never got over losing his friend in the war in Afghanistan. Nowadays, he’s happier in his own company than that of others, until she enters his life.

Despite her recent breakup and knowing rebound relationships don’t work, Melissa falls head over feet for the handsome military man, only to discover he comes with enough baggage to fill an army cargo plane.

Will the couple be able to work through their issues and achieve a happy ending together?

Between the Scott and Layne families, there are seven characters for six books with five coming from the Scott family – Christopher, Amy and Michael (twins), Roger, and Melissa.

Book 1 in the It Happened series starred one from each family – Serenity Layne and Roger Scott, hence the need for only six books in the series.

Book 2 featured Serenity’s brother Erik and Hilary Dunbar, a Vancouver Police Constable (a very unlikely pairing).

Roger’s youngest sibling, Melissa stars in Book 3 – It Happened at Percé Rock.

I’m trying to create movie tie-ins with this series and have managed with the first two books.

Book 1 – It Happened on Dufferin Terrace – Miracle on 34th Street meets Sleepless in Seattle.

Book 2 – It Happened in Gastown – Trainspotting meets Hot Pursuit.

This one is proving to be a bit of a conundrum. I have one movie, but the second is proving more difficult. I need a movie with the main character suffering from PTSD. Currently, I’m leaning towards Beaches meets Born on the 4th of July but there could be a better one. I’ve searched online without much success.

If anyone has any suggestions, please leave them in the comments.

Thanks so much.

Did I mention dogs have starring roles?

 

#sweetromance, emotional therapy dog, It Happened at Percé Rock, It Happened in Gastown, It Happened on Dufferin Terrace, It Happened Series, Novels, PTSD

I’ve chosen my name!

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I need help choosing my name. I want to thank everyone who offered suggestions either here, via email, or on social media.

You might think I misbehaved with my doleful expression and am in trouble for it, but I assure you that’s not the case. I’m just sad because I don’t yet have my name.

name
Image by Manfred Burdich from Pixabay

Here is the complete list that Melanie’s fans and readers have come up with:

Bruno
Buddy
Carrot
Celtic
Cooper
Copper
Danbie
Dexter
Dilis
Fergus
Hero
Ivy
Jerry (named for a man who had PTSD)
Jesse
Luke (associated with the saint of healing)
Murtagh
Percival (Percy for short)
Red
Rollo
Rooster
Rufus
Rufus the Red
Rusty
Sadie
Sergeant
Thor
Trevor
Tyson

There are three that I’m rather partial to and a couple that won’t work. One is because I’m a boy, and it’s a girl’s name (Sadie). I’m an emotional support dog. I don’t want to need one of my own.

The other that won’t is Buddy. He’s already a doggo in the book. His breeder name is Frankfurt’s Champion Beauregard, and he’s a wee black and tan Dachshund who looks much like this chap below.

Image by mystic_oneness0 from Pixabay

You can’t have two characters with the same name in one book. It just doesn’t work.

So which ones are my favourites?

They are:

Jerry
Luke
Percival (or Percy for short)

Which of these three names do you think suits me best? Do I look like a Jerry, a Luke or a Percy?

I’ve decided I’m a Percy. Actually, it was Gareth who eventually came up with my name. It seems fitting since he and Melissa met in the town of Percé. You might think it’s strange using a name so close to the setting where “It Happened,” but you pronounce them differently.

This previous post includes the doggos in the series (although not all with photos).

#amwriting, dog, emotional therapy dog, It Happened at Percé Rock, It Happened Series, novella, Novels, PTSD

It’s all in the name #servicedogs #therapydogs

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I need a name.

I can’t go through life as the dog with no name. Once upon a time, there was a horse with no name, but that was a song.

name
Image by Manfred Burdich from Pixabay

But first, let me tell you a bit about myself. I’m a male and about a year old. I’m about to become an Emotional Support Dog for Gareth Young, a former soldier who has PTSD, in Melanie’s current novel. It Happened at Percé Rock.

Here’s some of Gareth’s story and the root of his PTSD. He and his best friend since like forever, Normand Levesque, enlisted in the Canadian military and assigned to the Vandoos. They were deployed to Afghanistan, where Normand was killed when a roadside bomb exploded and destroyed their armoured vehicle. Gareth took quite a bit of shrapnel in his right arm from the shoulder to his hand, so he has the physical and the emotional scars. Normand didn’t have a mark on him.

Lately, things have been getting much worse for Gareth. Medication, counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy aren’t working. That’s when he psychiatrist suggested an Emotional Support Dog. It took some persuading on the doctor’s part, but eventually, Gareth went along with the idea, and I’m thrilled he chose me. I’ve been working with Gareth for a while now, getting to know him, his needs and his triggers.

So you see, I’ve got my work cut out for me.

Anyway, if you think you’ve got the perfect name for me, please leave it in the comments. I’d love to hear your suggestions. I can’t be forever known as Dog.