#Excerpt from YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS #romsuspense #thriller

#Excerpt from

Today I’m sharing an #excerpt from my romantic suspense/psychological thriller, YESTERDAY TODAY ALWAYS. I hope you enjoy it.

Will a reckless moment from her past come back to haunt her?

Devastated by the death of her husband, Colin, in the London bombings on July 7, 2005, Katherine Murphy-Whithorn builds a wall around her heart determined to never let anyone in again. Settling in to a comfortable routine, her life becomes mundane, until five years later when someone from her rebellious past returns to the city and begins stalking her.
As the curtain falls on 2010 her first love, Jared Martin, walks back into Katherine´s life. Despite him being her first love, he must tear down the barrier she´s created to protect herself. Finally seeing a second chance of a life with him, Katherine couldn´t be happier until another cruel twist of fate strikes. The helicopter returning from the Alpha Ecosse platform, on which Jared is a passenger, ditches in the North Sea. Can he survive the ordeal?
Will they get their chance for happiness? Or is fate still not done its dirty deeds? Katherine’s stalker may have his own agenda.

**********

#EXCERPT

The pub was crowded. People mingled over after work drinks. Music blared from the speakers.

He tapped her shoulder. “You go grab the booth back there in the corner. I’ll get them in. What’ll you have?”

“Gin and tonic, please.”

The floor was sticky in patches under her feet from spilled spirits, mixes and beer. Tonight because the place was full, the smell of ale, faint scent of juniper, combined with assorted body odours, colognes and perfumes was overpowering.

When she got to the seats he pointed out, she chose the far side so she could people watch. But he was the only person with whom she had any interest. His snug fitting, faded jeans accentuated the muscles in his thighs. Man he was fit. Sexy, too, leaning against the bar. He turned, smiled and winked at her and her cheeks got hot. Katherine knew she was blushing but couldn’t help herself and she couldn’t stop staring at him either.

Melissa’s comment about the homeless man scaring her played on her mind. When she encountered him in other parts of Aberdeen, she never paid much attention. Now, he was on her street, hanging out around her store. Business was already down these past six months. That was enough cause for concern.

He sat Katherine’s G&T on the cardboard beer mat on the table and eased on the bench across from her. Leaning back, he stretched out his legs, bumping her foot in the process. “Sorry,” he responded before taking a slug of his Caledonian 80.

“I-I can’t believe I’m sitting here with you. After all these years.” Katherine raised her glass but her hand trembled. She had to steady it with both hands.

“I know what you mean.” He removed the old-fashioned from her grasp and sat it on the table. He held her hands in his, stroking them with this thumbs. “That day you walked away from me, I didn’t think I would ever see you again.”

“I didn’t go by choice.”

“I know. I’ll never forget the look on your face when your father yanked you out of my arms at the security checkpoint at the airport.”

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

“My life was a mess back then. You know that. I wish I had but you would have grown to resent what you gave up or worse, I would have been done for assault.”

From the moment her mother and father discovered her relationship with Jared, they were determined he was not good enough for their little girl; her father especially. “I despised them for taking me away from you. I hated Canada. The first chance I got I came back. And then I found you with her. I was back for a while but not seen you. I even went to where you lived when we first met and they told me you moved. What was I to think?”

The wail of a siren pierced the din in the pub. As he turned, the sparkle of a diamond flashed. Katherine brushed his hair away from his left lobe. “You’re still wearing that?”

“Been there since the day you deserted me at the airport.”

Reaching up, she pulled back her long, copper tresses and revealed the mate to the earring he wore in her upper ear. “Got this piercing after we moved to Canada. First thing I did when I got on my own. One of my many acts of defiance. Believe it or not, I was more of a rebel there than I was before they dragged me off kicking and screaming.”

He chuckled at her statement, leaned forward and ran his fingers up and down his glass wiping away the condensation. The action made Katherine wish she were the one he was stroking. She squirmed in her seat. Her parents ruined everything when they took her away.

“As soon as I came back I went to your old place so we could pick up where we left off but the people wouldn’t tell me where you were.”

“Didn’t know that. Guess I started working on the rigs a couple of months after you went. I moved closer to the airport to make a shorter commute.” He took hold of her hands and stroked the backs of them with his thumbs. “Truth be told, I didn’t expect you to come back. I figured you’d find some guy there about your own age and it would be the end of us.”

“Five years isn’t a huge difference.”

“Your parents sure thought different. Good thing you were sixteen or they would have had my arse thrown in jail.”

She smiled. “Don’t forget. We got together before that. So yeah, glad they didn’t. I would have had to spend those nights at Steph’s for real, rather than with you.”

“I forgot about that.” He hoisted his glass and drained it.

“B-but I thought we were over when I finally saw you after our grad party. You appeared so cozy with that girl.”

“Oh her. A mistake. One of the lads on the rig set me up with her. I hoped once I saw you that night, we would have a chance.”

“And I thought we didn’t because I assumed you were having a good time with her all cuddled together.”

“What about you? I could say the same. You looked pretty happy, yourself, with that guy.”

“I was. I didn’t expect to see you there. You don’t know how jealous I was. I guess I got involved with Colin seriously to get my own back at you.”

“I never meant to hurt you. Never stopped thinking about you and our time together.”

A tear fell from Katherine’s eye. Before she could swipe at it, he brushed the droplet away with his thumb. “Tell me, please. I want to know why you’re so sad.”

She gulped back a sob and answered. “Not long after we got the bookstore, not even married more than a minute – after seeing you and … her, thought we were over. Colin was a nice bloke so when he asked, I said yes. Anyway, we got the chance to buy the place.”

“And?”

“He was killed in the London bombings. He went on a book buying trip and didn’t come home. He was at King’s Cross to catch his train to Aberdeen.” She pulled a gold chain out from under her layers of clothing and toyed with the wedding ring dangling from it. “This is all I have left of him.” By now, Katherine sobbed uncontrollably.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea and had no intentions of hurting you.” He eased around the end of the booth and gathered her in his arms. “Finish your drink and we’ll leave. Take you somewhere and cheer you up.”

Outdoors, she began to feel better. The fresh air helped clear her head of the unpleasant memories of her past. “Let’s go back to mine,” she suggested feeling brazen thanks to being with him again and her passion for him returning. “It’s not far. Just over the bookshop.” She took his hand and led the way.

**********

BUY LINKS

Amazon

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#infographic ~ 20 QUIRKS AND STRANGE HABITS ~ THE WEIRD SIDE OF FAMOUS WRITERS

My friend in blogging, Jack Milgram Custom-Writing.Org, came up with this fun infographic about famous authors and their 20 quirks and strange habits.

20 quirks

 

20 quirks

Website: custom-writing.org/blog email: Jack Milgram

Twitter: @Jack__Milgram Facebook: Jack.Milgram

So, writer friends and other authors out there in the ether, what are your quirks and strange habits? Don’t be shy, tell us yours in the comments.

PARADISE GIRL by Phill Featherstone #YA #NA #giveaway

Paradise

Paradise Girl

by

Phill Featherstone

 

Paradise

Genre: Nominally YA/NA, general fiction

Release Date: 27 January 2017

Publisher: Matador

Kerryl Shaw has always kept a diary, but this one is different because she knows she is going to die.

A highly infectious and incurable virus spreads worldwide. Seventeen-year-old Kerryl lives with her family on a remote farm. They think they will be safe, but the danger advances. One day a stranger arrives, and it soon becomes apparent that he has brought the plague to their door.

Kerryl is sure it’s only a matter of time before she catches the infection and dies, and decides to record what she thinks will be her final days. She realises that her diary will never be read, so she imagines a reader and calls him Adam. Loneliness and isolation affect the balance of her mind. Little by little Adam comes alive to her, and she sets off across the moor to meet him.

EXTRACT

       Introductions are boring, but unless I take time to explain things it will be confusing for you. Me first. Not very polite, I know, but it’s probably the best place to start.

My name is Kerryl – or that’s what my family and friends call me. My proper name is Cheryl. Cheryl Alison Shaw. They call me the Paradise Girl. Don’t get excited – it sounds sexy but it’s not. I’m seventeen years old and still a virgin. I’m not a nun, I’ve been out with loads of boys – Tim, Mark (two of them), Nathan, Jake, Tristram, Steve – but I wasn’t that keen on any of them and they didn’t last. The exception was Mark II. He was older than me, fearsomely good looking and he had a nice car. I thought he was really hot. When I wasn’t with him I was thinking about him. But it seems he wasn’t as keen as me, and one day my best friend, Josie, told me that he was going out with Monica Woodbridge and saying I was a frigid cow. It seems everybody knew I’d been dumped and I was the last to find out.

The worst thing was the shock. I thought Monica Woodbridge was my friend. As well as that, all the girls in our group had been going out with the same boys for a long time, but I seemed to keep a boyfriend for only a few weeks. Was there something wrong with me? To be honest, I’m not a great beauty. I don’t mean I’m a train wreck or anything. I’m not bad looking, but I’m not like Charlene Brooker or Suzy Simmonds. They’re electric, both of them. Charlene could be a model, and Suzy’s always surrounded by a gang of drooling boys.

They’re gone now: Charlene, Suzy, Josie, Monica, all of them.

Sorry for the break there. I had to stop to have a little weep. I’ll try not to do too much of that. I suppose I can console myself with one thing: with everyone else dead, I must be the most beautiful girl in the world!

BUY LINKS

 

AMAZON UK – http://amzn.to/2zMAq9a

AMAZON US – http://amzn.to/2zMdQQb

TROUBADOR – http://bit.ly/2ATT0wq

WATERSTONES – http://bit.ly/2jw1uFR

WH SMITH – http://bit.ly/2A48wbL

 

BUY DIRECT FROM THE AUTHOR AND GET IT SIGNED! http://bit.ly/2hE3lHY

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paradise

Phill Featherstone was born and brought up in the north of England. He trained as a teacher and taught English in comprehensive schools. In the late 1990s he and his wife, Sally, founded a publishing company specialising in education books for the early years. In 2008 the business was acquired by Bloomsbury, after which they moved to Yorkshire. He now spends his time writing, travelling, on the arts and on conservation work. Phill has degrees from Cambridge and Leicester Universities, and is a member of the Society of Authors. Paradise Girl is his third novel, although the first to be published.

Paradise Girl recently won a CHILL WITH A BOOK AWARD!

Paradise

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhillFeathers/

Twitter: @PhillFeathers

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16347499.Phill_Featherstone

Blog: http://phillfeatherstone.net/news/

Website: http://phillfeatherstone.net

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2018 #AtoZ Challenge ~ Theme Reveal

2018 #AtoZ

2018 marks the 5th year I’ve taken part in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

The first year (2014), my blog posts were random items, but they covered every letter of the alphabet.

2015, I went with a proper theme and chose animals.

2016, it was book titles.

2017, I decided to cover musical groups/solo artists.

Quite the range of topics, don’t you think? So what does that mean for the 2018 #AtoZ Challenge?

Rather than keep you, my faithful readers, in suspense any longer, my Blogging from A to Z Challenge theme for this year is – towns, cities and villages around the world.

I hope you’ll stop by each day of the challenge to see what location I’ve chosen for that date.

Here’s the schedule (not that I’m revealing any more than that at this time).
A – April 1st (yes, April Fool’s Day)
B – April 2nd
C – April 3rd
D – April 4th
E – April 5th
F – April 6th
G – April 7th
Day off – April 8th
H – April 9th
I – April 10th
J – April 11th
K – April 12th
L – April 13th
M – April 14th
Day off – April 15th
N – April 16th
O – April 17th
P- April 18th
Q – April 19th
R – April 20th
S – April 21st
Day off – April 22nd
T – April 23rd
U – April 24th
V – April 25th
W – April 26th
X – April 27th
Y – April 28th
Day off – April 29th
Z – April 30th

With the exception of April 1st, there are no posts on Sundays. We all have to rest and re-charge for the following week, don’t we?

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

St. Patrick's Day

In previous years, I’ve had a virtual party on occasions such as this. Well, life got in the way and I’ve had to dig out a short post from a few years ago, and resurrect it.

For all you Irish folk or descendants of Irish folk or anyone who likes to get together and listen to good music and drink green beer…

St. Patrick's Day

May the luck o’ the Irish be with you.

St. Patrick's Day

 

 

Beware the Ides of March…

Ides of March
By Georges Jansoone (JoJan) (Own work (own photo)) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Julius Caesar should have paid attention to those fateful words, “Beware the Ides of March.” Had he, he wouldn’t have been stabbed to death at a meeting of the Senate on 15th March, 44 BC.

Did you know that March was the first month of the Roman calendar? The Romans didn’t number the days sequentially from the beginning of the month either. They went by the beginning, the middle and the beginning of the next month instead. The term “Ides” merely referred to the middle of the month and supposedly determined by the full moon.

The Ides of March was also a rock group in the 1960s-1970s and possibly best known for their song, I’m Your Vehicle Baby. I remember having that single on a 45 rpm record! I know, I know, I just dated myself.

So kick back and enjoy this video clip and enjoy a Canadian invention – a Bloody Caesar Cocktail

Ides of March

How to make a Bloody Caesar

Rim glass with celery salt
Add a wedge of lime
6 oz. Clamato Juice
1-1 1/2 oz Vodka
2 Dashes Tobasco or other hot sauce
4 Dashes Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper
Pour over ice, stir and add a stalk of celery

Doesn’t that look yummy?

 

LOVE THIRTY by Jill Barry #contemporary #romance #giveaway

love thirty

Love Thirty

by

Jill Barry

love thirty

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: 15 February 2018

Publisher: Endeavour Media

Georgia Lyle is an ambitious journalist when she interviews hopeful British tennis player Nick Pereira. It’s game, set and match, and soon wedding bells chime. At first the couple try to balance their careers, but eventually Georgia quits her job to tour with her husband. When she finds it impossible to continue being a tennis wife, the two split, but remain in touch as Nick moves to Australia to coach and Georgia begins a new career as a lifestyle and food writer. Soon she’s jetting off to Paris to film a series with some very famous chefs, including Frenchman Jean Luc, who is quite smitten with her. But Yasmin, his right hand woman, has other ideas on that score. Everyone thinks Nick and Georgia regret giving up on their marriage. But how does Georgia learn to love reaching thirty and how do two stubborn people admit they were wrong and reunite?

With all the back and forth of a Wimbledon final, Love Thirty is a lively romance set among the gentle green of England and the quirky restaurants of France.

Extract

“Is there a window for romance in your hectic schedule?”

The ticking of the silver carriage clock on the mantelpiece sounded like a conductor tapping his baton on the music stand. Georgia forgot to breathe.

Nick relaxed against the cushions. “I’ve no particular wish to play mixed doubles.”  His eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Humour me. I want to connect with both female and male readers.” She released her most beguiling smile, determined to win the point.

A muscle twitched in his cheek. “The answer to your question is, not at the moment. Certainly not until I’m a top ten player.”

It was as if tiny fingers tapped their way down Georgia’s spine. His eyes told her his own comment had surprised him. Maybe it was the first time he’d confided his ambition. This made her heartbeat quicken though she realised there was no way Nick Pereira was media-savvy. By the end of this interview her squiggles would cover several pages and he probably prayed her article wouldn’t earn him too much flak from the guys in the locker room. He was a relatively minor British athlete, aiming to prove himself by actions not words.

Ignoring those amazing eyelashes and trying not to wonder what he was like with his shirt off, she challenged him with a drop shot. “How will you cope with the tabloids? They pounce on home grown players. Can you deal with that pressure-cooker situation as well as Andy Murray does?”

Nick hitched one long leg over the other and gazed up at the crystal chandelier. Georgia focused on the silky dark tuft at the open V of his shirt. Prayed the photos would prove finger-licking enough to make readers rush to buy the weekend paper.

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/2oZBLV3

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/2oZIyyd

From initial idea to finished book – The journey of Love Thirty

 

I fell in love with tennis when I first picked up a mini racquet at around age seven and I can probably bore for Britain on the subject! Writing and tennis are my two great pleasures, as recognised by my long-suffering loved ones.

I began writing short stories and graduated to novellas and novels some years before I decided to use the theme of tennis in one of my books, even though I knew Nick Pereira would be a nightmare hero to write. Athletes are totally driven, aren’t they? So how could I prevent a focussed career sportsman, trying to chase the British Number One player up the rankings, from being one-dimensional? Nick’s basically a nice guy and he falls deeply in love with Georgia. But that ambition thing is a hard one to tame. I needed to make Georgia a strong-willed woman, so much so that she would never tolerate taking a back seat throughout the whole of her husband’s playing career. She too, has to find her own way in the world.

I’d like to explain that the title Love Thirty is not totally inspired by that game played with racquets and balls. However, the sport has gained much more popular interest since national hero Sir Andy Murray won Wimbledon not just once but twice! Georgia, who starts listening to her biological clock ticking as she heads for her 30th birthday, has more than one object on her personal agenda. Nick, who doesn’t see things totally her way, needs to step back from the limelight although he does remain a positive background figure in the story.

I spent years living in Wiltshire and also knew more than one local journalist so I knew the background and a bit about my heroine’s career. Georgia needed a sidekick, someone to banter with, go for a beer with, and to moan to, primarily about Baz, the pair’s ever so slightly misogynist boss. Enter Andy, who tried to tell me he was secretly in love with Georgia, but would I listen? No. She was always destined to marry Nick Pereira.

Although my novel isn’t tennis obsessed, the reader samples the flavour as the story progresses. As an author who writes character-led fiction, I hope you’ll enjoy meeting Georgia and Nick’s families, friends and colleagues. I needed a device to trigger a new beginning for my heroine after she quits roaming round the world’s tennis hot spots and I found that means within a short story of mine that was published in 2002. So I blame an ancient cookbook for the startling life change Georgia experiences.

Food is a great leveller, and it’s often used in fiction in exciting ways. I’m thinking of the novel by Henry Fielding that inspired the movie Tom Jones (no, not Jones the Voice!) although my book doesn’t include such a provocative supper scene. But Georgia and her recipes steal the heart of the British public, and possibly the heart of a sexy French chef who she finds tempting and with whom she ends up working. This takes the action to Paris.

As part of Georgia’s journey, I take readers from a small Wiltshire town beside a canal, to Nick’s parents’ extravagant property and to Georgia’s folks’ cottage on a large estate that her father manages. After a perfect winter wedding, the brief honeymoon is spent in Edinburgh so keep your thermals at the ready. Of course you get a ticket to Wimbledon later in the story so you might need your sun hat. Nothing but the best for Jill Barry’s readers! That section was one of my favourites to write, especially as I’ve attended the championships and loved celebrity spotting as much as I enjoyed the matches.

The consequence of Georgia’s visit to London SW19 proves to be another huge life-changer. Afterwards, she spends a brief but eventful period in Paris – cue more colourful characters – and by the time the novel ends, I hope you’ll sit back and think, wow!

ABOUT JILL BARRY

LOVE THIRTY

Jill Barry enjoys drawing upon some of her favourite job and holiday experiences for her books. Her romantic novels and novellas have been published digitally and in paperback as well as large print and pocket novel format. Currently, she’s working on the first book of a trilogy highlighting the lives and loves of three women. She critiques for other romantic novelists and runs creative writing sessions for students at an online high school.

 Facebook:

              https://www.facebook.com/JillBarryBooks/

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/barry_jill 

Tweet Jill @barry_jill

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276803.Jill_Barry

Amazon Author Page:

        https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jill-Barry/e/B00FE0GQJ0

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NINJA SCHOOL MUM by Lizzie Chantree #chicklit #romance #giveaway

NINJA

Ninja School Mum

by

Lizzie Chantree

 

Ninja

Genre: Chick Lit/ Romance

Release Date: 30th January 2018

Publisher: Crooked Cat Books

Obsessive-compulsive school mum, Skye, is a lonely elite spy, who is running from her past whilst trying to protect the future of her child. She tries hard to fit in with the other parents at her son’s new school, but the only person who accepts her unconventional way of life is new mother, Thea.

Thea is feeling harassed by her sister and bored with her life, but she suspects that there is something strange about the new school mum, Skye. Thea has secrets of her own and, although the two become unlikely friends, she hesitates to tell Skye about the father of her own child.

Zack’s new business is growing faster than he could have dreamed but, suddenly, he finds himself the owner of a crumbling estate on the edge of a pretty village, and a single parent to a very demanding child. Could he make a go of things and give his daughter the life she deserved?

When three lives collide, it appears that only one of them is who they seem to be, and you never know who the person next to you in the school playground really is.

BUY LINK

viewBook.at/NinjaSchoolMum

EXTRACT

CHAPTER 1

Skye tapped her feet impatiently as she looked at the ominous grey clouds hovering above the playground and tried to rein in the anger she could feel blazing in her chest. She had learned the skill of outwardly controlling her emotions and appearing like she hadn’t a care in the world long ago, but if her son came out of school crying because a more boisterous kid had poured water on his head, or scribbled all over his carefully written work again, then she would struggle not to pick the culprit up by his leg and throw him into the neatly manicured flowerbeds that surrounded the glossy green windowsills of the school building.

She noticed the quiet red-haired woman who was sitting on a nearby bench, glancing longingly at the same group of school mums again. They were all huddled together like a rugby scrum, chatting busily about their day. Skye wondered why the redhead didn’t get up and join them if she wanted to be part of the group so badly, but she could tell from the woman’s body language that it was never going to happen. She obviously lacked the confidence or courage to break into such a tight-knit group of friends.

A movement to Skye’s left caught her eye and she noticed the woman with the mop of curly hair and inquisitive eyes watching her again. She was frowning in concentration before realising that she had been spotted and seamlessly blended back into the throng of people waiting for their children to appear.

Ninja

ABOUT LIZZIE CHANTREE

 

Ninja

Award-winning inventor and author, Lizzie Chantree, started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year in 2000. She discovered her love of writing fiction when her children were little and now runs networking hours on social media, where creative businesses, writers, photographers and designers can offer advice and support to each other. She lives with her family on the coast in Essex. Visit her website at www.lizziechantree.com or follow her on Twitter @Lizzie_Chantree https://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/lizzie.chantree.3

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomlizzie_chantree

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/lizzie_chantree/

Google+:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LizzieChantree

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizzie-chantree-03006425/

Blog: www.lizziechantree.com

Website: www.lizziechantree.com

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THE SINGLE GIRL’S CALENDAR by Erin Green #romcom #giveaway

The Single Girl’s Calendar

by

Erin Green

 

single girl's calendar

Genre: RomCom

Release Date: 1st January 2018

Publisher: Aria (Imprint of Head of Zeus)

A task a day to cure a broken heart.

Esmé Peel is approaching thirty with some trepidation, but hope in her heart. If she can just get her long-term boyfriend Andrew to propose, she will have ticked everything off her ‘things to do by the time you’re 30’ list. She didn’t reckon on finding another woman’s earring in her bed however, and soon she finds herself single, homeless and in need of a new plan. Her best friend Carys gives her the perfect present – The Single Girl’s Calendar – which has a different cure for heartbreak every day:

Day 1: Look and feel fabulous with a new hair style.

Day 2: Step out of your comfort zone and try something new.

Day 3: Reconnect with friends and enjoy!

Despite thinking it’s a bit of a gimmick, Esmé hasn’t got any better ideas, so she puts the plan into action. By the end of week one she has four new male housemates, and despite a broken heart she is determined to show Andrew she can do more than survive, she can thrive.

 

EXTRACT

Carys reached for Esmé’s hand and gently squeezed it.

‘So, what have you done all morning?’

‘Apart from visit cafes, I’ve walked around the city, stared in shop windows and had a meltdown when I found myself in the crime section at Waterstones…’ Esmé coughed as a wave of nausea lifted to her throat. ‘I felt fine until then. How many times has that store saved my skin with his birthday presents or stocking fillers? Not anymore. Those days are gone.’

‘In that case, I have just the thing,’ announced Carys, releasing Esmé’s hand before rummaging in the plastic bag beneath her chair. ‘Don’t laugh, but this actually helped me through the break-up with Myles.’

‘I thought I helped you get through that.’

Carys raised her head mid-rummage, her corkscrew curls bouncing as she disagreed.

‘Nope! You know nothing about break-ups, Esmé. Seriously, your relationship has been so long-term you haven’t a clue. But this…’ Carys lifted a pink boxed object onto the table top. ‘This might help.’

‘What the hell?’ said Esmé, staring at the advent calendar styled object with its tiny perforated doors.

‘It’s 100 per cent tack and it only cost a fiver but—’

‘Carys?’

‘Hear me out, Esmé… it’s worth a laugh if nothing else.’

‘Yeah, sure,’ said Esmé, lifting the calendar to read the blurb on the reverse.

Want a sassy new way to overcome a break-up? Or simply an opportunity to focus on your life? The Single Girl’s Calendar is made for you! Behind every door is a task that will help you focus on you, and you only! A whole month of pampering, mindfulness activities, caring and sharing ideas which in just four short weeks will have you feeling on top of the world! An insightful way to put a spring back into your step as a strong, independent woman!

‘Are you serious?’

Carys nodded.

BUY LINKS

Amazon UK – https://goo.gl/q6U8HC

Amazon US – https://goo.gl/GopkuL

ABOUT ERIN GREEN

single girl's calendar
Actor headshot photography

Erin was born and raised in Warwickshire, where she resides with her husband. An avid reader since childhood, her imagination was instinctively drawn to creative writing as she grew older. Erin has two Hons degrees: BA English literature and another BSc Psychology – her previous careers have ranged from part-time waitress, the retail industry, fitness industry and education. She has an obsession about time, owns several tortoises and an infectious laugh!

Erin’s writes contemporary novels focusing on love, life and laughter. Erin is an active member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and was delighted to be awarded The Katie Fforde Bursary in 2017. An ideal day for Erin involves writing, people watching and drinking copious amounts of tea.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pg/ErinGreenAuthor/

Twitter: @ErinGreenAuthor

Goodreads Author Page:

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FOREST DANCER by Susan Roebuck #romantic #suspense #giveaway

Forest

Forest Dancer

by

Susan Roebuck

ForestGenre: Romance Suspense

Release Date: 20th February 2018

Publisher: Crooked Cat Books

It’s a long way to go to create a new life for yourself.

Classical ballerina, Flora Gatehouse, has no choice but to take a risk. Having failed an important ballet audition in London, she moves to a small cottage in a forest just outside Lisbon, Portugal, her only inheritance following her father’s death.

Soon, Flora is involved in village life, where fate takes a new twist when she becomes attracted to forest ranger, Marco. But they are off to a shaky start.

Can Flora find acceptance in a foreign land, in a magical place that harbours secrets and heartache?

EXTRACT

Two saplings had fallen, perhaps in a recent storm, and one had caught between two larger trees creating a perfect barre at exactly the right height. How could she resist? Especially as she hadn’t worked out for several days and her muscles would already be weakening.

A blackbird screeched a warning (reminding her of the Ballet Master) as she began to warm up her neck, shoulders and arms before moving in to pliés, ensuring that her back remained straight.

The forest was alive, a living being. The light leaking through the upper foliage was golden, an autumnal glow that was filled with dancing seeds, gossamer webs and tiny flies. It brought to mind the music the taxi driver had played on their way to Aurora. The melody of The Moody Blues’ Forever Autumn once again filled her mind, and again she imagined herself dancing in a floaty fine tunic amid falling leaves of all shades and hues of autumn. She worked through the routine of tendus and degagés as the music played in her head. She slowed into a final deep stretch, touching her toes. How good it felt to exercise her muscles again.

As she straightened, ready to try the routine again, her attention was caught by a movement, and she was in time to see a figure in the trees slide into the shadows.

“Marco?” she said, her voice low.

He came into the clearing and gave her a small nod.

“Were you watching me?”

He looked away. “Maybe.”

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Forest

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Susan Roebuck was born and bred in the soft south of the UK but was exported to Portugal after meeting her husband in London. She now lives overlooking the mighty Tagus River which is a wonderful source of inspiration.

She loves being in her adopted country and believes that Portugal has a huge heart, which the world should know more about. Portugal also doesn’t appear in many English-language novels and Susan hopes that, now, that will change.

“Forest Dancer” is her fourth novel but it is her second one set in Portugal (in the forests near Lisbon).

“Rising Tide” was her first book (third one published) set in Portugal, in a tiny fishing village on the beautiful, rugged Alentejo coast. One of the themes of this book is man against the sea.

They are both contemporary romance/suspense stories.

Her first novel was “Perfect Score”, set in 1960s USA and is a LGBT romance/suspense covering many social issues of the time – including having to cope with dyslexia.

“Hewhay Hall” is a dark fantasy which won the EPIC (Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition) Award in 2013 in their horror category.

Do pop over to any of her social media sites and say hello. Susan loves to hear from readers.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanRoebuckauthor

Twitter: : https://twitter.com/sueroebuck

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4391216.Susan_Roebuck

Blog and Website: http://www.susanroebuck.com

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2nd Prize: An ecopy of the book (2 prize winners outside UK/Europe)

3rd Prize: A £10 Amazon gift token (open internationally)

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