Tag Archives: authors

#review, book review, Janey Travis, Novels, romantic comedy, Thornhill Print

#review ~ I NEED A DOCTOR by Janey Travis #giveaway

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#review

I Need a Doctor

by

Janey Travis

#review

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Date: 15th July 2016

Publisher: Thornhill Print

Beauty and fame… a blessing or a curse?

Story synopsis: Loveless fashion model Nola Nichols thinks being beautiful is a curse; that is until she is cursed and her looks begin to fade just a week before the most important photo shoot of her career. In her attempts to get un-cursed, she finds herself taking part in a rather unconventional funeral, reveals one or two unrests in her own past, and falls madly in love with a doctor. Erm… that would be a witch doctor, right…?

#review

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

KOBO

iBOOKS

SMASHWORDS

What the Readers say:

“Just the right sprinkling of romance and humour.” Brook Cottage Books

“A very enjoyable and clever plot. Different, fresh and enjoyable.” Jenny in Neverland

“I couldn’t help but like Nola even though at times she is a proper diva.” Comet Babe’s Books

“I love all the quirky characters in the story and just the pure madness and fun of it all!” Books4U

“A nice balance of humour, sweet romance, morals and a spooky side!” The Little Reader Library

“A Five Star Read – I really enjoyed the light-hearted tone.”  Love Reading Love Books

Doctor Word Cloud bw Jpeg

REVIEW

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I had read this book before when it was three separate novellas written under the author’s own name, Janice Horton. Now it’s back and bigger than better than before with the new title, I Need a Doctor, and her nom de plume, Janey Travis.

I Need a Doctor is a great read with larger than life characters. Even though Nola, whose real name is Nora, is selfish you can’t help but sympathize with her. After all, she believes a voodoo spell has been cast on her.

In an effort to have the spell removed, he takes part in a strange funeral ceremony with the son of the woman, Louis, who allegedly cast the spell on her.

Hilarity ensues when the rest of Louis’s voodoo practising family gets involved.

Voodoo spells, mayhem and mystery are all skilfully woven into the plot which keeps you turning the pages.

5 stars

I loved it!

ABOUT JANEY TRAVIS

JANEY TRAVIS

Janey Travis is currently travelling around the world chasing the sun while blogging, tweeting, writing fun-to-read novels and travel magazine features. Look out for her new light-hearted romantic comedy novel I Need a Doctor. You can catch up with her on Twitter: @janey_travis on Facebook: janeytravisbooks.

Janey also writes bestselling romantic adventure fiction as Janice Horton. Find out more at www.janicehorton.co.uk

Author Links:

Janey Travis on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/janeytravisbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janey_travis

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30623638-i-need-a-doctor

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Author Interview, Authors, Chris Longmuir, crime writer, Crime/Mystery, Devil's Porridge, Novels

DEVIL’S PORRIDGE by Chris Longmuir #authorinterview

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devil's porridgeWelcome back to Celtic Connexions, Chris. I see you’ve brought your latest novel with you. Can you tell us about Devil’s Porridge?

Devil’s Porridge has been on my radar to write since 2008, but I kept putting it off, mainly because other things got in the way, like winning the Dundee International Book Prize in 2009 which meant I had to concentrate on my contemporary crime novels, namely the Dundee Crime Series. So, Devil’s Porridge had to take a back seat for several years. But it’s always been niggling away at the back of my mind, demanding to be written. We authors are slaves to our books and characters.

The book is a historical murder mystery set in Britain, during the First World War. I have mixed real events as well as fictional ones into the story. For example, I start off in East London with the massive munitions factory explosion which almost obliterated Silvertown. How could I resist an event like that, it made a great start to the story. The secret service plotline features Captain Vernon Kell and William Melville who actually did exist and were part of MI5, and the visit to Gretna by King George and Queen Mary did take place on 18 May 1917, although my assassination attempt is purely fictional.

I suppose you could describe Devil’s Porridge as a murder mystery with bits of sabotage, spying and an assassination attempt thrown into the mix. I must warn you there are quite a lot of characters in Devil’s Porridge, and varying subplots. I should also say I write in a multi-viewpoint style in a modern fashion rather than a historic one. So you won’t have to cope with any outdated language. And, for those readers who like to delve into the history behind the book, I’ve included a historical endnote.

Did this book require you making a trip to visit the locations used in your book or were you able to get everything you needed online?

This book needed a lot of research. I stumbled across information about Gretna and the munitions factories when I was researching the origins of women police. Did you know that the Ministry of Munitions (a UK government department) contracted with the Women’s Police Service to supply women police to patrol and work at Britain’s munitions factories? So, my initial research originated in Joan Lock’s excellent history of the origins of women police ‘The British Policewoman’. After reading that I sought out other books, and did a lot of online research, both about women police and munitions factories.

I also visited Gretna and Eastriggs where the main action takes place. Unfortunately I couldn’t access the ground the munitions factory occupied because it is owned by the MOD (Ministry of Defence) and no one is allowed access. Goodness only knows what they do there! However, they have a fabulous museum in Eastriggs, also called Devil’s Porridge, and the secretary allowed me to access the archives.

I also had to do research on the Belgian situation during the First World War, because Kirsty teams up with Beatrice, a Belgian refugee. And because I have Irish revolutionaries working as navvies at Gretna, I had to research the Irish situation and the Easter Rising of 1916. I also delved into how German spies operated at this time, and the handlers of my German spy were real people based in Antwerp. I could go on and on, the research was a massive task.

This book is set, two years (I believe) before The Death Game so Kirsty has yet to arrive in Dundee.  Is she a member of the Women’s Police Service in Devil’s Porridge?

Yes, Kirsty joined the Women’s Police service when it was formed in 1914. Did you know that the women police were initially voluntary organisations formed by suffragette societies when they gave up their militant activities at the start of the war? There were actually two different sets of women police at this time. The Women’s Police Service, and the less militant Women’s Patrols. Kirsty was in the Women’s Police Service which was contracted to police the Gretna munitions factory. The agreement was signed in October 1916, and at its peak there were 167 policewomen serving at Gretna. I have included details of the different organisations in my historical endnote.

The title is unusual. How did you decide on Devil’s Porridge? Is there a meaning behind it?

Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, visited the Gretna munitions factory in 1916 and wrote an article based on this visit, which was published in the Annandale Observer. You have to understand that Gretna Munitions Factory was a vast place. Nine miles long and two miles wide, and they built two new towns, Gretna and Eastriggs, to service it. At the Eastriggs end the munitionettes mixed guncotton and nitroglycerine together, with their bare hands, into a paste needed for the manufacture of cordite which was the propellant used in bombs. The paste the munitionettes kneaded in lead drums was likened to a porridge consistency, and it was this that Conan Doyle named Devil’s Porridge. Here is what he said “Those smiling khaki-clad girls who are swirling the stuff round in their hands would be blown to atoms in an instant if certain very small changes occurred. The changes will not occur, and the girls still smile and stir their ‘devil’s porridge’, but it is a narrow margin between life and death.” The name caught my eye and I thought it would make a great book title. As I said before there is also a museum with this title so they must have had the same thought I did. If you are ever in the Gretna area you really must visit this museum, it’s something special. Here is the online link for it http://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/

Do you prefer writing Historical Crime as opposed to your Dundee Crime Series?

I really don’t have a preference. I like writing both contemporary and historical, it’s the crime and the mystery I find intriguing. I’ve read a lot of crime fiction over my lifetime. I like the darkness of Scandinavian crime fiction, and I find the American and Canadian style of writing has more action and suspense than a lot of traditional British crime fiction which seems to be more cerebral. But on the other hand, I like the puzzle element of British books – Agatha Christie was superb at this style of writing. So, I think my crime fiction is a cross between the crime thriller, mixed in with the puzzle element. It seems to work, and readers seem to like it.

What’s next for Kirsty Campbell? Are you working on another novel featuring her?

I’m tossing up at the moment as to whether to write a Kirsty Campbell book next, or a DI Bill Murphy one. I have readers clamouring for both. But, be assured, both Kirsty and DI Bill Murphy will be back.

If you, or any of your readers are tempted by Devil’s Porridge, there is a description of the book on my website, plus a link to read the first chapter.

Thank you for having me, Melanie. It’s nice to visit Canada again, even though a virtual visit doesn’t let me explore your lovely town. I have fond memories of my last visit when I did the Thousand Islands boat tour, as well as the creepy witch walk in the evening.

Check out Devil’s Porridge on Chris Longmuir’s website

And while you’re at it have a look at Chris Longmuir’s blog

 

Ailsa Abraham, Alchemy, Book Promo, Crooked Cat

ALCHEMY by Ailsa Abraham #excerpt #giveaway

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alchemy

ALCHEMY

by

Ailsa Abraham

 

alchemy

Genre: Magical Realism / Religion

Book 1 of the Alchemy series

Release Date:  27th January 2014

Publisher: Crooked Cat Publishers

A world without war?

Professor Sawhele Fielding stumbles across an invention that would change the world; something so monumental, it could spell the end of environmental disaster and conflict. With the help of her father, a shadowy figure in the world of international banking, she begins to set into motion the biggest upheaval the planet has seen.

But in a changed world, dark forces are threatening the fragile peace. Where modern technology is proving useless, old magic from a bygone era might just save the day. Adrian Oliver, expert in ancient religions is skeptical until faced with incontrovertible proof that ancient evil is abroad once again.

How could a Utopian dream of free fuel and peaceful co-existence turn into a nightmare?

Iamo, a priest of the Mother Goddess and Riga, a Black Shaman assassin captain, are thrown together – reluctantly at first – to face a threat that nobody could have imagined before “The Changes”.

ALCHEMY is the prequel to Shaman’s Drum which features the adventures of Iamo and Riga through their world in the near future, where the established religions of our own days had been banned.

 

EXTRACT

Daniel stood beside me, pointing out the “Who’s Who” of this august gathering.

“The guys in leather are the Odinists, old Norse religion. Obviously, the chap with the sickle is

the Chief Druid, yes, that is a fox-head he’s wearing as a headdress. Now, that one there, the

shaven-headed one in a kilt-type thing. He’s the High Priest of the Egyptians. I think they have a few sub-divisions but… oh yes, here comes the High Priestess of Isis, she’s his female counterpart.”

By this time my jaw was dropping. The lady in the wig, smothered in jewellery was like

something straight out of a Cleopatra movie and eye-wateringly gorgeous. Daniel nudged me again and I thought for a moment that a Christian monk in traditional brown robes had sneaked in.

“That tall woman in white. That is Lady Solus, she will probably try to take over. She’s a bit of a tartar and that young man with her is her assistant. Bright chap by all accounts. Oops! Looks like

one of the Dianics is going to make a fuss.” I had no idea what one of those was but just made sure the camera was running, kept my mouth shut and watched. A woman with a shaven-head and a bow slung across her back stood up and pointed at the painfully thin monk-like youngster.

“Abomination!” she hissed. “He leaves!”

The priestess indicated to me as Lady Solus turned very slowly and gave her a glare that would

have frozen water in two seconds.

“He stays. I do not argue with stray cats.”

The young man in question had said nothing, remaining two paces behind his boss. I caught his eye and thought there was something vaguely familiar about him. Although his face remained impassive, a pair of bright blue eyes fixed me and very slowly one eyelid dropped in an almost imperceptible wink. I was too busy to think about it then but I would have to remember where I had seen him before.

Buy Links

Amazon International http://bit.ly/1Z4HCUb

Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alchemy-ailsa-abraham/1118067058?ean=9781909841505

STOP PRESS!!!

GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY AT THE SPECIAL REDUCED PRICE. BUT BE QUICK! OFFER ENDS SOON!

ABOUT AILSA ABRAHAM

alchemy

Ailsa Abraham writes under two names and is the author of six novels. Alchemy is the prequel to Shaman’s Drum, published by Crooked Cat in January 2014. Both are best-sellers in their genres on Amazon.

She has lived in France since 1990, enjoys knitting and crochet and until recently was the oldest Hell’s Angel in town. Her interests include campaigning for animal rights, experimenting with different genres of writing and trips back to the UK to visit friends and family. She runs an orphanage for homeless teddy bears and contributes a lot of work to Knit for Africa. She is also addicted to dressing up, saying that she is old enough to know better but too wise to care.

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ailsaabraham

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6880582.Ailsa_Abraham

Google+: https://plus.google.com/109695184517866287421/posts

Website: https://ailsaabraham.com

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Author Interview, Bethan Darwin, book blitz, Book Promo, fiction, Honno Press, Novels

THICKER THAN WATER by Bethan Darwin #interview #giveaway

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thicker than water

Thicker Than Water

by

Bethan Darwin

 

THICKER THAN WATER COVER

Genre: Fiction

Release Date: 18 August 2016

Publisher: Honno Press

Some secrets take their time to travel home

Gareth Maddox has his own successful Cardiff Bay law firm, a clever and talented wife and four perfectly imperfect children. Then along comes Cassandra Taylor, managing director of a Canadian shirt company wanting to set up a major manufacturing plant in the Welsh valley Gareth hails from. It seems like the kind of work he will excel at and an ideal way to see the valley pull back from joblessness and despair.

Back at the end of the Great War, in the wake of a community splitting strike, Gareth’s Great-Great-Uncle Idris sailed off to Canada in search of his fortune and a new way of life. Behind him Idris left his twin Tommy and Maggie, Tommy’s wife, who shared her childhood and much else besides with both brothers.

Decades later, Maggie’s secret life is revealed – and for Gareth nothing may ever be quite as it was before Perfect Ltd came to Wales.

BUY LINKS

http://www.honno.co.uk/dangos.php?ISBN=9781909983465

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thicker-Than-Water-Bethan-Darwin/dp/1909983462/

https://www.amazon.com/Thicker-Than-Water-Bethan-Darwin/dp/1909983462/

https://wordery.com/thicker-than-water-bethan-darwin-9781909983465

**********

Welcome to Celtic Connexions, Bethan. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a lawyer based in Cardiff, specialising in employment and corporate law, a proud Mum of two and a happy wife which is just as well as my husband is also a lawyer and we work together.  I run a women’s networking group called Superwoman which also raises money for charities at its events, I write a bi-weekly column on law for Wales’ national newspaper The Western Mail and regularly review the papers for a variety of BBC Radio Wales programmes.

I was born in Toronto but from the age of 5 I grew up in Clydach Vale in the Rhondda Valleys, where my mother also grew up.   My parents didn’t speak Welsh themselves (my Dad is a proud Lancastrian) but they sent me and my three siblings to Welsh medium schools and I am fiercely proud of being a fluent Welsh speaker.  My children also attend Welsh medium schools.

My favourite way to relax is for the four of us to walk our two dogs on the beach at Barry Island.  I am a better version of myself when I am by the sea.

How old were you when your family moved from Canada to Wales? Did one or both of your parents have Welsh roots?

My parents were the first in their respective families to go to University, attending the LSE.  My Dad is from Wigan and my Mum from the Rhondda.  They met at LSE and married in 1961.  They and a number of their friends from university made a move to Toronto, Canada after graduation.   My father also had an uncle living in Oshawa and they visited there a lot.  They stayed a number of years and had me and my brother there.  My Mum got homesick and wanted to move back home to be closer to her family.  I was five when we moved back to Wales.

How long have you been writing?

I always said I was going to write a book some day but it wasn’t until around 12 years ago that I realised that if I didn’t sit down and actually start writing I was never going to do it.   So I did!

Have you written and published any other books? If so, what are they?

My first novel, Back Home was published by Honno in 2009 and my second, Two Times Twenty, was published in 2010.  It has taken a while for me to write Thicker than Water as my day job has been very busy in recent years.  This one features the Rhondda, lawyers and Toronto.    There are always lawyers somewhere in my books!

I see from the back cover blurb, you have a Canadian going to Wales to start a business. Is this based on your own family history?

No, it’s just a story.  But if any Canadians would like to start businesses in Wales that would be great.  I know a good lawyer!

Are you a plotter or a panster?

I had to google what that meant!  A panster.   I start off with an initial idea and make it up as I go along.  Like all writers, I keep a notebook and write down things I see or hear in real life, especially funny things people say, and sometimes I write entire scenes around one funny sentence.   Being a panster does mean a lot of re writing when the story goes in a different direction than you had been writing.  Perhaps I should convert to being a plotter.

When you write, do you like to listen to music or do you prefer complete silence?

I don’t listen to music, no, but there is rarely complete silence when I write.   We have a busy house with children coming and going and two dogs and I often write in short bursts of time throughout the day in between legal work.  I am pretty good at blocking out external noise when I am concentrating on something, though, which my family find a little annoying.

**********

ABOUT BETHAN DARWIN

thicker than water

Toronto born but Rhondda raised, Bethan studied law at King’s College London and was a partner in a law firm in the City of London for some years before homesickness got the better of her and she returned to Wales.

Bethan is now a solicitor and partner at a Cardiff law firm. She also runs women’s networking group Superwoman, writes a bi-weekly column for the Western Mail and is a regular contributor on BBC Wales.  She and her husband have two children. It’s a struggle finding time to write fiction but she squeezes it in instead of doing housework or going to the gym.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BethanDarwin

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Choc Lit, Historical Fiction, historical romance, Liz Harris, Novels

THE LOST GIRL by Liz Harris

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Liz Harris

The Lost Girl

by

Liz Harris

 

Liz Harris

What if you were trapped between two cultures?

Life is tough in 1870s Wyoming. But it’s tougher still when you’re a girl who looks Chinese but speaks like an American.

Orphaned as a baby and taken in by an American family, Charity Walker knows this only too well.  The mounting tensions between the new Chinese immigrants and the locals in the mining town of Carter see her shunned by both communities.

When Charity’s one friend, Joe, leaves town, she finds herself isolated. However, in his absence, a new friendship with the only other Chinese girl in Carter makes her feel like she finally belongs somewhere.

But, for a lost girl like Charity, finding a place to call home was never going to be that easy …

Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction

Heart of the West: Book 3

Release Date: 8th August 2016

Publisher:   Choc Lit

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

 ABOUT LIZ HARRIS

Liz Harris

Liz Harris lives south of Oxford. Her debut novel was THE ROAD BACK (US Coffee Time & Romance Book of 2012), followed by A BARGAIN STRUCK (shortlisted for the RoNA Historical 2013), EVIE UNDERCOVER, THE ART OF DECEPTION and A WESTERN HEART. All of her novels, which are published by Choc Lit, have been shortlisted in their categories in the Festival of Romantic Fiction. In addition, Liz has had several short stories published in anthologies. Her interests are theatre, travelling, reading, cinema and cryptic crosswords.

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Authors, Book Promo, contemporary romance, Ellie Gray, Novels, Tirgearr Publishing

LOVE ON THE NILE by Ellie Gray #review #excerpt #giveaway

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Ellie Gray

Love on the Nile

by

Ellie Gray

 

Ellie Gray

Contemporary Romance

Release Date:

15th June 2016

Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing

Natasha embarks upon the holiday of a lifetime with her brother, looking forward to exploring the ancient sites Egypt has to offer. What she hasn’t bargained for is spending her holiday cruising along the Nile with Kyle Richardson, a handsome but moody archaeologist. Despite taking an instant dislike to Kyle, Natasha finds herself increasingly drawn to the man, particularly as his interactions with her brother reveal a gentler, more caring side to his character.

Having lost everyone he has ever loved, Kyle is a loner, believing himself to be cursed. He now spends his life moving around Egypt, ensuring he never lingers anywhere long enough to form meaningful attachments. Despite his better judgement, he finds himself drawn to this feisty young woman, but is afraid of the deeper feelings she stirs in him.

Can his feelings for Natasha convince him that it’s worth taking a risk on love?

Excerpt

“Natasha, darling!” The rather stout woman levered herself from the chair and swiftly crossed the room to throw her arms around her niece.

Breathing in the familiar perfume and leaning into the protective embrace of her aunt, Natasha’s irritation dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, and she closed her eyes against the sudden and unexpected tears of relief at having finally arrived at their destination. “Oh, Aunt Lucy, it’s so good to see you.” Her voice was muffled against Lucy’s shoulder and she took a deep breath before stepping back and smiling. “It’s been so long. I can’t believe we’re actually here at last.”

“It’s wonderful to see you, Natasha. I’ve missed you both so much.” Lucy lifted a hand to cup her niece’s face before turning to Nicky, hands on her ample hips as she scrutinised him critically.

“Oh, you always were like two peas in a pod. And, Nicky, you have grown into a very handsome young man. You have no idea how happy I am that you came.”

“Hello, Aunty Lucy, how are you?” Nicky briefly returned his aunt’s embrace before securing the baseball cap a little tighter on his head and asking the question foremost in his mind. “Can I have something to eat?”

Lucy shook her head with a smile and glanced at the man, who had so far remained silent throughout. “Kyle, this is my nephew Nicky, and my niece Natasha. I’m pleased to see that at least one thing never changes, and that is Nicky’s appetite.”

She caught Nicky’s arm and led him off to the far side of the room. “Come on, I’ve got some of your favourite biscuits over here in this cupboard.”

Natasha could see Kyle watching her younger brother, his eyes narrowed, and she felt the familiar churning in the pit of her stomach, trying to anticipate at what point he would realise Nicky had learning difficulties. Automatically, she tried to deflect that scrutiny, moving further into the room and feeling a sense of relief as Kyle’s gaze immediately swung towards her.

“Natasha Morgan,” she introduced herself, and held out her hand.

“So I gather.” His face was unsmiling and Natasha was uncomfortably aware of her earlier, rather waspish response to what was probably quite a reasonable conversation he had been having with her aunt. He pushed himself out of the chair to tower above her, his hair shining blue-black in the pale moonlight which streamed through the open window. Tall as she was, Natasha had to tilt her head back to meet his startlingly blue eyes. He was younger than she had initially thought, probably in his mid-thirties — just a few years older than herself.

There was a pause before he replied. “Kyle Richardson.”

He took her hand briefly, offering a firm cool handshake, before returning to his chair, long legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles.

“I’m sorry you overheard our conversation; I had no idea you were there.”

His voice was deep and husky, and his gaze once again followed her movements as she sank into the seat Lucy had recently vacated.

She nodded and spread her hands expressively, shrugging her slim shoulders. “I’m sorry if I sounded… irritated. It’s been a really long day and I hadn’t expected Aunt Lucy to arrange a personal guide for us. Please, it’s not a problem, we don’t want… we don’t need a guide, and I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.”

Kyle’s mouth twitched as if in amusement at the inadvertent slip of the tongue, but whatever he was about to say was lost as Lucy and Nicky returned, the latter clutching a packet of chocolate-covered biscuits.

“Oh, you’ve introduced yourselves. Excellent.” Lucy beamed at them, clapping her hands together. “I’m sure we’re all going to have a wonderful time together.”

“I was just explaining that Nicky and I are quite happy to find our own way around Egypt,” Natasha cut in quickly. “There is no need for Mr. Richardson to trouble himself.”

“Nonsense,” cried Lucy, fixing Kyle with a rather piercing gaze. “I’m not letting you wriggle out of this one, Kyle. You owe me rather a lot of favours and I am now calling one of them in. Heavens, man, I haven’t seen you in close to two years, and I happen to know for a fact that you haven’t taken a break for longer than that. It’s high time you did.”

Natasha observed this outburst with some surprise, having hardly ever heard her aunt speak so sharply. She risked a glance towards Kyle and saw that he was still reclined in his chair, arms folded over his chest, and a somewhat amused gleam in his blue eyes. He remained silent, obviously expecting Lucy to continue her reprimand.

BUY LINKS

Kindle UK   Kindle US 

 Smashwords   Kobo 

 Nook (Barnes and Noble)

 My Review

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book by Ellie Gray that I’ve read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In the beginning, Kyle feels like he’s lumbered with being an ‘unofficial’ tour guide and Natasha is resentful to have one. She’s researched her trip of a lifetime and feels she can do it herself.

It doesn’t take long before she’s grateful to have the moody archaeologist there showing her and her younger brother, Nicky, the sites and taking her places that aren’t accessible to most tourists.

Ellie’s descriptions of the ancient sites and the climate made me feel like I was there along with Natasha, Nicky and Kyle.

Definitely a 5 star read!

ABOUT ELLIE GRAY

Ellie Gray

 

Ellie is a contemporary romance author and lives in the beautiful East Riding of Yorkshire with her partner, David, and two children, Joe and Abbie.

Love on the Nile will be her second novel published with the lovely Tirgearr Publishing – her debut novel, Beauty and the Recluse was released in February 2016.

A proud member of the Romantic Novelist Association, Ellie currently works full-time in public services and is studying for an MSc in Public Management, although she hopes one day to be able to write full time.
A few random pieces of information about Ellie:
• Favourite TV shows – The Walking Dead, The X-Files, Nashville, Dr. Who, The Great British Bake-off!
• Favourite Music – I’m an 80’s girl!, country, sixties, Elvis, classical (when I’m writing)
• Favourite Food – Indian, tapas, crisps, cheese
• Favourite Drink – black coffee – copious amounts when I’m writing, Sauvignon blanc when I’m not.

Facebook:  Ellie Gray Author

Twitter:  @elliegray58

Goodreads:  Ellie Gray Author on Goodreads

Instagram:  Ellie Gray Author on Instagram

Google+  Ellie Gray Author on Google Plus

LinkedIn:  Ellie Gray Author on LinkedIn

websites:  https://elliegrayauthor.wordpress.com

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Book Promo, contemporary fiction, Kate Frost, Lemon Tree Press, Novels

BENEATH THE APPLE BLOSSOM by Kate Frost #guestpost #giveaway

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kate frost

 

Beneath the Apple Blossom

by

Kate Frost

 

Kate Frost

Genre: Contemporary women’s fiction

Release Date: 04/08/16

Publisher: Lemon Tree Press

Four women, linked by blood ties, friendship, betrayal, loss and hope, struggle with the choices they’ve made and the hand that life’s dealt them.

All Pippa’s ever wanted is marriage and kids, but at thirty-four and about to embark on IVF, her dream of having a family is far from certain. Her younger sister Georgie has the opposite problem, juggling her career, her lover, a young daughter and a husband who wants baby number two.

Pippa’s best friend Sienna has a successful career in the film world, and despite her boyfriend pressurising her to settle down, a baby is the last thing she wants. Happily married Connie shares the trauma of fertility treatment with Pippa, but underestimates the impact being unable to conceive will have on her and her marriage.

As their lives collide in a way they could never have predicted, will any of them get to see their hopes realised?

EXTRACT

Connie stopped and looked around. She had wandered a little way off the path and was in a small grassy clearing surrounded by trees heavy with spring leaves and blossom. Not in the mood for making small talk with a stranger, she chose a spot in semi-shade out of sight of the path, leant back against the slender tree trunk and closed her eyes. A slight breeze caressed her face and every so often she got the wonderful sensation of sunlight on her. She took a deep breath and drank in the scent of damp grass and spring flowers – fresh, sweet and alive – then opened her eyes to the canopy of white against the blue sky. The apple tree was bursting with blossom like masses of white teardrops.

She had everything to live for even if it didn’t feel like it right now. Life was a journey, and the best journeys were the ones that couldn’t be predicted before setting off, or that weren’t an easy ride to reach the destination. Right then, on    a perfect spring day beneath the apple blossom, she made a pact with herself to keep loving life whatever was thrown at her. She may have suffered yet more disappointment but she could still see beauty in the world and feel at peace.

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Top Tips to Get a Book Publication-Ready

There’s no definitive way to become a bestselling or successful author, whether traditionally or indie published, but there are sure-fire ways to give yourself the best chance. I self-published my first book, The Butterfly Storm, in the summer of 2013 on Kindle only. Three years later, after learning a huge amount through trial and error, reading plenty, becoming a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) and becoming friends with lots of other writers, I’ve just published my second women’s fiction novel, Beneath the Apple Blossom, as an ebook and in paperback.

Whether you measure publishing success by the number of books sold, the amount of (good) reviews an author has or if it’s been a bestseller on Amazon, here are my top tips to ensure a book is as good as it can be before making it available to the world.

  1. Edit, edit, edit. This includes self-editing numerous times (and I suggest leaving your novel for as long as you can bear so you can read through it with a fresh pair of eyes), getting beta readers to give you feedback before hiring an editor and then a proof reader. Despite Beneath the Apple Blossom going through all of that I still managed to find a spelling error when proofing the paperback. Reading your novel in different formats can help, as well as reading it out loud.
  2. Believe in yourself. Most writers doubt themselves – it comes with the territory with every rejection or bad review knocking confidence. But alongside every rejection letter or one star review there will be praise and a glowing endorsement from someone who loved your book. I keep a hardback notebook where I write snippets from reviews or small extracts I’m particularly proud of from my stories and novels that I can look at on those days when doubt creeps in. Connecting with other writers via Twitter, Facebook or indeed in real life is also invaluable to share the ups and downs of a writing life.
  3. Invest in your book. This is a biggie but also the one that feels the riskiest, investing money on editing, proof reading, cover design, plus ebook and/or paperback formatting if you need to, can feel like a gamble but is worth it to end up with a professional novel you can be proud of. Of course there are no guarantees – I’d more than made my money back on what I’d invested in The Butterfly Storm three months after it was published and so I’ve reinvested some of that money in Beneath the Apple Blossom in the hope of having the same kind of success.
  4. Don’t underestimate the time it takes to publish a book. I know there are lots of authors who manage to get a book written and published in a matter of months (if not weeks). I’m not one of them. I hope to get quicker, both at the writing and publication stage, and I think that will come with practise and the more I publish. Editing, lining up reviewers, launching, marketing, all the while trying to write the next book takes time, particularly if you want to do it well. Giving yourself a deadline and having a detailed publication plan is an invaluable way of getting things done.
  5. Have a marketing plan. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? With my debut novel I organised a mini blog tour, put some posts up on Facebook and Twitter on launch day but that was about it. No surprise then that apart from launch day where I sold a fair few copies (to friends and family), The Butterfly Storm speedily headed back down Amazon’s Kindle chart. That was until I did a five-day free promotion two months later where 20,000 books were downloaded and the knock-on effect resulted in approximately 3,000 copies being sold in just three weeks. I have no idea how Beneath the Apple Blossom will do, but I do have a proper marketing plan in place this time with reviewers lined up weeks before publication day, a blog tour and a Facebook party organised, plus ideas for social media and local press. My marketing plan goes beyond launch day and I’m thinking ahead and planning what to do in the coming weeks and months to hopefully keep the momentum going.

My debut novel did well. It got to number one during a five day free book promotion, became a bestseller in literary fiction and women’s literary fiction Kindle categories and featured on Amazon’s Movers and Shakers chart more than once. Hopefully I’ll be able to build on that success with Beneath the Apple Blossom. Time will tell but I’m confident I’ve given it the best chance possible.

ABOUT KATE FROST

Kate Frost

Kate Frost is a writer and author with a MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University where she has also taught the lifewriting course to Creative Writing undergraduates. Alongside writing articles and short stories for magazines such as New Welsh Review, The London Magazine and QWF, Kate has worked in a bookshop, a cinema, as ground staff at Edgebaston Tennis Tournament and as a Supporting Artist in the films Vanity Fair, King Arthur and The Duchess.

Kate’s debut novel, The Butterfly Storm, was published in 2013 and featured on Amazon’s Movers and Shakers chart. Beneath the Apple Blossom is the first book in a series and Kate also plans to release the first in a time travel adventure trilogy for children by the end of 2016.

Kate lives in Bristol with her husband, her young son and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and fits in writing and publishing books around looking after – and being amused by – an energetic toddler.

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kactus77

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7131734.Kate_Frost

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

Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/104783514144778238847/about/p/pub

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-frost-29976041?trk=hp-identity-name

Blog: http://kate-frost.co.uk/index.php/blog/

Website: http://kate-frost.co.uk/

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Authors, Blog Tour, Book Promo, Choc Lit, contemporary romance, Kathryn Freeman, Novels

BEFORE YOU by Kathryn Freeman #giveaway

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Kathryn Freeman

Before You

by

Kathryn Freeman

 

Kathryn Freeman

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Release Date: 7th June 2016

Publisher:  Choc Lit

When life in the fast lane threatens to implode …

Melanie Hunt’s job working for the Delta racing team means she is constantly rubbing shoulders with Formula One superstars in glamorous locations like Monte Carlo. But she has already learned that keeping a professional distance is crucial if she doesn’t want to get hurt.

New Delta team driver Aiden Foster lives his life like he drives his cars – fast and hard. But, no matter how successful he is, it seems he always falls short of his championship-winning father’s legacy. If he could just stay focused, he could finally make that win.

Resolve begins to slip as Melanie and Aiden find themselves drawn to each other –with nowhere to hide as racing season begins. But when a troubled young boy goes missing, everything is thrown into turmoil, including Aiden’s championship dream.

BUY LINKS

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ABOUT KATHRYN FREEMAN

Kathryn Freeman

I was born in Wallingford but have spent most of my life living in a village outside Windsor. A former pharmacist, I’m now a medical writer who also loves to write romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero…

I’ve two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to bother buying a card again this year (yes, he does) so the romance in my life is all in my head. Then again, my husband’s unstinting support of my career change goes to prove that love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes can come in many disguises.

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

Twitter: @kathrynfreeman1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7373990.Kathryn_Freeman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-freeman-2962209

Website: http://kathrynfreeman.co.uk

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THE UNRAVELLING by Thorne Moore #guestpost #giveaway

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unravelling

The Unravelling

by

Thorne Moore

 

unravelling

Genre: Domestic noir

Release Date: 21 July 2016

Publisher: Honno Press

From the Top Ten Bestselling Author of A Time for Silence

The Unravelling

When they were ten everybody wanted to be Serena’s friend, to find themselves one of the inner circle. But doing so meant proving your worth, and doing that often had consequences it’s not nice to think about – not even thirty-five years later.

Karen Rothwell is randomly reminded of an incident in her childhood which just as suddenly becomes an obsession. It takes her on a journey into a land of secrets and lies; it means finding that gang of girls from Marsh Green Junior School and most importantly of all finding Serena Whinn.

 Praise for Thorne Moore’s novels

‘A true page turner’– www.gwales.com

‘The most chilling part of Thorne Moore’s skill is the way that she represents evil’ – Helen Tozer, sideline jelly

BUY LINKS

HONNO PRESS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

 BOOK DEPOSITORY

WORDERY

**********

Things I learned when writing this book

I learned that I have the potential to be a really bad driver. I think I am a moderately good driver (I am too modest to put it higher than that), but my main character, Karen Rothwell, is bad. The sort of driver who’d make you slam on the brakes and take the next turn onto a different route. I found it extraordinarily easy to get inside her head and perceive such obstacles as roundabouts and motorway junctions as problems best approached with the eyes shut. So easy that I worry I might be tempted to do so, just for the hell of it.

I learned that I am old. You know old people say “I can remember everything that happened fifty years ago, but I can’t remember what I had for breakfast today.” That is me, with this book. My main character, Karen Rothwell, is my age, because I thought that would make it easier, getting the details of her childhood right. In 1965, she’s ten, going on 11, in the fourth year of junior school, just as I was. It isn’t a date I dared mess with, because a few years later, everything would have been different. This was before 1967, before Sgt Pepper, before beads and kaftans and women’s lib. The Beatles may have been a big thing, but they were still in nice smart suits.

1965 was really the tail end of the 1950s. Children hadn’t yet been liberated into jeans and T-shirts. Little girls wore cotton frocks and ankle socks in summer, long socks, kilts and cardies in winter. Little boys wore pullovers and short trousers. Everyone had scabby knees. We had little bottles of milk at school playtime and cabbage for dinner. People lived in council houses and travelled on buses. They shopped at local butchers and greengrocers and made phone calls in red phone boxes, remembering to push Button A. You could get a decent bar of chocolate for 3d, and swings were set in concrete that could break your nose, and made of proper solid wood that could knock your teeth out. None of this health and safety nonsense.

We walked to school every morning. I’m not sure even the teachers bothered to drive, although one did have a bubble car. My routes, and there were several, led through an estate that was in transition. Among the streets of council houses, prefabs were coming down to make way for tower blocks because nobody had yet realised that the British don’t do high-rise living. A motorway was being built alongside the school playing field. Underneath it all was the ghost of what had been there just a decade or two before: farmhouses and fields and woods and streams. A few massive trees lingered. There was a huge wild cherry which stood opposite my house, until continuous lopping away to make room for buses made it give up the ghost. Roads were named after farms that no longer existed. Brooks, reduced to drainage ditches, appeared and disappeared among the houses. And there was a lane, one of my routes home, unpaved, muddy and overhung with trees, just wide enough for the horse and cart that would once have used it.

Karen’s flashbacks, in the book, refer to that era and I could conjure up every detail of it, with no trouble at all. It’s all in my DNA. But much of the action is also set at the turn of this century, the Millennium or thereabouts, and that is only 16 years ago, so I should be able to remember it as well, if not better, than the 1960s, but I couldn’t. I had to research it. It’s not the events of the time that evade me. They are easy enough to recall. It’s the technology. We have the internet now. We had it then too, of course. Our houses rang with weird sci-fi dialling tones as we plugged our modems into our phone lines and waited to see if the thing would ever connect. On our new and improved Windows 98, we hastily searched for what we wanted on Yahoo, and God help us if our chosen site had pictures, because they would take forever to load, and we were worried about the phone bill. And we’d better be quick because someone else wanted to use the phone.

Not that we had that much to look at, when we were connected. There was a site called Amazon, which sold books, just books, and a new search engine had appeared, called Google, but Facebook and Twitter were not yet even gleams in the milkman’s eye. Not much point in relying on the internet until broadband was introduced. That was in 2000 but it was several years before it really caught on. Since when, it has become so essential, many of us can’t imagine life without it.

Like mobile phones. Of course people had mobile phones in 2000. Some of them, anyway, and they were no longer the huge bricks flaunted by the yuppies of the 80s. They were smaller bricks, and unless you were young and frivolous, you kept them switched off, for emergencies, for fear of running the batteries down. If you were of a certain age, (over 20) you would quiver hopelessly at the thought of texting.

Books, in 2000, came in two formats. Hardback and paperback.

Sat Navs? If you wanted to get from A to B you consulted your AA Atlas.

It can come as a shock to realise how much our personal worlds have changed in less than 20 years. It was only as I wrote The Unravelling, that I fully appreciated it. Must be getting old.

At least I do still remember what I had for breakfast this morning. Yoghurt. Or was that yesterday?

I learned that sometimes I need someone to say yes very loudly, straight at me, in order to drown out the voice in my head that keeps saying no, no, no, no. I began writing The Unravelling about 30 years ago. And stopped. I began it again about 20 years ago and stopped again. And 15 and 12 and 10 and 8. I think I have one of those early drafts still on an Amstrad word processor disc, no longer readable. An early draft of the first two or three chapters, that is, because each time I started, even though I knew who the characters would be and where they should be going, I just came to a full stop and moved on to something completely different. Then the editor of my last book asked me if I were working on anything else. I mentioned the idea of The Unravelling. She said good! Write it. So I did.

**********

ABOUT THORNE MOORE

unravelling

Thorne Moore was born in Luton but has lived in in the back of beyond in north Pembrokeshire for 32 years. She has degrees in History and Law, worked in a library and ran a family restaurant as well as a miniature furniture craft business, which is still in Production, but she now concentrates on writing psychological crime mysteries.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thorne.moore.7

Twitter: @ThorneMoore

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6562052.Thorne_Moore

Blog: http://thornemoore.blogspot.co.uk/

Website: thornemoore.co.uk

**********

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Cover Reveal ~ WORTH FORGIVING by Janet K. Brown

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Worth Forgiving

by

Janet K. Brown

 

Second in the Wharton Rock Worth Series

Prejudice and mistrust hinders an ex-con, drug addict’s new beginning. Could it be she’s not Worth Forgiving?

The state of Texas releases from prison Katie Smith. Full of optimism, she sets out to get a job, rent her own place, and make a home for her eight-year-old daughter, but Katie gave away her daughter three years ago. She could use a friend, but her past choices threaten to doom her to continued failure.

Larry Pullman graduated from seminary with high marks, but the fact that he has no wife makes finding a preaching job almost impossible. It doesn’t help that running from God as a teenager gave him a past that he can’t undo. All he needs is an ex-con, drug addict messing up his life, but then why did God lead him to her? Or did He?

Isn’t it enough that Lacey Chandler gave her sister’s daughter a home? Does that mean she has to clean up Katie’s messes forever?

worth forgiving

About Janet K. Brown

janet k brown

Janet K. Brown lives in Wichita Falls, Texas with her husband, Charles.

Worth Forgiving, an inspirational women’s fiction, is the second in her Wharton Rock series. Her only non-fiction is Divine Dining: 365 Devotions to Guide You to Healthier Weight and Abundant Wellness.

Worth Forgiving marks Brown’s fourth book. Who knew she had a penchant for teens and ghosts? She released her debut novel, an inspirational young adult, Victoria and the Ghost, in July, 2012.

Janet and her husband love to travel with their RV, work in their church, and visit their three daughters, two sons-in-law and three perfect grandchildren.

Janet teaches workshops on writing, weight loss, and the historical settings of her teen books. The author uses her platform of recovering compulsive overeater to weave stories of hope for addiction, compulsion, or impossible situations.

Find her at:

website:  http://www.janetkbrown.com
on Twitter: @janetkbrowntx
and on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Janet-K-Brown-Author/143915285641707

If you like the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or even word of mouth. It’s the best compliment you can give an author.