The Merrickville Christmas Craft and Concession Show marked the end of the 2015 season, well for me anyway. There could be others this weekend or next but I’m so far behind in everything, I think I’m ahead… I’m not exaggerating.
December 12th – Community Centre, Merrickville, ON
My display with multi-coloured battery operated LED lights to make it look festive.
This was my last event of the 2015 season. It’s hard to believe it’s less than two weeks before Christmas. Yikes! Where has the year gone?
It was a good day on the sales front for me starting before the official opening time of the show when I sold 1 copy of A Shadow in the Past. Before the day was finished, I added sales of 1 copy of The Consequences Collection, and 4 copies of Tim’s Magic Christmas.
I’m looking forward to the 2016 season and hope to attend even more events next year.
Callie is an event planner, organising weddings and corporate parties. What she’d really love however, is to organise the perfect Christmas. How difficult can it be after all? She simply needs to get her divorced parents talking to each other, sort out a Christmas Eve wedding for the daughter of a millionaire and wait for her hunky, rich boyfriend to propose. What could possibly go wrong?
Julie was born and brought up in a mining village near Barnsley in South Yorkshire. She graduated with a BA (hons) in French Language and Literature from Hull University. Since then she has lived and worked as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language in France, Greece, Poland and Thailand. She now lives in rural Gloucestershire with her husband, son and two cats, a rescue cat and a dippy cat with half a tail. She is so passionate about books that her collection is now threatening to outgrow her house, much to her husband’s annoyance, as she can’t bear to get rid of any! They have been attempting to renovate their home for the last ten years.
She is the author of the Greek Island Mystery series, Jenna’s Journey, Sophia’s Secret and Pandora’s Prophecy, each of which can be read as a standalone. She considers Greece to be her spiritual home and visits as often as she can.
It began with a trivial moment of carelessness, but the shockwaves that reverberate from this seemingly insignificant incident, spread far and wide.
Ed and his heavily pregnant wife Mary are on an errand for Ed’s ailing father before the pair depart for warmer climes. But the winter of 1962 comes early and one innocuous event and a hastily taken decision will have devastating consequences for the family of young Rose Gorton. Mary’s already fragile mental state is put under further stress while Ed tries to make sense of events that are spiralling massively, Out of Control.
I first discovered this wonderful story through a link on Facebook to Trevor’s blog where he had serialized the beginning of the book. I was hooked and wanted more.
When it became available on amazon, I pounced on it. I couldn’t wait to finish reading it to find out how this suspense novella would turn out. Of course, I started over from the beginning to reacquaint myself with the characters and the situation.
From then until the end of the story, I couldn’t put this down! I had to continue reading. I needed to know what came next.
☆☆☆☆☆ to Trevor and his wonderful noir suspense – Out of Control!
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ABOUT TREVOR BELSHAW
Trevor Belshaw, aka, Trevor Forest, is a writer of both adult and children’s fiction. He lives in Nottingham, UK with his mad Springer Spaniel, Maisie. Trevor is the creator of Tracy’s Hot Mail (Crooked Cat Publishing,) and has recently released a noir novella, Out of Control.
Writing under the name, Trevor Forest, he has published fourteen children’s books including the Magic Molly series, The Stanley Stickle series, and Peggy Larkin’s War.
Trevor’s short stories and articles have appeared in various magazines including The Best of British, Ireland’s Own and First Edition. His poem My Mistake was awarded a highly commended status and included in the Farringdon Poetry competition best entries anthology. His children’s poem Clicking Gran, was longlisted in the Plough Poetry competition 2009.
Trevor’s short stories have been published in many anthologies including the charity anthologies. 100 Stories for Haiti, 50 Stories for Pakistan, 100 Stories for Queensland, The Best of Café Lit, (2011 2012 and 2013) The Best of Friday Flash Volume 2, Another Haircut, Shambelurkling and other stories and 24 Stories for Advent.
Twitter @tbelshaw
Facebook Trevor Belshaw and Trevor Forest
Email trevor(AT)trevorbelshaw.com
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GIVEAWAY
5 Ecopies and 2 signed Paperback copies of the book.
Open Internationally
Wild Boys After Dark: JACKSON (Book 3) Release Date: 24th November 2015 Pages: 132 Genres: Erotic Fiction
Everything’s naughtier after dark… Fall in love with the Wild & Bad boys. Long enough to burn up the sheets and short enough to leave you craving more.
If raw emotions, cursing, dirty-talk, or intense, passionate sex that sometimes includes a silk tie, turn you off, then the After Dark books are not for you. *NO CLIFFHANGERS*
WILD BOYS AFTER DARK, Book Three
JACKSON
Receiving a marriage proposal is supposed to make a women happy, but when Erica Lane receives a beautiful marriage proposal from her perfect boyfriend on the eve of her annual camping trip with her best friend, Jackson Wild, the first thing she does is jump into bed with Jackson.
Jackson’s all too happy to screw the annoyance out of Erica. After all, they’ve always screwed the hell out of each other when they were bored or angry, lonely, or too damn drunk to see straight.
But the marriage proposal changes everything, and their annual camping trip takes unexpected turns. Will a few nights in the wilderness set these friends with benefits free, or lead them on a path of destruction?
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.
Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.
Christmas is just around the corner when Star begins working at Butterburn library, but not everyone is embracing the spirit of the season.
Sixteen-year-old Arianna’s mock exams are looming and she’s feeling under pressure. With her father living abroad and her mother working three jobs, she doesn’t have much support at home.
The bank is threatening to repossess Evan’s house, and he has no idea how he’s going to get through Christmas with two children who are used to getting everything they want.
Patricia’s cliché of a husband, after 23 years of marriage, has announced he’s moving out of the family home, and moving in with his secretary.
Daniel is doing the work of three people in his sales job, as well as looking after his kids and his wife. Pulled in too many different directions, he’s feeling stressed out.
Can Star, the library’s Good Samaritan, help set them on the path to happiness this Christmas?
Susan Buchanan lives in Central Scotland with her partner, Tony, and their two children. She is the author of three other novels: The Christmas Spirit, The Dating Game, and Sign of the Times. Return of the Christmas Spirit is her fourth book. She is currently working on her fifth book, What If.
Susan is also a proofreader, editor, and translator, and when not working, writing, or caring for her two delightful cherubs, loves reading, the theatre, quiz shows, and eating out – not necessarily in that order!
Visit Susan’s blog at www.susancbuchanan.blogspot.co.uk, where there will be a Rafflecopter giveaway for a £10/$15 Amazon voucher for the duration of the tour and the launch day itself.
Plus
Enter the tour giveaway to win an ecopy (x2) of Susan’s book THE DATING GAME
It’s been ages since I’ve been to Lanark. I’ve been close twice this year when I did shows at McDonalds Corners but never quite made it here. Christmas on the Clyde has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?
My display
The Civitan Club isn’t right in Lanark but just on the outskirts. Lovely big hall and my table was front and centre as people came in the door. I thought that would be the perfect place and I’d sell books hand over fist. Nice thought… but it didn’t quite turn out that way.
I had asked for a place where I could set up my easel and not affect foot traffic. The way the hall was set up, it worked perfectly.
Still, I met lots of interesting people and sold some books. Gotta like that part of it. By the end of the day, I sold 2 copies of Tim’s Magic Christmas and 1 copy of The Consequences Collection – the woman who bought it didn’t have enough cash with her in the morning and made a point of coming back in the afternoon before the sale ended so she could snag a copy for herself.
I’ll be back again next year… that is, if they’ll have me.
Today is the day that Santa makes his lists. He makes two – one for the naughty people and one for the nice folks.
Which one will you be on?
Have you been naughty or nice since this time last year?
Candy or coal? If you’ve been bad, you could get a lump of coal in your stocking.
If you’ve been good, you might get candy or fruit, or colouring book (children’s or adult) and crayons/markers, or other small gifts.
I remember getting a book of passes to our local movie theatre in my stocking and occasionally something that went with a gift that would be under the tree from Santa.
Everything’s naughtier after dark… Fall in love with the Wild & Bad boys. Long enough to burn up the sheets and short enough to leave you craving more.
If raw emotions, cursing, dirty-talk, or intense, passionate sex that sometimes includes a silk tie, turn you off, then the After Dark books are not for you. *NO CLIFFHANGERS*
WILD BOYS AFTER DARK, Book 2
HEATH
Everything’s naughtier after dark…
No last names. No strings. No ties.
Except of the silk variety.
Dr. Heath Wild and Allyson Jenner only wanted a simple tryst. But Heath couldn’t live with just one night, just one taste, of Ally–and Ally couldn’t escape the memory of his hands on her skin, the way he looked at her like she was his obsession, or his seduction, which had pushed her to the edge and had made her want to do things she never had before.
One night leads to one tantalizing phone call. Can one phone call lead to forever?
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.
Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.
#NaNoWriMo is over! It started like this… with an idea. If you were really organized, you had an outline done ahead of time.
and you worked like this… getting all those lovely words down ‘on paper’.
had moments like this… when your imaginary friends quit talking to you.
overcame them and wrote like this… when the voices got over their snit and started talking again.
and at the end of it all, you look like this… frazzled, feeling punchy and starving!
I didn’t set out at the beginning of November to complete 50,000 words in the month. What I wanted to do was write every day (something that I’ve not always made time for).
I might not have a ‘winner’ badge for having my numbers crunched by the #NaNo algorithm and having the minimum number of 50,000 but I consider myself a winner because I achieved everything I wanted to in the month.
At 3:39 yesterday afternoon, I had completed 21,813 words… I’ve got my beginning and my middle, but I still don’t know how my magnum opus is going to end. That is really unusual for me. Under normal circumstances I know the ending and write it first. Then I have the fun of getting there. I’m in uncharted waters here and I’m not sure I’m liking it.
I didn’t outline and as I wrote merrily away, I discovered major flaws in my logic. Oh well, scenes can be cut and pasted and new transitions between them written, not to mention returning the array of plot bunnies that will undoubtedly be released to run amok safely to their warren.
Welcome to my little corner of Canada, Rosemary. I’m glad you were able to make the virtual trip across the pond to celebrate St Andrews Day here at Celtic Connexions.
I take it you’re ready for a good old-fashioned ceilidh – Canadian style.
Come and sit by the fire take the chill off.*escorts my esteemed guest to one of the tartan wing-back chairs facing the crackling fire*
photo from Flickr
We’ll start with something ‘fizzy’ to celebrate your latest book contract. Can you tell us a bit about the novel and the series?
*Picks up bell off side table and summons manservant, Donald*
Thanks so much for inviting me to your St Andrew’s Day Party, Melanie – I’m honoured to be here! My most recent novel released this year is The Highland Lass, which fits right in as it’s set completely in Scotland. Mainly contemporary, Eilidh Campbell returns to the Inverclyde area on the west coast of Scotland seeking answers to her past – with the help of the handsome Scot she meets on the transatlantic flight!
Along the way, she traces the story of Highland Mary (an ancestress) and her relationship with Robert Burns. Mary tells her own story in short alternate chapters from 1785-6.
*Leans forward and switches on the music* I think this piece by the Corries is perfect to listen to after talking about Robbie Burns and his Highland Mary.
From the time one of your novels is accepted to publication, do you have to go through an extensive editing process?
Yes, both my publishers, Tirgearr in Ireland, who publish my Aphrodite and Adonis series, and Crooked Cat in the UK who published The Highland Lass, assign an editor to each author and we work with that editor until the book is as good as possible. Some books need lighter editing than others but all go through the process.
The meal will start with Cullen Skink for the soup course, followed by haggis, then roast venison with tatties and neeps.
By Metukkalihis (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsYum – can’t wait to start on that food. Good job it’s virtual calories!
We’ll have a dram with our haggis course. I have 18 year old Glenlivet and Cardhu, and 14 & 18 year old Oban. Which one would you like, if any?
I have to confess I don’t drink whisky, though when I was young, I remember my father telling my mother that if she was going to drink alcohol it should be whisky as that was the purest drink! And he did give me a hot toddy once when I was unwell – clears up a cold quickly.
By Kim Traynor (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsI have a Cabernet Shiraz from the Niagara region (East Dell Estates) that will taste lovely with the venison. We can order it from the winery and have it delivered right to our front door.
Ah, yes, I’ll have a glass of red wine, please – I allow myself a small glass of that with a meal now and then!
I have to confess, I’ve never cooked venison before so I hope it’s edible.
By Ewan Munro from London, UK (Crown, Barnsbury, London Uploaded by tm) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsMusic – The Corries, Runrig, Auld Blind Dogs. Which group do you like best?
I love Celtic music so I’m happy to listen to your choice and I’ll probably discover some new groups!
Loving this delicious meal, thanks, Melanie!
This is one of my favourite songs by the Old Blind Dogs.
I picked up a Dundee Cake to have for dessert and will start a pot of coffee using Chez Piggy (specially blended for a restaurant in nearby Kingston) blend.
By RGloucester (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsI’ll have Donald bring our cake and coffee back to the lounge where we can get comfortable in front of the fire again and chat some more.
Will there be a sequel to The Highland Lass?
I’m not planning a sequel to this one but I am trying to finish a different novel set in Scotland, with different characters and possibly completely contemporary – but with a little mystery again.
I can’t wait! I love novels set in Scotland.
Do you currently have any other writing projects on the go?
The third novella in my Aphrodite and Adonis series set on Cyprus has been accepted by Tirgearr for release in spring 2016 – this is contemporary romance with a touch of mythological fantasy (as Romy Gemmell)! I had also started the first novel in a Victorian crime series but I haven’t got completely into it yet, and I have another contemporary novel on the go. Too many different projects at once!
I can sympathize. I’ve got a couple of projects on the go, although one is being sorely neglected while I work on the other on as my NaNoWriMo project.
What book are you reading at the moment?
I usually have two books on the go – one on kindle and one in print. I’m reading the second crime novel by Alexandra Sokoloff at the moment. She used to write Hollywood scripts and now lives in Scotland and her Huntress Moon series is excellent. I’m also reading my way through several romance novels on kindle in between. I’m shortly about to start Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, one of my favourite writers.
I’ll be sure to check these authors out. I’m always on the hunt for someone new.
*Pushes the play button on the CD player* I’ve set it on random this time but I really wanted you to hear the other songs first. I hope you like Runrig. I love their rock beat with the gaelic language, although I can’t remember if Alba is performed this way. I know a number of their songs are.
Oh this is another favourite of mine by the Old Blind Dogs. I’m really hoping to see them sometime when I’m in Scotland.
I hope you’re enjoying my eclectic tastes in music from folk to rock and back again. Normally, Donald would be clad in a kilt but I’ve embarrassed him too many times, so today he kept his trousers on.
We’ll close up with your author links. I hope you’ve enjoyed spending St Andrews Day here in Canada at Celtic Connexions.
