Tag Archives: novels

#BookLoversDay, Agatha Christie, Authors, Books, Bram Stoker, Charles Dickens, George Orwell, Harper Lee, John Steinbech, Ray Bradbury, Wilkie Collins, William Peter Blatty, William Shakespeare

It’s #BookLoversDay

November 7, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

Today is #BookLoversDay!

#BookLoversDay – there’s nothing better than relaxing with a good book – any day of the year.

Books, I love them all. Hard cover, paperback (trade or mass market) or ebook (kindle or epub format) I just love books! And then there are the genres – crime, romance, chicklit, memoirs, science fiction, fantasy. Perhaps I should preface the rest of this post with…

“My name is Melanie and I’m a bookaholic.”

This great day is also celebrated in August but when November arrives, it’s place in the limelight returns. During this month, this special day always falls on the first Saturday.

There was a meme making the rounds on Facebook wanting to know the ten books that have stuck with you. Some of these were secondary school reading, others just because I wanted to, and some I’ve read more than once.

The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
1984 – George Orwell
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare
Halloween Party – Agatha Christie
The Exorcist – William Peter Blatty
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbech
Farenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Dracula – Bram Stoker

Can a person ever have too many books? I think not. As I was creating the hyperlinks for the books on my list, I even scored three FREE ones!

Perhaps I’m in need of an intervention?

What 10 books have stuck with you over the years?

Bella Andre, Book Promo, Melissa Foster, Novels

Cape Cod Promises ~ BOOK PROMO

October 14, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

Cape Cod Promises

Bella Andre & Melissa Foster

Trent Rockwell has it all—a thriving legal practice, co-ownership of the Rockwell Resort, and a big, loving family. And yet his failed marriage to Reese Nicholson has haunted him for ten long years. Now that he has moved back to Cape Cod Bay to help run his family’s resort, he is surrounded by memories of Reese…and he can’t stop longing for the woman he’d always believed was his one true love.…

At nineteen, artist Reese Nicholson was swept off her feet by the handsome, charming, and incredibly sensual Trent Rockwell. After a whirlwind courtship, they married and moved to New York City, where they hoped all of their personal and professional dreams would come true. But six months later, Reese returned to Rockwell Island broken-hearted and disillusioned.

For a decade, Trent and Reese carefully kept their distance. But all it takes is one accidental late-night encounter to immediately stir the desires they have both tried to bury deep. Powerless to resist the heat between them, every passionate kiss, loving caress, and heartfelt apology draws them closer together. So close that they can’t help but wonder if the promises they once made to love each other forever are still true…

ABOUT MELISSA FOSTER

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.

Authors Links:

http://www.melissafoster.com/newsletter/

ABOUT BELLA ANDRE

Bella Andre is the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of “The Sullivans” and “The Morrisons” series.

Having sold more than 4 million books, Bella Andre’s novels have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists 23 times. She has been the #1 Ranked Author at Amazon (on a top 10 list that included Nora Roberts, JK Rowling, James Patterson and Steven King), and Publishers Weekly named Oak Press (the publishing company she created to publish her own books) the Fastest-Growing Independent Publisher in the US. After signing a ground-breaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella’s “The Sullivans” series is being released in paperback in the US, Canada, and Australia.

Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into ten languages. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post called her “One of the top writers in America” and she has been featured by Entertainment Weekly, NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and TIME Magazine. A graduate of Stanford University, she has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America in New York City.

Bella also writes the New York Times bestselling Four Weddings and a Fiasco series as Lucy Kevin. Her “sweet” contemporary romances also include the new Walker Island series written as Lucy Kevin.

If not behind her computer, you can find her reading her favorite authors, hiking, swimming or laughing. Married with two children, Bella splits her time between the Northern California wine country and a 100 year old log cabin in the Adirondacks.

Author Links

Giveaway

A series Tote bag!

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Book covers, Book Promo, contemporary romance, giveaway, Melissa Foster, Novels, women's fiction

BOOK PROMO ~ Seaside Nights by Melissa Foster

September 7, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

Seaside Nights

by

Melissa Foster

Fall in love with Sky Lacroux and Sawyer Bass in Seaside Nights, the fifth book in the Seaside Summers series!

Sky Lacroux has finally realized her dream and opened her own tattoo shop in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She’s happy as can be, renting a cottage in the Seaside community while renovations to her new apartment are being completed and preparing the shop for its grand opening. The only thing missing is the one thing she longs for, and has no control over—love.

Sawyer Bass, a professional boxer, plays his guitar to escape the painful reality of his father’s failing health and a recent health warning of his own. But when he spots a stunning brunette across the room, escaping reality goes out the door—and the beautiful woman becomes the focus of his next song—and maybe even the rest of his life.

When Sawyer walks into Sky’s tattoo shop and sees the woman from the bar—Sky—the chemistry between them is instant. Sawyer is everything Sky could ever hope for in a man. He’s honest, loving, sensitive, and potently virile—but boxing goes against everything Sky believes in. The closer they become, the more she realizes that her alpha boxer is waging his own emotional battle—only the battle she thinks he’s waging isn’t the one that threatens to tear them apart.

BUY LINKS

ABOUT MELISSA FOSTER

Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Authors Links:

http://www.melissafoster.com/newsletter/

GIVEAWAY

The giveaway will be the previous book in the series SEASIDE SECRETS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Titles, chapter books, conundrum, novella, Novels, Writing, writing process

BOOK TITLES ~ Finding the right one

August 31, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

Do you struggle with finding the “right” title for your writing – whether it’s a short story, novel, poetry or even a blog post?

Do you have to have your title before you begin to write?

How many times do you change your title before you’re finally happy with it?

The title for my debut novel, A Shadow in the Past, came from a sentence in the book.

The cover was designed around that. It works, don’t you think?

I thought I would use the same concept to come up with a title for the second book in the series and in keeping with the time-travel element, came up with Shadows From Her Past.

Don’t get all excited. Book two isn’t out yet. Book two isn’t anywhere near being ready. Book two doesn’t have a synopsis or back cover blurb yet (and that’s a whole other story – and yes, it will also require a title).

So finding a title can be an arduous task but I’ve looked around online and found these three sites that might be of help to you. There are more, but these were in the top of the google search results.

tarasparlingwrites.com/book-title-generators/

fantasynamegenerators.com/book-title-generator

kitt.net/random-book-title-generator

I’d love to hear how you deal with this conundrum. Drop me a line in the comments sharing how you find the “right” title for your work.

Book covers, Choc Lit, contemporary romance, Love a Happy Ending Lifestyle magazine, Novels, Safkhet Publishing, Sheryl Browne

Sheryl Browne reveals her new covers

August 24, 2015 Melanie 8 Comments

I’m thrilled to welcome fellow Loveahappyending Lifestyle magazine author, Sheryl Browne to Celtic Connexions!

Thank you so much for featuring me and allowing me to share my latest news. I was a bit worried some people might have missed it actually, as I haven’t been shouting very loudly. Much. Ahem. OK, I lie. I’ve been shouting if from the rooftops! If perchance anyone did miss it though, my latest contemporary romance, recommended to the publisher by the WH Smith Travel Fiction Buyer, no less, is now available from Choc Lit! It’s had some super reviews so far. I’ve popped a little snippet or two below, some of which had me hooting out loud, some of which had me filling up – but in the best possible way.

The Rest of My Life: What the reviewers say:

The Rest of My Life is ‘‘HOT! HOT! HOT! Steamy, Heartfelt Romance! – oldvictorianquill

I love books that spot up my glasses with projectile tears. Five stars! – Double-Edged Words

Sheer enjoyment from beginning to end! … Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to enter the bedroom with the delectable Adam? – Being Anne

Wow! Sheryl Browne has excelled herself with this book… there is not much it doesn’t have! Love, hate, sex, violence, apparitions… – A Chance to Blog

I quite like the cover. Correction, I absolutely ADORE the cover…

*Sigh.* Isn’t it just utterly dreamy?

The Rest of My Life

“You can’t run away from commitment forever … “

Adam Hamilton-Shaw has more reason than most to avoid commitment. Living on a houseboat in the Severn Valley, his dream is to sail into the sunset – preferably with a woman waiting in every port. But lately, his life looks more like a road to destruction than an idyllic boat ride…

Would-be screenplay writer Sienna Meadows realises that everything about Adam spells trouble – but she can’t ignore the feeling that there is more to him than just his bad reputation. Nor can she ignore the intense physical attraction that exists between them.

And it just so happens that Adam sees Sienna as the kind of woman he could commit to. But can he change his damaging behaviour – or is the road to destruction a one-way street?

I’m now also thrilled to share that Choc Lit have issued a further contract for my contemporary romance, Learning to Love. The book, written around a short story selected for publication in the Birmingham City University Anthology, Paper and Ink, is currently available on Amazon for Kindle. Please do feel free to take a browse. Meanwhile here’s a peek at the current cover and the blurb:

Learning to Love – Exploring the Fragility of Love, Life, and Relationships

An emotionally withdrawn, angry little boy is grieving the loss of his mother. Ten-year old Jake’s anger is aimed at his dad, who In Jake’s mind deserted his mum in her hour of need. Dr David Adams, Jake’s father, is carrying the heavy burden of guilt around the death of his wife. For all his training as a doctor, David had been as ill-equipped to deal with her decision to delay anti-leukemic treatment for their unborn baby’s sake, as he is to deal with his son’s grief. He feels Jake’s anger is justified. Now alone with his son, he has no idea how to reach him.

Andrea Kelly, David’s neighbour, mum of three and carer to her dotty mother, is forced by circumstances to take refuge at David’s house and becomes instrumental in bringing this lost little boy and his equally lost father together. Andrea, too, has relationship issues and, as her attraction to David grows, she wonders whether she should love a man who is, by his own admission, flawed.

What the reviewers are saying:

Deals with loss & betrayal in manner that lifts it far above an average ‘chick lit’.

Five enormous shining stars made of platinum!!!

Tissue box at the ready reader! 5 out of 5! On the Top reads for 2013 list!

An entertaining, easy read- a more mature style of chick-lit that might appeal to fans of Katie Fforde.

Truth, lies, deception, love, hate, anger and joy. This book goes on my top ten reads of all time!
DIZZY C’S LITTLE BOOK BLOG – TOP READS 2013!

Did I mention that all of my romance books now have lovely new covers? No? Oh. I think I probably did, but I can’t resist showing them off again. Here we go:

Thank you for indulging me! And a HUGE thank you to all those bloggers and readers who have taken time to read and review my books! I would be lost without you!

Heartache, humour, love, loss & betrayal, Sheryl Browne brings you edgy, sexy, poignant fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and shortlisted for Innovation in Romantic Fiction, Sheryl has seven books published to date.

Sheryl’s new contemporary romance novel was recommended to the publisher by the WH Smith Travel fiction buyer. THE REST OF MY LIFE comes to you from award winning Choc Lit.

Author Links

Loveahappyending Lifestyle

Safkhet Publishing | Choc Lit | Romantic Novelists’ Association

A Shadow in the Past, Aberdeenshire, Novels, Photographs, recumbent, Scotland, Shadows from Her Past, stone circle

The Face in the Stones – REVEALED

August 21, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

It’s only recently, I saw the face in the stones in this photograph. I guarantee that once you see it, you won’t be able to “un-see” it every time you see the picture. It’s even visible in the older version of the photograph that’s the header photo for my blog.

This stone circle, located in rural Aberdeenshire, Scotland, features in my debut novel – A Shadow in the Past – and its not yet published sequel – Shadows From Her Past.

This type of stone circle, known as a recumbent stone circle, is unique to Aberdeenshire. You can find out more about them here.

I’ve visited a number of stone circles in Scotland but I’ve never seen a face in them before.

Interesting? Creepy? What do you think?

#BookLoversDay, 4RV Publishing, A Shadow in the Past, Books, chapter books, digital downloads, ebooks, genre, King Park Press, Novels, Publishing, readers, Reading, The Consequences Collection, Tim's Magic Christmas

It’s Book Lovers Day!

August 9, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

Happy Book Lovers Day!

This unique holiday can also be celebrated on the first Saturday in November. So why not celebrate it both days?

Hardcover, paperback, ebook. What’s your preference? Both have their advantages. Ebooks are usually less expensive than a paperback and definitely more so than a hardcover.

One hundred books on an e-reader weigh far less than the same number of physical books and take up a lot less space – better for travel.

For the person who likes mystery and suspense with romance…

When a contemporary teen is transported back in time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…

Nineteen year old Sarah Shand finds herself in Victorian Era Aberdeenshire, Scotland and has no idea how she got there. Her last memory is of being at the stone circle on the family farm in the year 2010.

Despite having difficulty coming to terms with her situation, Sarah quickly learns she must keep her true identity a secret. Still, she feels stifled by the Victorians’ confining social practices, including arranged marriages between wealthy and influential families, and confronts them head on then suffers the consequences.

When Sarah realizes she has fallen in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, she faces an agonizing decision. Does she try to find her way back to 2010 or remain in the past with the man she loves?

Buy links for A Shadow in the Past can be found here.

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For those who prefer short stories…

The Consequences Collection is an eclectic compilation of twelve stories ranging from non-fiction through creative non-fiction to pure fiction, in prose and poetry.

The story of a Scottish Home Child is based on fact and told from the child’s point of view; The Mystery Woman of Kinettles is a non-fiction article on the appearance and subsequent disappearance of a woman’s body near the Wellington County House of Industry (Poor House) in 1879 Southwestern Ontario.

Some of these stories are lighter than others, and some might even beg you to leave the lights on.

The Consequences Collection is available for the kindle on all amazon platforms and in epub format at lulu.com

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And a middle grade Christmas novelette…

For Tim Frost, Christmas 2011 is a washout. No Santa. No presents. Nothing. His father lost his job when the mill closed and now the family is on the verge of losing their home.

A chance encounter with Nick Kringle, a modern-day Santa Claus teaches Tim that the greatest gift you receive is the gift of giving.

Tim’s Magic Christmas is currently only available in paperback. To find out how to get your copy, contact me via email. Watch for it coming in kindle and epub formats.

cover reveal, Delia Colvin, Novel covers, Novels

The Haunted Heart of Rory O’Dannon ~ COVER REVEAL

August 7, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

THE HAUNTED HEART OF RORY O’DANNON

by

DELIA COLVIN

Is the love of Megara’s life a hallucination — or a ghost?

The Irish poet Rory O’Dannon came to Megara during a high fever, but she never forgot. Twenty years later she still mourns him. Her marriage to charismatic Ken Benedict was a pragmatic decision as she no longer believes in true love.

Until a car accident catapults her back to 19th century Ireland–and into Rory’s arms.

Finally united with the love of her dreams, and believing she has died, Megara commits her heart to him. But when she wakes from a coma, she is forced to accept that Rory was fictional–until she finds the wedding band he gave her.

Will she choose life with her husband, or death and a mere chance for love with Rory?

ABOUT DELIA COLVIN

Delia is the international bestselling author of The Oracle Series. She is both a screenwriter and a novelist and has been a featured author on several popular blogs, books and magazines including Southern Writers Magazine and others.

She has worked as an entrepreneur, in sales and advertising, in Air Traffic Control, and as a Russian interpreter. Delia lives in Granada Hills, California.

For more information about Delia J. Colvin and her upcoming releases, contact her at:

DeliaJColvin@gmail.com
www.DeliaColvin.com

Join the mailing list to be notified when the book becomes available to pre-order / buy http://bit.ly/HauntedHeart

GIVEAWAY

Two $25 Amazon Gift cards
5 eBooks The Sibylline Oracle

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Blog Tour, Guest Post, Joanna Lambert, Novels, Writing

SUMMER MOVED ON by Joanna Lambert plus Guest Post

August 3, 2015 Melanie 2 Comments

SUMMER MOVED ON

BY JOANNA LAMBERT

After a long-buried secret tears her family apart, Jess Hayden moves to the South Devon village of Lynbrook to live with her uncle. Rufus owns the village pub, The Black Bull, and having visited before, Jess knows the villagers well…especially one of them.

Talún Hansen has a reputation, making him the kind of man no decent girl should get involved with. Jess, however, has been under his spell from the moment they first met. Although they always seem to bring out the worst in each other, there is no denying the attraction that simmers between them – an attraction Jess knows she needs to keep under control after repeated warnings from her uncle.

As she settles into village life she begins to learn more about this wild, dark-haired gypsy with the compelling eyes, and realises their lives hold many similarities. Despite her uncle’s warnings, she begins to spend time with him. For Jess, the coming summer holds passion; for Talún the hope that he has at last found someone who truly cares for him.

But as autumn approaches, a dark shadow from Jess’s past returns, bringing far-reaching and unwanted changes for both of them.

AMAZON.CO.UK

AMAZON.COM

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HEROES AND VILLAINS

Once you’ve worked out how you’re going to kick start your latest WIP the next important thing is to look at your cast in more detail: to put flesh on bones, give them personalities and a background. I usually create a bio for each character central to my story, giving them a real identity –physical features, education, and a personal history – so I’m able to write as if I actually know them.

As significant as all these details are, however, it’s what the individual will come to represent in the book that is as important. One of the central characters in many romance novels is the antagonist – the villain. This is the person who, for whatever reason, causes trouble and puts obstacles in the way of our two would-be lovers. If he/she weren’t around then life would be plain sailing and the story would be over before it had a chance to begin.

I’m a prolific reader as well as a writer with romance definitely one of my favourite categories. It’s a fairly broad genre which can cover many different aspects of relationships. It can be light-hearted or serious and the settings for the stories can be historical, futuristic or contemporary. For me, however, romance is only one side of the coin. I also enjoy exploring relationships and how peoples’ actions can impact on others and change things, either for good or bad. My books are therefore a blend of romance and drama and because of this I find the villain a very powerful character. They drive the conflict, keeping the reader constantly turning the page to find out what happens next.

In my trilogy – When Tomorrow Comes, Love Lies and Promises and The Ghost of You and Me – trouble came in the form of central character Ella’s mother Melissa (Mel). She was glamorous, vain and totally self-absorbed. She made Ella’s life an absolute misery, constantly interfering in her love life in her search for the ‘right kind’ of husband for her daughter. None of this was for Ella’s benefit, of course, it was all about promoting Mel’s social ambitions.

Book four – Between Today and Yesterday – caught up with the same characters in the late 1980s. This time, Marcie Maguire, a famous American diva and someone from Ella’s husband Matt’s past returned. She was looking for revenge after losing him to Ella many years before. By the fifth and last book of the series – The Other Side of Morning – Matt and Ella had settled down to a peaceful life together and it was the turn of the next generation. This story focussed on their niece Charlotte. In love with handsome Italian restaurateur Marco D’Alessandro, she fell foul of his stepmother Thérèse who had plans to marry her stepson off to a young Chianti heiress in order to expand the family’s business empire.

In my latest book – Summer Moved On – we meet Lily, the newest female to take on the role of the woman everyone loves to hate. She is twenty years old; much younger than her three contemporaries in my other books, but just as destructive. Her character was influenced by a novel I read back in 1998 called ‘Concerning Lily’ by Sally Brampton. In it, we are introduced to Lily Clifton, a young woman who manages to cause irreparable damage to the lives of three couples who befriend her. The Lily in Summer Moved On has a lot of similarities to her namesake. She lacks a conscience and is totally focussed on taking what she wants and causing trouble, especially for the main character, Jess.

Of course, we haven’t seen the last of Lily because I’ve a sequel to write. Watercolours in the Rain will see her back again as we take up the story six years after the first book ends. What sort of problems will she be causing? Well, that’s still very much under wraps at the moment. All I can say is her behaviour will be as controversial as it has been in Summer Moved On! Watch this space…

About Joanna Lambert

Jo Lambert was born and brought up in rural Wiltshire in a small village on the edge of Salisbury Plain. She has spent most of her working life in Senior PA or Admin Management roles both in the private and public sectors. Her love of reading soon spilled over into writing and her first novel When Tomorrow Comes was published in 2009. Four other books – Love, Lies and Promises, The Ghost of You and Me, Between Today and Yesterday and The Other Side of Morning followed. They formed a series following the lives and loves of four Somerset families.

Jo lives on the eastern side of the Georgian city of Bath with her husband, one small grey feline called Mollie and a forty eight year old white MG Midget called Bridget. She loves travel, red wine, rock music and cooking for friends.

Summer Moved On, her sixth novel, is the first part of a two book love story set in South Devon.

email: taurusgirl185@gmail.com

googleplus: google.com/+JoLambert

twitter: @jolambertwriter

website: http://jolambertbooks.com

blog: http://jolambertwriter.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jo-Lambert-Author-Page/288274811277692?fref=ts

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GIVEAWAY

2 E-COPIES OF THE BOOK

THE GIVEAWAY IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Barbara Lamplugh, Book Promo, Novels, SilverWood Books

BOOK PROMO ~ Secrets of the Pomegranate by Barbara Lamplugh

July 31, 2015 Melanie Leave a comment

SECRETS OF THE POMEGRANATE

by BARBARA LAMPLUGH

Contemporary Women’s fiction/ Reading Group fiction

Release Date: 23/4/2015

Publisher: SilverWood

Passionate, free-spirited Deborah has finally found peace and a fulfilling relationship in her adopted city of Granada – but when she is seriously injured in the Madrid train bombings of 2004, it is her sister Alice who is forced to face the consequences of a deception they have maintained for ten years. At Deborah’s home in Granada, Alice waits, ever more fearful. Will her sister live or die? And how long should she stay when each day brings the risk of what she most dreads, a confrontation with Deborah’s Moroccan ex-lover, Hassan? At stake is all she holds dear… ‘

Secrets of the Pomegranate deals with topical themes such as inter-cultural relationships and the moral dilemmas around truth and lies – whether personal or political. It explores, with compassion, sensitivity and – despite the tragic events – humour, the complicated ties between sisters, between mothers and sons and between lovers, set against a background of cultural difference and prejudices rooted in Granada’s long history of Muslim-Christian struggles for power.

“Lamplugh does a great job of unveiling a little at a time – but still maintaining tension until the surprise of the final revelation.” Rebecca Foster, Bookbag

Buy Links

About the Author

Barbara Lamplugh has been writing since the 1970s. Her love of adventure and travel took her first on an overland journey to Kathmandu, which inspired her to write Kathmandu by Truck (1976) and then on the Trans-Siberian railway, by boat to Japan and around SE Asia, which led to her second book, Trans-Siberia by Rail (1979). Becoming a mother put a stop to such long travels but not to writing. She turned instead to fiction, inspired by the often fascinating and unexpected stories of ordinary people she came across in her work in the community. She also wrote occasional articles for magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian and Times Educational Supplement. In 1999, with her two children now independent, she moved to Granada in Spain, where Secrets of the Pomegranate is set. Her encounters and experiences of life in Granada provide her with abundant inspiration. For several years she worked as a features writer for Living Spain magazine, contributing around a hundred articles on topics ranging from Olive Oil to Machismo to Spanish names. Alongside her writing, she teaches English, edits and translates. With two children and five grandchildren in the UK, she makes regular visits there. Other passions include cycling, dancing, travel, jazz and reading.