Tag Archives: authors

Trail of the Heart by Kathleen Pendoley

Today on Celtic Connexions, I’m welcoming Kathleen Pendoley and her novel, Trail of the Heart.
Kathleen Pendoley

Blurb

Marriage can be challenging, divorce harder still, which is how Jordan Roberts finds herself in the middle of a two thousand-mile backpacking journey. Resilient has become her middle name, and it’s about time she figured out what she wants without anyone else’s input.

Jordan is desperate for a few days’ rest, but her friends bail on her last minute due to a plumbing mishap. Not hanging her out to dry completely, they find a host willing to take her in.

Adam Beck is used to running things. Together, he and his lifelong friend, Jonathan Wilson, started their own robotics company. Leading the way in state-of-the-art surgical care, Advanced Automation is committed to saving lives.

Obligated to do his friend a favor, Adam gladly opens his doors to a woman who appears half vagrant, half forest sprite. Different in every way, Jordan soon has Adam considering a life outside the boardroom.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned. Accidents happen, and people get hurt. Ex-husbands refuse to stay away, and there are often strange goings-on in the forest.

Jordan attempts to meet each situation head-on, but when her best trail friend is hurt the most, will her newly found romance be strong enough to withstand the pressure?

Come along on a journey of dreams, some dashed, others fulfilled, and the best ones: those that come true.

Kathleen Pendoley

Book Links

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58705164-trail-of-the-heart

Buy Links – https://mybook.to/trailoftheheart-zbt

My Review

A good love story. I loved Jordan’s character and the group she hiked with. Her best friend, Edge, is a man of few words but is there for her. And then there’s Adam.

Kathleen Pendoley brought all the characters to life, each with their own foibles. I’ll definitely be reading more books from this author.

About Kathleen Pendoley

Kathleen Pendoley

Kathleen spends her days toggling between writing and anything active: walking in the woods with her pups, kayaking, bike riding, and cross-country skiing—weather permitting. A to-the-marrow New Englander, she’s obsessed with cake, yoga, and self-actualization. Her favorite place to connect with readers is on Facebook.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/authorkathleenpendoley

Kathleen Pendoley

A Mother’s Love by Hazel Eggleton

I’m thrilled to be part of this book tour promoting A Mother’s Love by Hazel Eggleton.
Hazel Eggleton

Blurb

In a quiet Cornish town, secrets run as deep as the ocean. Meryan’s confession to her husband’s murder shocks the community and shatters her family.

But all is not as it seems.

After serving her sentence, Meryan, fuelled by a need for justice and the crushing weight of her own guilt, embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth.

But, as she delves into her husband’s past, she stumbles upon a sinister web of crime.

When her life is threatened, her only hope lies in the hands of her determined daughter, who refuses to let her mother’s sacrifice be in vain.

Can they overcome the darkest currents or will they be dragged under?

A Mother’s Love is a gripping thriller that explores the depths of love, loyalty, betrayal and the power of a mother’s unyielding determination.

Hazel Eggleton

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209170939-a-mother-s-love

Buy Links: https://mybook.to/amotherslove-zbt

My Review

How far would you go to protect your children?

Meryan’s character is headstrong and stubborn. Too much so for her own good. In over her head, it’s her daughter who comes to her rescue.

I enjoyed the book. I would have read it in one day, but life happens and things don’t go to plan. This is the first book by this author that I’ve read, and I’m certain it won’t be my last.

About Hazel Eggleton

Hazel Eggleton

Hazel Eggleton is a linguist by profession, having taught at University College School, Hampstead, for the majority of her career.

Now retired, she devotes her spare time to writing novels. To date she has written two children’s ghost stories – one of which reached the finals of the Britwriters awards in 2011 – a young adult novel on the theme of gambling and two adult psychological thrillers.

Hazel lives in St Albans.

You can follow Hazel at these links:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HEggleton

Hazel Eggleton

Not All There by Jane Barron de Burgh #excerpt

I’m thrilled to be able to share with you an excerpt from Not All There by Jane Barron de Burgh.

Jane Barron de Burgh

This cover lends itself to all sorts of wonderment, doesn’t it?
Jane Barron de Burgh

Blurb

Claude’s mother is dead.

Except she won’t stay that way.

She’s back with her family and none of them know what to do about it.

Is there a name for someone who is only sort of dead? And why does Claude feel like he’s the only one celebrating her return?

‘Not All There’ is a character study of grief and the people who experience it, told through the eyes of a bewildered child who struggles to make sense of the death of his mother, Mary and her re-emergence as a ghost.

Familial relationships are tested as Claude, Patience and their father try to answer the question – ‘What do we do about Mary?’

Excerpt

Claude didn’t experience his mother’s death first hand; in fact, neither Claude nor his sister Patience, nor their father had any firsthand experience of Mary’s death. Claude does not even remember how the news was broken to him.

It was simply, understandably, not a memory he wished to preserve and polish, instead just the act of leaving it dormant caused the memory to quickly grow faded. For it does not do to dwell on melancholy. For those who want to know, however, I shall indulge. John, Claude’s father, got the call with Claude beside him. There is a certain expression that falls across a father’s face, when something truly terrible has happened. It erases whatever was worn before it so completely that it can never be recaptured. I hope for your sake you never see that happen.

Claude was not so lucky. He saw the wide eyes, the shudder in his father’s shoulder, how his jaw froze as he tried to take a gasp of air; it whistled down his throat. Claude saw the look in his father’s eyes as they grew blank. His father looked down at Claude’s own searching gaze. Hooded eyes weighed with the heavy burden that said ‘I have to tell my children their mother is dead.’ To Claude the words were just confirmation of what he had already seen in his father’s face. As for his sister, Patience? Oh my, you should have seen how she cried. But this is not her story.

Claude had, very rarely, considered the possibility of his mother dying. Usually after discovering that a fictional hero he had been reading about was, despite their superpowers, motherless. It had never made him feel sad due to the fact it had seemed impossible. The only orphans Claude knew were the ones that existed between the pages of books, but now here he was, a half-orphan and to Claude the vexation of being a half-orphan was all the more tragic as it had none of the romanticism of being a full orphan.

There was silence at the hospital for few people know what to say upon the event of a death. It’s not going to be all right and being told that, isn’t going to help either. I’ll warn you now that time will not heal all, the magical properties of time do not extend this far. Personally, I’ve found that a day thirteen years later feels much worse than a good week thirteen months after the event. Beware the fluid and tempestuous waves of grief.

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35617352-not-all-there

Buy Links: https://mybook.to/notallthere-zbt

About Jane Barron de Burgh

Jane Barron de Burgh

Jane Barron de Burgh is an Essex based author and poet. They graduated from the Open University with a Masters in English in 2022. They are a keen student of Oulipo and found poetry.

Published by Castle Priory Press, Not All There, is their first literary novella and deals with themes of childhood grief.

You can follow Jane at these links:

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556083952092

Twitter: https://twitter.com/makepeacelvjoy

Website: https://janebarrondeburgh.co.uk/

Jane Barron de Burgh

The Perfect Couple by Jane McLoughlin

I’m happy to host Jane McLoughlin and her debut adult novel, The Perfect Couple, here on Celtic Connexions.

Perfect Couple

Perfect Couple

The Perfect Couple Blurb

It was meant to be the perfect year abroad.

Rob assures me it will be an adventure for us: a year in England living in a gothic mansion. He has a new job and, as his wife, I’ll support him. It will be good for our marriage.

But as soon as we arrive at the house it starts.

The noises.

The voices.

Why can no one else hear anything?

The boy.

Why can no one else see him?

And now Rob is acting strangely. Distant. Dismissive. When I raise it he gets angry. He tells me it’s all in my head. But I can hear the bells in the woods. I can see the boy.

I make friends but I feel they know more than they tell me. Worst of all, they freeze when I tell them where I’m from. Who I am.

I feel myself unravelling. I’m not wrong. There is a secret here that everyone knows. Everyone except me.

This trip of a lifetime is turning into a perfect nightmare.

Book Links

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208277755-the-perfect-couple-an-addictive-psychological-thriller-with-a-shocking-t
Buy Links – https://mybook.to/perfectcouple-zbt

My Review

Jacey and her husband (a University professor) relocated to the UK from America so he could teach in England for one year. The school owns the manor house they moved into, and visiting teachers make their home in it. Malin House is reputedly haunted.

Secrets and ties to Nana Ivy, who grew up in Cambridgeshire, and other strange things happen to Jacey. One recurring phenomenon is the vision of a little boy in summer clothes that only she can see. Who is he?

I enjoyed Jane McLoughlin’s writing style. I’m sure I’ll be looking for more of her books in the future.

About the Author

Perfect Couple

Jane McLoughlin was born and raised in the USA, but has spent most of her adult life in the UK. A former teacher, she has previously published novels for young people, which were nominated for various awards, including the Carnegie Award and the Branford Boase Prize. She has two grown up children, and lives in Brighton. The Perfect Couple is her debut novel for adults.

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JBMcLoughlin

Website: https://janemcloughlinwriter.com/

The Dress by Minnette Meador #bookblitz

Today, at Celtic Connexions, I’m featuring a new release from an author new to me, Minnette Meador. So, without any further ado, shall we check out this book?

Minnette Meador

Blurb

THE DRESS, a comedy of oddities

an urban fantasy by Minnette Meador

Finnigan Harshmiere (Fin to her friends), was odd. Not in the normal sense of the word, but actually, truly, unbelievably odd. So when she is invited to her senior prom, her oddity not only gets her into trouble but creates a miracle she never saw coming. Comedy

“Finnigan Harshmiere (Fin to her friends), was odd. Not in the normal sense of the word, but actually, truly, unbelievably odd.

Dropped on her head as a baby by a stunned doctor, she came out of her mother quietly, with only a small yawn and blinking eyes to greet him. He smacked her twice to make sure, but all she did was scowl at him. Thus the dropping.

As she grew, “like a weed in the garden” as Grandmo used to say, the oddness grew as well.

She liked to stack her toys to play with them, and not just blocks; dolls, books, gizmos, gadgets, everything went into a perfectly straight tower with nary a crook or lean. Fin would spend hours as a child admiring her work and laughing and laughing.”

Buy Link

Amazon

About the Author

Minnette Meador

BIOGRAPHY

Somewhere between thirty and dust…red hair, blue eyes…six kids, one slightly used husband, and any number of pets from time to time… wanttabe hippy… wanttheirmoney yuppie… pro musician and actress for 20 Years… native Oregonian… lover of music, beauty, and all things green. Willing slave to the venerable muse. Minnette currently resides in Lincoln City, Oregon with her husband, having replaced the children with two cats. The cats pretty much run the show. Her novels include:

NOVELS & NOVELLAS:

Starsight, Volume I, II, epic fantasy, (Amazon)

The Centurion & The Queen, Book I in the Centurion Series, historical romance (Amazon)

The Edge of Honor, historical romance, Book II in the Centurion Series (Amazon)

The Gladiator Prince, historical romance, Book III in the Centurion Series (Amazon)

A Ghost of a Chance, paranormal romantic comedy, Book I in the Ghost Series (Amazon)

The Belle Stalker, urban fantasy thriller (Amazon)

Nogero, alternate universe fantasy (Amazon)

Phantom Hearts, paranormal romantic comedy, a Ghost Series Book

Writers’ Tips, Tricks, & Traumas, a book of writing tools (Amazon)

The Dress, a comedy of oddities, Novella (Amazon)

A Boy & His Wizards, a children’s read-aloud book as M.A. Smith (Amazon)

NEW WORKS IN THE WORKS:

The Pirate Prince, historical romance, Book IV (Amazon) 2024

Arpeggios in the Dark, sci-fi 2024

Wy’East, Book II, Urban Fantasy Thriller 2024

Haunted Hearts, Book II in the Ghost Series, paranormal romantic comedy (Amazon) 2025

Starsight, The God Wars (prequel), epic fantasy – 2025

Starsight, The Restless Seed (sequel), epic fantasy – 2025

 

Val Penny brings us Hunter’s Christmas and other stories

#HUNTERSCHRISTMASANDOTHERSTORIES

I’m thrilled to be part of this blog tour of short stories penned by Val Penny. New and old characters are found between the pages. The first story, Hunter’s Christmas, is a tie-in to her DI Hunter Crime Series.
Val Penny

 

Val Penny

Blurb

DI Hunter Wilson is looking forward to spending a holiday in India with his girlfriend Dr Meera Sharma, away from the cold, wet winter of Edinburgh. He looks to share his happiness with others when he is attacked by Santa Claus, he says.

His team swing into action to catch his attackers but then receive information about an elf found dead in a car park and a car stolen by Mrs Claus.

Are the crimes by these Christmas characters connected?

Can Hunter’s team restore peace and good will to Christmas?

Hunter’s Christmas and Other Stories includes tales about DI Hunter Wilson and DS Jane Renwick along with those about new and different characters in this gripping collection of short stories especially for crime fiction readers.

My Review


I found this collection of short stories most entertaining. I admit I was partial to the stories with characters from Val’s DI Hunter Wilson series, and its spin-off series featuring Jane Renwick and Rachael.

I loved the tie-in with Hunter’s Christmas to the sixth book in the series, Hunter’s Rules. Not sure if that classifies as a spoiler or not, but you can read the short story without having read the book or vice versa with no compromise.

Entertaining shorts. Just what a body needs after the Christmas holidays.

Book Links

amazon.co.uk

About Val Penny

Val Penny

Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats.

She has a Llb from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer.

However she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels. Her crime novels, The DI Hunter Wilson and Jane Renwick Thrillers, are published by SpellBound Books.

Author Links

Website – www.valpenny.com

Amazon Author Page – www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK

Author Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

Author Twitter Page –  @valeriepenny

Author Instagram Page – www.instagram.com/valerieepenny/

Starting 2024 out on the right foot

I’m uber thrilled to say that not just one, but both of my books that I entered in the Author Shout 2024 Reader Ready Awards received a silver “Recommended” Read badge! How’s that for starting 2024 out on the right foot? Isn’t it pretty?

Starting 2024

 

It Happened at Percé Rock – Book 3 of my It Happened series…

Beaches meets Born on the 4th of July

Starting 2024

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

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

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

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

Should you wish to buy a copy of It Happened at Percé Rock, you can do so at this link: books2read.com

It Happened at Percé Rock features Melissa, the youngest member of the Scott family.

It Happened at Lake Louise – Book 4 of my It Happened series

Only the Brave meets Fallen Angel

Starting 2024

 

A new name. A new look. A new identity. But is it enough?

Lori Brownlee, a victim of childhood sex abuse, has relocated to Calgary to try to put the sordid past and its unpleasant memories behind her. Although it’s been years, specific triggers bring the past roaring back.

Christopher Scott has also suffered a painful past. He currently works in the Oil Sands and, when he’s at work, entrusts the care of his Great Dane to his neighbour.

While Christopher is at work, the nightmare of the distant wildfires becomes a reality. During the mandatory evacuation on May 3, 2016, the dog runs away. With no time to spare searching for the animal, the family flees for their own safety.

Lori, an animal lover, spots the Great Dane on the news. She drops everything and rushes to Fort McMurray to rescue him.

She connects with Christopher Scott through social media, and they agree to meet near the Chateau Lake Louise so she can reunite him with his pet.

Can Christopher move beyond his pain and form a meaningful relationship with Lori? Will Lori’s past come back to haunt her?

The buy link for this book is at this link: books2read

It Happened at Lake Louise features Christopher, the eldest Scott sibling.

I’m definitely starting 2024 out on the right foot, and it hasn’t even arrived yet! I’m hoping that it’s a good omen.

 

 

 

Her Mother’s Daughter by Brian O’Rourke

I’m pleased to be part of the book tour for Her Mother’s Daughter by Brian O’Rourke.
mother's daughter

 

 

 

mother's daughter
Blurb

Amanda writes dark fiction. Now one fan is bringing her work to life.

Amanda is enjoying her life – she’s a successful author who has finally managed to give up her day job.

But then an ex-colleague is murdered in an exact reenactment of a killing from one of Amanda’s books. Even worse, Amanda had publicly quarreled with the dead woman and now finds herself a person of interest to the police.

Then it happens a second time. Another person with whom Amanda had publicly fought is murdered. And again, the method used to kill is lifted straight from the pages of one of her books.

It’s clear that someone is out to get Amanda. But who? And why?

With the police seeing her as the prime suspect, Amanda is desperate to discover the person behind these grisly killings.

As she digs for the truth, Amanda is forced to look into her own family’s troubled past, where she uncovers a web of secrets and lies far more shocking than anything she has ever written…

Her Mother’s Daughter – the chilling psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The New Husband and The Only Son.

My Review

This book hooked me on page one and didn’t let go. Amanda, a crime novelist, has a painful past. Her mother has been running for years to avoid being captured and tried for murder. Now, people known to Amanda are being murdered and posed to match scenes in her crime novels. The murderer could be almost anyone. Her neighbour/best friend? Her fugitive mother? Her ex-boyfriend? The list of suspects is long, and the author kept me guessing right until he was ready to reveal who was behind these bizarre murders.

This is the first book I’ve read by Brian O’Rourke, and it certainly won’t be my last.

Book Links

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202499063-her-mother-s-daughter

Buy Links – https://mybook.to/mothersdaughter-zbt

About the Author

mother's daughter
Brian R. O’Rourke has been writing stories since he was eight years old. A lifelong, avid reader, Brian believes that fiction has the power to change the world. He enjoys spending time with his family, exercising, playing the violin, and golfing.

This is his third psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.

You can follow Brian on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/brianr.orourke/

Vengeance is in her Heart by Cassius Cox #review

Today, I’m happy to be hosting Vengeance is in Her Heart by Cassius Cox.

Vengeance

Blurb

As a girl Catherine Hart loses the person she loved most, her father. In his absence she is subjected to abuse of the worst kind.

In her late teens she finds the strength to fight back, to be the girl her father trained her to be.

As a woman she escapes her dark thoughts by caring for others, until once again life reminds her how disgustingly unfair it can be when her best friend is subjected to a devastating brutal attack.

Catherine’s choice is justice or revenge.

With vengeance in her heart, she reigns down terror and violence upon those she deems guilty.

But in doing so, has she denied herself any chance of being loved again?

Being loved is all she wanted, it’s what we all want…isn’t it?

Vengeance

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199548639-vengeance-is-in-her-heart

Buy Links: https://mybook.to/vengeanceheart-zbt

My Review

Catherine, aka Cat, vows revenge on the men who attacked her friend, Hayley. It’s either justice or revenge, and she doesn’t put much faith in the justice system.>
Her father died when she was young, and after that, she was subjected to abuse. Still, in her late teens, she picks herself up and vows to be what her father trained her to be.

Cat is complicated. She has baggage and lots of it. She’s seeing a therapist to work through her problems and depression. Still, she works in a care home and enjoys her job working with the elderly.

Even the secondary characters, Bill and Betty, are great! They play off each other well.

The book was well-written and fast-paced. I likely would have finished it in one sitting, but ‘life’ happens and interrupted my reading.

About the Author

Vengeance

Born in Dorking, Surrey England.

I love stories, whether it be in film, book, or music. If it moves me emotionally, then I am sold. As a child I used books or films to escape reality, in fact I probably still do. My happy place is the cinema.

My favourite genre is psychological thriller, I prefer a story that is emotionally driven, the darker the better. But I am happy to be recommended a good book in any genre. My favourite work of fiction is One Day by David Nicholls and my favourite non-fiction is Stephen King’s On Writing.

I’ve suffered with depression since I was in my early teens, I’d rather not have it as it’s a daily battle to keep going, but when it comes to my writing I would say it’s a strength.

I am a huge sports fan. I love boxing, MMA and football. These days I am coaching kids football rather than playing. I love watching live sport, you might see me at the Meadowbank stadium watching my local team Dorking Wanderers, or at The London Stadium watching West Ham or even at Wembley watching England.

Favourite holiday destinations are Woolacombe in Devon, Centre Parcs, Florida, Vegas and Thailand.

I enjoy going jogging or going to the gym, but I also like a drink and a takeaway so the two probably count each other out. I’m far from perfect. Who is?

You can follow Cassius at these links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CassiusCox1966

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/grahammarkcox

Website: https://cassiuscox.com/

Topaz by Richard Robinson ~ #review #SpellBoundBooks

Topaz

Topaz

BLURB

It’s the summer of 1995. The US Peace Envoy, Fred Martinson, begins to broker a peace deal for Northern Ireland. The world holds its breath as the first tentative steps are taken. Jones, an 18-year-old from suburban England, has stumbled through education and yearns to be a football reporter. He is offered a place at Milton College, a former secretarial school with a clandestine partnership with GCHQ in seeking the communication stars of the future.

Before he knows it, Jones has been recruited, paired with Jenny Richmond, who is every bit his equal, and sent to Northern Ireland to undertake skills development and resilience testing with the Young Communicators Unit (YCU).Training becomes a matter of life and death when a group of trainee spies learning on the job are betrayed to their death, and their most promising member, Isadora Brown, is taken hostage. MI5 and YCU are sent a video of her reading demands by a mysterious organisation called Red Line.What if a group of young trainees were forced onto the frontline to deal with one of the most sensitive issues in UK history? What if political relations were so sensitive at the end of The Cold War, that only a group of deniable students could change history and keep super powers from ruining the first steps of a peace deal in Northern Ireland?It’s a race against the clock to find and free Isadora, and make sure the US peace talks aren’t sent up in flames.But who, exactly, is betraying who?

EXCERPT

PROLOGUE THE SOUND OF RUPTURED METAL FROM THE PARKING BAY GAVE WAY TO a horrific explosion as the Fiat burst through the hydraulic doors and its fuel tank spectacularly detonated. The flames burst high into the rafters of the warehouse and the press and terrified MI5 agent sprinted to the back of the room. The double doors leading to the main room were then kicked open and standing there was a single gunman in a paramilitary balaclava. He held a pistol and in one shot killed the policeman, who was already prostrate on the “oor from the impact of the car explod‐ ing. The gunman then looked around the room, he stared over at the assembled media with his gun still raised and without blinking picked out the agent who took a shot to the head and immediately collapsed.

Topaz knew that they were safe behind the metal fence at the top of the viewing gallery. They needed to stay quiet and motionless but all three were still peering over the balcony, trans!xed on the scene. Jones was sure one of the journalists had noticed them but the horror of the unfolding situation had kept their attention away from the figures hidden in the rafters.“Where is he?” shouted the gunman, with a clear and unmistakable English accent. Topaz recognised the voice.

 

TOPAZ BUY LINKS

https://www.thetopazfiles.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Topaz-stunning-espionage-thriller-debut/dp/1739492633/

REVIEW

TopazEspionage isn’t my go-to for reading, but the premise of this book piqued my curiosity.
The unrest between Ireland and Northern Ireland has always been there, but add in some paramilitary groups, terrorists, and trainee spooks, and it turns into quite the melting pot.
The author has done an excellent job of tying these elements together. Fiction spun around actual events.
After reading this book by Richard Robinson, I’ll be watching for more books by him.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY 

Topaz

Richard lives in East Anglia with his wife and two daughters. He is a trained journalist and spent his early years freelancing or in agency positions across the UK, including a stint in Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s. He then transferred to the third sector, working in charities focusing on issues as diverse as international development (in India and Bangladesh), air ambulance operations, music and the creative industries, mental health and homelessness. He also acted as Chief Executive of the Olympic Park charity during London 2012.

He is currently the CEO of Hourglass, the UK’s only charity focused on ending the abuse and neglect of older people, a job he applied for after a family experience of neglect.

Richard wrote his first novel in the early 2000s but this has yet to see the light of day. Instead, he started with a new idea in 2020 and Topaz was born. He has written two more in the Topaz Files series, Wild Flowers and The Mainstay, which are expected to be published in 2024. 

He is also happily in the dugout for Boxford Rovers F.C. on a Saturday, a committed cratedigger (vinyl collector) and can occasionally be seen in the stands at Loftus Road and Windsor Park.