Coming soon ……..the ideas don’t stop!

Join us on 1 August 2011 to celebrate the launch of  featured new Author Sue Johnson’s novel Fable’s Fortune, published by Indigo Dreams.

Coming up on 8 September 2011 another celebration –  Sue Watson’s tale entitled  Fat Girls & Fairy Cakes goes on sale, courtesy of Rickshaw Publishing.

We will be showing extracts from both these novels that can’t be read anywhere else!  So do come back and help us celebrate loveahappyending.com style!  We would also like to know what you would like our future book ‘launches’ to include.  Do you find small extracts tempting, or would you prefer to see a few pages lifted from the story?  You can post a comment or click on our Feedback contact link on the righthand side of the website.

So who else will we be talking to on our ‘magazine style’ blog?

We will be talking to publishers – Indigo Dreams and Rickshaw Publishing will be featuring on our blog in the coming weeks to talk to you, our readers, about what is happening in publishing today and giving an inside view of what it’s like on the other side of the fence!  We will be asking them what they think of our innovative and new interactive website – asking them about what does make a difference in today’s changing world.

We also have our very own Resident Astrologer – Shaz Goodwin, who is on hand to talk to our new Authors and Associate Readers about how their star signs affect them –  Shaz’s Stars. But does Shaz have anything else in store to surprise us?  I’ve been sworn to secrecy, so you will just have to keep coming back to see what’s going to be on offer!

We will also be launching a new graphic to head up Shaz’s articles, which has been designed by one of our own new Authors – Lun Kikogne! So thank you Lun – who (by the way) also designed his own book cover … so check out Lun’s author page on the righthand side of our website ——->

And we have new Author Janice Horton wearing her Editor’s hat, as she interviews our wonderful Featured and Associate Readers when they sit down in the Review Chair to talk about some of our authors’ books.  But we want to know all about those readers too, because it’s readers who buy books and feedback is invaluable to our new Authors.

Of course, Editor Missy P Wadkins will be keeping you up to date with all the fun and gossip that comes with being a part of this innovative interactive website, and The Fizz will be full of snippets on our magazine style blog.

If you see one of our new Authors or meet up with them online – please contact us as Missy would be delighted to hear about your interaction!  Photographs would be fun……

Also coming soon is new Author Mandy Baggot doing just a little ‘mingling’ to report back on how important music is to aid inspiration whilst writers sit glued to the keyboard….

If you buy one of our authors’ books because of our website, then tell us so we can shout about it.  If you don’t want to be interviewed that’s fine, we understand, but we would like to acknowledge ALL levels of support.  We are grateful if you choose one of our authors books to help an unknown, one book at a time….  a simple Email via our ‘Feedback’ Contact Us page and why your hand selected that book…….. sharing is caring!

So whether you are someone who wants to join our team and take an active part, or you are just visiting the website to read what’s going on – we love having you and we appreciate your support.  Hope to see you again soon!

Ceri

Welcome to Patricia Sands …

Everyone at lovehappyending.com is delighted to welcome new Author Patricia Sands, as her author’s page goes live here today!  Patricia lives in Toronto, Canada and has a very busy family life with seven adult children and, at last count, six grandchildren!  She devotes quite a bit of time to her love of photography as well as  promoting her debut novel, The Bridge Club, published through iUniverse.  Read more about Patricia’s intriguing story of life time friendships, check out her new author page on the righthand side of our website ——>

Currently at work on her second novel, Patricia admits the writing muse has possessed her. She is particularly drawn to the rewarding friendships of women and the challenges many embrace once their families are grown. “It’s never too late to begin something new,” she enthuses. “As the saying goes, just do it!”

So a very warm welcome Patricia, we hope you will enjoy taking part and interacting with our Associate Readers.

*** The Bridge Club is included in Barnes & Noble’s “Catch A Rising Star” feature for the month of July with special discounts****

A few words from Patricia about ‘The Bridge Club’:-

“Although this novel is a work of fiction, many of the issues are based on the experiences of my real-life Bridge Club of over forty years. The friendship is certainly true of us. I chose to write about the controversial topic in the final chapter after watching a friend deteriorate intellectually and physically in a locked Alzheimer’s ward at the age of fifty-three. It was shattering to observe.

Throughout the story each of the characters faces challenges and change in her life. The Bridge Club emphasizes how strong friendship helped to enable these changes and demonstrates how these women empowered each other and indeed how much they learned from each other in the process. Change is inevitable and personal growth should always be the outcome. This novel encourages women to feel positive about facing the challenges, large and small, that may arise at any stage of our life and to recognize how building a strong foundation of friendship is a priceless asset in so many ways. Knowing you are offering true friendship to someone is as rewarding as receiving it.”

This is the last day to get entered in the loveahappyending.com contest giveaway. Over 70 books are up for grabs!

Click on the link above and check out the list of authors participating in this fun interactive project with writers and readers. Then, visit the authors individual blogs and leave a comment there telling them why you want to win their book!

It’s simple! But don’t delay. The contest giveaway ends at midnight tonight!

And don’t think it’s all romance books. There are crime, fantasy, paranormal, Young Adult, memoirs… something for everyone.

The Review Chair – 1923: A Memoir

Welcome to our regular Review Chair feature where we link up with our Featured and Associate Readers to discuss a loveahappyending.com author’s book.

1923: A Memoir presents the story of a life lyrically described. Capturing a time both before and during World War II, when personal survival was dependent upon luck and guile and when life, full of raw emotion, was never so real. This book is available as a hardback, a paperback, and also as an e-book.

Our loveahappyending.com featured author is Harry Leslie Smith. Harry was born in England in 1923.  He went on to become a World War 2 Veteran. He has a keen interest in British and European history and contemporary politics. He is fluent in German. Presently, he is working on his next volume of memoirs which deal with his life in post war Germany and the UK. Currently, he divides his time between Canada, Great Britain and Portugal.

In 1923: A Memoir he chronicles the tragic story of his early life. He presents his family’s history of misfortunes and experiences of enduring poverty, infidelity, and abandonment.

Our Associated Reader in The Review Chair is Melanie Robertson-King, who as a native of Ontario, Canada. Melanie spent her pre-school years in a winterized cottage on the shore of the St Lawrence River. Her family moved to town where Melanie received her education. She returned to post-secondary education a number of years later where she received a degree in Computer Programming. Her interests, other than reading include genealogy, photography and travel – particularly to Scotland, as she is the daughter of a Scottish national who came to Canada as a ‘Home Child’ through the auspices of The Orphan Homes of Scotland.  Melanie blogs at Celtic Connexions.

I asked Melanie about her love of reading and if she had any particular reading preferences.

“I read crime, romance, horror, some fantasy, and historical fiction; although the best part of being a reviewer with loveahappyending.com is that you get to discover authors and genres you might not otherwise have read.” When I asked her if she had always been an avid reader she laughs and explains how, as a child, her cousins had bought her a book every year for Christmas. “That could have been the beginning of my love of books.” She then tells how she went on to read the complete series of Nancy Drew (only 33 books in the series back then) along with a number of Alfred Hitchcock mysteries borrowed from the local library before moving on to heavier reading.

So what was Melanie’s verdict of loveahappyending author Harry Leslie Smith’s 1923: A memoir?

“Having never read a memoir, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But from the moment I got involved with loveahappyending.com and selected Harry Leslie Smith’s book to review, I knew I would be a fan of the genre, at least this particular author’s account of his early years.

As an Associated Reviewer for loveahappyending.com you get to choose which authors to support. What in particular made you choose Harry Leslie Smith?

“Just from the brief blurbs on the site, there was a parallel resonance between Harry’s life and my father’s, although comparing the two, my father’s life wasn’t nearly so tragic and poverty-stricken. Although, in their later years, they both fought in Europe during WWII.”

So you felt an immediate connection to the story and the times of Harry’s early years. What is your opinion of his recollections and storytelling?

“Harry doesn’t pull any punches and is brutally honest when reliving his experiences. It’s hard to imagine the type of childhood he experienced in 1920s and 1930s England. In that period, people did what that had to in order to survive, including digging through trash and stealing from others to obtain something to eat. His account of his father’s years of working in the mines until he could no longer work below ground to being pensioned off and shamed out of the family home because of the actions of his mother, who only did what she had to in order to ensure their survival (such as it was). I think it must have been extremely painful for Harry to be able to put his childhood on paper for all to see yet cathartic at the same time.”

And what can you tell us of the rest of his family – do they feature?

Harry is quick to credit his older sister, Mary, for his survival. When she finally leaves home, he’s devastated. They remain close but it’s not the same. When he talks about corresponding with Mary after he’s enlisted with the RAF, you can feel the hurt in his words as he knows they’ve drifted apart.

Melanie, how would you sum up 1923: A Memoir if I asked you to do it in just three words?

“Heartbreaking and uplifting.”

After reading 1923: A Memoir do you think you will read any other books in the same genre?

Well, there are two more chapters forthcoming in this series of Harry’s books. 1947: A Place For The Heart To Kip and the final book, tentatively entitled 1953: Empress of Australia. After reading his first, I’ll definitely be purchasing the next two.”

Links:

Harry Leslie Smith’s loveahappyending author page

Harry Leslie Smith’s Website

To Buy 1923: A Memoir from Amazon UK in Kindle, Paperback or Hardback.

To Buy 1923: A Memoir on Amazon US in Kindle, Paperback or Hardback.

To Buy 1923: A Memoir from Barnes & Noble (Nook)

Link to: Melanie Robertson-King’s Blog – Celtic Connexions

This Review Chair feature has been edited by on behalf of loveahappyending.com by Janice Horton and you can always visit me at my website http://www.janicehorton.co.uk.

If you enjoy reading and would like to be in the spotlight as a Featured Reader on this page, please read the loveahappyending.com associate reader rules and apply. Our authors need readers and in particular they need feedback. As an Associate Reader you will go one step further and affiliate yourself with one or more of our exciting new Authors to make a real difference to their writing career by actively supporting them: spreading the word using your social media and review websites such as Amazon, Goodreads, etc, as well as your own blog. Remember, any reviews featured on the Review Chair will be used not just on this website but by the authors themselves when promoting their books, crediting you as an Associate Reader and Reviewer.

The official launch of http://loveahappyending.com/ is here! Drop by the site and check out the authors.

Lots of giveaways. At last count there were 73 books up for grabs. All you have to do is leave a comment on one of the author’s blogs to be entered into their draw.

I’m thrilled to be an Associate Reader for http://loveahappyending.com/ and my authors – Joanna Lambert, Harry Leslie Smith and Chris Longmuir!

Tomorrow is launch day of loveahappyending.com! Check out this link http://loveahappyending.com/were-all-excited-come-and-see-why/and see what all the fuss is about. And do drop by tomorrow for the official launch.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m now supporting Scottish author and my friend, Chris Longmuir, on http://loveahappyending.com/

Chris’s first crime novel, Dead Wood, won the prestigious Dundee Book Prize in 2009. Her second, Night Watcher, was self-published on Amazon and Smashwords earlier this year.

Since then, her saga A Salt Splashed Cradle has also been self-published. Both of these books flirted in the top 100 best sellers on Amazon and hopefully, with the support and buzz created through this exciting project, they’ll both be back there and higher than ever before!

You can visit Chris’s website at http://www.chrislongmuir.co.uk/ and her blog at http://chrislongmuir.blogspot.com/