Tag Archives: Joanna Lambert

The Other Side of Morning by Joanna Lambert #romance #giveaway #booktrailer

The Other Side of Morning Tour Banner

The Other Side of Morning

by

Joanna Lambert

 

Other Side of Morning

Genre: Romance

Release Date: 8 March 2014

Publisher: ThornBerry Publishing

Fashion designer Thérèse D’Alesandro has recently moved into Higher Padbury Manor with daughter Felica and stepson Marco. Joining forces with Ella Benedict’s exclusive functions venue Lawns at Little Court, she is about to open a bridal boutique.

Working in London where he manages his father’s European restaurant chain, Marco has both the looks and charm to guarantee him any woman; any woman, that is, except the one he wants: Ella’s niece Charlotte. Marco knows he should walk away as she’s already involved with rock star Christian Rosetti and is the most rude and argumentative female he has ever encountered, but Charlotte has sparked strong feelings within him; feelings which despite her attitude, he senses she is also experiencing.

Recently returned from abroad and now working for her father’s record company, Lucy Benedict has discovered Christian’s guilty secrets – ones he has been keeping safely hidden from her cousin Charlotte. Determined to cause mischief and at the same time settle her own score with the arrogant star, she sets in motion a chain of events which sees Charlotte eventually beginning a relationship with Marco.

Rossana Caravello, the D’Alesandros’s newly-arrived house guest, is due to inherit the one of Italy’s premier vineyards on her eighteenth birthday. Aware they would make an excellent addition to her husband Gianlucca’s international business portfolio and eager to bring them into his possession, Thérèse sets about engineering a match between Rossana and Marco, determined nothing will stand in her way… including Charlotte.

From rural West Somerset to the glorious rolling landscape of Tuscany and the Italian Lakes THE OTHER SIDE OF MORNING is a story of love, betrayal, deception and ultimate sacrifice.

VIDEO TRAILER

https://youtu.be/37hGyB4WVPc

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

ABOUT JOANNA LAMBERT

Other Side of Morning

Born and raised in rural Wiltshire, Jo grew up with a love of books and a vivid imagination. As a child she enjoyed creating her own stories and reading them to her friends. College, work and eventually marriage meant writing was kept very much as a hobby. Her career as a board level PA eventually moved into management and it wasn’t until 2009 that she finally realised her long term goal of publishing her first novel – When Tomorrow Comes.

Juggling work and writing, three other connected books – Love Lies and Promises, The Ghost of You and Me and Between Today and Yesterday – followed. They became collectively known as the Little Court Series.

In 2013 she decided to give up full time work to concentrate on her writing. Two books have been written since – The Other Side of Morning, which finally wrapped up the Little Court Series and Summer Moved On, book one of a two-part love story set in South Devon. Although you can find her characters in glamorous locations like Italy, Grand Cayman, Bali and Australia, the core of her writing remains with village life, an environment she knows and loves. When she isn’t writing, she reviews for Hodder and Stoughton, Brook Cottage Books and NetGalley. Jo lives in a village on the eastern edge of Bath with her husband, one small grey feline called Mollie and a green MGB GT. She loves travel, red wine and rock music.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jolambert185?fref=ts

Twitter: Twitter: @jolambertwriter

Goodreads: /thewriterwhoreads

Instagram: taurusgirl185

Google+ Googleplus: google.com/+JoLambert

Website: http://jolambertbooks.com

Blog:  http://jolambertwriter.wordpress.com

GIVEAWAY

1st Prize – Paperback (open internationally) x 2

2nd Prize – Ebook x 2

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SUMMER MOVED ON by Joanna Lambert plus Guest Post

summer

SUMMER MOVED ON

BY JOANNA LAMBERT

 

summer

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.

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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 Metrouble 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

 

summer

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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summer

Interview with author Joanna Lambert

Hi Joanna, and welcome to my little corner of Canada. I’m so glad you were able to come at this time of year. I’ve booked us tickets to tour the Fulford Mansion and in the lead-up to Christmas it’s gorgeous with all the Victorian era decorations. The lunch in the tea room is delicious and I heartily recommend you try the tourtiere which is a French-Canadian meat pie traditionally served at Christmas but yummy any time of the year,so we’ll start our visit with a bite to eat.

What is the title of your latest book? Is it a continuation of your Behind Blue Eyes Saga or are you introducing us to an entire new cast of characters?

My current WIP is called The Other Side of Morning and yes, it continues with the Little Court characters, moving on six years from Between Today and Yesterday (we’re now in 1996). Most of the original saga characters like Matt, Ella, Niall, Rachel and Jenny are now in support roles. Ella and Jenny’s daughters Lucy and Charlotte are central to the story as is Christian Rosetti who fronted the rock band Rosetti in Between Today and Yesterday. One of Niall and Rachel’s twins – nineteen year old Caitlyn (Kayte) also features. New characters include the glamorous D’Alesandro family who have recently moved into Higher Padbury Manor. Ex-model Thérèse is now a fashion designer and is about to open a bridal boutique in collaboration with Ella who has turned the manor into an exclusive functions venue. Thérèse’s daughter Felica has followed in her mother’s footsteps as a designer and stepson Gianmarco (Marco) manages the family’s European restaurant chain. Father Gianlucca is based in Milan where he runs his leisure empire of hotels, health spas and restaurants. This time I’ve written a love story but it’s lots of other things too – as always it is about conflict, family loyalties and deception and, of course, things do not appear as they seem.

This will be your fifth book? How do you balance your writing life with your working and home lives? And let’s not forget promoting your books.

I must admit it has been very difficult. Being a writer, as you probably know from your own experience, is a very lonely occupation. You have to hide yourself away and concentrate on the job in hand. Even reducing my working hours to half time, I had to balance writing with day to day claims on my time, socialising and not making my husband feel left out. Luckily he has a classic car which he has been rebuilding and that takes up a good deal of his time. Now I’m happy to say I am a full time writer and absolutely loving it!

As for marketing, well I don’t think I’ve given enough time to this mostly because of my work commitments. However now I’ve finished my 9 – 5 I will be able to concentrate on getting the books out there. All four existing books have received very good reviews on Amazon; it’s just a matter of building on that.

In one or two sentences, can you tell us what The Other Side of Morning is about?

This is the fifth book in the Little Court series but can be read as a stand-alone.
Charlotte Kendrick falls for beautiful Italian Marco D’Alesandro. Coming out of a bad relationship she is learning to trust again, but is he all he seems to be or is she being played for a fool again?

What part of writing The Other Side of Morning did you like the best? Least?

I absolutely love the writing; creating the characters, setting the scenes and blending them both into the plot. I also found the promotional video for Between Today and Yesterday fun to put together and quite easy with Windows Live Movie Maker – although the promo is being handled by Cathy Helms at Avalon Graphics this time. And the part I like the least? I think it has to be editing. It’s a long repetitive chore, however at the end of the day it’s essential. That first draft can be very deceptive. You think you’ve written a brilliant novel but it’s only when you go back and start reading through that you can see where things could be better. And it’s not just structure, the timeline and character descriptions have to be right as well. I’ve read books where eye and hair colour have changed. Although people may wonder how on earth that can happen I do sympathise, a book is a huge project and it is so easy for this to happen. Because of this the editing process, although maybe not as enjoyable as the writing, is equally important.

Who was your favourite character to write?

I think it has to be Ella. She has been in all four books and in the fifth she still features but in a less central role. I wanted to create a feisty heroine; she needed to be that for what she was to experience in the trilogy. Quite innocently she returned to live with her mother (Mel) wanting to get to know her and make up for lost years. Unfortunately she had no idea how manipulative her mother was and how she was about to be used to further her ambitions. She was tricked into marrying a good looking womaniser and kept from the man she really loved by deceit and lies. I created her as a calm, wise-beyond-her years character, although there were rare moments when she did lose her cool. However for the most part she coped extremely well with all I put her through. Main characters do have to be strong and by the time we had reached the fourth book and she inherited Little Court, she had become a woman very much in the image of her grandmother Laura: resilient, astute and very capable. It’s worth noting that many readers have also told me Ella is their favourite character. And for this new book Charlotte has proved a worthy successor to Ella’s crown.

When will it be available?

I’m on schedule with the edits at the moment so hopefully am looking for a publication date in early 2014.

Do you have your cover yet? Are you planning a big ‘cover reveal’ splash?

Yes, I have a cover designed as usual by Jane Dixon Smith who I have to say is totally brilliant! I actually approached her to create it before I wrote the book. The end result was something quite awesome – I think it’s the best of all my book covers. There was one moment of doubt when I thought I’d been rather hasty. My biggest worry was whether I could actually write a book good enough for that cover but I have to say I’m very pleased with how my WIP has turned out. As for a ‘cover reveal’ splash, well the cover has already been revealed but I will of course be promoting it nearer the publication date.

For those of you who may not have seen this fabulous cover before, here it is.

TheOtherSideOfMorningIs there anything you want to add that we’ve not touched on yet?

Only that I hope readers enjoy the Other Side of Morning as much as my other four books. Thank you Melanie so much for having me as a guest on your blog.

It’s been a pleasure to host you here today, Joanna. I hope you enjoyed your tour of the Fulford Mansion and our lunch in the tea room.

About Joanna:

JoBorn and raised in rural Wiltshire, I’ve always been a country girl at heart. Currently I live on the eastern edge of Bath in a beautiful village set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Here I have the best of both worlds – there is Bath with its fabulous history and architecture, its cafes, restaurants, cinemas and theatre – and of course wonderful shopping! Then there is this village where within minutes you can he walking in open countryside with fabulous views.

I’m married, own one small grey female feline called Mollie (although I rather think she owns me!) and live with my husband and Bridget, his other woman a 47 year old white MG Midget – a fairly happy menage a trois!

Joanna’s links:

Website
Blog
email
Google+
Twitter: @jolambertwriter
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