Direct from the author / publisher…..

 (PDF from Jason Hershey)

Self published – 25th October 2016

Thelonious “Theo” Mitchell is a down on his luck teenager, wandering aimlessly through life with no desire or focus. When tragedy strikes, he is taken in by his aunt and uncle. Thrown into a new school with unfamiliar surroundings, he befriends the class “troublemaker”. After yet another tragedy, will Theo fall victim to life, or use the tragedy as a spark and motivation to embrace all that life has to offer?

 (e-book from H. A. Leuschel)

Five stories – Five Lives. Have you ever felt confused or at a loss for words in front of a spouse, colleague or parent, to the extent that you have felt inadequate or, worse, a failure? Do you ever wonder why someone close to you seems to endure humiliation without resistance? Manipulators are everywhere. At first these devious and calculating people can be hard to spot, because that is their way. They are often masters of disguise: witty, disarming, even charming in public – tricks to snare their prey – but then they revert to their true self of being controlling and angry in private. Their main aim: to dominate and use others to satisfy their needs, with a complete lack of compassion and empathy for their victim. In this collection of short novellas you meet people like you and me, intent on living happy lives, yet each of them, in one way or another, is caught up and damaged by a manipulative individual. First you meet a manipulator himself, trying to make sense of his irreversible incarceration. Next, there is Tess, whose past is haunted by a wrong decision, then young, successful and well balanced Sophie, who is drawn into the life of a little boy and his troubled father. Next, there is teenage Holly, who is intent on making a better life for herself and finally Lisa, who has to face a parent’s biggest regret. All stories highlight to what extent abusive manipulation can distort lives and threaten our very feeling of self-worth.

 (e-book from Terry Tyler)

Every serial killer is someone’s friend, spouse, lover or child….

Young women are being murdered in the Lincolnshire town of Lyndford, where five people fear someone close to them might be the monster the police are searching for.
One of them is right.

Juliet sees an expert’s profile of the average serial killer and realises that her abusive husband, Paul, ticks all the boxes.

Maisie thinks her mum’s new boyfriend seems too good to be true. Is she the only person who can see through Gary’s friendly, sensitive façade?

Tamsin is besotted with her office crush, Jake. Then love turns to suspicion…

Steve is used to his childhood friend, Dan, being a loud mouthed Lothario with little respect for the truth. But is a new influence in his life leading him down a more sinister path?

Dorothy’s beloved son, Orlando, is keeping a secret from her—a chilling discovery forces her to confront her worst fears.

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW is a character-driven psychological drama that will keep you guessing until the very end.

 (ebook from Julieann Dove)

Dr. Rachel Miller has no recollection of what happened that night she climbed in the car with her husband and he drove recklessly into a tree. She has no clue as to why she survived and he didn’t. Nor does she understand why strangers are coming up to her on the street and telling her things she can’t recall about a life that seems so long ago. But Dane Stone knows.
Dane Stone is Rachel’s business partner…and her deceased husband’s best friend. He knows about the notes, the hotel receipt, and the reason she got in the car that night. It’s for her protection that he keeps the secret, but inside he’s dying to tell her.

 (Paperback from Anna at Reddoor Publishing)

Meet Rachel. She’s trapped in a sleep-deprived world of misery and grief. She used to love being a wife and mum, but now life is a grown-up mess.

Meet Adam. He’s trapped in a world of grief and confusion. It wasn’t always like this, but since the accident, things have never been the same. How can they be when you’ve killed your parents?

Rachel and Adam used to be friends, back in the days before marriage and babies… in the days before loneliness set in. Then along came Facebook. So when Rachel and Adam rekindle their online friendship, what starts as a little harmless flirtation soon becomes an obsession, and slowly the threads of their lives unravel before them.

Because I was Lonely traces the rollercoaster of actions and reactions experienced by a cast of credible, fallible, and ultimately human, characters. Hayley Mitchell carefully captures their emotions and handles the multiple viewpoints deftly, in this cleverly crafted, unputdownable debut novel.

 (Paperback from Anna at Reddoor Publishing)

‘Hi, I’m Angela. My husband ran off with the caterer we hired for our daughter’s graduation party. Pleased to meet you.’

Meet Angie Shepherd who, after 24 years and 11 months of marriage, finds herself divorced and driven by friends and family to move on. From hangover to makeover, Angie steps firmly away from the sensible knitwear, and launches into every adventure on offer from baking classes and book groups, to speed dating, and even ‘The Granny-Okes’, a 1980s tribute act and YouTube sensation.

But Angie needs more than a bar of galaxy and a night in with Murder She Wrote… what she dreams of is entrepreneurial success. Channelling her inner Richard Branson, the light bulb moment happens: it’s time to take the plunge and invest her divorce settlement into The Mercury Travel Club, an exciting new business venture. But as the Travel Club gets going, things don’t go according to plan, and in this digital age a little chaos brings the fame she s been looking for.

Set in present-day Manchester, this classic mid-life journey features the 1980s soundtrack from Angie s youth, and sees her travel the world whilst coping with life after the Ex. Angie’s journey is the catalyst her friends need to examine their own lives; as they start to find their true callings, will Angie find hers? Witty, entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny, this feel-good debut novel shows it s never too late for a second chance.

 (e-book from S. C. Abbey)

Dr. Harvey Nolan, a Nobel prize-winning Columbia Professor, wasn’t expecting the FBI at his office after his first blood-soaking brush with them many years ago. In a dark and damp dungeon, a frightened woman wakes up to find herself chained to her bed, her screams echoes but unanswered. Agent Katie Moulin, a jaded ex-FBI, grudgingly returns to the ground when things get chaotic with a single divergent event.

Caught in a crossfire between a merciless assassin and the FBI for a crime he did not commit, can Nolan clear his name before it is too late? As New York City becomes a hotbed of crime, Harvey’s and Katie’s lives must intertwine once again. Forced to battle enemies and allies closing in alike, they find themselves surprised by the extent of cruelty people can go to.

From Netgalley…..

Pub Date 16 Nov 2016

Description

Bought / free downloads…..

 (Kindle first prime freebie)

Marcy Hammer’s life has been turned upside down. Her husband, the head of a global brassiere empire, didn’t think twice about leaving her after thirty-three years of marriage for a 32DD lingerie model. Now Harvey the Home-Wrecker is missing in action, but Marcy’s through thinking about what a cliché he is. What she needs now is a party-size bag of potato chips, a good support system, and a new dress.

Striking out on her own is difficult at first, but Marcy manages to find traces of humor in her heartbreak. Even while devastated by Harvey’s departure, she still has her indomitable spirit and her self-respect. She has no intention of falling apart, either, even when her adult children drop a few bombshells of their own and she discovers a secret about her new, once-in-a-lifetime friend. Life may be full of setbacks, but by lifting herself up by her own lacy straps, Marcy just may be able to handle them all.

 (Pre-ordered 1st November 2016)

Publication date – 1st December 2016

Countdown to Christmas with your new must-have author, as you step into the wonderful world of Ava Bliss. Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Carole Matthews and Katie Fforde.

On a snowy December evening, Sam Jermyn steps into the life of bespoke hat maker Ava. Sparks fly, and not necessarily the good ones.

Times are tough for Ava – she’s struggling to make ends meet, her ex-boyfriend is a bully, and worst of all, it’s nearly Christmas.

So when Sam commissions Ava to make a hat for someone special, she makes a promise that will change her life. She just doesn’t know it yet…

 (Paperback bought with Birthday gift card)

Snow is falling on White Cliff Bay, where Christmas is magical and love is in the air . . .

Penny Meadows loves her cosy cottage with its stunning views over the snow-topped town of White Cliff Bay, but not even the roaring log fire can keep her personal life from feeling frozen.

That is until dashing Henry and his daughter Daisy arrive at the cottage for the festive season. And between decking the halls and baking delicious mince pies, Penny realises there is more to Henry than meets the eye.

With sleigh bells ringing and fairy lights twinkling, the ice-sculpting competition and Christmas Eve ball are in full swing. Will Penny be able to melt the ice and allow love into her heart? And will she finally have the perfect Christmas she’s been dreaming of?

 (Paperback bought with Birthday gift card)

The No.1 bestselling author delivers an ‘outstanding’ (USA Today) collection of thrilling stories, introducing each one with a fascinating piece on when, where or how he came to write it.

There is a treasure here for every reader: a man who keeps reliving exactly the same life, repeating his mistakes over and over again; a columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries; a poignant tale about the end of the human race and a firework competition between neighbours which reaches an explosive climax. And, exclusive to this paperback edition (and the eBook from 6 September), a brand new story ‘Cookie Jar’.

‘I made them especially for you,’ says King. ‘Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth.’

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE BAZAAR OF BAD DREAMS

Introduction
Mile 81
Premium Harmony
Batman and Robin Have an Altercation
The Dune
Bad Little Kid
A Death
The Bone Church
Morality
Afterlife
Ur
Herman Wouk Is Still Alive
Under the Weather
Blockade Billy
Mister Yummy
Tommy
The Little Green God of Agony
Cookie Jar
That Bus Is Another World
Obits
Drunken Fireworks
Summer Thunder

 (Hardback bought with Birthday gift card)

Since they first began making delicious, homemade-quality soups using only fresh, natural ingredients, the New Covent Garden Food Company has continued to create ever more innovative and tasty recipes. Now, a few years on and with hundreds of recipes at their fingertips, they have decided to share their all-time favourites with you in this definitive collection.

Soup is generally easy to make and a great way to use up leftovers, but it can also be exotic and sophisticated, and A Soup for Every Day is packed with ideas for whatever the occasion demands. With a recipe for each day of the year, carefully chosen according to what’s in season, you’ll find tons of inspiration to create a healthy, nutritious meal for all the family, an impressive dish for a dinner party or comfort food for a cold winter’s afternoon.

With all sorts of delicious concoctions – from Butternut Squash and Goat’s Cheese to Pea and Ham, and from Moroccan Lamb and Chickpea to Carrot and Coriander – this wonderful book contains all the recipes any soup lover will ever need.

 (Paperback on Amazon lightning deal)

Hollywood movies are Beth’s passion. She hopes her life will always be filled with ‘movie moments’, where things like serendipity and fate happen every day. Her boyfriend Danny has always been the embodiment of her perfect Hollywood hero – though after seven years together the initial silver-screen romance has settled into something more predictable.

And then, one morning at work, Beth receives an anonymous delivery of a take-out coffee cup with a cryptic message suggesting a meeting at Tiffany’s. From there, she is given a series of clues directing her to some of NYC’s most popular landmarks – a treasure hunt using unique rom-com-related prompts perfect for a movie-lover like Beth to decipher. And Beth is forced to wonder: has Danny realised their relationship needs a boost – or could it be that charming new work colleague Ryan, with his intense gaze, flirtatious smile and almost encyclopaedic movie knowledge, wants to sweep her off her feet? And how would she feel about taking a chance on a new leading man in her life?

 (Free when downloaded)

(Re-Formatted – June 2015).

“Forever Is Over” is a story of love, laughter and loss. It is set in Ormskirk, Lancashire from the 1980s to the present days and is the story of the life of Richie Billingham. In the opening Chapter, we find Richie terminally ill, but the story is then told by several characters, as his life and loves are pieced together.

The book was written to appeal to both males and females. Fictional lives are mixed with real life events as football, gambling, sex, violence, relationships and growing up, all form part of the plot.

“From crying (which I did a lot of reading this – well not crying exactly but proper sobbing) to laughing out loud this book has it all. The characters are compelling… and…if you were brought up in the 70’s/80’s you will relate even more to this book! A definite must read and a book you will not be able to put down – brilliant! ”

**one of the book’s 5* reviews from Rachel Goodwin **

The novel was initially inspired by the song “Sunny Road” by Emiliana Torrini.

 (Free when downloaded)

Mia Maher is nearing forty. She arrives at the funeral of an old friend, Chrissie, who has died suddenly. Happily married, with two school age children, Mia is unaware that this will be the day that changes everything and her life will switch on to an entirely new path.
‘Waiting For The Bee Stings’ is a story about the lives of four friends who met at Newcastle University in the mid-1990s. It is a tale of love, friendship, passion and betrayal.
This is the third fictional novel by Calvin Wade, following his debut, ‘Forever Is Over’ which rose to Amazon’s Top20 ebooks in the United Kingdom and the critically acclaimed second novel, ‘Kiss My Name’.

In the summer of 2013, Calvin Wade, a man with football in his blood and very little in his wallet, decided to embark upon an F.A Cup adventure that he and his father had discussed for over thirty years. The idea was to head to a game in the Extra Preliminary Round of the F.A Cup and then follow the winners of each game, up and down the country, through every round, until eventually reaching the bright lights of Wembley and the F.A Cup Final.
This is not only an autobiographical account of a nine month journey through the 2013-14 footballing season, especially the F.A Cup, but it is also a story about family, friendship, financial struggle and a footballing past. It is about tales new and old with English Peles, a man known as ‘The Casual Hopper’ and football fans of all ages throughout the British Isles.
With a foreword by former F.A Cup winning manager, Joe Royle, ‘Another Saturday & Sweet F.A’ seeks to show that Bill Shankly was right after all and sometimes football can be more important than life and death.
* Fifty pence from the sale of the paperback and Kindle versions of this book will be donated to The Christie Charity. The charity raises money to fund projects at The Christie Hospital, Manchester, which are outside the scope of the NHS.

Everyone says being a teenager is CRAZY. But do they mean crazy hard, crazy fun… or just plain bonkers?

Roughly three people in every class have some kind of mental health issue, but most of them have no idea what’s going on. They think they’re just weak, or shy, or bad, or completely, irreversibly, writing-on-the-walls ‘insane’. But they’re not. They have some form of depression, anxiety, eating disorder or other mental health issue and they will come out the other side.

This is a book of advice, from young people who made it through, to their sixteen-year-old selves.

Do you ever feel like the apocalypse is coming, and it wouldn’t be that bad? Like bed is as far as you want to get today? As though your heart is going to beat right out of your chest and your legs have turned to jelly, at the thought of leaving home or talking to another human being? Or maybe you just feel like when you start worrying, you can’t stop.

Whatever form it takes, this book can help you through it.

Trigger warning: Due to it’s nature, the content of this book may be triggering. Contains personal experiences of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, trichotillomania and other mental health issues, as well as issues such as assault.

Read what people are saying about Hello Me, It’s You:

“IT WAS AH-MAZING!! Every person should read this book at least once in their lifetime.” Flipping Pages

“MOVING, A MUST-READ FOR ALL GENERATIONS… MY GOD! I’m at loss for words… Rating five-stars for a book that is worth a million stars is unfair…an excellent, real and much-needed book for all generations” Veracious Reader

“Warmed my heart…It made me think, a lot, and that’s what good books do.”The Ya Reader

“This is the mental health book that every teen and adult needs“Tales of the Ravenous Reader

“This book is very important. I want to buy 100 copies and give it to every single person I know and force them to read it!… I found myself in many letters. I cried a lot but there were also very funny parts that will make you laugh out loud.” Books Over Humans

“This is one of the most poignant and important books I’ve ever read. A book made up entirely of letters written by young adults to their 16 year old selves, you’ll laugh, cry and reflect on your own journey as you read about these individuals dealing with anxiety and mental health issues.” That Wild Soul

“One of the best books ever…This is a book that your soul is going to devour instantly” 5* Dystopian Citizn

“An inspiring book… honestly so beautiful… such an honest, personal look into the lives of those who have mental illness… deeply represents hope and recovery“ Belle’s Book Nook

“Touching. Honest. Raw… I cannot recommend this book highly enough” 5* January Grey Reviews

“It fills you with hope and strength. Everyone should read it, whether or not you are suffering from mental health issues.” Lois Reads Books

Detective Inspector Dan Hellier returns home to Exeter under a cloud.

The body of a talented young singer is found in the woods.

Hellier needs to redeem himself and solve the murder.

What links her death to the boss of a recording studio, a Latvian gang and a school music teacher?

Before the body count rises Hellier will need to untangle the web of Death and Deception. And the clock is ticking …

This is the first Detective Dan Hellier novel.

If you like Angela Marsons, Helen Durrant, Rachel Abbott, Adam Croft or Mark Billingham you will be gripped by this excellent new crime fiction writer.

Let’s suppose you are a heartbroken woman trying to get over the pain of a failed relationship. You’ve always wanted to see the world. What do you do? Perhaps you would do what Sarah does: travel alone to Dublin and leave your worries behind. She wants to start from scratch, to forget about it all; to enjoy the lush green countryside, the Celtic music, the famous pubs. However, her life turns upside down when she finds herself living under the same roof as Daniel, a handsome yet stubborn Irishman.
Both Daniel and Sarah have their reasons for not falling in love, but love has other plans.

Things become more complicated because love affairs are prohibited between housemates. This is an unbreakable rule that also applies to the three other residents: a shameless womanizer, an absent-minded musician and a new female best friend, intrusive and meddling. It’s a fun and exciting intercultural household for Sarah to adapt to! And as if that wasn’t enough, she also has to deal with Daniel’s heated misunderstandings, with an insistent ex-boyfriend and some compromising situations with a very sexy Frenchman.
This is a new life in Dublin and there is certainly a lot to love!

What blogs have said about the story:
“The story, the characters and the setting have captivated me. The love affair of the protagonist grows little by little and makes me want to learn more and more. Without a doubt, I recommend this book; it’s so fresh and original. The plot contains everything you need to get you hooked: love, jealously, friendship, heartbreak, and passion. Its many characters are so different yet perfectly complement each other and give body to the story.” Naomi from Romanticamente.es

“How could you not love Dublin after reading this story? Amanda Laneley masterfully narrates this journey, allowing us to get to know this enchanting land and captivating us with this lovely couple in which the chemistry is almost unbearably strong.” The Magic of Books and Me.

“I love it! It’s a unique premise and really entertaining. The dynamic of the story makes it a very interesting read.” Cecilia of “Divine Readers”

‘A delicious Christmas delight’ – Katie Fforde

‘All the best things about Christmas wrapped into one gorgeous, romantic read’ – Phillipa Ashley, author of Christmas at the Cornish Cafe

The gorgeous, Christmassy feel-good follow up to the Summer best-seller ‘From Italy With Love’.

Just until Christmas…

That’s what Paris socialite Siena keeps telling herself. She’ll hide away in her sister Laurie’s cottage near London to escape her hot-tempered fiancé.

However, when Jason – gorgeous but a bit of a Grinch – picks her up from the airport, he reveals that Laurie hasn’t lived there for months, complicating Siena’s holiday getaway.

At first, Jason and Siena don’t see eye to eye. But after a weekend in the most romantic city in the world, experiencing all it has to offer – from the magic of a fir-lined Champs-Élysées, lit up by thousands of sparkling fairy lights, to the swoosh of skates on ice at the Eiffel Tower – Siena shows Jason her Paris, and a whole other side to herself. Suddenly Siena’s December deadline seems far too close…

This Christmas, jet off to Paris with Siena and Jason and experience the magic of the holiday season.

An escapist Christmas story set in magical NYC from the bestselling author of THE GIFT OF A LIFETIME, SOMETHING FROM TIFFANY’S & more.
Grab a mug of hot chocolate, sit back and enjoy a fairytale New York Christmas….

When Londoner Penny decides to visit her best friend Kate in New York for the festive season, the surprise appearance of a previous suitor sends her plans for a relaxing, carefree visit into complete disarray.
When she and Mike last saw each other, the timing couldn’t have been worse.

But when Mike decides to show Penny the very best of what a snowy, festive, New York has to offer – resolving to make it a fairytale Christmas – will she be able to resist his charms this time round?

And will finding one other again turn out to be the greatest Christmas gift?

Get ready for Christmas with the first part in a feel-good romance serial from best selling author, Rebecca Raisin!

Clio Winters is finally fulfilling her childhood dream of renovating the gorgeous old Cedarwood Lodge in Evergreen. Turning it into the perfect destination for big celebrations, weddings and parties has brought her back home, but Cedarwood Lodge is in need of a lot of tender loving care.

Perhaps all the work will be the perfect distraction from the real reason she had to leave her glamorous New York life behind.

Will coming home be the best decision of her life… or her biggest regret?

Cedarwood Lodge is a delectable romance told in three parts – following Clio Winters journey back to her hometown of Evergreen. This is Part One.

Holly and Caleb had been best friends as children, growing up on the same street, but as teenagers they couldn’t be further apart. When Caleb unexpectedly asked Holly to help him pick out a Christmas gift for his girlfriend, neither of them anticipated where it would lead.
A young adult romantic comedy, from Stella Wilkinson, acclaimed author of The Flirting Games Series.
A Christmas Gift is a “clean” romance, suitable for ALL ages

“Oh what it is to be young! A funny, light and frothy read.” Janie Oakes, Teen Reader Today

The Seasonal Romance Set is a short story for every season by Stella Wilkinson. Books are all stand alone rather than a series and can be read in any order.
Winter: A Christmas Gift
Spring: The Fake Valentine
Summer: A Summer Thing
Autumn / Fall: All Hallows Eve

‘Brims with laughs, love, family and friendship. You will love this heartwarming read!’ Trisha Ashley. Meet the Reading Group: six women in the seaside village of Little Sanderton come together every month to share their love of reading. No topic is off-limits: books, family, love and loss . . . and don’t forget the glass of red!

Grace knows that the holiday season is going to be different this year. No turkey, no tinsel, no gorgeously wrapped gifts under the tree . . . how on earth is she going to break it to her little boys that Christmas is effectively cancelled? And can she bear to tell anyone her embarrassing secret? Enter the Reading Group: Grace’s life might have turned upside down but there’s no problem they can’t solve.

This book contains all the Christmas books and stories written by Dickens.

The Christmas Books:

– A Christmas Carol
– The Chimes
– The Cricket on the Hearth
– The Battle of Life
– The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain
The Christmas Stories:

– A Christmas Tree
– What Christmas is as we Grow Older
– The Poor Relation’s Story
– The Child’s Story
– The Schoolboy’s Story
– Nobody’s Story
– The Seven Poor Travellers
– The Holly-Tree
– Wreck of the Golden Mary
– The Perils of Certain English Prisoners
– Going into Society
– A Message From the Sea
– Tom Tiddler’s Ground
– Somebody’s Luggage
– Mrs. Lirriper’s Lodgings
– Mrs. Lirriper’s Legacy
– Doctor Marigold
– Mugby Junction
– No Thoroughfare

FIRST COMES LOVE. THEN COMES MARRIAGE. THEN COMES MURDER.
The Sunday Times Top 10 Bestselling Thriller
‘My head’s still spinning from all the twists!’ Mark Edwards

What if your life was built on a lie?

When lawyer Lily marries Ed, she’s determined to make a fresh start. To leave the secrets of the past behind.

But when she takes on her first criminal case, she starts to find herself strangely drawn to her client. A man who’s accused of murder. A man she will soon be willing to risk everything for.

But is he really innocent?

And who is she to judge?

MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is a thriller with so many twists you won’t be able to put it down, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Clare Mackintosh and C. L. Taylor.

When Harold Fry nips out one morning to post a letter, leaving his wife hoovering upstairs, he has no idea that he is about to walk from one end of the country to the other. He has no hiking boots or map, let alone a compass, waterproof or mobile phone. All he knows is that he must keep walking. To save someone else’s life.

‘The odyssey of a simple man, original, subtle and touching’. – Claire Tomalin
‘From the moment I met Harold Fry, I didn’t want to leave him. Impossible to put down.’ – Erica Wagner, The Times

Zero Day is the explosive first instalment in David Baldacci’s thrilling John Puller series.

Distinguished as a top investigator in the US government, John Puller is called in to conduct an enquiry into the brutal murders of a family in a remote area of West Virginia. It soon becomes clear that the case has wider implications and as the body count rises he teams up with local homicide detective Samantha Cole. As the web of deceit is revealed, it quickly becomes apparent that there’s much more to this case than they had first thought. It is an investigation where nothing is as it seems, and nothing can be taken at face value.

When Puller and Cole discover a dangerous situation in the making, Puller finds he must turn to the one person who can help avert certain catastrophe. A person he has known all his life.

In a breathtaking rollercoaster race against time, Cole fears for the community in which she was raised, and Puller knows he has to overcome the enemies of his country to avoid far reaching disaster.

But in the end, you can’t kill what you can’t see is coming . . .

Added to my wish list…..

I am very happy to welcome Kristen Bailey to my blog today!

Kristen is the author of Souper Mum, published by Accent Press (16th June 2016) and Second Helpings, also published by Accent Press (17th November 2016).

Kristen very kindly agreed to an interview. Enjoy!…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

Hi! My name is Kristen Bailey. I live in Fleet, Hampshire with four young children, a mad dog and a very understanding husband. I write contemporary women’s fiction that takes a (hopefully) humorous look at modern family life. My first novel, Souper Mum was published by Accent Press in June and the sequel, Second Helpings was released on Nov 17^th.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I have to admit, with four kids, it’s easy to draw inspiration from my own adventures in motherhood! A lot of the anecdotes you read about probably happened to me at some point. But I’m really interested in popular culture and both of my novels make a statement about that and our preoccupation with celebrity and the media too.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

The question I get asked the most by readers after they finish Souper Mum is whether I’m Jools Campbell – we both have four kids; we don’t know how to cook; the school run is the bane of our lives!! We are similar, I think we’d be great mates but she’s a lot braver than me. Other characters are amalgamations of other people I know – Tommy McCoy is a number of TV chefs in one and I have to admit the school gate did give me plenty of inspiration for some of my other mum characters….

How do you pick your characters names?

I will admit, there is no science behind it but I do have an old baby name book that helps! I also like to honour people from my own life though. Jools is named after a lovely friend of mine who lives in Australia, Jake is the name of one of my own kids (he asked specifically for a mention!) and Millie was the name of a little girl I used to nanny for who had gorgeous auburn curls. With Second Helpings, I needed a lot of kids’ names for the contestants in the show so I randomly went through my kids’ friends and members of my son’s football team – I hope they like seeing their name in print!

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

It’s not much of an organised process I’m afraid as my real life is quite hectic so I write when I can, usually at night! But I’ll run with an initial idea and try to build a first draft around it. There’s usually very little planning until I get to the halfway stage. After that I’ll plan the final chapters so I know where the story’s going and how it will end. Then I go back and edit, re-write chapters and move them about. The whole process is also fuelled by a lot of caffeine, Minstrels and sometimes gin.

Do you have a favourite author?

My all time favourite is Roald Dahl. I think he’s taken on more significance as I’ve had kids as well and I get to re-read all his stories to them. His writing is just pure magic.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

I’d love to sit down and have a goss with Jane Austen. We could have a cuppa and I’d ask her all about her love life and whether all those brilliant male characters she wrote were based on her exes…

Were you a big reader as a child?

I was a very avid reader when I was little. A lot of it came from having an incredibly overactive imagination so reading just fuelled that. My dad often tells me he used to find me reading under my duvet with a torch and then spend days drawing and writing down my own stories.

When did you start to write?

I think I always used to write in some capacity. I used to keep diaries and loved writing letters but I never really thought about it as a career. I started writing fiction around the time my eldest was a baby (he’s ten years old now!)…I had an idea about a novel to do with first-time motherhood, the opening scenes being the actual birth. I remember writing it into the night in between feeds…the rest they say is history…

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

Although it’s one of my favourite books ever, David Nicholls’ One Day. I remember when I read the ending I threw my book across the room and was sobbing uncontrollably! I took that as a sign that I cared but for all they went through, Dexter and Emma deserved a happier ending.

What are you working on right now?

After promoting Second Helpings, funnily enough I’ll be returning to that first novel I ever wrote! Accent are looking to publish it next May, it’s called I See You Baby. At the moment, I’m editing the manuscript and giving it a good rewrite.

Do you have a new release due?

Second Helpings is my newest release, it came out on the 17^th Nov. It’s the sequel to Souper Mum and both books look at the adventures of Jools Campbell – a mother of four who ends up as a celebrity after an encounter with a TV chef goes viral.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Please pop along to my website: www.kristenbaileywrites.com to find out more about me. I’m also on Twitter and Instagram as @baileyforce6 and you can also message me via my author page on Facebook.

Thanks for having me!!

Book Blurbs

Souper Mum

Souper Mum is the story of Jools Campbell, a stay-at-home mother of four, who becomes an unlikely foodie hero when she stands up to a pompous celebrity chef, Tommy McCoy on a reality show. Armed with fish fingers and a severely limited cooking repertoire, we watch as she becomes a reluctant celebrity and learns some important life lessons about love, family and the joyless merits of quinoa.

Second Helpings

Exactly eighteen months after squaring up to a pompous TV chef, Jools Campbell finds herself back in the fame game as she becomes a judge on a family cooking show. How will she cope being back in the limelight, juggling being a working mum? What happens when she finds out her old nemesis, Tommy McCoy is her fellow judge? The knives are sure to fly as ‘Souper Mum’ makes her triumphant return.

Buy Links –

Souper Mum

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Souper-Mum-Kristen-Bailey/dp/1786150689/

Second Helpings

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Helpings-Kristen-Bailey/dp/1786150999/

Thanks so much for answering my questions, Kristen 🙂

Make sure you catch up with, and follow, the rest of the Second Helpings Blog Tour…..

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming A J Dalton to my blog 🙂

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

Hi there, I’m Adam and I publish fantasy (mainly with Gollancz) under the name of A J Dalton. My best known trilogy starts with Empire of the Saviours, which sold well in Germany for some reason. Either the Germans have good taste or no taste whatsoever! Oh, and I’m the UK’s leading author of ‘metaphysical fantasy’ (www.ajdalton.eu), mainly because all the others are dead. It wasn’t me! What’s metaphysical fantasy? Well, the short answer is that it’s fantasy that deals with pantheons of gods and considers the nature of belief/religion. My latest title is The Book of Angels. It’s really not too bad. If you don’t like it, I’ll buy it back off you.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Well, there’s this ideas shop through the fog at the end of Old Compton Street. You can’t miss it. No, I actually get ideas from my head. Isn’t that how everyone gets their ideas? But your brain needs fuel or raw material to process, so I read tonnes of fantasy. I’ll sometimes read something and think: ‘Hmm, that’s not very good – I wouldn’t have written it like that – I’d have written it like this – oo, that’s a good idea, maybe I will write it like that!’ It’s not copying, it’s like writing the photo-negative of what you’ve read. Hope that makes sense.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

Well, I tend to think an author can only write what they know. If they describe particular emotions, therefore, then they need to understand that emotion in such a way that they’ve either experienced it themselves or they’re capable of it. What that means is that if you combine all the characters in my book, then you might get an approximation of me. If I had to choose one, it’s probably Torpeth, the crazy naked holy man from Empire of the Saviours.

How do you pick your characters names?

I’ve taught English-As-A-Foreign-Language for twenty odd years. I’m a bit of an expert on Anglo-Saxon v. Latin. I’ll select affixes from various words and fudge them together usually. Long Latinate names are used for civilized oppressors/elites and short Anglo-Saxon names are used for the rougher oppressed peoples.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

Hmm. I tend to write a chapter as a story arc in itself. There will be a moral dilemma, an attempt to tackle the dilemma and then a showdown and outcome (usually a bad one until the last chapter). I don’t plot out each chapter really, as I believe if you create a good character and give them an interesting predicament, the character will write the story for you. I have a range of characters who ultimately bump into each other and have to thrash out their differences. Then they all come together at the end. It’s a very episodic approach, sure, but I think life’s like that. Mine is, anyway. I write long-hand, with a pen! If you’re not familiar with what a pen is, check it out on Google. It’s very useful technology, a pen. My first draft is all but final draft, although I make slight edits as I type things up.

Do you have a favourite author?

I love the gothic darkness of Christopher Marlowe – he wrote Doctor Faustus, etc. I prefer him to Shakespeare, actually. I’m not the biggest fan of Tolkien – sorry if that’s blasphemy. Tolkien is all very worthy, but a tad ponderous. No, I grew up reading Raymond E. Feist’s Magician. And I’m a friend of his on facebook. I’m sooo not worthy!

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

I would meet Christopher Marlowe and ask him what he did to end up with a knife in his eye in a pub in Deptford. I’d also ask him if he’d ever seen a demon, as he was one of the first writers describing such beings. Apparently, when one of his plays was performed back in the late 1500s, an ‘extra’ unscripted devil appeared on stage, and everyone thought it had to be the real thing conjured by accident. Many books I’ve written, like Necromancer’s Gambit, have demons in them, and I’m fascinated by the idea of them.

Were you a big reader as a child?

For sure. I blame the parents myself. It’s when I was given Feist’s Magician at the age of 15 that I decided the fantasy genre was for me.

When did you start to write?

I sent my first manuscript to a publisher at the age of 15. It was derivative pish (called ‘Elven Sacrifice’ or something), but we’ve all gotta start somewhere. Over the years, I tried with seven different books, and didn’t really get anywhere. But I was getting better, and I’d developed some very good ideas, ideas I recycled much later on. My breakthrough was at 39, with Necromancer’s Gambit. I kind of got lucky. It had a black cover when every other author was copying Trudi Canavan’s white book covers. Then six months after Necromancer’s Gambit came out, Twilight hit the cinema and ‘dark fantasy’ was born. My sales rocketed. It was luck, but you kind of make your own luck too.

What are you working on right now?

Well, I’ve done The Book of Orm and The Book of Angels for Kristell Ink Publishing in the last few years. The follow-up, called The Book of Dragons, should be out April 2017. Also, my PhD on the sub-genres of fantasy is being published by Luna Press Publishing at about the same time.

Beyond that, I have a couple of novels being considered by publishers. One is a scifi called Lifer and the other is a fantasy called Dragon God. Not sure if a publisher will take them on, but if they have any sense they will.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

My website is www.ajdalton.eu and people can contact me through that. I also provide on the site lots of advice to aspiring authors (as I teach Creative Writing) and commentary on fantasy publishing. Or I’m on Twitter as @AJDalton1… or on facebook as Adam Dalton. Happy days!

Many thanks to Adam for answering my questions!

Publisher: Gollancz (17th May 2012)

In the Empire of the Saviours, the People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours’ tithe from all those coming of age – a tithe often paid in blood.

When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hope can there be when the Saviours and the entire Empire decide he must be caught?

Jillan is initially hunted by just the soldiers of the Saint of his region, but others soon begin to hear of his increasing power and seek to use him for their own ends. Some want Jillan to join the fight against the Empire, others wish to steal his power for themselves and others still want Jillan to lead them to the Geas, the source of all life and power in the world. There are very few Jillan can trust, except for a ragtag group of outcasts.

His parents threatened, his life in tatters, his beliefs shaken to the core, Jillan must decide which side he is on, and whether to fight or run …

Publisher: Gollancz (21st March 2013)

Ancient Gods begin to stir and demand resurrection…

A naked and crazy holy man leads a young warrior into the realm of the dead…

In fear for his life, a young member of an evil race flees his home…

An uneasy peace has settled upon Jillan’s remote corner of the Empire, but he cannot return to his previous simple life. Tricked into a bargain with the manipulative God of Mayhem, he is forced to embark upon a journey that will leave his hometown undefended. Unsure of his fellow travellers, pursued by assassins and spies, he must discover the means by which to raise up the old gods and defeat the cruel Empire of the Saviours.

Meanwhile, the Empire’s vast army of Saints and Heroes descends upon Godsend. Jillan’s beloved Hella and a few loyal companions resist the dark magicks used against them for a while, but the Saviours cannot allow such resistance to go unpunished…

And from another realm, the Declension watches. Their servants, the Saviours, have suffered setbacks. The God of Mayhem is loose. A young boy with wayward powers is on his way to Haven, where he may find a way to destroy them. A renegade member of their race is rampaging through their realms.

Everything is going to plan.

Publisher: Gollancz (17th April 2014)

The gods will see you brought down…
The spirits of your ancestors will have their revenge upon you…
The Saviours will drain you of your very soul.

In claiming a place in the world, mortals have won many enemies for themselves. The ancient gods are jealous and conspire against them. The King of the Dead looks to lead his armies into the land of the living. In their own realm, the mighty Declension watches and waits, as events begin to unfold precisely as they had always planned.

Jillan and his companions are beset on all sides, yet are plagued by self-doubt and internal division. When the final battle for survival begins, both they and their gods face extinction. They are easy prey for the warriors of the Declension, who are intent upon stripping Jillan of his magic and raising up their empire once more.

His friends and beloved Hella taken from him, Jillan is captured and tortured. He is ultimately broken and condemned to work in a mine, to see out his days labouring in misery for the enemy he has fought against his entire life.

He is a man without hope.

Publisher: Kristell Ink, Grimbold Books (23rd September 2016)

“Contains secrets, warnings and delights. A must-read.” – Kate Sultrow

Would you want to be an angel? The pay’s terrible and you get nothing but complaints from dissatisfied mortals.

This exciting new collection brings together the writing talents of international fantasy author A J Dalton, Matt White (prize-winning scriptwriter), Caimh McDonnell (writer for Mock the Week), Sammy HK Smith (friend to gods and demons), Andrew Coulthard (award-nominated short story writer) and Michael Bowman (widely worshipped by those who know about such things).

“Divine, divisive and downright dastardly!” – Carl Rhinebeck

You will find all of A J Dalton’s books on his Amazon author page

Enjoy!

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (6th October 2016)

I love Graham Norton as a chat show host, so I was very intrigued when I noticed he had written a novel. I had no idea what I was expecting, but I can honestly say I have thoroughly enjoyed Holding.

Holding isn’t a fast-paced crime thriller with lots of gory details (like a lot of the books I read). It’s a beautifully written mystery which draws you in from the very beginning. There are wonderful characters, some of whom I loved and others not so much, but all very real.

Sergeant PJ Collins serves the community of a remote Irish village called Duneen. Not much happens in Duneen, but some of it’s residents have their issues. Most are just getting on with life, whilst others are struggling to hold theirs together.

PJ has become somewhat bored with his life and job. He’s unfit and overweight partly thanks to his housekeeper, Mrs Meany, feeding him up. I warmed to Mrs Meany immediately. Her story is heart-breaking.

When human remains are found on an old farm, PJ is faced with the first serious case of his career. As the investigation progresses, more secrets than anticipated are revealed. For some, life in Duneen will never be the same again.

Holding seems to me to have been written with great affection for it’s characters and their stories. It made me smile and brought a tear to my eye. I highly recommend.

I sincerely hope Graham Norton will be writing more fiction in future.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for approving my request on Netgalley.

Buy your copy HERE

Description:

The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; mother of­ two Brid Riordan hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste.

So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke – a former­ love of both Brid and Evelyn – the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.

Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore – with searing honesty – the complexities and contradictions that make us human.

Graham Norton’s masterful debut is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss.

Reviews:

I am very pleased to be joining in with Jessikah’s Trace This Scar blog tour. I recommend that you add this book to your reading list, if you haven’t already.

Publisher: Excalibur Press; 1 edition (2nd October 2016)

My review

Trace This Scar is quite an unsettling read. The main character, Daphne, I found quite odd. She’s not one I warmed to at all, even at the beginning. She seems mostly happy with her husband, Rich, and she also enjoys her job at the bookshop. Rich’s ex-girlfriend, Gina, won’t leave them along though. When Gina suddenly disappears Rich is charged with her murder and is sentenced to 16 years in prison. Daphne is alone, with no money and suffering abuse from Gina’s family. The description of her life at this point, alone in her cold and filthy flat is pretty dismal. I almost started to feel sorry for her, but it isn’t long before she takes a shine to Jamie.

Jamie has recently been asked to move out of his parents house. He’s 26 and they (well his Dad) feel that he needs to start standing on his own two feet. He happens across the bookshop where Daphne works and somehow manages to bag himself a job there and Daphne invites him to stay at her flat. This in itself seemed rather odd to me.

Anyway, Jamie and Daphne soon become close, but it isn’t long before he realises things aren’t as they seem and he finds himself wondering just what he’s let himself in for. When Rich’s friends turn up at the flat, the situation takes a serious turn for the worst.

I was fascinated by Daphne’s story, despite not liking her at all. She is convinced her husband is innocent and I was keen to discover if indeed he was. The twisty storyline kept me guessing until a good way through the book, when I started to have my suspicions. I was not, however, prepared for the truth! And the ending was very creepy, in my opinion.

Buy your copy HERE

Description

A Lie. A Betrayal. A Murder. Daphne has everything she’s been dreaming of since the day her parents died when she was a teenager. A husband, a home and a job. The only problem is her beloved Rich’s ex girlfriend Gina who won’t leave them alone. Filled with jealousy, Gina’s interference soon escalates into harassment. But one day, Gina disappears. When Rich is sentenced to sixteen years in prison for murdering Gina, Daphne refuses to believe he is guilty. But what else could explain his mysterious disappearances? And if Rich didn’t kill Gina… … Then who did?

About the Author

Allow me to introduce book blogger, Amy Sullivan!

Amy has very kindly agreed to answer 20 random questions from you lovely people (Thank you for joining in Amy!) 🙂

If you’re reading this, please do send me a question. It doesn’t have to be book related. Let’s see how random we can make Amy’s interview!

I’m Amy and I’m a wife and mom to three little monkeys, two girls who are eight and five and a boy who is two. I’ve always been passionate about reading and a few months ago, with my husbands support and encouragement, I decided to start my blog. Besides reading, I’m a reality TV junkie, the trashier the better! 😳😂 I even still watch soap operas, the Young and the Restless if you’re wondering. I know, I know, my DVR is positively shameful. I like wine and think I’m a bit of a foodie and my dream way to spend my day is on the beach, with a good drink and a book. Cliche, but true! (I feel like I’m setting up a online dating profile 😂)

Amy blogs at https://novelgossip.com/

Please send me your question for Amy via email – bellaboobos11@outlook.com or feel free to PM me on Facebook or DM me on Twitter (links below)

Thanks in advance for joining in 🙂

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Colette McCormick to my blog. 🙂

Colette’s book, Things I Should Have Said and Done, was published by Accent Press on 15th November 2016.

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

I fit writing in and around my job with one of the country’s leading charities. I am a Yorkshire lass by birth but now live in the beautiful county of Durham. My book, “Things I Should Have Said and Done,” is listed as a “supernatural romance” but I’m not sure how that happened – I just put Ellen and George together and they developed their relationship themselves.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Random thoughts usually. I got the idea for “Things I Should Have Said and Done,” while I was talking to my husband on the phone.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

No

How do you pick your characters names?

Seriously, they are usually the first names that pop into my head – I kid you not. That being said, I do tend to use George a lot though I have no idea why.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

Generally, the first draft is a case of just getting it down and then I read through it again changing as I go. I’ll then set it aside for as long as I can before going through it a third time. I try to make sure that the first draft is completed six months before it’s due to be at the publishers.

Do you have a favourite author?

Not really, I tend to go for a book that I like the look of rather than an author.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Thomas Hardy so I could ask him why he based his character Tess on me. At school, I was the only one who could understand why she behaved the way she did.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes, I read a lot of Enid Blyton. I loved the Faraway Tree.

When did you start to write?

When I was at primary school. I’ve always loved writing stories.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change.

I loved “All the Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr but I sort of wished that we had left the characters in the war rather than finding out what happened to them afterwards.

What are you working on right now?

A murder set in the 1950’s

Do you have a new release due?

My second novel is due out next year though there isn’t a firm date yet.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

https://www.instagram.com/colette.mccormick/

https://www.facebook.com/colette.mccormick1

http://withinkfromthepinkpen.blogspot.co.uk/

or find me on twitter @colettemcauthor

A big thank you to Colette for joining me on my blog today 🙂

Publisher: Accent Press Ltd (15th November 2016)

Ellen never knew what hit her. But when a drunk driver runs a red light her life is over in an instant. Her small daughter survives – and Ellen, hovering in the borderland between life and the afterlife, can only watch as her loved ones try to pick up the pieces without her. Her husband Marc, struggling with being a single parent. Naomi, her little girl, blaming her mother for leaving her. And Ellen’s mother, full of guilt, slowly falling apart. Ellen isn’t ready to let go. She doesn’t want to say goodbye. She is confused, angry and hurting for her family and herself. And that’s where George comes in. He is her guide through her confusion as she witnesses the devastation among the living. With George at her side Ellen learns that even though she is dead she is not helpless. There are things that she can do from beyond the grave to influence what happens in the world she left behind. But George is new to his ‘job’, and has issues of his own. A working arrangement starts to become something neither of them expects. It is only after death that life can be fully understood.

Buy your copy HERE

I am thrilled to be today’s stop on Jenny Kane’s Christmas Collection Blog Tour.

Crafts, Choirs and the Cotswolds at Christmas: Jenny Kane’s Christmas Collection

Jenny Kane (@JennyKaneAuthor)

Hello there, I’m delighted to be here on day three of my blog tour, to celebrate the release of my seasonal anthology, Jenny Kane’s Christmas Collection.

With the launch of this collection, I’ve been looking back at the three festive novellas which make up its mince pie and coffee filled pages; Another Cup of Christmas, Christmas in the Cotswolds, and Christmas at the Castle.

Blurb for the Jenny Kane Christmas Collection-

There is something very special about Christmas…

Kit Lambert, Pickwicks’ writer-in-residence, takes centre stage in ‘Christmas at the Castle’. Already nervous about appearing at her very first literary festival, in the grounds of a magnificent Scottish castle at Christmas time, Kit suddenly finds herself co-organising the whole thing – and trying to repair old friendships – with the deadline fast approaching…

When I wrote the original novel in the Another Cup of…series (Another Cup of Coffee), everything revolved around the staff and regulars of the Pickwicks coffee house in Richmond. However, by the time I reached the third story, I wanted to have a change of background. So in Christmas in the Cotswolds I decided to take Megan, Pickwicks regular waitress, away from her day job in Richmond, and send her into the countryside on a very festive mercy mission.

I adore the Cotswolds, and have always wanted to write a story based there. And what better time of year to set a story in one of the most beautiful parts of England than Christmas- with a choir, romance, and an awful lot of mulled wine!

Here’s a little extract for you…

… Megan looked up from the child-sized seat where she’d been perched cutting out angel’s wings ready for the imminent arrival of a group of pre-school children, and straight into a pair of earnest green eyes that peeped through a floppy fringe of ginger hair. ‘Joseph Parker?’

‘Call me Jo. It’s an impressive space you have here.’

Pulling herself out of her snug chair, Megan shook the carpenter’s proffered hand. ‘It’s not mine. It belongs to Izzie.’

‘Miss Spencer-Harris?’

‘That’s right. I’m Megan, I’m just helping out.’

‘By making paper angels?’

Megan smiled, ‘Part of Izzie’s business includes running craft sessions; in this case for a group of nursery school children. I’m standing by with the safety scissors to play Mary Poppins while Izzie gets on with rescuing her church. As I said on the phone, everything is a bit urgent because of the Cotswold Choir coming in five days. Thanks ever so much for turning up so fast.’

‘Not at all,’ Jo pulled on a bandana, not too dissimilar from Izzie’s, wiping his fringe from his face to reveal a multitude of freckles. ‘I was having a break until the New Year, but I’m very fond of the Cotswold Choir, so I’m happy to help.’

Fishing a huge bunch of keys from his pocket Jo took a step nearer the broken chancel, ‘If I could take a look at the chancel, then I’ll fetch what I need from my van.’

The sound of scraping grew louder as they approached the chancel. Izzie was busy halfway up the ladder, clearing out old grouting before re-pointing the stones that been loosened by the fall of the branch. Knowing Izzie would be concentrating hard on what she was doing, and not wanting to startle her, Megan was cautious as she called, ‘Your knight in shining armour is here!’

Without turning, Izzie shouted down, ‘Oh God, you’re not telling me my mother has sent another no-hoper my way with wedding bells in his eyes, are you?’

Blushing, Megan tried to explain her friend’s retort, ‘I’m so sorry, Jo! Izzie’s mother is rather set on finding her daughter the perfect match, and …’

Jo laughed as he held up a hand to show it was OK. ‘Don’t worry about it. I get a fair bit of that from my own mother. It’s all, “Honestly, Joseph, you’re thirty years old, when are you going to stop playing with planks of wood, get a career, and find a nice girl?”’

Megan laughed. ‘Yes, that’s pretty much Izzie’s mother to a T as well.’

Realising that her visitor was not waiting in the south aisle as she’d assumed, but was within hearing range, Izzie hastily climbed a little further down the ladder, one hand outstretched in greeting, ‘I’m so sorry! You must be Megan’s miracle carpenter.’

‘Well it is nearly Christmas, the perfect time for miracles concerning carpenters called Joseph.’ Jo grinned, turning his already attractive face into a very handsome one. ‘Happy to help – now where would you like me to start?’

Ignoring the voice in her head that was telling her this was the first hot-looking man she’d set eyes on in ages, Izzie said, ‘Could you examine the wood in the chancel roof? The building listings people tell me, as it is case of rescuing things rather than updating them, I can replace any timber in the roof that needs replacing to keep the place safe, but I’m not sure where to start. It’s only one joist that’s cracked, but I don’t want to just wrap it in parcel tape and hope for the best.’

Jo nodded, ‘If you don’t mind climbing down I’ll take a look. Then if I fetch my ladder, we can crack on together. I should have most things I need with me, although I only guessed at the timber required. I might have to go to the timber merchants.’

Megan had a sudden sensation of being in the way, and winked up at Izzie, ‘I’ll go and make sure I have enough wings then shall I?’

Shooting Megan a look that clearly told her that she should start matchmaking at her peril, Izzie said, ‘That would be great. The children arrive at ten, and Mrs V will be here soon with today’s cakes and stuff.’

Izzie was about to climb down to make way for Jo when something in the stonework caught her eye, ‘Hang on, there’s another bit of branch got lodged on the wall here.’ Izzie tugged at it, but nothing happened. ‘Honestly, this stuff is like Velcro.’ She took her pocket knife from the bib of her dungarees and went to slice it away from the brickwork.

Jo got closer to the bottom of the ladder. ‘Hey, I’m not sure that’s a branch, It’s a bit low down; it might be a …’

But he was too late….

You can find Christmas in the Cotswolds within my Jenny Kane Christmas Collection, along with Another Cup of Christmas and Christmas at the Castle.

Amazon UK- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jenny-Kanes-Christmas-Collection-Short-ebook/dp/B01M0ICD7A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1474386377&sr=8-2&keywords=jenny+kane%27s+christmas+collection

Amazon.com- https://www.amazon.com/Jenny-Kanes-Christmas-Collection-Short-ebook/dp/B01M0ICD7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474387008&sr=8-1&keywords=jenny+kane%27s+christmas+collection

Many thanks for letting me visit today,

Jenny xx

Thanks so much for joining me on my blog, Jenny. It has been a pleasure being a part of your fabulous blog tour! 🙂

Bio-

Jenny Kane is the author the contemporary romance Another Glass of Champagne, (Accent Press, 2016), Christmas at the Castle (Accent Press, 2015), the bestselling novel Abi’s House (Accent Press, 2015), the modern/medieval time slip novel Romancing Robin Hood (Accent Press, 2014), the bestselling novel Another Cup of Coffee (Accent Press, 2013), and its novella length sequels Another Cup of Christmas (Accent Press, 2013), Christmas in the Cotswolds (Accent, 2014), and Christmas at the Castle (Accent, 2016). These three seasonal specials are now available in one boxed set entitled Jenny Kane’s Christmas Collection (Accent, 2016)

Jenny’s fifth full length romance novel, Abi’s Neighbour, will be published in June 2017.

Jenny’s first medieval murder mystery, The Outlaw’s Ransom will be published in December 2016 under the pen name, Jennifer Ash

Jenny is also the author of quirky children’s picture books There’s a Cow in the Flat (Hushpuppy, 2014) and Ben’s Biscuit Tin (Hushpuppy, 2015)

Keep your eye on Jenny’s blog at www.jennykane.co.uk for more details.

Twitter- @JennyKaneAuthor

Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/JennyKaneRomance?ref=hl

Jenny also writes erotica as Kay Jaybee.

A big thank you to Zoe for taking part in my #AskMeAnything feature! And, a big thank you to all who sent me a question for Zoe.

I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

I have two children, both teenagers.

I have a university degree, but have been lucky enough to have been a stay-at-home mom for the last fifteen years.

I love to read all genres from Historical Fiction to Contemporary Romance and everything in-between.

Most days, aside from reading, I spend my time cycling, hiking, volunteering, or running my kids here, there, and everywhere.

I started my blog to be able to share my love of reading and my thoughts and reviews with a larger audience.

Zoe’s Interview

1 – How far do you think a writer’s location affects their writing style?

• I think location affects a writer’s style in the language, humour and dialect used.

2 – What’s your favourite literary villain?

• White Witch – Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

3 – I don’t know many Canadian authors – who would you recommend?

• There are many great Canadian authors, Lawrence Hill, Michael Ondaatje, Louise Penny, Alice Munro

4 – In Canadian bookstores, is it mostly Canadian authors or is it easy enough to get books from international authors?

• In Canadian bookstores, it is easy to all international authors, especially from the US and the UK.

5 – What makes a book jump from 4*s to 5*s for you and keeps you reading well past bedtime?

• For me a book makes that jump from 4* to 5*s if it captivates me to a point that I don’t want to put it down; makes me laugh more than I have for a while; or has an ending that is completely unpredictable and satisfying.

6 – What are your 5 favourite characters from books you have read, across any genre??

• Ove – A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
• Don Tillman – The Rosie Project
• Elizabeth – Pride and Prejudice
• Harold Fry – The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
• Inspector Gamache – The Chief Inspector Gamache Series by Louise Penny

7 – If you were told you could never read another word again, what would you do instead?

• Enjoy the outdoors and cycle more.

8 – What is your proudest achievement?

• Raising two wonderful kids.

9 – Who is your favourite author, who you have met?

• I don’t really have one favourite author. There are just so many good authors out there. I have had the opportunity to meet Chris Cleave and Michael Crummey which was great.

10 – What’s your favourite bread?

• A fresh french baguette

11 – If you could re-write the ending to any book which would it be and what would you change?

• Gone Girl. I really enjoyed that book, except the ending. I thought the ending was a little weak. I felt after all the destruction and havoc wreaked there should have been some kind of punishment or retribution.

12 – What has been the most challenging moment of your adult life?

• Living 3,000 miles away from my family (Mom, Dad, etc.)

13 – Which author would you really like to meet?

• J.K. Rowling
• I would have also really liked to meet Jane Austen

14 – Would you like to write a book?

• Not really. I enjoy reading them too much.

15 – A book you’d love to see made into a film? (Maybe with casting?)

• Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – Mark Strong (Harold)

16 – What’s your favourite time of the year?

• My favourite time of year is fall. I love the leaves changing colours and the crispness in the air.

17 – What’s the best surprise you’ve ever had?

• When my husband proposed after 4 months of dating.

18 – Do you have a holiday destination you return to time and again or do you like to discover new places?

• I love to visit new places, although Hawaii is definitely one of my favourites that I don’t mind revisiting now and again.

19 – Favourite read so far this year?

• Ooh. Tough one. I have given (5) books this year a perfect rating for different reasons. If I had to pick only one I would have to say The Girl and the Sunbird by Rebecca Stonehill.

20 – What did you want to be when you were 10 years old?

A lawyer.

Zoe blogs at http://whatsbetterthanbooks.com/

If you are an author or book blogger would like to take part in my #AskMeAnything feature please feel free to email me a little bio, including a photo of yourself, to bellaboobos11@outlook.com

Thanks!

I am very excited to be taking part in the While You Were Sleeping blog tour! I loved this book! Kathryn Croft is a fabulous writer and Bookouture have done it again. They really do have the most awesome authors!!

Publisher: Bookouture (16th November 2016)

My review

I was over the moon when Kim at Bookouture asked me if I would like to be part of the blog tour for Kathryn Croft’s While You Were Sleeping, which was released on 16^th November 2016.

Having read and enjoyed The Girl With No Past last year (my first ever blog review!) I was sure I would enjoy While You Were Sleeping and I wasn’t wrong!

While You Were Sleeping introduces us to Tara Logan. Wife to Noah, Mum to 17 year old Rosie and 11 year old Spencer. Rosie is somewhat troubled and is a constant worry for her parents. Spencer is the complete opposite and Tara often finds herself feeling guilty for not paying him enough attention because of Rosie’s behaviour. I’m sure lots of parents would relate to this. I am a parent of two teenagers who are as different as chalk and cheese!

One afternoon Tara pops across the street following a message from her neighbour. She stays for a glass of wine, but the next thing she knows it’s morning and she’s waking up in bed with Lee, with no memory of how she ended up there or if anything happened between them. When she realises Lee is dead, having been stabbed to death, she panics and leaves the scene of the crime. I can’t judge. Who knows how any of us would react! I’m pretty sure I would have called the police, but that’s easy to say.

Tara knows she didn’t kill Lee, of that much she is sure. Who would want him dead, but leave her alive?

A murder investigation begins and before long Rosie becomes a prime suspect. Tara is convinced she wouldn’t be capable of such an horrendous crime though, she just needs to prove it.

As the investigation progresses I pretty much suspected everyone! The twists and turns kept me turning those pages. I thought I had it sussed on several occasions, but I changed my mind after almost every chapter! I was totally wrong the whole time!

Needless to say the situation puts a lot of strain on Tara’s and Noah’s relationship and he moves out. Before long Tara finds herself drawn to the detective investigating their case. This is the only part I struggled with, if I’m honest. I get why Tara would be drawn to Holden, as she’s feeling vulnerable and he makes her feel safe. I can understand he might be attracted to her, but their kiss seems to happen quickly, whereas I would think a detective would wrestle with his professional ethics for a bit longer at least, before acting on his attraction to someone whose case he is investigating. Having said that I don’t know any detectives. Maybe this happens all the time!? This didn’t spoil the story for me in any way, I just didn’t find this part entirely believable.

Overall, While You Were Sleeping is an intriguing story which draws you in and doesn’t let you go until you find out the truth. The utterly shocking truth!! I couldn’t quite believe what I was reading! Brilliantly written, as expected. If you’ve never read a book by Kathryn Croft, you really should. Why not start with this one? I highly recommend!

Many thanks to Bookouture for my auto-approval status on Netgalley and for allowing me to join in with this fabulous blog tour. 🙂

While You Were Sleeping by Kathryn Croft

UK: http://amzn.to/2eK2Xjy

US: http://amzn.to/2ePtpvC

You wake up to find the man beside you is dead.
He is not your husband. This is not your bed.

Tara Logan adores her perfect little family: husband, Noah, and two children, teenager Rosie and eleven-year-old Spencer.

But her happiness is shattered when she wakes in her neighbour, Lee Jacobs’ bed, with no memory of how she got there or what happened between them. And worse – he has been stabbed to death.

Convinced she didn’t kill Lee, Tara flees home and stays silent, holding her breath as the investigation grips the neighbourhood.
But as her daughter spirals out of control, and her husband becomes increasingly distant, Tara starts to wonder if someone in her own life knows what really happened that night. And when the police turn their questions towards her, Tara realises she has to find out.

But what will it take to uncover the real story, and can she survive the truth?

A gripping, shocking psychological thriller, with a twist that will take you by surprise.

About the author:

Kathryn worked in HR and management training before her passion for literature led her to train as an English teacher. She spent six years teaching secondary school English; a job she believes was invaluable to her writing career. Kathryn now devotes all her time to writing.

www.kathryncroft.com

Make sure you catch up with, and follow, the rest of the blog tour with these awesome book bloggers…..

My review of The Girl With No Past (My FIRST EVER blog review!!) –

The Girl With No Past by Kathryn Croft