Today I have the pleasure of welcoming T.F. Jacobs to Chat About Books! 🙂

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

Yes, My name is T.F. Jacobs and I’m a writer based in Southern California. My book is titled Untangling the Black Web, and it was just released by the Amazon imprint, Kindle Press.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I write about issues I’m passionate about. Untangling the Black Web is based on the corruption and interconnected pieces of the healthcare industry. Politics aside, I was upset with all the corrupt practices I saw firsthand in dealing with the healthcare industry. One of my favorite authors, Joseph Finder, wrote a piece of nonfiction he was passionate about, but it didn’t do as well as he’d hoped. So he turned it into a fictional piece, and it became a bestseller. I wanted to take a similar approach with Untangling the Black Web.

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

I try to make my characters as three-dimensional as possible, and in order to do that I have based characters loosely on people I know. My main characters always have a bit of me in them as I write in first person, but at the same time I always try to make my characters unique.

How do you pick your characters names?

I research popular baby names of certain years, then pick the ones I feel best fit the personality I’m going for.

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

In this day and age it’s easy to get distracted, so I try to write for a few hours early in the morning before I start anything else, that way I can get it done and out of the way. When you get a routine going like that, it’s amazing how quickly a book begins to take shape.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Joseph Finder is a true master of suspense, and Blake Crouch has the art of writing thrillers down to a tee. Another personal inspiration is the late Stieg Larsson of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. Dan Brown tackles some huge subjects in interesting ways. Hate on him all you want, but clearly what he’s doing is making him successful. I’ve just started reading Don Winslow, and I quite enjoy how gritty and raw his thrillers are.

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

It would have to be Dan Brown, and I’d ask him how he goes about tackling such big and controversial topics in such simple and captivating ways.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Not too big. A series of Unfortunate Events was fun, same with Harry Potter, but reading didn’t become interesting to me until my late teens.

When did you start to write?

I started writing when I was sixteen, and was terrible at it. I finished a young adult novel after about a year, but it’s embarrassingly bad and I will probably never look at it again.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. So engaging with such rich characters.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?

You Don’t Know Until You Do It

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

Mikael Blomkvist and I’d take him to Hidden House Coffee, a cool almost hidden spot in San Juan Capistrano.

What are you working on right now?

I’m finishing a psychological thriller right now that I’m super excited about. Very different for me, but so fun. Won’t say any more than that.

Do you have a new release due?

Untangling the Black Web released October 10th, so I am working alongside Amazon to try to make the launch a success.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

No time to celebrate between trying to market a book and working on a new one!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Visit my website at TFJacobs.com and sign up for alerts. My email is also on there, and I love to hear from readers. Reach out to me and I promise to respond.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! 🙂

Thanks so much for the opportunity!

An Amazon Kindle Scout Selection.

When David’s wife dies at the hands of a corrupt medical system, David is out for justice. With his skills as a lawyer and his position inside the biggest health insurance company in America—American True Care—he plans to bring down the system, from the inside.

David begins to work his way up the company while recruiting a clandestine team to build a covert case against American True Care. But this is a dangerous game and the players have ties to the highest levels of government. Propped up by lobbyists, senators, congressmen, and even the White House, American True Care will do whatever it takes to keep hold of its power.

As the web of deception and danger tightens around David and his team, they begin to realize that to win they have to risk it all—even their lives.

Enjoy!

Today I am thrilled to welcome Misha Herwin to Chat About Books 🙂

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

I’m Misha Herwin and I write books for adults and for children. My previous novels are “House of Shadows” and “Picking up the Pieces”. Although both are part of my Bristol series, the books are very different, “House of Shadows” is a time slip novel, while “Picking up the Pieces” tells the story of three women of a certain age, who have been friends since they met at school and how, when their lives fall to pieces, they are there for each other with support, cake and chocolate.

My new novel “Shadows on the Grass” is based very loosely on my family history. It tells the story of a Polish family, who come to the UK and settle in Bristol after World War Two. Mimi, the grandmother is very bitter about the change in her fortunes, Hannah, her daughter is torn between her mother and her possessive husband, while Kate is a teenager, trying to find her own way in the changing world of the 1960s.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Sometimes from a place. The house in “House of Shadows” is based on Kings Weston House, a Georgian mansion, not far from where I used to live as a child; sometimes from something that happened, not necessarily to me, but to a friend, or member of the family and sometimes the story is just there waiting to be told.

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

This is a really tricky question. I’d like to say a categorical no, but that wouldn’t be quite true. None of my characters are deliberately modelled on people I know, but they often have characteristics that are similar. I think this is inevitable, because I am fascinated by people and what drives them, so I am always watching and analysing and this must sink into my subconscious.

How do you pick your characters names?

Sometimes they come with the character. I know who they are and what they are called. This was true of Elsa, Liz and Bernie in “Picking up the Pieces”. At other times, I struggle to get the right name. Occasionally, the name comes first and the character follows.

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

First comes the idea, then the planning. I have to have every chapter planned out before I start, though I often find that this changes as the book progresses. When the first draft is complete, I bring it along to Renegade Writers for their expert feedback, which inevitably means a re-write of some sort. I once had to ditch the first 30,000 words, which, although it was painful, was the right thing to do.

As for the actual writing, I try to write every day. Ideally, I am in my office, at my computer, first thing in the morning and do at least an hour’s work, before I tackle anything else.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Currently, but they do change, my list would be, Jane Austen, L. M. Boston, Barbra Nadel, Donna Leon and James Lee Burke.

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

I’d like to ask J.K. Rowling how many times “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was rejected. There’s a huge mythology about this and I’d love to know what really happened.

Were you a big reader as a child?

I read all the time. There was a street lamp outside my bedroom window and I used to pull back the curtains and read by that light, when I was supposed to be asleep.

When did you start to write?

My first serious piece was written when I was eleven. It was a play and was performed by homemade cut out puppets, in a theatre made from a cardboard box.

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

“Emma” I don’t think she should end up with Mr. Knightly. The age gap is too great and he is too much of a father figure. She moves from one controlling man, her father Mr Woodhouse, to another. Mr. Knightly is kinder but will he let her be herself? I would love to see her in a more equal relationship.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

“The Children of Green Knowe” the perfect time slip/ghost story. I read it when I was a child and it is still one of my favourite books.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?

Outside Looking In?

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

I’d like to take Cathy Earnshaw, from “Wuthering Heights” to The Yorkshire Tea Rooms in Rippon and give her a good talking to. Her masochistic relationship with Heathcliff is not a good role model, though a highly seductive one.

What are you working on right now?

Right now I’m working on the marketing for “Shadows on the Grass.” I’ve just finished a short story which will be free for anyone who buys the e book and signs up for my newsletter. Then I will turn my attention to the next novel.

Do you have a new release due?

“Shadows on the Grass” is out on January 11th 2018

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

Have a large glass of wine, some cake and host a Facebook party.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

On my blog, I have a Facebook page and I tweet @MishaHerwin

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Just to say thank you to those of you who buy and read my books and especially to anyone who takes the trouble to write a review.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Misha 🙂 

Misha Herwin’s Amazon Author Page

Enjoy!

Previous post on Chat About Books featuring Misha Herwin and her books…..

Picking Up The Pieces by Misha M. Herwin #BookReview @MishaHerwin @penkhullpress

Firstly, my apologies for publishing my review so late in the day (I’m not very organised this week), but I am absolutely over the moon to be joining in with Tilly Tennant’s blog blitz for A Cosy Candlelit Christmas 🙂 🙂 🙂 

My review…..

I love Tilly Tennant’s writing and A Cosy Candlelit Christmas has been an absolute pleasure to read.

Isla is 29 years old and hasn’t seen her Father in 24 years. She is very close to her mother who brought her up alone. They have never had much, but have always had each other and been happy. As they prepare for another family Christmas Isla receives notification of her Grandmother’s death, on her fathers side, and it seems she has been gifted something in her will. The gift however comes with conditions. If Isla wishes to know more she will have to travel to the Alps to meet with her Father. After some consideration she decides to go. She has no idea how much this decision will change her life completely.

I have to say, I wasn’t sure if I liked Isla or not at first. Her feelings towards her father are very understandable, as is her fear of upsetting her mother. Isla did certainly grow on me though and I really, really wanted her story to have a happy ending. As far as I’m concerned it’s never too late to make amends.

The setting sounds absolutely beautiful. There is no way you’d get me skiing, but I could totally see myself taking in the views of the mountains with a hot chocolate or brandy (or maybe hot chocolate with brandy in it!) to sip! And the Church scene on Christmas Eve sounds amazing. I love our Church at Christmas so I can imagine how beautiful it must be somewhere like that.

I absolutely loved Sebastian! He is such a sweet character.

Dahlia is a fabulous character too. I couldn’t help but love her and her hotel sounds like the ideal place to stay.

This is such a lovely romance which demanded my attention from beginning to end. I’m living proof you can fall in love in less than a week as me and my Husband did, and we’ve been together for 18 years (married for 15) so I can totally relate. It’s a lovely, heart-warming read and a perfect festive romance, but I think you could enjoy it at any time of the year really.

Beautifully written, as always. I highly recommend.

Many thanks, as always, to Bookouture for my kindle copy via Netgalley.

Description:

All singleton Isla wants for Christmas is to be left in peace, but a surprise trip to the Alps means there’s a chance for romance in every snowflake that falls…

It’s the week before Christmas and Isla McCoy has just received an unexpected gift: a letter announcing she is due a life-changing inheritance, but only if she’s willing to make amends with the father who abandoned her. 

She has absolutely no intention of forgiving him, but who could resist an all-expenses-paid trip to the French resort of St Martin-de-Belleville? 

There she meets smooth-talking Justin and nerdy glaciologist Sebastian; two very different men, with two very different agendas. Torn between her head and her heart, Isla finds herself utterly lost in a winter wonderland of her own feelings. 

Surrounded by twinkling candles and roaring log-fires, Isla’s resolve finally begins to melt. But will she learn how to reconnect, not only with a whole new family, but with herself and her heart?

A gorgeously heart-warming festive read to help spark a little romance in those long winter nights. Perfect for fans of Jane Linfoot, Debbie Johnson and Jenny Colgan.

Amazon Links:      

UK 🇬🇧 http://amzn.to/2vYdYri 

US 🇺🇸 http://amzn.to/2f1wRpk

Author Bio:

Tilly Tennant was born in Dorset, the oldest of four children, but now lives in Staffordshire with a family of her own. After years of dismal and disastrous jobs, including paper plate stacking, shop girl, newspaper promotions and waitressing (she never could carry a bowl of soup without spilling a bit), she decided to indulge her passion for the written word by embarking on a degree in English and creative writing. She wrote a novel in 2007 during her first summer break at university and has not stopped writing since. She also works as a freelance fiction editor, and considers herself very lucky that this enables her to read many wonderful books before the rest of the world gets them.

Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was her debut novel; published in 2014 it was an Amazon bestseller in both the UK and Australia. In 2016 she signed to the hugely successful Bookouture and is currently working on her tenth Tilly Tennant novel. She also writes as Sharon Sant, where she explores the darker side of life, and Poppy Galbraith, where things get a little crazier. Find out more about Tilly and how to join her mailing list for news and exclusives at www.tillytennant.com

 Author Social Media Links:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TillyTenWriter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tillytennant6000/

Website: www.tillytennant.com

Previous posts on Chat About Books featuring Tilly Tennant and her books…..

The Little Village Bakery (Honeybourne Book 1) by Tilly Tennant

Christmas at the Little Village Bakery (Honeybourne Book 2) by Tilly Tennant *BLOG BLITZ*

My 5* reads of 2016…..

Rome Is Where The Heart Is by Tilly Tennant @TillyTenWriter @bookouture #BlogTour #BookReview

A Wedding In Italy #BlogTour #BookReview @TillyTenWriter @bookouture

#FlashbackFriday with @StinaLL @RebeccaJBradley @TillyTenWriter @SELynesAuthor

I am over the moon to be taking part in Kathryn Croft’s Silent Lies blog blitz! 🙂 🙂 🙂 

My review…..

Wow!

The prologue certainly grabbed my attention and that was it, I was hooked!

Mia is trying to move on since her husband, Zach, committed suicide five years previously. She’s a likeable character and you can’t help but feel for her. She is raising their daughter, Freya, and has since qualified as a counsellor. She is also in a new relationship with Will, but it still a doting daughter-in-law to her late husbands parents, who adore their Granddaughter.

When Alison turns up on her doorstep as a new client and seems to have known Zach, things start to unravel. She’s an odd character and she starts to make Mia question the past. Did Zach have an affair with his student, Josie? Did he commit suicide?

The chapters alternate between Mia at the present time and Josie from five years ago. I couldn’t wait to find out what this Alison thought she knew.

It’s a tense read and at times frightening as Mia seeks the truth. And that ending!!! Woah, I never saw that coming! Absolutely gobsmacked!

Brilliantly written, as always. I’m a big fan of Kathryn Croft!

Description: 

‘Your husband didn’t kill himself.’

Five years rebuilding your life. Five words will destroy it again.

Mia Hamilton lived the perfect life with her husband, university teacher Zach, and their two-year-old daughter. But everything changed when Zach committed suicide on the same night one of his students vanished. 

Five years later, just when Mia is beginning to heal, stranger Alison walks into her life, saying her husband didn’t kill himself. 

Fragile, slight Alison leads Mia on a path into Zach’s past, and Mia begins to think she never really knew her own husband. As the secrets revealed get darker, Alison becomes harder to read, and Mia starts to wonder – why is Alison so keen to help?

And then a piece of the puzzle appears in an impossible place, and Mia has to ask, is she losing her mind, or should she be afraid for her life?

An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller about obsession and buried secrets, with a brilliant twist. Fans of The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors, and Gone Girl will be hooked from the very first page. 

Amazon Links:        

UK 🇬🇧 http://amzn.to/2wpL1It 

  US  http://amzn.to/2vWyXLr

Author Bio:

Kathryn Croft is the bestselling author of five psychological thrillers, and to date has sold over one million copies of her books. The Girl With No Past spent over four weeks at number one in the Amazon UK chart and her other novels, Behind Closed Doors, The Stranger Within and The Girl You Lost all reached number one in the psychological thriller charts.

She has just completed her sixth psychological thriller, which is due for publication on 25th October 2017.

After six years teaching secondary school English, Kathryn now writes full time and has a publishing deal with Bookouture, as well as foreign rights deals in thirteen different countries.

Having always been an avid reader, Kathryn believes in the power of words to entertain, teach and transform lives. She is also a firm believer in following your dreams and says anything is possible if you work hard enough and never give up!

Kathryn lives in Guildford, Surrey with her husband, their little boy and two cats.

 Author Social Media Links:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatCroft

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

Website: www.kathryncroft.com

Previous posts on Chat About Books featuring Kathryn Croft and her books…..

The Girl With No Past by Kathryn Croft

While You Were Sleeping by Kathryn Croft *Review* @KatCroft @bookouture #BlogTour

My 5* reads of 2016…..

#FlashbackFriday with @RSinclairAuthor @Dchandlerauthor @writermels @keefstuart @CPhilippou123 @mredwards @KatCroft

I am thrilled to be today’s stop on Paul Anthony Jones’s THE CABINET OF LINGUISTIC CURIOSITIES A Yearbook of Forgotten Words blog tour!

This book is just fascinating and I think you will agree that it is beautiful…..

I love the word on my Birthday (12th October) – 

love-light (n.) a romantic glimmer in a person’s eyes; an infatuation 🙂

Some of the words are absolutely hilarious, such as the word on my friend Gayle’s Birthday (30th October) – 

panshite (n.) a state of panic, confusion, or uproar (LOL!)

& on 15th December – scurryfunge (v.) (which is now my favourite word ever!) Meaning – to hastily tidy a house

I sat around our table with my husband and two teenage children, flicking through this wonderful book and in between laughing we were very impressed with the history behind each word. I will be purchasing a few copies for Christmas presents this year. It’s just brilliant!

Excerpt…..

The word for 25th October…..

polyanthea (n.) a literary collection, an anthology

Geoffrey Chaucer died on 25 October 1400. Chaucer’s written work includes a verse retelling of Troilus and Cressida, English translations of works by renowned Latin and French scholars and philosophers, and a non-fiction account of the workings of an astrolabe, an elaborate mechanical device used by navigators and astronomers. But it is for his Canterbury Tales that he is obviously best known today: an anthology of twenty-four tales related by a group of pilgrims en route to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket. An anthology is literally ‘a collection of flowers’. The word derives from the same root – the Greek for ‘flower’, anthos – as words like dianthus and chrysanthemum. But this isn’t the only book that treats its contents as ‘flowers’ in a literary garden:
• florilegium (n.) Latin for ‘flower-gathering’, florilegium dates from the 1600s and refers to what the Oxford English Dictionary calls ‘a collection of the flowers of literature’

• polyanthea (n.) from the Greek for ‘many flowers’, polyanthea has been used since the early 1600s to refer to a choice collection of poems or literary works

• pomander (n.) originally a container of scented flowers used to freshen clothes, pomander was also used to refer to a choice collection of prayers or poems in the sixteenth century

• spicilegy (n.) from the Latin for an ear of corn, a spicilegy is a literal ‘harvest’ of literary extracts

• sylva (n.) from a Latin word meaning ‘tree’, sylva came to refer to a treatise on horticultural matters in the seventeenth century, and from there any choice collection of written work

Who knows where each day will lead you?

Open The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities on any day of the year: you might leap back in time, learn about linguistic trivia, follow a curious thread or wonder at the web of connections brought to you by popular language blogger Paul Anthony Jones.

Within its pages you will discover a treasure trove of language, with etymological quirks and connections for every day of the year.

PAUL ANTHONY JONES is something of a linguistic phenomenon. He runs @HaggardHawks Twitter feed, blog and YouTube channel, revealing daily word facts to 39,000 engaged followers. His books include Word Drops (2015) and The Accidental Dictionary (2016). His etymological contributions appear regularly, from the Guardian to the Telegraph, Buzzfeed to Huffington Post and BBC Radio 4.

“Brilliant for anyone interested in the effervescent oddness of English” Stig Abell on Word Drops

He lives in Newcastle Upon Tyne and is available for all types of word-nerdery.

Paul Anthony Jones’s Amazon Author Page

Enjoy!

How lovely is this giveaway! Who doesn’t love cookies and Christmas books!?

Win 4 dozen homemade Christmas cookies from Sunday Times bestselling author Michele Gorman, aka Lilly Bartlett! 

Enter to WIN 4 dozen Christmas cookies baked by the author! Unlike poor Lottie in Christmas at the Falling-Down Guesthouse, she’s a keen cook who grew up baking every Christmas with her mum – dozens and dozens (and dozens!) of cookies to fuel the family through the season. This year, she’ll be baking for YOU! 

The giveaway is global and the winner will be randomly selected on November 1^st. To enter, sign up for Michele’s/Lilly’s newsletter HERE (around 3x per year, you can unsubscribe easily at any time and your details will never be shared).

Good luck!

Out tomorrow!

For more details and to buy your copy…..

Don’t miss the upcoming blog tour…..

My review…..

I don’t read many autobiographies (I should read more), but I couldn’t resist this one as I think Scarlett Moffatt is such a lovely character. I have to admit, I haven’t watched much of Gogglebox, but I did really warm to her when she was on I’m A Celebrity. I absolutely love that programme! I love Ant & Dec and the contestants amaze me every year as there is no way you would get me out there with them spiders or eating gross things!! Scarlett was a very deserving winner.

I’ve seen a few comments such as ‘how can a 20 odd year old have enough life experience to write an autobiography?’ and I must admit I did wonder myself, but Scarlett proves that you don’t need to be 80 to have led an interesting life already. Sofa, So Good! Me Life Story is a heart-warming, honest, modest, inspirational and totally hilarious life story (so far!). I have laughed so much throughout. I could hear Scarlett’s voice in my head as though we were sat having a coffee whilst she told me her stories.

I’m in awe of Scarlett’s strength and determination not to let bullies, health and anxiety problems stand in the way of her dreams. I had no idea she had been through such difficult times. It just goes to prove that we should always be kind as we never know what someone might be going through.

I have given this book to my 15 year old daughter to read as I think she will relate and I know she will be inspired.

Even if you know nothing about Scarlett Moffatt already, you will love her after reading this book.

I love how close Scarlett and her family are as it reminds me of me and mine. We’re all a bit daft and love nothing more than just spending time together. I can’t relate to being an only child for 15 years before my sister arrived though!

I also loved the random facts at the beginning of each chapter. Brilliant!

Absolutely loved it from the first page to last and highly recommend to everyone!

Many thanks to the publisher for my exclusive bloggers edition.

For more info and to buy your copy…..

Enjoy!

Today I have the pleasure of being one of three stops on LK Chapman’s The Stories She Tells blog tour! 🙂 

Make sure you check out the other posts on the tour, if you haven’t already…..

Extract…..

Two

Emily and her husband Andy lived in an old Victorian terrace, which they’d stripped back to the brick and then done most of the renovations themselves. In fact, Michael and Sadie had helped out a few times with the decorating in exchange for as much beer and takeaway pizza as they could manage. Personally, Michael hated the cutesy country cottage look that they’d replaced the peeling wallpaper and woodchip with, but he liked Emily and Andy well enough, even though they were really Sadie’s friends, not his. Emily had been Sadie’s closest friend at university, and he knew that made it even more painful that Emily had recently had the news Sadie was so desperately hoping for. It was late by the time they finished eating and Sadie went off to help Emily clear up in the kitchen, so Michael found himself left at the dining table with Andy. A small, quiet man with a mop of dense, dark hair and thick eyebrows, Andy had never been somebody Michael found it easy to talk to. In fact, most of the time Andy seemed quite content to be in the shadow of Emily, who was far more personable and sometimes even spoke for him. However, they managed to keep up some small talk for a minute or so, and then Michael found himself asking the question he probably least wanted to hear the answer to. ‘So,’ he said, ‘you looking forward to being a dad?’ Andy looked a little unsure. ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘I mean, kind of scared too. I don’t really know what to expect.’ Michael was about to speak but he noticed Andy was giving him an odd look. ‘What?’ Michael said. ‘What is it?’ ‘I just remembered… you must already have a bit of experience of it.’ Michael laughed. ‘I never have anything to do with kids,’ he said. ‘I have a little nephew, but I don’t see very much of him – my sister doesn’t live round here.’ Andy frowned, ‘I… uh, sorry, I must have got mixed up,’ he said. Michael began to feel uneasy. He wished he could drop the whole conversation, but he knew he’d feel troubled until he understood what Andy was talking about. ‘Mixed up about what?’ Andy began to look intensely uncomfortable, but he must have realised he couldn’t get away without some sort of explanation so he tried his best to give one. ‘Emily said something about you having a baby with an ex-girlfriend,’ he said, ‘but I must have heard her wrong.’ He quickly got up and started clearing the remaining glasses from the dining table while Michael watched him in astonishment, his skin beginning to prickle. Rae, he thought to himself, remembering his ex-girlfriend for the first time in years. He’s talking about Rae.

Blurb…..

When Michael decides to track down ex-girlfriend Rae who disappeared ten years ago while pregnant with his baby, he knows it could change his life forever. His search for her takes unexpected turns as he unearths multiple changes of identity and a childhood she tried to pretend never happened, but nothing could prepare him for what awaits when he finally finds her.
Appearing to be happily married with a brand-new baby daughter, Rae is cagey about what happened to Michael’s child and starts to say alarming things- that her husband is trying to force her to give up her new baby for adoption, that he’s attempting to undermine the bond between her and her child, and deliberately making her doubt her own sanity.
As Michael is drawn in deeper to her disturbing claims he begins to doubt the truth of what she is saying. But is she really making it all up, or is there a shocking and heartbreaking secret at the root of the stories she tells?

Buying link…..

About the author…..

Louise Katherine Chapman was born in Somerset, UK, in 1986. She studied psychology at the University of Southampton and has worked as a psychologist creating personality questionnaires for a consultancy company. She has also spent some time volunteering for mental health charity Mind.
Chapman loves to write because she loves learning about people and she loves stories. A major turning point in her life was the day she realised that no matter how strange, cruel or unfathomable the actions of other people can sometimes be, there is always a reason for it, some sequence of events to be unravelled. Since then she is always asking “why” and “what if” and she is fascinated by real life stories capturing the strength, peculiarities or extremes of human nature.
LK Chapman’s first novel, Networked, was a sci-fi thriller but now she’s turned her attention to writing psychological suspense. She lives in Hampshire with her husband and young family, and enjoys walks in the woods, video games, and spending time with family and friends.

LK Chapman’s Amazon Author Page

Enjoy!

Today I have the pleasure of joining in with Mick Bose’s Shanghai Teng blog tour! 

Many thanks to Emma Mitchell for the opportunity to take part.

Character Spotlight…..

Dan Roy

I originally intended Dan to be an English soldier. Specifically, an SAS man, who was trying to find his way out of trouble when a mission goes wrong. But I wanted him to tie in with an American corruption scandal, and a terrorist plot that originated there. It took time and some deliberation, but in the end, I envisaged Dan as the type of person who has spent most of his battling inner demons, like many soldiers do.
He was always going to have an American mother and an English father, but finally he became a fully American one. I saw his lonesome, brooding character as someone similar to an old western hero. The type who is disillusioned with the world, and wants to escape. I had a vision of a man on horseback, going through the deserts of western plains, with only the creaking of his saddle, and his ride, for company. Then I imagined him as a special forces soldier in the same situation. Left to die, and fighting back to clear his name.
Parts of Dan’s character was forged from my conversation with a soldier I met while waiting for the doctor. He was a Gurkha, in fact, and listening to his stories of training in the highest regions of the world – in Nepal, gave me an idea to base part of Dan’s childhood there. Gurkha’s have extraordinary fitness as they run up and down mountain slopes of the Himalayas. Dan did the same with his parents, who worked for United Nations, and were based at a Nepalese village while he was a teenager. Carrying a doko bag on his head, and scrambling up the hills in low oxygen environments was to give Dan a level of physical fitness far superior to his army contemporaries.
The training continued when he was chosen to join Delta Forces, similar to the SAS in England. Special Forces soldiers train very hard, and have fitness levels similar to professional athletes. They often speak foreign languages, and are skilled at surviving in extreme environments. Dan is fluent in Russian, and in his very first novella, he is based in a remote district of Afghanistan, where a Russian plot is discovered.
In the next novel, Hidden Agenda, Dan is in London, and he is betrayed.
He doesn’t spend too much time wallowing in the past however. Doing that would be counterproductive. He is a man of action after all, and as he falls into trouble, his natural instinct is to get out of it.
By the time “Shanghai Tang” comes around, Dan has faded to the far East. It is something he has always wanted to do. Personally, I have some experience of living in Asia, and that comes out strongly in the novel.
Dan is a physical man, and staying in shape came with his army training, the only training he’s ever had. In Hong Kong, it becomes natural for him to take up Muay Thai, or Thai Style Kick Boxing, similar to Tae Kwon Do. He enjoys the hard work, and slowly gravitates towards the underground blood sport tournament called the Kumite. It’s illegal, and the Triads are involved
in betting and collecting money. At first, Dan is treated with wariness, as there is no dearth of occidentals who join the Kumite, only to fail miserably. But Dan succeeds, and even gains himself a nick name – Ju Long, the Dragon Slayer.
To be honest, Dan finds peace in the far East. He is anonymous, a stranger in a sea of humanity. The open markets, the crowds, the culture, everything is easy to adapt to. People don’t judge him. Yes, he does fall into trouble, but he doesn’t go looking for it, it happens. He makes plenty of friends as well. There is a protective streak in his personality, and in the previous novel, The Tonkin Protocol, he helps a little girl called Maya.
In this book, his comes across a Chinese woman called Xei Wai-Ling. As he gets to know her, he finds out more about the Chinese way of life. He gets deeper into Chinese customs, how they think, in fact, how they run their country. Chinese have a very communal way of thinking. Individuals don’t really consider themselves separate from the rest of society. Privacy has a very different meaning in China.
As Dan discovers, there is a saying – An upright nail gets hammered down.
A lot of Shanghai Tang is about Dan getting to know the Chinese culture, and how he changes as a result of that experience.

Blurb:

Shanghai Tang – a fast paced and heart pounding action thriller from the wildly popular Dan Roy Series. A betrayed assassin is thrust into the secret life of Shanghai’s underworld. Dan Roy, ex Black Ops legend, is becoming a new legend in the infamous blood fight tournament called Kumite, in Hong Kong. He is carving himself a new life, when disaster strikes his loved ones back home. He gets a phone call, and he cannot deny Kimberly Smith’s plea for help. Not only is Kim’s life endangered, the rumbles of discontent have reached the White House… A devastating secret lurks inside the glamorous night life of Shanghai. Political interests are involved, and soon Dan finds himself in a ruthless and twisted struggle for survival. He gets help from Xiao WeiLing, A Chinese woman who is on the run herself. An ambitious Triad boss is making a bid to overrule the whole of Shanghai, and Dan Roy has become a thorn in his side. The Triads have help from the police, and all eyes are on Dan – alone in a foreign land. Get prepared for a white-knuckle ride from Hong Kong and Shanghai to the corridors of power in Washington, as we follow Dan on a terrifying adventure that could be his last. Will Dan meet his nemesis in the murky underworld of Shanghai? Or will he fight to live another day?

Buy your copy…..

About the author:

If you are enthralled by Lee Child, David Baldacci and mesmerised by Vince Flynn, then you will like Mick Bose. Mick Bose is a writer in London who can often be found jogging around the parks of Wimbledon, when he is not writing.

The popular and well received series about Dan Roy is a tornado of hard action and military secrets. A novella introducing Dan is now out, which is available to subscribers free at http://www.mickbose.com.

He also has a standalone thriller, Enemy Within, which is a nail biting, fast paced manhunt about a secret weapon that can change World War 1. It is also a gesture of respect to the 100-year anniversary of the Great War.

Mick Bose’s Amazon Author Page

Enjoy!

I am absolutely over the moon to be taking part in Barbara Copperthwaite’s Her Last Secret blog blitz! 🙂 🙂 🙂  So chuffed to be able to share my review of this amazing book with you all!

My review…..

Written Monday 18^th September 2017

OH MY WORD! This is a fantastic read! It’s the most intense and terrifying countdown to Christmas Day I have ever experienced.

In Her Last Secret we meet the Thomas family. On the surface, a loving family enjoying Ben’s success. It just goes to show you never know what might be going on behind closed doors.

The story alternates between Christmas Day and the days on the run up to it. I knew something terrible had happened, but exactly what and why was drip fed to me along the way, making this an absolutely gripping read. I was totally immersed in the Thomas family’s story. I read it in 2 days which might not be unusual for some, but is quick for me.

Ruby seems like a typical teenager to start with, but it soon becomes obvious that her mental health is a serious issue. She has been the victim of bullying and although she comes across as a bit of a spoilt brat, I really sympathised with her. My son was bullied all through high school and I will never know what that really did to him. He has always struggled to make friends and this has a seriously negative impact on his self esteem. I pray to God that he finds the strength to move on and not allow his past to consume him, as Ruby does.

As a parent, I can empathise with Ben and Dominique, as it’s easy to assume our teenagers are just being their usual stroppy selves and it’s easy to miss what might really be going on. You never really know what’s going on in their heads, especially if they are reluctant to talk and constantly shut you out. I can totally see how frustrating it is for Ruby though, feeling like she’s not listened to when she tries to involve her parents. I try my hardest to always listen when my children need to talk, but there is no handbook and non of us are perfect parents. I get things wrong. A LOT!

Anyway, I’m rambling, sorry.

Dominique is a likeable character on the whole. I have no idea how I would cope with finding out my world is falling apart around me whilst trying to keep a smile on my face in the hope of making Christmas special still, despite being desperately unhappy. She does it mostly for the sake of Mouse (Amber) her youngest, as she doesn’t want her to remember Christmas in any negative way. Mouse is the most lovely character. She’s a beautiful little girl who loves to hide in her wardrobe with her ted, torch and a book. She’s very confused why Ruby no longer wants to spend any time with her and is often left disappointed when her mother seems disinterested in anything she has to say. She doesn’t understand the heart-break her mother is facing. She seems quite used to her Dad not being around much though.

Ben is a much less likeable character. His greed and selfishness have landed him, his colleagues and family in a right mess. When things start catching up with him he isn’t left with many options.

This is a very emotional read. It sometimes made me smile, but also made me feel sad, angry and shocked. I did cry at the end! Outstanding, I highly recommend!

Many thanks to the author for my ARC of Her Last Secret and for inviting me to a part of her fab blog blitz. It’s an honour.

Description:

There are some secrets you can never tell.

The last thing to go through Dominique Thomas’s head was the image of her teenage daughter’s face and her heart lifted. Then the shot rang out.

They were the perfect family. Successful businessman Ben Thomas and his wife Dominique live an enviable life, along with their beautiful children; teenager Ruby and quirky younger daughter, Mouse.

But on Christmas Day the police are called to their London home, only to discover a horrific scene; the entire family lying lifeless, victims of an unknown assailant.

But when Ruby’s diary is discovered, revealing her rage at the world around her, police are forced to look closer to home for the key to this tragedy.

Each family member harboured their own dark truths – but has keeping their secrets pushed Ruby to the edge of sanity? Or are there darker forces at work?

This dark, gripping psychological thriller will have you holding your breath until the very last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Sometimes I Lie, and The Girl on the Train will be captivated.

Amazon Links:

UK 🇬🇬 http://amzn.to/2eOtJtF

US 🇬🇬 http://amzn.to/2jhcE0G

Author Bio:

What people say about Barbara’s books:

“Will have you looking over your shoulder and under your bed… Original, gripping, with a deep psychological impact,” Sunday Mirror

“Enthralling, tense and moving,” Real People magazine

“Totally gripping, and scarily believable,” Bella magazine

Barbara is the author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE and FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD. Both have been Amazon best sellers. She is also the author of THE DARKEST LIES, and her latest book HER LAST SECRET is out on 13 October.

Much of her success is thanks to her twenty-odd years’ experience as a national newspaper and magazine journalist. She’s interviewed the real victims of crime – and also those who have carried those crimes out. Thanks to people sharing their stories with her, she knows a lot about the emotional impact of violence and wrong-doing. That’s why her novels are dark, realistic and tackle not just the crime but its repercussions.

When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs.

Author Social Media Links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraCopperthwaite

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BCopperthwait

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

Website: http://www.barbaracopperthwaite.com

Previous posts on Chat About Books featuring Barbara Copperthwaite and her books…..

Q&A with author, Barbara Copperthwaite @BCopperthwait

#CoverReveal #HerLastSecret @BCopperthwait @bookouture