Welcome to my stop on Helen Trevorrow’s In The Wake blog tour, with Love Books Tours!

Many thanks to Kelly @ Love Books Tours for arranging the following interview with Helen Trevorrow…..

ABOUT HELEN TREVORROW

Helen Trevorrow is a graduate of the 2016 Faber Academy creative writing programme. She studied at Leeds University and has worked in marketing and public relations in London. She is a specialist food and drink PR. Helen’s debut novel IN THE WAKE is a feminist crime thriller about family, unrealised trauma and alcoholism. Helen has ghost-written many articles for newspapers, magazines and websites. She lives in Brighton, Sussex with her wife and child.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

It has to have a foot in reality, and I have to be able to relate it to my life somehow. Where it progresses from there can be anything but I do like to start with a character. Ideas usually stem from everyday occurrences where you ask, what if? It will take some time for an idea to take hold, and show itself more fully.

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

I never write exact versions of people onto the page, but my characters will usually be (what I call) an amalgam – a bundle of two or three people that I know. I may add in a characteristic that is real and a habit of someone else that is close to me. It might be the way that they stand, or fiddle with their hair, or a phrase that they constantly repeat. People never ever recognise their own habits,or any trace of themselves in a story, but many people think (incorrectly) that characters are based on them when they are not.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

I love coming up with names. It takes me a long time and I can get to draft three or four before I get the right combination. I like alliteration and punchy names that stick. I try to avoid putting people off by picking anything too posh or too rough. I like my female protagonists to have a strong one-syllable name. I had one character in In The Wake who was changed shortly before publication, so I certainly think about her as being called something different. If it’s a peripheral character then I don’t name them because I don’t want the reader to be drawn into having a deeper relationship with a named character because the name lends meaning so it is important to get it right.

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

My writing style has morphed from an organic process into something that is much more planned. After an initial idea I will start to write from a couple of different points of view and try out the voice. At the same time I will work on the main plot points so I know the overall journey. This will morph into a chunk by chunk detailed plan of action and character. Only then will I start to write properly. It will certainly take a year to write and possibly longer but once I start this phase there is an overwhelming drive to write it all down. I use google docs and write / edit from my pc / laptop and phone. Once I complete a first draft I set it aside for anything up to two months, then read it and make notes, and update plot. I then edit for a few months. At that stage I will let a trusted friend read and critique. This is usually my friend, the author, Dan Dalton. He will give me a critique and I will make further changes. I think of it like cooking; reducing a stock or a sauce; bringing the story down so that what is left is bursting with flavour.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

So many great writers that I admire and envy but my favourites are all women: Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Naomi Alderman, Nell Zink and Toni Morrison.

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

I am lucky enough to know lots of authors but I have been a lifelong fan of Sarah Waters and I’d like to ask her how far she would be prepared to go reframing women and sexuality in history – where else could she go? How far back?

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes, and I’m looking through some of my old books now with my daughter. I am shocked how sexist my favourite picture book, Usbourne’s Wizards, Princes and Gnomes is. It’s full of ‘ugly, fat princesses with moles on their noses’ who can never get husbands.

When did you start to write?

I started writing at age 8 (The Adventures of Ginger), and had my first novel published aged 42.

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

Wow, I would never rewrite someone elses work, however I do love a bit of fan fiction and once wrote extensive additions to Grey’s Anatomy!

Is there a book you wish you had written?

I am green with envy at many books; and bursting with admiration for many others. The only books I wish I had written are my own, I wish that they could be better, that I could write as fluidly and compellingly as many other writers. The writers I really admire for their simplicity are Alice Munro and Anita Brookner who tell a story slowly with a thundering punch at the end delivering so much more than you bargained for. Anita Brookner’s, A Start In Life is so sad, simple and beautifully written. I loved this book. It is so compelling that it draws you in and long after you feel so sentimental for the world and what could have been.

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

The Accidental Publicist

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

I’ve been reading a lot of hard core sci fi recently so I think it would be interesting to have Breq from Ann Leckie’s award winning Ancillary Sword series. Breq is the combined consciousness of a space battleship – could make for an interesting lunch?

What are you working on right now?

I am currently writing a sci-fi thriller based in Brighton. I’m in the latter stages of refining, editing and polishing. I’m very excited about it.

Tell us about your last release?

In The Wake is a feminist crime thriller about family, unrealised trauma, alcoholism, secrecy, and strong women teetering on the edge of disaster. The main character, Kay, devastated by her mother’s death, is struggling to maintain her high-flying career. When called upon to handle a gruesome discovery in London’s Royal Albert Dock on behalf of her client, she soon becomes entangled in the mystery she’s been brought in to manage. As she spirals out of control, long suppressed memories surface. What lengths will she go to in order to right the wrongs of her past?

Do you have a new release due?

I am working on a speculative thriller but there’s still a lot to do!

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

        I love to celebrate with a nice boozy lunch. My ideal place for that would be Riddle and Finn’s on Brighton seafront.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram @helentrevorrow or visit www.helentrevorrow.net

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Helen 🙂

Blurb

When a body is found floating in London’s Royal Albert Dock, successful public relations expert Kay Christie is sent to quiet the media, but things get complicated when it emerges that she knew the victim.

As events spiral out of control, Kay discovers that those close to her may be harbouring another secret – the story of a missing girl. Can Kay discover the truth before her life unravels and she risks losing everything?

In the Wake questions whether we can ever truly leave our pasts behind and explores the lengths that we will go to protect the people that we love.

Buy Link 

https://amzn.to/303×118

happy reading 🙂

Welcome to my stop on Vivienne Brereton’s A Phoenix Rising blog tour, with Love Books Tours!

Many thanks to Kelly @ Love Books Tours for arranging the following interview with Vivienne Brereton…..

Thank you, Kerry, for inviting me onto your Blog today and taking the time to ask me some questions about my writer’s journey and my book. ‘The House of the Red Duke’. Book One. ‘A Phoenix Rising.’

About me:
I have always loved the Tudors, even when I was a small child. My parents even gave me the nickname ‘the little Tudor madam’ because I wouldn’t stop talking about them. I followed up this childhood and teenage passion with a degree in Medieval History. As an adult I’ve travelled widely with my husband and three sons (always working with words in some form) and have (for better or sometimes worse) lived in six countries in my life. It wasn’t always easy living in ‘challenging countries’ but I could always escape to the sixteenth century if the going got tough! Perhaps that’s why I wrote a novel based in four countries: England, France, Scotland and the Burgundian Netherlands because it reflected my own experience. Happily, my husband and I now live in a small French village which was built at the time of the French King in my novel.

1) Where did/do you get your ideas from?
The idea for my novel was a natural follow-on from my interest in the Tudors. The central character in my novel is the incomparable Thomas Howard, a grand old man of nearly eighty in the first part. He is the ‘Phoenix Rising’ because his life was full of trials and tribulations which he did his best to overcome. Two of his granddaughters, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were not so fortunate. He is the focal point of the novel but the story is told through the eyes of several others. I tried to produce a large tapestry with Thomas in the centre, joined to all the others by brightly coloured threads. I have read very widely; visited historical sites; museums; listened to medieval music; watched TV and movies; even cooked like a Tudor! All of this is to get a true flavour of the period. For my readers, I’ve even included a few original recipes, tried and tested by me.

2) Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?
That’s a very interesting question, Kerry. I once read somewhere that the author is every character in the novel, or at least a facet of each one. I can see that but I was surprised that no, I didn’t base my characters on anyone at all. However, I can see a little of myself in Cecily, the young Cornish noblewoman who is about to discover she is to be the bride in an arranged marriage she knows nothing about.

3) How do you pick the names of your characters?
Another great question. As it’s a Tudor novel, the names have to be of their time but as there weren’t as many names back then, it could be tricky. I’ve just written an article about Tudor names and will be putting it on my website soon. I also had to choose names from the other three countries in which the novel is based, and again had to trawl through lists of sixteenth century names to ensure they were accurate.

4) Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?
I’m not a massive planner but have a very clear idea where the book is going. I love that feeling when you sit down in front of your computer, place your fingers on the keyboard and wonder where you’re going to be taken that day. Time passes very quickly.

5) Who are your top 5 favourite authors?
Mm. I hope it’s okay if I keep it to historical as that’s always been my favourite genre. I can flit from serious to light depending on my mood. I love immersing myself in beautifully written prose as well as speed reading a great historical romp. My top five ever historical authors would have to be:
1 Anya Seton for her incredible ‘Green Darkness.’ It was written back in 1972 and was her last novel and most popular. It is a novel about reincarnation, switching between Tudor times and modern day.
2 Daphne du Maurier for ‘The House on the Strand’ 1972 A time slip novel set in one of my favourite places in the world: Cornwall.
3 Barbara Erskine for ‘The Lady of Hay’ 1986, another time slip novel. I’m beginning to see a pattern here.
4 Diana Gabaldon for ‘Outlander’ 1991. One of the best-selling book series of all time.
5 Elizabeth Chadwick for ‘The Wild Hunt’ 1990 For me, this is a timeless romance, still as fresh today after all those years.

6) If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Anya Seton. I’d love to ask her how she managed to produce such amazing novels able to transport the reader back in time. The detail is quite extraordinary, and all this way before the internet was invented.

7)Were you a big reader as a child?
Absolutely. Again, historical novels were a staple. ‘The ship that flew’ by Hilda Lewis and ‘The Wool-Pack’ by Cynthia Harnett. And of course anything by Enid Blyton etc; Followed by Jean Plaidy.

8) When did you start to write?
In my early twenties. I think I’ve still got the old notebooks somewhere with stories planned and begun…but not finished.

9) If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?
‘Gone with the wind’. I’d give it a happy ending.

10) Is there a book you wish you’d written?
‘Outlander’.

11) If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?
‘Home is where the heart is’.

12) If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?
Rhett Butler. And I definitely wouldn’t invite him round for coffee!

13) What are you working on right now?
The second book in the series: ‘The Lizard lurking in the Grass.’ What Thomas and all my characters do next.

14) Do you have a new release date due?
Sometime in 2020.

15) What did you do to celebrate on publication day?
I drank champagne with my family and friends at the book launch in my local bookshop.

16) How can readers keep in touch with you?
On Twitter @VivienneBreret1 or via my website http://www.viviennebrereton.com

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

Thank you so much, Kerry. I’ve really enjoyed answering your brilliant questions.

Blurb

“If I have anything to do with it, we Howards will live forever.” Thomas Howard Charismatic head of one of the most powerful Houses in Tudor England. An indomitable old man approaching eighty: soldier, courtier, politician, a ‘phoenix’ rising from the ashes. After a calamitous period of disgrace, the Howards, renowned for their good looks and charm, are once more riding high at the court of Henry VIII. Set against the backdrop of the extraordinary 1520 ‘Field of Cloth of Gold’, it is a tale of ambition, love, and intrigue, with Thomas at the centre of this intricate tapestry Will Thomas’s bold vow be fulfilled? Danger stalks the corridors of the royal courts of Europe. Uneasy lies the head beneath a crown. Every other ruler – a fickle bedfellow…or sworn enemy. The action takes place in England, Scotland, and France. On either side of the Narrow Sea, four young lives are interwoven, partly unaware of each other, and certainly oblivious to what Dame Fortune has in store for them. “Nicolas de La Barre laid his lute to one side, hardly bothering to stifle a yawn of boredom. Nevertheless, he couldn’t escape the fact he’d agreed to take on a new wife….” Explosive family secrets are concealed behind the ancient walls of castles in three lands. But… “There are no secrets that time does not reveal.”

Buy Link 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Phoenix-Rising-House-Red-Duke/dp/2956653113/ref=sr_1_3?crid=LI2POF1E22OM&keywords=a+phoenix+rising+vivienne+brereton&qid=1571338420&sprefix=Phoenix+Rising+Vi%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-3  

happy reading 🙂

The first thing I’ll say about The Crow Girl is that it is really, really, long! If you like a quick read this won’t be the book for you. It has taken me almost a month to read it! It also deals with some very sensitive and harrowing subject matters such as child sex abuse, so it certainly isn’t for the faint hearted either. Having said that I found it totally compelling. Disturbing, but compelling!

I’m probably not doing a great job of selling it to you, but honestly, it is so brilliantly written it completely drew me in from the very beginning and had my full attention right to the very last page.

It is set in Sweden but has been translated perfectly and despite some difficult to pronounce character and place names I found this an easy to follow story. Told from various characters’ perspectives, I loved the psychological aspects of the story as well as the police procedural. This is a gripping, steady paced, crime thriller with some fascinating characters. It is full of suspense and intrigue and, in my opinion, an excellent read which I would happily recommend. I will be looking out for more by this author to add to my reading list.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy, via Netgalley.

Via AmazonUK…..

The international thriller sensation

It starts with just one body – the hands bound, the skin covered in marks.

Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg is determined to find out who is responsible, despite opposition from her superiors. When two more bodies are discovered, it becomes clear that she is hunting a serial killer.

With her career on the line, Kihlberg turns to psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund. Together, they expose a chain of shocking events that began decades ago – but will it lead them to the murderer before someone else dies?

‘A compulsive page-turner‘
Sunday Express

‘Compelling… we are left gasping for breath‘
Daily Mail

‘There’s a fantastic twist… the pace of its revelations is relentless’
Observer

happy reading 🙂

The Wicked Lord’s Mistress

The Wicked Lord’s Mistress is set in the late Victorian period (1886) for fans of upstairs/downstairs dramas such as Downton Abbey and steamy romances. It explores the continuing love story between Lily, a lady’s maid at Torrington Hall, and a handsome, mysterious aristocratic hero called Lord Edgar Wilson.
Lily is surrounded by challenges from all sides. She is being blackmailed by the evil Mallkins, she has a secret past that she is trying to hide, and her forbidden love affair with Lord Wilson grows more risky every day. Can their lusty affair transform into the tender and lasting love that Lily craves? And given the differences in their class, is a happy ending possible for them?
Then a new enemy comes into Lily’s life, someone who is determined to destroy her. Lily finds herself facing the greatest challenge of her life, and hopes that Lord Wilson will be her hero.

Purchase Links 

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wicked-Lords-Mistress-historical-Seductionebook/dp/B07XQDM77Q
US – https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Lords-Mistress-historical-Seductionebook/dp/B07XQDM77Q

Author Bio

Scarlett Jameson works in publishing by day and by night enjoys writing steamy historical romances. A lover of all things Victorian, she lives in London with her cat.  You can subscribe to Scarlett’s newsletter here https://tinyletter.com/scarlettjameson

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happy reading 🙂

Many thanks to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources for arranging the following interview with Shelly Berry…..

Author Photo credit Bianca Kirby.

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

I’m Shelly and I’ve always worked with people in the voluntary or public sector.  I got back into writing in my twenties having loved writing stories as a child.  I started off by blogging before taking some short courses in writing fiction.  I came up with the concept of Outreach quite early on in my writing journey, but put it to one side for a while whilst I pursued other projects.  Outreach is heavily influenced by my day jobs, but it really came out of my curiosity about what would happen if someone developed a crush that they were unable to let go of, even if all the signs suggested that they should…

Where did/do you get your ideas from? 

I get my ideas from life – people I meet, my own experiences and my interest in what makes people tick.

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

I’d be lying if I said my characters weren’t influenced by people I’d met.  There’s a bit of an old manager in Eric, the Service Manager where Emily works, and Fran her colleague has traits that I have witnessed from a number of people I have worked with.  There are probably fragments of a lot of people I have known in my characters, including Emily, but none of them are based exclusively on any one person.

How do you pick your characters names?

I don’t really have a set way of picking names for my characters.  I think about their background and age to come up with a few ideas.  Then I think about what suits them – I have a picture of them all in my head!  I’m careful not to use names of people I know well for obvious reasons, although since writing Outreach I have started working with an Emily….

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

First I like to flesh out my story.  I use post-it notes to create a flow chart that I can easily change to develop my plot.  Then I spend some time thinking about my characters and the places that they find themselves and create spider-grams that I can refer back to throughout the writing process.  Then I set a weekly target and get started, and keep going until I get to the end!

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

I’m a big fan of contemporary female authors – Zadie Smith, Donna Tartt and Margaret Atwood are all up there.  Helen Fielding and Marian Keyes are fantastic too – I love Bridget Jones and really admire how Marian can write about serious and sad issues with such humour.

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

Whilst one of the above is tempting to pick, I’d perhaps want to go back in time and talk to Sylvia Plath, Iris Murdoch or Virginia Woolf.  I’d want to ask them about their world, and what it was like for them being female writers in such different and changing times.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Absolutely – I loved Roald Dahl and Brian Jacques.  Anything fantastical with talking animals.

When did you start to write?

I wrote a story called The Diamond Mistress when I was about 6.  There were sequels… and then quite a gap until my mid to late twenties when I started to blog and signed up to an evening class.  I haven’t really stopped since.

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

This may be controversial and more than a little ambitious, but I think I’d have a bash at re-writing one of those Shakespearian comedies where characters rebel against societal norms… but seem to conform in the end.  Maybe some of Jane Austen’s novels need similar treatment….

Is there a book you wish you had written?

I recently read Normal People by Sally Rooney and really admired her fresh style.

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

Long Tall Shelly (I’m pretty tall)

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

Offred from The Handmaids Tale.  She is such a strong woman.  I’d take her back in time so we could visit a café that used to be open in the middle of Clapham Common – a real hippie shack with brightly painted tables and chairs outside that served the most amazing lentil soup.

What are you working on right now? 

A series of short stories that I intend to bring together into a novel made up of entwining tales that bring the characters together.  They are based around a council estate in central London that has a lot of problems which they all become involved in in one way or another.

Do you have a new release due? 

Outreach was released on 28th September, but nothing else is due… as of yet!

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

At the stroke of midnight on the publication day of Outreach I was in a nightclub.  My boyfriend pointed out the time and I had another vodka and tonic!

How can readers keep in touch with you? 

I’m all over social media – ShellyBerryUK on Twitter and ShellyBerryOriginal on Facebook and Instagram.  Alternatively they can visit my website shellyberryoriginal.co.uk which has a contact page.  Come say hi!

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

My book is available to buy at https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshopcollection/fiction/contemporary/outreach/ – enjoy!

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

Kerry. x

Outreach

When Emily was offered a new job in London, she was sure that her life was about to change – new friends, a career in the big city and the boyfriend she always wanted.

Her new life turns out to be more complicated than she expected. Her flat mates don’t understand her. Her colleagues mock everything about her. Even her father doesn’t support her. The only person who offers her any encouragement is David.

He’s married. He’s her manager. To Emily it’s clear that they have something special. As their relationship develops, everyone seems to want to sabotage their chances.

But some things are meant to be…

Purchase  Links 

https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop-collection/fiction/contemporary/outreach/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outreach-Shelly-Berry/dp/1912881705
https://www.amazon.com/Outreach-Shelly-Berry/dp/1912881705

Author Bio –

Shelly Berry lives in Waltham Forest, London. Having gained a BA Joint Honours Degree in Visual Art and Sociology at Keele University and a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, she has since worked in the public sector with vulnerable adults and children – including those affected by mental illness, drug and alcohol misuse, disability, criminal behaviour, homelessness and domestic and sexual abuse. During this time, Shelly developed and nurtured her love of writing. As well as writing fiction, she has previously written for a number of blogs and now writes for the Waltham Forest Echo.

Social Media Links –

twitter @ShellyBerryUK 
https://www.facebook.com/ShellyBerryOriginal/
https://www.instagram.com/shellyberryoriginal/?hl=en 

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happy reading 🙂

Frankie: The Woman Who Saved Millions from Thalidomide

Thalidomide: patented in Germany as a non-toxic cure-all for sleeplessness and morning sickness. A wonder drug with no side-effects.
We know differently now.
Today, thalidomide is a byword for tragedy and drug reform – a sign of what happens when things aren’t done ‘the right way’. But when it was released in the 1950s, it was the best thing since penicillin – something that doctors were encouraged to prescribe to all of their patients. Nobody could anticipate what it actually did: induce sleeping, prevent morning sickness, and drastically harm unborn children.
But, whilst thalidomide rampaged and ravaged throughout most of the West, it never reached the United States. It landed on the desk of Dr Frances Kelsey, and there it stayed as she battled hierarchy, patriarchy, and the Establishment in an effort to prove that it was dangerous. Frankie is her story.

Purchase Links 

https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/frankie/9780750991919/ 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Frankie-Woman-Saved-Millions-Thalidomide-ebook/dp/B07PQV547Y
https://www.amazon.com/Frankie-Woman-Saved-Millions-Thalidomide-ebook/dp/B07PQV547Y

Author Bio – 

JAMES ESSINGER 

is the author of non-fiction books that focus on STEM subjects and personalities, including Charles and Ada (The History Press) and Ada’s Algorithm (Gibson Square), the latter of which has been optioned for a film. He lives in Canterbury.

SANDRA KOUTZENKO

is a bilingual writer whose work spans a variety of categories and topics, ranging from French poetry to English non-fiction, focusing on human nature and the conflict between its potential for greatness and its propensity for destruction.

Social Media Links – 

Twitter @TheHistoryPress
Instagram @TheHistoryPressUK
https://www.facebook.com/james.essinger   
https://twitter.com/jamesessinger

The House That Sat Down Trilogy: Omnibus Edition

Purchase Links:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-That-Sat-Down-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B07WJW5MYF

US – https://www.amazon.com/House-That-Sat-Down-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B07WJW5MYF

About the Author

Social Media Links –

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happy reading 🙂

#WeWillRememberThem

Jack is inducted into the use of emojis for his new job

Background: Jack’s daughter has engineered a job for Jack at a trendy young tech firm.  In this scene he’s in an induction workshop on his first day at the office. He’s sitting with three other newbies and the HR person is taking them through the ins and outs of the company culture. And then she says…
“Who knows how to use the rolling eyes emoji?”
Silence.
She continues. “We use instant messaging so much at Sweet it can be overwhelming. But there are things you can do to help keep control of all the conversations going on. One of them is using the rolling eyes.”
I roll my eyes. Metaphorically. Externally I’m smiling and nodding.
“When you get a Lazy IM from a colleague that’s going to take a while to answer, just put in the rolling eyes. It means you’re looking at it, but it doesn’t start a whole new thread in the inbox.”
I look around. I’m still in an office block in Berkshire. As far as I can tell, I haven’t been teleported to Beijing by some fancy virtual reality technology. So why is this woman — albeit a damned attractive woman — talking in a language I can’t understand? We’re talking about colleagues who work in the same office building, probably at the next desk.
“Don’t you just get off your chair and talk to them?” I ask. “Do we really need to know the official way of using the rolling eyes?”
She laughs and shakes her head. “It’s not really official, Jack. But everybody’s so busy that they prefer to use the rolling eyes.”
So busy curating their IM feeds, and finding Sweet Creative ways of using the application to avoid real work.
“When you’ve thought about the IM and are ready to answer,” she says, “then it’s okay to start a new thread. But the rolling eyes means you’re taking their message seriously into consideration, you’re thinking about it, and you’re not ignoring it.”
Thank fuck for that!

XYZ

Jack Cooper is a depressed, analogue throwback; a cynical, alcoholic Gen-Xer whose glory days are behind him. He’s unemployed, his marriage has broken down, he’s addicted to internet hook-ups, and is deeply ashamed of his son Geronimo, who lives life dressed as a bear.
When Jack’s daughter engineers a job for him at totally-lit tech firm Sweet, he’s confronted by a Millennial and Zoomer culture he can’t relate to. He loathes every detail – every IM, gif and emoji – apart from Freya, twenty years his junior and addicted to broadcasting her life on social media.
Can Jack evolve to fit in at Sweet, or will he remain a dinosaur stuck in the 1980s? And will he halt his slide into loneliness and repair his family relationships?
XYZ is for every Gen-Xer who ever struggled with a device, and for everyone else who loves emojis … said no one ever.

Purchase Link 

US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TTWHYL2

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07TTWHYL2

Author Bio – 

William Knight is British born writer and technologist currently living and working in Wellington, New Zealand. He’s chased a portfolio career which began in acting, progressed to music, flirted with handbag manufacturing and was eventually wired into technology in the late nineties.

“I had my first feature published in Computing magazine back in 2003 and subsequently wrote about the many successes and failings of high-tech for the Guardian, Financial Times and the BBC among many others publications. I now work as an IT consultant, and write blistering content for technology firms :-)” says William

The Donated (formerly Generation), his debut novel and a Sci-tech Thriller, started in 2001 and was ten years in development. XYZ, “A mid-life crisis with a comic vein”, took far less time. “But I think it’s funnier and better. Yay. Jazz hands!”

Social Media Links – 

https://www.facebook.com/WilliamKnightAuthor
http://www.williamknight.info
https://twitter.com/_William_Knight

Giveaway

Win a $10 Amazon voucher and a signed copy of XYZ (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or
over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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ICYMI

XYZ by @_William_Knight #BlogTour #Interview #LoveBooksTours

The Honeysuckle Dream

Two men. Three decades. One decision.
Pregnant at nineteen from an affair with a married man, Leila goes against her parents’ wishes. Alone in an unfamiliar city, a fresh start is terrifying.
Leila struggles to navigate between being a single working mum, new friendships, and her bad choices in men. The heartache of past mistakes haunts her. Disillusioned, lonely, and with a fractured mother-daughter relationship, she swaps the vices of city life for the peace of the country. Yet new-found happiness is short-lived and old habits return.
Can Leila let go of her past and find true love?

Purchase Link:

getbook.at/thehoneysuckledream

Author Bio – 

Kate Frost writes character-driven women’s fiction and romances, alongside Time Shifters, an awardwinning time travel adventure trilogy for 9-12 year olds. She has a MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University where she’s also taught lifewriting to creative writing undergraduates. She is the Director of Children’s and Teen events for Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, and she’s the cofounder of Storytale Festival, the first city-wide children’s book festival in Bristol.
The Honeysuckle Dream is Kate’s ninth book and the third (standalone) novel in her popular The Butterfly Storm series. She lives in Bristol with her husband, son, and Frodo, their cute Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Social Media Links – 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katefrostauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katefrostauthor 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katefrostauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7131734.Kate_Frost

Giveaway

Win a Paperback copy of The Honeysuckle Dream by Kate Frost (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Follow, like and share the book love with these awesome book bloggers…..

happy reading 🙂