Many thanks to Isabella Muir and Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to join in.

Interview with Isabella Muir…..

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

Hello all. I’m Isabella Muir, the author of the Sussex Crime mystery series. This series of three books are based around the character of Janie Juke, a young librarian. Set in the late 1960s Janie Juke turns out to be an excellent amateur sleuth, following in the footsteps of her hero, Hercule Poirot. The stories are set in the fictional Sussex seaside town of Tamarisk Bay and are perfect for anyone who loves Agatha Christie and the swinging sixties. 

Each of the novels are stand-alone stories, with the latest (published June 2018) – The Invisible Case – seeing Janie investigating the sudden death of a stranger!

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

After I finished my MA I self-published an anthology of my short stories, called Ivory Vellum. One of the stories is about a little girl whose father is hit by a bus. I got to thinking – what would it be like if the father ended up blind – what would have happened to the family and to the girl?

This gave me the idea for my first novel, The Tapestry Bag. Janie Juke is the little girl all grown up.

Once I had written The Tapestry Bag, I wanted Janie to have the chance to solve another case. Lost Property focuses on the story of Hugh Furness, a world war 2 RAF pilot. I live close to Tangmere Military Museum, which gave me the idea and got me thinking about WW2 in general.

In The Invisible Case we meet Janie’s Aunt Jessica, who has been off travelling around Europe for the last nine years. I’m half Italian, so I wanted to tell the story of Jessica’s return by starting with the train journey from Rome to Calais, which is a journey I did with my family many times as a child.

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

Janie’s father, Philip, is a blind physiotherapist. Many years ago I used to visit a brilliant physiotherapist, when I was having a lot of back trouble. He was blind and if anything it made him an even better therapist than some sighted ones I have been to.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

Good question! I’ve tried to choose names that were popular in the era, but also names that fit the characters. The first thing I do when I think of a character is to find a photo of the kind of person I have in my mind and then the name just seems to follow.

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

I write my first draft by hand, with a pencil in a notebook. I prefer afternoons to write and I need quiet and solitude – not even background music. Then when I transfer the first draft to the computer I do a bit of a first edit. After that I’ll send the manuscript off to my two amazing writing buddies, who will give me invaluable feedback about content and structure. Then it’s all about a million more hours editing until the final draft is ready to upload!

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

This is a difficult one – there are so many…but if I had to limit myself to five, then it would be Thomas Hardy as my classic author, and then Anita Shreve, Helen Dunmore, Maggie O’Farrell and Rachel Joyce (of Harold Fry fame).

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

JRR Tolkien – Would you like to have lived in Middle Earth – maybe as a hobbit?

Were you a big reader as a child?

I started reading when I was about four years old (according to my mum!). I loved all the Enid Blyton Famous Five books, as well as the Malory Towers series, which was all about a boarding school. Another series I remember devouring was by Elinor M Brent-Dyer about a Chalet School. Then in my teens I read all the Agatha Christie books I could get my hands on, before moving on to science fiction.

When did you start to write?

I messed around with stories and poetry as a teenager, but started writing fiction in earnest once I was in my thirties.

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

Tess of the D’Urbevilles – I don’t think poor Tess should have to die.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

The Pilot’s Wife, by Anita Shreve

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

No fixed abode

Because some of my happiest times have been when I’ve been travelling.

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

I’d like to meet Janie’s father, Philip. I’d take him to my favourite café overlooking one of our local beaches, where he could listen to the waves and smell the sea.

What are you working on right now?

I have the embryo of an idea for the next book – it will be Number 4 in the Sussex Crime mystery series – but will see the young journalist Libby Frobisher lead the investigation – with Janie Juke taking a bit of a back seat!

Do you have a new release due?

I’m hoping my fourth novel will be out well before Christmas. But I’ll keep you posted via my website.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I treat myself to a chilled glass of something, preferably with bubbles! And have an extra hug with my Scottie, Hamish.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Email: theisabellamuir@gmail.com

Website: https://isabellamuir.com/

Twitter @SussexMysteries

Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMuirAuthor/

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Isabella-Muir/e/B074F18ZSY/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I hope readers enjoy the stories – it would be great to have feedback – either by reviews on Amazon or Goodreads, of just by contacting me via any of the above.

Happy reading!

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

The Invisible Case

A shocking death turns a homecoming into a nightmare. 

It’s Easter 1970 in the seaside town of Tamarisk Bay, and for one family the first Easter of a new decade brings a shocking tragedy. Amateur sleuth and professional librarian, Janie Juke, is settling into motherhood and looking forward to spending time with her family. When her Aunt Jessica is due back from Rome after nine years travelling around Europe, she arrives back in town with a new Italian friend, Luigi, and the whole family soon get embroiled in a tangle of mystery and suspicion, with death and passion at the heart of the story.

As time runs out on Luigi as prime suspect for murder, Janie has to use all of her powers of deduction in the footsteps of her hero, Hercule Poirot, to uncover the facts. Why did Luigi come to Tamarisk Bay? What is the truth about his family?
As Luigi’s story unfolds, tragedy seems to haunt the past, present and unless Janie acts fast, possibly what is yet to come.

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Case-heartbreaking-tragedy-cold-blooded-ebook/dp/B07D5BLMG6/

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invisible-Case-heartbreaking-tragedy-cold-blooded-ebook/dp/B07D5BLMG6/

Author Bio –

Isabella Muir is the author of Janie Juke series of crime mysteries – all set in Sussex.

‘The Tapestry Bag’ is the first in the series, followed by ‘Lost Property’. Now – ‘The Invisible Case’ – the latest in the series is available for pre-order from Amazon.

The ‘Janie Juke mysteries’ are set in Sussex in the sixties and seventies and feature a young librarian with a passion for Agatha Christie. All that Janie has learned from her hero, Hercule Poirot, she is able to put into action as she sets off to solve a series of crimes and mysteries.

Isabella has also published ‘Ivory Vellum’ – a collection of short stories.

She has been surrounded by books her whole life and – after working for twenty years as a technical editor and having successfully completed her MA in Professional Writing – she was inspired to focus on fiction writing.

Aside from books, Isabella has a love of all things caravan-like. She has spent many winters caravanning in Europe and now, together with her husband, she runs a small caravan site in Sussex. They are ably assisted by their much-loved Scottie, Hamish.

Social Media Links –

TWITTER @SussexMysteries

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/isabel.muir.96

WEBSITE: www.isabellamuir.com

Giveaway –

Win a signed copy of The Invisible Case (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 I reserve 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 I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Many thanks to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources and to Robert Stone for the following guest post…..

Chasing Deep Gold is the working title for next non-fiction book. It is a prequel to my book Chasing Black Gold https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/chasing-black-gold/9780750960335/ and based on my commercial diving career in the 1970’s and early 80’s.

When a platform reaches the end of its commercial life it and the surrounding infrastructure needs to be removed. You come in with a derrick barge and they lift the topsides off and take them away to be reused or scrapped. One of the perks is you are working on a platform covered in oysters. A natural reef. I don’t think I’ve ever had oysters that tasted better than ones you popped the shell on underwater.

No one on the barge had ever cut a jacket free from the bottom before using explosives so we played it by ear. The plan was to use water jets to blast a 10 foot deep hole at the bottom of each jacket leg big enough for a diver to work in. You put one end over your shoulder and pointed the other end at the mud. Visibility disappeared in an instant but seeing what you were doing doesn’t matter much.

Once the work space was created we then went down and burned a 3 foot square hole in the leg and pull the piece out with the crane. Then we would bust the grout with a hammer and chisel exposing the pile steel which we would also cut a hole in. This process would be repeated on all four legs.

You might have had the impression that diving is a very glamourous occupation but basically you are a very highly paid hard labourer! Swinging a sledgehammer underwater for an hour can be very exhausting!

Once the holes in the legs were completed we then set about placing the explosives in each one. It was a two part explosive in gallon cans. This jacket was huge and in a 150 foot of water. The gallon cans looked pretty small so we decided to put 4 in each leg. We placed them in, tying them off with rope and then ran the primacord up to the surface.

We backed the barge up about half a mile, hooked up the wires to the battery and shouted ‘Fire in the Hole!!’

The platform, which weighed several thousand tons, jumped up 6 foot. The shock wave hit the barge and we could feel it through our feet. We were so lucky not to have sunk the barge. I looked at the Barge Captain. He didn’t think it was that funny.

All the fish that lived on and around the platform had been killed in the blast and were floating to the surface. It didn’t take long for the sharks to come and we couldn’t dive for two days. Lots of private boats heard and came out to fill their chest freezers with groupers and snappers.

We still had work to do as once the structure had been removed. You do a general clean up around the bottom. Amazing what a pile of steel and wires that accumulate over 25 – 30 years.

We started diving again but there were still loads of sharks swimming around. One of the divers was deathly afraid of going in and he kept refusing. The Superintendent was going to run him off but rather than lose his job he agreed to make a dive. We decided to mess with him.

Divers wear a bailout bottle- basically a small scuba bottle that if you lose your main supply of air you had a backup. Depending on the depth it was good for a few minutes or a few breaths. Better than nothing and saved my life on a couple occasions.

Anyway, I took a hose clamp and strapped a large 6” shark hook to his bailout bottle and put a whole chicken on it. His tender brought it out behind him without him seeing it and put it on his back. He was a big guy and when he stood up to jump off the barge everyone one was laughing so hard they were crying. He kept turning around and around to see what was up which made everyone laugh even harder. We kept screaming at him to jump in but he wouldn’t and finally we had to sit him down and take the bottle off him. He didn’t think it was as funny as we did to say the least!

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Chasing Black Gold

ROBERT STONE was a serial entrepreneur – an enterprising individual, mostly on the wrong side of the law, who spent twenty-five years operating all over the world, before being arrested in Switzerland as a result of an international manhunt led by an Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Over the course of his career, Stone earned and lost several lifetimes’ worth of fortunes, went to prison on three continents, used dozens of aliases, saw men die, and masterminded one of the biggest marijuana smuggling operations in criminal history. Fuel smuggling in Africa, trading fuel with generals, rebels and businessman, was both his career high and, ultimately, what brought him down.

Purchase Links:

https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/chasing-black-gold/9780750960335/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Black-Gold-Incredible-Smuggler/dp/0750960337

https://www.waterstones.com/book/chasing-black-gold/robert-stone/9780750960335

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-black-gold-robert-stone/1121230480

https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Black-Gold-Incredible-Smuggler/dp/0750960337

https://www.ebooks.com/1974661/chasing-black-gold/stone-robert/

Author Bio:

Author Robert Stone first came to Aberdeen Scotland in 1973 as a pioneer saturation diver in the early dangerous days of the North Sea. Retiring from diving in the mid 80’s he became a serial entrepreneur –mostly on the wrong side of the law. He spent the next decade operating businesses all over the world from his Aberdeenshire home.

Stone earned and lost several fortunes, went to prison on three continents, used dozens of aliases, and masterminded one of the biggest marijuana smuggling operations in criminal history. Fuel smuggling in Africa, was only one of his many exploits.

His Scottish wife and young children knew nothing of the dark side of his life until the day they were all arrested in Switzerland as a result of an international manhunt led by an Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/rstonecbg

Twitter https://twitter.com/TheHistoryPress

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

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thehistorypressuk/?hl=en

Giveaway –

Win 10 x signed copies of Chasing Black Gold (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 I reserve 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 I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

First of all,  my apologies to Samantha Tonge and Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources for missing the Publication Day celebrations for Forgive Me Not. I just spotted this in my emails, but for some reason it wasn’t written in my diary. I sincerely apologise.

Check this out ⇓⇓⇓

Forgive Me Not

Forgiveness can be hard to come by… An unputdownable new novel from bestseller Samantha Tonge

 How far would you go to make amends?

When Emma fled her home at Foxglove Farm, she’d let down and hurt those who cared for her most. But now, two years later, she’s ready to face up to her past; she’s ready to go back.

But Emma’s unannounced return causes more problems than she could have foreseen. The people she knew and loved aren’t ready to forget, let alone forgive. And the one person she wants to reconnect with the most, her mother, can’t remember who she is.

Just as Emma starts to rebuild trust, an uncovered family secret and a shocking past crime threaten her newly forged future…

Sometimes simply saying sorry isn’t enough.

Perfect for readers of Ruth Hogan or Amanda Prowse, this is an extraordinary and unforgettable novel about running away from yourself – and finding a way back.

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07F6Z1GYC/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=ur2&tag=canelo-21

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/forgive-me-not

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=D7liDwAAQBAJ

iBooks:https://geo.itunes.apple.com/gb/book/the-quantum-spy/id1406717966?mt=11&uo=8&at=1000l5Q7

About Samantha Tonge

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK and her passion, second to spending time with her husband and children, is writing. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.

When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines.

In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins and in 2014, her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category.

Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

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

Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

My second blog tour for today is for Columbkill Noonan’s Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab. I have an interview with the author herself.

Many thanks to Columbkill Noonan and to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources for arranging the following interview…..

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

My books (the Barnabas Tew series) are a mash-up of good old-fashioned British detective stories mixed with a healthy dollop of mythological fantasy. The hero, Barnabas, is a bit bumbling, a bit particular, and a bit neurotic, but also very earnest and lovable.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

That’s a great question, and I wish I could give you a definitive answer. The truth is that I don’t really know! Most of the time I just wake up and boom! There’s an idea. Very inconvenient when this happens at 3 am, by the way!

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

I think I take little bits and pieces from everyone I know and combine those pieces to come up with characters that have their own identity and personalities.

How do you pick your characters names?

The gods and goddesses in the books are easy….they already have names, and stories, and backgrounds. But I let the other characters name themselves, in a way. And when you read the books you’ll realize that there really was no other name that would suit Barnabas nearly so well!

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

I wake up, have some tea and fruit, and then settle down to write for a couple of hours. If I don’t do it in the morning I’ll never do it! And there’s always my cat on my lap. She absolutely will not let me write without her.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Tolstoy, Camus, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Tolkien, George R.R. Martin (I know that’s 6 but I just couldn’t leave anyone out!)

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

Probably George R.R. Martin. I’d ask him when he’s going to finish the books (and I’d probably ask him to hurry up, please!)

Were you a big reader as a child?

Very much so. I loved books so much that I essentially taught myself to read when I was 4 so that I wouldn’t have to wait for someone to read to me. My sister and I particularly loved The Lord of the Rings…we had a silver baton, and we’d pretend it was “Sting”, and when light hit it we’d scream that the orcs were coming and run away. We also had some pet finches that we named Bilbo and Gandalf.

When did you start to write?

I tried writing when I was 5. Needless to say the result was more than a little absurd (a little dog who got lost on vacation had to make her way back to Maryland from the Himalayas…and did it!) But I started writing in earnest a few years ago, when I wrote my first “serious” short story and saw it published. That was very exciting for me since I never thought that would actually happen!

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

I don’t think I’d change an ending…it would make a completely different story to change the ending around, wouldn’t it?

Is there a book you wish you had written?

My work-in-progress, that I’ve been working on off-and-on for years, that is an epic story spanning a rather large swath of history. One day, maybe, I’ll finish it!

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

I don’t know what I’d call it, but I know that it would be a real tragi-comedy!

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

I would take Boromir from Lord of the Rings to this little organic juicery in Annapolis, Maryland. I really wonder what he’d make of it?

What are you working on right now?

The second Barnabas adventure (“Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds”) is getting ready to launch on September 4^th, so I’m working on getting things ready for that. I’.m also about halfway through the third book. I’m hoping that it comes out sometime in 2019.

Do you have a new release due?

“Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds” picks up where “Missing Scarab” leaves off…but this time Barnabas and Wilfred are in the Viking afterlife. I loved writing Barnabas’ reactions to the Viking gods; they’re even more extreme than the Egyptian ones!

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

There’s a wonderful restaurant in Baltimore City that holds the most fabulous launch parties for me. It’s called One World Café, and they’re genius at coming up with themed parties. The party for “Missing Scarab” was a mix of Victorian and Egyptian themes, with a violinist from the Peabody Institute alongside a pretty realistic-looking mummy. The owner is coming up with a ton of amazing ideas for the launch of “Nine Worlds”, and I really can’t wait to see how it works out. And, besides, the food there is amazing!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

You can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/columbkillnoon1

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Just that the Barnabas series is light-hearted and fun…I wanted to create something that was amusing and uplifting. Read them with an expectation of whimsy!

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

Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab

Barnabas Tew, a detective in Victorian London, is having a hard time making a name for himself, probably because most of his clients end up dead before he can solve their cases. His luck is about to change, though, for better or worse: Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, notices him and calls him to the Egyptian underworld. A terrible kidnapping has occurred; one that promises to put an end to the status quo and could perhaps even put an end to the entire world. It is up to Barnabas (along with his trusty assistant, Wilfred) to discover the culprit and set things to right. Can he turn his luck around and solve the most important case of his life?

Purchase Link – mybook.to/Barnabas

Author Bio –

Columbkill Noonan lives in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where she teaches yoga and Anatomy and Physiology. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. Her first novel, “Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab” by Crooked Cat Books, was released in 2017, and her latest work, “Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds”, is set to be released in September 2018.

In her spare time, Columbkill enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, aerial yoga, and riding her rescue horse, Mittens. To learn more about Columbkill please feel free to visit her website (www.columbkill.weebly.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan) or on Twitter (@ColumbkillNoon1).

Social Media Links – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/columbkillnoon1?lang=en

Hi all,

I have the pleasure of joining in with two blog tours today! The first is M J Lee’s The Vanished Child.

Many thanks to M J Lee and to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources

The Vanished Child

What would you do if you discovered you had a brother you never knew existed?

On her deathbed, Freda Duckworth confesses to giving birth to an illegitimate child in 1944 and temporarily placing him in a children’s home. She returned later but he had vanished. 

What happened to the child? Why did he disappear? Where did he go? 

Jayne Sinclair, genealogical investigator, is faced with lies, secrets, and one of the most shameful episodes in recent history as she attempts to uncover the truth.

Can she find the vanished child?

This book is the fourth in the Jayne Sinclair Genealogical Mystery series, but can be read as a standalone novel.

Every childhood lasts a lifetime.

Purchase Link – myBook.to/vanishedchild

This sounds like my kind of read. I’ve just downloaded books 1-3 as I personally prefer to read a series in order.

Author Bio –

Martin has spent most of his adult life writing in one form or another. As a University researcher in history, he wrote pages of notes on reams of obscure topics. As a social worker with Vietnamese refugees, he wrote memoranda. And, as the creative director of an advertising agency, he has written print and press ads, tv commercials, short films and innumerable backs of cornflake packets and hotel websites.

He has spent 25 years of his life working outside the North of England. In London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai, winning awards from Cannes, One Show, D&AD, New York and London Festivals, and the United Nations.

When he’s not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure in playing with his daughter, researching his family history, single-handedly solving the problem of the French wine lake and wishing he were George Clooney.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.writermjlee.com

Twitter – https://twitter.com/WriterMJLee

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/writermjlee

Check out the rest of the blog tour for reviews, and more, with these awesome book bloggers…..

Enjoy!

Hi all!

I’m delighted to be joining in with Rachael Stewart’s Unshackled blog tour today. I have my review to share as well as a giveaway for you all to enter…..

Many thanks to the author and Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources

My review…..

If you’re a regular reader of my blog then you will know that I don’t often read erotic fiction, and this book is a complete change of pace to the previous book I read! However, it has made a refreshing change to the crime fiction I read more often. That said, this story is quite violent in parts.

Abi is 22 years old and has lived under the control of her wealthy step-father since they lost her mother when she was 8 years old. Her step-father is a nasty piece of work. A slimy, self-important creep who I wouldn’t want to have to live with. He’s had many women over the years and Abi has never paid them much attention even though since she’s been an adult some have not been much older than herself. His most recent girlfriend, Emma, is no exception. The first time Abi sets eyes on her something stirs within her and she soon finds herself drawn to her like she’s never been drawn to anyone in her life, least of all another woman. It isn’t long before Emma returns her affections, but things get nasty when her step-father finds out. Abi discovers she could have been legally free from him already, but he has used his money and influence over others to ensure he keeps control of her and her assets. He really is a horrible man and those he’s roped in along the way aren’t much better. It just goes to show how easily some people will let their morals slip when money is involved!

Abi and Emma make a plan, but it’s never going to be easy getting the better of a man determined to have his own way and keep strict control over the women in his life. Will they escape his clutches?

This book is very erotic with extremely explicit sex scenes, but it also has a much deeper story full of secrets, corruption and abuse. Above all it’s a love story and two people’s fight for a brighter future, together. It’s very well written, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Many thanks to Rachael Stewart for my review copy.

Unshackled

Unshackled is a thrilling ride of sexual awakening, love, money and corruption…

Trying to escape the evil hold of her stepfather, Abigail becomes a player in a wildly debauched world that has her body hitting a plethora of sexual highs, while her heart clings to her new-found love and the desire to be free. But can she break away and keep it all—the money, her freedom and the girl?

Or will she lose everything?

Purchase Links

• Amazon UK amzn.to/2Fh8hZ3

• Amazon US amzn.to/2Fer3Ak

• Barnes & Nobile bit.ly/2KfGLyS

• Kobo bit.ly/2HNnhTT

• Smashwords bit.ly/2r05E91

Author Bio –

Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heart-warmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.

Despite a degree in Business Studies and spending many years in the corporate world, the desire to become an author never waned and it’s now her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.

A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she’s not glued to her laptop, she’s wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.rachaelstewartauthor.com

Twitter: @rach_b52

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rachaelstewartauthor/

Giveaway –

Win an e-copy of Unshackled by Rachael Stewart (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 I reserve 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 I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Check out the rest of the blog tour for other reviews, and more, with these awesome book bloggers…..

Enjoy!

I don’t think I have ever read such a disturbing opening chapter to a book, ever! It is most definitely not for the faint hearted. Dark is an understatement and the book does come with a warning.

If you really can’t cope with reading anything involving child sex abuse then this book won’t be for you. Having said that it is so brilliantly written that there was no way I could put it down once I started. I needed to find out if these evil, sadistic, sick characters get what they deserve before any other children get hurt.

Dr Galbraith is a child psychiatrist. He’s married with two young daughters and is thought of by many as a pillar of the community. He is also a paedophile, with a preference for young boys and he’s already murdered one in the cellar of his own home which he has kitted out with soundproofing. He controls his petrified wife who wouldn’t even dare question what he does in their cellar. The physical and emotional abuse she suffers at his hands is just awful, the poor woman. It just goes to show that you never know what might be going on behind closed doors, however ‘normal’ a family might appear. So scary!

Eight year old Anthony Mailer is referred to Galbraith by his GP as he isn’t coping well with his parent’s separation. He soon becomes Galbraith’s new obsession and his determination to have him is just terrifying. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants which leads to the most horrendous chain of events and a race against time to save Anthony from a horrific ordeal.

The police procedural aspect of the story is excellent. It is obvious that the author has significant experience in this field and knows exactly what he’s talking about. The things he must have seen and heard throughout his career must be heart-breaking. I take my hat off to any police officers and social workers who are faced with such cases. They must stay with you forever.

Galbraith is all the more terrifying for knowing that there are real people out there just like him, many in trusted positions of power, and that every day children suffer at the hands of these psycho’s. John Nicholl writes characters that literally made me feel physically sick. However, his story is well plotted, with excellent characterisation and it flows perfectly. I found it totally gripping and the ending…… Wow! Just awesome!

If you like a dark psychological thriller then look no further. You’ll love this!

Many thanks to John Nicholl for my review copy.

Via Amazon UK…..

Are you looking for a dark and gripping psychological thriller? Then you’ll love White Is The Coldest Colour by #1 best-selling author John Nicholl.

Be careful who you trust…

The Mailer family is oblivious to the terrible danger that enters their lives when seven-year-old Anthony is referred to the child guidance service by the family GP, following the breakdown of his parents’ marriage.

Fifty-eight-year-old Dr David Galbraith, a sadistic, predatory paedophile, employed as a consultant child psychiatrist, has already murdered one child in the soundproofed cellar below the South Wales Georgian town-house he shares with his wife and two young daughters.

When Anthony becomes Galbraith’s latest obsession he will stop at nothing to make his grotesque fantasies reality.

But can Anthony be saved before it’s too late?

The book includes content that some readers may find disturbing from the start. It is dedicated to survivors everywhere.

What readers are saying:

‘One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve ever read.’ The Book Review Cafe

‘I confess to holding my breath as the conclusion drew near.’ Crimesquad.com

‘Nicholl is a superb storyteller; it is an art to write a book with such a violent and brutal plot line and conveying it without gratuitous details.’ Great Book Escapes

‘A masterfully written dark psychological thriller.’ Albina Hume – bestselling author

‘I don’t think that I’ve ever read a book that explores the darkness of the human mind and soul as well as White is the Coldest Colour. ’ Books, Movies and Wine Reviews.

‘One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read!’ Carissa Backherms – bestselling author

‘I seriously was on the edge of my seat reading it.  I really do highly recommend his book.’ Cheekypee Reads and Reviews

‘Confident crime writing at its best. A must-read for lovers of very dark crime.’ Northern Crime

‘Some of the best writing I’ve read.’ Mark Tilbury – bestselling author

‘Absolutely brilliant.’ Relax and Read Book Reviews

‘The writing is fab. Intense and gripping. A hard-hitting, eye-opener of a book.’ Renita D’ Silva – bestselling author

‘A suspenseful eloquently worded page-turner.’ Angie Smith – bestselling author

‘I literally could not tap to the next page on my kindle quick enough.’ By The Letter Book Reviews

‘You don’t read this book, you experience it.’ Stella Marie Alden – bestselling author

‘I would very highly recommend this book.’ Readers Favorite

’The writing is superb. I was totally gripped.’ Read Along With Sue

‘Very cleverly plotted, well-developed characters, and disturbingly believable. The ending just blew my socks off. Highly recommended.’ Booklover Catlady Reviews

White Is The Coldest Colour is a dark and disturbing thriller, it will appeal to fans of authors like Joy Ellis, Mark Edwards, KL Slater and John Marrs.

About the author…..

John Nicholl, an ex-police officer, child protection social worker and lecturer, has written six darkly psychological suspense thrillers, each of which has been an Amazon # 1 bestseller.
John’s books are set in Wales and have a strong Welsh flavour. He began writing after leaving his job heading up child protection services for Carmarthenshire.
John has publishing deals with Bloodhound Books, W.F. Howes, and Hungarian publisher – Konyvmolykepzo. He is represented by Toby Mundy – Literary agent at TMA.

Hi all!

I’m thrilled to be joining in with a different kind of blog tour today! You have the chance to win yourself a £5 Amazon voucher, courtesy of M. K. Farrar, as part of her Some They Lie giveaway tour! 🙂 

If you live in the UK and have a valid email address, then make sure you enter.

You have to be in it to win it!

Many thanks to M. K. Farrar and Emma @ damppebblesblogtours

First of all, here’s some info about the lady herself and her book…..

Book Blurb:

Everybody hides the monster inside…

When Olivia Midhurst meets Michael, she doesn’t fool herself that he’s the perfect guy. No one is perfect—she knows that better than most. Everyone has their secrets, their skeletons in the closet. 

But something about Michael’s behaviour sets alarm bells ringing, and, when people around her start to go missing, and then turn up dead, she’s forced to act.

Knowing the police will never believe what she’s witnessed, and terrified her accusations will only drag up the past she’s worked so hard to bury, Olivia has no choice but to take things into her own hands…

About M.K Farrar:

M.K. Farrar is the pen name for a USA Today Bestselling author of more than thirty novels. ‘Some They Lie’ is her first psychological thriller, but won’t be her last. When she’s not writing, M.K. is rescuing animals from far off places, binge watching shows on Netflix, or reading. She lives in the English countryside with her husband, three daughters, and menagerie of pets.

You can sign up to MK’s newsletter here – https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/m6v9h8

Or she can be emailed at mkfarrar@hotmail.com. She loves to hear from readers!

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarissaFarrar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author/

Website: http://www.marissafarrar.com/

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

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-K-Farrar/e/B07DRGPWF3/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Purchase Links:

Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Some-They-Lie-M-Farrar-ebook/dp/B07CPSSZ7D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530977003&sr=8-1&keywords=some+they+lie+M.+K.+Farrar

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Some-They-Lie-M-Farrar-ebook/dp/B07CPSSZ7D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530977828&sr=8-1&keywords=some+they+lie

Some They Lie is published by Warwick House Press on 24^th July 2018.

Giveaway…..

For your chance to win a £5 Amazon Gift Voucher all you need to do is go to the pinned post on my Facebook blog page and leave a comment telling us the title of the first book you would buy if you won. Easy!

The winner will be chosen at random on 26th July.

(I will PM the winner to ask for their email address which I will pass on to M. K. Farrar for the purpose of sending out the prize only.)

Here’s the link:

Kerry’s Book Blog Page

Go!

For more chances to win check out the other spots on the tour with these awesome book bloggers…..

Good luck!

Synopsis:

A frightening new case. A mysterious journal. The beginning of the end. Lauren Westlake has left behind the horrors of northern Minnesota to investigate a strange package with a cryptic return address. Crossing the country to the city by the bay, Lauren discovers that Locke was only the beginning. Crossing paths with a stoic SFPD detective and a surprise from her past, she must figure out what hunts the foggy streets of San Francisco in this new novella. Is it vampires? Is it something more?

An excerpt from Drained:

THE OVERPASS that separated the yuppie, hipster youth of the city from its poorer denizens was indistinguishable from any other place in the city.

Benny squatted under the comfort of his concrete shelter to avoid the light drizzle that replaced the evening fog. His grizzled features and unkempt salt-and-pepper hair might be charming if he weren’t several shades of crazy and hungrier than a feral cat. He remembered when he could wink and say a few smooth words and a beaming waitress might swoon––regaling her with stories about his gigs around the city and the promise of a little danger.

In the late 70s Benny fancied himself a musician, playing the tall bass with a few friends; it was tough for Benny to think of them as friends now. What passed for a friend on the streets was someone who wouldn’t steal your blankets or chase you out of a rat-infested hole with a taped-together shiv made from broken bottles and pieces of fenders from stalled-out cars.

The 70s hadn’t been kind to Benny. Cocaine went from recreation to lifestyle, and then to death-style. As his other bandmates started lives, Benny spiraled deeper into despair.

His friends lost his number.

It wasn’t long before he didn’t have the money for electricity, and then he lived his life in darkness. From there, it was a short hop to not being able to pay rent; soon thereafter, the streets became his home. After enough time wandering the cold pavement, he became too volatile to bunk in the homeless shelters.

He was a creature of the streets.

Benny made a strange sort of existence for himself under the overpass. Newspapers were arranged like a well-manicured lawn. Boxes, crushed and water-damaged, were the wings of his great destitute estate. The barrel at the center of it all, burning brightly like a lighthouse upon rocky shores, was full of the wisdom of Western society: newspapers, magazines, and various novels.

Grumbling angrily and unintelligibly to himself, Benny dug through one of his grocery carts filled to the brim with postmodern junk; he was looking for a broken umbrella amidst the sea of garbage and treasure within his cart. As Benny extricated the battered object of his desire, he was startled by a voice. “I do enjoy these brief moments of gentle rain. Do you find them as soothing as I do?”

Turning, Benny was immediately irritated by the man’s presence. Dressed to the nines––with angular, symmetrical features––there was something unreal about his figure.

“I don’t want no trouble.”

The man smiled. “Nor do I. But I wonder, Benny, what is it that you’re looking for?”

Benny looked at the streets and saw cars zip past between the concrete dividers that obscured his shelter from view. It was the main reason why he stayed there: it was his island, his cabin in the woods.

“Mister, I’m hungry. Do you have any food?”

The man smiled again, disarmingly. “I must admit I’m a bit peckish myself. Though I have no food, at least nothing that you’d find satisfying, Benny.”

Benny was struck by the disconnected nature of their conversation, as if the man weren’t talking to him at all and instead reading from a script. This feeling became more surreal as the man stepped past him into the darkness of the overpass. His features were adulterated by the shadows there: his dark hair made darker, his gray eyes disappearing.

There, in the darkness, Benny heard something move.

“Watch out, mister, there are rats back there. I catch them sometimes and cook them up.”

The man chuckled but didn’t respond, turning his back to Benny. When he spoke again, his voice had changed; it seemed bloated and distant. “They never look for the wretches, Benny. Give me your poor. Give me your hungry. Those are just words. I’m hungry as well….”

The sound came again.

There was no mistaking it for a rat this time.

It was bigger.

Hollow, deliberate steps haunted the shadows.

A tremor crept across Benny, rising from his toes like acid reflux after he ate from the dumpster behind the Korean restaurant a few blocks away. “I don’t want no trouble,” repeated Benny, his voice quaking as he took a few steps back.

“You won’t have to worry about trouble any longer. I will take your fear. Feed on your fear….”

Benny thought to run.

Panic gripped him, but his muscles wouldn’t respond. He wondered if the lady doctor at the center was right: Was he crazy? Was he chasing shadows in the dark?

Looking at his bin of junk, he saw the broken pipe he’d taken from a rundown building in the Tenderloin. He thought it was copper, but it turned out to be rusted and useless like him. Gripping it like he was Babe Ruth waiting at the plate, he watched the darkness. The well-dressed man had disappeared, but his voice drifted on the air like a spirit.

“Why fight it, Benny? Is this really worth living for, this sad little life?”

Benny’s fear turned to anger.

Gesturing with the pipe, he shouted into the dark.

“How do you know my name?”

The laugh sent shivers down his spine.

Something in the darkness tripped and fell, collapsing the third and fourth cardboard bedrooms of his sprawling street estate. A figure emerged in the darkness: something frightening beyond words.

“We know all about you, Benny.”

As it took shape in the half-light of the passing cars, Benny held his breath and swung the pipe as hard as he could, lurching forward as it connected with thin air. With a gnashing maw, it blotted Benny from view and pulled him back into the darkness.

If you loved Bitten (or supernatural fiction, a good mystery, and a fun story), then you’ll want to give Drained a look. The third novella in the series, Frighten, will be released in early 2019.

Get it today on Kindle!

Dan O’Brien has over 50 publications to his name––including the bestselling Bitten, which was featured on Conversations Book Club’s Top 100 novels of 2012. Before starting Amalgam Consulting, he was the senior editor and marketing director for an international magazine. You can learn more about his literary and publishing consulting business by visiting his website at: www.amalgamconsulting.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AuthorDanOBrien.

Hiya,

I’d like to share this message with you all from Emma @ City Central Library, Stoke-on-Trent….. 

Hello everyone

If you fancy trying your hand at writing over the summer, here are two competitions which are linked with, or supported by, Stoke-on-Trent Libraries.

Potteries Prize for Short Fiction

At Stoke-on-Trent Libraries we’re very pleased to support The Writing Kiln to run the Potteries Prize for Short Fiction.

This is the second year of the Potteries Prize, which is open to writers who live, work, study or belong to a writers’ group in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. Entries should be 100-350 words long, and there will be prizes in categories including “Most beautiful use of language”, “Best line”, “Most compelling character” and “Most entertaining story”.

You can find out more about the prize, including full submission guidelines, at http://www.thewritingkiln.com/. If you’d like some inspiration, you can read last year’s winners on the library website at https://librariesonline.stoke.gov.uk – there’s some great stories there!

You have until Saturday 25 August to submit your story, so there’s a good few weeks to get writing.

Poetry On Loan – Poetry Competition 2018

Poetry on Loan promotes contemporary poetry through libraries in the West Midlands. Their fourth annual poetry competition is up and running, and it’s open to anyone who lives, studies or works regularly in the West Midlands. The theme this year is Take this…, which can be interpreted as imaginatively as you like. The prize for adult entries is a paid poetry performance at a Poetry on Loan event, and the junior prize winner will receive book tokens.

Entries must be submitted by 1 September 2018, and full submission details and competition rules are available at https://poetryonloan.org.uk/poetry-competition-2018 .

Best of luck to anyone who enters!

All best regards, and happy writing,

Emma

A couple of great opportunities! Let me know if you have a go. x