I am delighted to be joining in with Conrad Jones’ Hunting Angels blog tour! 🙂 

(My apologies for the late posting)

I will be sharing extract 6, so please make sure you catch up with the previous bloggers posts, if you haven’t already…..

Extract 6…..

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jennifer.”

“I’m not Jennifer here, mundane one,” she whispered. “Call me Baphomet.”

“Baphomet!” Malcolm snorted. He was tiring of the game, and his muscles ached. He needed to stand up and clear his head. The name sent prickles of fear along his flesh. He could feel goosebumps rising on his arms. “You’ve had too much vodka, darling.”

“I didn’t drink any vodka you fool.”

“What do you mean?” Malcolm nodded, laughing. “You were pouring it down your throat. Are you having a giraffe?” As he looked into her dark eyes, he answered the question himself. She wasn’t having a laugh at all. He swallowed hard and felt a raging thirst coming over him. He tried to smile and cock his head to the side, but it was held fast by something. “Look. Let’s stop fucking around. You’ve had a laugh at my expense and now I need a beer and a piss, not necessarily in that order.”

“Shut up, you fat pig, and answer my question.”

“Come on love, I’m gasping for a drink here.” Malcolm laughed nervously. “If you want to tie me up and play rough, I’m game, but I need the loo first.” He struggled with the bonds around his arms, but they wouldn’t budge.

“What were you about to publish about us?”

Publisher: GerriCon Books (28th November 2013)

When an author is asked to help the police with the investigation into a double murder by identifying occult symbols, which had been carved into the victims, he is plunged into nightmare and forced to go on the run. Hunted by law and a powerful cult, he has to stay one step ahead to survive.

Buy your copy…..

About the author…..

Conrad is the author of seventeen novels, eight author guides and two biographies. He has three series;
The Detective Alec Ramsay Series; seven books Gritty Crime Thrillers
The Soft Target Series; Gritty Thrillers six books (Reacher Style)
The Hunting Angels Diaries; three books Horror Thrillers
You can find out more; http://www.conradjonesauthor.com
jonesconrad5@aol.com

I am Conrad Jones, a fifty-year-old author, originally from a sleepy green-belt called Tarbock Green, which is situated on the outskirts of Liverpool. I spent a number of years living in Holyhead, Anglesey, which I class as my home, before starting a career as a trainee manger with McDonalds Restaurants in 1989. I worked in management at McDonalds Restaurants Ltd from 1989-2002, working my way up to Business Consultant (area manager) working in the corporate and franchised departments.
On March 20th, 1993, I was managing the restaurant in Warrington`s Bridge St when two Irish Republican Army bombs exploded directly outside the store, resulting in the death of two young boys and many casualties. Along with hundreds of other people there that day I was deeply affected by the attack, which led to a long-term interest in the motivation and mind set of criminal gangs. I began to read anything crime related that I could get my hands on.
I link this experience with the desire to write books on the subject, which came much later on due to an unusual set of circumstances. Because of that experience my early novels follow the adventures of an elite counter terrorist unit, The Terrorist Task Force, and their enigmatic leader, John Tankersley, or `Tank` and they are the Soft Target Series, which have been described by a reviewer as ‘Reacher on steroids’; You can see them here;

I had no intentions of writing until 2007, when I set off on an eleven-week tour of the USA. The Day before I boarded the plane, Madeleine McCann disappeared and all through the holiday I followed the American news reports which had little or no information about her. I didn’t realise it at the time, but the terrible kidnap would inspire my book, The Child Taker years later. During that trip, I received news that my house had been burgled and my work van and equipment were stolen. That summer was the year when York and Tewksbury were flooded by a deluge and insurance companies were swamped with claims. They informed me that they couldn’t do anything for weeks and that returning home would be a wasted journey. Rendered unemployed on a beach in Clearwater, Florida, I decided to begin my first book, Soft Target. I have never stopped writing since. I have recently completed my fifteenth novel, ‘Brick’, something that never would have happened but for that burglary and my experiences in Warrington.

The Child Taker was the 6th book in the Soft Target Series but it also became the first book in the Detective Alec Ramsay Series when I signed a three-book deal with London based publishers, Thames River Press. The series is now seven books long with an average of 4.8 stars from over 2000 reviews. The first two books are always free with over 1100 5-star reviews. You can see them here;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010DWH57K

As far as my favourite series ever, it has to be James Herbert’s, The Rats trilogy. The first book did for me what school books couldn’t. It fascinated me, triggered my imagination and gave me the hunger to want to read more. I waited years for the second book, The Lair, and Domain, the third book to come out and they were amazing. Domain is one of the best books I have ever read. In later years, Lee Child, especially the early books, has kept me hypnotised on my sunbed on holiday as has Michael Connelly and his Harry Bosch Series.

Conrad Jones’ Amazon Author Page

Welcome to my #FlashbackFriday feature.

On the first Friday of each month I like to have a little look back at what I was reading this time last year. Here are my reviews from July 2016…..

Cinema Lumiere

The Sister

Baby Doll

The Museum Of You

Have you read any of the above?

What were you reading this time last year?

What are you reading right now?

I’d love to hear from you in the comments 🙂

Publisher: Penkhull Press; 1 edition (4th June 2016)

Liz, Bernie and Elsa have been friends since their days at St. Cecelia’s school. Their lives took very different paths but they all have found happiness in their own fashion. Liz is an independent career woman; Bernie a good Catholic mum with four sons and Elsa is supported by her wealthy ex-husband. Then, in the space of a few short weeks, everything they have taken for granted is swept away. Money, jobs and partners are all gone. How will they manage when their worlds are crumbling about their ears? Together Liz, Bernie and Elsa have to find novel ways of avoiding disaster.

Picking up the Pieces is about friendship, cake and the mutual support that only lifelong friends can provide.

My review…..

Picking Up The Pieces has been a lovely read.

Liz, Bernie and Elsa are in their fifties and have been friends forever. They are all very different characters, but very close and always there for each other. When they all find their once happy and settled lives falling apart around them, they know they can still rely on each other.

I love that the story starts with the three of them having afternoon tea at an expensive hotel together, before their lives change forever.

Liz has been teaching for 30 years and her current year 10’s are a difficult bunch. They have no interest in learning and for some of them their only aim is to make Liz’s life as miserable as possible. When one girl accuses her of head-butting her, Liz is suspended whilst the situation is investigated. It is a lie, of course, but the head teacher has never liked Liz and does nothing to support her. She is frustrated at the injustice of it all, but has no choice but to ride it out until she is proved innocent. I felt so sorry for Liz. To spend your life dedicated to trying to improve the prospects of the children you’re teaching, only to have it all thrown back in your face by a spiteful teenager must be devastating.

Bernie is a good catholic wife and mother. She works part-time, but otherwise is cooking, cleaning and generally running around after her family. That is until her husband leaves her for a younger woman. Bernie’s story is one we’ve all heard of many times. Teenage sweethearts marry young as they find themselves expecting a child, then years later, one or other of them find themselves wondering what they might have missed out on being ‘tied down’ so early on in their lives. Again I really felt for Bernie. A dedicated wife and mother left to fend for herself and her boys. I know I wouldn’t cope well in her situation.

Elsa has lived the life of luxury, thanks to her wealthy ex-husband, but is soon to be homeless and penniless as her husband is set to lose everything. She is left with no choice but to stand on her own two feet, but who is going to employ a woman her age who has never had to work before? This is when she puts her head together with Liz’s and Bernie’s to try to come up with a business plan they can make a success of together. I felt less sorry for Elsa, but I liked her character all the same. It would be a shock to find yourself having to pawn jewellery to pay utility bills when you’ve never wanted for anything before in your life.

This is a lovely story of friendship which I am sure many readers will relate to. With very real characters, who I easily warmed to, I soon found myself immersed in their story, almost as if I was a fourth friend sharing their troubles with them and cheering them on as they moved on to happier times and a successful future ahead of them.

A big thank you to Misha Herwin for my paperback review copy. I am more than happy to recommend.

Buy a copy…..

Enjoy!

Today I welcome Charlie Laidlaw…..

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

I’m the author of two novels, The Herbal Detective (Ringwood Publishing) and The Things We Learn When We’re Dead (Accent Press). A third novel, Dark Matters, is due to be published by Accent Press in January 2018.

I was born and brought up in the west of Scotland, which really wasn’t my fault, and am a graduate of the University of Edinburgh. I then worked briefly as a street actor, baby photographer, puppeteer and restaurant dogsbody before becoming a journalist. I started in Glasgow and ended up in London.

Surprisingly, I was approached by a government agency to work in intelligence, which just shows how shoddy government recruitment was back then. However, it turned out to be very boring and, craving excitement and adventure, I ended up as a PR consultant, which is the fate of all journalists who haven’t won a Pulitzer Prize, and which is what I’m still doing.

I am married with two grown-up children and live in East Lothian. And that’s about it.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I wish I knew. My first book, The Herbal Detective, is a satire on superstition. In the dim and distant past I studied Scottish history, with a particular module on the witch craze. I was struck by how religious belief and medieval superstition could produce such a murderous outcome – and how we’ve been doing the same thing ever since: finding scapegoats to blame everything on. Those things can be single mothers, Muslims, immigrants, benefits scroungers – anyone that the Daily Mail decides is the root of all our problems. It always seemed to me to be a good starting point for a novel: to satirise how scapegoats can sometimes become victims.

My second novel, The Thing We Learn When We’re Dead, came to me on a train from Edinburgh to London, which is apt because Edinburgh, as a civilised place, is the only city in the world to have named its main railway station after a book. It is, essentially, a modern retelling of the Wizard of Oz – how a young woman comes to look back at her life to find a new beginning. It’s a story that’s been written many times before, because everything under the sun has been written many times before, but I hope it has imagination and originality.

All of which doesn’t really answer your question!

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

No. I suppose that James Bond and Sherlock Holmes were loosely based on an amalgam of characters that their creators knew. But for most writers, I think that part of the fun of writing is thinking up new characters. I don’t think I would ever base a character on someone I knew – unfair, and sloppy.

How do you pick your characters names?

In a funny way, they choose them. I don’t set out with names for my characters. In the book I’m working on at the moment, all the characters have provisional names. Once I get to know them a bit better, I’ll then decide what their real names are.

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

In the past, I would write most days. That was my routine, and I was determined to stick to it. Trouble was, most of the stuff I wrote went in the bin. I’ve learned that, for me, I should only write when I know what I want to write, and how it will all fit together into a fully-realised narrative. That means that, when I write, I write with greater purpose. (That’s probably a coded way of admitting that I’m a lazy writer).

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Although I haven’t read him for years, Ernest Hemingway. He was a big influence on me. Likewise, Fay Weldon whose body of work is immense and, of course, Graham Greene. Mostly I read contemporary fiction, and Joanne Harris has to be top of my pile, with the likes of Kate Atkinson a close second.

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

Hemingway, if only to ask whether he really did mean to shoot himself.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Absolutely. A book that had an enormous influence on me was Jenny by Paul Gallico – a beautiful story of friendship, as narrated by a boy who is turned into a cat. In many ways, that’s also a Wizard of Oz interpretation: small boy in dream-world imagining a different way to see the world. Maybe that’s what gave me the idea for my current novel.

When did you start to write?

I wrote my first “novel” aged about fifteen, and burned it shortly afterwards. The idea of a Fourth Reich having a secret base in the Norfolk Broads seemed absurd, even to me. My second was written when I was about seventeen, and I still have that. Nobody will ever get to read it. My third was completed a year later, by which time I had learned to type. It will also never, ever see the light of day.

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

The Bible and every other religious text. They would end: believe in me if you have to, but it’s not compulsory and, for God’s sake, try to get along with everyone else. In my view, a lot of the world’s problems are caused by religious belief. In my current book, I do ask: would the world be a better place if we all stopped believing in God. It’s not a question I answer; but it is a pertinent question.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Chocolat by Joanne Harris, or One Day by David Nicholls. Joanne’s book is simply sublime in its beauty and simplicity; David’s is the book that many authors wish they had written. The conceit of setting it only on one day over a period of years? Brilliant!

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

Crows and Seagulls. (I’m trying to train a crow in our garden, and I hate seagulls).

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

I think I’d take Lorna Love, the central character in my current book. She’s complicated and feisty and young enough to be my daughter, and the book ends in 2007. I’d like to see how she’s got on, and whether she’s happy. One of the sadnesses of writing a stand-alone novel is that you don’t see your characters again. As the book is mostly based in Edinburgh, she’ll probably know where to take me.

What are you working on right now?

It’s provisionally entitled Darker Matters and is a book about love, loss, family and astrophysics. It’s a dark comedy and one, I hope, that’s filled with compassion and a bit of fun. But it also has its dark and quirky side, because everything in life has a dark and quirky side.

Do you have a new release due?

January 2018.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

My current novel was launched in East Lothian’s last independent bookshop and at the rather wonderful Edinburgh Bookshop in…um…Edinburgh. Bookshops are there to be supported because, once they’re gone, they’re gone. I’d encourage everyone to try and break the Amazon habit.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Facebook @charlielaidlawauthor or at www.charlielaidlawauthor.com

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Many, many things, most of which would be very boring.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Charlie.

Publisher: Accent Press (26th January 2017)

The Things We Learn When We’re Dead

Synopsis

The Things We Learn When We’re Dead is a modern fairytale of love and loss. It’s about the subtle ways in which we change, and how the small decisions that we make can have profound and unintended consequences.

On one level, the book is a simple story of a young woman’s life. But, for those readers who want to make the connection, The Things We Learn is also a retelling of The Wizard of Oz: how a young woman in ultimately tragic circumstances comes to reassess her life and find a new beginning.

Lorna Love, born and brought up in small-town Scotland, is apparently killed in a car accident on the day of the London bus and tube bombings. But the afterlife isn’t quite what she expected. For a start, Heaven is a broken-down spaceship and God is the double of Sean Connery.

However, the book is neither fantasy nor sci-fi; Heaven simply a dreamscape through which Lorna comes to see her life through new eyes. It allows the narrative to move between Heaven and Earth, retelling Lorna’s life in flashback – from the people she loved, to the death of her brother, and the ill-fated pregnancy and termination that precipitated her accident. The emotional finale of the book is when her best friend becomes a victim of the King’s Cross underground train bombing.

The reader will understand the overall familiarity and tradition of the utopia/dystopia narrative and that Lorna is far from dead. As Heaven begins to offer mirror-images of her life on Earth, the reader will also understand that the book is about why Lorna went to Heaven and why she’ll be given a second chance of life.

In fulfilling familiar expectations, the book offers a counterpoint between the absurdities of Lorna’s imagined Heaven and banality of her rather ordinary life. The book, grounded in the 9/11 and 7/7 bombings, also offers the metaphor that we are all connected, even by distant events.

It is, essentially, a humorous book, using an oblique construct to provide a new perspective on a familiar theme. But, while making the familiar unfamiliar – and therefore making the readers’ journey worthwhile – it also reassures them that Lorna will have her second chance.

Of course, like Dorothy before her, Lorna chooses to go home.

This is where I would normally add a link to the book on Amazon, but given that the author would encourage everyone to break the Amazon habit, I won’t, but suggest you keep a look out for Charlie Laidlaw’s books in your local book shop 🙂

I am SO excited to be joining in with Bookouture’s cover reveal for Louise Jensen’s new book, which is to be released on 27th September and is available to pre-order now!

THE SURROGATE by Louise Jensen

‘You know that feeling? When you want something so badly, you almost feel you’d kill for it?’ 

Be careful what you wish for…

Kat and her husband Nick have tried everything to become parents, and are on the point of giving up. Then a chance encounter with Kat’s childhood friend Lisa gives Kat and Nick one last chance to achieve their dream.

But Kat and Lisa’s history hides dark secrets.

And there is more to Lisa than meets the eye.

As dangerous cracks start to appear in Kat’s perfect picture of happily-ever-after, she realises that she must face her fear of the past to save her family…

From the no. 1 bestselling author of The Sister and The Gift, this is an unputdownable psychological thriller which asks how far we will go to create our perfect family.  

And here it is…..

Pre-order your copy HERE

About the author…..

Louise Jensen always wanted to be Enid Blyton when she grew up, and when that didn’t happen she got a ‘proper’ job instead.

Several years ago an accident left Louise with a disability and she began writing once again, to distract her from her pain and compromised mobility. But writing turned out to be more than just a good distraction. Louise loves creating exciting worlds, dark characters, and twisted plots.

Louise lives in Northamptonshire with her husband, sons, a puppy and a rather naughty cat, and also teaches mindfulness.

www.louisejensen.co.uk

Previous posts featuring Louise Jensen and her books…..

The Sister by Louise Jensen

The Gift by Louise Jensen @Fab_fiction @bookouture #BlogTour #BookReview

I am thrilled to be joining in with Kerry Wilkinson’s Two Sisters blog tour! 🙂 

Mine is one of the last two posts, sharing my day with the very lovely Sarah at By The Letter Book Reviews. Make sure you catch up with the others posts, if you haven’t already…..

Thanks to Kim Nash, at Bookouture , for the opportunity to take part.

UK 🇬🇧 http://amzn.to/2pZjCXk
US 🇺🇸 http://amzn.to/2oH4YCO

They told us he had been missing for nearly two days, that he probably drowned. They told us a lie.

Megan was ten years old when her older brother, Zac, went missing among the cliffs, caves and beaches that surround the small seaside town of Whitecliff.

A decade later and a car crash has claimed the lives of her parents.

Megan and her younger sister Chloe return to Whitecliff one summer for the first time since their brother’s disappearance. Megan says it’s to get her parents’ affairs in order. There are boxes to pack, junk to clear, a rundown cottage to sell. But that’s not the real reason.

Megan has come to confront her family’s past after receiving a postcard on the day of her parents’ funeral. It had a photograph of Whitecliff on the front and a single letter on the back.

‘Z’ is all it read.

Z for Zac.

A totally gripping psychological thriller that will have fans of Louise Jensen, Sue Fortin and The Silent Child absolutely hooked.

My review…..

This is the first book I’ve read by Kerry Wilkinson, but I can guarantee it won’t be the last.

Two Sisters follows the story of Megan and Chloe who have returned to Whitecliff, to a cottage they now own since the sudden death of their parents in a car crash. They weren’t particularly close to their parents, having been sent away to boarding school. They don’t know each other that well, as they always went to different schools, but they are all each other has now and Megan (being the oldest) is very protective of Chloe. Their brother went missing 10 years previously and is presumed dead, but they want answers. Or, at least, Megan wants answers and she knows the people of Whitecliff must know something. However, their presence in the village and the questions Megan asks of the locals just seems to unnerve everyone. Why is everyone acting like they’ve forgotten Zak? 10 years is a long time, but surely such a small community would remember such a tragedy.

Megan isn’t the most likeable of characters. She doesn’t go out of her way to make friends and/or be particularly nice to people. She’s very blunt and a bit standoffish, but she has problems. She has an eating disorder. She is very aware of how she is, but can do nothing to stop her behaviour. She seems to relish the control she has over food. She doesn’t seem to see much pleasure in life. I did warm to her though.

Chloe is the complete opposite. A typically happy-go-lucky teenager, happy to make the most of a week at the beach. She’s less inclined to push people about Zak. She seems to just want to move on.

The people of Whitecliff seem a bit dodgy in general, with the exception of a few, including Arthur. People obviously know more than they’re letting on and Megan isn’t prepared to let it drop and I found myself as determined as her to find out what happened. I could totally understand her need for the truth as I couldn’t cope with the not knowing either.

The truth is just shocking! The end left me totally gobsmacked! Brilliant!

If you like a good psychological thriller with an interesting mix of characters, and plenty of suspense, then you will love this book.

Many thanks, as always, to Bookouture for my auto-approval status on Netgalley and to Kim Nash for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour.

About the author…..

I am delighted to be joining in with Jodi Taylor’s cover reveal for her upcoming release, White Silence.

*The first instalment in the new, gripping supernatural thriller series from international bestselling author, Jodi Taylor*

“I don’t know who I am. I don’t know what I am.”

Elizabeth Cage is a child when she discovers that there are things in this world that only she can see. But she doesn’t want to see them and she definitely doesn’t want them to see her.

What is a curse to Elizabeth is a gift to others – a very valuable gift they want to control. When her husband dies, Elizabeth’s world descends into a nightmare. But as she tries to piece her life back together, she discovers that not everything is as it seems.

Alone in a strange and frightening world, she’s a vulnerable target to forces beyond her control.

And she knows that she can’t trust anyone…

White Silence is a twisty supernatural thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

And here it is…..

The ebook is publishing 21/09/2017 with the paperback to follow in Spring 2018.

Available to pre-order HERE

About the author…..

Jodi Taylor is the author of the bestselling Chronicles of St Mary’s series, the story of a bunch of disaster-prone historians who investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel!

Born in Bristol and educated in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and pick up a pen. She still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up.

You can keep up with all the latest developments at St Mary’s on her Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJodiTaylor

Jodi Taylor’s Amazon Author Page

Enjoy!

I am delighted to welcome Helena Fairfax today 🙂

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

I live in the village of Saltaire, near Bradford, and I write contemporary romance/women’s fiction – and sometimes romantic mysteries, because I love reading them so much myself! I’m also an editor, and I love reading other writers’ manuscripts and helping them develop their stories. Basically, I love anything to do with books and reading!

When not immersed in a book, I’m generally out walking on the Yorkshire moors, near where I live, with my rescue dog, Lexi. We’re out there every day, rain or shine, and we both love it. It’s great to watch the changing seasons and the wildlife, and to blow the cobwebs away.

Besides reading, I also knit all sorts, from babies’ cardies to adult pullovers – once even knitting an entire Royal Wedding! I do my knitting whilst binge-watching box sets on Netflix.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

My ideas come from so many different places. It’s hard to pinpoint just when a story comes together. I quite often have the seed of an idea while watching a film or TV programme. I had the spark of inspiration for my latest release, Felicity at the Cross Hotel, after watching a Bollywood film. I’ve become a big fan of Bollywood – I love the romance and drama of it – and the heroine of a film called Jab We Met inspired my own heroine. Of course our settings are totally different – you couldn’t get more different than the Lake District and Delhi! – but the heroines share the same characteristics of cheerfulness and liveliness.

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

My first ever novel, The Silk Romance, is set in Lyon, where I once worked as an au pair. My downstairs neighbour was an incredibly good-looking man – dark and tanned in that southern French way. He already had a girlfriend (of course!) and I was very much in love with my boyfriend in England at the time, but I based the hero of The Silk Romance on him.

How do you pick your characters names?

I love symbolism and I often pick a name that suits the character’s personality. The hero of The Antique Love is called Kurt Bold – he’s a quiet man, and also brave. “Kurt by name and curt by nature”, as the heroine says!

I loved giving the hero and heroine of Felicity at the Cross Hotel names which are definitely symbolic. Felicity means “happiness”, because she’s lively and cheerful, and Patrick Cross is the owner of the Cross Hotel – a place that’s been dogged by bad luck and tragedy.

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

I write contemporary romance, and the most important thing in a romance is to work out what it is that’s keeping the hero and heroine apart. Why can’t they be together from page one? The thing driving them apart is called the romantic conflict. Before I start a book, I work out just what it is that’s going to keep my two characters from being together and then I think up a series of situations that are going to make it as hard as possible for them to admit they are in love. Forcing them apart is a cruel way to treat them – but they do always get their happy ending!

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

That is such a difficult question! Jane Austen definitely has to be on the list (the best romance writer ever), Georgette Heyer (I grew up on her books, and re-read them often), Mary Stewart, who writes gripping romantic suspense, Charles Dickens, whose books are full of drama and brilliant characters, and a sci-fi author called Stanislaw Lem, who wrote one of my favourite romantic heroes in a book called Return from the Stars.

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

I would love to meet Shakespeare. I’ve always been curious to know what he was like. How did he dream up these amazing stories, with characters who still seem real today? I don’t know what I’d ask him. It would be great to ask him something personal, like whether he was truly in love with his wife, but I’d probably be too tongue-tied to speak.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes, books were an escape for me. I came to England from Uganda when I was six, and I found everything cold and bewildering. I began reading at a very young age and I found books helped me make sense of the world.

When did you start to write?

I’ve been writing on and off for years, but I didn’t sit down and write my first novel until about five years ago. I wish now that I’d started much earlier.

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

I’d love to change the ending to Gone with the Wind. I remember the first time I saw the film, and being so disappointed that it ended in this way. Perhaps it really couldn’t end any other way – but I’d love to rewind the story so that Rhett Butler has the happy ending he deserved.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Books are quite personal things, so I don’t think there is any book I wish I’d written. Those books belong to their own authors. I’m always looking to the next book I’m going to write – and wishing it was already written!

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

I’m not sure I’d write my own autobiography. I don’t think I could make my life interesting enough. I find it much more fun writing about fictional characters!

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

I love the Poldark books and I’ve been loving the TV series. I think I’d take Demelza for a coffee in my local café. She seems like she’d be really good fun and she could do with a break from all the stresses and tragedy in her life. I’d love to buy her a massive piece of hot chocolate fudge cake and whipped cream and talk about the trials of being married to Ross Poldark.

What are you working on right now?

This year I started working on a non-fiction book about the lives of women in Halifax, Yorkshire, from 1850-1950. The book is due for release next year, to coincide with the anniversary of the first women getting the vote. Working on this book has given me the idea for a novel, loosely based on some of the brilliant women I’ve discovered while doing my research.

Do you have a new release due?

My latest release is Felicity at the Cross Hotel. It’s a feel good summer read, set in the Lake District. Fliss Everdene works for her father, who owns a global chain of corporate hotels. Fliss and her dad have been having several rows, and she’s conflicted about his ruthless way of taking over ailing hotels. She decides to take a break for a while, to stay at the Cross Hotel in the Lakes.

Patrick Cross is the Cross Hotel’s new owner. His father has recently died, and he’s inherited a business with lots of problems, a runaway barmaid, and a grumpy chef. Patrick is glad of Fliss’s help – until he learns she’s a member of the notorious Everdene family, and her dad is waiting in the wings…

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

It’s varied each time, but to be honest, I’m generally exhausted by publication day, and I’d be happy having a quiet glass of wine at home!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I have a newsletter that readers can subscribe to, and I love it when people reply. I reply to every email I receive. I’m giving away a free story to all new subscribers at the moment, and you can subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/bRQtsT

If you are interested in my editing services, I have a website here: www.helenafarifax.com

Besides the above, I also post photos of the moors and other places I’ve visited on social media.

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/HelenaFairfax

Pinterest https://uk.pinterest.com/helenafairfax/

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

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

Thanks so much for having me, Kerry, and for your great questions!

Publisher: Helena Fairfax (7th July 2017)

“Helena Fairfax writes feel good romances that are guaranteed to leave a smile on your face!” Elaine Everest, Sunday Times bestselling author

A quaint hotel in the Lake District. The Cross Hotel is the perfect getaway. Or is it?
Felicity Everdene needs a break from the family business. Driving through the Lake District to the Cross Hotel, past the shining lake and the mountains, everything seems perfect. But Felicity soon discovers all is not well at the Cross Hotel …
Patrick Cross left the village of Emmside years ago never intending to return, but his father has left him the family’s hotel in his will, and now he’s forced to come back. With a missing barmaid, a grumpy chef, and the hotel losing money, the arrival of Felicity Everdene from the notorious Everdene family only adds to Patrick’s troubles.
With so much to overcome, can Felicity and Patrick bring happiness to the Cross Hotel … and find happiness for themselves?

Praise for Helena Fairfax: “Ms Fairfax’s writing is lovely, romantic, evocative and sweet with a hint at an old fashioned love story…” Anita Davidson, Author
“Helena Fairfax spins a romantic tale…” Robbi Perna Phd. Author and lecturer
“Who can resist Helena’s reasons for writing romances, which include her optimistic view of humanity?” Kenneth Hicks, Author

Pre-order your copy now…..

Enjoy!

I am delighted to be joining in with Bookouture’s cover reveal tonight for Carol Wyer’s The Missing Girls.

THE MISSING GIRLS by Carol Wyer

Pre-order now…..

Are you ready…..

What readers are saying about the DI Robyn Carter series:
‘This book was fantastic and it kept me gripped from the first page and I read it in a day, I really, really didn’t want to put it down – it’s one of the best I’ve read so far in 2017 … Would not hesitate to give the book 5 stars!!’ Donna’s Book Blog

‘Fantastic! So good to the point that I finished it in just over a day! … Wow, wow, wow. This was a great book!! … kept me hooked from page one … genuinely didn’t guess who it was until it was revealed! There are lots of twists and turns, and a great ending! I can’t wait for the next book!!’ Stardust Book Reviews 5*

‘I loved every page … captivating and unputdownable. The tension, twists and turns, kept me flipping the pages … 5 shining stars … I loved it!’ Write Escape

‘What a page-turner! Wow. My head was spinning from the first page to the last. I was so gripped by the introduction to the characters and then just pulled right into the meat of the thriller until the very last page! Five Stars!’ Jersey Girl Forever

‘The suspense was fantastic … the drive to keep turning pages was overpowering … really well written I want more!’ The Belgian Reviewer

‘This book totally gripped me from start to finish. It is a very cleverly crafted thriller which leaves no loose ends. Five stars!’ Sincerely Book Angels

If you haven’t read the first two books in the series as yet, you will find them here on Carol E. Wyer’s Amazon Author Page

Enjoy!

I am thrilled to be joining in with Paul Mathews’ We Have Lost The Coffee blog tour! 🙂

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

We Have Lost The Coffee will be released on 28th June and is available to pre-order now!

Q&A with Paul Mathews…..

Did your writing skills come natural or did you have to attend courses to help you develop that creative side?

I’ve had a creative streak for as long as I can remember. I loved reading the classic comics of the 1970s and 1980s: The Beano, Dandy, Whizzer and Chips, Whoopee etc. And I started writing and drawing my own comics from the age of 11-years-old. It was very time-consuming, and involved plotting stories and planning each frame. But, when I think about it, it was great practice for writing a novel: creating characters, devising a storyline and writing dialogue.

I also enjoyed choose-your-own-adventure books as a kid (which involved making decisions, rolling dice and battling monsters) and wrote a couple of my own, which I loaned to school friends.

I was also a member of my primary school drama club. And in my late 30s, I acted in a local amateur dramatics group and that helped me enormously to understand what works and what doesn’t in dramatic terms.

Before I became an author, I wrote plays for amateur production and did a lot of research about story structure, characters, plotting etc. And writing plays taught me how to write good dialogue, which is a central part of all my books. Writing a novel was a progression from those years of writing stage plays.

So, it’s been quite a long journey!

What books/authors inspired your writing journey?

I read Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series as a teenager and loved it. I try to carry over some of his quirkiness into my work. I also include lots of references to the number 42. You’ll see We Have Lost the Coffee has 42 chapters – that’s not a coincidence!

I also enjoy John Farrell’s comedy novels. He employs fewer characters than me, and more one-liners, but our sense of humour is very similar.

How does it feel to know that your books inspire others? Whether readers with a response to the content or other aspiring authors?

I’m not sure if I’ve inspired anyone – if I have and you’re reading this, please get in touch! My main motivation is to entertain people and make them laugh. I know from all the Goodreads and Amazon ratings that the majority of my readers are happy bunnies and that’s what counts.

Do you have any writing rituals? What are they?

I try to write a chapter in a day (about 2,000 words), when I am in full novel-writing mode and then I stop – unless I’m nearing the end of the novel and then I might squeeze out a few more words. I usually plan a couple of months with a break when I’m about halfway through. I do this Monday to Friday and then take a timeout at the weekend. I’m not a believer in the ‘write something every day’ mantra. You need days where you switch off and get away from it all.

If you could have written any literary character, who would it be and why?

Marvin the Paranoid Android from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – his depressive take on life is just so comically British. Only an Englishman could have created a robot that is so permanently cheesed off with the universe!

Within your genre, is there a subject that you would never write about? What? Why?

I would never write about something that wasn’t funny. No point making your own life difficult!

London, 2045. Three months into the Coffee Wars and Britain’s caffeine supplies are at critical levels. Brits are drinking even more tea than usual, keeping a stiff upper lip and praying for an end to it all.

A secret Government coffee stockpile could save the day … but then mysteriously disappears overnight.

One man is asked to unravel the missing-coffee mystery. His name is Pond. Howie Pond. And he’s in desperate need of a triple espresso. Meanwhile, his journalist wife, Britt, is hunting royal fugitive Emma Windsor on the streets of the capital.

Can Howie save the British Republic from caffeine-starved chaos? Will the runaway royal be found? And just what will desperate coffee drinkers do for their next caffeine fix? Find out, in Paul Mathews’ latest comedy-thriller set in the Britain of the future…

‘We Have Lost The Coffee’ is packed with dry British humour, political satire, dozens of comedy characters and enough coffee jokes to keep you awake all night. It’s full of crazy action and adventure in London, and beyond, and is guaranteed to set your pulse racing faster than a quadruple espresso.

So, join Howie, Britt and friends – as well as some enemies – as you travel forward in time to 2040s London.

Buy a copy…..

For your chance to win one of two e-book copies…..

 a Rafflecopter giveaway