I am delighted to be today’s stop on Maggie James’ #AfterShesGone blog tour! 🙂

Many thanks to Noelle at Thick As Thieves Promo (noelle.thickasthievespromo@gmail.com) for inviting me to take part. 

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (16th March 2017)

Lori Golden’s family have had more than their fair share of troubles. But through it all, Lori and her sister, Jessie, have always supported each other. Then Jessie is killed. And Lori’s world turns upside down.

Devastated, Lori struggles to cope with her loss, and to learn to live in a world without her bright, bubbly sister by her side. Around her, her already fractured family start to fall apart. And, as Lori and her mother try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, secrets long thought buried are coming painfully to light.

Faced with the unthinkable, Lori is forced to ask herself how well she really knows those who are left behind…

My review…..

It took me a little while to get in to After She’s Gone, but I think that’s more to do with my mood and personal circumstances over this last few weeks. My Grandad passed away on 20^th February and we only had his funeral yesterday (16^th March), so I have only managed to read this in dribs and drabs and have just managed to finish it this afternoon (17^th March). My apologies to Maggie James as I’m not sure my review will do it justice, but I have enjoyed it. I just think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been able to properly absorb myself in it, if you know what I mean.

It’s a heart-breaking and terrifying story of the Golden family’s loss of sixteen year old Jessie, brutally raped and strangled. Her mother, Dana, is naturally devastated, as is her older sister, Lori and their father, Fraser. Dana and Fraser are no longer together. Dana’s health isn’t great anyway, as she is in need of a kidney transplant and the devastation of losing her youngest daughter is too much for her to bare. Lori tries to stay strong for her mother, but she has her own grief to deal with and needs desperately to find out who did this to her baby sister. She goes through phases of suspecting almost everyone, which I imagine would be quite natural. I think the families reaction to Jessie’s murder is quite realistic, although non of us can know how we would react in such horrific circumstances. Lori’s relationship with her new boyfriend, Ryan, is very believable as I can imagine needing the comfort of someone you feel safe with. Is Lori putting her trust in the wrong people though?

I can’t say much more without giving anything away, but this is a good crime thriller with likeable characters and a storyline that will keep you guessing. I did think I had it sussed at one point and was determined to discover the truth. There are plenty of shocks and surprises along the way! I will certainly be adding Maggie James’ other books to my reading list.

Many thanks for my ARC and for letting me join in with the blog tour.

About the author…..

Maggie James is a British author who lives in Bristol. She writes psychological suspense novels.

Before turning her hand to writing, Maggie worked mainly as an accountant, with a diversion into practising as a nutritional therapist. Diet and health remain high on her list of interests, along with travel. Accountancy does not, but then it never did. The urge to pack a bag and go off travelling is always lurking in the background! When not writing, going to the gym, practising yoga or travelling, Maggie can be found seeking new four-legged friends to pet; animals are a lifelong love!

Author Links:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjamesfiction

Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/828751.Maggie_James

Blog: http://www.maggiejamesfiction.com/blog

Website: http://www.maggiejamesfiction.com

Don’t forget to catch up with, and follow, the rest of the blog tour…..

Enjoy!

I am delighted to be taking part in Jim Ody’s The Place That Never Existed blog tour! Many thanks to Emma Mitchell for inviting me to join in 🙂 Read on to find out what Jim does on publication day.

Publisher: Hambrook Press (1st December 2016)

For Paul and Debbie it was meant to be the happiest time of their lives. A small village wedding in front of their family and friends, followed by a quiet honeymoon in Devon.
Not everyone had been happy to see them together. A woman from their past refused to accept it. Her actions over the previous year had ended in tragedy, and had almost broken the happy couple apart.
Now, away from it all in a picturesque log cabin, Paul and Debbie look forward to time spent alone together… But she has found out where they are, and she will stop at nothing to make sure that the marriage is over… forever.

But Huntswood Cove isn’t just a beautiful Devonshire fishing town, it has its own secret. Recently, people have begun to disappear, only to turn up dead in suspicious circumstances. The locals begin to question what is going on.

Soon everything strange points to the abandoned house in the woods. The house that nobody wants to talk about. To them, it is the place that never existed.

Buy your copy HERE

Publication Day…..

So, Jim, your book is being published!

Woo hoo!!

How do you spend publication day eve and the actual day?

• What do you do the night before?
• The morning?
• Who are you with?
• Where do you go?
• What do you spend the day doing?
• Is publication day 1 the same as publication day 2? And so on?
• Do you have any rituals?

These questions are not set in stone; answer the ones you like and add in anything you think has been missed!

I have to say that I don’t make much of a big deal about Publication Day. I guess that this is because I assume that I am the only one that cares! This means that I will still carry on with my day as normal, more than likely it is a week day and so I am going to my regular job.

At lunch I will send out some messages to various admins of groups to make sure that there are posts about my new book. Only when I get home will I start to take an interest in how many books I have sold.

I will then look to hit social media for the evening, making sure that everyone is aware that my new book is available.

Day 2 I will add posts to my personal page on social media, and hopefully answer questions to any enquiries that I then have.

Author Bio

As a child Jim wanted to be a truck driver – more specifically Kris Kristofferson in the movie ‘Convoy’, however somehow this never happened, nor did he ever smuggle moonshine in Hazzard County, find treasure with his buddies in the Goondocks, or hunt sharks on Amity Island. He did win ‘The Spirit Of Judo’ award as a seven-year-old, and have published his design of a ‘Dog-Walking Machine’ in an English text book at the age of ten; so every cloud and all of that…

Jim has had poems and articles published on a number of websites, and for eight years, was a weekly music reviewer for a popular music website where he got to meet bands and see free gigs.

Jim has published two books ‘Lost Connections’ and ‘The Place That Never Existed’, and had his short story, ‘The Moth In The Jar’ selected and published in the charity anthology ‘Dark Minds’.

Jim lives with his wife and three children in Swindon, Wiltshire, and is currently writing his next novel ‘A Cold Retreat’ (due out in summer 2017); and more than likely eating chocolate. And watching football.

Jim Ody’s Amazon Author Page

Don’t forget to catch up with, and follow, the rest of the blog tour…..

Enjoy!

I am thrilled to be hosting Daisy James today as we celebrate the recent release of her latest book, There’s Something About Cornwall, published on 8th March! 🙂

Check this cover out……

Publisher: HQ Digital; 1 edition (8th March 2017)

The new delightfully uplifting romantic comedy from Daisy James. Perfect for fans of Mandy Baggot, Christie Barlow and Zara Stoneley.

A knight in a shining camper van!

Life is far from picture perfect for food photographer, Emilie Roberts. Not only has her ex-boyfriend cheated on her, he’s also stolen her dream assignment to beautiful Venice! Instead, Emilie is heading to the wind-swept Cornish coast…

Emilie doesn’t think it can get any worse – until disaster strikes on the very first day! And there’s only one man to rescue this damsel in distress: extremely hunky surfing instructor, Matt Ashby.

Racing from shoot to shoot in a bright orange vintage camper van, Matt isn’t the conventional knight in shining armour – but can he make all of Emilie’s fairy tale dreams come true?

Grab yourself a copy…..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Theres-Something-About-Cornwall-Daisy-ebook/dp/B01JKGQEF4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1489439359&sr=1-1&keywords=there%27s+something+about+cornwall

Praise for Daisy James:

‘Perfect, escapist romantic comedy, a joy to read and I loved every second.’ – Rachel’s Random Reads (top 500 Amazon reviewer)

‘Utterly hilarious…Daisy James is quickly becoming my go-to chick-lit author!’ – Pretty Little Book Reviews

‘A beautiful friendship, a sprinkling of romance and a camper van – what more could you want!’ – Rae Reads

‘Absolutely breathtaking!’ – Lu Dex (NetGalley reviewer)

‘A beautiful read!’ – Jessica Bell (NetGalley reviewer)

*Q&A*

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

Hi Kerry, first of all a huge thank you for having me as a guest on your blog. It’s great to be here. Well, I’m a Yorkshire girl and I write romantic comedy and contemporary romance. As of the 8^th of March I will have four books published which I still need to pinch myself to believe! My latest novel is There’s Somethings About Cornwall which is about a road trip around the county in a bright orange vintage camper van that my characters have nicknamed The Satsuma Splittie.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I stumble across ideas for my stories all over the place. In the past, I have been accused of being nosey but I prefer to call it taking a healthy interest in other people’s lives. I love a good gossip and always take the time to listen to friend’s stories. However, I do occasionally get a sharp glance from some people worried I might write a whole novel about their escapades. They needn’t worry. All my stories are dragged – kicking and screaming sometimes – completely from my imagination.

How do you pick your characters names?

Gosh, funny you should ask this question. This is one of the hardest parts for me. A character’s name is such an important choice and I try so hard to get it right. We all have names we love and those that conjure painful memories that we want to avoid. Certain names also scream the character’s age too. I’ve just completed the first draft of my Christmas book and the main character started out as Abbie when I was researching, but as soon as I started writing the story her name changed immediately because she told me her name herself!

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

In the warmer months I write in my little peppermint-and-cream summerhouse, or should I say garden shed! It’s so peaceful there and I seem to be able to get lots done. I wish I didn’t, but I prefer to write my stories with pen and paper. I’ve tried to write them directly onto my laptop, but the words don’t seem to flow as easily. If I had to choose between the two, I’m a plotter rather than a pantster – I like to have a sense of where the story starts, where it is heading and how it will end.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

My favourite genre to read is travel memoir. I love stories about those adventurous souls who give up their lives in the rat race and head to the sunshine to build or renovate their dream home or travel the world on a bicycle or in a tuk-tuk or on a horse! So, of course, I love Peter Mayle (A Year in Provence) whose book started my reading obsession. I also loved Driving Over Lemons (Chris Stewart) and Snowball Oranges (Peter Kerr). One of my favourite recent reads was a series by Karen Wheeler about her decision to move from the fast lane in fashion journalism to a tiny French village. The first is called Tout Sweet which I loved. I mentioned a tuk-tuk. I’ve read a great story about two girls who travelled from Thailand to England in a tuk-tuk – 12,000 miles – amazing!

Were you a big reader as a child?

I’ve always loved reading. When I was young I devoured Enid Blyton and then moved on to Agatha Christie and Alistair MacLean.

When did you start to write?

Like a lot of people, I started by writing a journal. In my teens, I moved on to scribbling short stories before deciding that I wanted to explore the characters further and the only way I could do that was in a full-length novel. I wrote my first novel over twenty years ago and it’s still in a shoe box on top of the wardrobe!

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

It would have to be Gandalf! Wow, what a fabulous conversation that would be!

What are you working on right now?

I’m busy writing my Christmas novel. It feels a little strange listening to carols and eating mince pies in March, but it’s what I need to do to get in the mood!

Do you have a new release due?

My brand new novel – There’s Something About Cornwall – is due for publication on the 8^th of March. I’m really excited about it because I loved writing this story. It follows Emilie and Matt who travel around Cornwall in an orange and cream campervan whilst they photograph a celebrity chef’s fabulous bakes for her next cookery book. There’s lots of delicious food, but also artisan beverages such as Cornish wine, Cornish tea and would you believe they make Pastis in Cornwall?

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I usually bake a cake to share with my family and when I meet up with my friends we tend to celebrate with a bottle of something pink and fizzy.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I’d love to hear from readers via my Facebook page or my Twitter feed or on Instagram.

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/daisyjamesbooks

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

To celebrate the publication of my new novel, I’m running a competition. To enter just follow me on twitter and retweet the pinned tweet. The prize will be drawn at random on 31^st march (UK only). Good Luck!

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

Daisy James’ Amazon Author Page

#CoverReveal There’s Something About Cornwall by Daisy James @daisyjamesbooks

I am delighted to be today’s stop on Robin Roughley’s Keep You Near blog tour! 🙂 Many thanks to Helen Claire at Bloodhound Books for inviting me to join in.

Publisher: Bloodhound Books (9th March 2017)

An explosive serial killer thriller

How far would you go to find your missing sister?

A normal day in the park turns into a nerve shredding nightmare for eleven-year-old Marnie Hammond when she find herself in a desperate chase to stop the ‘bad man,’ from abducting Abby.

Fifteen years later, Marnie is a Detective Sergeant but the memory of her missing sister still haunts her dreams.

When it becomes clear that someone is stalking the streets of Kirkhead DS Hammond has her hands full, and after remains are discovered buried in dense woodland, Marnie fears the worst. But this is only the start of a nightmare that will unearth more bones, more victims and the terror that Abby might be among the dead.

To stop the monster Marnie knows she must break the rules, but when the twisted killer turns his attention on her it becomes a fight not only for the truth but for her sanity and her survival.

Can Marnie catch the murderer and solve her sister’s disappearance?

Robin Roughly is the best-selling author of the DS Lasser series. This is the first book in his thrilling new Marnie Hammond Series.

Extract

Prologue

The boy was tall for his age, though not quite tall enough. He sat naked and shivering on the bonehard wooden bench, the soles of his scarred feet hovered two inches from the pitted oak floorboards. The back of his whipped legs throbbed with pain as the heavy stack of leather-bound books, balanced across his thighs, bore down. Despite the mounting pain, he didn’t move – the terror wouldn’t allow it. He had no idea how long he had sat, unmoving, watching as the shadows lengthened and the timeworn, grimy room darkened. Glancing left, he peered into the gloom; he could just make out the lumpy shapes of old furniture covered by grey dustsheets. An ancient hat stand, home to a multitude of mummified flies trapped in the fragile covering of cobwebs, stood sentinel in the corner. High above, the occasional gentle coo of pigeons, settling on old wooden beams, drifted out into the trembling air.

He felt a trickle of blood seep down the back of his right leg, feverishly hot against his goosebumped flesh. Despite eyes screwed shut, the tears still slid free and he gritted his teeth, hating this manifestation of fear.

Tentatively, he placed his hands flat on the bench, palms sweating, as he attempted to ease his weight from the plank of wood but his quivering muscles refused to bear the load. The books started to slide and he grabbed them before they slipped to the floor, his heart hammering, the pain making him gasp.

Beyond the high, fly-blown window, the last of the light flared and died; the boy lowered his head in despair as the shadows closed in around him.

Time stretched out, he tried to block out the agony, tried to think of something to break the cycle but all he could visualise was the girl, the smile playing around her lips. Staring at him with sly amusement in her eyes as she nudged the bone china plate from the kitchen table, slowly, inch by hypnotic inch.

The boy had watched –eyes wide in terror –as it fell to the flagged floor and shattered; before he could move she had been running for the door, scream rising, curly hair bouncing, she dashed out into the garden in floods of fake tears.

He had been on his hands and knees desperately trying to gather up the shards when the shadowed figure had stalked past the kitchen window and into the room.

Now he sat and shivered as the pain increased, a splodge of pigeon shit landed on his right foot and he watched it dribble to the tip of his big toe before dripping to the floor. A milky globule amongst the patterning of fresh blood – his blood.

When he heard heavy footfalls on the stairs, the boy snapped his head up, watching the shadow move back and forth, caught by the sliver of light at the foot of the door.

As the key rattled in the lock, he fought back the urge to scream, knowing it would be a hopeless reflex action, one guaranteed to bring further punishment, feeding his tormentor’s malevolent spirit.

Inexorably, the door creaked open and light flooded into the room, forcing the boy to screw his eyes closed against the onslaught.

Once closed, the dread of opening them again ate away at his quivering defences.

Footsteps, slow and measured, thudded over floorboards twisted with age.

The boy tried to block out the noise but his senses seemed attuned to every sound and smell, the stale air that drifted into the room, the birds above trilling in alarm and – finally – the hot, sour breath on his sweating face.

Every second that slipped into infinity warped his young mind. He felt trapped in a terrible limbo, both frightened and yet desperate to see what was in front of him.

Cracking open one eye, he hitched in a sharp breath when he saw the familiar figure looming over him.

‘Have you seen the error of your ways?’ The voice was low and deep, little more than a rumble that seemed to set off a vibration of terror in the still air.

The boy tried desperately to formulate an answer but the terror had taken his voice, leaving him mute with fear.

‘Answer me, boy!’

‘I…’ he managed to croak.

‘Whippersnapper!’ the man roared.

Half a second later, the side of his face exploded in pain as the shadow lashed out, the back of his huge, calloused hand smashed into his cheek; the boy clattered from the blood-stained bench, the books fell with a heavy thump sending up small eddies of dust.

Pain roared through mind and body, countless hours sitting unmoving with the weight of the books bearing down had left his muscles locked tight.

When he tried to draw his legs up, the agony erupted until he could bear it no longer. He lay, naked and shuddering, the scream trapped behind gritted teeth, the side of his head flaring redhot, his ears ringing with pain.

Want to read more? Grab a copy here…..

About the author…..

Robin Roughley lives in Wigan in the the North West of England (God’s coal bunker) though he hopes to one day be released for good behaviour.
He is the author of eleven crime/thriller novels featuring DS Lasser. The novels are set between the run down streets of a northern town and the beautiful yet desolate west Pennine moors.
If you love your crime fiction crammed with square jawed heroes driving flash cars and glorious women who shimmer with inner light, then the DS Lasser novels are probably not for you.
However, if you prefer your characters to be flawed, with a sprinkling of dandruff and old acne scars, the plots to be laced with dark humour, then give them a try.
1 The Needle House
2 The Way that it Falls
3 Tethered to the Dead.
4 Twisted
5 More Equal than Others
6 Vanished Beneath
7 Riven
8 Bad Self
9 Crave
10 Moment Back

Robin Roughley’s Amazon Author Page

Don’t forget to catch up with, and follow, the rest of the blog tour…..

Enjoy!

I am over the moon to be taking part in Tilly Tennant’s Rome Is Where The Heart Is blog tour! I LOVED this book and highly recommend!!

Publisher: Bookouture (9th March 2017)

Can a holiday romance ever have a happy ending? Escape with Kate to the sun-drenched city of Rome where a love affair is just about to begin …

When Kate’s husband Matt dumps her on Friday 13th she decides enough is enough – it’s time for her to have some fun and so she hops on a plane to Rome. A week of grappa and gelato in pavement cafes under azure blue skies will be just what the doctor ordered.

What she doesn’t count on is meeting and falling for sexy policeman Alessandro. But the course of true love doesn’t run smoothly – Alessandro has five meddling sisters, a fearsome mama and a beautiful ex Orazia. They’re all certain that Kate is not the girl for him.

Can Kate and Alessandro’s love last the distance? Or will she return home with the one souvenir she doesn’t want – a broken heart …

Fall in love with the colourful cafes and the cobbled piazzas of Rome and follow Kate’s dreams and her heart in this enchanting escapist read. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Carol Matthews.

My review…..

I do love a good romance and this is such a lovely one. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Kate, her sister’s and the other wonderful characters in this book. It isn’t often I read a book in less than three days, so that says a lot. I was captivated! I love Tilly Tennant’s writing.

Kate is 30 and when we first meet her she is scared and confused as her husband, Matt, suddenly decides he’s had enough and is leaving her. They were childhood sweethearts and he’s all she’s ever known. What is she supposed to do now?

She gets through it with the support of her two sister’s. (I loved the relationship the three sisters share. They reminded me of me and my siblings.) When her decree absolute comes through she decides she needs some excitement in her life. She has always wanted to travel, but Matt had never been keen, so before she has the chance to over-think it, she books herself a week in Rome. She looks forward to a week on her own, seeing the sights, relaxing in her posh hotel and eating when and where she fancies. Nothing could prepare her for the week she was about to experience though. Before the end of the week she has found a new best friend called Jamie and romance in the shape of Alessandro. I loved the relationship she developed with Jamie. He’s someone I think I would get on with too.

Alessandro is a lovely character. He’s a cop, so tough when he needs to be, but also very sweet. He’s a very likeable character. It’s easy to see what Kate sees in him. There is an obvious attraction between him and Kate from the very first time they meet, despite it not exactly being Kate’s finest moment! A very funny moment, but one Kate would prefer to forget. There are many funny moments throughout this book and I laughed out loud on more than one occasion.

Kate is understandably cautious of her attraction to Alessandro at first. She is only there for a week after all. She soon starts to fall for Rome though, as well as one of it’s most handsome residents. How can this possibly end happily for anyone?

I really warmed to Kate and I think she is really brave. I can’t imagine hopping on a plane, alone, to a country I have never visited before. It sounds exciting, but I would be far too chicken! It’s great to read about though. I’ve always wanted to go to Italy (just not on my own) and this has made me want to even more. It sounds amazing!

Many thanks, as always, to Bookouture for my auto-approval status on Netgalley and to Kim Nash for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour for this fabulous book.

I highly recommend!

Buy your copy now…..

About the author…..

From a young age, Tilly Tennant was convinced that she was destined for the stage.  Once she realised she wasn’t actually very good at anything that would put her on the stage, she started to write stories instead. There were lots of terrible ones, like The Pet Rescue Gang (aged eight), which definitely should not see the light of day ever again. Thankfully, her debut novel, Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn was not one of those, and since it hit the Amazon best seller lists she hasn’t looked back. Born in Dorset, she currently lives in Staffordshire with her husband, two daughters, three guitars, four ukuleles, two violins and a kazoo.

www.tillytennant.com 

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

Tilly Tennant’s Amazon Author Page

Don’t forget to catch up with, and follow, the rest of the blog tour…..

Enjoy!

https://chataboutbooks.wordpress.com/2016/06/13/the-little-village-bakery-honeybourne-book-1-by-tilly-tennant/

https://chataboutbooks.wordpress.com/2016/09/16/christmas-at-the-little-village-bakery-honeybourne-book-2-by-tilly-tennant-blog-blitz/

I am very happy to be today’s stop on Linda S Prather’s The Forgotten blog tour! 🙂

Publisher: Bloodhound Books (7th March 2017)

A gripping crime thriller from a NY Times & USA Today best-selling author

Loki Redmond is positive her grandfather’s 100 acre farm in Mississippi will be the perfect place for Jake Savior to heal after the murder of his wife and his banishment from law enforcement before they begin their partnership in Redmond Private Investigations.

But fate has other plans.

The discovery of a month old baby and young girl with no memory of her name, running from a man she calls The Devil, plunges them into danger. Loki’s Native American connection to the spirits makes her a target for the delusions of a madman who is determined to kill her.

Tension continues to rise when a special unit of the FBI enters the case, and Jake is forced to decide what he believes in. Can he change the future seen by Special Agent Brian Wilkes, or is Loki destined to die?

Extract…..

PROLOGUE

The room gradually chilled as dusk turned into night, enclosing them in the comfort of darkness.

The baby stirred and whimpered, and the young girl held her close, cradling her in her arms. “Shhh…” she shushed as she rocked gently back and forth. “We mustn’t wake Husband or Mother.”

Her gaze went to the bedroom door, her heart pounding and her thoughts muddled by the conversation she’d overheard. Her lower lip trembled as she whispered, “Husband is going to take a new bride, Hope. He told Mother he was leaving in the morning and would return before nightfall.”

She shuddered as an image of Isabella’s battered and bloody body crept into her mind. In less than a week, he would come for the child, and soon thereafter he would come for her, and two more graves would line the banks of Devil’s Creek.

That’s why the old woman has been starving me since the baby was born. She wants me weak so I can’t fight when she comes to take Hope. And even if I try to run, I won’t get far.

Holding the baby closer to her heart, she brushed her lips against the soft skin of her cheek and rolled onto her side as she searched for memories of her own mother. Her real mother, not the old bitch Husband forced her to call Mother. The effort caused an immediate headache. They had stripped her of everything over the years—even her own name.

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” she whispered. “They told me I couldn’t name you, but I did. I called you Hope because that’s what you gave me.” Hope snuggled against her. “I’ll find a way to save you.”

A light snow was falling outside the window, and the temperature in the room continued to drop. God, if there was one, would show her the way to save the baby. She’d prayed for three years to die, and instead He’d given her a reason to live. A real God wouldn’t do that unless He had a plan, would He?

She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. With Husband gone, tomorrow would be the only chance she’d have to escape. Even if they froze to death, at least they’d be together, and freezing would be less painful than the torturous death the devil had planned for them.

 WOW! Make sure you read the next part (Chapter 1) tomorrow over on baattyaboutbooks.wordpress.com

Can’t wait for tomorrow?

Buy your copy now, HERE

About the author…..

As a reader who follows specific authors, and loves their characters I’ve often wondered what would my readers like to know about me? It was easier with my published book as I met many of those readers and spent time talking with them, answering their questions, and getting to know them. I actually made several wonderful friendships through those endeavors and we still stay in touch by email. EBook sales are substantially different in that I rarely, if ever, meet my readers now. And I miss that. I miss that one-on-one contact of discussing writing, characters and life in general.

One of the most often questions asked is: are any of my characters a part of my own persona. Well, yes, many of them are. Let’s take a look at Sacred Secrets, the prequel to The Gifts.

I believe we all have a dark and a light side. Thus Gavin McAllister a/k/a Jacody Ives. Gavin, the “good” personality, and Jacody the “not quite so good” personality. The deeper, darker, more angry personality. In Sacred Secrets, I explore the trauma behind the split and the creation of Jacody Ives. So, yes, I feel a definite connection with both Gavin and Jacody.

Clover is a young girl who reads tarot cards, auras and believes everyone is psychic. I too believe everyone is psychic, and many of my own characteristics are a part of Clover’s personality.

Katie has lived the majority of her life on “death row”. Knowing that without a heart transplant she would die. I too was told early in life that without a pancreas transplant my days were numbered. After being placed on the transplant list my doctors discovered that I was allergic to the medications I would need for the operation. The surgery itself would kill me. So I know what it’s like to “be on death row”. And my short time on the transplant list is responsible for my interest in cellular memory.

Billy Dawson, the Dream Weaver. An interesting character. Torn between what he believes to be right, and his obligations. Don’t we all feel that same soul searching crisis throughout life?

Miss Charity, my own deep scars and wounds. Which, I hope you’ll forgive me I prefer not to share.

Those are just a few of my favorite characters in Sacred Secrets, which I believe are a part of my own persona.

As Sacred Secrets is the prequel to The Gifts, I did sort of a Star Wars on myself. In The Gifts Gavin and Jacody are no longer totally separate. They function as one, although not totally one.

Sarah, the town Sheriff, like Gavin has what her grandmother called “The Gift”. To Sarah it has always been more of a curse. Like Gavin, she dreams things. Things that happen. And therein lays her frustration. There’s no way she can ever know if what she dreamed is real until it happens, and then it’s too late to do anything about it. What kind of gift is that?

Nikki, Sarah’s five year old daughter reminds me of myself at her age. Yes, even then I was a little weird in the fact that I sometimes saw things or dreamed things that later I found out really happened.

I would love to believe that I have many of Millie’s charming characteristics. I know I have her propensity to feel that trust is essential in a relationship, and that without that trust nothing else matters.

When I started writing The Jacody Ives Mysteries I knew I wanted to write traditional mysteries to keep the reader guessing until the very end. I’ve been told many times that I accomplished this with The Gifts. The jury is still out on Sacred Secrets and I’ll have to wait for reader’s reviews to know if the twist at the end was enough. I will have to say it shocked me, as many times my characters go off in directions I had no idea they were going to take.

So now you know a little more about me, and my characters.

Linda S Prather’s Amazon Author Page

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

Enjoy!

I am thrilled to be today’s stop on Helen Bridgett’s The Mercury Travel Club blog tour! 🙂

Publisher: RedDoor Publishing (16th March 2017)

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

But Angie needs more than a bar of galaxy and a night in with Murder She Wrote… what she dreams of is entrepreneurial success. Channelling her inner Richard Branson, the light bulb moment happens: it’s time to take the plunge and invest her divorce settlement into The Mercury Travel Club, an exciting new business venture. But as the Travel Club gets going, things never go according to plan, and in this digital age a little chaos brings the fame she’s been looking for.

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

My review…..

The Mercury Travel Club has been a lovely light-hearted read, especially after the last few books I’ve read.

Angie Shepherd is in her early 50’s and she’s recently divorced after almost 25 years of marriage to Alan, who left her for another woman. She’s not quite sure what to do with herself having never really lived on her own before. I instantly liked Angie and sympathised with her completely. I can’t imagine starting over at nearly 40, let alone 50! It must be terrifying! Angie does a great job of finding herself though and I thoroughly enjoyed following her story as she built a new life for herself. I pictured Angie as a tallish, slim lady who could pass for 5 years younger at least. She certainly comes across as being young at heart, especially with some of things she gets up to with her best friend, Patty! (Much to her 20 year old daughter, Zoe’s horror!) I laughed out loud on many occasions throughout this book! Patty is a brilliant character. I warmed to her immediately also. They have a great relationship.

When Angie’s divorce settlement comes through she takes the plunge and invests in The Mercury Travel Club, a new business venture based on an idea she has about exciting travel opportunities for the over 50’s. Who says more mature people don’t still want to have a bit of adventure in their lives! As you can imagine, not all goes to plan, but she is determined to make it work. The trips they take are certainly eventful, for more reasons than one, but the business leads to a more positive future for Angie as well as her friends and colleagues.

A captivating story of heart-break, loss, family (I LOVED Angie’s Mum!), friendship, success and moving on. It proves that it’s never too late to realise your dreams or to have a second chance at life (and love). A lovely ending!

Many thanks to the author and Anna, at RedDoor Publishing, for my paperback ARC and for inviting me to be a part of the fab blog tour.

Buy your copy HERE

Helen Bridgett was born in North-East England and now lives in Manchester having stopped off at a few places in between. Having failed miserably with every New Year’s resolution that involved giving up food or drink, one year, she set herself a completely different goal – to write a novel and give it as a Christmas present. The Mercury Travel Club was born and the characters took on a life of their own. Outside of writing, Helen loves hiking and wine – not usually at the same time.

Helen is currently developing the next novels in The Mercury Travel Club series.

Helen Bridgett’s Amazon Author Page

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

Enjoy!

I am over the moon to be one of two stops today on Christie Barlow’s Evie’s Year of Taking Chances blog tour 🙂

Publisher: Bookouture (10th March 2017)

It’s Evie’s birthday and the start of a year she’ll never forget. An emotional story of love, friendship and grabbing life by the horns.
Evie’s job has always been her safe haven. As a librarian in the little town of Becton she loses herself in books – after all it’s far easier to read about other people’s problems than set about solving her own.

Then, one birthday, everything is turned upside down. A mysterious parcel containing a beautiful book with a poignant inscription arrives for Evie. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for Evie and she’s inspired to try and find her real mother.

Evie’s search leads her to meet handsome author Noah Jones. Charming and intelligent, Noah seems the perfect catch but what Evie doesn’t realise is that he is hiding something – a key to Evie’s past.

As Evie gets closer to Noah and discovering her mother, she must take a giant leap of faith. Can she embrace the new and make this her year of taking chances? And if she does, will she get her heart broken?

A romantic, funny and poignant story of living life to the full and finding love in the most unlikely of places. Fans of Debbie Johnson and Cathy Bramley will adore this book!

My review…..

Well, what a wonderful story this is!

Having read and loved Lizzie’s Christmas Escape in December, I jumped at the chance to read Evie’s Year of Taking Chances and I am so glad I did. It’s a lovely story which made me smile often and cry also. It’s a very emotional read and one I am sure many will relate to in some way.

I loved that Mim’s cafe is featured. I haven’t visited the real one, but have heard so many good things about it.

Evie hasn’t had the happiest of childhoods, but since being fostered by Irene life has been better. Irene has always treated her as her own and she loves her dearly for it. They have a lovely relationship. Evie loves her job as a librarian and she has her own little two up two down which she loves. She has always wondered about her birth mother though. As she celebrates another Birthday she decides it’s time to take the plunge and start a search. She has no idea if her mother will want to be found or even if she is still alive, but she must try.

As she waits for news, half expecting there not to be any, she learns that handsome author, Noah Jones, will be in town for a book signing soon. She had met Noah some months ago and he had been on her mind ever since. Her best friend, Clara, encourages her to follow him on Twitter and it seems he hasn’t forgotten her either. Could this be the start of a beautiful romance?

It isn’t long before The Salvation Army get in touch with Evie. They have found her mother and she’s written her a letter. Nothing could prepare Evie for what had happened though or who in fact her mother actually is! She experiences a roller-coaster of emotions as she uncovers the truth.

Evie’s Year of Taking Chances is a completely compelling story, full of the most wonderful characters with heart-warming and sometimes heart-breaking stories to tell. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them all! It’s full of surprises and I do love a happy ending.

I highly recommend to anyone looking for an uplifting story with characters you’ll fall in love with.

Many thanks, as always, to Bookouture for my auto-approval status on Netgalley and to Kim Nash for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour 🙂

Buy your copy HERE

About the author…..

Enjoy!

Lizzie’s Christmas Escape by Christie Barlow @ChristieJBarlow @bookouture #BookReview

The list of readers has been announced for the next 6X6 Reading Café, where we can look forward to hearing from Sarah Akhtar, Adam Boustead, Stephanie Hutton, Jem Shaw, Jason Smith and Debbie Voisey. Do come along to support our fantastic local writers – it’s always a great evening, and tickets are free.

6X6 Reading Café takes place on Tuesday 14 March, 7pm, at City Central Library, Hanley (doors open from 6.30pm). You can book your place by phoning 01782 238455, or email central.library@stoke.gov.uk

If you’d like to know more about 6X6, take a look at https://6x6writingcafe.wordpress.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/6x6reading/

Always a lovely evening! I’m looking forward to attending with my friend Gayle, my Mum Gill, and Sister Laura 🙂

I am delighted to be today’s stop on Stephan Collishaw’s The Song Of The Stork blog tour.

Unfortunately, due to other review/blog tour commitments this month, I have been unable to read the book as yet, but it is most definitely on my list. For now, I have a Q&A with the author himself, to share with you all…..

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

I’m a writer, a teacher, a reader and frustrated jazz musician. My first novel The Last Girl was chosen by the Independent on Sunday as one of their books of the year and got some lovely press. It was the story of a poet who had to make the choice about whether to save a child or not. You will have to read it to find out how he decided. My new novel is called The Song of the Stork. It is the story of a young girl called Yael who is on the run from the Germans. She hides in the isolated cottage of the village outcast, Aleksei, who is mute and solitary. As the winter cuts the cottage off from the world Aleksei reluctantly takes her in and a delicate relationship develops between them. It’s a story of love and the brutality of war. It’s about survival and about a young woman growing up.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I’m a day-dreamer and most ideas come from idle day-dreaming. I like to watch films in languages I don’t understand; I find it a much more creative process as I have to co-create the story. Stories come from books I have read, newspaper articles, poems and conversations.

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

Not that I am aware of, though obviously there are probably traits of people I have known in the novels I have written. I often find that characters take on lives of their own so it’s hard to say where they come from. You start off with a story map that says they are going to kill somebody in chapter five, but by the time you get to chapter five your character has made it perfectly clear that there is no way they would behave in that manner – they’re going to do things a different way. Their way. Sometimes you argue with them and try to make them do it your way, but it’s hard to force a fictional character to do what you want, after all, it’s their world you’re living in.

How do you pick your characters names?

I actually spend far too much time agonising over the choice of names for my characters. Sometimes they just come, wholly there, as though they always existed, and sometimes I really struggle to find one that fits the character. Yael, the protagonist of The Song of the Stork, obviously has a name that carries religious and political resonances. Dovid Katz, all round expert on things Yiddish and the world of the novel that I create, has told me that Yael would not have been a usual name to call a girl in Poland at that time unless they had been born into an ardently Zionist family, so I apologise to him for the historical anachronism. Yael is a beautifully poetic name, and she is a lovely character and I didn’t want to change her.

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

I have a notebook and I jot ideas down in it. I don’t usually go through the notes with any serious intent, but find that once I have jotted them down there, they begin to swell and grow, sending up shoots. Often the ideas will mutate, often to the point where it will be hard to recognise the original idea in the finished product. Sometimes two different ideas will mate between the pages and fuse together in some new creation. Often the character that was the progenitor of the idea will be relegated to some minor role and another character will step up, demanding to tell the story from their viewpoint.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

1. Tolstoy

2. Amos Oz

3. George Elliot

4. Martin Cruz Smith

5. Ernest Hemingway

An eclectic list, I hope. It’s always nice to come across new writers and to explore writers from countries that you are not too familiar with. Partly because of that, I have established a small press specialising in translating fiction by contemporary Lithuanian writers (www.noirpress.co.uk).

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

Christopher Marlowe. Why didn’t you just pay the bill without arguing?

Were you a big reader as a child?

For various reasons we didn’t have a TV at home when I was a child and so yes, this probably, did lead to me reading more than I would have otherwise. I can’t claim that I was a particularly prodigious reader though, and like most boys there was a dip between the age of ten when I read all the Hardy Boys and Three Investigator books to around the age of fifteen when I started reading again. I failed all my O’ Levels at school and then failed them a second time around at sixth form college. I was actually, though, at this point discovering the world of books as I was failing my qualifications. From the age of sixteen to the age of twenty-one, when I finally got into university, I read anything that I could get my hands on. Fortunately I was not educated enough to make ‘discerning’ choices, so one day I was reading Kafka and the next Nevil Shute. I read Middlemarch three times in those years – I absolutely loved it. I discovered Christopher Marlowe and was on the edge of my seat as I read as I read Dr Faustus. It was the best education that I could have got. I also read a lot of poetry. A particular favourite was Louis MacNeice. I also loved the odd-ball South African poet Roy Campbell whose life was as extraordinary as any character from a novel – at least, according to the way he told it.

When did you start to write?

I began writing at school after reading the short stories of Guy de Maupassant. I would truant from school and sit on the park writing short stories – that was the nature of my rebellion as a teenager. I tried writing a novel when I was sixteen and realised that I was not ready. I began writing again seriously when I left university and became a teacher. I was a hopeless teacher, and it was a means of escape. Finally I plucked up the courage and gave up the job and went to live in Lithuania with a half-written novel in my back-pack about a first-century gladiator. I planned to spend a few months living cheaply in Vilnius, finishing it off. I didn’t write a word of it. Vilnius was a beautiful and dark city and I spent my days wandering the old streets of the ghetto district. Many of the buildings had been left to fall into ruins. You could step over the rubble and into the heart of what had once been a Jewish school, the Hebrew lettering still visible on the walls. The ghost of a city that had been wiped off the face of the earth by the Nazis and their local collaborators. I fell in love with the city and its stories and that was the genesis of my first novel, The Last Girl.

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

I know that I’m about to commit literary heresy, but it would be the ending of The French Lieutenant’s Woman. I think if we are going to throw our lot in with a story, we want it to be tied up properly. Shakespeare played with form, but he always gave us our ending. It allowed us to argue all the more about it. Just look at The Tempest. Nice neat ending that immediately makes us question it.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

There are so many books that I wish that I had the talent to write. I love the passion of Christopher Marlowe’s writing, there are lines and images from his writing that imprint themselves indelibly on your soul. I love the heart of Tolstoy’s fiction and the combination of intimate domestic world with epic story. I love the poetry of Amos Oz’s writing. First and foremost I’m a reader, and I’m happier as a reader than I am as a writer.

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

Anna Karenina. I would run away to Tangiers with her. I’m sure it would all go badly wrong and she would throw herself in front of the train to Casablanca and I would end up in a hovel in the beautiful medina writing and smoking and drinking coffee.

What are you working on right now?

I have a number of different projects that I’m working on at the moment. Writing is a disease and once you’re infected it’s hard to recover. Nothing can beat the joy of creating a world and peopling it.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

They can follow me on Twitter @scollishaw

Thank you so much for answering my questions, Stephan. It has been a pleasure having you on my blog.

Thanks also to Lucy at Legend Press for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful blog tour.

Publisher: Legend Press (1st March 2017)

Fifteen-year-old Yael is on the run. The Jewish girl seeks shelter from the Germans on the farm of the village outcast. Aleksei is mute and solitary, but as the brutal winter advances, he reluctantly takes her in and a delicate relationship develops.

As her feelings towards Aleksei change, the war intrudes and Yael is forced to join a Jewish partisan group fighting in the woods.

Torn apart and fighting for her life, The Song of the Stork is Yael’s story of love, hope and survival. It is the story of one woman finding a voice as the voices around her are extinguished.

Buy your copy HERE

Review

Enjoy!