Hi all! Today I am delighted to be joining in with the cover reveal for Elizabeth Davies’s A Stain on the Soul 🙂

A Stain on the Soul

Resigned to another lifetime of being a witch’s familiar, Caitlyn has found a degree of peace in her role as the Duke of Normandy’s protector and spy.

But that peace is shattered when she returns to her native land only to come face-to-face with her past, and fall in love with a man who she desperately hopes will become her future.

Check this out ⇓⇓⇓

Pre-Order Link:

http://books2read.com/StainOnTheSoul

Author Bio –

Elizabeth Davies is a paranormal author, whose books have a romantic flavour with more than a hint of suspense. And death. There’s usually death…

Social Media Links –

Website –

www.elizabethdaviesauthor.co.uk

Twitter –

@bethsbooks

Facebook –

https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethDaviesAuthor/

Instagram –

@elizabethdavies.author

Hi and welcome to my stop on Graeme Cumming’s Ravens Gathering blog tour 🙂

Interview with Graeme Cumming…..

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

After 20 years running my own business, I sold it last year so I could concentrate on writing full-time. (That didn’t work out quite how I expected, but after 12 months of trying to get into a routine, I’m almost there!)

My interest in story-telling was sparked by an excessive amount of time sitting in front of a black and white television in the ‘60s and ‘70s, which means my influences are varied. This diversity continued with my reading and tastes in movies. As a result, my stories won’t always fall into a specific genre, but will lean towards thrillers.

Ravens Gathering is currently the only book I’ve had published, though three others are at various drafting stages. It should come as no surprise to learn that it doesn’t slot neatly into a genre, but offers the reader suspense, uncertainty, and an array of garden paths to be led up.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Ideas can come from all kinds of places. You spot something and your imagination takes off as you wonder why it happened and what led up to it.

Then again, it can come from a title, which is what happened in the case of Ravens Gathering. I was driving along the A1 and noticed a group of black birds on the hard shoulder, no doubt feeding off some rotting dead animal. As I drew closer, some more arrived and I said: “Did you see those ravens gathering?” Clearly, that didn’t give me a story, but the title led on to it – and a title like that just screams creepy, doesn’t it?

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

That would be telling, wouldn’t it? Seriously, if they are, it isn’t a conscious thing, though I’m sure some of my own character traits will show up from time to time – and not always in a good way!

How do you pick your characters’ names?

I don’t have a system. Some names of characters have been with me for years (even though I haven’t written the stories yet), and I honestly can’t remember how their names were chosen. Others might be inspired by characters from books, or even actors or musicians. The Gates family name came from the singer/songwriter David Gates, and there’s even a firm mentioned in Ravens Gathering that goes by the name Griffin, after James Griffin, who collaborated with David Gates.

That aside, I should say that I am conscious my stories tend to have a lot of characters in, so I do keep a note to make sure I don’t have too many similar sounding names.

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

Plot it and plan it, including chapter plans. It doesn’t work out exactly how you intended, but it does make the process easier to follow, and you can work out more readily how to lead the reader up the garden path!

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

That’s difficult to say with complete clarity. Probably the best approach for me to take is to consider which have influenced me the most. And they are:

Trevanian

Wilbur Smith

Alistair MacLean

Dean Koontz

Graham Masterton

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

Ed McBain. And the question would be: how the hell did you churn out a brilliant crime novel every three months?

Were you a big reader as a child?

My second home was the library. Does that answer your question?

When did you start to write?

As a child. I seem to remember bashing out stories on my dad’s typewriter when I was still at primary school. The first inkling I had that this was something I could take seriously, though, was when I was about thirteen or fourteen. An English teacher gave the class the option to do homework over the Easter break and, instead of the usual two-page essay, I submitted a 15 page thriller. Her reaction to it was the most significant encouragement I’ve ever had. She was clearly enthused, and was later heard to say that, if I wasn’t a published author by the time I was twenty-five, she’d eat her hat. I suspect she had a very high-fibre diet for a number of years as I was fifty by the time Ravens Gathering was published.

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

I wouldn’t be so presumptuous. Just because I didn’t like an ending doesn’t mean no one else did, and I wouldn’t want to spoil someone else’s enjoyment.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

I’ve got about thirteen in my head that I wish I’d already written…

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

Cumming by name…

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

Nicholai Hel, the assassin in Shibumi. I wouldn’t take them for coffee, because I hate the stuff, but I suspect he wouldn’t be too keen either, probably preferring a herbal tea. Still, I might be able to persuade him to try a quiet pint in a local pub.

What are you working on right now?

Carrion. In practice, I’ve been working on versions of it for several years, but I feel like I’m getting close to the point where I’ll be happy to share it with the world. It’s both completely different to Ravens Gathering and yet somehow connected…

Tell us about your last release?

Ravens Gathering has been available as an e-book for nearly six years, and paperback for about a year, but it’s still my latest! As I’ve already indicated, it’s a difficult one to define because it doesn’t slot neatly into a genre. I think of it as a thriller, but it has shades of horror, fantasy and crime in it as well. The good news is that most people who’ve read it appear to have gone along for the ride and enjoyed it. I didn’t realise there were so many people who liked their fiction that dark!

Do you have a new release due?

Not imminently. I’m expecting Carrion to be the next – but only when I’m satisfied it’s ready.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

As there’s only the one book out, I don’t have a standard practice. When Ravens Gathering was launched, it was very low-key, but I suspect I enjoyed a glass of something…

How can readers keep in touch with you?

They can follow me on my website and blog, Facebook or Twitter at the following links:

www.graemecumming.co.uk

www.facebook.com/Graeme-Cumming-1638108329841072/

www.twitter.com/GraemeCumming63

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Aside from writing (and reading), I am an enthusiastic sailor, enjoy off-road cycling and walking, and love the cinema. Although my concert-going days are fewer and further between now, I like to reminisce about the multitude of gigs I went to in my younger days. Those occasional reminiscences can be found on my blog.

As well as a passion for the written word, I’m currently Education Director at Sheffield Speakers Club (but I’m not available for weddings, funerals or Bar Mitzvahs!).

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

Ravens Gathering –

Blurb

As she let her gaze drift around her, she saw that there were more birds. Perhaps a dozen or so, perched among the trees that stood on the edge of the clearing. And yet more were arriving, swooping down through the gap overhead and landing on branches that overlooked them. The birds weren’t threatening, yet the sight of them all coming together in this dark and isolated spot was unnerving. Tanya reached a hand out towards Martin, and was relieved to feel him take it. She felt him move in behind her. After the uncertainty she’d experienced with him in a similar position only a few moments ago, she recognised the irony of her reaction. His closeness offered security.

“You know what they are, don’t you?”

A stranger’s arrival in a small village coincides with a tragic accident. For the Gates family in particular it’s more than a coincidence, but unease increases following a brutal attack. As tensions rise, a dark past returns to haunt them and others, while newcomers to the village are drawn into a mystery with terrifying consequences.

And only a select few know why the ravens are gathering.

Author bio –

Graeme Cumming lives in Robin Hood country. He has wide and varied tastes when it comes to fiction so he’s conscious that his thrillers can cross into territories including horror, fantasy and science fiction as well as more traditional arenas.

When not writing, Graeme is an enthusiastic sailor (and, by default, swimmer), and enjoys off-road cycling and walking. He is currently Education Director at Sheffield Speakers Club. Oh yes, and he reads (a lot) and loves the cinema.

Interview with Elizabeth Davies…..

Hi, Kerry, and thank you for having me on your blog!

You’re very welcome, Elizabeth 🙂 Thanks for joining me.

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

I’m a fifty-something Welsh woman with a liking for old places and the stories they tell – and to be fair, those stories are usually about murders, and ghosts, and torrid affairs! But because I’m a romantic at heart, I like to combine all those elements in my writing with the addition of love, romance and a hunky male character, or two.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I’m not really sure, though sometimes they come from the castles I visit (I drag my poor husband around loads of them!), when I discover a juicy titbit about one of the people who used to live there. Or an idea may come to me from something someone says, and I think “that’s a good premise”! But occasionally, my subconscious works without my even realising it, and I wake up with an idea in my head that I simply have to get down on paper right now!

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

Yes, no, no comment! Seriously though, I tend to take bits of people I know or meet, and add more bits until I’m left with a sort of Frankenstein’s Monster of a character, though hopefully much nicer.

How do you pick your characters names?

For the historical novels, many of the characters come supplied with their own. Take the witch in this book for instance; she is based on the mother of William the Conqueror, and history isn’t totally clear what her name was. However, the common consensus is that she was either called Herleva or Arlette. So, I decided to split her into two characters. With the name “Caitlyn” I was looking for something inherently Welsh, but also one that was easy to say (believe me, some Welsh names aren’t!), and was old enough to have been used in the eleventh century. Besides, I like it!

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

It often starts with a vague idea, a loose premise, a strong notion of the first chapter, a less clear notion of the ending, then I simply open a new document and start writing. It’s rare for me to plot things out, and when I do, I never stick to the plan, anyway.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

I adore Barbara Erskine for her skilful weaving of the past and the present, all bound up in the supernatural.

I also love Sara Woodbury, of course (who doesn’t!), especially because she writes about myth and magic in Wales. Then there is Dianne Duval, Avril Borthiry, and Ginger Myrick, who are also on my list of must-reads, whenever they release a new novel.

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

Actually, I would like to meet Stephen King, because although he sticks to his genre, that genre has evolved over the years, and now he can span horror, supernatural and fantasy, yet still be true to his writing. I’d love to ask him how he does it!

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes, very. I can’t actually recall a time when I wasn’t able to read – though of course, there must have been, because I was definitely no child genius! Books featured strongly in my life from a very young age, and the family home always, always, had loads of books scattered everywhere.

When did you start to write?

I dabbled (very unsuccessfully, I might add) in my twenties, scribbled ideas which never came to anything in my thirties, and finally wrote my first novel when I was in my forties. It was a huge 300,000 word monster, and it will never see the light of day, but I proved to myself that I could do it, and that’s what kickstarted my writing career.

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

Okay, if you don’t like spoilers, look away now! I’d change the ending of The Martian by Andy Weir – it would have had so much more poignancy, impact and believability of the MC had died. Sorry, folks…

Is there a book you wish you had written?

I don’t know where to start on this one – there are loads, probably hundreds. From Wuthering Heights to Harry Potter. You’ve just got to admire the talent and the imagination of those writers.

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

‘With My Head in a Book’ – because if I’m not busy writing my own, then I’m busy reading someone else’s.

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

Rhett Butler and I’d take him to my house, but not necessarily for coffee!

What are you working on right now?

I don’t want to say too much about it, because with the way I write, things have a habit of changing, but I’ve got an idea for a new vampire series, and hopefully these darlings will be considerably nastier and deadlier than the ones in my Resurrection series. I love writing about the dark side!

Do you have a new release due?

I have two!! The second in the Caitlyn series, A Stain on the Soul, will be released on 4^th October, and the final one, Another Kind of Magic, is due for publication on 1^st November.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I don’t celebrate – I sit nervously in front of the computer and bite my nails, while drinking gallons of coffee.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

My website – https://www.elizabethdaviesauthor.co.uk, Twitter – https://twitter.com/BethsBooks or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethDaviesAuthor/

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I like liquorice. There, I’ve admitted it!

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

Three Bloody Pieces

A dead king, a queen who is more than she seems, and a witch who uses the dark arts to entrap her.

Queen, widow, beggar – Lady Caitlyn is all three, and now she can add murderer to the list.

When death and treachery propel her south to Normandy, to seek sanctuary with the exiled Prince Alfred, visions of a woman with ancient eyes travel with her.

Herleva is a woman filled with ambition and greed. A woman who intends to be more than a commoner. A woman who gets what she wants by whatever means possible, even if she has to practice the dark arts to achieve her goals.

A woman who is a witch.

Caitlyn finds herself caught up in a magic which changes her very being. A magic which produces a king to change the lives of every man, woman, and child in England.

Purchase links…..

Amazon –

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Bloody-Pieces-spellbinding-paranormal-ebook/dp/B075RH1QJ3/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Apple –

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1287207080

B&N –

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/three-bloody-pieces-elizabeth-davies/1127125749;jsessionid=30CDB4C91A2F4A4D583FE529FF96B54C.prodny_store02-atgap06?ean=2940154924754

Kobo –

https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/three-bloody-pieces

Author Bio –

Elizabeth Davies is a paranormal author, whose books have a romantic flavour with more than a hint of suspense. And death. There’s usually death…

Social Media Links –

Website –

www.elizabethdaviesauthor.co.uk

Twitter –

@bethsbooks

Facebook –

https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethDaviesAuthor/

Instagram –

@elizabethdavies.author

Giveaway –

Win a hardback notebook, a pen and a signed paperback copy of Three Bloody Pieces (Open Internationally)

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Interview with Val Penny…..

Hello, Kerry and thank you so much for inviting me on to your blog today. I am delighted to be here and to talk books, reading and writing with you.

You’re very welcome, Val. Thanks so much for joining me today 🙂

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

I am an American author living in SW Scotland. I have a Law degree from Edinburgh University and an MSc from Napier University. I have had had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer. My crime novels, ‘Hunter’s Chase’ and ‘Hunter’s Revenge’ are set in Edinburgh, Scotland and published by Crooked Cat Books.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Like many writers, I carry a notebook with me where ever I go. Often a conversation overheard in a coffee shop, someone standing on a railway platform or a snippet of news from the papers will give me an idea that I will use later.

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

Ha ha! Do I really need to answer that! Perhaps, yes. But more often characters in my novels have a combination of features, faults and attributes that come from a variety of people I have known.

How do you pick your characters names?

Choosing a character’s name is really fun for me. I am intrigued by unusual and interesting names. Hunter Wilson’s name came from a business I saw once. It was called Wilson Hunter, but I thought Hunter Wilson would be a great name for a detective.

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

Every author writes and plans differently. My first novel, ‘Hunter’s Chase’ grew organically from one or two ideas threaded together. However, I later attended a course by Sue Moorcroft, who writes women’s fiction. She explained how she plans all her novels in great detail, so my second book ‘Hunter’s Revenge’ was planned. I am now writing the third book in the series ‘Hunter’s Force’ and that is developing through a combination of the two styles.

I make my notes longhand in a note book, but write directly to the computer. It is easier to change things and move scenes or chapters if I need to.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Oh dear, only 5?

I read a great deal and enjoy most of the books I read. However, most of the books I pick up by choice are crime novels of one type or another.

I love Erin Kelly’s work. Her novels The Poison Tree and He Said/She Said are amongst the best I have ever read.

I also rate Michael Jecks and his Templar series of medieval West Country mysteries very highly. That period in history fascinates me.

Another author whose books I find never disappoint is the Canadian author Linwood Barclay. His mixture of humour and crime is unique.

Last year I also discovered Stephen Booth’s Cooper and Fry detective series after hearing him speak at a writers’ convention. I do enjoy these greatly.

I think my last choice has to be another author who was new to me this year. Katharine Johnson writes mysteries set in Tuscany. Her novels ‘The Silence’ and ‘The Secret’ are second to none.

Is that five? Oh dear! I also love, MJ Arlidge, Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Kathy Reichs, Peter Robinson, Mark Billingham and Ian Rankin, but that’s cheating!

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

I am lucky in that I have met all the authors that I have mentioned and have had time to talk to them at some length about their writing. However, I think the most important question for any writer would be, how do you balance your life and work. I find that tricky and, from what I have heard we can all be difficult when we are ‘in the zone’.

Were you a big reader as a child?

My mother introduced me to reading from an early age. I cannot remember a time when I was not hearing a story from her or reading one myself. So yes, I read a lot as a child and still do. But I am a serial reader: by that I mean that I only read one book at a time, finish it and move on. I am in awe of people who have several novels on the go at one time.

When did you start to write?

I started writing when I was only nine years old. I used to make up stories for my younger sister and then I started writing them down so that I did not forget them. None of these masterpieces ever made it to print. That is probably a blessing!

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

I do not think that it would ever be my place to change the ending of somebody else’s novel. It would feel rather presumptuous.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Oh goodness yes! It has to be ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte. It has everything: romance, crime, mystery and has stood the test of time. I re-read it recently and was delighted to find that it is still a joy.

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

I think it would have to be Circle of Life. It would have three parts: For Richer or Poorer, For Better or Worse, In Sickness and in Health.

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

That surely has to Fagan, from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, but I wouldn’t take him anywhere with silver cutlery!

What are you working on right now?

I am working on the third novel in my series of crime novels set in Edinburgh. It is to be called ‘Hunter’s Force’ and will be published early in 2019.

Do you have a new release due?

My new crime novel, ‘Hunter’s Revenge’ is available to pre-order on Amazon now and will be published by Crooked Cat Books on 09.09.2018

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I like to cuddle my husband and toast the new publication with an ice cold gin and tonic. What more could I want?

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I am always happy to hear from readers

twitter @valeriepenny,

FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/Authorvalpenny/

My author website: http://www.authorvalpenny.om

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I would like to take a moment to thank everybody who takes time to read and review novels. Reviews are the lifeblood of contact and help authors learn what works and what does not work for their readers – so please – keep those reviews coming!

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

Thank you for having me to visit today, Kerry. I hope your readers enjoy our chat as much as I did.

Hunter’s Revenge

Hunter by name – Hunter by nature: DI Hunter Wilson will not rest until his friend’s death is revenged.

DI Hunter Wilson is called to the scene of a murder. He is shocked to find the victim is his friend and colleague, George Reinbold. Who would want to harm the quiet, old man? Why was a book worth £23,000 delivered to him that morning? Why is the security in George’s home so intense? Hunter must investigate his friend’s past as well as the present to identify the killer and identify George’s killer. Hunter also finds a new supply of cocaine from Peru flooding HMP Edinburgh and the city. The courier leads Hunter to the criminal gang but Hunter requires the help of his nemesis, the former Chief Constable, Sir Peter Myerscough and local gangster Ian Thomson to make his case. Hunter’s perseverance and patience are put to the test time after time in this taught crime thriller.

Purchase Link –

myBook.to/HuntersRevenge

Author Bio

Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats. She has a Law degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, lawyer, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer. However she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballet dancer or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels. Her first crime novel, ‘Hunter’s Chase’ set in Edinburgh, Scotland was published by Crooked Cat Books on 02.02.2018. The sequel, ‘Hunter’s Revenge’ will be published on 09.09.2018.

Social Media Links –

@valeriepenny

http://www.authorvalpenny.com

www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

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

Happy Reading 🙂

I finished ‘Guess Who I Pulled Last Night’ late last night and went to sleep with a contented smile. I do love a good love story and I have thoroughly enjoyed this one. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been warm and fuzzy all the way through. It certainly has it’s fair share of drama and heartache.

I really warmed to many of the characters and found myself willing things to turn out well for them so they could have their happy ending. Three 30 something girlfriends, so different, but as close as sisters and all trying to deal with their own issues.

Kerry is married to Kelvin and they have a little girl together. Usually full of life, Kerry hasn’t been herself more recently. Not even she knows why and everyone is worried about her, but they don’t know what to do for the best.

Charlotte has had her heart broken in the past and has struggled to move on, but has built herself a successful career. When Niall Devine walks into the office they clash immediately, but do they really dislike each other.

Bets owns her own beauty salon and has no problem attracting the opposite sex. She’s convinced herself she’s happy with no-strings flings, but is she really. When she meets Stuart she is shocked by how strongly she feels for him in such a short time and starts to believe that he may be the one…..

This story tackles some difficult issues with sensitivity including depression and grief, but is also very amusing in parts. The author is obviously very fond her characters as they are written with such care and understanding. I’m sure most of us are lucky enough to share friendships like Bets’s, Charlotte’s and Kerry’s so they are very relatable. I have to say though that I think Tom is my favourite.

This is my first Nikki Ashton book, but it won’t be my last!

Via AmazonUK…..

This funny and charming romance that tells the story of three twenty-something friends and how they cope with the trials and tribulations of life; always finding comfort and loyalty in each other.

Charlotte is scatty and engaging and after having her heart broken 3 years earlier by cheating, Capri driving, Grant she’s now looking for love again believing that finding Prince Charming will make her life complete; but is the arrogant but frustratingly sexy Irishman, Niall Devine, that man?

Bets is the glamorous good-time girl and beauty salon owner who secretly yearns to settle down. She is the life and soul of the party with plenty of notches on her bedpost but since flirting with hunky Stuart all summer she wonders if he may be the one that she finally commits to.

Kerry, of the impressive cleavage, is the only of the trio to be married and a mother. She should feel satisfied and content but feels like she’s missing out and losing her identity. Suddenly she’s turned in to the bitch from hell, alienating all those around her, including Charlotte, Bets and her devoted husband, Kelvin.

This is a charming story focussing on friendship and love, but exploring some difficult and sensitive issues in its course. It has humour and wry observations and some surprises along the way. It will make you laugh out loud, smile, cry and desperate to turn every page.

Nikki lives in Cheshire with her husband, two dogs and lovely mother-in-law who supplies her with endless cups of tea. She writes romance with a touch of humour and lots of love, and hopes that she puts a smile on her reader’s faces. Her ambitions of becoming a writer started at the age of 10 when she started writing poetry at school, and was given the honour of reading one of her poems to the rest of her year group (a truly embarrassing experience that she will never forget). Nikki is grateful for the wide variety of strange and wonderful people in her life, otherwise she’d never know what to write about! She is currently talking to family and friends, finding out their innermost secrets in readiness for her next book.

Although all Nikki’s books are stand alone stories characters do make ‘guest appearances’. So, the best order to read them is:

Guess Who I Pulled Last Night
No Bra Required
Get Your Kit Off
Rock Stars Don’t Like Big Knickers
Rock Stars Don’t Like Ugly Bras
Cheese Tarts & Fluffy Socks
Rock Stars Do Like Christmas Stockings
Roman’s Having Sex Again
Box of Hearts
Angels’ Kisses
Secret Wishes
I Wanna Get Laid by Kade (Complete standalone)

You can contact me on the following links:
www. – http://www.nikkiashtonbooks.co.uk/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NikkiAshtonBooks
Twitter – https://twitter.com/NikkerAsh
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nikkiashtonauthor/
Pinterest – https://uk.pinterest.com/davnikash/

Hi and welcome to my stop on Nick Louth’s The Body on the Shore blog tour! 

With thanks to Ellie Pilcher @ Canelo and to Nick Louth for writing the following guest post for us…..

Character or plot

Which comes first, character or plot? The truth is that it is different for different writers. In most of my books it is the plot, the germ of an idea which forms the nucleus of the book. Though I know right from the start what the main characters are there to do, how I develop them will depend on the course of the plot. So for example in Heartbreaker, my second thriller, the basic idea was to turn a terrorist plot into a story which straddled one particular family, turning the abstract threats of bombings and mayhem into a very personal and particular conflict in which love, hate and guilt all had recognisable faces. Uncovering the plot goes hand-in-hand with delving into the back story of Chris Wyrecliffe, the main protagonist. Wyrecliffe is a BBC Radio Four correspondent, as familiar to listeners as their morning tea and toast. But he has had a chequered history, including a time as a war correspondence during the 1980s Lebanese civil war, during which his driver, a local man, was killed by militia. It is Wyrecliffe’s attempts then to make amends for the guilt he feels that draws him into a deep web of emotional and ultimately political conflict.

With my two DCI Gillard crime thrillers, the second of which was published this week, the role of the police protagonist is much more central. As is normal with crime fiction, the reader can see the worst of humanity while peeking over the shoulder of the investigating officer, someone they feel they can trust. Gillard is a rock-solid investigating officer, physically capable and without any of the obvious afflictions of alcoholism, drug dependency or marital difficulties which to some extent have become a literary cliché. He is not without weaknesses however. In The Body in the Marsh, the first book, Gillard displays emotional weakness when he discovers that the murder victim is his first love, Liz Knight. His attempts to deal with that wind right through the story, even as the reader discovers the kind of person this woman really was. Can the DCI accept that reality? Part of the book’s dramatic tension comes from the conflict between those two perspectives. With Gillard already an established character, the second book The Body on the Shore is much more plot driven. I worked really hard on this one not only to create an unusual background, by setting part of the book in Albania, but also to give a final twist which would really shock the reader. There is really plenty of information in the book which justifies this twist once it is revealed, but I’ve relied on the readers’ natural emotional reaction to draw them in other directions and away from the truth. That, of course, is the writers job!

Title: The Body on the Shore

Author Name: Nick Louth

Previous Books (if applicable): Heartbreaker and The Body in the Marsh

Genre: Crime Fiction, Police procedural

Release Date: 3rd September

Publisher: Canelo

Book Blurb:

A killer is at work in the supposedly-safe commuter belt. DCI Gillard needs answers, fast…

Promising architect Peter Young is shot dead at his desk. DCI Craig Gillard is quickly on the scene, looking at what appears to be a brutal and highly professional hit: two bullets, fired with ice-cold calm.

Gillard knows that the most crucial question in solving the crime is one word: Why? Two weeks later, on the Lincolnshire coast, another body is found on a windswept beach. In this case there is no identity for the young man, just a curious brand burned into his neck….

As the mystery deepens Gillard is plunged into a case without answers, finding himself up against dark forces, people who believe in only two things: blood and a warped code of honour. This time lives are on the line, children’s lives – and his own.

Written at breakneck pace with a jaw-dropping twist you won’t see coming, the suspense-filled second DCI Gillard crime thriller is perfect for fans of Robert Bryndza, Patricia Gibney and Faith Martin.

Links to Book:

Amazon (UK)

Kobo (UK)

Google Books (UK)

Apple Books (UK)

Author Bio:

Nick Louth is a best-selling thriller writer, award-winning financial journalist and an investment commentator. A 1979 graduate of the London School of Economics, he went on to become a Reuters foreign correspondent in 1987. It was an experience at a medical conference in Amsterdam in 1992, while working for Reuters, that gave him the inspiration for Bite, which was self-published in 2007 and went on to become the UK No. 1 Kindle best-seller for several weeks in 2014 before being snapped up by Sphere. It has sold a third of a million copies, and been translated into six languages.

Freelance since 1998, he has been a regular contributor to the Financial Times, Investors Chronicle and Money Observer, and has published seven other books. Nick Louth is married and lives in Lincolnshire.

Author Social Media Links

Twitter: ‎@NickLouthAuthor

Interview with Jackie Carreira…..

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

Sleeping Through War is my first published novel. It tells the stories of three women in different parts of the world, all within the month of May 1968. It’s a novel about ‘ordinary’ people living in an extra-ordinary time; the kind of people that don’t make the history books but whose stories deserving telling nevertheless.

I’ve been a playwright for 10 years and run an independent theatre company (QuirkHouse Theatre) with my actor husband. Before that I was a professional musician, travelling the world playing bass guitar with several indie and rock bands, and a part-time bookseller for many years. I’m also a crochet designer/teacher and feature writer for magazines. Some may call my working life ‘a bit random’ but I prefer to say I’m a renaissance woman!

Where do you get your ideas from?

I’m definitely a people watcher – and listener! I see people – strangers, friends, family – and imagine them in situations or pose them questions. What would they do? How would they cope? Why do they behave the way they do? My writing often begins with a character that I’m interested in enough to want to explore them.

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

Yes – sort of! All three women in the book are composites of women I met when I was growing up, both in London and Lisbon (I was born in England to Portuguese parents). Each character is probably four different people, but all of them were people that impressed me by their dignity and resilience.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

A name will pop into my head and then I check to make sure that I don’t know someone with that name. I don’t want anyone to think I’m writing about them – especially if I am!

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

I usually start with a character in a location, or sometimes with a question that I don’t have the answer to. I prefer to write in longhand with a pen and a pad (old school!) because I love the feel of that and I’m in no danger from running out of battery charge! After each chapter, I type what I’ve got into my laptop, making a few minor changes on the way, and continue like that, between pen and computer, until I have a first draft. By far my favourite writing places are coffee shops and railway stations.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

In no particular order: Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, Jose Saramago, Doris Lessing and Lewis Carroll. A bit of an eclectic collection. (I know you only asked for 5, but I have to add Tove Jansson and Neil Gaiman to the list too!)

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

I would meet Lewis Carroll and ask him who the Mad Hatter really was!

Were you a big reader as a child?

I grew up on a council estate in East London in a home where my parents didn’t have spare money for books. I didn’t learn to read until I was 6 years old, but shortly afterwards I was taken to our local library. I was filled with awe. I didn’t know that many books existed in the world, and I quickly made up for lost time thanks to a wonderfully encouraging librarian. A year later I had the reading age of a 14-year-old and was a confirmed book lover.

When did you start to write?

I can’t remember not writing. As soon as I knew how I would invent stories. I began writing seriously in 2004 when I started a Creative Writing degree. I was the first person in my family to go to university, and I’m proud to say I came out with a first-class degree.

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

That’s a great question! I’m not sure I’d want to change another author’s work at all, but if I had to, I think I would stop Jane Eyre from marrying Mr Rochester. It would be far more interesting to find out how she got on as an older woman. “Reader, I didn’t marry him!”

Is there a book you wish you had written?

There are lots! If I had to pick one today it would be Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. But if you ask me tomorrow…

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

The Misfit Chronicles.

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

I would take the Book Thief to my local Waterstones in Bury St Edmunds with a fistful of book tokens. They have a great coffee shop there too.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on novels two and three at the same time. They are both quite different and one provides relief from the other when I get stuck.

Do you have a new release due?

I’m hoping to have novel number two published next year. But I have to finish writing it first!

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I’ve only had one publication day so far. I think I ate rather a lot of cake.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

You can visit my website, where I also have a blog, at http://www.jackiecarreira.co.uk or my book has its very own facebook page: @SleepingThroughWar where you can find news and updates.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Yes. Public libraries and school libraries are under threat right now from cuts in funding. These are essential public services, so please support them in any way you can. If it wasn’t for public libraries I’m sure I wouldn’t be a writer today, so a big THANK YOU to all the librarians out there. You are my heroes.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Jackie 🙂

Sleeping Through War

It is May 1968. Students are rioting, civil rights are being fought and died for, nuclear bombs are being tested, and war is raging in Vietnam. For three ordinary women in Lisbon, London and Washington life must go on as usual. For them, just to survive is an act of courage. How much has really changed in 50 years?

Purchase Links

https://wordery.com/sleeping-through-war-jackie-carreira-9781788038539?cTrk=OTI4NjYyNTF8NWIzNGE4OGEyMTcwNzoxOjE6NWIzNGE4ODE5OTMzZjQuMDY5MzQ4MzE6NTNkMGNjYzU%3D

https://www.waterstones.com/book/sleeping-through-war/jackie-carreira/9781788038539

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleeping-Through-War-Jackie-Carreira-ebook/dp/B078XF7351/

Author Bio –

Jackie Carreira is a writer, musician, designer, co-founder of QuirkHouse Theatre Company, and award-winning playwright. She mostly grew up and went to school in Hackney, East London, but spent part of her early childhood with grandparents in Lisbon’s Old Quarter. Her colourful early life has greatly influenced this novel. Jackie now lives in leafy Suffolk with her actor husband, AJ Deane, two cats and too many books.

Social Media Links –

FACEBOOK: @SleepingThroughWar
WEBSITE: jackiecarreira.co.uk

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

Happy reading 🙂

Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds

Hold your flying horses!

Barnabas and Wilfred, two earnest but bumbling Victorian detectives, travel through the Nine Worlds of Norse mythology, trying to stave off the impending end of the world, an event which the locals call “Ragnarok”. This time around, however, the intrepid twosome has some help: a brave Viking seer named Brynhild and her flying horse.

Can the two plucky detectives and the fearsome Brynhild outwit those who would bring about Ragnarok? Will they survive the harsh conditions and terrifying creatures of the Norse afterlife? Will they save the world…again? 

Purchase Links

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barnabas-Tew-Case-Nine-Worlds-ebook/dp/B07DKH8CZC

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Barnabas-Tew-Case-Nine-Worlds-ebook/dp/B07DKH8CZC

Author Bio –

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

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

Social Media Links –

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

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

Giveaway –

win a signed copy of Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds (USA only)

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

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

Happy reading 🙂

Hi and welcome to my Flashback Friday feature 🙂

On the first Friday of the month I like to have a little look back at what I was reading during the same month in previous years, since I started my blog.

Here are my reviews from September 2017…..

She’s Gotta Be Mine by Jennifer Skully @jasminehaynes1 (A sexy, funny mystery/romance, Cottonmouth Book 1) #BookReview

Death In Profile by Guy Fraser-Sampson @GuyFSAuthor @urbanebooks (Hampstead Murders Book 1) #BookReview

Rubies in the Roses (Cornish Castle Mystery, Book 2) @VivWrites @HQDigitalUK #BookReview

#SheDidIt by Mel Sherratt @writermels #BloodRedBooks #BookReview

Flashback Friday September 2016…..

#FlashbackFriday with @mredwards & @TDietrich_books

Have you read any of the above?

Hi and welcome to my stop on Caroline Mitchell’s Truth and Lies blog tour. 

First of all my apologies to the author and publisher for the very late posting. Life got in the way and I ran out of days, unfortunately. It doesn’t happen too often thankfully and I hate letting anyone down when it does, so my sincere apologies.

Anyway, everyone needs to read this book ⇓⇓⇓

WOW! What an absolutely cracking start to a new series!

I have loved meeting DI Amy Winter. She’s a very likeable character who is mourning the death of her father. He was also a very well known and respected police officer and she is proud to have followed in his footsteps. When she receives a letter from serial killer Lillian Grimes (one half of a murdering couple), her life is turned upside down. Lillian wants to confess to the burial sites of three of their victims who were never found, but of course she wants something in return and Amy has no choice to play along.

At the same time a teenager goes missing. They need to find her and find her fast. Could her kidnapping have anything to do with Lillian? What possible connection could there be?

Truth and Lies is an extremely fast-paced police procedural which grabbed my attention from the very first chapter. Lillian Grimes is the most heinous female character I think I have ever come across. Chilling is a massive understatement! I don’t know what it is about women killers. Murder is murder, but somehow it always seems worse when it’s a woman, especially where children are the victims. Maybe that’s just me. From a psychological point of view though she is a fascinating character. Caroline Mitchell does have the knack for writing the most shockingly real and believable monsters who literally make your skin crawl. Imagine discovering you’re related to one!

Cleverly written, as always, with shortish chapters which add to the pace and tension of the story you can’t help but be drawn in. I was desperate to find out what exactly was the truth and what in the end was just lies. I was gobsmacked! Just awesome! I can’t wait for book 2. I highly recommend!

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

Via AmazonUK…..

Meet Amy Winter: Detective Inspector, daughter of a serial killer.

DI Amy Winter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her highly respected police officer father. But when a letter arrives from the prison cell of Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious husband-and-wife serial-killer team, it contains a revelation that will tear her life apart.

Responsible for a string of heinous killings decades ago, Lillian is pure evil. A psychopathic murderer. And Amy’s biological mother. Now, she is ready to reveal the location of three of her victims—but only if Amy plays along with her twisted game.

While her fellow detectives frantically search for a young girl taken from her mother’s doorstep, Amy must confront her own dark past. Haunted by blurred memories of a sister who sacrificed herself to save her, Amy faces a race against time to uncover the missing bodies.

But what if, from behind bars, Grimes has been pulling the strings even tighter than Amy thought? And can she overcome her demons to prevent another murder?

Get clicking people…..

About the author…..

USA Today and International #1 Bestselling Author. Shortlisted by the International Thriller Awards for best ebook 2017.
Over half a million books sold.

Caroline originates from Ireland and now lives with her family in a village on the coast of Essex. A former police detective, she has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time.

Caroline writes psychological and crime thrillers. The most recent, Silent Victim reached No.1 in the Amazon charts in the UK, USA and Australia. It has been described as ‘brilliantly gripping and deliciously creepy’.

Set in Notting Hill, London, her new DI Amy Winter thriller, Truth and Lies, is published by Thomas & Mercer.

Sign up to join her Reader’s club for access to news, updates and exclusive competitions and giveaways. http://eepurl.com/IxsTj

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

Happy reading 🙂