An Unconventional Affair. Book 1 Email Indulgence

Tranquility “Tee” Hammond is head of a law firm. Having escaped a violent husband, with a son she was really too young to have had, her life revolved around her work. There was little time for anything else and she didn’t need anything else. When she was inclined to treat herself to a little sexual pleasure, she engaged the services of Email Indulgence—an exclusive club—one email for one night of sex with a man she didn’t know and didn’t need to care about again. For her, it was enough. But her life was about to be changed by a friend of Tee’s son at university, Barrington Stone, fifteen years her junior who is determined to woo her into an unconventional affair.

Purchase from Amazon UK –

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unconventional-Affair-Book-Cheshire-Story-ebook/dp/B07FPB4P6C

Bio

Mollie Blake is a published author of contemporary romance. A lover of reading sexy stories, Mollie decided to go one step further and write her own. Her romances are filled with danger and peppered with hot sexy scenes. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and UK Romantic Novelists Association.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/mollie.blake.54/

https://twitter.com/MollieBlake0

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/mollieblakeauth/

https://www.instagram.com/mollieblake.author/

Interview with Paula Houseman…..

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

I grew up in what felt like a Looney Tunes cartoon. It was in the days before Australia had become a multicultural society, and before political correctness started trending. My immigrant parents tried hard to live the Australian way—my father thought he was living it because he could fart the national anthem. Even when I’d reached the age where parents are an utter embarrassment to their children, I thought this was funny. But I was hardwired to laugh at pretty much everything. It got me into a lot of trouble as a kid and I became an utter embarrassment to my parents. Now, seeing the humour in everything is my stock-in-trade. My style is a little Monty Pythonesque. And I’m chuffed that my name’s been mentioned in the same breath as satirical novelist Carl Hiaasen, and that my protagonist Ruth Roth has been likened to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum!

My three off-the-wall books: Odyssey in a Teacup (not-your-ordinary chick lit, coming-of-age story), Cupid F*cks Up (formerly titled Apoca[hot]lips) and My T(r)oyboy is a Twat (not your ordinary romantic comedies). They’re part of a series, but also all standalones.

The best way to tell you about the books is to give you a sense of my protagonist. If she had a rap sheet, it would read like this:

Name: Ruth Roth (unfairly deprived of a middle name)

Height: 5’ 3 and a bit”

Eyes: Hazel

Hair: Reddish, mid-brown (not straight; not curly. But a definite kick in it)

Build: Slim

CRIMES:

Public mischief: Swears like a drunken sailor. Suffers intrusive and immoral thoughts—struggles to keep them in check. Gives up the struggle and lets loose.

Accomplices: Two females (one with a big mouth; the other with a big caboose); One male—hot-looking cousin/bestie with OCPD (needs to do everything twice, twice).

Consorting (with questionable elements): A woman with two vaginas; real-estate agent who looks like a Ken-doll with moulded hair and moulded God-knows-what-else; humourless school teacher who applies makeup with a trowel, has long cuspids, hairy arms, blokey voice, and smells like vanilla car deodoriser (ecch).

Dangerous driving: Drives mother up the wall. But has grounds for acquittal and should be awarded aggravated damages. The woman’s a pain in the arse.

Connections to the ‘underworld’: Viz. her lizard brain and its lowlife contents.

Abandonment: Leaves herself.

Fraud: Becomes a blech milquetoast version of her wild-child self.

Divorce: Leaves Mr Ticks-the-Boxes, then reluctantly falls for Mr Morally Wrong.

Arson: She sets his heart on fire, yeah baby, baby.

Contempt of court(ship): She’s not so sure, but then takes the plunge. Lands in hot water.

Trespassing: On neighbour’s property—house-cum-dumpster shithole. Grounds for reduced sentence. The neighbour is a munter who trespasses on people’s lives.

Matricide: Metaphorically speaking. Mama often guilted her with ‘You’ll be the death of me!’

Concealment: Makes hubby hide devastating secret. Creates tension. But men don’t listen. His big mouth sends everyone into hell, except for her late pain-in-the-arse mother, who blows in from there, still carping—‘Nyah, nyah, told you so!’

Misconduct: Alleged. Only alleged! Sexy celebrity pants man, who wants to get into hers. And an educated silicone seductress, who has designs on hubby.

Mayhem: A bombshell—a doozy—threatens to unyoke Ruth and hub’s fragile union, and undo fragile Ruth.

Enough plot twists to put out an APB.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I seriously thought my life had been boring—nothing to write home about. But when I began writing about home and revisiting memories from my past, I unearthed a treasure trove of stupidity.

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

Many of my characters are adaptations or composites of people I know. Or have met, even if only briefly. But as the story progresses, the characters evolve and take on a life of their own. I have the most fun with the worst ‘originals’—they provide the best raw materials for writing.

How do you pick your characters names?

I don’t consciously pick them, I let them come to me. And in some instances I’ve realised just how inspired the choice was because the character’s name has become an aspect of the story. (Ruth Roth’s issue with her single-syllable-no-middle-name name has become a bit of a sub-theme.)

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

I’m not a plotter; I’m a pantser—I fly by the seat of my pants. I get out of the way and let the story and characters lead me. Mostly, astray. But I love writing this way because I never know what to expect. So, I’m both writer and reader.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

I write humour, but I enjoy reading a good whodunnit. My five favourites are David Baldacci (Amos Decker series), Lee Child (Jack Reacher series), Harlan Coben (Myron Bolitar series), Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller series), and Sandra Brown (who combines murder, mystery and romance).

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

I haven’t read J.K Rowling’s books but I greatly admire her as a person. I’d probably have heaps of questions if I met her, not least, ‘Would you like to share some of your net profit with me?’

I’d also ask her for tips on how to rock a synopsis. Writing a 90,000-word book: a joy. (I even dig the editing.) Writing a 150-word blurb: hell! It’s the bane of all authors. So much pressure …

A lousy blurb won’t sell a book no matter how good the book is.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes. Books were an escape for me. My favourites were Heidi and Pollyanna.

When did you start to write?

Having been in trouble so often for laughing at inappropriate times and for arguing against my parents’ adopted views, it became easier to just shut up. But it wasn’t healthy. So I started expressing within the safety of a personal journal. That was 27 years ago. And as I slowly unmuted my voice and uncovered ideas I didn’t even know I had, I expressed them through essays at university. My offbeat opinions were respected, and that gave me the courage to put myself out there a little more: first through an online community for poets and writers, then through my books and blogs.

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

It wouldn’t be the ending of a specific book as much as a specific genre. The fairy-tale romance.

I grew up with Grimms’ fairy tales. I think these stories with their damsel in distress and her impossibly thin waist (bitch!), her Prince Charming, and happy-ever-after ending duped generations of women. And we might have come far, but these unrealistic ideals that are still in force on a subtle level have become more pervasive since the internet went mainstream.

Mind you, I’m not averse to HEA, and my books have it—we all need a bit of escapism. But my approach is more of a feet-on-the-ground kind. Or, to put it in the words of one writer, it’s a ‘happy for now’ approach. The utopian sort can lead to disappointment and comparisons, and that can breed hopelessness, because life’s just not like that. (Except on Facebook. Many are unremittingly, eternally happy on Facebook.)

Is there a book you wish you had written?

I’d have to say ‘Women Who Run with the Wolves’ by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. She’s a brilliant storyteller and interpreter of stories. She can get under fairy tales to show us the real meaning at the root of them. Her writing is soul food at its best.

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

Woman with a Well-Shaped Farce

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

I adore Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of South Park. So, I’d have to say their character Eric Cartman—the loudest, most obnoxious, most politically incorrect and foul-mouthed! I’d take him to a super, super busy café.

What are you working on right now?

I’m in the early stages of Book 4 in the Ruth Roth Series, but it’s slow-going at the moment because of promotional work and also trying to get some blogging in.

Do you have a new release due?

My T(r)oyboy is a Twat has just been released: July 30, 2018.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I do a happy dance for five minutes, treat myself to a huge bowl of industrial-strength chocolate ice cream, then get back to writing. But I’ve written the three books back-to-back. It’s only now that I’m taking the time to appreciate my achievements, and to celebrate them … with a bowl of industrial-strength chocolate ice cream.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

They can write to me at paula@paulahouseman.com or via social media (I do love a good banter): Twitter— https://twitter.com/paulahouseman

or Facebook— https://www.facebook.com/PaulaHousemanAuthor

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Just that we Aussies have a dry, ironic and sometimes self-deprecating humour. And profanity has a natural place in our lexicon. So, my parents might have struggled, but I’m living the Australian way!

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

Odyssey in a Teacup

Encounters with a pair of supersized Y-fronts; a humourless schoolmarm with an unfortunate name and monstrous yellow incisors; and a tut-tutting, big-breasted, modern-day gorgon are the norm for Ruth Roth. She’s used to crazy.

Her mum squawks like a harpy and her dad has a dodgy moral compass. Add in daily face-offs with a relentlessly bitchy mirror, and Ruth’s home life feels like a Greek tragicomedy.

She hankers for the ordinary. But blah is not a good fit for someone who doesn’t fit in. And isn’t meant to.

Ruth’s vanilla existence is an issue for her besties—her hot-looking, obsessive-compulsive cousin and soul mate (who needs to do everything twice-twice), and her two closest girlfriends.

With their encouragement and a good homoeopathic dose of ancient mythology, Ruth embarks on an odyssey to retrieve her spirit. She’s confronted with her biggest challenge ever, though, when one of these friends sends her spiralling back into a dark place.

The decision she must make can either bring her out or launch the mother of all wars in her world.

Purchase from Amazon UK –

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Odyssey-Teacup-Inspiring-Chick-Novel-ebook/dp/B0153VEB2I

Author Bio –

Paula Houseman was once a graphic designer. But when the temptation to include ‘the finger’ as part of a logo for a forward-moving women’s company proved too much, she knew it was time to give away design. Instead, she took up writing.

She found she was a natural with the double entendres (God knows she’d been in enough trouble as a child for dirty wordplay).

As a published writer of earthy chick lit and romantic comedy, Paula gets to bend, twist, stretch and juice up universal experiences to shape reality the way she wants it, even if it is only in books. But at the same time, she can make it more real, so that her readers feel part of the sisterhood. Or brotherhood (realness has nothing to do with gender).

Through her books, Paula also wants to help the reader escape into life and love’s comic relief. And who doesn’t need to sometimes?

Her style is a tad Monty Pythonesque because she adores satire. It helps defuse all those gaffes and thoughts that no one is too proud of.

Paula lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband. No other creatures. The kids have flown the nest and the dogs are long gone.

Social Media Links –

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/paulahouseman

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/PaulaHouseman

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/PaulaHousemanAuthor

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulahouseman

The Mistress of Pennington’s

1910 – A compelling tale of female empowerment in Bath’s leading department store. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise.

Elizabeth Pennington should be the rightful heir of Bath’s premier department store through her enterprising schemes and dogged hard work. Her father, Edward Pennington believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire and is resolute a man will succeed him.

Determined to break from her father’s iron-clad hold and prove she is worthy of inheriting the store, Elizabeth forms an unlikely alliance with ambitious and charismatic master glove-maker Joseph Carter. United they forge forward to bring Pennington’s into a new decade, embracing woman’s equality and progression whilst trying not to mix business and pleasure.

Can this dream team thwart Edward Pennington’s plans for the store? Or will Edward prove himself an unshakeable force who will ultimately ruin both Elizabeth and Joseph?

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: http://amzn.eu/2SvRcqp

Amazon US: http://a.co/bYr2KHM

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-mistress-of-penningtons-rachel-brimble/1128920728?ean=9781788546508

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-mistress-of-pennington-s

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rachel_Brimble_The_Mistress_of_Pennington_s?id=dIFSDwAAQBAJ

Author Bio –

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. Since 2007, she has had several novels published by small US presses, eight books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical.

In January 2018, she signed a four-book deal with Aria Fiction for a brand new Edwardian series set in Bath’s finest department store. The first book, The Mistress of Pennington’s released July 2018.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

Social Media Links –

Website

Blog

Twitter

Facebook

Facebook Street Team – Rachel’s Readers

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Brimble/e/B007829ZRM/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1490948101&sr=8-1

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1806411.Rachel_Brimble

Giveaway

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*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.

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

Enjoy!

If you haven’t seen my Facebook post already, I have a fab giveaway for you to enter…..

For your chance to WIN a SIGNED COPY of Alison Lingwood’s NEW RELEASE, Immersed In Murder check out the pinned post on my Facebook Blog Page –

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Hi and welcome to my stop on Petra Jacob’s Peddling Doomsday blog tour.

With thanks to Petra Jacob and to Kelly @ Love Books Group Tours

Interview with Petra Jacob…..

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

I’m an inquisitive gardener by trade, whose hobbies include asking strangers questions and getting lost in the jungle. I like the reality we’re in, but I enjoy inventing bizarre and unexpected things, so my writing tends to involve curious possibilities hidden inside the mundane. I’ve so far written two books. The first, Riddled with Senses, is a magic realism tale, the second, Peddling Doomsday is a satirical, psychological suspense novel about a cult.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I never know what will spark off an idea. The original idea for Peddling Doomsday came from learning more about the cultish religions that had a hold on my family when I was growing up. However, going to Borneo, working with tropical plants, a dream about being trapped in a building, experiences with psychosis, an argument with a colleague, and learning about narcissism, all played a part too. Life is so complex, the more you pay attention, the stranger it gets, so there’s always something to write about.

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

No, I’d feel a bit bad if I did that, plus real people are unknowable. I’d rather create a character from scratch so I know exactly what the inside of their head looks like.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

I go through online lists and books, pick out tens of options and then try to narrow it down. It also helps to have a reason for a name. In Peddling Doomsday my main character’s name is Deirdre, she believes it has blighted her life and wants desperately to change it. Having a basis for her name made it sound more right to me, and gave me a way of getting inside her head.

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

I’m more an unconscious than a conscious writer. I get my best ideas when I’m doing something that isn’t writing or when I let my mind wander. This leads to a lot of daydreaming and scribbled notes on scrap paper, plus some leaping out of bed just as I’m going to sleep because I’ve suddenly worked out a plot twist. When I have enough ideas, I need to put them into an order that makes sense, which is the less fun bit.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

I’m not good with these kinds of decisions, but I’ll give it a go. Stephen King, Salman Rushdie, Louis de Bernieres, Douglas Adams, Jodi Picoult.

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

Jeff Torrington – who really should have been in my top five writers – he spent thirty years writing his first book and published it when he was fifty-seven, having worked and raised a family alongside. His book, Swing Hammer Swing! was a masterpiece. I’d ask him if he wished he’d written a book sooner, or if he’d ever lost faith in what he was doing.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Definitely. With books I could escape to anywhere, learn about how others thought – something that constantly confused me – and imagine impossible worlds. Life is quite confined and inescapable when you’re a child, but books give you a way out.

When did you start to write?

I’m not sure the age, but probably seven or eight. I’d rewrite TV programs that ended with my favourite characters dying, although my solution was mostly ‘And then they didn’t die and it was all fine,’ so I didn’t show a massive amount of promise. I started writing my first book around that age too, but it was destined to only be a few pages.

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

I’d like to change the ending of Tess of the d’Urbervilles. The tragic finish was fitting for the time, but so hopeless, as if being victim was a romantic ideal. I wanted Tess to fight back, write some abusive graffiti on Angel’s house, or to just run away and leave her tormentors to stew in their own juices while she set up home somewhere new.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

I wish I’d written Catch 22, even to have come up with the idea behind the title would be great.

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

The only ‘me’ thing I’d want to write about would be the serious brain injury I got thirteen years ago, and the slow, complicated process of recovering from it. I’d call it Growing a Brain from Scratch.

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

Dirk Gently, we could meet in a café, pick someone who looked like they knew what they were doing and be ready to follow them. A holistic adventure would probably happen, but we might not get to drink the coffee, which is good because I need to cut down.

What are you working on right now?

A book about a utopia/dystopia where everyone is forced to be nice, and how that gets exploited.

Tell us about your last release?

The latest is Peddling Doomsday, released in June. It’s about a cult run by a charismatic prophet, Myra, whose narcissism starts to get out of control.

Do you have a new release due?

No, still writing it, the dystopian book has a little way to go.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I chew my nails, wander about aimlessly, panic that I’ve done something wrong, realise that I’ve done something wrong and frantically try to change it. Then finally go back to panicking and wandering. It’s not a glamourous day.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I have a blog of stories and information at https://inkbiotic.com/ there’s an email sign up on there too. And a Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/inkbiotic/

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

One of my favourite things about this writing malarkey is hearing from readers, so if anyone out there likes what I do and wants to chat, vent or wax lyrical, then please visit me at my blog or if you happen to read my book, write me a review on Amazon. It will make my day!

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

Thank you for asking!

Blurb 

‘You don’t know how significant you are. We need you.’

No matter where she is, Deirdre feels out of place. So when a cult known as the Center contacts her, wanting her join up, she’s intrigued. They say a terrible war is coming, humanity is in danger and without explaining why, say she’s needed for the fight. Suddenly the chance to be spectacular is within her grasp. With the charismatic Myra as the cult leader, and talk of prophecies and psychic abilities, Deirdre is soon seduced and ditches her humdrum life to join up.

Once inside, her understanding of the world shifts. She learns the truth about the elite, a secret organisation that has meddled with humanity since the beginning of time. The elite use entertainment and the media as a constant distraction to stop people from reaching their true potential. To free themselves of this conditioning, the followers must give up ‘excessive’ food and sleep. They also carry out increasingly bizarre rituals under the critical eye of the Captain, a minor leader of the new followers. He seems to take pleasure from turning them against one another.

Tensions increase. The followers gain odd new abilities, but bullying and hysteria also grow. Meanwhile Myra’s prophecies become increasingly extreme. As paranoia intensifies, Deirdre questions where the belief ends, and delusion begins. 

Hi and welcome to my stop on G J Morgan’s His American Classic blog tour!

With thanks to G J Morgan and to Kelly @ Love Books Group Tours

1: Myself and my book

Hello! My name is Gareth John Morgan, though everyone calls me Morgan. I was born in 1981 on an estate that had more children than parents. I have blue eyes and great hair. When I was two I fell down the stairs and split my lip open. I have tried being Vegan twice but failed (though I’m kinda half Vegan now). I am a qualified Chef. I also did a 2-year course in Fashion Design. I have a wife, two children and five tattoos. I am thirty-seven but can still turn heads. I love going gym but also love Nutella. I love great films and shit TV. When I was five I was circumcised. My hair is blond and I dye it blonder. I work in Finance but have never really understood how or why. I’ve never been in a fight, never had my heart broken, only had one sexual partner. I don’t actually enjoy writing, but I can’t stop doing it.

The novels…

“It’s the story of Lilly. A famous young actress struggling with life in LA, decides to run away across the Atlantic to a quiet seaside town in Devon.

And then there’s Tom. A Hollywood tour guide and a young father, struggling at both. He wishes he could escape too but can’t. That is till he reluctantly becomes Paparazzi. His first job being to find Lilly.

What comes next is a summer neither Lilly or Tom will forget.

Part one is “His American Classic”. Part two is “Her American Classic.”

Its themes are the intimate relationship between celebrity and Paparazzi, old glamour meets new, and tragedy and vulnerability and the weight of expectation and love and loss and hearts breaking and hearts being fixed. I’ve essentially written a book to make girls cry and laugh and weep and sigh. Also, not intentionally but its themes are quite the hot topic right now with the Weinstein, Me too and Times up movement. As it’s all about a male dominated profession and abuse of power.

Think “Dirty Dancing” meets “The Notebook”. A bit “John Green” a bit “E Lockhart”.

2. Ideas

The inspiration behind the current novels was in-fact Michael Jackson and a consummation actually. It’s probably best I start at the beginning (brace yourself as it isn’t short).

Me and my wife got married on 20th June 2009 and about half way through the honeymoon we found ourselves in a basic but beautiful little island on Fiji, where the bungalows overlooked the Pacific and the residents looked after the food and entertainment. One night after a standard supper of card games and sunsets we both found ourselves the next morning with dodgy tummies which we initially blamed on tinned lamb tongues and bad wine. However, whilst my discomfort lasted an hour on the toilet, my wife’s stomach ache lasted a lot longer. Later my wife returned from the bathroom and held out a pregnancy stick and a nervous smile on her face. I was going to be a father.

If I’m being honest despite being overjoyed, it kind of tarnished the rest of the honeymoon. My wife’s stomach aches and nausea did not subside and in fact worsened very quickly (we later found out she suffers from Hyperemesis Gravidarum- basically means being sick for the whole pregnancy). Being so remote and far away felt a vulnerable situation, we had no internet, no doctors and two flights across the world still to go. In truth home was the only thing on our minds and not being there felt a risk to both my wife and unborn child.

In LA, a few days before the end of our trip, despite my wife feeling awful we decided to make the best of a bad situation and went on a Hollywood celebrity tour. The tour guide was brilliant, showed us the sights you’d expect, but showed us much more, jokes and little facts that felt just for us.

But there were two things we did that day that stuck with me, the first was just a throw a comment from our guide, something about how if you hang about in the right parks or restaurants and if you do your homework you can actually meet a celebrity quite easy, get a photo, get an autograph, get to touch them even. And the second was Michael Jacksons house.

Michael Jackson died on June 25th, so when our guide took us to his mansion, it was already filled with flowers and memorials and fans paying their respects, not to mention news trucks and the media. It was chaos and it was sad and as we took photos I felt both happy to capture it (being a big fan), but angry at myself for being part of the intrusion.

Later that evening, my wife went to bed early and I wrote the prologue to “His American Classic” on hotel paper (which I still have somewhere). There was no research, not even an idea as such. Just things fizzing in my head, celebrity, fame, invasion of privacy, fatherhood, my pregnant wife. Thought it was a story worth telling, though it was a story that stayed in a pile of other stories for several years. Till a house move and a kick up the arse later I finally dug it out and gave it a go.

I suppose you could say ideas just come up based on circumstance and situation. I don’t really go looking for them and don’t freak out when they don’t.

3. Characters based on real people.

Not so much characters as such. More phrases or mannerisms or traits. For example, in my novel Tom’s mother is a combination of lots of mothers I’ve met. I pick and choose based on what works best.

Though it does mean every friend or family member thinks they are someone in my book, which most likely they are.

4. Picking names.

I choose names too quickly and probably should think them through more than I do. I tend to avoid similar sounding names, so most characters all have a different starting letter. I also stole an idea from the late and great Roald Dahl who once said that a surname can make a character. If you look at any hero and villain in his books they tend to follow a theme. For example, if you think of the baddies in any Roald Dahl novel (Miss Trunchball, Slugworth, Aunt Spiker, Mr Wormwood) they allow you to dislike them even before you’ve met them.

By giving the right surname it immediately does all the hard work for you. Hence why in my novel I have characters like Lilly Goodridge and Max Salter. I’m sure you can figure out whose good and whose bad.

5. Writing Process.

My first failed novel I did things very different. Plotted out every character, every chapter, middle and end. I assumed that was what successful authors did. But I found I spent more time plotting than writing and felt when I actually had to write it I was bored of it already and felt like writing by numbers. Now I write with a rough idea how to start it, maybe a middle If I’m lucky, no clue of the end. I would not recommend it to anyone, but it means you get to enjoy the character and story like a reader would, get excited when you get it right or cry when you decide you need to rewrite the whole of Chapter 49 and parts of Chapter 6-17 and maybe even the whole beginning.

The time I write has changed over the years, not too early as I’m sleepy and not too late as I’m tired. Or meal times as I’m hungry. I’m kinda ruled by working full time and school runs, so tends to be at the end of the day when I’m just as tired as the rest of the house.

I told myself I’d write an hour a day, no matter how bad or good the writing was. Hence why writing novels has taken me so long, I could blame everyone else, but it probably had more to do with the fact I kept changing the ending and planning front covers to a novel I hadn’t yet finished.

My Dining Room is where I actually write, more by default than by preference. My whole life I’d dreamed of my own nook or hideaway, full of clippings and inspirational quotes pinned to notice boards, a thinking sofa, a dog sat under my bureau keeping my feet warm, even a winter lodge, or villa overlooking a lake or ocean, but it had never quite happened. The table is second hand and the chair make’s my arse sore, doesn’t have a radiator or double glazing, not even a dog. Maybe the novels would be very different if I’d written them where I wished I could. Maybe that is the trick, write in a cold room with nothing but discomfort and pain. Means you have little choice but to dream up somewhere with a more pleasurable view.

6. Top 5 authors

Too hard. Be like picking a favourite child (which weirdly is easy as I only have two and like one slightly more than the other).

My tastes range from clever to crass and like food I go to them to for different reasons. Some I admire based on how ambitious and unique they are (White Teeth by Zadie Smith). Some I like the way they sound, but not so much their story (If nobody speaks of remarkable things by Jon McGregor). Some I like because they take me somewhere different (The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt) and some I’ve read more than twice as I wasn’t intelligent enough to grasp it first time around (The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger). Some because how they impact my senses (Perfume by Patrick Suskind). Some are nostalgic purely based on when and where I first read them (Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden). Some I read as they make me look cool on trains (Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski). Some I just like their front covers.

Though I would have to say it’s probably “Bridges of Madison County” by Robert James Waller which may sound an odd choice. I am fascinated by novellas and what an author can do to in just 30,000 words. I like them because they have no choice but to leave out filler. Every word and every chapter have to have a purpose.

It’s funny. The older I get the less I feel the need for an author to spend a page describing someone’s bad morning when just an F word will do. Although I say all this when “His American Classic” was so big I decided to split it into two, hence why there is a “Hers”. Don’t worry my next novel will be short, or maybe it won’t be knowing me.

7. What author would I like to meet and what would I ask him?

Hunter S Thompson. And I’d ask him everything.

8. Big reader as a child.

Not particularly. But my Mum had a pretty big book shelf (mostly horror and American classics) and I would always pick a book out and flick through it, especially the ones I shouldn’t be flicking through, in hope I might find a swear word or a sex scene.

No matter how much my wife nags at me I will never get rid of my book case at home. Having books on show encourages children to investigate. And even if they don’t understand or can’t read all the words it still gets them intrigued. Hence why I’ve never read a book on a kindle or tablet and probably never will.

9. When did I start to write.

Being creative had always been my thing and at school the only subjects I excelled in where those that didn’t have a right or wrong answer. That was why English and Art and Cooking grades were at the right side of the alphabet and the Maths and Science at the further end. Weird how my full-time job in finance is one filled with right and wrong answers, but there are a lot of creative people out there forced to do the same.

The first time I attempted writing when I was in my late teens, just after my parents divorced (my way of dealing with it I suppose), but it was too big in scope, a family saga, epic in size and scale, a ten-year project, though I eventually realized it was bigger than my capabilities. I’d hit a low, wasted a decade, failed.

Though failing needed to happen. I was trying to be all my favourite authors all in one God awful book. I realized very quickly that I was not as good as my favourite authors and couldn’t write like them and probably never would. And though initially devastated that soon turned to relief. Meant I could start writing like me, or at least try and figure out what me might sound like.

I decided to go back to basics, wrote tiny stories, threw my thesaurus away, stopped plotting future plot twists and instead simply focused on one character with one problem in one room. Cut out all the clever and just wrote words on a page.

Then in 2009 I went on my honeymoon. Two things happened (one a gift and one tragic) and an idea for a novel was born. I was ready. A failed novel in one hand and a fistful of new confidence in the other. What could possibly go wrong?

10. Ending to a book?

I wouldn’t change someone’s ending, even if I may not have agreed with it at first. The best endings should split a room and divide opinion. I know full well, that how I have ended my novel people will either love or hate, which I am fine with, as long as the reader feels something.

11. A Book I wish I had written.

See Question 6.

12. My autobiography title

Morgan by Morgan

13. Coffee Date.

Pi (From Life of Pi). Boat trip. Ha!

14. What am I writing next?

Weirdly after five years of writing a romance novel I wrote a TV series. A kinda gritty manly TV series with swear words and boobs, like my brain and body needed a change of pace and a different volume. Like I’d overdosed on chick flicks and needed some Jason Statham.

I enjoy writing something the opposite of what came before. I’ve never been quite sure how some authors only write horror, or some only YA. I imagine if they get bored or run out of ideas, or whether or not it’s fear that publishers won’t like it, or their fan base will desert them. Do you think authors should stay in one genre? Is Stephen King better writing Shawshank Redemption than Salem’s Lot? What if E. L James wrote a children’s book about a red room?

I do have something I have just started, a novella, just an idea at the minute.

If I’m being honest publishing my first novel has taken its toll emotionally, physically and financially. I feel like a mother whose been pregnant for five years and after given birth, my husband is asking if I fancy having sex again.

15. Celebrate

Celebrate? I wish.

I have realised very quickly that writing was the easy bit. It has been manic the last six months and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, in fact it is getting faster.

The tiny celebrations tend to come from hearing people’s reviews, the photos they send me, the thought that my book is on people’s book shelves. A lady from India is reading it, one in Marbella, one in Sheffield. That is enough for reward for me, little successes.

16. Keep in touch.

Email- morganmorgan1981@yahoo.co.uk

Insta- gjmorganwriter

Twitter- GJMorgan6

18. Anything else

Read my book. Trust me you will love it.

Blurb 

Told from dual perspectives that span two books, this moving and emotionally-driven love story will leave readers breathless and reeling in equal measure.

It begins. Lilly Goodridge always wanted to be an actress, but fame is an unwanted side effect she’s desperate to escape – along with the City of Angels and her enigmatic boyfriend. So she takes a tiny film role across the pond in a quiet seaside town where nobody can find her. Except for Tom. Down on his luck, Tom might not be the greatest tour guide of Hollywood Hills, but he loves living in America, even if America doesn’t quite love him back. With no choice, he takes on a job he never wanted: in search of an actress he doesn’t know, but knows he has to catch. 

Buy Link: 

https://amzn.to/2KOuDbm

Happy Reading 🙂

Interview with Kelly Smith…..

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

I am an active mom of three almost grown boys. Originally from Boston, I relocated to Austin with my then husband about 16 years ago. I began my writing career with my blog on my website www.thoughtsbecomingwords.com. I used to write about fitness, until I got divorced and then into a toxic relationship. My book Signs in the Rearview Mirror began as a weekly series on my blog.

My book is about leaving a toxic relationship behind. But which toxic relationship? The one with my mother, my ex, or myself. ***Spoiler Alert*** it’s all three. But how? How does someone realize they are toxic and get help? It’s all in the book!

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I got my idea for the book form my own life experiences. After getting away from my toxic relationship, I realized if I wrote my own story, I could possibly help others.

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

Yes. Each character in my book is based on someone I know or have known.

How do you pick your characters names?

Some of the names I found in a baby name book and others sort of choose me.

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

I am a night writer. I wrote my book mostly in the late hours of the night. I listened to music most of the time while I wrote, but the sounds of rushing water was also an inspiration to me.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Jane Green

Dr. Seuss

Jennifer Weiner

Emily Giffin

John Grisham

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

I would love to spend time with Dr Seuss.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes and no. I had a rough childhood. I would read and write to try to escape.

When did you start to write?

I discovered I was a writer in the third grade. It took me years to get to a point where I could write on a regular basis.

What are you working on right now?

Currently I am thinking about writing my second book. I am thinking about my second book as a continuation of my first book. But in the this new one, I will take my readers on a journey of my recovery process.

Do you have a new release due?

I wish.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

My publishing day was amazing. The day my book came out was also the day I broke my silence with my abusive relationship. I went to the tattoo place with my friends and had my release date tattooed on my arm. It was amazing!!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

www.thoughtsbecomingwords.com is my website and on my site you can find the links to my social media.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I would like anyone who is in or getting out of a toxic relationship that there is help on the other side. That if you get the help you need, you can live an amazing life!!!

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

Signs in the Rearview Mirror: Leaving A Toxic Relationship Behind

What kind of person ends up in a toxic relationship? And why does she stay? This searingly honest novel answers both those questions head-on. Coming out of a failing marriage, Kelly turns to Gabe out of fear of being alone. Her gradual slide into danger is at once terrifying and inevitable, and the steps she takes to get out of it will both inspire and offer hope.

Purchase Links…..

Amazon UK –

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Signs-Rearview-Mirror-Leaving-Relationship/dp/1948613018/

Amazon US –

https://www.amazon.com/Signs-Rearview-Mirror-Leaving-Relationship/dp/1948613018/

Author Bio –

Boston born and raised, Kelly now makes her home in Austin with her three sons and one amazing Giant Schnauzer Bullseye. Kelly has written for Huffington Post, blogs at Thoughts Becoming Words, and hosts a podcast, Lets Get Wicked Deep.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/kellye95/

https://twitter.com/kellys_author

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

Enjoy!

Hi and welcome to my stop on Colette McCormick’s Ribbons In Her Hair blog tour 🙂

Interview with Colette McCormick…..

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

I was born and raised in Yorkshire but have lived in Co Durham for nearly 40 years. I have always enjoyed writing and ‘dabbled’ with a book for many years without really getting anywhere. In 2013, a life-threatening illness changed my perspective and made me focus on doing the things that I wanted to while there was still time. My first book ‘Things I Should Have Said and Done,’ was published by Accent Press in 2015. My second book ‘Ribbons in Her Hair’ is out now and a third, ‘Not My Brother’s Keeper,’ will follow in May 2019.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I get my ideas from every-day life. Something will happen and the cogs will start turning. ‘Ribbons in Her Hair,’ came about after I noticed a little girl with her hair tied up in ribbons and I commented to the person that I was with that I used to have my hair tied up just like that. That was when I learned that, despite how it might have looked, not everyone was blessed with the childhood that I had.

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

Not really, though my mother was obsessively tidy just like Jean from ‘Ribbons in Her Hair’. She also made the best mashed potatoes in the world but that’s as far as the similarity goes. I always knew that my mother loved me.

How do you pick your characters names?

They’re usually the first names that come into my head. I wish that I could say something more exciting but it’s the truth.

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

I’m not much of a planner so I tend to have my main character and a vague idea of where I want them to go, then I let them lead me. I sometimes wish that I could plan more but that wouldn’t be me. I like to have the first draft complete 3 – 4 months before it’s due to be delivered to the publisher and that gives me time for a ‘proper’ edit and then a final polish before I send it on its way.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

I once bought someone’s collection of Ed McBain’s 87^th Precinct novels in a charity shop on the back of reading just one because I thought that he wrote great dialogue. I think that puts him in my top five. Jane Austen would be in there too because I could read any of her books over and over. I’ll admit to having a bit of a soft spot for the character Jack Reacher, so Lee Child would make my top five authors. Sue Grafton would be in there too, I’m working my way through the Kinsey Millhone books. Last but not least I’d have to put Alison Weir in my top five because I am quite partial to the Tudor period.

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

If I could meet Dennis Lehane I’d ask him to explain what on earth was happening in ‘Shutter Island.’

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes. When I was very young I enjoyed Enid Blyton but when I got a little older, the world was my oyster. I remember the librarian in the Park Library in Sheffield recommending Anya Seton to me. She’d asked my age and when I said I was twelve she told me she had enjoyed Seton’s books when she was my age. I have very fond memories of going to the library with my mum and choosing books. Thank you for asking that question because it has triggered a very happy memory and I’m sitting here with a smile on my face.

When did you start to write?

When I was in Junior One (aged 7 or 8) during our ‘composition class’ (showing my age now) I asked my teacher if I could carry on my story into the next lesson. I always think that was my first attempt at a novel.

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

If I could re-write the end of ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles,’ Tess and Angel would go off somewhere and live happily ever after. I don’t think it would make the book better but it would have made me happy.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

‘To Kill a mocking Bird,’ it’s an incredible book.

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

Chocolate Cake for Breakfast.

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

I’d love to meet Sherlock Holmes and we would go to The Pantry in Tow Law for coffee. It’s close to where I work so it’s nice and handy. I’d love to spend a couple of hours people watching with him.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.

Occasionally I like to eat chocolate cake for breakfast.

What are you working on right now?

A romance that starts in the summer of 1976. It’s very early stages and doesn’t even have a working title yet. It does however have an ending.

Tell us about your last release?

Ribbons in Her Hair is about the mother/daughter relationship. In similar situations they react very differently, but at the end of the day they are both trying to achieve the same thing. It’s about how you can live with someone but not know them. Susan doesn’t know what makes her mother behave the way she does and Jean can’t be the mother that Susan needs.

Do you have a new release due?

23^rd August 2018 – which by happy coincidence is today.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

When my first book ‘Things I Should Have Said and Done’ was published in 2016 I went to work and it was just a normal day. Afterwards I wished that I’d done something special. This time I intend to have the day off and persuade Mr Mc to take me out to lunch.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Facebook Author Page

@colettemcauthor

email

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

That I will be eternally grateful to each and every person who has ever bought /read one of my books. Thank you for making dreams come true.

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

Jean seems the perfect wife and mother but she struggles to love her daughters whose material comforts mask emotional neglect. When the youngest daughter, Susan, brings ‘shame’ on the family, Jean can think of only one response. She has to make the problem disappear. Finding the strength to stand up to her mother for the first time in her life, Susan does the only thing that she can to save her baby. What Susan doesn’t realise is that her mother’s emotional distance hides a dark secret of her own. Examining the divide between generations, between mothers and daughters, this emotionally charged novel asks whether we can ever truly understand another, however close our ties.

Happy reading 🙂

Happy Publication Day, Virginia Heath 🙂

10 things you didn’t know about Virginia Heath…..

One –

I’m in love with Flynn Rider from the film Tangled. Yes- I do know he’s a cartoon and that being in love with something drawn with a pencil and then coloured in is weird, but in my head Flynn is a completely gorgeous hero. Cheeky, dashing, just a teensy bit tortured, devilishly handsome and spouts witty one-liners even when they in inappropriate. I also love his voice, especially when he sings, it makes melt.

Two –

I’m a complete tourist. I adore travelling to far-flung places and soaking up the culture. I could have bought a significantly bigger house with all the money I’ve spent exploring the world yet if I could have my time again I wouldn’t do it differently. I mean, riding through the jungle in Thailand on the back of an elephant tops another spare room which would only get used once in a blue moon anyway. Who needs another bathroom when they can snorkel between the Pitons in St Lucia and feed bananas to the Sergeant Major fish? And why would I want all that extra housework when I could get in a car and just drive through Death Valley?

Three –

This is linked to number two, but who cares. I’m a Disney nut. I’ve been to Disneyland in California twice, Disneyworld in Florida twice and the Paris version more times than I care to count. There’s something magical about the place, from the first moment you step inside those gates, which just makes me smile. My favourite ride is the Haunted Mansion and each time I visit a park I have to start and end my trip with a ride of that ghoulish ghost train. I love watching the translucent ballroom dancers waltzing. It comes a close second to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Four –

And on the subject of Pirates of the Caribbean, when I was a secondary school teacher (that’s 11-16 year olds for all non-Brits reading this) I used to have a life-size cut-out of Captain Jack Sparrow stood next to my desk. I told my students that me and the Captain were in love and that he lived in my stationary cupboard. Because the kids thought I was crazy and my eccentricities amused them, I used to get showered in Captain Jack Sparrow gifts each year when a cohort eventually left the school. I still have it all now up in my attic- including the life-size cut-out!

Five –

I’m a spice fiend. My favourite food is curry- and not those tame sorts of curries wusses eat. Proper hot curries from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Thai food is another favourite, along with Japanese and Mexican. In fact, if I was ever marooned on a desert island, so long as chillies grew there I’d be happy.

Six –

I loathe the taste of Brussel sprouts. I remember reading somewhere that there is a chemical in sprouts which either tastes delicious or totally hideous, depending on the person. There’s apparently no grey area with sprouts.

Seven –

I like spiders. I wouldn’t want to pick out curtains with them or keep them as pets, but picking one up doesn’t bother me. When other people are cringing, and screaming, I’m the brave saviour who marches in and puts the wriggly, hairy little arachnid outside. I don’t even need a glass to carry them in.

Eight –

If I’m nervous or worried about something, I cross my fingers for luck. I’m not superstitious about anything else, but when those nerves kick in, I cross my fingers and hide them in a pocket or under a cushion.

Nine –

I usually get all my story ideas in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping by my brain won’t let me. It’s been the same since I was a little kid. When I couldn’t sleep, I let my imagination wander and often used to enjoy going to bed early so that I could revisit the wonderful worlds I created sooner. A lifetime of casual insomnia has turned me into a storyteller. So every cloud…

Ten –

Finally, once a year I treat myself to Pride and Prejudice Day. A whole day where I watch the entire six hours of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy back-to-back. Pride and Prejudice Day always occurs when I have the house completely to myself. I have to have cake and plenty of tea to sustain me for the marathon. Usually, I prefer to hold in during the winter months, because you cannot fully appreciate the wonder of Jane Austen’s masterpiece unless you are wrapped in a slanket. For those untutored in the world of slankets- it’s a fuzzy blanket with sleeves, a foot pocket and a place to store your remote controls. In other words, Heaven.

The Mysterious Lord Millcroft

Life as a duchess…
Or something much more dangerous…?

Part of The King’s Elite. Constantly told her beauty and charm is all she has to offer, Lady Clarissa is intent on marrying a duke. And intriguing spy Sebastian Leatham will help her! Only first she’ll assist him with his new assignment—playing the part of confident aristocrat Lord Millcroft. Sebastian awakens a burning desire within Clarissa which leaves her questioning whether becoming a duchess is what she truly longs for…

Purchase Link –

myBook.to/KingsElite1

Author Bio –

Virginia Heath lives on the outskirts of London with her understanding husband and two, less understanding, teenagers. After spending years teaching history,she decided to follow her dream of writing for Harlequin. Now she spends her days happily writing regency romances, creating heroes that she falls in love with and heroines who inspire her. When she isn’t doing that, Virginia likes to travel to far off places, shop for things that she doesn’t need or read romances written by other people.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/virginiaheathauthor/

https://twitter.com/VirginiaHeath_

https://www.virginiaheathromance.com/

Giveaway –

Win…..

3 x E-copies of The Mysterious Lord Millcroft (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!

Hi and welcome to my stop on Tom Trott’s The Benevolent Dictator blog tour!

Many thanks to Tom Trott and Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources

Interview with Tom Trott…..

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

Sure, I’m from Brighton, and both my previous books (You Can’t Make Old Friends, and Choose Your Parents Wisely) were set there. They are detective novels, which is the genre I’m most comfortable in. For my latest book, The Benevolent Dictator, I felt inspired to do something entirely different: a political thriller set in the Middle East. I’m pretty young (still in my twenties) and know nothing about anything, which means I have to do an awful lot of research, but thankfully I’m naturally curious so I enjoy the process.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

My subconscious cooked up the idea for The Benevolent Dictator from a combination of The Great Gatsby, Ozymandias, and the Adam Curtis documentary Hypernormalisation. Generally speaking I’m a thematic writer: I know what theme I want to write about and I’m always just searching for the right story and characters to explore that theme.

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

This is my most personal book, in that the character of Ben Hollow (the narrator) is much more closely based on myself than anything I’ve previously written. He is me if I had followed a different path, but he’s also inspired by my perceptions of some real life figures. When I write my Brighton-set novels I very often use people I know as inspiration; some of them manage to spot themselves, but many more don’t!

How do you pick your characters names?

With the two principle characters of The Benevolent Dictator I actually used two different approaches. For the narrator, Ben Hollow, I recycled a name I had used in something unpublished. I loved the symbolism of the name Hollow, and how it suggested the idea of seeing the book through his eyes. For the title character, Amal, I trawled through Arabic names until I found one with a meaning I felt was appropriate, in this case “hope”. It’s actually a female name, so I had to explain that away in the book because I didn’t want to give up good symbolism. For the rest of the characters I used a similar approach to Amal, finding names that either suggested how others saw them, or their true nature underneath.

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

I have a day job, so for me it’s very much about snatching moments to write and do what I can when I can. I plan quite carefully (a four of five line paragraph for each 3000 word chapter) and that means that I don’t have to do a lot of figuring out when I’m writing.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Raymond Chandler is my number one, and where I go for comfort reading. Agatha Christie is number two for sure. Then I’d have to fill in the rest with Arthur Conan Doyle for pure ridiculous fun, J R R Tolkien for a fully realised world, and Daphne Du Maurier for atmosphere.

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

Agatha Christie, and I would ask her how she kept innovating. People who have never read her novels have a perception of them as formulaic, but I have never seen any mystery novelist so consistently innovate from book to book. She knows you’ve read the last book and she uses it to trick you in the next one.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Perhaps above average, but I didn’t devour books in the way some people do and still don’t. I envy people who read a book a week. I’m a slow reader by choice, I like to luxuriate in the world.

When did you start to write?

When I was too young to remember, but back then it was plays and sketches, nothing so formal or disciplined as prose.

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

That’s a very hard question. I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed by the end of a book, but it’s more likely that I don’t remember them because they weren’t good enough to stick in the memory. Of course it would be tempting to give a happy ending to something, but it would be a betrayal of the story. With my own books I know there are bigger twists I could put in, but they betray the central theme and that’s what I’m most concerned with. I would perhaps add an extra five pages onto the end of Murder on the Orient Express, it ends very abruptly and without emotional resolution.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Rebecca. It’s perfect.

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

Moving On (which I think is the secret to both good writing and general happiness).

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

Philip Marlowe, and just your average dive. He’d have some stories to tell.

What are you working on right now?

The third in my detective series, I’m already two-thirds in. I’m not revealing the title yet but the initials are I.N.G.A. and the clue is The Two Jakes. No one has figured it out yet, if they do I might put their name in the book!

Do you have a new release due?

Not before then.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

Anxiously look at the KDP, Createspace, and ACX dashboards to see if anyone is buying my book. Then I tend to just get on with my day, there’s nothing to celebrate unless people buy it. I’m much more likely to celebrate the day I finish typing.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

They can follow me on Twitter (@tjtrott), Facebook (@tomtrottbooks), or contact me through my website (tomtrott.com) where they can also sign up to my email newsletter to get news and offers.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Just that The Benevolent Dictator is available in paperback, kindle, and audiobook, so there’s no excuse not to read it!

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

You’re welcome,

Tom x

The Benevolent Dictator

Ben longs to be prime minister one day. But with no political connections, he is about to crash out of a Masters degree with no future ahead. So when by chance he becomes fast friends with a young Arab prince, and is offered a job in his government, he jumps at the chance to get on the political ladder.

Amal dreads the throne. And with Ben’s help he wants to reform his country, steering it onto a path towards democracy. But with the king’s health failing, revolutionaries in the streets, and terrorism threatening everyone, the country is ready to tear itself apart.

Alone in a hostile land, Ben must help Amal weigh what is best against what is right, making decisions that will risk his country, his family, and his life.

Purchase Links

https://tomtrott.com/tbd

www.amazon.co.uk/Benevolent-Dictator-Tom-Trott-ebook/dp/B07BZQHTDB

Author Bio –

Tom Trott was born in Brighton. He first started writing at Junior School, where he and a group of friends devised and performed comedy plays for school assemblies, much to the amusement of their fellow pupils. Since leaving school and growing up to be a big boy, he has written a short comedy play that was performed at the Theatre Royal Brighton in May 2014 as part of the Brighton Festival; he has written Daye’s Work, a television pilot for the local Brighton channel, and he has won the Empire Award (thriller category) in the 2015 New York Screenplay Contest. He is the proverbial Brighton rock, and currently lives in the city with his wife.

Social Media Links –

www.twitter.com/tjtrott

www.facebook.com/tomtrottbooks

www.tomtrott.com

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