Hi all and welcome to my spot on Michele Khoury’s Busted blog tour 🙂 

Many thanks to Michele Khoury and Kelly @ Lovebooksgrouptours

Interview with Michele Khoury…..

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

Sure, Kerry. My name is Michele I. Khoury, and writing is my third career. I took a Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Novel Writing Program through the University of California at Irvine’s extension program, where I began my debut novel, Busted.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

In the third class, the writing professor lectured on the key plot points, then issued the homework assignment to plot a novel. While driving home, the genesis for Busted’s storyline magically came to me: how three people collide over cocaine, and the impact on their lives.

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

The twenty-four-year-old main character, Gina McKenna, is a composite of many people— including myself, several artists and teachers. When I started writing the novel, I was ignorant about cocaine, and as I learned so did Gina; her naïveté mirrored mine.

Another character, the DEA Special Agent is patterned after a Lt. in Narcotics for the Anaheim Police Department, (the same city where Disneyland is located). The Lieutenant answered my zillion emails, explaining the legalities of apprehending drug dealers.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

When I visualized how the characters looked, dressed, and thought, their names popped into my mind.

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

I’m a slow writer. I dedicate three days a week, seven hours a day, with a goal of writing seven to ten pages. Then I edit, rewrite, edit, and rewrite. A month later I may return and trash the pages, or rewrite them again. I’m not exaggerating when I say Busted had at least a hundred versions.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Michael Koryta, Karin Slaughter, Liane Moriarty, Laura Lippman, and David Baldacci.

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

I would love to meet Stephen King. I admire his brilliance, and rather than ask him anything specific, I’d enjoy conversing with him. His woo-woo stuff is mind-boggling, and I’d like to know if he’s as crazy as his characters.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Unfortunately, no. My parents didn’t read to my brother or I, and I was fourteen-years-old when I read my first book. It was about a young girl who went away to a school that also boarded horses. I loved horses, and the story captured my imagination. I haven’t forgotten the book, but try as I might, I can’t remember the title.

When did you start to write?

In 2007. I regret not taking creative writing classes in college. I focused on business and had huge successes with Xerox, Apple Computer, and for twenty-one years, my own business teaching technology companies around the world how to sell.

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

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Oh, this is a tough question. I believe each author has the right to write their story the way they want.

I was one of three out of fourteen students my writing professor chose to mentor in a weekly writing group. Six to eight students (many from previous classes) attended. We’d bring copies for everyone, including the professor. Each author had fifteen minutes to read their pages and receive constructive criticism. At the end of the day, the author’s name is on the cover, and the author decides what does or doesn’t happen. When I read a novel, I accept what the author wrote; if I don’t like the story, the genre, or the writing style, then I may not read that particular author’s work again.

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

Imaginary Friends

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

The fictional character I’d love to converse with is Queen Elizabeth 1—AKA The Virgin Queen. I’m fascinated by her success in ruling from 1158 until 1602. I’d invite her to our home for tea.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on my second book, The Sheriff’s Wife. The theme is domestic violence and abuse. Having grown up in an abusive environment, I understand the fear and trepidation associated with physical and emotional harm. For the last eight years I’ve been a board member for Human Options, a non-profit dedicated to ending domestic violence and abuse. I care about social issues, and this is one topic where I can show horrific experiences being transformed into survival and success.

Tell us about your last release?

Busted was released on April 13, 2017, and I had my first book launching party on May 17, 2017.  I’m blessed with loving and supportive friends: 140 people attended, and I sold eighty-seven books.

Do you have a new release due?

No. The next publication is a couple of years away. (Like I said, I’m a slow writer.)

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

Go out to dinner with my husband, our two sons, daughter-in-laws, and four grandchildren. They’re with me through the ups and downs, so when there’s a celebration, I want to share it.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Readers are welcome to email me at: mkhoury18@gmail.com, follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleKhoury/, Twitter: Michele Khoury@MicheleIKhoury;

subscribe to receive my blogs: http://michelekhoury.com/blog/,  or visit my website: http://www.michelekhoury.com.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

If you’re interested in writing, I encourage you to take a novel writing course from a local college. Unless you have a degree in writing, you’ll save yourself a great deal of heartbreak by having professional guidance. (Beware of writing groups who are not led by a professional: their feedback can be fatal.)

There’s nothing like entering “the zone” and creating a new world. When five hours feels like five minutes, you know you’re having fun.

I love conversing with readers: please feel free to contact me. I wish you the best.

Warmest Regards,

Michele

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

 Blurb 

Impacted by the recession, twenty-four-year-old artist Gina McKenna is down to her last few dollars and days away from living in her car when a successful businessman buys a painting and commissions another. As their relationship evolves, she’s seduced by his charm and mesmerized by his luxurious lifestyle until she discovers he’s a drug kingpin. As her world turns upside down, she struggles to survive vicious brutality. 

Miguel Lopez is a cocaine supplier with a weightlifter’s physique and ‘the rules do not apply to me’ attitude. Maniacal and ruthless, he has no qualms about killing anyone who interferes with his distribution network, including Gina.

Dedicated to eradicating illegal drugs, DEA Special Agent Bobby Garcia spent months and hundreds of thousands of dollars working undercover to buy his way up a dealer chain to identify the moneyman. When his fourteen-year-old daughter overdoses on cocaine, he traces the blow to Lopez. As Bobby’s mission becomes personal, he makes emotional decisions, which negatively impact civilians and his job. Unable to let go, he risks his career to orchestrate the biggest drug sting in Southern California. What happens isn’t what he expected.

When a deputy district attorney meets Gina at a party, he is smitten. As his attraction grows, so does Gina’s involvement with the DEA’s case, of which he is the designated prosecutor. Mindful of his professional ethics, he tries to stifle his feelings.

Sex and violence permeate the twists and turns of this cautionary tale about choosing one’s friends well. 

Buy Link: https://amzn.to/2KI1MW8

 

About the Author

Writing is Michele I. Khoury’s third career. After graduating from the University of California at Riverside with a Masters degree in Economics, she worked at Xerox, where she set multiple sales records, and Apple Computer, where she received the Business Development Manager of the Year award. For twenty-one years, she was an international business consultant and taught technology companies around the world how to sell.

Her writing career began when she took the Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Novel Writing Classes offered through the University of California Irvine’s extension program. She was one of three out of the fourteen students her professor choose to mentor and attended weekly critique sessions for six years. BUSTED is her debut novel, and she is currently writing her second book, which is about domestic violence and abuse.

She lives in Orange County, California with her husband and rescued dogs, Bubbles and Thriller.

For more information, please visit http://www.michelekhoury.com.

Hi all and welcome to my stop on Effie Kammenou’s Waiting For Aegina blog tour 🙂

Many thanks to Effie Kammenou and to Kelly @ Love Books Group Tours

Interview with Effie Kammenou…..

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

To start with, I live in New York with my husband and two daughters. I originally went to university to study theatre, but alas, an Oscar was not in my future. I ended up earning a living in the optical industry and raising a family. Once they’d grown and entered into careers of their own, I craved delving into something creative once again. I thought about going back and taking acting classes, but once I began writing, I knew I had found my new passion.

Waiting For Aegina is the second book in The Gift Saga. The focus changes a bit in this instalment, though. Evanthia’s Gift was a two-part love story and family saga. Anastacia and her daughter, Sophia, were the main characters. Throughout the book we get glimpses of Sophia’s lifelong and most trusted friends. Waiting For Aegina explores the relationship between all five of these girls/women and their individual stories, heartbreaks and triumphs. This is a story of friendship, loyalty and expectations. Teenage ideals are sometimes shattered and other times realized, even if not in the way it was planned.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I get my ideas from many sources—family history, personal experience and even dreams. I’m a people watcher and even the smallest, seemingly insignificant moments can be the most inspirational of all. Each year my family and I attend the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. It’s a crowded park at that time of the year. Actually, it’s always pretty crowded, but during the festival there are lines of people waiting to sample food & alcoholic beverages from kiosks that represent dozens of countries. I was sitting on a bench waiting for my family and I noticed a young couple sampling some of the offerings. It was apparent that the young man was enjoying what he’d just sampled and he brought the wax paper clad pastry up to his girlfriend’s lips. He watched her eagerly, hoping she would enjoy it as much as he did and smiled when her reaction was the same as his. He then sweetly brushed off a flake of pastry from her bottom lip, allowing his finger to linger long enough to caress her mouth before lowering his head to gently kiss her. The whole exchange couldn’t have been more than fifteen seconds but it stayed with me. There was so much love in the young man’s gesture. I could see from that tiny slice of their life that he cared deeply for her and it moved me. I decided I would write a similar sweet moment into one of my stories. (Hint – It’s in Waiting For Aegina)

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

Anastacia, Sophia’s mother, who was the main character of part 1 in Evanthia’s Gift, was based on my mother. In Waiting For Aegina, she is significant in some of the flashbacks going back to when the girls were in their teens and through their college years.

Two of the friends are very loosely based on my own childhood friends. I had some thoughts about what I had expected them to do with their lives. One, I was certain, would become a fashion designer. She made many of her own clothing and always had a sketchpad in her hands. The other, I was convinced, would become a prominent politician. Neither of these careers materialized, although they are both successful in their chosen careers. I decided to do a ‘what if,’ and base their characters on what I thought they would become. Career-wise only, though. The personalities and the family lives of the characters are nothing like my real friends.

There are other characters also, who have bits and pieces of people I know and love.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

Some of the names I choose are chosen for a purpose. Anastacia’s favorite holiday is Easter. In all three of the books in The Gift Saga, Easter has a special significance. It is the most important holiday in the Greek Orthodox calendar and the Greeks make a huge celebration of it after the strict fast during the Lenten period. Anastasi is the resurrection service and that is where Anastacia gets her name.

Sophia means wisdom in Greek. Sophia is mature and wise for her age during her teen years. She’s often idealistic, but level-headed, and reels Dean, her love interest, in from his rebellious ways.

The other names were chosen to fit the characters’ personalities or ethnic backgrounds.

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

I basically have a story plotted in my head and my mind never seems to rest. I often jot down notes throughout the day. I’ve even been known to pull my car to the side of the road and enter notes in my phone, and I’ve woken up in the middle of the night to do the same. I don’t outline. I simply begin writing and let the story flow organically. I keep an index card for each character as a reference. Once the story is out of my head and on paper (computer actually), I start my rewrites – many, many rewrites. Then I work with a critique partner and beta readers. I learned that recording the chapters also helps me. It’s a great way to pick up errors, pacing awkwardness and dialogue that doesn’t sound quite right. Finally, I put it in the hands of a professional editor, take her suggestions, rewrite again and submit it back for a final copyedit.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Ugh! Just five? Current or classic? I’ll give you both.

Bear in mind that I was a theatre major and much of my reading literature was in the form of plays.

Classic

William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, John Steinbeck, George Bernard Shaw

Contemporary

Sylvain Reynard, Deborah Harkness, Colleen Hoover, Adriana Trigiani, Kristin Hannah

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

That’s a tough one because I would want to meet Sylvain Reynard, however, he guards his privacy and I would never want to see that compromised by anyone. I would love to know more about his educational background. I have my theories, as all his fans do, but it would be interesting to learn more about him. He writes like a master and I want to know where his inspiration and thought process comes from.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Not really, although my parents exposed me to the classics from a young age. I remember my father reading to me every night. Mostly Grimms’ Fairy Tales and Aesop’s Fables. Later, my mother introduced me to Les Miserables, Rebecca, Lady Chatterly’s Lover, and East of Eden. But I never read much for pleasure as a child. It wasn’t until my late teens that I got hooked onto contemporary fiction.

When did you start to write?

My quick answer to that question is 2012, about six months after my mother passed away. But that’s not accurate. I’d been writing a food blog for several years before that, not only sharing recipes but also the stories that went along with the food—a tradition, custom or a memory. Each of the books in The Gift Saga contains recipes that coincide with the storylines. I just couldn’t help myself, and as it turns out, the readers love it! Before I published my first novel, I’d also contributed to a regional magazine, writing restaurant and book reviews and an occasional feature article.

I remember as a young girl in junior high school, writing a play with a friend of mine. It was a memory I’d forgotten about until recently. It seems the passion was simmering below the surfaced the whole time.

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

All these questions I’d never thought about before! I’m a sucker for a happy ending. Jenny doesn’t die in Love Story. She’s miraculously cured, and she and Oliver live to be old and gray together. Or, Scarlett runs after Rhett in Gone With The Wind, and after a lot of grovelling and promising to change and redeem herself to everyone she’s wronged, he takes her back.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

No. When an author writes it comes from the soul. It’s personal and everyone’s perspective is his own. I don’t wish to write what was in someone else’s heart or experience. I do occasionally read a passage and think to myself, ‘Why can’t I express myself as eloquently?’

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

Living with Keffie. I need to explain that. My name is Effie. Actually, it’s Efthemia, but that’s another story. Kefi is a Greek word that evokes the joy and love of life and a spirit unique to the Greeks. I love life and have a positive attitude. If you put my name together with kefi, you get Keffie.

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

That’s a dangerous question since I really like sensual love stories and I happen to be quite enamoured with a certain professor immortalized by the Canadian bestselling author, Sylvain Reynard in the Gabriel Series. However, Gabriel is now happily married to the lovely Julia, so it would be quite nice to meet with both of them for an espresso in Florence. Afterward, I’d ask the Dante specialist to kindly escort me to view the Botticelli drawings he’s loaned the Uffizi Gallery.

What are you working on right now?

I just finished writing and publishing The Gift Saga, a bittersweet time for me. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to these characters. I just had the entire saga formed into a box set and book three is now being produced in audio for Audible.

I’m taking a tiny break and spending the summer on promotion and making appearances at book events and book clubs. I already have the next series plotted in my mind and I’m anxious to get started.

Tell us about your last release?

Chasing Petalouthes: Book Three in The Gift Saga was released on June 3, 2018. Petalouthes is the Greek word for butterflies. In this book, I go back to the core families, focusing on the current generation of young people as they go from their turbulent teens and into adulthood. The five friends from Waiting For Aegina are still featured and vital to the story, so you will be seeing more of these women who call themselves ‘The Honey Hill Girls.’ This book has been drawing in a younger demographic as mothers have contacted me to say they have passed to book to their daughters.
All of the books are generational and there is something in each of them that women of all ages can relate to.

Do you have a new release due?

Chasing Petalouthes was recently released, but it is now being produced on audio and should be released by the end of the summer.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

Nothing really. I’m just happy! But with this last release, we did open a bottle of champagne. I went to the Champagne region in France to do research for a section of Chasing Petalouthes. I came back with bottles that could only be purchased there from small boutique champagne houses. We popped the cork on one of those!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I am very available and happy to connect with readers. I’m so thankful for all the comments, emails, reviews, messages and photos readers send me of themselves reading my books.

Social media links

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/EffieKammenou/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/EffieKammenou

instagram

https://www.instagram.com/effiekammenou_author/

Goodreads page

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14204724.Effie_Kammenou

Linkedin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/effie-kameno-speyer-961682107

Food blog

https://cheffieskitchen.wordpress.com

Newsletter signup page

http://eepurl.com/bIoJl1

Fan contact e-mail

effiekammenou@gmail.com

Bookbub

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/effie-kammenou

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Yes. Although The Gift Saga centers around two Greek-American families, you do not have to be Greek in order to understand or enjoy it. I do have a loyal following in the Greek community, but the larger percentage of my readers come from various backgrounds. In essence, this is a love story, a friendship story, a generational story that is relatable to most of us.

I think that’s it! I’m pretty much an open book. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

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

You’re very welcome and thank you for this interview.

It’s a pleasure!

Buy Link: https://amzn.to/2z3CsFl

 

Blurb 

 

Book Two in The Gift Saga: The continuation of Evanthia’s Gift…

 

In 1961, five little girls moved into a suburban neighborhood and became inseparable, lifelong friends. They called themselves the ‘Honey Hill Girls,’ named after the street on which they lived. As teenagers they shared one another’s ambitions and dreams, secrets and heartaches. Now, more than thirty years later, they remain devoted and loyal, supporting each other through triumphs and sorrows.

 

Evanthia’s Gift follows the life of Sophia Giannakos. In Waiting for Aegina the saga continues from the perspectives of Sophia and her friends as the story drifts back and forth in time, filling in the gaps as the women grow to adulthood.

 

Naive teenage ideals are later challenged by harsh realities, as each of their lives takes unexpected turns. Now nearing their fiftieth year, Sophia, Demi, Amy, Mindy and Donna stand together through life-altering obstacles while they try to regain the lighthearted optimism of their youth.

 

Can be read as a standalone. For the full emotional impact on the character’s live and histories, read Evanthia’s Gift.

 

Author Bio

 

Effie Kammenou is a believer that it is never too late to chase your dreams, follow your heart or change your career. She is proof of that. At one time, long ago, she’d thought that, by her age, she would have had an Oscar in her hand after a successful career as an actor. Instead, she worked in the optical field for 40 years and is the proud mother of two accomplished young women.

 

Her debut novel, Evanthia’s Gift, is a women’s fiction multigenerational love story and family saga, influenced by her Greek heritage, and the many real life accounts that have been passed down. She continues to pick her father’s brain for stories of his family’s life in Lesvos, Greece, and their journey to America. Her interview with him was published in a nationally circulated magazine.

 

Evanthia’s Gift: Book One in The Gift Saga was a 2016 award finalist in the Readers Favorite Awards in the Women’s Fiction category.  Waiting for Aegina is Book Two in The Gift Saga and Chasing Petalouthes is Kammenou’s latest release, completing the series.

 

Effie Kammenou is a first generation Greek-American who lives on Long Island with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not writing, or posting recipes on her food blog, cheffieskitchen.wordpress.com, you can find her entertaining family and friends or traveling for ‘research.’

 

As an avid cook and baker, a skill she learned from watching her Athenian mother, she incorporated traditional Greek family recipes throughout the books.  

 

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Arts from Hofstra University.  

The Beachside Sweet Shop has been on my Netgalley list for far too long and I’m so glad I finally got around to reading it. It is such an enjoyable read, with such lovely characters, I couldn’t help but find myself captivated by the beautifully written, heart-warming and often quite amusing story.

We meet Marnie Appleton, who is a very likeable 29 year old. She is successfully running a sweet shop, inherited from her late grandfather. Things are ticking along nicely, but it seems that Marnie isn’t 100% settled. She has always felt the need to travel, to follow in her mothers footsteps, and she did for a little while with her then boyfriend, Alex, but since then there has always seemed to be something to keep her in Shipley.

When she wins a business award for the sweet shop it spurs her on to give the place a bit of a revamp, but not all of the publicity it leads to is positive. However, she decides to try a new line of home-made, low sugar sweets (to appease the sugar police!) but nothing is ever straight forward!

At the same time she’s trying to keep her relationship with her new assistant, Josh, strictly professional and trying not to think about Alex now having a new girlfriend. Also having to contend with her best friends partner not being her biggest fan for some unknown reason and her mother returning from her travels, there is much more to this story than meets the eye.

I loved Marnie’s friendship with Beth. They are so amusing together. I also couldn’t help but like Marnie’s mother, Laura. I pretty much loved all of the character’s really. Even Isobel! She would totally do my head in, in real life, but she’s a great character to read!

Overall, an uplifting story which made me giggle and brought a tear to my eye. I loved it from the first page to the last. I’ve already added the second book in the series to my list.

Many thanks to the author and Bookouture for my review copy via Netgalley.

Via AmazonUK…..

‘Within the first page turn I was laughing out loud… It was a delight to read.’ 5* Rachel’s Random Reads

When Marnie Appleton inherited a sweet shop from her grandfather she was determined to do his legacy proud. The shop has been a much-loved feature of the little seaside town of Shipley for years, but now Marnie needs to bring it up to date, and she’s recruited gorgeous new assistant Josh to help.

Marnie gets busy redecorating the shop and choosing delicious new sweets to stock, but things are never that simple: new neighbour Isobel, a fame-hungry blogger, is on a crusade against sugar, and she’ll go to any lengths to secure bad publicity for Marnie’s shop.

Marnie fights back with homemade sugar-free treats, but with her best friend Beth heavily pregnant, her grandmother Celia recovering from an operation, and her very recently ex-boyfriend Alex returning to Shipley with a new love, Marnie has a lot on her plate.

And then there’s Josh, with whom Marnie is struggling to keep her relationship strictly professional…Will both the sweet shop and love flourish?

A deliciously heartwarming read about family, friends and handmade coconut ice. Perfect for fans of Cressida McLaughlin, Debbie Johnson, and Tilly Tennant.

What people are saying about The Beachside Sweet Shop:

‘I do love a book that can make me giggle after just a few pages. As well as being funny, the storyline had a homely feel to it, reading it made me feel comfortable, relaxed and welcome…It’s amazing how much drama one little sweet shop can create! I was captivated, and sometimes surprised, by the goings on in the little village shop…a bright read that left a smile on my face and my taste buds in need of some sweet treats.’ 5* V Family Fun

‘I smiled all of the way through this gorgeous heart-warming read. A lot of the sweets reminded me of my childhood. The fictional Seaside town of Shipley sounds gorgeous, I almost packed my bags and started looking on TripAdvisor for a place to stay. The characters and storyline are just everything I adore in a book. I can honestly say that I felt quite sad to be saying farewell to everyone at the end.’ 5* The Reading Shed

‘Brilliant! Such a beautiful, heart warming story! Loved every word! So well written. A magical, feel good tale. Loved, loved, loved. Highly recommend it to everyone.’ Renita D’Silva

‘Had me chortling away…really funny…A fabulous candy cane of a read. I absolutely loved it.’ 5* Short Book and Scribe

‘Light-hearted and witty…Kept me glued to the pages.’ 4* On My Bookshelf

‘I feared I would short circuit my Kindle with tears from laughing.’ 5* Books from Dusk til Dawn

‘Funny, heart-warming and entertaining.’ 4* Where the Reader Grows

‘Light, quick moving and engaging.’ 4* I am Indeed

‘Very enjoyable… a lovely read infused with warmth, humour and romance.’ Shaz’s Book Blog

‘Fantastically funny…an entertaining read.’ Jo’s Book Journey

‘A sweet and charming read.’ 4* Pretty Little Book Reviews

‘I really enjoyed this book … all the characters were lovable.’ 5* Katie’s Book Ends

‘This book was a great read, so easy to dive into and get lost…Highly recommend it…dive in and forget the world around you.’ 4* Trish B’s Blog

‘Such a sweet book (sorry, couldn’t resist)… A really cute, sweet (sorry, I did it again) read. Thoroughly enjoyed it.’ 5* Lilac Mills

‘I can’t wait to read the next.’ 4* Lilina Reads

‘A delightful British love story.’ For the Love of Books

‘A delicious novel…I highly recommend this.’ 5* With Love for Books

About the author…..

Karen is the author of the popular BEACHSIDE and SEASHELL COVE series of romantic comedies, published by Bookouture.

She’s also written three romcoms with a paranormal twist, all available to download

When she’s not working on her novels, Karen writes short stories for women’s magazines and has had over three hundred published globally. Some of them can be read in her short story collection ‘BEHIND CLOSED DOORS…and other Tales with a Twist’

Karen lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children, and when she’s not writing loves reading, walking, baking and eating cake.

 

Hiya!

Hope you’re having a fab summer, so far.

Welcome to my Flashback Friday feature 🙂

On the first Friday of each month I like to have a little look back at the books I was reading during the same month in previous years (since starting my blog).

Feel free to join in!

(Don’t forget to share your link with us in the comments)

Here are my reviews from August 2017…..

Under the Spanish Stars (Wandering Skies) by Alli Sinclair @allisinclair @lyricalpress #BookReview

The Lucky Ones by Mark Edwards @mredwards #BookReview

#TheSister @Fab_fiction @bookouture @thecrimevault @littlebookcafe #BookReview #PaperbackRelease

Saving Sara (Redemption Series Book 1) by @NicolaMarsh #Review

SICK (The Sick Series Book 1) by ChristaWojciechowski @ChristaWojo #Review

Holy Island (The DCI Ryan Mysteries Book 1) by @LJRoss_author #Review

 

Flashback Friday – August 2016/2017…..

#flashbackfriday with @Dougieclaire Liane Moriarty @ShappiKhorsandi @Wendy_Walker @KFrenchBooks @JessikahHope

 

 

 

Raise The Blade is a psychological noir novella and is Tess Makovesky’s debut.

Well, what a fantastically creepy debut it is!

Duncan in a serial killer, but his methods are quite different to most. He doesn’t go out to hunt his prey, he waits for them to come to him. And they do.

He leaves his name and address on a trail of duct-taped victims and those who find the bodies can’t help but want to see who this man is for themselves, before calling the police. They each have their own story and their own reasons why, but they’re just walking straight in to his trap. Will any of them realise before it’s too late.

As a rational human being I can’t imagine finding a dead body and wanting to confront a possible serial killer rather than call the authorities and let them deal with it, but human psychology is a fascinating subject and each of these people’s reason’s for doing so are oddly plausible. It makes for a compelling read which grabbed me from the very first page and kept me gripped throughout.

Very cleverly written with fascinating characters. Brilliant! I highly recommend.

Via AmazonUK…..

Like a spider wrapping flies…

When psychopath Duncan leaves a trail of duct-tape-wrapped bodies scattered across the suburbs of Birmingham, there’s nothing to link the victims except his own name and address, carefully placed on each new corpse.Six very different people follow his clues, each convinced they can use Duncan to further their own selfish or naïve ends. Is there a reason Duncan’s driven to target these particular individuals, or does their very nature contribute to their fate?Will any of them be strong enough to break the cycle and escape a painful death? Or will Duncan reel them in and rearrange them to his own insane ideal?

“Raise the Blade is a gloriously gruesome read, riven with the very blackest of humour. And I loved it.”Ian Ayris, author of ‘Abide With Me’ and ‘April Skies’.

About the author…..

Liverpool lass Tess is now settled in the far north of England where she roams the fells with a brolly, dreaming up new stories and startling the occasional sheep.

Tess writes a distinctive brand of British comédie noir and her short stories have darkened the pages of various anthologies and magazines, including Shotgun Honey, Pulp Metal Magazine, Out of the Gutter Online, Betty Fedora, ‘Exiles: An Outsider Anthology’ (Blackwitch Press), ‘Drag Noir’ (Fox Spirit), ‘Rogue’ (Near to the Knuckle), and ‘Locked and Loaded’ (One Eye Press). Her debut novella, a psychological noir called ‘Raise the Blade’ is available now from Caffeine Nights Publishing.

You can follow her ramblings (both literary and literal) at her blog: http://tessmakovesky.wordpress.com/

 

Synopsis:

Not all fairy tales involve young princesses waiting to be swept off their feet by a prince. Some heroines want to change the world. Camille has watched her village, and the surrounding area, slowly wilt from years of unrelenting sun and no rain. Mein was once a land filled with magic and dense forests filled with fantastical creatures. Now, it suffers in silence. Camille believes that she can change their fate by creating a machine to make it rain once more. However, the village is suspicious of her efforts, concerned that her deep love of science will anger the magicks that once protected them. She will have to learn to stand tall and believe in herself if the world is to ever change.

An excerpt from The Little Artisan:

She paused in front of the entrance; her heart fluttered and her stomach churned. So close. All of the trials and tinkering and prototypes would soon be put to the test.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside. It was bigger on the inside than it appeared from the outside. Mirrors covered all of the walls, which converged on a single hallway leading deeper into the tent.

Camille headed down the hallway. Its walls were also covered with mirrors, creating a maze of kaleidoscope images. She proceeded forward slowly, restraining her impulse to run.

A voice emerged from farther ahead.

“Maker. Artisan. Tinker. Why have you come?”

“For the final piece.”

“The final piece to what?”

“To my Rainmaker.”

Peeling laughter filled the hallway.

“You continue on this fool’s errand even though everyone doubts you,” called the Trickster.

Camille paused.

She didn’t give much thought to what others thought. Occasionally, she would consider how the townspeople might react if the Rainmaker worked; otherwise, she only felt sad when she thought about the people of Mein because they were too frightened to try anything, to take real chances.

“I can make a difference,” she responded.

“Why would you wish to make a difference when no one else will care?” boomed a voice that suggested a large being.

Camille couldn’t even comprehend such a position. She didn’t require others to validate who she was; she did what she thought was necessary. “I have no need of riddles, questions, or condemnations. I only need the final piece. I only need fuel.”

“Fuel?” parroted the Trickster.

Camille noticed a small shadow at the corner of the hallway. Creeping close, she found a small knob attached to a long, thin mirror. She pushed it and the mirror creaked and receded, revealing yet another hallway.

The hallway was unlit except for a faint light at the end. She stumbled forward, feeling the walls to stay upright. Camille turned as the door she came through closed; she could no longer hear the sounds outside the tent. She pushed on through the darkness until the hallway terminated in an open room with a tall chair at its center. A small figure with sandy red hair and a thick beard sat atop it.

“You’re the Trickster?” asked Camille.

The Trickster hopped down, revealing that he was nearly a head shorter than the little artisan. A jagged scar ran from his nose to his chin, giving him a suspicious look despite his otherwise handsome features and green eyes. “I see that you’ve seen past my mirrors, little artisan.”

Camille didn’t like it when people other than her father called her little artisan. “Do you have fuel?”

He shoved his stubby hands into his pockets. “I do indeed. What do you plan on doing with it?”

Frustration itched at her. “I need it for the Rainmaker.”

“Ah, for your weather machine.”

She looked around the small room and saw a cot nestled next to shelves upon shelves of books. “You live here?”

“Our sleepy little village wouldn’t suffer an imp, so I hide behind my mirrors.”

She felt a stab of sympathy for the little man.

“I’m sorry that you must hide who you are.”

The Trickster shrugged. “We all hide a part of who we are. Some must be more cautious than others.”

Camille walked to the bookcase and touched the spines.

“I don’t hide who I am.”

“I suppose that is why we fear you.”

She turned around, surprised. “Fear me?”

He nodded and paced to a long desk with open books stacked on it. “Knowing oneself is a hardship. It forces us to face parts of ourselves we may not like, so we hide behind our fear. Someone who doesn’t hide like we do is certainly to be feared.”

The little artisan looked down sadly.

“That must be difficult.”

“Ignorance proves to be fantastic insulation,” replied the Trickster. Pushing aside some books, he procured a waxen cube and held it up to the light. “I believe I have what you’re looking for….”

Camille crossed the room and looked at the small cube.

“I don’t have much to give you.”

He closed his hand, obscuring the fuel cube from view.

“I ask that you don’t allow our fear to stop you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I sell hope, and possibility. I wish for the world to be different; yet, I do nothing.”

Camille found his strange self-awareness disarming.

What was he playing at?

The Trickster extended his hand and placed the fuel cube in Camille’s hands. He smirked. “I expect to hear rumbling very soon.”

Get it today on Kindle!

About the author…..

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

Hi all!

I’m delighted to welcome Ammar Habib back to Chat About Books today to tell us all about his new release…..

Title:

The Heart of Aleppo: A Story of the Syrian Civil War

Author:

Ammar Habib

Genre:

Young Adult/Contemporary/Current Events

Page Count:

235

Premise:

After standing for over 7,000 years, Aleppo’s ruin came overnight. Separated from his family during the night the rebels attacked the city, thirteen-year-old Zaid Kadir is lost in the middle of a war zone. Alongside his friends, he is forced to survive the dangers of a civil war he does not even fully understand. Zaid witnesses the destruction of the brutal Syrian Civil War as it grows more deadly by the day and rips his city apart. However, as he braves this destruction, as he desperately tries to survive this catastrophe, he discovers something. Zaid realizes that it is in the darkest hours when humanity’s spirit of hope burns brightest.

Links

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40199729-the-heart-of-aleppo

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Aleppo-Story-Syrian-Civil-ebook/dp/B07D7HQ53C

About the Author

Bio:

Ammar Habib is a bestselling and award-winning author who was born in Lake Jackson, Texas in 1993. Ammar enjoys crafting stories that are not only entertaining but will also stay with the reader for a long time. Ammar presently resides in his hometown with his family, all of whom are his biggest fans. He draws his inspiration from his family, imagination, and the world around him.

Social Media Links

Website:

www.ammarahsenhabib.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ammarahsenhabib

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AmmarAHabib1

@AmmarAHabib1

Blog:

www.ammarhabibblog.wordpress.com

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/Ammar_Habib

Instagram:

https://instagram.com/ammar.a.habib/

@Ammar.A.Habib

Giveaway…..

Info:

In conjunction with the release of The Heart of Aleppo, I am running a giveaway from July 26^th to August 3^rd. The prize of the giveaway is a signed copy of my national award-winning novel, Memories of My Future. Memories of My Future is a historical/inspirational novel that was published in 2016. It received several accolades after its release, including the Independent Press Award in May 2017.

Link to Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/10800d4e1/

Good luck!

Why Ammar wrote The Heart of Aleppo:

I personally believe that the Syrian Civil War is one of this generation’s greatest tragedies. With the way it is proceeding, it’ll be remembered by future generations in the same manner that we remember the Rwandan genocide and the Bosnian War of the 1990s.

The motivation for writing The Heart of Aleppo was simple: I wished to bring more global attention to this crisis. Although the characters are fictitious, this novel accurately depicts the events that transpired in Aleppo during the summer of 2012. I hope that reading this will lead readers to have a greater understanding of the plight those in Syria face, as well as those in other war-torn regions. If this work helps garner more attention for those in Syria, then I will have considered this project a success.

In an over-politicized world, my wish is for this work to humanize those we call “refugees”. The Heart of Aleppo is not about the politics of the Syrian Civil War or any other conflict. Its aim is not to convince readers to support any faction or political party. Instead, this story is about the unbreakable spirit of humanity. It is about how humanity often shows its true strength during the darkest times.

I truly hope that these themes of hope and strength will resonate with readers. I know that simply writing this The Heart of Aleppo changed me as a person, and it made me more aware of everything that transpires in the world around me. Although the world will never be perfect, I believe that if we keep our faith in the human spirit and keep striving to always better ourselves and those around us, then we can create a little piece of heaven on earth.

Writing Playlist for The Heart of Aleppo

1. “Sadness and Sorrow”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEWF2xh5E8s&t=0s&list=LLBxVJMhFpqkREP81ev8SIwQ&index=34

2. “Sound of Hugh Glass”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1qIV3WXZFE&t=0s&list=LLBxVJMhFpqkREP81ev8SIwQ&index=31

3. “Despair”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O1RTYnzUuo&t=0s&list=LLBxVJMhFpqkREP81ev8SIwQ&index=32

4. “Man of the World”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkQLJ2KzsKA&t=0s&list=LLBxVJMhFpqkREP81ev8SIwQ&index=2

First excerpt from The Heart of Aleppo:

Two days before Nabeel leaves for the last time, I find him standing at the kitchen counter with his friend, Zakariah. I don’t know his rank, but Zakariah serves directly under Nabeel in the army and only lives two miles down the road. The two of them always seem to be on leave at the same time.

Their voices are low, almost secretive, but I catch the look in Nabeel’s eye. Except back then, I didn’t recognize it.

“What are you guys talking about?”

Seeing me enter and hearing my voice, they both look my way before exchanging glances. That gleam in Nabeel’s eyes disappears.

I excitedly run up to the two of them. “Tell me!”

Nabeel looks back down at me as he stops leaning against the counter. Reaching down, he ruffles my hair. “You’re too young to know about that, Zaid.”

“Aww, what’s that about? I’m not part of the group now—”

My brother playfully flicks me on the forehead as he crouches down a little. “I’m sorry, buddy. Maybe next time.”

“You’re always saying that.”

Zakariah laughs as he comes closer to me. He puts his hand on my shoulder. “That’s just not fair, Nabeel. You’re a horrible brother for leaving Zaid out like that.”

I see a concerned expression momentarily wash over Nabeel’s face.

However, Zakariah glances up at Nabeel and shoots him a quick wink as he continues. “Why don’t I just tell you then?”

My eyes light up. “Really! You’re the best, Zakariah.”

Coming to his knees, he puts his arm around my shoulders and leans close, acting as if he is about to tell me the world’s biggest secret. “You see, Zaid, your brother and I were having a discussion about which one of us would win in a wrestling match. We all know that I’m stronger, but he just won’t admit it.” He sighs and shakes his head as he looks back at Nabeel. “But you agree with me, don’t you, Zaid?”

I don’t hesitate to respond. “No way!”

He moves his head back in surprise. “Huh?”

“Sure you’re pretty strong, but my brother would beat you!”

Zakariah is slow to reply, taken aback by the statement. “C’mon, Zaid. You do realize that I’m older than him—”

“Age has nothing to do with it, Zakariah! My brother was the school’s wrestling champion. He wouldn’t lose to you.” I whip my head to look back at Nabeel. “Right, big brother?”

Nabeel is slightly smiling now.

With a chuckle, Zakariah rises back to his feet. “Alright, alright. Well, I best be off, Nabeel. We can finish our little discussion next time.”

Nabeel shakes his hand. “Give my greetings to your folks.”

“I will.” Zakariah grabs my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “See you, Zaid—no, sorry: Dr. Zaid.”

Did he really just call me that? How did he know?

Hearing Zakariah’s footsteps grow faint, I turn back to Nabeel. He opens the fridge door and rummages through it.

“You told him?” I ask.

Nabeel doesn’t look my way. “I tell everyone.”

I watch him pull out a pound of chicken meat rolled up in brown paper as he turns back to me.

“Aisha is visiting her parents tonight and Abbi and Ummi are having dinner with friends. So looks like it’ll just be you and me.” Nabeel shoots me a wink. “I’m going to make some shwarma for dinner. Just the way you like it: tomatoes, lettuce, onions, lots of chicken, and even more spices.” He starts setting the ingredients on the countertop. “I went by Sohail’s shop today. The mangoes he was selling were ripe, so I picked some up. We can have them for dessert. That is if we have room.”

He looks back at me with a smile, but it fades when he sees my expression.

“What’s wrong, Zaid?”

I glance at the ground before replying, “I don’t think I want to be a doctor anymore.”

“Why not?”

“…I don’t think I can.”

He takes a few steps towards me before crouching down to come to my eye level, urging me to continue.

“Ms. Farooq said I’m not smart enough.”

“She did?”

“I got the lowest score in the class on the last math test. She said I’m not cut out for it.”

“I didn’t realize Ms. Farooq could tell the future.”

I don’t respond.

“Did you tell Abbi or Ummi?”

I shake my head.

He takes a deep breath and glances down at my feet. His eyes look like he’s weighing something, wondering if he should say it or not. When he does speak, his voice is different. It’s no longer speaking to me as his younger brother but as his friend. “You know, Zaid, Zakariah was joking about what we were talking about.”

“Really?”

He nods before his gaze focuses back on me. “Not even a few weeks ago, my soldiers and I were in a bit of a… well, situation.”

“What happened?”

“We were in Homs. The people we were fighting—the rebels—had heavy control of some neighborhoods. We were trying to take them back. It was…”

A silence ensues as he searches for the word.

“Difficult.” Nabeel pauses. “Some soldiers were pinned. The army tried an airstrike to break the rebel lines. It was a heavy bombardment that leveled entire streets. The cost was high. But we couldn’t break their lines.”

I don’t interrupt him.

“Our intelligence said it was a lost cause. We were ordered to abandon the soldiers. They said we would lose more men than we would save. But even the army’s ‘intelligence’ doesn’t know everything.” He looks away. “Zakariah and I disobeyed our commanding officer. As did our men. Those soldiers that were pinned weren’t just men. They were my friends… my brothers. And I would never abandon them, even if it led to…”

For a moment, his eyes again display that same gleam, but it disappears as quickly as it came.

His gaze again meets mine. It’s firmer this time, stronger. “It doesn’t matter what people say, Zaid. It doesn’t matter what the facts say. All that matters is what you say. And, maybe more importantly, what you do.”

I hang on his words, unable to say anything.

“Why do you want to be a doctor, Zaid?”

“I’ve always wanted to.”

“But why?”

“Because… I don’t want to see people suffer. I… I want to be the one to help others. I want to save lives, make a difference and put others before myself. I want to make this world a better place. Just like the Imam always talks about.”

Nabeel smiles. “Never forget that. And never go back on your word. No matter what happens. Please never forget one thing, Zaid: I love you. No matter the circumstance—no matter if I’m so far from you that you may never see me again, know that I’m with you.” He presses his finger against my heart. “I believe in you, Zaid.”

Second Excerpt from The Heart of Aleppo:

The foul stench is everywhere. It floods the buildings and road. It’s in every crevice. It’s soaked into the very brick and mortar of these streets I used to know.

We walk in a single file: Salman up front and me in the back. The sack quickly grows heavy on my shoulder, soon seeming as if it’s filled with bricks. But I trudge on. The weight of the sack is nothing compared to what my heart is feeling right now as I see the city I call home—a city that has stood for over 7,000 years—suddenly turned into wreckage.

Not long into our journey, the last rays of sunlight disappear over the horizon and leave the forsaken city shrouded in darkness. The few street lamps and lights still standing are not illuminated. With smog encompassing the city, the stars and moon are nowhere to be seen tonight. Neither is a single stray animal. Surrounded by a thick forest of smoke and fog, I can’t even see ten feet in front of me.

But the night is not a peaceful one. The only constant reassurance that the city is not abandoned is the echo of far-off chaos and nearby flames. Thunderous explosions sound off like clockwork in the distance as they rock the city. We can’t even go a block without hearing one or feeling the ground lightly tremor beneath our feet. The first few cause me to flinch, but I slowly grow immune to the tremors. However, even with all the smoke, we almost constantly see the dim light of carnage coming from the direction of the Saif Al-Dawla District.

July nights were always warm in Aleppo, but the smoke and smoldering ruins make it all the more unbearable. The heat goes right through me. I was wise enough to bring a small towel from Jari’s kitchen and am forced to use it every twenty minutes or so to wipe off my face.

Every now and then, there is a burning vehicle, trash can, or building that provides some illumination. I usually hear the crackling flames moments before the bright fire cuts through the smoke. But even in the darkness, even when there are no flames to provide any light, I make out the silhouettes of all the destruction around us. Some buildings are completely obliterated like the one across from Jari’s shop. They’re nothing now but a mountain of brick, mortar, and ash. Others have a damaged portion or have been shot up. Debris and rubble spill onto the road. Some buildings tumbled onto one another, creating even more destruction. It’s everywhere you look. You can’t escape it.

The streets are dead silent, but the silence is not without a sound. It’s the sound of desolation. The sound of destruction. The sound of terror.

Not even a day and a half ago, we walked from school to the bus stop. The roads were crowded with cars, trucks, and buses blaring their horns. The sidewalks were packed with pedestrians and merchants. Now, it’s a ghost town. It’s as if there was never any life here.

The city is… hollow.

A wall of smoke and smog surrounds me on all sides, preventing me from truly seeing anything clearly. Is it a blessing or a curse? I don’t see any of the destruction until I’m right on top of it. If Salman was even five more steps ahead of me, he would be lost behind the wall. We’re out on an open street; yet, it feels as if I am trapped in a prison. The dark walls of this prison follow me, not allowing me to escape their grasp.

We’re not alone. Walking through the darkness and smog, we cross paths with another group within the first fifteen minutes of the sun setting. I hear their footsteps first. It’s faint, almost inaudible. I think that it’s just my mind playing tricks on me. But then they step right out of the thick smoke, walking towards us. My heart instinctively spikes up in fear before I realize what they are: a father and his daughter. The girl is maybe a year younger than me. She’s holding her father’s hand as he keeps her close.

The father’s clothes are covered in dirt and dust. He does not pay us any heed. His downcast eyes are red and his beard appears a bit wet. He acts oblivious to everything around him, except for his daughter. He holds her as if he would die before ever letting go. My gaze locks with the girl’s as they pass right by us. Her eyes are just as tired as her father’s, and her gaze is still wide-eyed as she looks at the abyss around her. I witness countless emotions in them: confusion, fear, sorrow. They’re the same eyes as mine.

At that moment, I feel something. A connection. We’re strangers, yet comrades. I’ve never met her, but I know what she has been through. I know she witnessed her city suddenly torn apart.

I look away from her as she and her father continue on their path and we continue on ours. With every passing second, the echo of their footsteps grows fainter and fainter until they have again disappeared in the black smog. Without uttering a word, I pray that God keeps a hedge of protection over them.

Each street we come on to is the same as the previous one: buildings have been turned to ashes, vehicles are blown to bits, wreckage is everywhere, and the innocent have suffered. I do what Salman ordered: look straight ahead and ignore any corpses. Don’t even glance at them. They’re on every street, nearly littering some roads. I see them in my peripheral vision. Sometimes, a fire is reflecting off of them. Other times, it’s just their silhouettes. I try to make avoiding them into a game. But my mind is too aware of the reality to do that. I think Salman purposely goes around as many as he can so that we don’t walk over them.

The foul stench of carnage is strong on nearly every street. The vile odor follows us no matter where we go. If I had any food in my stomach, I would have thrown it up long ago. Every half hour, we see somebody cut through the fog and appear into view. Sometimes it’s a traveling group. Other times, it’s a person sleeping in an alley or sitting with their head in their hands. Hardly any of them give us a glance.

Every step is harder than the last. My feet become weighted stones. I almost can’t feel the uneven and cracked concrete underneath me. It’s as if I’m moving in a trance. I don’t know where I am or where I’m going. I’m simply walking through the abyss and listening to the only sound: my soft footsteps.

The longer we travel and the heavier my sack becomes, the more a fear grips me. The fear that we don’t know if we’re fleeing danger or walking into a den of hungry wolves. The fear that by the time we do reach home, what happened to Jari may have already happened to everyone.

We keep moving. We stay on the side of the road. Every once in a while, we climb over or go under some debris. Salman and Fatima don’t slow down a bit. I don’t know how long it’s been. However, after a while, I start having a hard time keeping up with them. It must be at least two hours before my feet begin feeling numb. And another half hour before I completely lose sensation in them. They’re so tired now that it hurts just to take another step. But Salman and Fatima don’t stop or complain and neither do I.

Every time I look up above, hoping to catch some sight of the heavens, all I see is smoke. It’s blocking out any light from the stars. There will be no relief tonight.

I notice a silhouette up ahead. It… it appears to be the minaret of a masjid. Hope is suddenly injected into my heart. With every step, the minaret breaks out of the smoke, and I can better perceive the masjid itself. I see its domed roof. It’s standing tall above all the destruction. If it’s still standing, it’ll be safe inside, right? Nobody will come into a masjid and harm us.

But then I see the entrance. The wall has collapsed in on itself. It’s been blown into a pile of rubble, completely blocking the front doors. One of the minarets has broken off and fallen straight down, smashing into the marble tiled courtyard. The minaret lies broken and scattered, no more recognizable than any of the other ruined buildings.

As the flames of another wreckage reflect off of the minaret and masjid, I stare at it in disbelief for a long moment. I almost ask Salman and Fatima if we should try to go around the masjid and look for the women’s entrance, but they hardly even give it a glance before continuing down the broken road. And so, without a word, I follow.

We keep trudging through the darkness, not knowing what lays even twenty feet ahead of us. For a little while, I think I hear some gunfire a few streets down. It spikes up for a moment, breaking the silence. We all stop. But then it dies off… and we keep moving.

There is a slight nighttime breeze long into our journey. The wind blows through the hollow streets, but it’s barely strong enough to be felt. However, as soon as it hits me, I look up and thank Allah. Just this drop is enough to quench my thirst for a while.

A few blocks later, I think I hear some sirens not too far away. They sound like police sirens. Or maybe an ambulance’s. Salman and Fatima don’t seem to react to it. However, the noise disappears as if it was never there, just like everything else tonight. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. We march on.

The longer and further we go, the louder the sound of silence becomes. It grips my soul like an unrelenting leech. It speaks into my heart, letting me know just how forsaken these streets have become. Is the entire city as desolate as here?

The silence is faintly broken by the crackling of a fire. It sounds like burning debris. I see it up in the distance as it dimly breaks through the mist. A few steps closer and I notice that it’s coming from an alley up ahead.

There’s a large heap of wreckage between us and the fire. Salman nearly runs into the debris before stopping. It’s about twice as tall as him. The mountain is made up of a bunch of bricks from a toppled building that’s overrun onto the road. He looks to the right and then the left. There’s no way around it.

Salman expertly climbs it. His movements are slow. The higher he goes, the more loose pieces of debris he unintentionally knocks down. With each move, he makes sure to find a stable footing before taking the next step. He arrives at the top with relative ease. Finding a firm area to plant himself, he turns around and offers Fatima his hand. After she takes it, he pulls her up and over to the other side. It’s almost effortless for him.

He firmly takes my hand next. As he pulls me with a heave, I grab a piece of debris that is jutting out and kick off of another to help push myself towards him. He lets out a groan as he yanks me upwards. The heavy sack isn’t making it any easier. I sense it pulling on my shoulder, forcing a pang of pain to run through it. My arm feels like it’s going to break off. As soon as I’m at eye-level with the top of the wreckage, I grab it with my free arm and help pull myself up. I groan in pain, my face turning red. My entire body is shaking as I dig deep to find my strength. Going up a few more inches, I throw my chest onto the mount and quickly worm myself onto it. As I do, a jutting brick’s edge sharply jabs into my side, but I barely give it a wince.

Salman hops down to join Fatima. I follow him. My feet hit the ground hard, shooting a shot of pain up my legs. The sack violently smashes against my sore upper knee, and I almost fall over before Salman catches me. That hurt more than I thought it would. As I rise back up, the foul odor immediately hits me.

The fear-striking silence surrounds me once more. It’s my only companion. The hollow sound of silence is worse than gunfire and explosions. Worse than screams. Worse than terror. Because mixed into this silence is abandonment and suffering.

And more than anything else, this silence is the silence of the unknown.

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

Interview with Isabella Muir…..

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

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

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

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do you pick your characters’ names?

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

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

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

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

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

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

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

Were you a big reader as a child?

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

When did you start to write?

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

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

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

Is there a book you wish you had written?

The Pilot’s Wife, by Anita Shreve

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

No fixed abode

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

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

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

What are you working on right now?

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

Do you have a new release due?

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

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

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

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Email: theisabellamuir@gmail.com

Website: https://isabellamuir.com/

Twitter @SussexMysteries

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

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

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

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

Happy reading!

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

The Invisible Case

A shocking death turns a homecoming into a nightmare. 

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

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

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

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

Author Bio –

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

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

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

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

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

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

Social Media Links –

TWITTER @SussexMysteries

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

WEBSITE: www.isabellamuir.com

Giveaway –

Win a signed copy of The Invisible Case (Open Internationally)

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Chasing Black Gold

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

Purchase Links:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Author Bio:

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

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

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

Twitter – https://twitter.com/rstonecbg

Twitter https://twitter.com/TheHistoryPress

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

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

Giveaway –

Win 10 x signed copies of Chasing Black Gold (Open Internationally)

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

 

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

Check this out ⇓⇓⇓

Forgive Me Not

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

 How far would you go to make amends?

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

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

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

Sometimes simply saying sorry isn’t enough.

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

Purchase Links

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

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

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

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

About Samantha Tonge

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

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

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

Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

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

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