My second blog tour for today is for Columbkill Noonan’s Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab. I have an interview with the author herself.

Many thanks to Columbkill Noonan and to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources for arranging the following interview…..

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

My books (the Barnabas Tew series) are a mash-up of good old-fashioned British detective stories mixed with a healthy dollop of mythological fantasy. The hero, Barnabas, is a bit bumbling, a bit particular, and a bit neurotic, but also very earnest and lovable.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

That’s a great question, and I wish I could give you a definitive answer. The truth is that I don’t really know! Most of the time I just wake up and boom! There’s an idea. Very inconvenient when this happens at 3 am, by the way!

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

I think I take little bits and pieces from everyone I know and combine those pieces to come up with characters that have their own identity and personalities.

How do you pick your characters names?

The gods and goddesses in the books are easy….they already have names, and stories, and backgrounds. But I let the other characters name themselves, in a way. And when you read the books you’ll realize that there really was no other name that would suit Barnabas nearly so well!

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

I wake up, have some tea and fruit, and then settle down to write for a couple of hours. If I don’t do it in the morning I’ll never do it! And there’s always my cat on my lap. She absolutely will not let me write without her.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Tolstoy, Camus, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Tolkien, George R.R. Martin (I know that’s 6 but I just couldn’t leave anyone out!)

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

Probably George R.R. Martin. I’d ask him when he’s going to finish the books (and I’d probably ask him to hurry up, please!)

Were you a big reader as a child?

Very much so. I loved books so much that I essentially taught myself to read when I was 4 so that I wouldn’t have to wait for someone to read to me. My sister and I particularly loved The Lord of the Rings…we had a silver baton, and we’d pretend it was “Sting”, and when light hit it we’d scream that the orcs were coming and run away. We also had some pet finches that we named Bilbo and Gandalf.

When did you start to write?

I tried writing when I was 5. Needless to say the result was more than a little absurd (a little dog who got lost on vacation had to make her way back to Maryland from the Himalayas…and did it!) But I started writing in earnest a few years ago, when I wrote my first “serious” short story and saw it published. That was very exciting for me since I never thought that would actually happen!

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

I don’t think I’d change an ending…it would make a completely different story to change the ending around, wouldn’t it?

Is there a book you wish you had written?

My work-in-progress, that I’ve been working on off-and-on for years, that is an epic story spanning a rather large swath of history. One day, maybe, I’ll finish it!

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

I don’t know what I’d call it, but I know that it would be a real tragi-comedy!

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

I would take Boromir from Lord of the Rings to this little organic juicery in Annapolis, Maryland. I really wonder what he’d make of it?

What are you working on right now?

The second Barnabas adventure (“Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds”) is getting ready to launch on September 4^th, so I’m working on getting things ready for that. I’.m also about halfway through the third book. I’m hoping that it comes out sometime in 2019.

Do you have a new release due?

“Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds” picks up where “Missing Scarab” leaves off…but this time Barnabas and Wilfred are in the Viking afterlife. I loved writing Barnabas’ reactions to the Viking gods; they’re even more extreme than the Egyptian ones!

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

There’s a wonderful restaurant in Baltimore City that holds the most fabulous launch parties for me. It’s called One World Café, and they’re genius at coming up with themed parties. The party for “Missing Scarab” was a mix of Victorian and Egyptian themes, with a violinist from the Peabody Institute alongside a pretty realistic-looking mummy. The owner is coming up with a ton of amazing ideas for the launch of “Nine Worlds”, and I really can’t wait to see how it works out. And, besides, the food there is amazing!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

You can find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/columbkillnoon1

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Just that the Barnabas series is light-hearted and fun…I wanted to create something that was amusing and uplifting. Read them with an expectation of whimsy!

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

Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab

Barnabas Tew, a detective in Victorian London, is having a hard time making a name for himself, probably because most of his clients end up dead before he can solve their cases. His luck is about to change, though, for better or worse: Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, notices him and calls him to the Egyptian underworld. A terrible kidnapping has occurred; one that promises to put an end to the status quo and could perhaps even put an end to the entire world. It is up to Barnabas (along with his trusty assistant, Wilfred) to discover the culprit and set things to right. Can he turn his luck around and solve the most important case of his life?

Purchase Link – mybook.to/Barnabas

Author Bio –

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

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

Social Media Links – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan/

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

Hi all,

I have the pleasure of joining in with two blog tours today! The first is M J Lee’s The Vanished Child.

Many thanks to M J Lee and to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources

The Vanished Child

What would you do if you discovered you had a brother you never knew existed?

On her deathbed, Freda Duckworth confesses to giving birth to an illegitimate child in 1944 and temporarily placing him in a children’s home. She returned later but he had vanished. 

What happened to the child? Why did he disappear? Where did he go? 

Jayne Sinclair, genealogical investigator, is faced with lies, secrets, and one of the most shameful episodes in recent history as she attempts to uncover the truth.

Can she find the vanished child?

This book is the fourth in the Jayne Sinclair Genealogical Mystery series, but can be read as a standalone novel.

Every childhood lasts a lifetime.

Purchase Link – myBook.to/vanishedchild

This sounds like my kind of read. I’ve just downloaded books 1-3 as I personally prefer to read a series in order.

Author Bio –

Martin has spent most of his adult life writing in one form or another. As a University researcher in history, he wrote pages of notes on reams of obscure topics. As a social worker with Vietnamese refugees, he wrote memoranda. And, as the creative director of an advertising agency, he has written print and press ads, tv commercials, short films and innumerable backs of cornflake packets and hotel websites.

He has spent 25 years of his life working outside the North of England. In London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai, winning awards from Cannes, One Show, D&AD, New York and London Festivals, and the United Nations.

When he’s not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure in playing with his daughter, researching his family history, single-handedly solving the problem of the French wine lake and wishing he were George Clooney.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.writermjlee.com

Twitter – https://twitter.com/WriterMJLee

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/writermjlee

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

Enjoy!

Hi all!

I’m delighted to be joining in with Rachael Stewart’s Unshackled blog tour today. I have my review to share as well as a giveaway for you all to enter…..

Many thanks to the author and Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources

My review…..

If you’re a regular reader of my blog then you will know that I don’t often read erotic fiction, and this book is a complete change of pace to the previous book I read! However, it has made a refreshing change to the crime fiction I read more often. That said, this story is quite violent in parts.

Abi is 22 years old and has lived under the control of her wealthy step-father since they lost her mother when she was 8 years old. Her step-father is a nasty piece of work. A slimy, self-important creep who I wouldn’t want to have to live with. He’s had many women over the years and Abi has never paid them much attention even though since she’s been an adult some have not been much older than herself. His most recent girlfriend, Emma, is no exception. The first time Abi sets eyes on her something stirs within her and she soon finds herself drawn to her like she’s never been drawn to anyone in her life, least of all another woman. It isn’t long before Emma returns her affections, but things get nasty when her step-father finds out. Abi discovers she could have been legally free from him already, but he has used his money and influence over others to ensure he keeps control of her and her assets. He really is a horrible man and those he’s roped in along the way aren’t much better. It just goes to show how easily some people will let their morals slip when money is involved!

Abi and Emma make a plan, but it’s never going to be easy getting the better of a man determined to have his own way and keep strict control over the women in his life. Will they escape his clutches?

This book is very erotic with extremely explicit sex scenes, but it also has a much deeper story full of secrets, corruption and abuse. Above all it’s a love story and two people’s fight for a brighter future, together. It’s very well written, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Many thanks to Rachael Stewart for my review copy.

Unshackled

Unshackled is a thrilling ride of sexual awakening, love, money and corruption…

Trying to escape the evil hold of her stepfather, Abigail becomes a player in a wildly debauched world that has her body hitting a plethora of sexual highs, while her heart clings to her new-found love and the desire to be free. But can she break away and keep it all—the money, her freedom and the girl?

Or will she lose everything?

Purchase Links

• Amazon UK amzn.to/2Fh8hZ3

• Amazon US amzn.to/2Fer3Ak

• Barnes & Nobile bit.ly/2KfGLyS

• Kobo bit.ly/2HNnhTT

• Smashwords bit.ly/2r05E91

Author Bio –

Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heart-warmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.

Despite a degree in Business Studies and spending many years in the corporate world, the desire to become an author never waned and it’s now her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.

A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she’s not glued to her laptop, she’s wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.

Social Media Links –

Website: www.rachaelstewartauthor.com

Twitter: @rach_b52

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rachaelstewartauthor/

Giveaway –

Win an e-copy of Unshackled by Rachael Stewart (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!

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

Enjoy!

I don’t think I have ever read such a disturbing opening chapter to a book, ever! It is most definitely not for the faint hearted. Dark is an understatement and the book does come with a warning.

If you really can’t cope with reading anything involving child sex abuse then this book won’t be for you. Having said that it is so brilliantly written that there was no way I could put it down once I started. I needed to find out if these evil, sadistic, sick characters get what they deserve before any other children get hurt.

Dr Galbraith is a child psychiatrist. He’s married with two young daughters and is thought of by many as a pillar of the community. He is also a paedophile, with a preference for young boys and he’s already murdered one in the cellar of his own home which he has kitted out with soundproofing. He controls his petrified wife who wouldn’t even dare question what he does in their cellar. The physical and emotional abuse she suffers at his hands is just awful, the poor woman. It just goes to show that you never know what might be going on behind closed doors, however ‘normal’ a family might appear. So scary!

Eight year old Anthony Mailer is referred to Galbraith by his GP as he isn’t coping well with his parent’s separation. He soon becomes Galbraith’s new obsession and his determination to have him is just terrifying. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants which leads to the most horrendous chain of events and a race against time to save Anthony from a horrific ordeal.

The police procedural aspect of the story is excellent. It is obvious that the author has significant experience in this field and knows exactly what he’s talking about. The things he must have seen and heard throughout his career must be heart-breaking. I take my hat off to any police officers and social workers who are faced with such cases. They must stay with you forever.

Galbraith is all the more terrifying for knowing that there are real people out there just like him, many in trusted positions of power, and that every day children suffer at the hands of these psycho’s. John Nicholl writes characters that literally made me feel physically sick. However, his story is well plotted, with excellent characterisation and it flows perfectly. I found it totally gripping and the ending…… Wow! Just awesome!

If you like a dark psychological thriller then look no further. You’ll love this!

Many thanks to John Nicholl for my review copy.

Via Amazon UK…..

Are you looking for a dark and gripping psychological thriller? Then you’ll love White Is The Coldest Colour by #1 best-selling author John Nicholl.

Be careful who you trust…

The Mailer family is oblivious to the terrible danger that enters their lives when seven-year-old Anthony is referred to the child guidance service by the family GP, following the breakdown of his parents’ marriage.

Fifty-eight-year-old Dr David Galbraith, a sadistic, predatory paedophile, employed as a consultant child psychiatrist, has already murdered one child in the soundproofed cellar below the South Wales Georgian town-house he shares with his wife and two young daughters.

When Anthony becomes Galbraith’s latest obsession he will stop at nothing to make his grotesque fantasies reality.

But can Anthony be saved before it’s too late?

The book includes content that some readers may find disturbing from the start. It is dedicated to survivors everywhere.

What readers are saying:

‘One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve ever read.’ The Book Review Cafe

‘I confess to holding my breath as the conclusion drew near.’ Crimesquad.com

‘Nicholl is a superb storyteller; it is an art to write a book with such a violent and brutal plot line and conveying it without gratuitous details.’ Great Book Escapes

‘A masterfully written dark psychological thriller.’ Albina Hume – bestselling author

‘I don’t think that I’ve ever read a book that explores the darkness of the human mind and soul as well as White is the Coldest Colour. ’ Books, Movies and Wine Reviews.

‘One of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read!’ Carissa Backherms – bestselling author

‘I seriously was on the edge of my seat reading it.  I really do highly recommend his book.’ Cheekypee Reads and Reviews

‘Confident crime writing at its best. A must-read for lovers of very dark crime.’ Northern Crime

‘Some of the best writing I’ve read.’ Mark Tilbury – bestselling author

‘Absolutely brilliant.’ Relax and Read Book Reviews

‘The writing is fab. Intense and gripping. A hard-hitting, eye-opener of a book.’ Renita D’ Silva – bestselling author

‘A suspenseful eloquently worded page-turner.’ Angie Smith – bestselling author

‘I literally could not tap to the next page on my kindle quick enough.’ By The Letter Book Reviews

‘You don’t read this book, you experience it.’ Stella Marie Alden – bestselling author

‘I would very highly recommend this book.’ Readers Favorite

’The writing is superb. I was totally gripped.’ Read Along With Sue

‘Very cleverly plotted, well-developed characters, and disturbingly believable. The ending just blew my socks off. Highly recommended.’ Booklover Catlady Reviews

White Is The Coldest Colour is a dark and disturbing thriller, it will appeal to fans of authors like Joy Ellis, Mark Edwards, KL Slater and John Marrs.

About the author…..

John Nicholl, an ex-police officer, child protection social worker and lecturer, has written six darkly psychological suspense thrillers, each of which has been an Amazon # 1 bestseller.
John’s books are set in Wales and have a strong Welsh flavour. He began writing after leaving his job heading up child protection services for Carmarthenshire.
John has publishing deals with Bloodhound Books, W.F. Howes, and Hungarian publisher – Konyvmolykepzo. He is represented by Toby Mundy – Literary agent at TMA.

Hi all!

I’m thrilled to be joining in with a different kind of blog tour today! You have the chance to win yourself a £5 Amazon voucher, courtesy of M. K. Farrar, as part of her Some They Lie giveaway tour! 🙂 

If you live in the UK and have a valid email address, then make sure you enter.

You have to be in it to win it!

Many thanks to M. K. Farrar and Emma @ damppebblesblogtours

First of all, here’s some info about the lady herself and her book…..

Book Blurb:

Everybody hides the monster inside…

When Olivia Midhurst meets Michael, she doesn’t fool herself that he’s the perfect guy. No one is perfect—she knows that better than most. Everyone has their secrets, their skeletons in the closet. 

But something about Michael’s behaviour sets alarm bells ringing, and, when people around her start to go missing, and then turn up dead, she’s forced to act.

Knowing the police will never believe what she’s witnessed, and terrified her accusations will only drag up the past she’s worked so hard to bury, Olivia has no choice but to take things into her own hands…

About M.K Farrar:

M.K. Farrar is the pen name for a USA Today Bestselling author of more than thirty novels. ‘Some They Lie’ is her first psychological thriller, but won’t be her last. When she’s not writing, M.K. is rescuing animals from far off places, binge watching shows on Netflix, or reading. She lives in the English countryside with her husband, three daughters, and menagerie of pets.

You can sign up to MK’s newsletter here – https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/m6v9h8

Or she can be emailed at mkfarrar@hotmail.com. She loves to hear from readers!

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarissaFarrar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author/

Website: http://www.marissafarrar.com/

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

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-K-Farrar/e/B07DRGPWF3/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Purchase Links:

Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Some-They-Lie-M-Farrar-ebook/dp/B07CPSSZ7D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530977003&sr=8-1&keywords=some+they+lie+M.+K.+Farrar

Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Some-They-Lie-M-Farrar-ebook/dp/B07CPSSZ7D/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1530977828&sr=8-1&keywords=some+they+lie

Some They Lie is published by Warwick House Press on 24^th July 2018.

Giveaway…..

For your chance to win a £5 Amazon Gift Voucher all you need to do is go to the pinned post on my Facebook blog page and leave a comment telling us the title of the first book you would buy if you won. Easy!

The winner will be chosen at random on 26th July.

(I will PM the winner to ask for their email address which I will pass on to M. K. Farrar for the purpose of sending out the prize only.)

Here’s the link:

Kerry’s Book Blog Page

Go!

For more chances to win check out the other spots on the tour with these awesome book bloggers…..

Good luck!

Synopsis:

A frightening new case. A mysterious journal. The beginning of the end. Lauren Westlake has left behind the horrors of northern Minnesota to investigate a strange package with a cryptic return address. Crossing the country to the city by the bay, Lauren discovers that Locke was only the beginning. Crossing paths with a stoic SFPD detective and a surprise from her past, she must figure out what hunts the foggy streets of San Francisco in this new novella. Is it vampires? Is it something more?

An excerpt from Drained:

THE OVERPASS that separated the yuppie, hipster youth of the city from its poorer denizens was indistinguishable from any other place in the city.

Benny squatted under the comfort of his concrete shelter to avoid the light drizzle that replaced the evening fog. His grizzled features and unkempt salt-and-pepper hair might be charming if he weren’t several shades of crazy and hungrier than a feral cat. He remembered when he could wink and say a few smooth words and a beaming waitress might swoon––regaling her with stories about his gigs around the city and the promise of a little danger.

In the late 70s Benny fancied himself a musician, playing the tall bass with a few friends; it was tough for Benny to think of them as friends now. What passed for a friend on the streets was someone who wouldn’t steal your blankets or chase you out of a rat-infested hole with a taped-together shiv made from broken bottles and pieces of fenders from stalled-out cars.

The 70s hadn’t been kind to Benny. Cocaine went from recreation to lifestyle, and then to death-style. As his other bandmates started lives, Benny spiraled deeper into despair.

His friends lost his number.

It wasn’t long before he didn’t have the money for electricity, and then he lived his life in darkness. From there, it was a short hop to not being able to pay rent; soon thereafter, the streets became his home. After enough time wandering the cold pavement, he became too volatile to bunk in the homeless shelters.

He was a creature of the streets.

Benny made a strange sort of existence for himself under the overpass. Newspapers were arranged like a well-manicured lawn. Boxes, crushed and water-damaged, were the wings of his great destitute estate. The barrel at the center of it all, burning brightly like a lighthouse upon rocky shores, was full of the wisdom of Western society: newspapers, magazines, and various novels.

Grumbling angrily and unintelligibly to himself, Benny dug through one of his grocery carts filled to the brim with postmodern junk; he was looking for a broken umbrella amidst the sea of garbage and treasure within his cart. As Benny extricated the battered object of his desire, he was startled by a voice. “I do enjoy these brief moments of gentle rain. Do you find them as soothing as I do?”

Turning, Benny was immediately irritated by the man’s presence. Dressed to the nines––with angular, symmetrical features––there was something unreal about his figure.

“I don’t want no trouble.”

The man smiled. “Nor do I. But I wonder, Benny, what is it that you’re looking for?”

Benny looked at the streets and saw cars zip past between the concrete dividers that obscured his shelter from view. It was the main reason why he stayed there: it was his island, his cabin in the woods.

“Mister, I’m hungry. Do you have any food?”

The man smiled again, disarmingly. “I must admit I’m a bit peckish myself. Though I have no food, at least nothing that you’d find satisfying, Benny.”

Benny was struck by the disconnected nature of their conversation, as if the man weren’t talking to him at all and instead reading from a script. This feeling became more surreal as the man stepped past him into the darkness of the overpass. His features were adulterated by the shadows there: his dark hair made darker, his gray eyes disappearing.

There, in the darkness, Benny heard something move.

“Watch out, mister, there are rats back there. I catch them sometimes and cook them up.”

The man chuckled but didn’t respond, turning his back to Benny. When he spoke again, his voice had changed; it seemed bloated and distant. “They never look for the wretches, Benny. Give me your poor. Give me your hungry. Those are just words. I’m hungry as well….”

The sound came again.

There was no mistaking it for a rat this time.

It was bigger.

Hollow, deliberate steps haunted the shadows.

A tremor crept across Benny, rising from his toes like acid reflux after he ate from the dumpster behind the Korean restaurant a few blocks away. “I don’t want no trouble,” repeated Benny, his voice quaking as he took a few steps back.

“You won’t have to worry about trouble any longer. I will take your fear. Feed on your fear….”

Benny thought to run.

Panic gripped him, but his muscles wouldn’t respond. He wondered if the lady doctor at the center was right: Was he crazy? Was he chasing shadows in the dark?

Looking at his bin of junk, he saw the broken pipe he’d taken from a rundown building in the Tenderloin. He thought it was copper, but it turned out to be rusted and useless like him. Gripping it like he was Babe Ruth waiting at the plate, he watched the darkness. The well-dressed man had disappeared, but his voice drifted on the air like a spirit.

“Why fight it, Benny? Is this really worth living for, this sad little life?”

Benny’s fear turned to anger.

Gesturing with the pipe, he shouted into the dark.

“How do you know my name?”

The laugh sent shivers down his spine.

Something in the darkness tripped and fell, collapsing the third and fourth cardboard bedrooms of his sprawling street estate. A figure emerged in the darkness: something frightening beyond words.

“We know all about you, Benny.”

As it took shape in the half-light of the passing cars, Benny held his breath and swung the pipe as hard as he could, lurching forward as it connected with thin air. With a gnashing maw, it blotted Benny from view and pulled him back into the darkness.

If you loved Bitten (or supernatural fiction, a good mystery, and a fun story), then you’ll want to give Drained a look. The third novella in the series, Frighten, will be released in early 2019.

Get it today on Kindle!

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.

Hiya,

I’d like to share this message with you all from Emma @ City Central Library, Stoke-on-Trent….. 

Hello everyone

If you fancy trying your hand at writing over the summer, here are two competitions which are linked with, or supported by, Stoke-on-Trent Libraries.

Potteries Prize for Short Fiction

At Stoke-on-Trent Libraries we’re very pleased to support The Writing Kiln to run the Potteries Prize for Short Fiction.

This is the second year of the Potteries Prize, which is open to writers who live, work, study or belong to a writers’ group in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. Entries should be 100-350 words long, and there will be prizes in categories including “Most beautiful use of language”, “Best line”, “Most compelling character” and “Most entertaining story”.

You can find out more about the prize, including full submission guidelines, at http://www.thewritingkiln.com/. If you’d like some inspiration, you can read last year’s winners on the library website at https://librariesonline.stoke.gov.uk – there’s some great stories there!

You have until Saturday 25 August to submit your story, so there’s a good few weeks to get writing.

Poetry On Loan – Poetry Competition 2018

Poetry on Loan promotes contemporary poetry through libraries in the West Midlands. Their fourth annual poetry competition is up and running, and it’s open to anyone who lives, studies or works regularly in the West Midlands. The theme this year is Take this…, which can be interpreted as imaginatively as you like. The prize for adult entries is a paid poetry performance at a Poetry on Loan event, and the junior prize winner will receive book tokens.

Entries must be submitted by 1 September 2018, and full submission details and competition rules are available at https://poetryonloan.org.uk/poetry-competition-2018 .

Best of luck to anyone who enters!

All best regards, and happy writing,

Emma

A couple of great opportunities! Let me know if you have a go. x

Wow, what an emotional roller-coaster of a read!

How To Mend a Broken Heart has been on my Netgalley list for far too long so I thought it was about time I bumped it to the top of my list. I am amazed this is a debut novel! Having said that, I knew I was in for a treat as it is published by Bookouture. They have some of the most amazing authors after all.

Anna Mansell has created the most beautifully written, heart-wrenching story here and doesn’t shy away from tackling some sensitive and difficult subjects with care and consideration, including suicide, adoption and abandonment. Not to mention the devastating feeling of having your heart trampled on by someone you loved and trusted.

Kat has just split up from her boyfriend of five years, Daniel. It was his choice to leave and Kat is understandably devastated. However, she is embarking on a promotion at work so is trying her best to focus on that. When a lady called Susan is admitted to her ward after attempting to take her own life, she has no idea where this lady’s story will lead. It will certainly help her to take her mind of missing Daniel.

Kat is an instantly likeable character, as are most of the characters in this story. Her fear of being alone forever and her self-doubt where her career is concerned makes her very real and believable. I did enjoy the banter between her and her best friend too. It was quite amusing at times. I was praying that she might give the handsome consultant a chance as he came across as one too good to turn down. Life is too short to waste it on those not worthy of our affections.

Rhys is another character I warmed to immediately and I loved his Mum. I can’t even imagine going through what they have both gone through, since losing Rhys’ brother, and my heart went out to them on more than one occasion. I imagined Rhys to be quite fit too! Hard-working and easygoing on the whole, but with the weight of the world on his shoulders. A proper decent bloke who has been dealt his fair share of heartache.

Susan is a tortured soul and I couldn’t help but feel for her. She has basically been existing for nearly 40 years, feeling unworthy of leading a fulfilled life, having to keep the most heart-breaking secret for all that time. I can only imagine! Now her parents have both passed away, she feels she has no purpose any more. That is until she has an unexpected visitor in hospital.

The story is told from the prospectives of Kat, Rhys and Susan and it flows perfectly as each chapter has the character’s name at the start. I found myself completely invested in these character’s and their stories to the point where I found myself thinking of them often when I wasn’t reading. I was hooked and couldn’t wait to find out if they all got the happy endings they deserve.

This story has made me smile a lot and cry a lot. It is so full of raw emotion which just oozes off the page. It also has it’s lighter and happier moments which make it an uplifting read overall. I have absolutely loved it!

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

For more info and to buy a copy…..

Enjoy!

Hiya!

I am delighted to be joining in with S C Cunningham’s Unfinished Business blog tour today 🙂

Many thanks to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources and to S C Cunningham for the following guest post…..

Crime Investigator & Author S C Cunningham

Unfinished Business (Book II of The David Trilogy)

Who am I, what do I write and why?

Who

I write under the name S C Cunningham. The ‘S’ is for Siobhan which is Irish and pronounced Shevonne. I know, I know, it’s a crazy spelling, go figure! I’m also a Crime Investigator.

What

I create Steamy Psychological Thrillers ‘The David Trilogy’ and Paranormal Crime Thrillers ‘The Fallen Angel Series’.

Why

I tend to write what I know, it’s easier that way and I’m lazy. Luckily I’ve worked in a few interesting industries and met some fascinating characters – some glamorous, some inspiring and some downright evil.

My background is eclectic – Fashion Modelling, Music to Film Production, Football Club Sponsorship, Sports Celebrity Management, Horseracing/Golf/Tennis Events, Children’s Int’l Charity, and more recently Crime (Major Crime Team, Intel Analyst, Wanted Unit, Absconder Unit, Crime Investigations Hub).

I have a passion for justice, for good winning over evil, mixed with a cocktail of murder mystery, suspense, thrills, laughter, steamy sex, twists and turns.

My writing crosses a few genres, which is what I prefer to read. I like to be entertained on a few levels at the same time – as we are in real life. Popular TV Soap scripts manage this cocktail mix well.

The seed for The David Trilogy was sown when I didn’t follow my gut one day and ended up crossing paths with a violent serial attacker who was haunting single girls living in basement flats in London. I got away unscathed, many didn’t. I remember looking at the offender and asking why? What had happened in his life to make him become so evil?

He seemed to be an intelligent, well dressed, clean living, ok looking kind of guy, nothing screamed psycho. So why, what, where, when, who? Ironically these are the 5 ‘W’ questions asked of detained custody prisoners during interview.

I wrote the fictional trilogy to warn that there can be evil lurking around any corner – so learn to trust and follow your gut! To also shed light on those in authority who abuse their position of power.

The seed for The Fallen Angel Series was sown when I was about 4yrs old, I was taken by a man, luckily, I got away. The following week another little girl was taken, she didn’t. This had a strong effect on me, coming from an Irish Catholic family I used to say my prayers every night asking God for a deal. That if I was a good girl, when I died before I went to heaven could I sit on a cloud for a while, be invisible and get all the bad guys that slipped through his fingers?

My protagonist in the crime-fighting vigilante angel series had the same deal, when she mysteriously dies aged 30 years she awakes to find a whole load of MI5 type units in the skies, full of those who have asked for the same deal. Warning, these guys are no angels, but they get the job done.

I like to study the psychology of people, work out what makes them tick and why. Coupled with my Crime Investigation work involving; forensics, social services, prisons, CPS, courts, border agencies etc it helps give a breadth of knowledge useful to a writer. (I have signed the Official Secrets Act , which quite rightly stops me from writing about cases I have worked on).

So, I guess I write thrillers because of my life experiences. The storylines have found me.

Thank you for stopping by and remember to follow that gut of yours, it’s the best tool we have in the box.

Siobhan

S C Cunningham

The David Trilogy – The Penance List, Unfinished Business, For My Sins (in progress).

The Fallen Angel Series – The Deal, Karma (in progress).

Unfinished Business

He loved being him… he got away with murder.

She loved being her… until she met him.

The steamy roller coaster ride of psychotic David’s obsession with his childhood sweetheart, a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour and pulsating sex scenes.

With the help of her gutsy friends, fun-loving city girl Tara Warr is the only victim to survive David Howard’s death list. Whilst lounging in prison the hypnotic sexual tour de force enlists an eager recruit, seduces a prison warden and relocates to the sunnier climes of Mexico, a freedom short-lived when his charred remains are found in the fire of a plastic surgeon’s clinic. The police cease their search, finally Tara and her friends can relax, David is dead.

Laughter soon turns to fear when he communicates via Tara’s laptop that he is very much alive, knows their every move and is ready to finish what he started. He is among them, but who? He has a brand new face.

Tara has had enough, time to turn the tables and make him suffer. A woman unafraid of death is a dangerous thing. Has David finally met his match?

Purchase from Amazon –

USA

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unfinished-Business-David-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00B623ABC/

UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unfinished-Business-David-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00B623ABC/

About The Author

British Author S C Cunningham (The Penance List, Unfinished Business and The Deal) creates psychological and paranormal thrillers with a skilled mix of fueled tension, dark humor, and pulsating sex scenes. Her works offer a fresh level of sincerity and authority, rare in fiction.

Cunningham writes what she knows. Abducted as a child, she survived; and every night for months afterward, she prayed to God, asking for a deal. This personal journey sparked the fuse behind the intriguing and riveting fictional world she portrays in The Deal, the first in the Fallen Angel Series. Twenty years later she crossed paths with a violent serial attacker, thus sowing the seed for her thrillers The Penance List and Unfinished Business part of The David Trilogy. She is currently working on Book III For My Sins.

An ex-model, British born of Irish roots, she married a rock musician and has worked in the exciting worlds of rock music, film, sports celebrity management and as a Crime Investigator for the Police – Wanted & Absconder Unit, Intelligence Analyst, Major Crime Team, Investigations Hub.

Having worked in the music to film industry, she writes with film in mind. The Penance List has been adapted to film screenplay.

Social Media Links –

Website – http://www.sccunningham.com/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/SCCunningham8

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pg/sccunningham8/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/siobhancunningham8/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sccunningham/

Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+SCCunninghamAuthor

Amazon Author Page USA – https://www.amazon.com/S-C-Cunningham/e/B002L3ZC2U/

Amazon Author Page UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/S-C-Cunningham/e/B002L3ZC2U/

Giveaway –

Win a signed copy of Unfinished Business (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!

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

Enjoy!

Hiya!

I have my review of this lovely book to share with you today…..

Many thanks to Anna at RedDoor Publishing

My review…..

(written 8th July)

The Power of Dog follows on from Andrew Marshall’s first book, My Mourning Year, which I read and reviewed a little while ago. Both are his diary entries from the time he lost his beloved Thom and the weeks, months and years that followed. Andrew, as I’m sure most people do when they lose someone so young, struggles with his grief and can’t imagine a life without Thom. As these books prove though, things do slowly get easier and although Thom is never far from Andrew’s mind, he does move on eventually. The Power of Dog is Andrew’s account of how getting a puppy helped to heal his grieving heart. I have thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Andrew again and finding out how he got on as time moved on. This book is much more positive than the first as Andrew’s puppy, Flash, makes such a big difference to his life. I know exactly how comforting and special being a dog owner is. My Bella is never far from my side and although she’s a Shih Tzu and nowhere near as energetic as Flash, she is very much my dog and always likes to know where I am.

It was lovely to follow Andrew on his journey with Flash. I found many a moment highly amusing, especially through the puppy and adolescent phases! I totally empathise with Andrew’s guilt when he has to leave Flash at home. You should see the look I get from Bella when she knows I’m going out and not taking her with me! Dogs are very much a part of the family and that’s how it should be, in my opinion. As I write this we are on a weeks holiday in Wales and Bella is with us. Yes, it might restrict some of the things we could do, but so what. Our holiday is more special for bringing her with us and we’re all having a lovely time. Of course, it helps that the weather is so glorious. Anyway, my point is that dogs enrich our lives and Andrew’s life with Flash proves this beautifully. The obvious love and respect they have for each other pours from the pages and I have found the whole story heart-warming. I like Andrew, I think he’s someone I would get on well with. Reading his books makes me feel like I know him already. They are a very intimate and honest account of the most distressing time of his life and how he manages to build a new life for himself. I think anyone suffering the grief of a loved on would relate to his story and I’m sure would find comfort in knowing there is hope for happiness. I know everyone grieves differently. There are no rules or time frames. Anyone who thinks there is has never lost anyone they truly love. Lucky them!

The latter part of The Power of Dog is devastating. I am dreading when this time comes for Bella and I know many, many people who will know how traumatising it is to have to say goodbye to a dog (or any beloved pet). My heart went out to Andrew. I remember how devastated I was when we lost my previous baby pooch, Lady, when I was 22 years old. She was only 11 years old. I was pregnant with my son, so my parents wouldn’t let me go with her when we had to have her put to sleep, as they didn’t want me getting in to a state so early on in pregnancy, but I have never forgiven myself for not being there for her.

I’m sorry for rambling on about my own pets, but I know exactly what Flash meant to Andrew and I’m sure he will be fondly remembered forever. I believe he was sent to Andrew for the very purpose of giving him a new lease of life. A dog will be the most loyal friend you will ever have, if you give them the life they deserve and Andrew certainly gave Flash a happy and fulfilled life. I have loved their story.

The Power of Dog is a heart-warming and thought provoking read. If you are a dog lover I’m sure you will relate to Andrew’s story. Also, if you have lost a loved one.

If you are thinking about sharing your life with a dog, read this and I’m sure it will help you to decide. I can’t imagine being without mine.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for my ARC. I am delighted to be a part of the blog tour 🙂

Via AmazonUK…..

A memoir about getting a first puppy, turning forty and transforming a son and mother’s complicated relationship.

On the eve of the millennium, the life of therapist and best-selling self-help author Andrew Marshall was in a dark place. The counselling that he recommended to everybody else had not shifted the grief from the death of his much-loved partner despite trying three different therapists. His career as journalist had reached a dead end. He was struggling with low-level depression and his polite but distant relationship with his mother had left them both tip-toeing round each other.

His solution? To get Flash, a collie cross puppy perhaps not the best choice for someone who’d never owned a dog, or even lived with one, before.

In this funny and moving memoir, Marshall chronicles not only the ups and downs of training an excitable puppy but how Flash brings back his childhood fear of wolves and the unresolved issues with his parents. Slowly but surely, by looking though Flash’s eyes, Marshall starts to laugh again, fall in love with the Sussex countryside and heal old wounds with his mother. At the climax of Flash’s puppy years, he gives him enough confidence to take a real-life wolf for a walk. And in the final section of Marshall s diary, Flash still has one last lesson to teach him.

BUY

About the author…..

When my partner Thom died, I felt the only place that I could confess my feelings was my diary. Twenty years later, after sharing it with friends and work colleagues coping with a bereavement, I decided to share it with everyone. ‘My Mourning Year’ covers the year 1997/8. On the eve of the new millennium, I was feeling better, but my heart was still frozen. I knew something had to change but what? So I decided to get a puppy – even though I’d never had a dog before, not even as a child.’The Power of Dog’ is the story of how a puppy helped heal my grieving heart.

Although I’ve written eighteen self-help books, under the name of Andrew G. Marshall, I decided to publish this book as Andrew Marshall – partly so my regular readers did not get confused and thought this was another book of relationship advice and partly to acknowledge this was the private me.

Some background, I used to be a journalist (firstly in radio and more recently in newspapers and magazines). I still write the occasional newspaper feature and I’ve written several plays that have toured all over the UK and Eire. I trained as therapist thirty plus years ago with Relate and just over ten years ago, I wrote my first self-help title ‘I love you but I’m not in love with you’ which has sold 100,000 copies world wide. I now lead a team of therapists in London offering the Marshall Method (my style of couple counselling). In addition, I offer intensive therapy in Berlin

I am currently working on a third volume of memoirs.

My review of My Mourning Year…..

My Mourning Year: A Memoir of Bereavement, Discovery and Hope by Andrew G. Marshall @andrewgmarshall @RedDoorBooks #BookReview

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

Enjoy!

(my Twitter handle has changed to @chataboutbooks1 since this poster was designed)