OK Boomer: Meet Jean and Laura

I discovered OK Boomer

During lockdown, I missed coffee shops and the luxury of eavesdropping on conversations as I searched for characters. Fortunately, I discovered the OK Boomer podcast. I now listen to Jean and Laura chat about US life while I sip my coffee in Wales. Perfect! I learn so much about Millennials and the US way of life, but I enjoy the connections between our cultures. Anyway, these blogs cheer me up, so I wanted to share them with you. I invited Jean and Laura to tell us more about their podcast.

Jean: Jessie, thank you so much for inviting The Real Jean and Laura to your lovely blog. And thank you for listening to our podcast, OK Boomer. We want everyone to be happily OK. My little sister wanted to start a podcast and we developed OK Boomer. ‘OK Boomer” has become a dismissive act of ignoring a comment a Boomer says. Instead of feeling upset or put off by eye rolls, we are here to gently remind Millennials and Boomers we are all OK! Let’s laugh and lean in together. So here we are! Let’s get to know each other.

Meet Jean

Meet Jean, a writer, blogger, book reviewer, bon vivant and encourager

I have lived my entire life in Tropical Ohio. My goal is to make friends with everyone in the world. I enjoyed careers in Speech Therapy and Law, but my favorite job titles are Wife and Mom. I also answer to “Can You Help me find My…”

I am currently a writer, blogger, book reviewer, bon vivant and encourager. I wrote a fiction series, The Golden Age of Charli that showcases the problems and praises of family life and retirement, mixed with a few surprises. As writers say, I am a work in progress.

I am now in the penultimate stage of my life and I’m exploring the world of retirement. My husband and I are still searching for those matching soaker tubs.

Meet Laura

Meet Laura. ‘I have no intentions of retiring or slowing down ever. Our motto is retire and do what?’

I don’t always feel the Tropical but have also lived my entire life in Grey Skies, nothing but Grey Skies Ohio (thankfully grey is a popular color these days). I do truly love my Beautiful Ohio which does have sunny days and can’t imagine moving, mostly because I have too much clutter to ever sell my house.

My various jobs have included human resources, substitute teacher, website/app creator for Wear This One and realtor, but my life and loves always revolve around my faith, family, now five children, friends, neighbors and a very patient husband. This world indeed is very good.

Life is short and why not try various hobbies and careers while I can still move and function, somewhat! I never learned a good golf swing, can’t hit a tennis ball, crafts are nonexistent and not a big reader, but alas I can talk, travel and eat!

I have no intentions of retiring or slowing down ever. Our motto is retire and do what? My goals are to keep moving, set foot in all fifty states, learn to bake a perfect coconut cake and find humor along the way.

Jessie:  I think the OK Boomer sisters are funny, hopeful and positive. I love the jolly title sequence music at and the way you introduce yourselves. Tell the readers what you chat about

I think the OK Boomer sisters are funny, hopeful and positive.

Jean: Great, thanks. Here’s the start of one of our podcasts- to give you an idea!

Hello Hello! I’m Jean…

And I’m Laura and we are here to encourage all you Boomers, Millennials and everyone in between to be happily OK together!

Hi Jean, How are you?

I’m feeling ok, but right away I have to start off with a question for you. Ready? We had a great reason for naming our podcast OK Boomer. What was it exactly? Do you remember?

Well, luckily I’m on my fourth cup of coffee. Oh Jean that seems so long ago. I think it was our kids were using the expression “OK Boomer” and we thought they were just being nice, fun and positive, like “Hey Ok you are a Boomer!” So we thought that would be a fun name for our podcast.

Like a pat on the back! Ok Boomer! Wham!

Yes, a positive affirmation. I’m Ok. You’re Ok!

But we decided to look up “Ok Boomer” on the Google machine and we were a little horrified to realize it was actually a derisive term. Like it’s “an eye-rolling, silly old person, you know nothing” comment.

(Jean says “OK Boomer” in a contemptuous way.)

It’s all in the expression and the eye-rolling.

But, that is not what we mean- our way is to be positive and encouraging.

Yes we want to be happily ok together, with ourselves and with our Millennials.

So we should get the Nobel Prize?

I never thought of that! Maybe we could. For bringing Millennials and Boomers together!

Drop in and listen to a podcast here:

Episode 15: Willy Nilly we’re still OK, and Boomer be Careful of what you Say!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ok-boomer-podcast/id1495424567?i=1000476749247

We’d love for you to listen to us. Keep the comments coming! You can find our podcast episodes at OKBoomerPod.com or on any of your favorite podcast apps. We are also on

Twitter and Instagram at @OK_BoomerPod

Jessie – your readers might also like Episode 14: Awful Waffles and Playful Porcupines. We discuss our American view of British cream teas.

 

Please see all my guests’ posts at Mail from the Creative Community and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

Peeking Inside the Book Blogger’s Bag

Dr Carol Cooper has interviewed me about blogging and writing. it was fun to be answering someone else’s questions for once. Read it here at:

Peeking Inside the Book Blogger’s Bag

 

 

I have sent this out again as the ‘re-blogging’ function didn’t work properly.

 

Does the Camera Lie?

‘Alex made the images look like big cartwheels bursting with droplets of fresh juice’

Determined to confuse my senses, Susan Willis has sent me her take on a foodie extract. The fruit is alive with colour but isn’t as delicious as it seems.  Let Susan tempt you another cheeky extract from The Girl in the Dark.  Find out if all is well and whether the kitchen is too hot.

 

‘Kim sliced large Jaffa oranges and bright, full Sicilian lemons’

Kim sliced large Jaffa oranges and bright, full Sicilian lemons while Alex made the images look like big cartwheels bursting with droplets of fresh juice. He’s such a clever guy, she thought.

She began to peel a kiwi fruit while Alex watched. He grinned at her. ‘I haven’t had this much fun for ages,’ he teased. ‘What do you think about this, Kim?’    

‘Hmm, not a shade of lipstick I’ve ever used before, but, I suppose there’s always a first time for everything?’

Kim giggled. ‘Hmm, not a shade of lipstick I’ve ever used before, but, I suppose there’s always a first time for everything?’

Alex stared into at her mouth. ‘Maybe not, but you do have those big kissable lips!’

She felt her cheeks flush and touched her bottom lip. It feels as though I’m in some type of trance, she thought, and knew for certain that she was falling for this guy in a big way.

‘Let’s see what this pineapple looks like when sliced?’

Kim shook herself. ‘Let’s see what this pineapple looks like when sliced?’                        

Alex danced a little jig from one of his big loafers to another. ‘God, I love it when a plan comes together.’

Kim laughed at the sight of his huge feet skipping lightly.

Alex placed three apples together, but Kim frowned knowing the image didn’t look original compared to the rest of the work.

Touching his arm, she suggested, ‘How about if we make long rows of the apples?’

‘But maybe the first one could be cut in half to show the white crispness inside, or, I could always take a bite out of one of them?’

He nodded as she placed the fruit. ‘Fab.’ he said. ‘But maybe the first one could be cut in half to show the white crispness inside, or, I could always take a bite out of one of them?’

‘What a marvellous team we are,’ Kim cried.

Alex agreed and came up close to her. He bent down to her ear. ‘Not just a pretty face, then,’ he whispered. ‘But more of a very clever lady, methinks.’

‘Oh, I think any stylist can come up with new ideas,’ she said gently shaking her head.

Alex smiled. ‘Aah, but you’re my food stylist and nobody else comes close.’

End of Extract

The Girl in the Dark

About the Novel

The Girl in the Dark is the latest Grip Lit novel from Susan Willis. A thrilling romantic suspense story that will keep you turning pages long into the night.

When Kim goes to old friend, Sidney’s, photography studio to start a new food styling contract she meets his new assistant, Alex. Kim is catapulted from her mournful existence into an explosive romantic relationship with Alex. Sidney, however, is wary. He thinks, there’s something not quite right about Alex, and urges caution.

Will Kim look back and wish she’d listened…

Susan Willis

Susan Willis is a published author of three novels, and five novellas’. She lives in the North East of England surrounded by family and friends. Following publication of a love story about a chef and her boyfriend, she wrote more foodie-based love stories and wove them into her first novel, ‘Yes Chef, No Chef’.

Now Susan has ventured into romantic suspense with her latest novel, The Girl In The Dark.

Set in her home town of Durham City, this storyline is not a who done it thriller, but, a psychological page-turner which she loved writing. We can only hope the heroine hasn’t put her trust in the wrong man?

Best of luck to Susan with this novel.

The heat is certainly on with this great summer read set in a photography studio in Durham. Kim is styling fruit for the new photographer, Alex, but it’s not only the July sunshine that is making her sizzle with anticipation. 

Follow Susan on:
Twitter:           @SusanWillis69
Email:              williseliz7@aol.com

 

Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com. 

Beautiful Tribute to a Friend

Mavis and Dot

A beautiful, moving letter arrived in my mailbox. Angela Petch sent me a letter she had penned to her late friend, Olga. Inspired by her friendship with Olga, she has composed a glorious seaside adventure about two heart-warming, hilarious characters called Mavis and Dot.  Mavis and Dot will be released on 14th November. Proceeds from sales of the fun novella will be donated to a cancer charity. It is my privilege to share Angela’s moving letter with you.

 

Dear Olga,

Instead of thinking too much about what I’m going to write to you, I’ll just dive in. Otherwise I’ll get maudlin and I only want to remember you with smiles.

When you stayed with us in Italy and you were already ill, in about five minutes you painted a water colour of tomatoes we were about to eat for lunch. It still hangs in Il Mulino.

Call me silly, but each Christmas I still pull out your beautiful home-made cards. When you stayed with us in Italy and you were already ill, in about five minutes you painted a water colour of tomatoes we were about to eat for lunch. It still hangs in Il Mulino.

You were talented. I laughed my head off when you were kind at my attempts – remember the day you held an art class and I tried to sketch your free-range chickens? They wouldn’t keep still, and I scribbled them out.  Everybody thought I’d produced abstract art, when it was my temper. I can’t draw, but I write. And when I sent you my first Mavis and Dot story, you sent me an illustration. It’s in the front of Mavis and Dot, dedicated to you. (I’ve added Wendy Whiting’s name. She died of cancer a couple of months ago. You would have liked her – she was a painter too.)

Olga and Angela all dressed up: a special friendship.

We were Mavis and Dot when we went on our charity shop hunts – struggling up high streets with our goodies in various towns around Suffolk where we both lived, hamming it up. Our children were young, and it was an escape for us to have these days out. I hope you like the adventures I’ve given our two personae. In the novella, you do your art, but as a life model; we find a hideous bargain or two… do you remember that sketch we did together at your summer party, when we dressed up as Mavis and Dot, entering stage with our winter overcoats and shopping trolleys? And ending up doing a strip tease. We were dressed in huge plastic bags of a particular bargain store we used to haunt. Whenever I hear Shirley Bassey’s “Big Spender”, I smile at the memory.

And when I sent you my first Mavis and Dot story, you sent me an illustration. It’s in the front of Mavis and Dot, dedicated to you

We both loved days at the seaside. Once, with daughters in tow, we embarrassed them by stripping to our undies and jumping in to the waves; their shocked cries of “Mummm” encouraged us further.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I’ll finish with a poem I wrote at a party held in your honour not long after you left us. Big hugs and I hope you enjoy Mavis and Dot.

 

 

And we were there.

September sun warmed stubbled, Suffolk fields
The sky leant down and kissed the earth with warmth;
Woodsmoke spiralled up with laughs and squeals and times remembered.
Everyone shared, linked memories of
A girl who was there.

Not there to sit inside the tepees
That cocooned the lovers, friends and young;
Not there to dance upon the beer-stamped floor,
To music coaxed from eager, nervous hands.

She may have slipped in quietly
To welcome us with summer’s long-lost rays
Or been the breeze that fanned the brazier’s picture flames
And gently shook her father’s tree…

But she was there
In stories of her kindness and her gifts;
And she was there
In daughters’ eyes or silhouette or turn of phrase.
In ideas whispered to the man she loves,
Who magicked them to being.
And she was there because she always is
And always shall be.
How could she not?

And we were there.

Call me silly, but each Christmas I still pull out your beautiful home-made cards.

The wonderful friendship is conveyed in Angela’s magical words. Angela is a wonderful lady and her words brighten my day: her sensitivity and humour are amazing.  She has a very special place in my heart, because I blogged my very first review about one of Angela’s novels.  Since reading Now and Then in Tuscany, Angela has become one of my favourite authors.  I would not have discovered Angela without my own accidental blogging adventures.  I can’t wait to share my review of Mavis and Dot very soon.

Since getting to know Angela, I have followed her writing journey.  She has published numerous stories in People’s Friend and is about to embark on her second publishing deal. 

About Mavis and Dot

A warm slice of life, funny, feel-good, yet poignant. Introducing two eccentric ladies who form an unlikely friendship. Meet Mavis and Dot – two colourful, retired ladies who live in Worthington-on-Sea, where there are charity shops galore. Apart from bargain hunting, they manage to tangle themselves in escapades involving illegal immigrants, night clubs, nude modelling, errant toupees and more. And then there’s Mal, the lovable dog who nobody else wants. A gently humorous, often side-splitting, heart-warming snapshot of two memorable characters with past secrets and passions. Escape for a couple of hours into this snapshot of a faded, British seaside town. You’ll laugh and cry but probably laugh more.”This book is quirky and individual, and has great pathos…[it] will resonate with a lot of readers.” Gill Kaye – Editor of Ingenu(e). Written with a light touch in memory of a dear friend who passed away from ovarian cancer, Angela Petch’s seaside tale is a departure from her successful Tuscan novels. All profits from the sale of the books will go towards research into the cure for cancer.

“…Clever, touching and powerful writing… Embark on a series of adventures with Mavis and Dot but prepare yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions.” Books in my Handbag.

More from Angela

I live in the beautiful Italian Apennines for several months each year. Such an inspiring location.

My love affair with Italy was born at the age of seven when I moved with my family to Rome where we lived for six years. My father worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and he made sure we learned Italian and visited many places during that time.

Later on I studied Italian at the University of Kent at Canterbury and afterwards worked in Sicily, where I met my husband. His Italian mother and British father met in Urbino in 1944 and married after a war-time romance.

I wanted to write “Tuscan Roots” not only for my amazing mother-in-law, Giuseppina, but also to make people aware of the courage and hospitality shown by families of our Italian neighbours in our corner of war-torn Tuscany.

This is my first novel and is a story about ordinary people who lived through extraordinary times. (Please note it is a revised version of “Never Forget”). I have just been signed by BOOKOUTURE for a two-book deal and one of these will be a slight re-write of “Tuscan Roots”. I am so proud to be a part of this publishing “family”, as they describe themselves.

A sequel to this book was published at the end of April 2017. “Now and then in Tuscany” features the same family that appeared in “Tuscan Roots”. The background is the transhumance, a practice that started in Etruscan times and continued right up until the 1950’s.

My research for both these novels has been greatly helped by my kind Italian, country friends, who have vivid memories of both the Second World War and the harsh times they endured in their childhoods.

Italy is a passion but my stories are not always set there. My next book is about two fun-loving ladies of “a certain age” who live by the seaside in Sussex and get up to all kinds of adventures. Watch out for Mavis and Dot! They will be launched on December 1st 2018 at St Paul’s Centre, Worthing, West Sussex.

 

Please see all my guests’ posts at Mail from the Creative Community and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

Essential book about the complexities of families for my handbag

Please see my blog at jessiecahalin.com

Practicing Normal 

Cara Sue Achterberg

An essential book about the complexities of families for my handbag but be prepared to experience a cocktail of emotions.

 

 

Click here to buy on Amazon

This clever novel may force you onto the psychiatrist’s couch to analyse your own life as well as searching for answers to the characters’ questions. For instance, Jenna asks:

‘Do you think that we all start out good and learn to be bad or are we just inherently good and others bad?’

‘Practicing Normal’ explores how the emotional landscape of our families influence who we are.  Achterberg presents a skilful construction of modern family life that the reader can ponder and deconstruct: these are real people, with real issues, there is no ‘phoney’ nonsense because you get right inside of their minds.

The changing dynamic of Kate and Everett’s love is contrasted with the self-absorbing excitement of teenage love.  Achterberg intelligently observes how our relationship with our parents and other experiences shape the capacity to love and the need to be loved.  She explores the impact of children and other demands on a relationship.  Achterberg’s style of writing is intelligent and measured, as she provides the reader with the knowledge of the issues that torment the characters.  Kate explains that ‘It wasn’t until the kids came along that loving him felt like an effort.’  Everett tells Kate that she ‘completes him’ yet admits that he is addicted to sex with other women.  The different perspectives from the characters are skilfully juxtaposed so that you gain a balanced perspective on events: Achterberg teaches her reader to empathise with all characters.

Kate moves from one crisis to another but believes that ‘crisis is better than real life’.  Sadly, she is a prisoner to routine and everyone else’s emotional needs:  She is a very astute observer of her family members but doesn’t confront them.  The reader knows why she isn’t happy and wants to shout at her to take action.  We gain insight into Kate from her daughter, Jenna.  Although Jenna is a disaffected teenager ‘pelting everyone with her anger’, she is the most insightful. Indeed, her father, Everett, is not as mature as his daughter.  He says, ‘I don’t buy the Asperger’s shit’ even though his son has been diagnosed with this condition.  Jenna observes that her father is angry because ‘his kids are not living up to his expectations’ of ‘normal’, and she luxuriates in wearing a mask of rebellion.  As a reader one despises Everett’s lack of empathy as much as one adores the boundless empathy of Jenna and her mother.

Everett doesn’t celebrate the amazing qualities of his own son who is ‘clever’, ‘funny’ and ‘awesome’. In contrast, Jenna and Kate are great at helping JT to be himself but they both struggle to celebrate their own qualities. Through Kate and Jenna, we learn about the challenges and rewards of supporting a child with Asperger’s.  JT is the happiest character, living in his own world without the burden of worrying about others; ironically Everett is living in his own world, without a concern for others, but it isn’t making him happy.  Is there a similarity between the emotional literacy of father and son that help them in the end?  Maybe Everett needs to learn that, that ‘Love isn’t romance.  It’s a grind. It’s being there every day, even when you don’t want to be.’

The characters in this novel are not static.  You will have to read the novel to see if the characters settle themselves like ‘the sun settles itself in the sky’ at the end of the day.  Be warned that this isn’t a cosy romance novel and it will challenge you.

I suggest that you bury yourself in the novel and let Achterberg teach you why, ‘the perfect house with the perfect family’ is only ever a veneer because everyone has issues and emotional baggage to handle.

Please see all my reviews on My Reading at https://jessiecahalin.com/my-reading/.

Yorkshire Lasses in Wales: When Jessie Met Judith Barrow

Judith Barrow, originally from Saddleworth, near Oldham, and on the wrong side of the Pennines but still in Yorkshire

Judith waited for me in a department store while I waited for her in Cardiff Library.  Would the meeting take place? Neither of us had thought to share our phone numbers prior to the meeting.  

Judith emerged from the lift, in Cardiff Library, wearing a silk purple top that was co-ordinated with her fabulous lilac hair.  I warmed to her instantly! Her beaming smile lit up her face and I knew she’d make me laugh.  She travelled from Pembrokeshire to take part in a panel on agents, traditional and Indie publishing and agents at the Crime Cymru event, and her huge canvas bag bulged with goodies for the day ahead.  I was lucky to grab some time with her.

We almost didn’t meet at Cardiff Library

Judith: At last, I thought you’d got lost in your handbag. I waited in the department store and realised I had no contact details. After I finished my mint tea, I asked three strange women if they were Jessie.  They thought I was mad.

Judith’s Yorkshire accent and mischievous blue eyes instantly made me giggle. Great to meet someone who spoke the same lingo.

Jessie:  I’m so sorry but I thought you’ be able to read my mind. Couldn’t you hear me calling you in my dulcet tones across the streets of Cardiff?  Don’t ask me why I didn’t send you my mobile number and confirm the meeting.  I also approached a couple of potential Judiths but the real Judith is much better. So pleased, I found a representative of Honno Press and she had your number.

We laughed and grabbed some coffee from a coffee station in Cardiff Library.  The staff set up a couple of chairs for us to conduct the chat.  Having spilt the coffee all over my hand, we settled down to chat about Judith. 

Jessie:  Judith, tell me what a Yorkshire lass is doing in Pembrokeshire.

Judith:  We went on holiday to Pembrokeshire, loved it and never returned to Saddleworth.  We bought a half-built house and renovated it.

Jessie:  Do you miss Yorkshire?

Judith Barrow – Secrets

Judith:  Pembrokeshire was a great place for our kids to grow up.  I miss Yorkshire stone, craggy landscape and the meandering moors. I love our house, in Pembrokeshire, but I always expected I’d live in a stone cottage in my old age.  As you can hear, even after forty years in Wales my accent hasn’t changed – I’m still a Yorkshire lass.  People say they can hear my voice in their heads when they read my books.  Lucky them!

Jessie:  Obviously, people love your voice as you have written eight books.  How did the writing start?

Judith:  Well, I hope they do. As for the writing, I’d written since I was a child but never done anything much about it. Then I went to night school with my daughter. I finished A Level English and went on to gain a degree through the Open University. Whilst studying for the degree, I had breast cancer, and this made me see life differently.  I decided to follow my dream to become a writer.  Initially, I had an agent but she wanted me to write as an author of Mills and Boon so I parted company with her.

A place that inspired the setting of Judith’s novels

Jessie: That’s ridiculous; your books are not of that genre.  The books are historical fiction with engaging stories of the Howarth family. The books have complex plots and characters.

Judith:  I write people driven, gritty dramas and wasn’t prepared to adapt my writing.  Eventually, I got a contract with Honno Press – an independent publisher in Wales- and found their approach personal and supportive.  My first book ‘Pattern of Shadows’

Jessie:  What’s Pattern of Shadows about?

Judith:  It’s the story of a nursing sister, Mary Howarth, and her family, during World War Two and is set around a POW camp located in a disused cotton mill in a Lancashire town.  When I was a child my mother was a winder in a cotton mill and I would go there to wait for her to finish work; I remember the smell of the grease and cotton, the sound of the loud machinery and the colours of the threads and bales of material.  Pattern of Shadows was meant to be a standalone book, but the characters wanted me to carry on with their lives. Eventually, it developed into a family saga trilogy. My recent book, the prequel, is A Hundred Tiny Threads. The two main characters, Winifred and Bill, are the parents of the protagonist in the trilogy, Mary Howarth. They wanted me to explain their, how they had become what they are in the trilogy. I was happy to; I think, as we get older, we are made by our life experiences.

Hundred Tiny Threads. The two main characters, Winifred and Bill, are the parents of the protagonist in the trilogy, Mary Howarth

Jessie:  I’m reading One Hundred Tiny Threads. I’m about a third of the way through.  It’s a great read.  The opening is engrossing with Winifred waking up to another day in the shop. The characters are so real, and I love getting inside their heads.  I’m shouting at them all the time. The way you thread the characters’ attitudes towards women is brilliant.  I’m fascinated by the Suffragettes in Leeds.  For some reason, I always imagined the movement to be concentrated in London.

Judith:  Researching the Suffragettes opened up my eyes.  I wanted to tell their story through the voices of the characters and show how women, in the society at that time, were ready for the change. Stories draw people into to the political background of the era, and life was certainly a challenge then.  People say my books are dark.  Have you got to the gory bits?

Jessie:  Well, there has been a murder.

Judith:  No, I’m thinking of scene after that – you wait.  Bill’s a bastard but it’s his background.  I don’t know why Winifred married him.

Jessie:  Oh no, what was Winifred thinking of?  I’m furious with her, as I haven’t read the terrible news yet.  I’m intrigued as to why she didn’t marry the love of her life and scared for her.

Judith: oh ‘eck, hope I haven’t I haven’t spoiled it for you, Jessie.  But, you must understand Bill had a terrible life as a child with his father.  And then he was a soldier in the horrendous First World Wars. He was also one of the Black and Tans when he returned from the Front. He’s a bastard but didn’t have it easy.  As I said, our lives shape us.

Jessie:  I agree and people interest me too.

Judith:  Yes, well your novel, You Can’t Go It Alone, is also character driven and could become a family saga.  I can see it now.  I want to know more about Luke and Rosa and their parents.

Jessie:  I plan to do that, and you have inspired me to complete historical research.  I would have to look carefully into the eras the generations were born into.   Thanks for your advice.

Judith:  No problem, I teach creative writing in Pembrokeshire, so I just can’t help myself (some would say it’s interfering!!).  Writing is like looking at the world through the eyes of a child and I love it. I watch folk walk past my window, at home.  It’s hilarious how people walk. I can’t stop people watching and passing it on through my books.  I never stop watching and am always so busy.

Narbeth book fair – a great book fair for readers and worth a visit

Jessie:  I notice you also organise Narberth Book Fair.

Judith:  Yes, I organise it with a friend, author, Thorne Moore.  It started in Tenby, but we had to move because we outgrew the venue with so many writers wanting to take part. I think it’s so important to attend these events; to get out there and meet the readers.

Jessie:  What advice would you give to fledgling writers?

Judith:  Get a professional editor and be prepared for a slog.  The first draft of the book is the best bit. I always cry when I get my editor’s comments.

Jessie: Tell me, what have you got in your handbag today?

Judith handed me a copy of Pattern of Shadows and a book entitled Secrets; an anthology of short stories of the minor characters in the trilogy. She proceeded to let me in on the secret life of her handbag.  She had some very colourful reading glasses, pens, more pens, bookmarks, a spare blouse, her mobile and an agenda. 

Judith:  As you can see I do love a bit of colour. I try to be organised and I absolutely love writing.  I want you to place these books in your handbag and let the Howarth family keep you company. You’ll love some of the family and dislike some of the other – but that’s life!

Judith is fabulous fun, and I had a blast meeting with her.  Meeting face to face is so much better than communicating on line.  I delighted in her humour, straight-talking and infectious sense of fun.  Judith is a natural storyteller, and this translates in her animated dialogue.  She told me she is ‘living each day’.  She thrives on her writing and engagement with authors.  Her generosity was evident in her willingness to share the benefit of her experience.

 I should add that I will be one of the authors at this year’s Narberth Fair: http://www.narberthbookfair.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/narberthbookfair/

About Judith:

Judith Barrow, originally from Saddleworth, near Oldham, and on the wrong side of the Pennines but still in Yorkshire, has lived in Pembrokeshire, Wales, for forty years.

She has an MA in Creative Writing with the University of Wales Trinity St David’s College, Carmarthen, a BA (Hons) in Literature with the Open University and a Diploma in Drama from Swansea University. She has had short stories, plays, reviews and articles, published throughout the British Isles and has won several poetry competitions. She has completed three children’s books.

She is also a Creative Writing tutor for Pembrokeshire County Council.

Contact Judith at:
Email: Judithbarrow77@gmail.com
Twitter: @judithbarrow77 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judith.barrow.3

Amazon link to her books:

Secrets
A Hundred Tiny Threads

Secrets

Winifred is a determined young woman eager for new experiences, for a life beyond the grocer’s shop counter ruled over by her domineering mother. When her friend Honora – an Irish girl, with the freedom to do as she pleases – drags Winifred along to a suffragette rally, she realises that there is more to life than the shop and her parents’ humdrum lives of work and grumbling. Bill Howarth’s troubled childhood echoes through his early adult life and the scars linger, affecting his work, his relationships and his health. The only light in his life comes from a chance meeting with Winifred, the daughter of a Lancashire grocer. The girl he determines to make his wife. Meeting Honora’s intelligent and silver-tongued medical student brother turns Winifred’s heart upside down and she finds herself suddenly pregnant. Bill Howarth reappears on the scene offering her a way out.

 

Please see all my interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Autumn Magic

‘Autumn is the best time of year for me to write because the tranquillity inspires reflection.’

The light is magical in October and bathes everything in a warm glow. There is also a stillness in the air, suggesting nature is waiting to go to sleep so that it can create more colour in the spring. Autumn is the best time of year for me to write because the tranquillity inspires reflection.

As leaves flutter to the ground, characters come to life. The promise of the festive season hovers as winter waits patiently to present the first shimmer of frost. It is no wonder, then, that I am delighting in penning a Christmas scene at the moment.

I am writing a novel set in World War Two. It is a joy to escape to the era where my grandmother was a young woman and the festive season required creativity. At Christmas time, my grandmother made her own festive wreaths and table decorations with foraged holly, ferns and berries and added bows and gold paint. She told me stories of how my great grandfather spent months making and renovating toys in the lead up to Christmas. I have given this resourceful nature to the characters. Everyone was creating Christmas decorations the last time I visited my novel.

‘Thanks to my grandmother’s memories of the era, love and laughter are shining in the scene packed with friends and family.’

Thanks to my grandmother’s memories of the era, love and laughter are shining in the scene packed with friends and family. Furthermore, families are collaborating to celebrate Christmas and there are some heartwarming moments, especially when gifts are exchanged. Romance is also sparkling but a mystery lurks beneath the Christmas magic.

‘As leaves flutter to the ground, characters come to life’

When I listen to the characters chat, I reflect on how we can create a unique Christmas without all the expense. Recent events have made me very aware of how much people matter and my characters teach me new things all the time. I am excited to share this heartwarming story one day, but for now I am enjoying the process of cutting back the scenes and walking amongst the words that have fallen.

Wishing you all a calm and creative autumn.

For more information about my writing and how Wales inspires my stories, please click on the links to the Frost Magazine below.

https://www.frostmagazine.com/2021/10/welsh-writing-wednesdays-introducing-author-and-blogger-jessie-cahalin/

https://www.frostmagazine.com/2020/03/sister-scribes-guest-jessie-cahalin-on-living-the-dream/

 

Please see all my Handbag Adventures and also my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

Wine tasting in Blighty

Au revoir France and goodbye ferry. Hello, White Cliffs of Dover. Where are the bluebirds?

Have you guessed? We stayed in Blighty for our holidays. But I feared that we would miss the sunshine and the dégustation. A ‘Blightycation’ ahead of us, we visited: castles, gardens, castles, seaside towns, pubs and yet more castles.

 

Barnsole Vineyard

Travelling the roads, in search of another castle, I spotted a brown sign for a vineyard. Barnsole Vineyard was perfectly situated in a picturesque Kentish village. The entrance to the bijou vineyard took us straight to the vines. Alors! We were en France. We were invited to sit on a terrace surrounded by flowers. My mind wondered back to those many, many heady days of wine tasting en France. I wanted to say, ‘Bonjour. Dégustation s’il vous plait?’ But my schoolgirl French wasn’t required. The only headache that threatened was from the wine, rather than trying to dredge up my language skills.

 

Proprietors of Barnsole Vineyard

The proprietor gave us a warm welcome. She was passionate about the vineyard and keen to point out that ‘nature throws its challenges’ at the winemaking process. This vineyard oversees the whole process from the grape to your glass. Despite the hard work, the proprietors were relaxed. They had learned the art from the previous Polish owners. On the day that we visited, their friends were bottling the sparkling wine. I felt like I had walked into a scene of the many romance novels that I have read. However, I was concerned that the lovely proprietor was spitting out the wine onto the grass. I didn’t like to comment at the time!

We were welcomed with a tray full of bottles to taste. No complaints were heard from me as I wasn’t driving. The only hint of Blighty was the cool breeze that threatened to bring a few drops of rain.

The wine was delicious! We enjoyed the fresh citrus flavours of the white and another had a slightly floral taste. The red wine tasted of berries. My tasting senses were working! According to the experts the Red Reserve 2013 had ‘redcurrants and sense of delicious spice’ while the Recheinsteiner was ‘complex with a great body’: I don’t remember him but I was right about the berries. We also bought some sparkling English wine for Christmas. I did feel a warm glow from the effects of the wine tasting. However, I could walk in a straight line to the car. Feel free to congratulate me on this because I concentrated with all my might! Apparently, I am lined up for an award.

Nodding off on the journey home, I did see the bluebirds. This Francophile may have been converted. We will all be delighting in ‘Blightycations’ very soon – just you wait and see. Meanwhile, I am thinking of organising a pre-Christmas wine tasting celebration. Would you care to join me?

 

Please see all the articles in my blog at jessiecahalin.com

British Review of The Crown for Castlewood Manor

Veronica posting the letter

I reviewed a novel set in Britain and written by an American Anglophile.  Think Downton Abbey, crowns, manors, glamour and Midsomer Murders.

Crack open a bottle of the very best bubbly and slip inside the pages of The Crown for Castlewood Manor.  Let’s raise our glasses ‘to love and lust, past, present and future.’

Veronica is an Agatha Christie adoring fan (Miss Jane Marple is my heroine); lover of all things royal (especially those crowns!)

Do you fancy being a VIP at some glamorous parties attended by royalty?  Dust off your best bib and tucker and prepare yourself for glamour, opulence and a right royal story.  However, this invitation comes with a health warning.  Please take care and beware of the murderer!  There are shadows hiding beneath the glitz and sparkle.  Don’t be tempted to go into the woods or too near the edge of the cliff.  I did warn you!

This is the book I placed in my handbag

Follow Dr Gemma Phillips, with her brains and beauty, on her journey of discovery into the ancestry of Cherrywood Hall.  Can she help her cousin to secure a deal to use the manor as a filming location for the latest period drama- Castlewood Manor?  As other lords and ladies compete for the coveted title mysterious evens begin to occur, and the murder mystery element had me completely hooked.  This was unadulterated escapism into another world.  It was fun to recognise: the influence of British murder mystery conventions, celebrity rom coms and Downton Abbey. I also played Guess Who? with the cast of royal characters.   Visiting eccentric British aristocratic world from an American perspective is a joy to behold.

I kept thinking about the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon’s decision to allow a period drama series to be filmed at their estate—would you allow cameras and production settings at your home?

Veronica Cline Barton has a bright and breezy style of writing with description of photographic quality.  I was lost in vivid descriptions of houses that resonated with my visit to various National Trust stately homes and palaces.  I meandered down the secret corridors, peered into the hidden rooms and learnt about some past scandals haunting these families.  Wow!  The author has woven a tangle web, and I was ensnared in this narrative trap until I uncovered the resolution.  And, of course, there is a smoldering romance to add flames to the fire, and a friendly ghost to send a shiver down your spine

This novel has it all and is a fun reading retreat. A light-hearted, entertaining and fun read – a darn good yarn, darlings!

Having read the book, I asked Veronica Cline Barton to send me a guest post from California.  I wanted to know more about the inspiration behind the fun.

Tell us about Veronica…

Meet the fabulous Veronica Cline Barton

Agatha Christie adoring fan (Miss Jane Marple is my heroine); lover of all things royal (especially those crowns!); Anglophile (according to ‘23andMe’ I’m 60% English/Irish from the DNA profile); Downton Abbey devotee; reader (love the Indie writers on Twitter); cozy mystery writer (began in 2016); blogger (myamericanalmostroyalcousinseries.com); traveler (especially to the UK—love those castles and palaces); wife; mother; grannie; owned by two cats—Daisy and Ebbie. Whew!

To me, there’s nothing better than a British cozy mystery series. In my cozy reader’s mind, I enjoy traveling to a great manor house, tending a lovely garden, walking the grounds in my wellies in the rain, and sipping tea and sherry by a roaring fire to ponder the day’s events and ‘mur-dahs’ (things I don’t get to do very often in hot, dry, congested southern California). I love getting to know the fictional characters (at least the surviving ones—perils of being a cozy mystery character, LOL) and watch them develop and grow over the years.

Tell us about your My American Almost Royal Cousin series

This is the latest book.

When season six of Downton Abbey ended, my life changed. I couldn’t wait for the opening scenes highlighting the beautiful Highclere Castle. I kept thinking about the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon’s decision to allow a period drama series to be filmed at their estate—would you allow cameras and production settings at your home? This question went through my mind, over and over again, and so…

My series starts when American heiress Gemma Lancaster Philips, PhD, travels to the UK to assist her cousin, Evan Lancaster, 8th Marquess of Kentshire and his estate, Cherrywood Hall, compete in a contest for the set location of the highly anticipated period drama series, Castlewood Manor (my fictional version of Downton Abbey).

The stakes are high, and the competition deadly. Throw in ambitious actors, jealous ex’s, a little romance (Kyle Williams, the Cherrywood Hall estate manager catches Gemma’s eye), royals (my royals are fictionalized out of respect to the British royal family), a beloved ancestral ghost, and more than a few ne’er do wells who attend the glamorous red-carpet events and voila! Cozy British mystery with some very unexpected twists. What could possibly go wrong?

  • The Crown for Castlewood Manor: American heiress Gemma Lancaster Philips helps her British cousin’s ancestral estate win selection for an English TV series, only to discover that the other contenders are killing off the competition.
  • Cast, Crew, & Carnage; the Filming of Castlewood Manor: The lines between fiction and fact become blurred when a television production comes to Cherrywood Hall. Can Gemma stop a killer before the show and countless lives are ruined?
  • Deadly Receptions; the Debut of Castlewood Manor: The global premiere of the highly anticipated period drama series Castlewood Manor, the Telly Tiara awards show, and hosting the royal wedding of the season at the newly opened wedding pavilion at Cherrywood Hall is keeping Gemma busy to say the least.

 

Please see all my guests’ posts at Mail from the Creative Community and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com

My novel can be found here.

Handbags and Gladrags and Reviews

Have you seen my review?

Take pity on a precious Amazon review

banished to the missing in action queue.

My sparkling five stars now long gone,

but on my blog the accolade lives on.

Hip, hip hooray for blogs and handbags.

Let’s celebrate and don our gladrags.

Alas, this rhyming has gone awry.

Authors will live to fight another day!

Relax, take a pew and celebrate a review.

Cheers, Jena for all that you do!

 

Jena’s Review of You Can’t Go It Alone

‘This is the debut novel and it is a complex and vivid tapestry of a story’

When you first see the cover of this book, I hope you like it as much as I did. Are you intrigued? A woman stands, alone and at a distance, surrounded by calm water, an expansive horizon, and a clearing sky. What does this tell you and what does the title, You Can’t Go It Alone make you think? What about the tagline- love, laughter, music and secrets…?

These features draw you into the story, don’t they?

Debut author Jessie Cahalin has created a lovely book world that blends good story telling with positivity and love. This book is what is called “character-driven”. These intriguing and captivating characters are ready to share their stories with you. The characters range from birth to the end of life. You will be drawn to their problems and secrets, hopes and dreams.

My sparkling five stars are in cyberspace

What ties them all together are two things: their village and the new arrival- Sophie, the main character. While Sophie has her own struggles, she is a caring and nurturing person and she becomes the “glue” for her family and friends.

“…join me in a toast to Sophie She is such a great addition to this community and has brought us together.”

The characters are well rounded; they do interesting things and they think about life in interesting ways. One of my favorite characters is the young neighbor girl, Daisy. She is about five years old and is at that magical age where an adorable little girl blooms and changes into a big girl. The author is spot-on with her depictions of Daisy- she abounds with energy, exuberance, and joy.

Readers will also enjoy the family of Rosa and Matteo. And I wanted to ride around the countryside with Jeanie and Max in their camper van Molly.

As an American, I enjoyed “spending time” in the village of Delfryn, in Wales. “Waiting patiently above the luscious green hills, the autumn sun looked down on the nineteenth century church.” Through the book, I “saw” the lovely scenery, mountains and historic sites, and I “visited” with friends at the charming local café. “Let’s go to the Olive Tree tonight”, was a frequent and happy exclamation. I even spent a day or two in Cardiff!

I highlighted many parts of the book and I am sure that readers will find their own favorite parts and they will bond with the characters just as I did. This book shows us the ups and downs of life. We see that family and friends can smooth the road by rejoicing in the good times and sharing their love in the harder times. I cared about the characters and I know readers will, too.

A message washed ashore with my review.

Love and romance waft their way into the story, too. The romance is mostly sweet, but there is a bit of spice, “The unmade bed became their island, clothes strewn on the floor as if washed up on the shore.”

This is the debut novel and it is a complex and vivid tapestry of a story. First books can be somewhat like the little girl Daisy- loveable, engaging, but with a few growing pains. Author Cahalin is on her way to becoming a gifted storyteller. It seems the author has planned more books so that is good news for the fictional folks of Delfryn and good news for readers! Enjoy!

Read the complete article at:

http://www.jenabooks.com/books-are-a-gift/
Get your gladrags on and celebrate.

Visit Jena’s blog at:

http://www.jenabooks.com/

 

 

 

 

Please see more at My Writing and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

 

Selection box of Christmas stories for my handbag

Introducing author, Wendy Clarke, and her new collection of stories.

Dear Readers,

I am delighted to present my Christmas story collection, Silent Night and the extract I have chosen is from the story Project Christmas. It’s about a young man struggling to create the perfect Christmas for his young children after their mother dies and I chose it for its poignancy.

I hope you would like to place Silent Night in your handbag as the collection is a heart-warming read and perfect to dip into, while curled up on the settee with a drink and a mince pie.

My stories have been published in the Christmas editions of various women’s magazines. The extract is from the first story in the collection, ‘Project Christmas’. When it was published in Take a Break Fiction Feast they changed the name to ‘It Will be Perfect’. 

Festive wishes!

Wendy Clarke

Light the fire, make yourself some hot chocolate, with a hint of Christmas cinnamon, and peek at this extract.

Extract

Their first Christmas without Paula. The thought made his heart ache. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he’d made up his mind that, whatever happened, he would try and make it the same as it had always been. For the children’s sake… for all their sakes.

The only problem was that Christmas had always been his wife’s domain – just as the children had been. Apart from stringing the lights up under the eaves and carving the Christmas turkey, Paula had been happy for him to leave the bulk of it to her. Now it was down to him alone.

What I need is a list, he thought. It was a practical start. If he worked through it, methodically, and tried not to be sidetracked by thoughts of Paula singing to the radio as she stirred the pudding, or tickling him as he stretched up to put the star on top of the tree, he would be able to do it. He was a project manager, after all. Well, he used to be – now his days were spent taking the children to school and doing all the jobs Paula had once done to keep the family going. Yes, that’s what he’d do. He’d made up his mind – this would be his project.

More about the collection of short stories

Silent Night is a collection of short stories with a Christmas theme. All thirteen stories have previously been published in national women’s magazines. If you like moving tales with a satisfying ending, then this collection is for you.

Andrew and his children are grieving. Can he make this a Christmas his late wife would have been proud of?

Bella needs to get away from it all but her Christmas cottage by the sea holds more than a few surprises.

It’s Christmas Eve, the night is starry and two young men realise they have more in common than they realise.

The stories in this collection are a window into the lives of ordinary people at this special time of year. They offer hope, comfort and the knowledge that the spirit of Christmas is often found within ourselves.

These Christmas stories have been written over a number of years and it is exciting to finally be able to see them all together between the covers of one book. When you put together a collection of short stories, you have the privilege of entering the lives of a whole cast of characters in a variety of settings from all walks of life.

About Wendy

Wendy has written serials and a number of non-fiction magazine articles. She lives with her husband, cat and step-dog in Sussex and when not writing is usually dancing, singing or watching any programme that involves food!

 

 

It is exciting to offer Wendy’s gift of short stories to you.  A perfect choice if you want to indulge in some festive fun, or if you are searching for a Christmas present.

 

Will I need space for a broken heart in my handbag? 

Now and Then in Tuscany

Angela Petch

 

 

 

 

 

‘In my heart there was a storm that needed to break and my heart hurt like thorns on the wild rosa canina growing in the hedgerows…’

If you embark on this journey of discovery then be sure to prepare some delicious crostini, in advance, as you will not be able to put the book down….

This is a story of love wrapped up in an insight into rural history and customs of Tuscany. Meet ancient craftsmen and farmers, of Montebotolino, and marvel at the tenacity of their families; see how they survived difficult times.

The history of Giuseppe, a farrier and a cobbler, is completely absorbing.  Giuseppe was born at the beginning of last century.  His naivety leads him down some challenging paths, but this shapes the man, and ‘suffering begins the journey to wisdom.’   I found myself wanting to shout at Giuseppe and send him in the direction of love; the loves story is beautiful.

For me, the novel unlocked secrets of the enchanting holiday destination.  I have often wondered who had once walked along the ancient tracks, and who once lived in the ancient dwellings that nestle in the mountains.   As the title suggests, the reader delves into rural Tuscany as it is now and as it was back then at the beginning of last century. The reader has the privilege of meeting characters from the different generations and has more knowledge than the characters:  it is satisfying to fit the jigsaw together.  Indeed, there is a cleverly crafted narrative, in which there are emotional parallels in the lives of the characters from the past and the present.

Giuseppe’s grandson, Francesco, and his English wife, Anna have turned the ancient houses into holiday lets. Their son, Davide, encounters some of the emotional challenges of childhood that Giuseppe, his great-grandfather, had to face. Alba, Giuseppe’s great-granddaughter, faces choices about education very different to her great-grandparents.   Whilst Giuseppe’s grandson Francesco and his wife face different daily routines; this reminds us of how life has changed. However, the tenderness between the couples from both generations is crafted skilfully, and there is an exploration of love.

Life, in Montebotolino, was hard at the beginning of the last century.  Yet, the people had to make the most of nature’s larder, and the peasant food is so tempting.  It seems that the working people, from the past, shaped the menus in contemporary Italy, sadly many of their homes have been left empty as their lifestyle was too difficult. The charm, and majestic beauty of the Tuscan landscape is still there to seduce the modern traveller.  Fortunately, we can still see:

‘Cypress tree lined twisting white ribbon roads up hills towards impressive stone buildings…trees like stakes holding down the land.’

This story takes the reader beneath the surface of the magical holiday destination, associated with a paradise for the eye and the belly.

The transumanza is the Italian term for transhumance, the traditional twice yearly migration of sheep and cows from the highlands to the lowlands, and vice versa. The word literally means “crossing the land”. Ref:  Wikipedia

 

Please see all my reviews at Books In Handbag and my blog at jessiecahalin.com.

 

Packing for a Trip to the Past

Anna Belfrage

What would you pack if you regularly visited the seventeenth century? On this occasion, you really wouldn’t have anything to wear. Our staple of jeans and a t-shirt would be provocative in the seventeenth century.  Author, Anna Belfrage, regularly sends her characters back in time, and I was intrigued to discover how she helps her heroine, Alex, to pack for another era.  Where does a writer start when dressing characters for another era? Alas, I would have to begin by abandoning my handbags as they didn’t exist.

I am handing over to Anna Belfrage, author of The Graham Saga, and her costume department.  Anna’s novels have allowed her to fulfil her dream of becoming a professional time traveller.

Dressed for Success in the Seventeenth Century

Frans Hals

One of my series, The Graham Saga, is set in the seventeenth century for a variety of reasons, none of which have anything to do with the prevailing fashions of the time. While others may go “ooh” and “aaah” at the paintings of dashing cavaliers adorned with lace and ribbon, I like my men in breeches and a simple linen shirt, a no-nonsense coat worn atop, which is probably why my hero, Matthew Graham, dresses like that. Well, it may have something to do with his convictions as well. After all, Matthew is a devout member of the Scottish Kirk, and he and his brethren have little liking for fripperies.

Where Matthew was born and bred in the 17th century, his beloved wife, Alex(andra) Lind, grew up in our time. In difference to many of us, she never had a hankering for living in the past, but sometimes impossible things happen, which is how she ended up in the 17th century, wearing jeans.

Cook with a Hare

“I like her djeens,” Matthew says, his gaze lingering on her legs. “But, aye, you’re right: she can’t wear them here. Seeing her thus revealed is only for me to see.” (He has a certain amount of cave-man tendencies does our Matthew. Blame it on the times…)

So instead, Alex has to start by donning a shift. This is a long linen garment that reaches halfway between knees and ankles, it has long sleeves and a neckline with a drawstring. It serves as a combined nightie and underwear. (Forget about a silky negligee when in the mood for some action which is why I recommend nudity for seduction). This shift is worn until it can almost stand on its own – laundry is a heavy task.

On top of the shift Alex wears stays. Okay, so they’re not as bad as those sported by Scarlett O’Hara but once they’re laced they have a somewhat inhibiting effect on her movements. Stockings in scratchy wool are rolled up the legs to thigh-level and gartered into place. Petticoats help keep Alex somewhat warm, ending just above the ankle. A bum roll, heavy woollen skirts, a bodice and an apron complete the outfit. Let me tell you, this weighs a lot. It is difficult to run in full skirts. Or climb a tree (which is a bad idea anyway, as women shouldn’t do something as indecorous as climb a tree).

At this point Alex stops to inspect herself – she has a small looking glass, lucky her. The collar is tied into place, the hair is braided back and coiled into a tight bun before being covered by a linen cap. A woman without a cap is a sinful thing indeed! By the door are the shoes – they might be a pair of latchet shoes, but they might just as well be clogs. Actually, maybe using clogs is the better choice – at least they keep the feet dry!

“I’m not wearing all that,” Alex told me the first time I presented her new wardrobe for her. “I’ll stick to my jeans—and my underwear.”

“No, you won’t.” Matthew shakes his head. “To go around dressed like that is to attract unwanted attention. And should anyone find out you’re from the future…” he mimes a sliced throat. Too right: either you conform, or you risk sticking out like a sore thumb and potential witch. Not good in a time and age where witches are still being executed.

Alex sighs. “Fine,” she says, throwing me an angry look. (She blames me for throwing her back in time. She rarely thanks me for gifting her with the rather wonderful Matthew.) “But just so you know, the moment I get back, I’ll be in jeans again.”
Back? I share a look with Matthew. Alex isn’t going back. After all, while time travelling is a rare occurrence, time travelling with a return ticket is even rarer!

 

Sir Anthony van Dyck and Lord Bernard Stuart

Presently, Anna is hard at work with The King’s Greatest Enemy, a series set in the 1320s featuring Adam de Guirande, his wife Kit, and their adventures and misfortunes in connection with Roger Mortimer’s rise to power.

When Anna is not stuck in the 14th century, chances are she’ll be visiting in the 17th century, more specifically with Alex and Matthew Graham, the protagonists of the acclaimed The Graham Saga. This series is the story of two people who should never have met – not when she was born three centuries after him. A ninth instalment has just been published, despite Anna having thought eight books were enough. Turns out her 17th century dreamboat and his time travelling wife didn’t agree…

Anna can be found on her website, on Facebook and on her blog. Or on twitter and Amazon.

 

Please see all my guest posts at Mail from the Creative Community and my blog and website at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Writer’s Free Gym and Word Workout

Each day the hills became easier and easier until I broke out into a consistent fast pace – almost jogging.

Writing takes me to another place and lets my mind travel. Alas, my imagination doesn’t burn off the calories and wandering through cyberspace does not count as exercise.  In January, I knew I had to fight the constant fatigue caused by a sedentary lifestyle and word workouts.  As a writer my income does not furnish me the opportunity to pay £700 in gym fees, so I used my imagination to build a fitness regime.  Back in cyberspace, I found new trainers and decided to rediscover the power of walking.

At first, I completed half a mile each day and thought it better than no exercise. On my travels, I found concealed lanes and grabbed snippets of people’s lives along with stray sentences from conversations. I soon became hooked on the daily escape from my desk and decided to switch off my phone. Each day the hills became easier and easier until I broke out into a consistent fast pace – almost jogging. Within a month, I travelled to supermarket on shanks’s pony rather than firing up the car. I also let my mind do some walking when I pound the pavement. It is a two mile round trip. My rucksack replaced my handbag as is a brilliant way to carry the shopping and enhance the benefits of the walk.  On opening my front door, a flood of words arrived without any effort.  Better to let the words walk out of the mind rather than squeezing them out when sitting stationary at the laptop.

https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-walking#burn-calories

A day’s walking along the Welsh Heritage Coast.

Within two months, the exercise boosted my energy and inspired me consider other changes to my lifestyle.  The easy change was to reduce the portion sizes of my food.  I love food and have no idea how these portions have crept up. I blame my husband’s wonderful cooking.  I also abandoned my trusty builder’s tea for a selection of green teas as they aid digestion.  I learned that green tea is loaded with antioxidants so thought I’d give it a try.  Believe me it was difficult to give up my mug of dark brown Yorkshire tea, but as my habits changed, I became accustomed to it.  Now I can’t face the many cups of brown tea and prefer the light refreshing tea; sometimes I rehydrate with a cup of warm water. Though I admit I do still drink my filter coffee as I can’t resist the aroma and taste.  Habit had turned me into a serial tea drinker.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-green-tea

Cheers to your health and a creative approach to staying healthy and happy.

Over time I also noticed my stomach was swollen and uncomfortable.  Having taken antibiotics, I researched the dangers and noted they can upset the gut flora.  I realised that sauerkraut could make a difference. The bought sauerkraut is pasteurised, so I had to make my own.   It did improve my digestion and I love it.  Little did I know there is a whole trend in the consumption of fermented food.  I highly recommend the homemade sauerkraut but be warned that you need to buy a fermentation jar with an air release valve. It is also essential to use salt without an anti-caking agent – it must be pure salt.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-sauerkraut

Researching healthy foods, I also stumbled on Greek yogurt which is a probiotic with many benefits.  I have switched my plain yogurt for this delicious alternative. I eat the yogurt with chopped walnuts.  The nuts have vitamins and minerals we require for a balanced diet.  I love the texture of the Greek yogurt and like to pretend it is ice-cream.  Sometimes I add a little Manuka honey to the combination. Pure luxury!

https://www.yogurtinnutrition.com/8-ways-greek-yogurt-benefits-health/

I love a happy ending!  These simple changes have made a huge difference.  I have a spring in my step again and am full of energy again.  However, I must admit that I do allow myself treats and still can’t resist an afternoon tea:  it’s about achieving a balance.

However, I must admit that I do allow myself treats and still can’t resist an afternoon tea: it’s about achieving a balance.

The journey to better health has been painless and I wanted to share them with you.  Cheers to your health and a creative approach to staying healthy and happy.

If you have any health and wellbeing tips then please pass them on by leaving a comment.  I am also happy to answer any questions.

 

Please see all of my Handbag Adventures and my blog and website at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

A Clowder of Cats Curious and Comical in Verse

Paw Prints in the Butter

Paw Prints in the Butter

Patricia Feinberg Stoner

 

 

 

Land’s End showed me a letter

A rather curious cat, called Land’s End, disturbed my catnap.  I followed the feline to the ends of the earth.  The proud pussycat meowed about Patricia Feinberg Stoner’s book of purr-fect poems.  Land’s End stared at me until I found a letter, from Patricia.  

Greetings, dear reader, and welcome to my world of wacky felines.  I have been intrigued by cats all my life.  I love their dignity, their independence and the way they please themselves above all.  ‘Paw Prints in the Butter’ is the result of many years’ study, and all the cats in these verses are real.  Some I have known personally, some I have been told about by proud or amused or exasperated owners.  ‘A Puss in Boots’ is possibly my favourite poem, because it’s true:  and what a gift for an inveterate punster, to find a cat in Boots the Chemist!

Whether you love cats or hate them, I hope you’ll find something in these pages to inspire and amuse you.

Patricia Feinberg Stoner

No Puss in Boots, here! Try Boots the Chemist.

Presenting the Real Puss in Boots!

A PUSS IN BOOTS
In the high street chemist yesterday,
Upon a thoughtfully-provided chair
Beside a radiator, sat
A large and well-contented cat.
The chance was far too good to miss
For one who loves a play on words
So: ‘Look!  A Puss in Boots!’  I cried.

I dare you not to giggle about my pals. Photo by Alon Bennet

The shopping zombies clearly thought me mad.
They turned, as only English people turn,
A blank and even hostile stare
Upon me, standing foolish there
As ‘Look!  A Puss in Boots!’  I cried.

But then the creature stretched and purred
And opened amber eyes (that matched its fur).
And then it turned and winked at me.
I’ll swear I saw it wink at me.
As ‘Look!  A Puss in Boots!’  I cried.

‘Paw Prints in the Butter’ is a humorous exploration of our feline friends.  According to ‘Your Cat Magazine’, the poems ‘delve into the inner psyche of our much loved feline friends’.  I asked Patricia to introduce us to more of the characters:

SHUDDER at the menace of The Cat Who Howls in the Night

MEET Lulu the Terrible and find out how she fell from grace…
SHUDDER at the menace of The Cat Who Howls in the Night and LAUGH with the irrepressible Stationery Cat…
LEARN how the ancient Cabriole won his lady love, and how she rewarded him…
and LISTEN, with the wide-eyed kitten, to the mew-moirs of The Cat Who Has Been Here Before. Purr-fect Reviews

‘If you have a cat, know a cat, or have ever interacted with a cat, this collection of poems will have you chuckling… It has certainly earned its place on my bookshelf.’ Ingenue Magazine

‘This very funny collection of poems probably explains why – like Marmite – some of us love cats and some of us don’t.’ Jack le Bois

I bought my edition on Kindle but I shall have to have a paper copy to place on my bookshelf, for this is a ‘cut-and-come-again’ kind of work – to dip into at whim. Purr-fect!’ Angela Petch

Patricia present the cunning and clever personalities of our much loved pets, in this collection of poems. She will even charm dog champions with this comic collection of ‘mew-moirs’.  Take a ‘paws’ and find out more about ‘Paw Prints in the Butter’.

Patricia is passionate about humour, food and writing

Patricia is passionate about humour, food and writing; she loves all dogs and some people (you know who you are) and has a healthy respect for cat kind. She is great fun and her writing is guaranteed to make you giggle. Read ‘Paw Prints in the Butter’ and search for your purr-fect pet.

Patricia has a unique flair for comedy, and I can recommend her other books.

Experience more giggles at:

The Little Book of Rude Limericks
At Home in the Pays d’Oc
She is currently writing Tales from the Pays d’Oc

Read my review of At Home in the Pays d’Oc.

 

Sue Bentley, author of the children’s Magic Kitten series provided the cat photos.

 

Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

The Sunshine Blogger Award – Nominated by Patricia Furstenberg

The Sunshine Blogger Award empowers bloggers to celebrate other bloggers who are creative and bring positivity to the blogging community.

A nomination from Patricia Furstenberg for the Sunshine Blogger Award greeted me on a drizzly day in Wales. Patricia is a talented author and blogger and her kindness shines.

The Sunshine Blogger Award empowers bloggers to celebrate other bloggers who are creative and bring positivity to the blogging community. 

Having blogged for three years in March, I am thrilled to receive this accolade and my first award.  I never dreamed my blog would lead me to a global community of sunshine people. Connecting with people via my blog has gifted me with some lifelong friends and gives me such a warm feeling. 

Here are the 11 questions set by Patricia for her nominees, with my answers:

Share one thing about yourself that would surprise your followers. I have a terrible fear of heights and once tried to get off a ski lift when it was ascending.  I soon came to my senses when I saw how small the pine trees appeared from the lift.

Which do you prefer, mountain or sea?

The sea, the sea!  I always visit the sea when I need inspiration.  I like to let my mind wonder out to the horizon.  I love to sit in a pier coffee shop when the weather is stormy.

The sea, the sea! I always visit the sea when I need inspiration.

What is the highest / furthest point you travelled to?

I have managed to walk up Pen y Fan one step at a time.  We travelled to Singapore to stay with friends.  What an experience! Singapore is so clean and never stops. The food markets were vibrant.  I would like to return and then travel on to Australia.

You stand on a 1m high brick wall. Would you jump off or climb slowly?

I was once chased by a bull, made the leap of faith from a high wall and was absolutely fine.  I may try it again!

If you would only start your writing career now, where would you begin?

I would begin by writing career by making an application to join the RNA News Writers’ Scheme.  The support from the scheme is wonderful for a new writer.

Which animals you feel it represents you best?

I am like a loyal dog who values friendship and kindness, but sometimes I like to be let off the lead to roam free and explore new territory. And at other times I like to crash out in front of the fire and sleep.

Are you an early riser or night owl?

I do get up early but tend to have my writing inspiration in the evening, and I am certainly more creative when I have had lots of sleep.

Was writing your first choice as a career? If not, what was it?

Writing was always my dream, but I pursued a career in education.  I thoroughly enjoyed making a difference to children’s lives and inspiring their creativity. I am blessed to have the opportunity to pursue my own creativity these days.

What is your comfort food?

Yorkshire puddings are my comfort food and the best ones taste like sunshine to me.  The taste and smell takes me back to the lazy Sundays of my childhood.

Best way to relax and recharge?

I walk daily.  Walking untangles any plot niggles, let’s me spend time with my characters and energises me.

What is your favourite word?

At this time of year my favourite word is hygge.  The quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being is evoked in one simple word – hygge.  Though I am not sure I say this word correctly.

I also discovered this lovely quotation from The Book of Hygge.

“Just living isn’t enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” -Hans Christian Anderson”
― Louisa Thomsen Brits, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well

Congratulations to the shiny sunshine people I have nominated

Blogging takes me to a happy place, and I love it when people join me.  Thus, it is fitting to acknowledge some sunshine friends by nominating them for the Sunshine Blogger Award.

My nominations:
Jena. C. Henry
Veronica Cline Barton
Angela Petch
Brigit Gallagher
Lizzie Lamb
Anne Williams
Jo Lambert
Judith Barrow
Shelley Wilson
Jan Brigden
Jan Baynham

Congratulations to the shiny sunshine people I have nominated.  I want you receive recognition for reaching out with your creativity and kindness.  I appreciate you may not have time to respond with a blog so do not feel under pressure.  I am happy for you to simply enjoy the glory and celebrate with coffee and cake.

If you choose to accept the Sunshine Blogger Award nomination, there are a few rules:

  • Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you and link back to their blog.
  • Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
  • List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your blog post.
  • Nominate 11 new bloggers & their blogs. Do leave a comment on their blog to let them know they received the award and ask your nominees 11 new questions.

Here are 11 questions for my nominees:

Which three photographs would you present to capture your life?  Feel free to include these in this post if you can.

I believe laughter is one of the best tonics in life.  When was the last time you could not stop laughing?

Explain the last act of kindness you showed to a friend or stranger.

Do you prefer the winter sun or the summer sun?  Explain your response.

Describe your perfect Saturday evening.

What sorts of characters do you prefer to meet in novels?

Give one sentence of advice to yourself when you were sixteen.

Is there a friend from the past you would love to get in touch with and why?

What is your food heaven and food hell?

Share your favourite recipe.

If you could travel back in time where would you visit and who would you take with you?

 

Please see all my Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

Gift for Twixtmas

Wishing you all a wonderful Twixtmas. My late gift to you is a little Christmas quiz, so grab a drink and a mince pie and see how well you do. The final five questions involve guessing the answer to Christmas cracker jokes I collected on Christmas Day. Good luck!

Grab a mince pie and a drink and let’s get quizzing.

  1. How many ghosts turn up in A Christmas Carol?
  2. The movie Miracle on 34th Street is based on a real-life department store. What is it?
  3. What words follow “Silent Night” in the song?
  4. Which Hollywood actor played six different roles in The Polar Express?
  5. Which Christmas song contains the lyric “Everyone dancing merrily in the new old-fashioned way?”
  6. Which one of Santa’s reindeer has the same name as another holiday mascot?
  7. Which country started the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree?
  8. According to the song, what did my true love give to me on the eighth day of Christmas?
  9. Which country has been donating Trafalgar Square’s Christmas tree to London every year since 1947?
  10. What gift did Harry Potter receive from the Dursleys during his first Christmas at Hogwarts?
  11. In the 2008 Gavin & Stacey Christmas special what gifts does Nessa give to everyone?
  12. Question: Who was killed off in 2012’s Downton Abbey‘s Christmas special cliffhanger?
  13. Which British monarch is thought to be the first to enjoy turkey on Christmas Day?
  14. In what year was the first Christmas card sent?
  15. If you were born on Christmas Day, what star sign would you be?
  16. Who originally sang Santa Baby?
  17. In which country do folk give books as gifts on Christmas Eve?
  18. Who invented the Christmas cracker?
  19. Where does the name Boxing Day come from?
  20. How many people watched the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day?

Christmas cracker joke challenge.

Cracker jokes!

  1. What happened to the person who stole the advent calendar?
  2. Where do snowmen go to dance?
  3. Who is Santa’s favourite singer?
  4. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?
  5. Why can’t Christmas trees knit?

Raising a glass to you all to wish you health and happiness for 2022.

Which country started the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree?

Answers

1. Four, 2. Macy’s, 3. Holy night, 4. Tom Hanks, 5. “Rocking Around The Christmas Tree”, 6. Cupid, 7. Germany, 8. Eight maids a milking, 9. Norway, 10, Fifty pence, 11. One chocolate each from a box of celebrations, 12. Dan Stevens’ Matthew Crawley, 13. Henry V111, 14.1843, 15. Capricorn, 16. Eartha Kitt, 17. Iceland, 18. Tom Smith, 19. Boxing Day was a traditional day off for servants in which they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from their master. 20. 7.4 million viewers, 21. He got 25 days, 22. Snowball, 23. Elf-is Presley, 24. Frostbite, 25. Because they always drop their needles!

 

Please see all my Handbag Adventures and also my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

Escape: A Writing Bloc Anthology

“Short stories are such a treat- they are the cupcakes of the book world!” Jena

Jena has found a unique collection of short stories for her golden handbag.  A group of indie authors contributed to an anthology entitled ‘Escape’. Susan Hamilton contributed a story to the innovative anthology and approached Jena about a Golden Chapter Review.  Here’s what happened when Jena bumped into Susan in the Handbag Gallery.  Peek at the creative way in which Jena presents the anthology at the end of this blog post, and find out how you can get involved in an ultimate indie author collaboration.

When Jena Met Susan

And now, I am delighted to share with Golden Chapters readers Escape! A Writing Bloc Anthology

I was browsing through the Handbag Gallery, a passion of mine, when I heard footsteps, seeming to come from the back of the Gallery. “Hello, does anyone need help?” I whispered.

“Whoa!” was the reply. I stepped towards the voice and then I saw a large, haphazard stack of things- notebooks and folders walking toward me. I hurried to catch the top ones as they began to wobble and topple.

Susan Hamilton

“Oh, I guess I should tell you. I’m Susan Hamilton. I’m an author and I’m delivering a pile of short stories, a new anthology to the Handbag Gallery. Is Jessie…uh…Cahalin here?”

“She usually is but I believe right now she is taking a walk in the rain. She and her characters will be back soon. But in the meantime, do you mind if I look through these stories? Short stories are such a treat- they are the cupcakes of the book world!”

Jena Presents the Anthology

A bouquet of opening lines in the anthology

And now, I am delighted to share with Golden Chapters readers Escape! A Writing Bloc Anthology. Eye-catching cover- let’s see what’s inside!

Led by Michael Haase, the Writing Bloc describes itself as a “Cooperative group of writers just trying to figure it all out together.” They certainly have figured it out, as their first anthology is an intriguing and highly readable collection.

‘Drop the drudgery of daily life by diving headfirst into this stunning collection, and you might just find that ESCAPE! Is right around the corner.’ From the blurb

Authors from the UK to NZ, and South Korea to Ohio came together to write, edit, produce and design this book, all united by the word “Escape.”

Of course, an anthology doesn’t really have a first chapter to review, as I usually do for our Golden Chapter Reviews, so I decided to share some of the most intriguing lines from the beginning of some of the stories:

“This all started when I landed in Director Jail.” Mrs. Ravenstein by Jason Pomerance)

“Your Majesty, I would like to extend my humbles apologies for the corpse at your doorstep.” (Cedric by Michael Haase)

“Dana Clemmons hates the rain.” (I Wish it Happened by Durena Burns)

“I think I have a plan…” Wendell looked at the two companions on either side of him, both also named Wendell.” (Wendell, Wendell & Wendell by Patrick Edwards.)

Great lines that hook you and grab you in! Since it was Susan who had delivered all these great stories, I was eager to read her story. Wow! Here are some amazing lines from her near-future dystopian short story, Chrysalis.

“I met Death today. I knew who she was…”

“Not what you were expecting?” (Death asked)

“Considering I’m talking to Death and your tattoos just turned inside out…”

(Death explains) “We’re in the Gray. The place that hangs between life and death…”

I’m sure you will enjoy these fascinating short stories- they are all well-written and edited and of enjoyable readable length, not too short, not too long! Escape into some captivating tales.

Escape – A writing bloc anthology

And here’s good news for writers and readers- The Writing Bloc is excited to announce they are now ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS for DECEPTION! – their next collaborative short story anthology! More details: https://writingbloc.com/submissions/  Join their newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ghuatP 

Readers, I love reading and I love discussing what I read even more. Let’s continue our book conversation in the comments. Here are my questions:

  1. Do you read an anthology all at once, or do you read a story in the collection every now and then?
  2. This anthology features from a variety of genres. What are your favorite genres?
  3. What do you think about the opening lines I shared?

Happy Reading and Stay Golden!

Please see the details here if you would like to submit your book for consideration to be a Golden Chapter review.

 

Please see all of Jena’s Golden Chapters and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

Another Chapter in the Writing Life of Angela Petch

Angela is following the steps of the shepherds when they left the mountains each winter.

When I was taking my very first steps to create my Books in my Handbag Blog over three years ago, I had the good fortune to meet Angela Petch online. I have always followed Angela’s wonderful writing journey as she moved from indie author to a Bookouture author. It is my pleasure to present the next chapter in her writing life. I am handing over this blog to Angela who is sending words to you from her beautiful home in Tuscany.

Three years ago, I appeared on a blog for the first time in my life. New to Twitter, my eye was caught by a handbag icon next to an unusual name: Books in my Handbag. I have a weakness for handbags. Living in Italy, that’s only natural.

As I had very recently published my second indie novel, Now and Then in Tuscany, I contacted the blogger and sent a copy, thinking that I would never hear back. I was fairly new to social media but my indie author friends were slowly introducing me to the writing community and I had to make a start.

The kind and sparkly angel who is Jessie Cahalin sent me a review some days later and it made me cry. Good tears. She liked it. She got what I was trying to put over. I was overwhelmed. I printed her words out and pinned them to my noticeboard by my desk.  I can’t describe what confidence it gave me to continue

I am now published by Bookouture, a digital publishing company that I also discovered on Twitter. And the book that Jessie helped me promote has the new title of ‘Tuscan Memory’.

A Tuscan Memory is set in Italy between the two world wars, it traces the journey of a young country boy, Giuseppe, who flees from a traumatic episode and joins the annual trek from the Tuscan Apennines down to the coast, with shepherds and cattle drovers. During this five-month period, he finds himself. The story runs concurrently with modern day, when Giuseppe’s great grandson (also experiencing difficulties at school) is looking into his family history for a school project. I have threaded in love stories, a family mystery and the history of the transhumance in our area of Tuscany where we live. It stopped in the 1950s but my elderly friends still talk about it. I walked part of the route as one part of my research (photo). The shepherds’ journey lasted ten days.

Bookouture has taken over the aspects of writing that I find so hard: the technical side of formatting the book, designing the cover, preparing the novel so that it is shipshape and ready for publication and – what I find hardest: the essential marketing. Bookouture have several editing processes and this part is vital for pulling the book together. When you are indie, it is hard to be objective and Beta reader friends are sometimes too kind, so it is wise to pay for a good editor. My second commissioned book, The Tuscan Girl, reached number 6 in the USA Kindle charts last week and has sold over 100,000 copies to date. There is no way I could have managed those sales when I was an indie author, but there are highly successful indie authors out there who manage their own marketing very well. Readers and bloggers unite all authors with their love of great stories.

This is the kitchen featured in Tuscan Memory

So, I would like to offer huge thank you to Books in my Handbag for helping me along the way and extend my gratitude to all sparkly bloggers and readers. We couldn’t do it without you.

Here is what I thought of the original version of ‘Tuscan Memory’:

‘The novel unlocked secrets of the enchanting holiday destination of Tuscany.  I have often wondered who had once walked along the ancient tracks, and who once lived in the ancient dwellings that nestle in the mountains.   As the title suggests, the reader delves into rural Tuscany as it is now and as it was back then at the beginning of last century. The reader has the privilege of meeting characters from the different generations and it is satisfying to fit the jigsaw together.  It is a cleverly crafted narrative, in which there are emotional parallels in the lives of the characters from the past and the present. This is a story of love wrapped up in an insight into rural history and customs of Tuscany.’

Angela is a wonderful writer. She has inspired me pursue my own writing journey via the Romantic Novelists’ New Writers’ Scheme. In the last two years, I have written two books and I am waiting to publish them. Alas, I no longer accept review requests, but I do enjoy interacting with authors. I can’t wait to find out how the Bookouture editor has shaped the novel that connected me to Angela Petch.

More about Angela

Angela Petch shares her year between the Tuscan Apennines and West Sussex.

Her love affair with Italy was born at the age of seven when she moved with her family to Rome. Her father worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and he made sure his children learned Italian and soaked up the culture. She studied Italian at the University of Kent at Canterbury and afterwards worked in Sicily where she met her husband. His Italian mother and British father met in Urbino in 1944 and married after a wartime romance.

Her first book, Tuscan Roots was written in 2012, for her Italian mother-in-law, Giuseppina, and also to make readers aware of the courage shown by families of her Italian neighbours during WW2. Signed by Bookouture in 2018, this book was republished as The Tuscan Secret in June 2019. The Tuscan Girl followed in February 2020.

Now and Then in Tuscany, was self-published in April 2017 and features the same family. The background is the transhumance, a practice that started in Etruscan times and continued until the 1950s. Bookouture has since acquired the rights, and under a new title, A Tuscan Memory was be released on September 7th 2020. Research for her Tuscan novels is greatly helped by her knowledge of Italian and conversations with locals.

Although Italy is a passion, her stories are not always set in this country. Mavis and Dot, published at the end of 2018 and sold in aid of research into a cure for cancer, tells the story of two fun-loving ladies who retire to the Sussex seaside. They forge an unlikely friendship and fall into a variety of adventures. Ingenu/e Magazine describes it as: “Absolutely Fabulous meets Last of the Summer Wine… a gently hilarious feel-good book that will enchant and delight…”.

A prize-winning, Amazon bestselling author and member of the RNA, she also loves to travel and recently returned to Tanzania, where she lived at the start of her marriage. A keen tennis player and walker, she enjoys spending time with her five grandchildren and inventing stories for their entertainment.

Her short stories are published by PRIMA and the People’s Friend.

Links
Blog: https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaJaneClarePetch
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Angela_Petch

Please see all my guests’ posts at Mail from the Creative Community and also my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

Ta-dah! It’s a Children’s Book of Poems

It is time to present another bundle of fun from bestselling children’s author, Patricia Furstenberg. Well, I have waited and waited to present the cover of ‘As Good As Gold’ and ta-da…

Ta-dah! It’s the cover reveal for ‘As Good As Gold’.

As Good As Gold

Celebrating the simple things in life as seen through the eyes of our old time favourite furry friends, ‘As Good as Gold’ is a volume of poetry revealing the talent and humour we always knew our dogs possessed.

A book with an enormous heart for readers of all ages, it includes 35 poems and haiku aaccompanied by expressive portraits of our canine friends.

Dogs are full of questions, yet they are famed sellers of innocence especially when it comes to explaining their mishaps and often foolish effervescence through ponderings such as ‘Why IS a Cat Not Like a Dog’, ‘As Brown as Chocolate’, ‘Silver Stars and Puppy Tail’ or, best yet, ‘Dog or Book?’

Written for their human companions, by dogs, these poems are an ode to the best of times, celebrating the beauty of a life spent waging one’s tail.

Words of Inspiration from Patricia

As engaging as a tail wag

Her thoughts would be obvious, “dog or book?”

When a puppy runs down the hill, hair and ears and tongue in flight, tail wagging madly, heading straight for the row of ducks, what goes through his mind? When a dog wakes up in the middle of the night, washed by the light of a chatty moon, what exactly does he say when he howls? Caught in the rain or chasing a balloon, surprised by the new cat brought in the house or amused by a frog – a dog’s findings and adventures are countless.

I have been lucky enough to share my life with eight dogs so far. Sometimes, when I would enjoy myself lost in the pages of a book my dog would suddenly press his head on my knee, sigh profusely and… look away as soon as I would bookmark my page to give her my attention: “what is it, girl?” Her thoughts would be obvious, “dog or book?”

She was my chocolate girl, as her fur was a silky brown

I still remember the time one of my dogs found a bag of dry tea that she scattered all over the living room. Dogs can’t and should not eat chocolate, yet she was my chocolate girl, as her fur was a silky brown

We tend to say “this is my dog” or “we have a dog” – yet isn’t it a tad far from the truth? For we do not own the dog, it is rather the canine that owns us, conquering our hearts from the moment he first sets paws in our homes. There was never a fairer, nor a more loving ruler of a kingdom.

There was never a fairer, nor a more loving ruler of a kingdom

So, you see, it was to be expected that such a book will come to life.

A collection of poems and Haiku written for dog lovers, by a dog lover and titled As Good as Gold

Book Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Goodreads

Author LINKS:
Author Website: http://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Patricia-Furstenberg/e/B018QGC570/
AmazonUS: https://www.amazon.com/Patricia-Furstenberg/e/B018QGC570
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Patricia_Furstenberg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatFurstenberg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatriciaFurstenbergAuthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciafurstenberg
Pinterest www.pinterest.com/patfurstenberg

or:

Author Website
Pat’s books on Amazon UK and Amazon US
Pat on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest.

 

Patricia Furstenberg, best selling author

About Patricia

Patricia Furstenberg came to writing through reading. She always carries a notebook and a pen, although at times she jots down her ideas on the back of till slips or types them on her phone.

Patricia enjoys writing for children because she can take abstract, grown-up concepts and package them in humorous, child-friendly ideas while adding sensitivity and lots of love. What fuels her is an exhilarating need to write and… coffee: “How many cups have had this morning?” “None.” “Plus?” “Five cups.”

She is a Huffington Post contributor and pens the Sunday Column for MyPuppyclub.net as well as dabbing in freelancing. After completing her Medical Degree in Romania, she moved to South Africa where she now lives with her husband, children and their dogs.

 

Please see all my guest posts at Mail from the Creative Community and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.