Tag: Author

Get Packing for a Summer in Santorini

Meet the author, Sandy Barker

Time to pack my bags and meet Sandy Barker in Greece to discuss One Summer in Santorini.  The story and setting of One Summer in Santorini are magical and perfect for anyone seeking an escape.  Indeed, this charming novel started life as a love letter to Sandy’s partner and all will be revealed in the interview. 

Jessie: Sandy, tell us what One Summer in Santorini is about. 

Look at this delicious book cover

Sandra: When Sarah Parsons takes her broken heart to Greece, the last thing she wants is to meet someone new, so what happens when she meets, not one ‘someone’, but two? Ten days, two men and one big decision.

Jessie: What have the reviewers said about your novel?

I have been blessed with wonderful reviews. Phillipa read the novel and said, ‘Made me want to pack my bags for the Greek islands this instant.’ I couldn’t be more delighted with the response to my debut novel.  Other readers have also been so generous, and it has lifted my heart. Here are two wonderful reviews:

‘I absolutely loved this book. The descriptions of the islands and Greece made you feel like you were there — like you could smell the sea, taste the food and feel the sun on your face.There was a lot to love about this book. I loved the message that we can find happiness in the ordinary! This was a super cute beach read! There is also a lot of flirty and fun times as well! I will be checking out other books by Sandy Barker!’ ‘One Summer in Santorini by Sandy Barker is an irresistibly charming read set in the stunning Greek Islands, and I found myself transported to the idyllic locales in every single page. This is simply a lovely book that I just devoured in a single afternoon.  Full of flirtation, sun-kissed beaches, and plenty of cocktails, what is not to love?’

Here is Sandy swimming in Greece.

Jessie:  Read me an extract to tempt the reader.

Sandy:  I know the perfect scene to tempt you.

“Hello,” I said.

“Hi,” he replied. So far it was an excellent conversation.

My witty repartee had completely dried up, so I figured I’d get straight to the point. “Are you on the sailing trip?”

Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?

Sandy: I cried when I finished the first draft of this book — full on sobbing, ugly crying. It was relief and pride and a sense of ‘Oh my, I just wrote a whole book’. I didn’t really have time to miss the characters, though, because I started editing almost immediately — and after that, I started writing the sequel.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why?  This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family. 

Sandy: I started writing this book as a love letter to my partner, Ben, who I met on a pier in Santorini as we were about to embark on a sailing trip. When I handed it to him to read, I was a little nervous, but he loved that it was inspired by our real-life love story.

And I’m excited that two of my favourite authors, Paige Toon and Lindsey Kelk, have said that they’re looking forward to reading it. They’ve both inspired me with their incredible writing.

Jessie: Why should I keep your book in my handbag?

Sandy: It will make you laugh out loud and we all need a little bit of laughter to take with us wherever we go.

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Sandy writing in Bali

Sandy: “I can’t remember the last time I saw you in the light of day without a face full of makeup.”

This is from my fourth book, which is set in Bali. It’s tentatively titled, One Summer on Sabbatical.

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Sandy: Beyond getting the words on the page — you can’t edit an unwritten manuscript — I’d say it’s finding the best way to get your work out there and in the hands of readers.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Sandy: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up. Perseverance is just as important as the writing. A few weeks before I was contacted by Avon Books to say that they loved my book and wanted to publish it, I had a rejection from a publisher which knocked me sideways. You never know when the ‘yes’ will come.

Jessie: Before you go, tell us a little about yourself:

I’m a writer and traveller with a lengthy bucket list and cheeky sense of humour. My aim in life is to go, see, taste and do – and then write about it.
As an author, I write the heart – what makes it sing, what breaks it, and how it mends – and many of my travel adventures have found homes in my novels.

It was a treat to meet the author, Sandy Barker, who is a traveller with an adventurous spirit with an endless bucket list. She is curious and funny and finds pleasure in the small things. She’s also been known to ‘steal’ anecdotes and travel tales and find a place for them in her books.

Your contact details:

sandybarkerauthor@gmail.com
https://sandybarker.com/
https://twitter.com/sandybarker
https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor

 

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

A copy of my novel is available here.

A Writer’s Jukebox in my Handbag with Jo Lambert

Which songs did Jo enter into her writer’s jukebox to evoke the emotions and inspire the tension in A Cornish Affair, her debut novel with Ruby Fiction?

Author, Jo Lambert, celebrates music in her regular blog feature Life Playlists.  Music is an inspiration for Jo, and during the writing process music helps Jo to tease out the emotions in her romance novels.  I imagine a vintage jukebox playing in the corner of her writing room.  Which songs did Jo enter into her writer’s jukebox to evoke the emotions and inspire the tension in A Cornish Affair, her debut novel with Ruby Fiction?

At its heart A Cornish Affair is romantic fiction but it’s also wrapped around a modern day saga.  Alongside the ‘will they-won’t they’ going on between Cat and Luke there’s a host of other things – murder and a cantankerous great aunt to mention just two.  But this book could never have been written without the music.  Like Jessie music has always been a huge part of my life and it’s played an important role in all my writing. With two exceptions, all my books have had their titles taken from songs.  And to help the writing process, I create a playlist of tracks; a musical backdrop to writing different scenes.

But Carrenporth is about to experience far bigger scandals than the return of Luke Carrack – and the secrets unearthed in the process will shake the sleepy seaside town to its core …

So this is in Jessie’s words a ‘Books in my Handbag Jukebox’ post.   A taster of the music I used for this particular novel.

TITLE TRACK

The Boys of Summer – Don Henley.   As this was the working title of the book, the song was a ‘must have’

ROMANTIC TRACKS

Emotional – Whitney Houston

Stay with Me Till Dawn – Judy Tzuke

CAT AND LUKE’S  BREAK UP

 Johnny Hates Jazz – Shattered Dreams

Hall and Oates – She’s Gone    

Jo’s playlist offers a clear insight into the narrative and the emotion. I wanted to discover more about this author.

 

In June 2018 Jo signed to Choc Lit. Her debut A Cornish Affair, set on the North Cornish coast, was published in June under their Ruby imprint.

Jo Lambert lives on the eastern edge of the city of Bath. In 2008 she published her first novel When Tomorrow Comes. This was the first of five books which became known as the Little Court series, following the lives and loves of four girls growing up in the 1960/70s in the West Country. In 2015 she published Summer Moved On, a contemporary romance set in South Devon. A sequel, Watercolours in the Rain followed in 2017.

In June 2018 Jo signed to Choc Lit.  Her debut A Cornish Affair, set on the North Cornish coast, was published in June under their Ruby imprint. She is currently working on her next coastal romance.
When Jo isn’t writing she reads and reviews. She also has an active blog – A Writer’s Journey.  She loves travel, red wine and rock music and takes the odd photograph or two. Jo is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors

More about A Cornish Affair.

In the close-knit community of Carrenporth in Cornwall everyone knows everyone else’s business. Luke Carrack is only too aware of this. He’s been away for two years but nothing has changed – from the town gossips who can’t see past the scandal of his childhood, to the cold way he is treated by some of his so-called family.
The only person who seems to understand is local hotelier’s daughter Cat Trevelyan, although even Luke’s new friendship with her could set tongues wagging.
But Carrenporth is about to experience far bigger scandals than the return of Luke Carrack – and the secrets unearthed in the process will shake the sleepy seaside town to its core …

Social Media Links –
Website: http://jolambertbooks.com
Blog: http://jolambertwriter.blog
Twitter: @jolambertwriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jolambert185
Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jo-lambert-6 4644530
Instagram: jolambertwriter185

 

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.

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.