Tag: Books in my Handbag

Sadie’s Wars: Powerful and Deeply Moving

This historical saga of an extraordinary Australian pioneer family continues into a new generation

I have been idle for two days and it is Rosemary Noble’s fault. I travelled from innocence to experience with her character, Sadie.  She had my ear as soon as I walked into this thrilling family saga.  This hard-hitting, realistic document of challenging times deals with: propaganda, inequality, domestic violence and loss. Insight into Australia and England placed me in the centre of the historical periods.

Strategic juxtaposition of Sadie’s life during World War One Australia and World War Two Grimsby is brilliant.  Noble explores how our experiences make us react in the future thus providing depth to Sadie’s character.  Wounded by past troubles, Sadie makes decisions that made me want to sit her down and give her advice.  Tempting questions hang artfully in each chapter of this novel.  The trajectory of the plot is driven by the intense drama: the action never stops.

A photo of Sadie (she is the standing bridesmaid). This is the only one I have. She is a bridesmaid for her brother, Joe and his wife, Olive. Grandma Jane is sitting next to her. (I found this photo on the author’s website).

I moved from the air raids and community spirit in Grimsby to Sadie’s privileged life in Australia. Neither the ‘uninterrupted sky changing from purple to cobalt’, nor the ‘endless grey skies’ of Grimsby can shelter Sadie from the harsh reality of life. In her innocent years, she is brainwashed by war propaganda then learns about the impact on people as she moves through her life.   Sadie is raised to ‘obey your father until you marry then obey your husband.’  Like her contemporaries, the social straightjacket causes Sadie pain.  Noble shows the inequalities between men and woman at the turn of the century and contrasts it with changing attitudes in post Second World War Britain.  Historical events, attitudes and politics are artfully woven into the narrative fabric of the novel.

Chateau Yering as it is today

Details of a wealthy life in Australia at the turn of last century intrigued me.  I lingered on the verandas and looked at the ‘rich grassland and vineyards as far as the eye could see, framed on by majestic mountains.’ I admired Sadie’s wardrobe of beautiful clothes but realised her wealth and over-protection of her father made her more vulnerable. At every turn, I felt empathy for the young Sadie who is isolated by her ignorance.  ‘Her marriage seemed like a distant dream and her husband merely an actor in it’, and I wanted to chat with Sadie.  Noble explored love so beautifully in the novel.  There is an enchanting, exciting love story, as Sadie learns what real love means.

The wiser, experienced Sadie charmed me.  I sat with her as she waited to discover if her sons would return safely from the RAF. Noble takes the reader into the heart of air raids in Grimsby.  The air raid provides a backdrop to the inner turmoil Sadie suffers, and all these emotions are vividly connected to experiences of the past. Events in post-World War One Australia were shocking.  An intelligent, powerful and deeply moving novel from Rosemary Noble.

About the Book

An astonishing tale, spanning continents, where truth is stranger than fiction. This historical saga of an extraordinary Australian pioneer family continues into a new generation.
Sadie is brought amongst the vineyards of the Yarra Valley whilst her work-obsessed father reaps riches from the boom years before the Great War.
With post-war depression looming, Sadie’s only option is to flee from her disastrous marriage, seeking refuge in Cleethorpes, a small seaside town in northern England.
Years later, when her sons are in RAF Bomber Command, she receives a letter from her long-lost brother which forces her to confront the past and her part in her family’s downfall.
Can old wounds be healed?
Will she find new love?
Will this second war destroy everyone she saved?

Rosemary Noble is the author of Sadie’s Wars and the Currency Girls Trilogy. This is her favourite writing spot.

About Rosemary

Rosemary worked as a college and university librarian and has a life-long love of social history and reading. Researching family history led to an interest in Australia where Search for the Light ends and provides the setting for the sequel, The Digger’s Daughter. A third book in the Australian series, Sadie’s Wars, is now available.

Rosemary is a member of Arun Scribes Creative Writing Group and a member of CHINDI (Network of Independent Authors). Her third book, Ranter’s Wharf is set in England during the first half of the nineteenth century. In odd moments, she writes flash fiction for Paragraph Planet and Drabble.

For more information read my interview with Rosemary here or visit Rosemary’s blog at https://rosemarynoble.wordpress.com/

 

Please see all my book reviews and book excerpts at Books In Handbag and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

All Aboard the Runaway Creative Train: The Year of the Handbag

In March, I discovered my husband had published my manuscript on Amazon. Clutching the lilac handbag, I went into a bit of a panic.  The delete button on my laptop did not remove the book from Amazon. There was no chocolate in the house, so I ignored him by reading a book.   Little did I know, he’d presented me with a ticket to begin a creative writing journey via social media.

While waiting to board the creative train, I watched YouTube footage about how to engage in social media. I wish I had known about Neetsmarketing rather than shouting at the lovely people who were trying to explain.  Fortunately,  there was light at the end of the tunnel, Sue Moorcroft was the first person to accept my friend request on Twitter.    Her response to my book review and ideas to promote ‘Just for the Holidays’ lit the creative spark, and she helped me to understand Twitter. The sound of the whistle jolted the pistons in my imagination.

Once I had boarded the creative train, some wonderful people waved me off. The first review request came from Angela Petch.   Her reaction to my review of ‘Now and Then in Tuscany’ fuelled the creative enthusiasm and the train started to increase pace.  She also agreed to join me in a whacky race to meet up with Sue Moorcroft’s character, in France.  Angela introduced me to Patricia Feinberg Stoner and Rosemary Noble.  Rosemary ‘Ranter’s Wharf’ made me rant on behalf of my ancestors. Patricia’s book is funniest book I have ever read about becoming an accidental expat, in France. It was a great day when Patricia sent me her ‘Rude Book of Limericks’, and I realised she had quoted me on her front cover.

I crashed into the inspirational Diane Need, in the Midlands, when my creative ideas were heading in all directions.  Diane’s heart-warming, fun novel was a great read on the journey.  Jan Ellis asked me to review one of her books and sent me a book parcel, and this was the ticket to my new collection of books. Jan is currently writing a blog post about the contents of her handbag, and I know it will be amusing.

On my creative journey abroad, I stopped off to meet Patricia Furstenberg. She took me on a magical journey back to my childhood through her children’s books.  She is also my Twitter guru and is Queen of the Hashtags.  At her stop, Patricia introduced me to Jennifer from ‘Jennieration’.  Jen is a ‘fearless thinker’ who delights in language, culture and creativity. Jen’s daughter, Ella, is the youngest author in my Handbag Gallery, and she wrote a wonderfully creative guest post.

While speeding along the tracks of creativity, I met Carol Cooper.  And I was thrilled when she came up with the idea of interviewing the interviewer.  She looked inside my handbag and made me reflect on my journey. Angela Petch also asked me questions about the editing journey.  At this point, I reached a bit of a crossroads, I had neglected my writing.  The blogging train had been gaining speed and getting out of control.  I decided to get off at the next stop and visit my book again.

Locked in my study, in ‘Editingland’, I couldn’t resist interacting with Wendy Clarke.  I stopped over at ‘Silent Night’ to present an extract, and found Wendy incredibly supportive.  She featured me in her blog, and wrote a generous blog post about how to use software to market a book.  What a wonderful stopover!  I would never have found out about this if I had not boarded the creative train via social media.

Finally, I realised the creative train isn’t out of control.  Sometimes, one shouldn’t worry too much about the final destination, but one does need to interact with others on the journey.  ‘You Can’t Go It Alone’ so I recently asked Angela for support. Angela will talk to me about my editing next year.  My interactions with Adrienne Vaughan and Jan Brigden also gave me a lovely boost on my journey.  Caz Greenham, the children’s author, has convinced me that Eric Seagull exists. I now live inside the creative world with authors. It was lots of laughs with the hilarious Lisa Mary London.  However, it was frightening inside the Dutch woods and the world of Imogen Matthews’s characters.  She is mailing a guest post to Books in Handbag about how she stumbled on a forgotten World War Two.  I will be travelling back in time to the seventeenth century with Anna Belfrage.

Having established my seat on the creative journey, my role as blogger has gained pace in 2017. Thanks to the response of the writing and reading community, I have had a wonderful year. My role as an ‘accidental’ blogger and supporter of writers has pushed me towards an exciting, unknown destination. Each day, I open photos of handbags and develop more interactions with wonderful authors.  Next year, I will launch an initiative for readers with Anne Williams. I hope that many others will hop aboard the new initiative to celebrate reading.

While writing about my journey, Judith Barrow has just tweeted that she has ‘enjoyed being part of the journey’.  The people I have met on my journey have made the whole adventure worthwhile, as I get to peer through the window at their writing world.  Sue Bentley’s friendly comments always make me smile as I head towards my unknown destination.

A big thank you to everyone for supporting my blog – your enthusiasm has fuelled my creativity and put me on track. Have a wonderful Christmas! Best wishes for 2018! Hope you will join me for more adventures in 2018. 

For me, this has been the creative year of the handbag and new friendships!  How can you sum up your year?  The Year of …

 

Please see all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my blog at jessiecahalin.com.

Patricia Feinberg Stoner’s Giggling Goggles

Tales from the Pays d’Oc

At Home in the Pays d’Oc made me giggle, and I was delighted to experience more divine comedy in a bundle of short stories. Do you fancy a tipple of laughter?   I can thoroughly recommend ‘Tales from the Pays d’Oc’ – what a treat! 

Patricia’s Tales from the Pays d’Oc are tasty morsels of France spiced with other cultures.  I peeped into the worlds of Morbignan and St Remy les Cevennes via Patricia’s giggling goggles and it appealed to my nosy nature. How I enjoyed the ‘babble of accents’ from: French, Dutch, German, Swedish and English inhabitants.  The ‘gossip fest’ tempted me throughout the stories.  Amusing and poignant observations are thrown in for good measure. For instance, I learned that ‘serious drinking won’t begin for an hour’ at ten o’clock.

Story: The Poet, the Thief and the Indian Prawn. Snatched the prawn from his plate almost in mid-air and hit the ground running

Oh, how I waited impatiently, in the café, for the news.  Who was dead?  What happened?  I even found myself adding details and was taught a naughty lesson.  Gossip was the only temptation to move me away from the market.  I drooled as ‘the fruit stalls spilled a cornucopia of cherries and strawberries and peaches, their scents voluptuous and enticing in the heat.’

I may have also been tempted by the character of Karl who is personified by the ‘big, butch vehicle’.  Hilarious!  Alas, we owned one of those ‘high – falutin’ ‘Bland Rovers’, so he may not have approved. The ending of the story made me laugh and laugh.  Patricia blends the humour so skilfully that I am in awe – again!

Story: Oops! The nearside front wheel slithered into thin air and they lurched to a stop.

Armageddon Falls carried me along the flow of the narrative.  The author is skilled at building simple details of the characters, hinting at conflict and absorbing the reader in the dialogue. She manages to demonstrate how people would bemuse the French inhabitants.  I felt certain the author would teach the Americans a lesson.  How can an artist declare, ‘when you’ve seen one vine, you’ve seen them all’?

All the characters are vibrant, and I love the way the style of each story reflects the personalities.  Sheer genius in every single morsel of these bite size temptations.  The enigma of the ‘boy in the pool’ is beautifully conveyed.  Who is he?  The mystery of the summer visitor combined with the mystery of the boy in the pool is brilliant.

Story: A-sitting on a Bench Sitting on the bench they have their measure of the place, but don’t expect to gossip with this crowd if you are ‘anglais’

The dog named ‘Useless’ who becomes a Greek goddess is great.  I loved this dog!  Moreover, I wanted to eat the truffle omelette on my snow-covered patio.  Indeed, animals are also wonderful, intelligent characters in the collection of stories.

Let’s not forget the eccentric French characters who throw themselves into: truffle hunting, boar hunting, village fetes, food, parties’ wine and, of course, amorous liaisons.  French culture is explored, dissected and presented on a plate. The villagers are stubborn and reluctant to change but sometimes surprise you.  There are amusing, everyday incidents, but as you weave in and out of the characters’ lives, you get to meet them several times.  The ‘good ol’ boys’ are a constant presence throughout the stories.  Sitting on the bench they have their measure of the place, but don’t expect to gossip with this crowd if you are ‘anglais’ like Henry or even a Parisienne.  You could listen to Josephine, the town crier, and find out how she is taught a lesson.  Perhaps you’d like to join the Saturday Club to discover why the ‘swing doors flung open, and on a roar of “Ou est -il donc?”’ Has Kiki been up to his ‘old tricks’ or are you in the middle of a western?  Beware of the raging woodman!  Admire, the author’s wonderful turn of phrase and stand back when Paulette grabs ‘a fistful of blonde hair with a struggling, protesting eighteen-year-old attached.’ Discover how Patricia manages to rub a little salt into the wounded pride of the various characters. No one escapes her witty observation.

Story: Cheeky ‘… and don’t come back!’

Morsels of Morbignan are ‘tres amusant’. Each story made me declare: ‘Ah, or ‘Je vois’ or ‘oh la la’.  The author transported me over the English Channel and made me think in schoolgirl French (minus the accents).  Desperate for the denouement of each tale, I burnt a stew, but it was an excuse to open a bottle of French wine.  These stories would make a perfect Sunday evening TV series.

Cheers, Patricia!  I can’t wait for more tempting morsels.

About Patricia

Patricia Feinberg Stoner began her career as a graduate trainee with the Liverpool Daily Post.

Quickly discovering she was a terrible reporter, she switched to feature writing and since then her career has revolved around the written word, as a journalist, advertising copywriter and publicist. For many years she was international press officer for Granada Television, leaving to set up her own publicity business, The Good Word.

Once a dyed-in-the-wool Londoner, Patricia now lives in West Sussex with her husband Patrick, also a writer. She is a member of CHINDI independent authors.

Her first book, ‘Paw Prints in the Butter’, is a collection of humorous verse about cats, sold in aid of WADARS, a local animal rescue charity. She followed this with ‘At Home in the Pays d’Oc’ which, she says, is the story of two accidental expatriates in the south of France. The book won a Five Star Book Award from One Stop Fiction.

November 2017 saw the publication of Patricia’s third book – ‘The Little Book of Rude Limericks’. Despite the title, she warns that not all of the limericks in the book are rude: in fact, some are perfectly polite. However, there are exceptions.

Her latest book revisits the Languedoc with a collection of short stories: ‘Tales from the Pays d’Oc‘. In its pages you will discover what Matthieu was doing in the olive tree, who stole the Indian prawn and who rescued two hapless Americans at Armageddon Falls.

 

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

Golden Chapter: Roger Bray’s Blood Ribbon

During this golden season in the UK, I bring you Jena’s latest Golden Chapter from Roger Bray.

During this golden season in the UK, I bring you Jena’s latest Golden Chapter.  She reached down under the table for her handbag and found a thriller by Roger Bray. Roger was born in the UK but lives far, far away on the Gold Coast, Australia.  I am delighted to present a truly golden collaboration across three continents.  It’s time to hand over this feature to Jena, a supportive American author and blogger.

I peered in to my golden handbag to see the first chapter of this Thriller/Suspense Crime Fiction. I want to note that the author included thanks to bloggers and reviewers by name in his dedication section at the beginning of the book. Nice touch!

I’ve got a golden handbag
And with a golden handbag…
it’s a golden day…
to read…

The first chapter is short but packs a punch. The author sets the table which made me want to stay for the main course.

The story is told in the third person. The words are simple and low-key, as they set the tone that something out of the ordinary is happening. We learn that it is near midnight, and an unnamed person is driving across the Nestucca River Bridge. This person is referred to as “he”.

We are not given any physical details about this person, but we do learn that he is precise and careful. He drives slowly, with headlights off, on a trail to the river. He uses a military-style shovel to dig a hole in the sand seven feet deep. He believes he is an expert at covering his tracks. He pulls on disposable latex gloves.

It’s time to hand over this feature to Jena, a supportive American author.

A body is in the trunk of his car, wrapped in a metallic lined thermal blanket. He checks the pockets on the body’s clothing, to make sure they are zipped so nothing can fall out. (Note to Handbag lovers doing mysterious things at night- make sure things don’t fall out of your bag!)

But he does forget about something, although he does his best to fix his mistake. After placing the body in the hole he dug, he is careful to smooth and cover the disturbed sand. These unsettling acts contrast with the description of the gentle breeze blowing off the Pacific.

He appears to be cool and composed. Yet, he thinks several thoughts that are peculiar. As he views the body, he pictures what we assume is his victim as “serene, happy, lovely.” He uses a ribbon to tie the hair of the deceased, making sure the ends are of equal length.

Gold Coast Hinterland

The chapter ends with man examining a “mini constellation of his own making.”

And yes, we must stop here! Ready for some questions?

  1. I’m sure you have many questions based on this first chapter. Who is the man? Did he kill someone? Has he done it before? Who is the victim? Does this first chapter make you want to find out more? What other questions do you have?
  2. What does the title Blood Ribbon mean to you, now that you’ve been introduced to the first chapter?
  3. From the cover blurb, we learn that a young woman is found alive, bleeding and injured. Is she the Chapter One victim or another victim?

If you’ve read and reviewed the book, please share a link to your review in the comments. Thanks!

Happy Reading and Stay Golden!

Jena C. Henry

Roger Bray’s Blood Ribbon

About the Book

When a psychology student survives a brutal encounter, a series of unsolved murders may be her only clue to stop the next attack…

Orphan Brooke Adams has reinvented herself after a troubled past. Now a confident psychology student, she surrounds herself with a close-knit group of friends who won’t let their past traumas ruin their big plans for the future. But when a weekend getaway ends with a bloody, savage attack that nearly leaves her dead on the beach, she’s determined not to let the traumatic experience define her.

When she’s approached by a retired cop turned PI, Brooke is shocked to learn there’s a striking similarity between her incident and a series of killings from 35 years ago. Will Brooke piece together the unsolved beach murders and reclaim her future, or will a clever killer put her six feet under the dunes?

Blood Ribbon is a tightly-woven standalone thriller. If you like dark mysteries, chilling suspense, and survivors battling incredible odds, then you’ll love Roger Bray’s gripping page-turner.

Roger Bray

About Roger:

I served in the Royal Navy, and as a Police officer in Australia. Seriously injured and medically retired I enrolled in university which relit my passion for writing.  Three books published and another on track.  If my writing brings some pleasure into people’s lives, then I consider it a success.

I have always loved writing; putting words onto a page and bringing characters to life. I can almost feel myself becoming immersed into their lives, living with their fears and triumphs. Thus, my writing process becomes an endless series of questions. What would she or he do, how would they react, is this in keeping with their character? Strange as it sounds, I don’t like leaving characters in cliffhanging situations without giving them an ending, whichever way it develops.

My life to date is what compels me to seek a just outcome, the good will overcome and the bad will be punished. More though, I tend to see my characters as everyday people in extraordinary circumstances, but in which we may all find ourselves if the planets align wrongly or for whatever reason you might consider.

Contacts:
Twitter: @rogerbray22
https://rogerbraybooks.com/

 

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

 

Writing Party

Cheers to the Romantic Novelists’ Association! Congratulations on 60 years.

Laptop, notebooks, sandwiches, party banners and sparkling wine crammed into my rucksack, I set off on my writing adventure in a department store. Rather than shopping for the latest bargains in store, I shopped for story ideas at a writing retreat in the community room of John Lewis Department Store. The writing retreat was organised by my local writing group.  Party fever to celebrate sixty years of the Romantic Novelists’ Association was scheduled for the middle of the day.

I was serious about writing.

I collected my writing fuel at the coffee shop before venturing through the store’s security.  When we walked through the corridors behind the store, I convinced myself we were about to board a plane.  On reflection, I am pleased we did not meet any pilots because the factory girls are easily distracted.  However, Pearl could have performed a stunning rendition of ‘Fly Me To The Moon’.

In a room aptly named the Discovery Room, we all braced ourselves for take-off into our own writing worlds. I panicked I would not be able to find any words. Nudged by the sight of authors working, I managed to get my imagination to take flight. I also deleted a character who had stowed away in one of the chapters.   Once aboard the writing retreat, I had to delve into my imagination and was not tempted to chat.

The final chapter of ‘Loving You’ awaited my attention.  Following edits, I realised my characters were not happy with their destinations.  They needed to find out more the secrets haunting them.  Armed with a huge notebook, I knew I had hidden the clues in there somewhere.

The writing party and words are in full flow for Jan Baynham.

There is a time to write and a time to relax. Before lunch, we celebrated sixty years of the wonderful Romantic Novelists’ Association. We marked the occasion with the party fever and shared sixty words from our romance novels.  It was great fun guessing who had written the extracts. On Valentine’s Day, I will share the photos and celebratory parcels of words from the writing group.

Guess who wrote the extract?

Since the writing retreat, I crafted more chapters of ‘Loving You’.  Jim and Pearl have offered gentle guidance and Doreen, one of the lively factory women, has gatecrashed a party.  The writing retreat kick started my final chapters, and the support of the other writers helped to build my enthusiasm.

More serious writers at work.

Many thanks to my lovely writerly friends from the South and West  Wales Chapter. I enjoyed attending the writing party and am now fizzing with words and ideas.  Without membership of the New Writers’ Scheme, I would not have enjoyed this wonderful opportunity.

Do you enjoy writing retreats, or do you prefer to write in a room of your own?

 

 

Veronica Cline Barton’s Golden Chapter

Golden Chapter Review

Do you like my new crown? I thought I’d wear it for this royal celebration.

It’s time for an almost royal welcome for Veronica Cline Barton.  Having found a gold tiara to accessorize with Jena’s latest addition to her Golden Chapter, I’m ready to meet Veronica Cline Barton’s characters and offer a genteel curtsey.  On second thoughts, I think I’ll sit back and listen from the comfort of my throne.  Has anyone seen Jena?  Ah. I see her walking along the red carpet. Is she wearing a crown?

Sorry I’m late.  I’ve been searching for the next chapter in our Golden Chapter story. Do you like my new crown? I thought I’d wear it for this royal celebration. I’ve recently made friends with many of you in the UK, so I chose The Crown for Castlewood Manor for my Golden Chapter Review. A charming heroine with American and English roots, a stately home, a titled gentleman, and a cozy mystery- sounds Golden to me!

The Crown for Castlewood Manor

The blurb for Castlewood Manor begins, “The English ancestral manor of Cherrywood Hall is ready to compete for selection in an upcoming British TV period drama series.” I know what you are thinking- sounds like Downton Abbey! Yes it does, but I was put in mind of a different TV show, The Patty Duke Show which was an American sitcom that aired from 1963 to 1966.

The premise of the show involved the hijinks of Patty, a rambunctious American teen, and her refined identical cousin from the UK, Cathy. Both girls were played by Patty Duke and as they say, hilarity ensued. The bouncy theme song included these memorable lines,

“They laugh alike, they walk alike,
At times they even talk alike –
You can lose your mind,
When cousins are two of a kind. “
source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/thepattydukeshowlyrics.html

You can see the opening here.

Veronica Cline Barton

OK, I will now close my “golden age of tv handbag” and get to the First Chapter Review of The Crown for Castlewood Manor by Veronica Cline Barton.

The first chapter, Beaches of Malibu, August, is fun and well-written as we meet the heroine of the book, Gemma. She gives us a succinct summary of her life:

“My name is Gemma Alexandra Lancaster Phillips, and I’m a twenty-seven-year-old California girl, born and bred. I was newly awarded my PhD. I have an American Lancaster family and an English Lancaster family.”

Aha! And as we soon learn, the British side of the family needs Gemma’s help. A Marquess and a stately home, Castlewood Manor are involved. (In addition to almost-royalty on the English side, Gemma’s Ma-ma is a successful American film star.)

The latest book in the series; The Crown for Castlewood Manor – Deadly Receptions

We are also treated to an intro to the California nature of our girl Gemma. Whether she is dining at an upscale Malibu bistro, confronting a misbehaving boyfriend, or howling at the moon, Gemma wants to make her own mark. But does she really know what awaits her at Castlewood Manor?

Sounds like a golden beginning to an intriguing cozy mystery. (Or cosy, for my British friends.) Gemma is smart, beautiful and lively, with a tinge of self-doubt. Get to know Gemma and her English cousins!

Victoria Cline Barton’s Golden Handbag

Many thanks to Jessie Cahalin for letting me browse her Handbag Gallery. If you have read The Crown for Castlewood Manor, we’d love to hear from you in the comments. Haven’t read the book? Then let’s discuss it! Here are some questions to get us started.

  1. Have you visited a stately home in America or the UK? Do you have a favorite?
  2. Are you good at solving cozy mysteries as you read them?
  3. I liked Gemma’s attributes. What makes a good protagonist?

Jena C. Henry, Jan. 2, 2019

 

Please see all my Golden Chapters 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.

The Tenacity of Lesley Field and her Writing Journey

Lesley Field posting her letter

Discovering an author’s writing journey always intrigues me.  I met inspirational Lesley Field at the Romance Novelists Association Tea. Lesley gave me the courage to pursue another adventure for my own characters. It is an honour to present Lesley’s story.

Every journey starts somewhere and mine started with a cup of tea, a magazine and a short story I’d just read. I thought, I could do that.

I had the pleasure of meeting Lesley Field at the RNA Tea.

A short while later I came up with a story-line, sat down at the laptop and started to write. It was supposed to be a short story but it soon became more. In May I was in our local Smith’s and there was a lady doing a book signing. I hovered, as one does, and eventually plucked up the courage to approach. She asked if I wrote so I told her about the book I had finished and submitted to Mills and Boon. I asked if this was her first book, she kindly told me no, it was her 18th. That was my foot in mouth moment. It turned out the lady was Val Wood, Hull’s answer to Catherine Cookson. She gave me a lot of lovely tips and said to let her know how matters progressed. A rejection came from Mills and Boon, I had no idea of what publishers required back then. I e-mailed Val Wood to let her know. She told me not to give up and to keep submitting.

Val Wood gave me a lot of lovely tips and said to let her know how matters progressed.

About 6 weeks later I received an e-mail from Val inviting me to attend the next meeting of her Romantic Novelists Association Chapter, The Flying Ducks. I learned about the New Writers Scheme (NWS) and managed to get on this in January 2013. By this time I had written a further contemporary novel, so submitted this for critique. When the critique arrived I thought, well this is it. If they say its rubbish I know I can’t write. But they didn’t. I had a very good critique, and the reader commented I had the tenacity to succeed.

So, I could write contemporary, but could I write historical? I sat down and had a go. I submitted that book to MuseItUp publishing and in 2014 received a contract from them. That novel, “Dangerous Entrapment,” was shortlisted for Historical Novel of the year 2016 by the RNA.

Saunders-Lies and Deception is set in Banff in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

You may wonder what happened to the first novel I wrote in 2012. Well, in 2013, while on a coach tour in America, the plotline for a sequel to that book came to me. In fact it wouldn’t leave me alone. So I wrote that. Then a third plot line came along. I now had three books in a series, which is my Saunders series. The first book, “Saunders Lies and Deception,” was published in May 2018.

With 4 books published and 4 more contracted, my journey continues…

Biography

Lesley Field is an award nominated author of Romantic Novels and should not be confused with any other writer of the same name.
Lesley lives in North Yorkshire, often described as “God’s own county.” Before retiring she spent her working life pursuing personal injury claims. Now at a time when she should be thinking of early nights and cocoa, she finds herself writing somewhat “hot” novels. Her first published novel “Dangerous Entrapment” was her first historical novel. She also writes contemporary novels which are usually based in Canada, which she calls her “heart home.” Having achieved publication so soon after starting to write she hopes that, “Dangerous Entrapment,”(1st book in the Duchess in Danger series) is just the beginning.

About Lies and Deception

This is the background for “Saunders-Lies and Deception” and the adventure that inspired the writing journey

Set in Banff in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. A magical place in the winter and a hub for tourists in the summer. Come and meet the Saunders family. With prestige and money you would think they had everything, but a dark secret lies hidden, a secret that is about to be uncovered, and the lies and deception will change the family forever. Follow Sarah and Jeff’s journey in Book 1. Sarah had everything, a handsome loving husband, a young son, then suddenly it was all snatched away. Defeated by outside forces, she made a new life for herself. But never forgot the life she once had. Risking everything if she was discovered, she returned to Canada, and crept back into Banff like a thief in the night. The last person Jeff thought to see was Sarah, but walking down the aisle at his son’s wedding, he saw the one person he had never expected to see again. When his eyes met hers shock quickly turned to anger. Tracking her down was easy, then he had one question. Why? The answer was not what he expected, nor one that he could believe. Or could he? He was everything she once wanted, and he gave her everything she needed. Except one thing, trust. Could she believe what he said now? Could she risk being hurt again? Can the lies and deception be overcome? Book 1 in the Saunders Series, “Saunders-Lies and Deception.”

 

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