Tag: Romance

A stolen painting in the pocket of my large handbag

Popular author, Anne Allen, released ‘The Betrayal’, on 22nd October.  ‘The Betrayal’ is the sixth book in the Guernsey Series.  Anne Allen has kindly selected an exclusive extract for Books in my Handbag.  The dual-time novel unfolds in the present day and during World War Two.  It is set against the backdrop of the German deportation of the Jewish community, in Guernsey, and involves a stolen Renoir painting. 

Treachery and theft lead to death – and love. 

‘The Betrayal’ is tense, powerful and spellbinding.

Anne will introduce her new novel, present an extract and tell you more about the intricate narrative.

Dear Readers,

I am delighted to present my latest in the Guernsey Novels series, ‘The Betrayal’.

This extract is from the beginning of the book and is the prelude to the modern part of the story, giving you a taste of the tension throughout the book.

Keep a copy of the book in your bag to dip into whenever you have a moment, you won’t regret it!

Happy Reading☺

Anne x

Presenting the extract:

Guernsey 2011

Something was wrong. The alarm didn’t blast out as he pushed open the back door of the shop. Standing still, he heard a noise. Someone was in the shop. Or more accurately, the basement. Nigel paused as he closed the door quietly behind him, his heart hammering against his ribs as he debated what to do. Whoever was in there knew how to disable a burglar alarm otherwise lights would be flashing and a discordant wail would be piercing the air. Best to shut them in the basement and call the police. Following the thought, he crept into the main shop, guided by the dim light coming through the rear window. His eyes adjusting to the dimness, Nigel tried to pick out the area where a rug should cover the trapdoor. For a moment he wondered who could have known about the basement, only discovered a few weeks before when they completed the renovations and replaced the flooring. Odd. And why the basement when the shop was full of valuable antiques?

Crouched at the edge of the hole, light from a torch casting shadows below, he was about to push the open door downwards when a hand snaked up and grabbed his arm.

More about ‘The Betrayal’…

Teresa Bichard and her baby are sent by her beloved husband, Leo, to England as the Germans draw closer to Guernsey. Days later they invade…

Leo, of Jewish descent, is betrayed to the Germans and is sent to a concentration camp, never to return.

Teresa returns to find Leo did not survive and the family’s valuable art collection, including a Renoir, is missing. Heartbroken, she returns to England.

Nigel and his twin Fiona buy a long-established antiques shop in Guernsey and during a refit, find a hidden stash of paintings, including what appears to be a Renoir. Days later, Fiona finds Nigel dead, an apparent suicide. Refusing to accept the verdict, a distraught Fiona employs a detective to help her discover the truth…

Searching for the true owner of the painting brings Fiona close to someone who opens a chink in her broken heart. Can she answer some crucial questions before laying her brother’s ghost to rest?

Who betrayed Leo?

Who knew about the stolen Renoir?

And are they prepared to kill – again?

What do the reviewers think of ‘The Betrayal’?

‘I am a huge fan of Anne Allen’s Guernsey series in which various locations are lovingly described. With the ‘suicide’ of her twin brother, this book has an orally different feel as Fiona tries to get to the bottom of it. With an undiscovered Renoir and links to WW2 this book has a much darker feel to it.’ Julie Ryan

‘Great characters and of course a love connection with a happy ending.’ Karen’s World

‘Having read Anne’s last book, Echoes of Time, I couldn’t wait to read her latest, and I wasn’t disappointed. The novel alternates between WW2 and 2011 and is set on the beautiful island of Guernsey. The Betrayal features twins, Fiona and Nigel, who discover a Renoir within the walls of their antique shop in 2011. When Nigel is found dead, and suicide is suspected, Fiona refuses to believe that her brother would end his own life and she sets out to uncover the truth. Unravelling the mystery will carry her on a journey back to 1940, and to the dark days of the German Occupation and the deportation of Jews.’ S. Charlton

And finally…

A late-comer to writing, Anne was a psychotherapist in a previous life.   Readers are lucky that Anne decided to tell her stories. Anne admits her characters do get under her skin and she misses Fiona and Michael, in particular. I look forward to discovering more about the characters and solving the mysteries presented by this delicious time-slip novel.

You can find out more about Anne Allen here.

 

Please see all the specially chosen extracts at Book Extracts and my blog at jessiecahalin.com. 

 

When Dreams Came True for Jan Baynham

Jan hard at work in her writing room in Wales.

When people follow their dreams, I must find out more.  Having retired from a career in education, Jan Baynham recently gained a publishing deal with Ruby Fiction.  I am delighted she agreed to chat to me about her writing adventure and offer the benefit of her experiences.

Jessie: When did you first dream of becoming a writer?

Jan:  I came very late to the party! It wasn’t until I retired that I thought about writing fiction. As a teacher and latterly as a Teacher Adviser for English, I’d always enjoyed teaching writing and taking part in Shared Writing but had never thought seriously about writing for myself. To start, I joined a small writing group at a local library and from there I took a short story course at Cardiff University run by a published author. I began submitting my stories to competitions and several are published in anthologies and on-line.  A themed anthology of those early stories, “Smashing the Mask and Other Stories’, will be launched by Black Pear Press on October 10th.  Back then, unless they were Flash Fiction pieces – a genre that I love! – I found it harder and harder to keep to the word counts required for some of the competitions. It soon became clear that I preferred to write much longer stories with multi-layered characters, detailed settings and more involved plots. I undertook a novel writing course with the same tutor and that was when my dream of becoming a published novelist began. That was five years ago and enrolling on Lynne Barrett-Lee’s course was the best decision I ever made.

Jessie:  Wow!  I am impressed you retired from one successful career to embark on another challenge. How did you feel when you secured a deal with Ruby Fiction?

Jan: At the beginning of May, I accepted and signed a contract with Ruby Fiction for three books. The first, ‘Whispering Olive Trees’, will be published in digital and audio in 2020. I was – and still am! – thrilled and still can’t quite believe it. I know there’s a lot of hard work ahead but working with my editor at Ruby is something I’m looking forward to very much. I shall give it my all.

Jessie: What is Whispering Oliver Trees about?

The view over the sapphire sea from the fictional island of Péfka where the novel is mainly set

‘Whispering Olive Trees’ started out as a short story that did quite well in competitions by being long-listed. After re-tweaking, it was eventually published as ‘Whispers in the Olive Trees’ on Alfie Dog Fiction. But I knew there was a longer, more involved story there and my characters were begging to tell me more. The novel is now completely different. Mainly taking place on a fictional island, Péfka, in southern Greece, in 1965 and 1987, the dual time-line novel explores the relationship between a mother and daughter, forbidden love – due to cultural differences – and a search for true identity. Alexandra, known as Lexi, is a young woman grieving after the untimely death of her mother, Elin who has bequeathed her diary to her. Through reading the diary, Lexi discovers secrets in her mother’s past and a part of her life she knew nothing about. She travels to Greece to find out the truth, and then understands why tension has always existed between her and her father. Once she knows who she really is, she can move on with her own life and find true happiness. I’m hoping the novel will appeal to female readers who enjoy family sagas and reading about relationships, the dynamics of family life, secrets, romance and a touch of crime. Having a Greek uncle and having made many visits there, I am passionate about novels set in Greece and the country itself. I hope that will come across to my readers.

Jessie:  Intriguing to know you have a Greek uncle and this inspired the story.  I adore stories with secrets.  The novel sounds like a great escape and it is no wonder you wanted to write the novel.  You have been determined to secure a publishing deal. I knew you would manage it.  What process did you go through before you were successful?

Olive trees grow everywhere on the island. The whispering of the leaves in the
breeze remind Lexi she is not alone.

Jan: Thank you for your confidence, Jessie. Yes, I was as determined as I could be. I think the main reason for the determination was that I didn’t have the confidence to self-publish and I am full of admiration for those writers who do so successfully. The first thing I did was to apply for a place on the RNA’s wonderful New Writers’ Scheme. I cannot praise the scheme highly enough. The three reports I have received from my readers so far have been very constructive, encouraging and detailed with helpful advice. Before submitting to any publishers, I have considered the points made and given my novels another thorough edit.

Wherever Lexi goes, she is met by an abundance of vibrant bougainvillea, tumbling over garden walls.

I took note of those publishers to whom you may submit directly without an agent. As each rejection came back, it was noticeable that instead of a standard ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ I soon started getting positive feedback with comments about what they liked about the writing and why they couldn’t make an offer. It was at this stage, the ‘nearly but not quite’ stage as one editor put it, I knew that if I took on board the advice I was getting, that maybe I would get published. A glimmer of hope! I hoped that each new submission was better than the previous one because of the help I was getting. That’s not to say I didn’t have self-doubt and wondered how long I should keep trying. That was where my group of writing friends, Sue, Catherine and Vanessa came in and gave me the kick start to begin submitting again!

Jessie: What advice would you give to fledgling authors seeking their first publishing deal?

Jan: Keep going! Get yourself a pair of wide shoulders, preferably with 80s style padding! I tell myself it’s a rejection of the writing and not of me as a person. I’m a ‘bottle half-full’ person and whenever I receive any written feedback, I have a little ritual. Especially with my NWS readers’ reports, I highlight all the positive comments and compliments in one colour and then do the same for the suggestions for improvement, criticisms, flaws etc. in another highlighter pen. We are notoriously bad at just focusing in on what’s wrong with our writing, aren’t we? If I agree with the points to correct or improve, I make them into a list and tick them off as I edit.

Choose to submit to publishers who are accepting submissions without an agent and who are accepting novels in your genre. Make sure you read the submission guidelines ‘to the letter’. They all vary. The same applies to the query letter. If you are submitting to an agent, however, maybe look for those who are building a list.

Even very experienced writers will say they are still learning. I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned, and hopefully improved as a writer, from attending conferences, training days and workshops. Lancaster 2019 will be my fourth RNA Conference and as well as the organised lectures, workshops, the 1-to-1 industry appointments, the camaraderie of the other delegates, I’ve always come back enthused and ready to start writing again.

My last piece of advice would be to build your social media presence before you start submitting to publishers. It is often a question they ask and want to know how you will be able to promote yourself and your novels. My blog is now five years old and I started it when I started novel writing. It’s a way of sharing my writing journey and also supporting fellow authors by promoting their books and hosting guest interviews. On Twitter, for example, I’ve ‘met’ lots of supportive writers and we like and re-tweet each others’ news and books. It’s even better when we meet in person.

Jessie:  You give lots of valuable advice, and I have now experienced the value of the Romantic Novelist’ Conference.  I agree that social media is a wonderful way to communicate -it’s where I met you.  Why is it important for new writers to meet up with other writers rather than only communicating on social media?

Jan: Although I’m an advocate of building up a presence on social media, nothing beats meeting up with other writers, face to face. Writing can be a very lonely occupation and I think it’s so important to get away from the computer to mix with other writers. I still meet up with two writing friends I met on the short story ‘Telling Tales’ course. We meet for lunch every few weeks and bring along Flash Fiction pieces to share and critique. Our Cowbridge Cursors ‘group of four’ meets up less regularly than we used to due to family, work and other commitments, but when we do it’s as if we’ve never been apart. Our RNA Chapter meets every month and through that I’ve met some lovely writers. It’s been so good to share a Writing Retreat Day and a Writing Workshop with them this year. We talk about our WiPs and I always come away feeling better about my writing.

Jessie: The Chapter meetings also give me a great writing boost.  I am so pleased to be part of the South Wales and West Chapter. Aside from writing, I know you have a very interesting hobby.  Can you tell me more about Eddie Stobard?

You’ve asked about my unusual hobby. It’s not something I broadcast for fear of being judged as a bit of an ‘anorak’. It all came out when I was coming home from my first Conference with my four writing buddies, the CCs. The M6 is a haven for Eddie Stobart spotters like me. Every time we came alongside one of the green, red and white beauties, I was busy making notes on my phone ready to transfer to my Eddie Stobart Spotter’s Handbook when I got home. Imagine the disbelief and ribbing I got! This year, I now have a brand new Eddie Stobart truck named after me – ‘Janet Eleanor’, H8529, Registration No. PX68ZKE.

Jan offers honest advice for authors seeking that first publishing deal, and I am sure her story will resonate with all authors.  I look forward to the finished novel.  Best of luck, Jan! 

Jan’s contact details:
Twitter – @JanBayLit
Facebook – Jan Baynham Writer
Blog – www.janbaynham.blogspot.co.uk

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

 

Slipping back to 499 AD with Julia Ibbotson

Julia posting her guest post to Books in Handbag Blog

Julia Ibbotson contacted me and offered me the opportunity to slip into 499AD and meet the characters of her latest novel. Lady Vivianne is from 499AD and Dr Viv DuLac living in the present day. In A Shape on the Air, the worlds of these two women collide to create a fascinating narrative.  Fascinated by the concept, I asked Julia to explain more about her novel.

Dear Jessie,

My latest novel, A Shape on the Air, is about two women, divided by centuries, united by a quest for truth. Dr Viv DuLac, a medievalist, is devastated when her partner Pete walks out (and with her best friend too) and it seems that she is about to lose everything. Drunk and desperate, her world quite literally turns upside down when she finds herself in the body of the fifth century Lady Vivianne. Lady V has her own traumas; she is struggling with the shifting values of the Dark Ages and her forced betrothal to the brutish Sir Pelleas, who is implicated in the death of her parents.  Little does Viv realise that both their lives across the centuries will become so completely intertwined. Haunted by both Lady Vivianne in 499 AD and by Viv’s own parents’ death and legacy, can Viv unlock the mystery that surrounds and connects their two lives, 1500 years apart, and bring peace to them both?

Meet Lady Vivianne

As with all authors, my characters’ voices ring around my head as I write. So I’ll imagine the women speaking for themselves and this is how they might have introduced themselves to you …

Meet Lady Vivianne …

It is the year of Our Lord 499, I am fifteen and I have a problem.  I am betrothed, against my will, to the odious Sir Pelleas, yet I am not unaware of the glances of my childhood friend, Sir Roland. It was my late father, kind as he was, who took in the tattered cast-out Saxon child Pelleas, thinking him to be a potential successor as chieftain of our settlement in the midlands of England.  Back then, it was not so usual for a woman to succeed to the chieftaincy, and anyway I was not expected, my dear mother being cursed to be childless. But she had used her pagan rituals to try to conceive, and I was the result. They named me Lady Vivianne.

I will never forget the day that my parents died, burned in the fire that destroyed our sacred hall. Sir Pelleas said that it was the tallows on the altar. But yet I knew that was not so.  And as I grew towards my sixteenth year and Pelleas had already persuaded the council in the mead hall with his military prowess to confirm him as chieftain, he was appointed my ‘protector’ and my suitor.

I hate him. I hate his brutish ways and his raucous drunken friends as they feast and carouse and stink in my father’s hall that used to display rich tapestries and religious icons, a backdrop to the travelling scōps with their beautiful poetry.

I will do anything, anything at all that is in my power, to rid myself of Pelleas and this terrible betrothal. And I have powers, like my mother, Lady Nymue, the lady of the lake, believe me …

The inspiration for Dr Viv

Meet medievalist Dr Viv DuLac …

… I get home to my apartment a couple of nights ago, totally unaware of what that night would bring. I’d had a hard day at the university where I teach medieval studies. Maybe it’s tiredness but I think I hear my dead mother’s voice in my pounding head and the name ‘Lady Vivianne’.  But my mind is full of my partner Pete’s treachery. I still cannot believe that he would stoop so low. Going off with one of my best friends and then having the gall to try to sell the apartment from under me. I’d like to hate him, but it’s not so easy to dismiss those years, is it? Are there no decent men left? I’d do anything, anything at all, to keep my beloved home and to be safe. But instead I drink far too much red wine and make for the lake where something is drawing me …

A Shape on the Air

As their lives become intertwined, the quest for truth intensifies. How is Lady Vivianne connected to Dr Viv’s parents’ death and the centuries-old mystery they tried to uncover?  By the way, Jessie, my WIP (The Dragon Tree) is the sequel to A Shape on the Air, and will be published later in 2020.

With love,

Julia

Website/blog   https://www.juliaibbotsonauthor.com
Facebook          https://www.facebook.com/JuliaIbbotsonauthor
Twitter              @JuliaIbbotson
Pinterest           http://www.pinterest.co.uk/juliai1

About Dr Julia Ibbotson

Acclaimed, award-winning author Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and concepts of time travel. She read English at Keele University, England (after a turbulent but exciting gap year in Ghana, West Africa) specialising in medieval language, literature and history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. She wrote her first novel at 10 years of age, but became a school teacher, then an academic as a senior university lecturer and researcher. As well as medieval time-slip, she has published a number of books, including memoir/history of food (The Old Rectory), children’s medieval fantasy (S.C.A.R.S), a trilogy opening in 1960s Ghana (Drumbeats), and many academic works. Apart from insatiable reading, she loves travelling the world, singing in choirs, swimming, yoga and walking in the countryside in England and Madeira where she and her husband divide their time.

Ian Wilfred’s Latest Novel Paired with Greek Wine

Ian looked so relaxed as we chatted, soaked up the sun and enjoyed the sea view.

Shirley Valentine made me giggle in my twenties, and now I am old enough to be Shirley.  I still dream of sipping wine, seated at a table, with a sea view, in Greece.  Imagine my delight when Ian Wilfred invited me to Greece to discuss his new novel.  I joined him on his island of Holkamos.  We drank wine and ate a marvellous picnic of feta cheese olives, tomatoes and stuffed vine leaves.   Ian looked so relaxed as we chatted, soaked up the sun and enjoyed the sea view. He wore shorts polo shirt and flip flops, and his new novel, Secrets We Left In Greece, was stored in a black bag.

 

Jessie:  Ian, it is great to finally meet you.  You provided the very first photograph for my Handbag Gallery.  You have written two books since then.  Please tell me about your latest book Secrets we left in Greece.

Norfolk is wonderful but holidays in Greece, with my husband and family, inspired the setting of the latest novel.

Ian:  It was a pleasure to make the connection via the Handbag Gallery.  My photograph was on a local Norfolk beach, as I just love the sea.  Norfolk is wonderful but holidays in Greece, with my husband and family, inspired the setting of the latest novel.  It is a story of old secrets and new memories on the Greek island of Holkamos.

Miriam had something on her mind and it needed sorting. What she had planned wouldn’t go down well with her daughter Heather and Granddaughter Amy, but there was no going back; the tickets were booked she had to face the island again.

Jessie:  It sounds like a fabulous escape.  Why should your readers be tempted to buy this novel?

You only get one chance to live your life. Escape to my Greek island Holkamos with Miriam, Heather and Amy; support them on their journey of self- discovery

Ian: You only get one chance to live your life. Escape to my Greek island Holkamos with Miriam, Heather and Amy; support them on their journey of self- discovery. Pack your passport, settle down in the sunshine and listen in to their secrets. My characters learn life is not a rehearsal, and it’s time to move on.  Sometimes, you need to escape to a paradise island in order to remove the rose-tinted glasses.

Jessie: What do the reviewers say?  Were they intrigued to find out the secrets?.

Ian:  Have a look at the reviews here in Netgallery.

‘Solid chick lit…it doesn’t take itself too seriously.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and say, ‘Oh no! Definitely a fun weekend read.’ Shirley Anne, Reviewer

‘Love fiction set in Greece. This was a light, enjoyable read.’ Anita T, Reviewer

‘Amusing, believable characters on a voyage of discovery.’

Jessie:  Please can you read an extract from Secrets We Left In Greece?

*** Ian retrieved the novel from his black bag.  The vibrant front cover looked so inviting.

Ian: ‘Paul they were happy times-  no one died, and I have lots of special memories of my holidays on Holkamos, I just don’t want to go back, I’ve moved on from that’.

‘What’s that, Amy?  Why do you need to move on from something that brings back happy memories what happened?’

Jessie:  How did you feel when you had finished the novel?  Did you miss any of the characters?

We drank wine and ate a marvellous picnic of feta cheese olives, tomatoes and stuffed vine leaves

Ian: Jessie, I loved writing it and I felt really good. Once I finished, I couldn’t wait to send it off to my editor, Nancy. I sort of missed the character Cleo. In all my other four books, my main characters have been over fifty, but Cleo was only twenty. I wanted to take her story further. You never know, I might revisit Cleo one day if she invited me back to the island.

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.  

Ian: Just someone who chooses to read it. I don’t give my books to family or friends to read, but if they want to that’s lovely but very scary. I shout and promote them on Twitter but have never asked a blogger to read because that’s even scarier.

Jessie:  Why should I keep your book in my handbag?
Ian: This book is an essential edition to a British handbag as it will give you sunshine on a grey day. Travelling to Holkamos will chase away those rainy-day blues, and you’ll be in the company of great friends.  Each time you read this book, you’ll be tempted to open a bottle of Greek wine.

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

The last sentence in my notes for Secrets We Left In Greece is – take out the middle H from Holkhamos and call the island Holkamos as that sounds better. On Sunday, I wrote: ‘Olive Sarah or Billy ?’

Jessie:  What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Ian: My biggest challenge is TIME.  I write and work full-time. Family and friends are fed up with me saying I would love an eight day week. Have you got an extra day of the week in your handbag?

Jessie:  Very funny!  I probably have more than a day’s worth of junk in my handbag.  What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Ian: This is easy. Write every day even if it’s only 200 words, as this keeps the story fresh in your head. Read and watch everything Milly Johnson has to say about writing.  Milly Johnson’s Author Tips are the very best.

Ian Wilfred is 50+ but in his head he will always be 39. He lives on the Norfolk coast with his husband and west highland terrier. His perfect day would be to walk the dog on the beach, drink lots of coffee and write, but in real life after walking the dog, Ian goes off to work.

His debut novel ‘Putting Right The Past’ was published in 2013 and set on the island of Tenerife. ‘The Little Terrace of Friendships’ was published in March 2017, and Ian’s third book ‘A Secret Visitor to Saltmarsh Quay’ was published in November 2017.

You can follow Ian on Twitter at @ianwilfred39 (he will always be 39).

Chatting to Ian made the sunshine.  If you fancy an escape then buy his latest book. Are you ready to find out some secrets?  Promise you will leave the secrets in Holkamos. 

 

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

 

A Wee Dram with the Girl in the Castle – Lizzie Lamb

Lizzie wore a very glamorous blue and white blouse and jeans.

Lizzie Lamb’s blue VW camper attracted admirers at Urquhart Castle in Scotland.  The engine purred obediently as Lizzie expertly manoeuvred the vintage beauty into a parking space, overlooking Loch Ness.  

Lizzie emerged from the van and invited me inside. She wore a very glamorous blue and white blouse and jeans.

Lizzie Lamb’s blue VW camper parked at Urquhart Castle.

While she prepared some tea in the compact kitchen, I opened a tin of Scottish shortbread. A copy of Lizzie’s novel, ‘Girl at the Castle’, invited me to peer inside.  Lizzie’s books are always so beautifully designed and presented in a distinctive lilac colour.   

Jessie: What is ‘Girl in the Castle’ about?

Lizzie: Fate takes Henriette Bruar to a Scottish castle where the laird’s family are in mourning over a tragedy which happened many years before. Cue a phantom piper, a lost Jacobite treasure, and a cast of characters who – with Henri’s help, encourage the family to confront the past and move on. As part of the healing process, Henriette falls in love with the laird’s son, Keir, and they achieve the happy ending they both deserve.

Jessie:  The plot and setting sound thrilling.  I know you write in a very natural and witty style.  Can you tempt us with a couple of words from ‘Girl in the Castle’?

A beautifully designed novel in a handbag.

Lizzie: ‘Giving a superstitious shiver, Henriette acknowledged there were subtle forces at work in this ancient castle. Forces which wanted her and Keir to be together, forever.’

Jessie:  This is delicious!  I know you have been longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize. What did the reviewers say about The Girl in the Castle?

Lizzie opened up a folder on her laptop and read some reviews. I was sure I heard the distant sound of bagpipes, but Lizzie didn’t comment. 

Lizzie: Ah, here they are. I’ll read three reviews.

Can you see Nessie?

‘I loved all the many elements in this novel: The location, history, slightly paranormal atmosphere, love lost and found, and a missing treasure. Not to forget gorgeous Keir MacKenzie, a hero to swoon over.’

‘This convincing romance beginning in conflict and distrust is set in stunning scenery which comes to life through Henri’s experiences and Keir’s enthusiasm for his birth right. A great read!’

‘Girl in the Castle is romantic, witty, interesting and you don’t want it to finish. I enjoyed all the characters – and the storyline. I laughed, gasped, and wished I were Henriette! I love the way Lizzie is knowledgeable about Scotland and shares this with the reader in a heartfelt way. A romantic novel with substance and wit – hurry up and write us the next one, please.’

Jessie:  As expected the reviews wax lyrical about your writing. Having read one of your novels, I get the sense that you are very attached to the characters and this brings them to life so beautifully.  Did you miss the characters of ‘Girl in the Castle’ when you had finished writing the novel?

Lizzie: When I finish a novel it’s always hard to say goodbye to the characters. Many of my readers feel the same and often ask for a sequel. However, although I miss the characters and the setting ,once I type THE END, that’s it for me. I leave the novel so that readers can imagine what would happen next . . . I think it has been hardest to say goodbye to Henri and Keir. And – mad writer alert – I still have conversations with them in my head and I know exactly what they’re doing now. I felt the same about Charlee and Rafa in Boot Camp Bride and Fliss and Ruairi in Tall, Dark and Kilted.

Jessie:  Did a particular place inspire ‘Girl in the Castle’?

Lizzie Lamb viewing Castle Stalker: the inspiration for Girl in the Castle.

Lizzie opened a collection of photographs in a gallery.  She left me to scroll through the images while she refilled the teapot. I was sure I heard the bagpipes again as I studied the photos.

Lizzie:  We spend a month each year in Scotland. Castle Stalker on Loch Linnhe, near Oban is the inspiration behind Girl in the Castle.

Jessie:  Of course, I have seen this iconic image on the front cover. I’d love to visit the castle and read all your novels. Who would you like to read your novels?

Lizzie: I would choose Jilly Cooper. I adored her earlier books: Emily, Prudence etc. and her bonk busters: Polo, Riders et al. I would like Jilly to read my books because that would be my way of saying: ‘thank you for inspiring me to become a writer, and for making it all seem possible’. If I’m allowed a second, more practical choice, I would thank Amazon for giving indie authors the means of getting their books ‘out there’ to a wide audience of readers.

Jessie:  As an independent author, I notice your wealth of images and campaigns.   Where do you get the photos from?

Lizzie: As a writer and blogger I am very aware of infringing copyright so I have subscribed to a couple of websites where I pay and download images: https://www.123rf.com https://www.dreamstime.com https://unsplash.com Other than that, I take my own photos with my iPhone wherever I go. A word of warning, don’t assume that images you see on Pinterest etc. are copyright free, always double check before uploading anything onto your sites. If in doubt, credit the artist/photographer.

Although, it was drizzling and grey outside, we decided to enjoy the Scottish weather.  Meandering along the shores of Loch Ness, we both joked about meeting up with Monster. 

Jessie:  Tell me, why should I keep your novel in my handbag?

Lizzie: My book would be the ideal companion when you’re feeling at a low ebb because I write feel good books, set in wonderful locations, with humorous secondary characters and, most importantly, a hero to fall in love with. If you want a break from the usually run of the mill romances, try one of mine. Oh, and bring a large handbag, my paperbacks are 9”x5” and need lots of space.

Jessie:  Don’t worry, I am always hunting for a new handbag. I think a tartan handbag is called for, after this trip. What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?

Lizzie: Dialogue between the hero (Logan) and his grandfather written as bullet points (which is how I generally write dialogue in my first draft).

  • do you love the girl?

  • I guess I do, but . . .

  • then what are you waiting for. Go get her. As the poet said: faint heart never won fair lady.

While Lizzie read her dialogue, I noticed a mysterious shadow in the water, and the skirl of bagpipes sounded closer.  I think a certain Nessie may have been listening to the story.  Neither of us commented because we just knew… Lizzie removed a delicate whisky flask from her handbag and we celebrated with a wee dram. Slainte!

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Lizzie: Writing books has never been an issue, my head is teeming with ideas for future novels. The hard bit is getting my books to the notice of a wider public and finding new readers. I would love to get my books in supermarkets etc. but I know that won’t happen without my being a contracted author. If I was contracted to one of the ‘Big Five’ publishers I’d probably have to write books in genres I wouldn’t enjoy. So, its Catch-22 for me. I would like more time to write and spend less time on social media, but without social media I wouldn’t have achieved the sales I have.

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

Lizzie: Stop endlessly polishing the first three chapters and a synopsis to send to agents and publishers. You might find that once the novel is completed you jettison the first few chapters in any case. Finish the whole novel, edit it and then polish it to send out to agents/publishers (if that’s the route you want to take). Failing that, publish it yourself – but remember, time, tide and the whims of publishers/agents wait for no man. By the time you write that great novel of yours, trends will have changed and your novel won’t be what agents/publishers are looking for.

Jessie:  This interview has inspired me to plan a trip to Scotland, but my Scottish neighbour is always warning me about the midges. 

We discussed Girl in the Castle, drank tea and ate Scottish shortbread.

Lizzie: The received wisdom is that you are ‘pretty safe’ in late May/ early June but the wee beasties are bad in July and August. Having said that, if May is very warm, the eggs hatch and they come early. We’ve never been bothered by them and I’ve received worse bites in our garden in the summer.

Jessie:  That’s reassuring.  Where’s the best place to begin a tour?

Lizzie: Edinburgh or Inverness make great centres to tour from if you’ve never been to Scotland before. Fewer midges on that coast, too. We love the west coast but it is much wetter (and more midges). Stirling is also a good centre as you can have some fantastic days out exploring the Trossachs. When you get a feel for those parts of Scotland you can head for the ‘wilder parts’ on another visit.

Lizzie showed me collection of photos.  Ardvreck Castle, Assynt Geo Park Nth West Scotland, Achnasheen nr Kinlochewe, island in middle of Lake Maree, Argyll and Bute 

Jessie:  Thanks for the advice.  I am going to stock up on your novels then plan another trip to Scotland.

About Lizzie

Lizzie: If you have a dream – go for it. Life is not a rehearsal After teaching my 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large primary school, I decided it was time to leave the chalk face and pursue my first love: writing. In 2006 I joined the Romantic Novelists? Association’s New Writers? Scheme, honed my craft and wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted (2012), quickly followed a year later by Boot Camp Bride (2013) and Scotch on the Rocks (2015) – finalist, The Exeter Novel Prize.

Lizzie is hardworking, creative and focused on writing the best book she can. She loves sharing her stories and ideas with readers, new and old. She gets a real buzz when readers tell her that when they turned the last page of her novel they feel bereft and she should hurry up and write another.

I first stumbled on Lizzie’s books when searching for another great reading escape. Thrilled at Lizzie’s ability to inspire comedy, I downloaded all of her novels.  Her Scottish books motivated me to plan a holiday in Scotland.  Lizzie is great fun and her love of writing shines through her novels.

Lizzie says: “when I’m not writing – I’m dreaming”

 

Lizzie’s Links
https://www.amazon.com/author/lizzielamb
Amazon author page: viewAuthor.at/LizzieLamb
www.facebook.com/LizzieLambwriter
www.facebook.com/newromantics4
lizzielambwriter@gmail.com
website: www.lizzielamb.co.uk
blog: www.newromanticspress.com
Linked in: uk.linkedin.com/pub/lizzie-lamb/18/194/202/
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/cbla48d
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzielamb/
https://twitter.com/lizzie_lamb
https://twitter.com/newromantics4

 

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

 

Golden Chapter and Buried Dreams

Chrissie has two books in a fabulous handbag. The Barn of Buried Dreams is featuring here.

Chrissie Bradshaw is a romantic novelist, and I have had the pleasure of meeting her twice at Romantic Novelists’ Association events.  She has written two contemporary stories about family relationships and secrets.   Her books are in the Handbag Gallery, and Jena spotted the books in a snazzy handbag. It’s time to hand over to the lovely Jena. C. Henry for our monthly Golden Handbag collaboration. As always, Jena will review the opening chapter.

I am happy to share a Golden Chapter from Jessie Cahalin’s Handbag Gallery with you about a story that is part contemporary romance and part family saga. Both of those genres are favorites of mind and I couldn’t wait to get to know the family in this book. Author Chrissie Bradshaw’s first book was Jarful of Moondreams: What secrets are ready to spill out? That book (a stand-alone) was also a family drama that focused on hopes and dreams. Doesn’t every life need hope and dreams? Let’s learn more about the buried dreams in Chrissie Bradshaw’s latest book:

The Barn of Buried Dreams: When will they see daylight?

Here is Chrissie with Lynda Stacey at the RNA York Tea. They are discussing the merits of the Handbag Gallery.

The cover of this book is charming and happily welcomes us to the beautiful Northumbrian countryside. For those, like me who don’t know their Great British geography, Northumbria is in the northeast of the country.

The opening chapter of this book introduces us to the Douglas family. Erin and Heather Douglas are young adult sisters. Their Mum has recently suffered a stroke and still needs care at home.

Erin and Heather are struggling. Erin has moved home from London to help their Mum. She had to leave behind her budding career in the acting world and her fiancé Damien, also an actor. Now, she watches tv with her Mum and misses her London life.

Heather is heavily pregnant, and juggles a day’s work, a husband, toddler and home on a few hours sleep. She lives in the same area as their Mum, but it’s hard for her to make time to help Erin with the carer responsibilities. Heather can be a bit sharp and bossy, but she’s really just worried and tired.

Neither young woman is sure what they want or what they should do. (Only Bracken the dog seems content.) Both young women stay awake at night thinking about their problems. Until one day, when something shows up that is very clear.

“Two stark lines….the test couldn’t be clearer. Erin and Damien had a wedding to plan.” Except, Erin senses a growing distance between her and Damien.

I’m sure many of us have struggled in similar ways- trying to balance career, motherhood, frail parents, and relationships. All that is enough to handle, without an unexpected pregnancy added to the mix.  The first chapter gives us a sympathetic look at Erin and Heather. Author Chrissie Bradshaw gives us some striking word pictures.

“Erin’s stage career was drifting away like an unattended beachball, bright and enticing but moving further and further out of her reach.”

Haven’t you felt like that at times- that your joy is so close, and yet so far? And how about this line?

“Damien, hormones, mum, career- all fought for pole position in her racing thoughts.”

Wow, I know that one made a big impact on me. In just a few words, the author created the feelings and moods that I have struggled with during challenging times through the years.

The first chapter leaves us getting to know the sisters and their mother and liking and caring about the three of them. Can the sisters help one another to face their fears, dust off and revive those dreams and find joy in life? Can they find their hopes and the happy life that is pictured on the cover of the book? I hope this Golden Chapter review encourages you to read more and find out!

It’s time to hand over to the lovely Jena. C. Henry for our monthly Golden Handbag collaboration.

Once again, Jessie Cahalin has welcomed me to her Barn of Handbags, I mean the Handbag Gallery. She has so many books that will give us all plenty to dream about. Thanks Jessie, and thanks to author Chrissie Bradshaw. I was quite taken with this month’s selection, The Barn of Buried Dreams, and I’d like to discuss it with you in the comments, whether you’ve read the book, or would like to read it. Here’s some questions to get us started.

  1. I’m sure many of you have juggled challenges like the two sisters in the book. Any thoughts or advice for us?
  2. Did you, or do you have a dream? Did it come true or did you make a new dream?
  3. I really liked the metaphors and the similes in this first chapter. What do you think?

 Biography- Chrissie Bradshaw

Meet Chrissie Bradshaw

Chrissie, 2016 winner of the Romantic Novelist’s Elizabeth Goudge writing trophy, is a seasoned tea drinker and a tenacious trainer of her welsh terrier, Oscar.

THE BARN OF BURIED DREAMS, a contemporary story about two sisters who are struggling after the death of their mother, is her second novel and is out now as an ebook and a paperback.

Chrissie has always loved match-making a book to a reader. Writing the kind of book she loves to read takes this a step further. When Chrissie is not writing or reading, you will find her walking Oscar on the beach, trying to avoid the gym and spending time with her family and friends.

Chrissie enjoys tweeting to readers on @ChrissieBeee
Her instagram account is chrissie_bradshaw_author
Her blog is www.chrissiebradshaw.com
and she has a Chrissie Bradshaw author page on Facebook.

She would love to hear from readers.

 

Alison May: Romance Fiction Rocks

I want the RNA to continue to be brilliant in all the ways it already is – supportive to new writers, friendly, welcoming and a real voice for professional commercial authors.

As a Leeds lass, I had to discover more about the dynamic Yorkshire woman who is Chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.  I invited Alison May to chat about the RNA and her writing. 

Jessie:  It is wonderful to finally meet you.  Tell me, who is Alison May, the writer?

Alison:  I’m a total control freak (which is helpful for writing novels – you basically get to invent a whole world and be god of it). If it was socially acceptable, I would live on toast and chocolate the whole time. And I have an uncontrollable tendency to take on one thing more than I have time to do – at the moment that one thing is ‘being Chair of the RNA’ so quite a big time-consuming thing!                             

Jessie: Chair of the RNA is a prestigious role and such an honour. What does your role as Chair of the RNA involve?

Alison: Essentially everything that goes wrong is my fault, and everything that goes well is down to the brilliant and inspirational management committee and volunteer team I have around me. On a practical level being Chair involves, hosting RNA events, chairing management committee meetings, representing the RNA at industry events and meetings, and, responding to whatever crises come up unexpectedly. And the start of 2020 has brought more crisis that any of us was expecting, so at the moment I’m mostly working on ways that we can respond to the Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown and support our members virtually.

And I also write collaboratively with Janet Gover under the penname, Juliet Bell. Juliet writes stories inspired by misunderstood classics…

Jessie:  What is your vision for the RNA?

Alison:  I want the RNA to continue to be brilliant in all the ways it already is – supportive to new writers, friendly, welcoming and a real voice for professional commercial authors. I want to see us develop the education and professional development opportunities we provide for our members. I want the RNA to be a critical friend to the publishing industry – it’s great for us to build close ties with romantic fiction publishers, but it’s also vital that we remember that we’re an author focussed organisation and authors’ interests and publishers’ interests overlap but aren’t always precisely the same.

I’d also like to see us become more inclusive. At the moment, like much of the publishing industry, we can be a bit white and straight and middle class. It’s really important to me that writers who have been under-represented in publishing know they have a place within the RNA.

Mostly though I want authors of romantic fiction to be proud of their genre and of what we create. There can be snobbery around commercial fiction, especially around commercial fiction that is often written and read by women. I am simply not at home to those sorts of attitudes. Romantic fiction rocks.

All That Was Lost is my most recent title writing solo as Alison May though.

Jessie: What are the essential ingredients of a great romance?

Alison: People who want to be together and a really good reason they can’t be.

Jessie: Why did you join the Romance Novelists’ Association and what has it offered you?

Alison: I joined the RNA in 2011 as a member of the New Writers’ Scheme. The NWS gives unpublished authors a critique on their novel in progress, but also means that you can attend RNA events as a member. In that first year I went to conference and the Winter Party and joined my local chapter. The conference was a two day whirlwind knowledge dump of a huge amount of stuff about how publishing works that would have taken years to learn without the RNA. Since then the RNA has become my village. Writing is incredibly solitary. A support network of people who get the emotional ups and downs of writing and publishing is essential. And I think the RNA provides the very best support network there is.

Jessie:  It’s obvious you are a perfect ambassador for the RNA.  I love the fact that it has become your village as I feel the same way.  I am impressed you have written six books.

Alison: I’ve actually written 8 (I think!) – some of them were novellas though so are published separately and together which makes counting tricky! And I also write collaboratively with Janet Gover under the penname, Juliet Bell. Juliet writes stories inspired by misunderstood classics – most recently, The Other Wife, which was inspired by Jane Eyre. All That Was Lost is my most recent title writing solo as Alison May though.

Jessie:  Capture All That Was Lost in one sentence.

Alison: One lie – told for a lifetime. What would that do to the girl you used to be?

Jessie: Can you tempt me with an extract from the book?

Alison: She’s stylish, but never threatening. She could be other mother of the bride at an elegant country wedding … but she’s not. She’s Patrice Leigh, the woman who’s built a fifty year career on the claim that she can talk to the dead.

Jessie:  Wow!  The final sentence evokes mystery.  What did the readers say about the novel?

Alison:  I am delighted with the responses.  Readers really connected with the subject and the characters and loved the humour.

‘I love the touches of humour Alison writes into what is, in essence, a very sad tale.’

‘I am not going to forget Patience/Patrice any time soon. She is one of the most original characters in any novel I’ve read recently.’

‘I loved this book – couldn’t put it down. It was thought provoking and I am still thinking about it many weeks later.’

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

I think the characters, especially Patrice, from this book have stayed with me more than any other book that I’ve written. I don’t miss them exactly. I definitely don’t think I’ll ever write a sequel but they’re all still there inside my head.

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.  Perhaps it could even be a friend or family member that has passed away.

Alison: The person I most want to read this book is Jack Thorne. He’s a playwright and screenwriter and I’m a huge fan of his work from The Cursed Child to National Treasure and lots of other things beside. I have a recurring fantasy where he reads All That Was Lost and adapts it for TV and I believe that if I mention this enough in interviews and online it might one day happen! (If I’m allowed a second person I also have a very similar recurring fantasy about Lin Manuel Miranda and a Broadway hip hop musical version.)

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

Alison: ‘If you change Alice back to Anna you can reuse the Annabel line.’

And it’s true. I can.

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

Alison: ‘Work out what your dream is and follow it.’ Once you get to the point of having a completed manuscript there are a lot of people who will tell you that you ‘must have an agent’ or that ‘looking for an agent is a waste of time and you should self-publish’ or whatever else might have worked for them. And that’s fine but the right option for them might not be the right option for you, so work out what you really want and pursue that first.

Jessie: What do you when you are not writing?

Well at the moment a lot of my time is spent on RNA projects, but asides from that and writing, I also run a novel-writing tutoring and mentoring business. That means I work one-to-one with authors and also offer manuscript critiques and teach group workshops and lead residential retreats. I LOVE teaching. It’s basically my happy place. And I’m super-proud like a mother hen of all my past students. I have three shelves above my desk. One has my own published books on it, but the other two have books by former students. Those shelves are my absolute pride and joy!

When I’m not teaching, writing or working on RNA stuff, I love baking and reading and sleeping. Sleep is really excellent.

Alison joined the RNA as a member of the New Writers’ Scheme in 2011 and won the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy in 2012.   All That Was Lost is the sixth novel, but she also writes as Juliet Bell, in collaboration with Janet Gover.  Alison also runs writing courses and is currently offering virtual Book Doctor appointments on a ‘pay what you choose’ basis.  I am impressed with her innovative approach to supporting others at this challenging time. 

Contact details and book links:

You can find out more about me at www.alison-may.co.uk, on twitter and Insta @MsAlisonMay and on facebook – www.facebook.com/AlisonMayAuthor

You can find all my books at www.alison-may.co.uk/books and buy All That Was Lost.

 

The Art of Food

‘I’m going to try a different approach with this,’ he said. ‘We call them fantasy shots?’

In response to my request for foodie extracts, Susan Willis presented me with something that wasn’t quite what it seemed.  I marvelled at the glorious pictures of food, but there wasn’t any recipe or cooking.  Feast your eyes on the extract from The Girl in the Dark.  Find out what is simmering in the kitchen.

Extract

Kim arranged six of the Chantenay carrots.

When Kim carried coffee into the room they all busied themselves preparing for the shoot. Thankfully, her mind was occupied with preparing the carrots and green beans to look as appealing as possible, rather than staring at Alex. He looked even more attractive prowling around the room with the big camera in his hand. Editorial still shots of the vegetables were first taken on a plain black background. Kim arranged six of the Chantenay carrots with their green tops uppermost into an attractive pile all facing in the same direction. She looked at Alex, who smiled and asked her to slice one lengthways and balance it on top of the pile.

‘We need to make it look sweet and tender,’ he muttered. ‘I’m loving the bright orange colour on the black background, and I’m thinking of whizzing them around with water droplets.’

Kim blanched the green beans to help to keep the green colour bright

Kim agreed and began to pile the green beans with their trimmed ends uppermost in an attractive pile on a wood board. She smiled at Alex, as if to say she was on the same wavelength, in fact, one step ahead. Kim blanched the green beans to help to keep the green colour bright and they worked out a design scattering the cut ends on a white cloth. By the time Alex had finished cropping and working his magic on the computer, they looked amazing.

He stood beside Kim chatting while she trimmed the cauliflower for the overhead shot. ‘I’m going to try a different approach with this,’ he said. ‘We call them fantasy shots?’

Kim could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck and her knees trembled – she was having fantasies of her own, but they didn’t include cauliflowers!

About the Novel

The Girl in the Dark

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.

I had never really considered the role of a food stylist until I read this extract.  When I take photographs of food for tweets and posts, I tend to photograph exactly what I have cooked.  Food is all about the taste for me.  However, recipe books are probably bursting with these creations.  

Have you ever followed a recipe from a cookbook and realised your creation looks nothing like the photograph?

 

 

Norwegian Summer Island with Natalie Normann

Meet Natalie in one of her favourite coffee shops.

I met the ancestor of a Viking and she is very friendly.  Alas, she didn’t arrive in Cardiff in a longboat, but she did have stories to tell me about her beautiful Norway.  It is my pleasure to introduce you to Natalie Normann, a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA), who resided in the South Wales and attended the local writers’ group.  Natalie will release Summer Island in September and it is set in Norway.  I always love travelling to other countries via books and wanted to discover more.

Jessie:  Natalie, I’m sad you have returned to Norway and won’t be in the local RNA meetings.  It’s nice to have some time to chat.  Tell me, have you missed Norway and what did you love the most about Wales?

Natalie: I fell in love with Wales and Cardiff the first time we were here which was two years before we moved. There’s so much fascinating history – even Norwegian history! I’ve already used some of what I learned, in my current historical romance series, by moving the characters to Cardiff in 1919. I had great fun with that. Also, I was surprised and pleased at how friendly people are in Wales. I’ve made great friends and I hope to get back. Next time I’ll either drive myself or hire a driver so we can explore more of Wales.

Jessie:  I’m so impressed you have secured a publishing deal with One More Chapter. What is Summer Island about?

Natalie: Summer Island is about taking the time to find out what makes you happy in life.

Summer Island is about taking the time to find out what makes you happy in life.

Ninni is recovering from a bad break-up and the island is her favourite place in the world. It’s where she goes when she needs to take a break.

Jack is a chef at a posh restaurant in London. He finds out  that his biological father has left him a farm on a Norwegian island. At first he thinks it has to be an internet scam, he’s never met his father, but when he quits his job over an argument with his boss, he decides to go and see what this is all about.

Jessie:  What inspired you to write this book?

Natalie: I have a thing for islands. I love them. Norway is always praised for the fantastic mountains and the gorgeous fjords, but we are actually one of the countries in Europe with most islands. People have lived on them for generations and it’s a way of life.  I wanted to see if I could capture some of what makes summers in Norway special and the island is perfect for that.

Harbour view at Utsira island, outside Haugesund. ‘I wanted to see if I could capture some of what makes summers in Norway special and the island is perfect for that.’

Jessie:  Give us an insight into the setting and why you think we should all visit Summer Island?

Natalie: Summer Island is the kind of place you wish you  could go to when your heart is broken. A place to heal, even. Everything is so busy these days and on an island things slow down. You have time to think and just be. Right now, when we all have to isolate and we are more or less in lockdown everywhere, an island seems like the place you want to be. I wouldn’t mind, myself.

Present a 35 word extract from your novel that will tempt a reader.

‘And here I was thinking Norwegians were so hospitable,’ Jack said, clearly enjoying himself. He made no sign of leaving.

‘You’ve read the wrong guidebook, I’m afraid.’ Ninni pulled the computer closer to her.

Jessie: Which characters would you like me to meet the most on Summer Island and why?

Natalie: That’s a tough question. I’m fond of all of them. Maybe Alma. She’s the heart of the island, the one who keeps everything together. She grew up in a time when the men; the fathers, husbands and sons, went away at sea for months at the time, even years, and women stayed home to take care of the homestead and the family, handle the finances and whatever challenges they had to face.  Alma is tough and kind, she doesn’t put up with anything, and shows her love by feeding people she cares about. I like her.

Traditional pier and buildings at Utsira.

Jessie: Did any of your characters misbehave when you were writing the book?

Natalie: Not misbehaving, but some of them certainly surprised me. I didn’t have them all ready before I started to write, so some characters was unexpected. Like the hippies, for example. They just showed up one day while I was writing something else.

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.  

Natalie: Family and friends have mostly read it already,. I would love if it Milly Johnson read it. I picked up her book «The perfectly imperfect woman», to read on the train to my very first Romance Novelist Association conference. This was my first Milly Johnson book and I decided to read it because there was a Norwegian in it. I loved it, and when I met her in the lunch line at the conference we chatted, I asked her to sign my copy, and she was funny and friendly. Made me less nervous about the whole conference. And also, I know she loves Norway.

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

Natalie: I think if you want a break from the stress and worries, it can give you that. I hope so.

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

Natalie: I have several of those, usually one for each project. On the most recent it says: research Foundation doctors.

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Natalie: To finish that first draft, so that you have the confidence of having a whole story. Then what you need is perseverance. Stick with the writing. And when I say that, I mean finish the manuscript, do the revisions, the editing, the submissions and even when it seems there’s nothing happening, keep going. There are some writers who write a book, gets it published and becomes an overnight success. For most writers, it’s a long game. And the only way to be writer and to be a better writer, is to write.

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

Natalie: My first editor told me this. She bought my first short story and wanted me to polish it, rewrite, actually. She told me that what I feel when I write is what the reader will feel when they read it. I try to remember that, so that if I’m bored when I write, I know readers will be too. It also helps when I really don’t want to ‘kill my darlings’, but I know I have to.

Natalie used to be a translator of fiction and non-fiction. She studied literature and history at Uni, and used to read romance novels in the hallways. It was frowned upon by her professors and the other students, of course. She loves to travel and she has lived in Spain, England and Wales – and hope to go back soon. I really do hope she can return to Wales very soon as the Cardiff group of writers ( Cariad Chapete) miss her and her lovely sense of humour.  I can’t wait for the release of her novel Summer Island and have already preordered it. 

Your contact details and book links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NatalieNormannAuthor
Twitter: @NatalieNormann1
Instagram: natalienormann
Pinterest: https://no.pinterest.com/natalienormann3

 

A tale of two continents

The Giants Look Down

 

Sonja Price

 

 

 

This gripping tale explores cultural differences, in two continents, through the life of Jaya and her brother.  An intelligent study of how one’s understanding of freedom is relative to education, experience and culture: a very poignant, contemporary message!

Jaya was born in a place where ‘the tiny mauve and yellow flowers danced in the breeze as the snowy summits of Pin Panjal meditated in the morning sun.’  Despite the beauty and implied freedom and romance of the landscape, the women are inhibited by their culture and the ugly politics of war torn Kashmir.  Jaya’s gentle, intelligent observations give an insight into her world as a Kashmiri girl.  Her mother asserts ‘you’re a girl’ and believes that ‘love rides on reason, not romance.’  It is clear Jaya is destined to search beyond this and it is impossible not to admire her questioning.

Jaya wishes on a ‘shooting star’ and the author maps out Jaya’s destiny beautifully.  The novel explores how the independent, free spirited mind can find flight if given the right opportunities.  But the opportunities must be accompanied with an inquiring mind. Jaya’s entrapment in Delhi is as stifling as the intense heat which ‘pressed down on city life like a giant hand.’ Her value, as a potential bride, diminishes once her parents have been killed.  She will find a way to escape a doomed arranged marriage – she is born to fight.

In contrast, Tahir, Jaya’s brother is forced to survive in a world of violence.  Here, Price examines how the innocent, accepting mind can become involved in terrorism.  Tahir’s life is written in the third person as he never finds his own voice.  Jaya’s story is written in the first person so that you can recognise her strength and identity.  She wants to be a wife ‘but (she) wasn’t going to give up everything.’  Ironically, the masculine stereotype and expectations shackle Tahir to a life of unfulfillment. Sadly, a lack of ambition and opportunity forces Tahir to accept his comrades as family.

Like her father, Jaya leaves ‘The Giants’ behind and moves to Scotland.  The cool Scottish breeze brings a fresh new perspective to Jaya’s life.  ‘The ocean! A slate grey stretching out to the horizon’ is symbolic of Jaya’s freedom and endless possibilities.  Meanwhile, her brother remains in Kashmir, and Tahir, believes the British to be the destructive force in his country.  He asks a British man, ‘Have you thought about the devastation your empire has left behind?’  He is unable to see how different cultures can collaborate and learn from each other. Tahir fights for his confused perception of freedom while his sister, Jaya, fights to save lives.  Jaya and Tahir’s father was a doctor. Jaya’s father involved her in his mission of caring for everyone, regardless of religion or race.

Jaya learns to inhabit the space between two cultures and finds her identity.  Her love for Alistair gives her stability, purpose and strength. Tahir is tormented by:

‘The poverty, the beauty, the peace and the violence.  Such extremes separated by the blink of an eyelid.

Tahir never examines his own world as he is too caught up in the conflict and grudges.   The natural ebb and flow of the Jaya’s narrative is enchanting while we never get inside of Tahir’s confused, inhibited mind.  The tale of two continents explores cultural difference: it is a wonderful book of contrasts.  For instance, the peaceful setting Kashmir Valley translates ‘paradise on earth’ yet it conceals conflict.  Jaya questions: ‘How could the landscape be beautiful when Alistair was suffering?’ Like Jaya, one must look beneath the surface.

This novel teaches us to have a respect and understanding of other cultures but we need the freedom to ask questions and pursue our ambition: above all, everyone needs to be loved. ‘Azadi’ (freedom) is a state of mind influenced by opportunities, the people we meet and the strength to ask pertinent questions.

A sensitive, well-crafted narrative that explores challenging themes through a beautiful central character. I recommend this novel wholeheartedly!

 

 

Find out why the book in my handbag is waiting for the weekend…

As it is almost the weekend, I have asked Jan Brigden to present an extract from her romance novel, ‘As Weekends Go’.  Grab yourself a coffee, take a break and let Jan chat to you about her novel.

 

 

 

 

What if your entire life changed in the space of a weekend?

Dear Readers,

I am delighted to present ‘As Weekends Go’. The extract I have chosen is fairly early on in the book.  I think it perfectly portrays how Alex (principal male character) feels after his memorable first encounter with Rebecca (principal female character) at Hawksley Manor, the plush hotel in which they are both staying as guests, little knowing the drama that lay ahead of them.

I’d love you keep ‘As Weekends Go’ in your handbag so you can dip in and out of the story. Open the book as you move from place to place, and flit from one dilemma to the next over the course of their eventful weekend and beyond.

Enjoy!

Best Wishes,

Jan X

Words from the book…

Alex took the scenic route to the car park to try and fathom the effect she’d had on him. Those eyes, so rich in colour, like a tiger’s eyes, sparkling back at him.

As much as he hated how big-headed it sounded, even to himself, he was used to people staring at him. Fact. He also knew that what had happened back there was in no way premeditated on her part; the deep blush and dip of her head when he’d first spoken to her had told him that. How small she’d tried to make herself appear during the ensuing chaos in reception, standing there nervously pulling on the bottom of her ponytail, looking so desperately sorry.

He’d felt like an ogre deliberately holding on to her mobile, but if he’d given it straight back to her she might have fled before he’d had a chance to find out her name.

Rebecca.

He’d certainly never seen her at the hotel before.

What was it his granddad had told him during their precious heart-to-heart the day before he’d died?

‘Believe me, Alex, you’ll know when you’ve met “the one”’

Trouble is, Granddad … What do I do if she’s already married?

More about the book…

When Rebecca’s friend Abi convinces her to get away from it all at the fabulous Hawksley Manor hotel in York, it seems too good to be true. Pampering and relaxation is just what Rebecca needs to distract herself from the creeping suspicion that her husband, Greg, is hiding something from her.

She never imagined that by the end of the weekend she would have dined with celebrities or danced the night away in exclusive clubs. Nor could she have predicted she would meet famous footballer, Alex Heath, or that he would be the one to show her that she deserved so much more …

But no matter how amazing a weekend is, it’s always back to reality come Monday morning – isn’t it?

What the reviewers say…

“I loved this gorgeous love story, written with a sure touch and a big heart.” Bestselling author, Lisa Jewell.

“Alex isn’t your stereotypical celeb footballer (or rather stereotypically portrayed in the media).  His ethics and morals had me swooning as much as his physique!” Shaz Goodwin – Jera’s Jamboree

“Those lovely people at Choc Lit and their reading panel do have a bit of a talent for spotting something special that their readers will enjoy, and they’ve done it again with this lovely book.”  Anne Williams of Being Anne

More about Jan…

Jan is a South London-dwelling all-round book devotee, married to Dave, and one eighth of online-writing group The Romaniacs

As Weekends Go tested as many of my emotions as I put my characters through, so when it was published by Choc Lit UK after winning their Search for a Star Competition 2014/2015, I was elated. I missed the characters terribly, especially Rebecca and Alex, so much so, that I’m currently writing the sequel where I get to spend more time with a few of the ‘As Weekends Go’ crew, plus some new faces who are creating a whole fresh mixture of predicaments for everyone.

I suggest you go shopping, stock up on your favourite treats and pamper yourself with a great read.  Now your weekend is organised, and you can sit back and read about someone else’s dilemmas, as you visit York, Spain and Brighton. I’ll see you in Brighton – happy reading! 

 

 

When Sue Moorcroft Visited Switzerland

This Christmas, the villagers of Middledip are off on a very Swiss adventure…

Christmas is never far away when Sue Moorcroft releases her Christmas novel.  I am excited to tell you that Let it Snow is out on 26th September.  When Sue agreed to chat to me about her latest novel, it felt like an early Christmas gift.  I also wanted to know how Sue manages to capture the Christmas spirit each year and tell yet another magical story. 

Jessie:  Let it Snow is a great title.  Did you think of the title while listening to the Christmas song?

Sue: No, my editor and the sales team chose it! It’s working title had been ‘A Christmas Adventure’. There’s a singing group in the book and I made ‘Let it Snow’ their favourite song.

Jessie: How do you manage to create such vivid settings?  Did you visit Switzerland to capture the sense of place for  Let it Snow?

Sue: Yes! My friend and fellow author Rosemary J Kind lives between the UK and Switzerland and she said, ‘If you want to set a book there, you can come with me.’ I instantly asked my editor if she was happy with Switzerland as a setting and went back to Ros to say, ‘I want to set a book there!’ She drove us – and her Entlebucher Hound Wilma – through England and France to Switzerland. It was lovely! I’d never visited Switzerland and I was thrilled with it. The Swiss really know how to do Christmas and we went to processions, markets, brunches, choirs and all kinds of things. I try hard to include all the tiny details that capture a setting: the snow on chalets and Christmas lights on balconies.

Sue celebrating Christmas editions of her books. Mark West took this pic of Sue at Christmas in a pub with The Christmas Promise and its German edition.

Jessie: How do you plan the narrative for  Let it Snow and did any of your characters misbehave and change events?

Sue: I met a woman in a same-sex marriage and she had just had a baby. It raised all kinds of questions in my mind and I wanted to write a heroine who had two mums. When she discovers she’s not the result of an anonymous one-night stand as she’d always thought but that her mother had a relationship with a man especially to get pregnant, she experiences a compulsion to discover what she can of her bio-family. I’m afraid my brother Kevan was ill while I was planning the book and I gave his heart failure to Tubb from the Pub. This meant I had to find a relief manager for the pub, The Three Fishes. He is my hero, Isaac O’Brien. I think of him as a reluctant hero because he’s on his way to a new life when he gets sucked into Lily’s. His ex, Hayley, played a much bigger part in the story than I expected her to. Sometimes a character can be secondary but also pivotal.

Jessie: When do you write your Christmas stories?  Do you immerse yourself in Christmas, grab a notebook and begin planning next year’s story gift, or are you writing during the summer and transport yourself to the scene?

Sue: It takes a while to write a book so though I planned Let it Snow in Malta in the sunshine, I wrote the majority of the first draft through the winter. Then the editing came in lovely weather again. When I used to write short stories for magazines it was normal to write Christmas stories in June and summer stories in December so I’m used to it. I had the chance to return to Switzerland when I was almost at the end of the first draft and that would have been fantastic. Sadly, the dates clashed with a professional engagement so I had to give it a miss.

Jessie: Your romance novels have layers and always explore contemporary issues and the changing family unit.  In Let it Snow, it’s that Lily has two mothers, and this adds a poignant dimension to the narrative as she searches for her father.   How did you research this?

Sue: My other brother, Trevor, volunteered to take on some of my research when he retired and he’s brilliant at it. I was able to send him emails asking whether lesbian couples could have received artificial insemination in 1983 and he’d come back with a factual answer. (Lily’s sister Zinnia was conceived via artificial insemination.) For the emotional side I was able to read case studies on websites and talk to someone about twins they know who are searching out all their half-siblings and learn something of their journey. There seemed to me to be two distinct attitudes amongst the children of same-sex relationships, however they’re conceived, and so I gave Lily one attitude and Zinnia the other. I don’t want to give details because they’d also be spoilers.

The ‘singing Christmas tree’ in Zürich. It’s a pyramidical stage for a choir. This appears in the book, of course!

Jessie: I am in awe of how you manage to vary your characters and always make them so likeable.  What three tips do you have for developing characters?

Sue: Thank you! My big tip is to look at each major character through the eyes of several other characters. If we take Lily, for example, I looked not just at the facts of her life, interesting as they were, but what Zinnia thought of her, what Roma her birth mother thought of her and also, importantly, Patsie, her ‘other mother’. How was she regarded at work? What about her ex husband? In real life we behave differently with and are perceived differently by different people and I use this to build multi-faceted characters.

Jessie: The sparks always fly in the brilliant dialogue between your characters.  What advice do you have for writers who wish to make their dialogue realistic?  Can you give us a snapshot of some of the dialogue in your latest novel.

Sue: I think one develops a feel for dialogue. I listen to people speak, think about the syntax they use and try and make it appropriate for age, background and region. An 18-year-old girl and an 80-year-old woman could each say, ‘He’s wicked!’ and mean two entirely different things. Dialogue’s wonderful. It breathes life into characters, allows them to interact with each other and passes information to the reader. Here’s a few lines from  Let it Snow, Chapter 1:

‘We’re your family!’ Zinnia declared, shoving her fingers through her chestnut hair. ‘What you’re doing could hurt Patsie and Roma.’

Lily climbed on a stool and began to feed the string of lights through hooks above the bar. ‘They understand it’s my decision. You know this, Zin. Let’s not press “repeat” on the conversation.’

Zinnia bulldozed on. ‘Aren’t we enough for you? You and I grew up sharing a bedroom! We’re sisters—’

‘And you’re the loveliest sister in the world.’ Lily hoped popping in a positive note would distract Zinnia. She jumped down, scraped her stool towards the next few hooks, gave Zinnia a hug then clambered up again. ‘How about twisting that tinsel around the ivy swags along the mantelpiece?’

Jessie: Do you give your books as Christmas gifts to family and friends?

Sue: No. I give out most of my free copies when they arrive to various members of my family who would read them and to anyone who has played a major part in research. Apart from that, people have to buy them themselves, I’m afraid.

Jessie: What is your typical Christmas like and are there any special family traditions or recipes?

Sue: I like the run up to Christmas and all the festive meetings of the various writing organisations to which I belong or Christmas meals with friends, but when Christmas itself comes around I like a quiet time with family. Between Christmas and New Year either my household or my brother’s household hosts an extended family lunch and that’s anything but quiet.

Sue wraps up her Christmas stories beautifully and her novels are perfect Christmas gifts.  The Ebook is out on the 26th September.  The paperback and audio book will be available on 14th November.

More about Let it Snow

This Christmas, the villagers of Middledip are off on a very Swiss adventure…

Family means everything to Lily Cortez and her sister Zinnia, and growing up in their non-conventional family unit, they and their two mums couldn’t have been closer.

So it’s a bolt out of the blue when Lily finds her father wasn’t the anonymous one-night stand she’d always believed – and is in fact the result of her mum’s reckless affair with a married man.

Confused, but determined to discover her true roots, Lily sets out to find the family she’s never known; an adventure that takes her from the frosted, thatched cottages of Middledip to the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, via a memorable romantic encounter along the way…

The Sunday Times bestseller returns with a gloriously cosy read, perfect for fans of Katie Fforde, Trisha Ashley and Carole Matthews.

Contact details
Website: www.suemoorcroft.com
Blog: https://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sue.moorcroft.3
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor
Twitter @suemoorcroft
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suemoorcroft
Instagram: suemoorcroftauthor

Christmas books:
The Christmas Promise
The Little Village Christmas
A Christmas Gift

 

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

Perfect Antidote to the Winter Blues in my Handbag

Lizzie Lamb Boot Camp Bride

Boot Camp Bride

Lizzie Lamb

 

 

 

 

 

Having downloaded all of Lizzie Lamb’s books, I opened Boot Camp Bride. Remembering Lizzie Lamb’s Scottish romance books, I expected to be travelling with a man in a kilt.  Instead, I was off to London with Charlee, a fledgling journalist.  Charlee is forced to attend a boot camp to get a scoop for the magazine she works for.  I adored the situation set up for this story – such fun! The author is very clever at painting her characters and adding poignant brushstrokes of humour and vulnerability.  Oh my, Charlee’s anecdotes will chase away the winter blues!

First assignment as trainee journalist

Charlee guided me through her adventure, and I could not stop laughing. How does Lizzie Lamb manage to combine humour, adventure and romance?  Charlee was feisty, fun, intelligent and clumsy – perfect.  Undeterred by the alpha male, she managed to fight him with wit and stubbornness.  Lizzie Lamb’s characters and style of writing sparkle in Boot Camp Bride.  This romantic comedy is classic gold: it is the equivalent of comfort food and a good night out with friends.

The soundtrack track to Spectre boomed, as I read the opening chapters of Boot Camp Bride, and Charlee was assigned her first undercover operation as a ‘faux’ bride.  And her ‘self- assurance and sassiness’ made this an absolute hoot.  Charlee’s ‘off the cuff remarks’ constantly entertain.  I adored this refreshingly bubbly style of writing.  The wit and tension fizzed and bubbled like a good Champagne.  At this point, Charlee would observe:

‘If she was beginning to think in clichés, it was time for her to put down the empty glass.’

Bookish setting

However, I didn’t have a glass of anything.  It was a joy to immerse myself in Charlee’s world.  She spoke before she put her brain into gear and is charming, funny and endearing.  Lizzie Lamb used her characteristic turn of phrase to describe that moment when one says the wrong thing:

‘As the seconds drew out, Charlee imagined she could hear the tick of the grandfather clock marking time: feel the chill wind of disapproval whistling round her ankles…’

‘He did a double-take when he saw the cow’s head slippers…’

This captured the moment perfectly! I think there is an element of Charlee in all of us.  She is a very real, honest and intelligent young woman.  Then there is the experienced Bear Grylls meets James Bond type hero, Rafa Fonseca Ffinch, but thankfully he doesn’t take himself too seriously.  I adored the sparks flying between Charlee and Rafa combined with the calamities.  Furthermore, the dialogue is superb, and the scenes were filmic in quality.  Lizzie Lamb is very skilled at challenging stereotypes for comic effect.

The ‘faux’ fiancé’s VW

The narrative hurtles at great speed while the humour awaits the reader around every corner.  Even the weather manages to mock Charlee as ‘hailstones hurled themselves at the window aided and abetted by a cutting wind off the marshes.’  Clever writing makes this novel feel like a trusty companion – I loved it!  It is the sort of book one can return to chase away the blues!

About Lizzie:

Lizzie Lamb, the author

After teaching my 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large primary school, I decided to pursue my first love: writing. I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted (2012), followed a year later by Boot Camp Bride. Although much of my time is taken up publicising Tall, Dark and Kilted and Boot Camp Bride, I published a third novel Scotch on The Rocks in July 2015. It achieved Best Seller status within two weeks of appearing on Amazon. I am a founding member of an indie publishing group – New Romantics Press and have held an Author Event at Waterstones High Street, Kensington, London. The icing on the cake, as far we are concerned, and a fitting way to celebrate our achievements. March 2016 saw Scotch on the Rocks shortlisted for the prestigious Exeter Novel Prize and in November 2016 I held an author talk in London, at Aspinalls. In Spring 2017 I published – Girl In The Castle, which reached #3 in the charts. I am currently working on a novel set in Wisconsin – Take Me I’m Yours, and have more Scottish-themed romances planned.

 

Lizzie’s Links

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/author/lizzielamb
Amazon author page: viewAuthor.at/LizzieLamb
Facebook www.facebook.com/LizzieLambwriter
Facebook www.facebook.com/newromantics4
email lizzielambwriter@gmail.com
website: www.lizzielamb.co.uk
blog: www.newromanticspress.com
Linked in: uk.linkedin.com/pub/lizzie-lamb/18/194/202/
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/cbla48d
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzielamb/
Twitter https://twitter.com/lizzie_lamb
Twitter https://twitter.com/newromantics4