The Consequence of Love

by

Sandra Howard

BLOG TOUR

I'm thrilled to be kicking off the Blog Tour for The Consequence of Love by Sandra Howard on it's publication day. I have a fabulous set of Q&As for you. Thank you to Richard at Simon & Schuster for his help in arranging this Blog Tour. Enjoy....

Q&A

Blog Tour Author Questions

Hi. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing.

And my thanks to you!

Firstly, please could you tell readers a little about yourself?

I had a travelling childhood, my father an RAF doctor who specialised in tropical medicine, so my education was patchy to say the least – which meant my writing career was a steep learning curve. I had a bit of a purple past, have been married before, but to my present husband for 43 years and have 3 adult children, 5 grandchildren and a very full life. Writing has given me a whole new, post-bus-pass career.

came to writing late in life, though

When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?

In my teens, but I had no confidence, never thought I would possibly ever have a book published but I’d always wanted to write and managed to get into freelance journalism, luckily, which got me along the way.

What did you do as a job before becoming a writer?

I’d planned to try for university, but became a model, only because a friend needed someone to share a flat with her in London. I went on to have an amazing time as a photographic fashion model - all through the 60’s (experiences that I’ve borrowed from in my previous book Tell the Girl) As I got older I did a bit of PR, but wasn’t trained for anything and found it hard to keep working – until my first novel. That was a moment to remember!

How do you carry out the research for your novels?

I try to interview or talk to as many people as possible who have expertise in the relevant area. I go to the places I’m writing about, I use the internet a lot, (amazing what you can find out, even how a leaf in Peru becomes cocaine, but there’s nothing like having a book to refer to at your side. I read up about the period or backdrop as much as possible and try to remember to make notes.

Which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

The easiest bit of writing for me,is getting to know the characters, They develop in ways I haven’t necessarily expected and they’re full of surprises, but it’s so rewarding to begin to think and feel as they do. The hard bit is the opening paragraph or page of every new chapter. I hate to move on before I feel it’s quite right which is silly, because it’s much better to edit and re-edit and put in the layering at a later stage. The beginning of a chapter becomes so much more obvious then.

What are your writing routines and where do you do most of your writing?

I like to have a full morning at my desk, not always possible, but I try hard to do everything else in the afternoons. I sometimes get a second wind just around bedtime, which doesn’t please my husband, but he’s amazingly patient and supportive over my writing. I’m so lucky there. I have a little box-room study at the top of the house, but its too hot in summer and too cold in winter so I’m always shifting my laptop to the kitchen table. It travels everywhere with me everywhere I go.

When you're not writing, what do you like to read?

I belong to two book clubs so read other peoples’ choices as well as my own. It’s very good, introduces me to new writers and is broadening too. I like literary fiction, strong stories – more about relationships than crime and whoduits – and a good biography now and then.

How important do you think social media is to authors in today's society?

I think social media has a vital part to play in allowing an author a voice. It can be a hard task mistress, it’s time-consuming, keeping up, but it’s a wonderful way of making new friends and contacts and keeping you up to date. And it’s here to stay!

Could you tell the readers a bit about your latest book?

It is a story about the dilemmas of the human heart, the choices and sacrifices that sometimes have to be made, hard as that can be . Nattie, the girl in the story, is immensely fond of her husband whom she has helped through his drug addiction in the past; they have two small children, good jobs, a lovely home, but her heart has always truly belonged elsewhere. The man she loved saved a second ghastly situation after a terrible bomb had gone off in a cinema foyer (the story of a previous novel of mine, A Matter of Loyalty) but then had to leave the country for his own safety. Even seven years on, not knowing where he is or whether he’s even still alive, she still yearns and pines for him. And then one day he makes contact…

Which of your characters would you most like to be and why?

Hard as it would have been to see a way through I would choose Nattie – to have felt those powerful emotions that give her such dilemmas of the heart.

Is there anything else you would have liked to be asked?

Perhaps about whether I’m onto a next book…

I’m in the early stages of my next book – with a working title of The Distances of War, it is based on the true story of a wartime love affair, about a girl who chases after the man she has fallen in love with who has gone to East Africa for his work. Even when war breaks out she still manages to get there – eventually. It is a strong tale.

Thank you so much for your time in answering my questions.

It’s so good of you to have me on the blog, terrific. Thanks very much again.

To order a copy of the book click here

Lonely Hearts

by

Gwyn GB

Blog Tour

Guest Post 
&
GIVEAWAY

Series: DI Falle

Genre: crime thriller

Release Date: 15th July 2017

Publisher: Chalky Dog Publishing

Brings a whole new meaning to killing with kindness.

Meet Rachel. She loves animals and works at a dating agency bringing lonely people together – only somebody is watching her every move and she’s scared…

Neil didn’t see who killed him – but his murder brings DI Claire Falle on the case. What she uncovers leads her to discover that a serial killer is preying on the clients of the dating agency where Rachel works.

Can Claire work out the connection between all the deaths before Rachel becomes the next victim?

And what is it in Rachel’s past that haunts her?

As DI Claire Falle investigates the lives of the dating agency staff and clients, she is pulled into a tangled web of loneliness and deceit which will have devastating consequences for someone. 

Buy link: viewBook.at/Lonelyhearts

GUEST POST

TOP 5 TIPS FOR JUGGLING WRITING WITH OTHER JOBS / FAMILY BY GWYN GB

How many times have you heard someone say they want to write a book but they’re too busy? Believe me, if they say that, they’re unlikely to get one written. My mother has been retired for twenty years and she is forever telling me she’s too busy to sit down and do some writing. We fill our days with whatever we have going on.

After I’d finished writing ‘Islands’ and was getting ready to launch into starting work on ‘Lonely Hearts’, I looked at my available time and asked myself how on earth I was going to do it. I work full time, have two children, a dog and a husband - who I feel guilty about abandoning if I’m writing – and I run an educational charity, a teenage coding club one evening a week. Somewhere in all this I read and I write.

There is no magic answer to this question, I can’t tell you some big secret way that I miraculously find hidden hours in the day – the long and the short of it is that writing is hard work. However, it’s hard work that I absolutely love and that’s the crux. If you really want to write, then you will find time.

1/ My basic time finding method is to quite simply sleep less. I used to think I was an eight hours a night girl, nowadays it’s more like six or seven if I’m lucky. Some nights, during looming deadlines, it’s five hours or less. If I’m really tired after coming back from work, I’ll power nap for 15 or 20 minutes and that gives me the mental capacity to keep on going.

2/ Lunch hours at work are also rarely spent chilling with colleagues or friends, I invariably either try to slip away somewhere quietly and write, or do the various bits I need to do for the marketing if the environment isn’t right for creativity.

3/ Weekends are precious. I want to spend time with my family, but I also need to write. For me, it therefore means ensuring I get up in good time. Think about when at the weekend the family are otherwise occupied and make use of it. If you take your kids to clubs then use the time they’re there to write, even if it means sitting in the car and doing it.

4/ Don’t bother with the housework! OK, so there are certain things you can’t avoid, like feeding the kids, but when it comes to tidying and cleaning I’m afraid our house looks very ‘lived in’ during deadline time. I also rope in husband and kids to help, although sometimes that’s harder work than just getting on and doing it!

5/ Dictation and brain dumping. I’m not someone who is good at dictating, but others swear by it once they’ve got used to it. There’s a software called Dragon dictation which some writers use when they’re walking or jogging, or simply at home because in theory it’s much faster than typing. It also helps with RSI. I like to let my characters have conversations and play out scenes in my head when I’m doing something non-taxing like showering, commuting or cooking dinner. Just make sure that once you’ve come up with the great lines and plot, you jot it down.

ABOUT GWYN GB

Gwyn GB is a writer living in Jersey, Channel Islands. A native of the UK she moved to the island with her Jersey-born husband, geriatric dog, two boys and goldfish. Gwyn is a former national and international newsreader for BBC TV and ITN in London and Jersey. She's also freelanced for national newspapers and magazines in the UK, once had her own magazine publishing business and has a PR diploma. She is currently working in the digital industry while writing in her spare time. Gwyn is also the author of 'Islands'.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gwyngbwriter Twitter: www.twitter.com/@gwynGB

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14435501.Gwyn_G_B_ Instagram: www.Instagram.com/gwyngb Website: https://www.gwyngb.com

GIVEAWAY

Signed Paperback copy of the book (open internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In Her Wake

by

Amanda Jennings

Blurb

A tragic family event reveals devastating news that rips apart Bella's comfortable existence. Embarking on a personal journey to uncover the truth, she faces a series of traumatic discoveries that take her to the ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast, where hidden truths, past betrayals and a 25-year-old mystery threaten not just her identity, but her life. Chilling, complex and profoundly moving, In Her Wake is a gripping psychological thriller that questions the nature of family - and reminds us that sometimes the most shocking crimes are committed closest to home.

 

Review

Yes I know I am very late to the party with this book and i've been saying for ages that I wanted to read it, but yet again, life got in the way! So I just had to take it on holiday this year (seeing as I bought it at Gatwick airport last year!).

Bella Campbell is going home to her parents to attend her mother’s funeral. Little does she know that this visit will change her life forever. 

Her father seems very distracted and tries several times to tell her something, but always puts it off. Bella thinks nothing of it until another devastating turn of events leaves her in turmoil and feeling she has nobody to turn to, not even her husband David, she decides she must find out who she really is and sets out on a life changing trip to the Cornish coast meeting people who will change her life forever and not always for the better…….

I really don’t want to say much more as I really don’t want to give any spoilers for anybody who hasn’t yet read it. It’s a wonderfully written asmospheric book that will literally leave you turning the page to read “just one more chapter”. A fabulous read that I am just mad at myself for not reading sooner.


To order a copy of In Her Wake click here

The Bed and Breakfast on The Beach

by

Kat French

Blurb

Winnie, Stella and Frankie have been best friends forever.

When their lives unexpectedly unravel, they spontaneously decide to buy a gorgeous B&B on a remote Greek island. Drenched in hot sun, Villa Valentina is the perfect escape from reality. But when Winnie meets Jesse, their brooding neighbour, she finds that Greece is full of its own complications – not least how attractive he is…

Meanwhile, Frankie and Stella are discovering that Villa Valentina has its own secrets – starting with the large supply of gin in the cellar and the arrival of a famous rock band. A band with one very good-looking member who just might distract Frankie from thoughts of her husband…

 

Review

I have loved all of this author’s previous books, so knew this one had to go in my suitcase when I went on holiday to Turkey this year!

When Winnie, Stella and Frankie decide on a spur of the moment short break awy to a greek island (that they had never even heard of!), little did they know that the Villa Valentina would end up being their new business venture!!

When they are sold the Villa, it wasn’t mentioned that in the cellar was a very large supply of gin and that they were now the owners of not only a villa, but a gin distillery and they were supposed to take on the task of producing the next batch!! Oh and also, the previous owner forgot to mention that the villa came with a donkey!!!

Yet another brilliant laugh out loud book by Kat French. I do look forward to her new novels and she is brilliant at writing such great characters and I loved every one in this book, for different reasons – especially Jesse!!! Now if that hasn’t got your taste buds going, nothing will!!


To order a copy of The Bed and Breakfast on The Beach click here

Her Last Breath

by

Tracy Buchanan

Blurb

Food writer Estelle Forster has the perfect life. And with her first book on the way, it’s about to get even better.

When Estelle hears about Poppy O’Farrell’s disappearance, she assumes the girl has simply run away. But Estelle’s world crumbles when she’s sent a photo of Poppy, along with a terrifying note: I’m watching you. I know everything about you.

Estelle has no idea who’s threatening her, or how she’s connected to the missing teen, but she thinks the answers lie in the coastal town she once called home, and the past she hoped was long behind her.

Estelle knows she must do everything to find Poppy. But how far will she go to hide the truth – that her
perfect life was the perfect lie?

Review

Estelle has had a rotten start in life. Alcoholic, abusive parents who really don’t care about her and often leave her to fend for herself. She is determined to make a better life for herself when she goes in to foster care.

Having found her love of cooking whilst in care, Estelle manages to secure a food book deal and is so happy to be promoting this best seller when she is sent a photo of a teenage girl. Why would anyone send her the photo of a television presenter’s daughter who has been confirmed as missing?

This is the first in several threatening letters and this could jeopardise everything Estelle has worked so hard for over the years, but who is sending the letters and what has it got to do with her?

A brilliant psychological thriller (as usual for this author) and her books just keep getting better and better. I so look forward to her books and you just know they are going to be real page turners and this one didn’t fail to disappoint!

To order a copy of Her Last Breath click here

The Boardwalk by The Sea (Summer Sundaes)

by

Georgina Troy
Q&A

Blog Tour

&

COMPETITION!

What a fabulous cover this is, a lovely, summery feel - shame our Summer hasn't lived up to expectations! Today on the Blog I have a Q&A with the Author. I can certainly relate to the Christmas present she got as a child, a typewriter! I got one as well and can still remember it and I loved it and I used to type stories all the time on it! 

Blog Tour Author Questions

Hi. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing.

Firstly, please could you tell readers a little about yourself?

My name is Deborah Carr and I was deputy editor for the online review site, Novelicious.com for nine years. I write historical romances and thrillers (my first thriller is nearly ready to be published). These books are written in my own name and my contemporary romance series are written as Georgina Troy. I live on the island of Jersey with my husband, two children and three nutty rescue dogs.

My first series, The Jersey Scene, was published by Accent Press. Book one, A Jersey Kiss was a finalist in the Contemporary Romance Category of the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2016 (RoNAs) and finalist in the Joan Hessayon Award for new writers 2015.

The Boardwalk by the Sea, book 1, Summer Sundaes was published on 15 July 2017. You can sign up to my mailing list for behind the scenes info and bookish prizes.

My WW1 historical romance, Broken Faces, written as Deborah Carr, was runner-up in the Good Housekeeping Novel Writing Competition 2012. I’m one of The Blonde Plotters, a collaboration of three Jersey authors, Gwyn GB, Kelly Clayton and me. We’re very excited to be taking part in the Jersey Festival of Words later this month.

When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?

When I was about seven Father Christmas gave me a children’s typewriter for Christmas. I’ve been dreaming about being a published author ever since. In my dreams, I’m sitting overlooking a pretty cottage garden as I ponder over my next novel during the day, while wearing glamorous dresses to glitzy literary parties at night. Reality is more about editing, wearing comfortable clothes and tripping over one of the dogs each time I get up to answer the door/phone/make yet another cup of tea.

What did you do as a job before becoming a writer?

I was Company Secretary at Play.com and worked in the finance industry.

How do you carry out the research for your novels?

Most of my books are set on the island and regardless of whether the book is historical or one of my contemporary romances I like to include something about Jersey that the reader might not know. I love researching these things by visiting places on the island or speaking to locals about an experience they might have had. The island was occupied

by the Nazis during the Second World War and the oldest resident on the boardwalk (Summer Sundaes) did something heroic during The Occupation.

In my historical romance, Broken Faces, I found the studio (or where it was during the Great War) in Paris. To walk up the stairs where hundreds of facially disfigured men had gone a hundred years before to the studio for plaster casts to be made of their faces so that masks could be made to cover the damage to them was something I’ll never forget.

Which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

The easiest is falling in love with my heroes. (My poor husband, I always have a crush on some fictitious character or other). The most difficult is deciding who the hero will be/what he’ll look like, how he’ll act, building him from scratch.

What are your writing routines and where do you do most of your writing?

I love getting up early, having breakfast with the dogs and then making a second cup of tea and switching on the computer. I read the previous day’s work and that inspires me to carry on with the story.

I have a shed – which was the Office Category winner in the 2009 Shed of the Year competition – and write either in there or in my office in the house if it’s very cold.

When you're not writing, what do you like to read?

I love to read anything by Christina Jones or Harlan Coban and recently devoured Big Sexy Love by Kirsty Greenwood. I like so many books, it’s difficult to choose but mainly contemporary or historical romances, interspersed by psychological thrillers. I’m lucky enough to read the other Blonde Plotters’ books before they’re published. Gwyn GB’s first book, Islands was based on Jersey and reminded me of so many places/things from my teenage years and her latest book, Lonely Hearts had a brilliant twist I didn’t see coming. I adore Kelly Clayton’s books, too. Her next book Blood on the Rock will be out in October, I believe. It’s the third book in her DCI Jack Le Claire Mystery series, I love them.

How important do you think social media is to authors in today's society?

It’s something all authors need to do, but it’s great fun having immediate contact with readers, bloggers (who are so supportive of authors) and other writers. I’ve learnt so much from the people I’m friends with/follow and have made some really good friends along the way. That said, I realise it can be a darker place for some people, but thankfully for me it’s a fun place where I can interact with others while sitting at a desk. It can be a bit very distracting though…

Could you tell the readers a bit about your latest book?

Summer Sundaes, the first book in a series of four books based in a fictional seaside village known as, The Boardwalk by the Sea. The series covers one year. Each book is set during a season in that year and focuses on one of four girlfriends who live on or near the boardwalk. There is a mystery running through the series that is solved in the last book.

Book One is Sacha’s story. Sacha runs a retro beach café on the boardwalk, the Summer Sundaes Beach Café. Two years previously she discovered her boyfriend was being unfaithful so left him and deciding to change her lifestyle completely, left her job in finance and took over one of her father’s cafés. She’s loving her life running the café, mixing with the locals and holidaymakers and living in the tiny flat above the café. When her glamorous godmother asks her to accompany her on a trip to Rome she agrees.

Her godmother arranges for a tour guide, Alessandro Salvatore, to show Sacha the sights, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, etc. She discovers there’s more to Alessandro than just being utterly gorgeous. He has his own plans as well as the ability to disrupt Sacha’s life. There are rocky times ahead! However, they aren’t the only ones with issues and Sacha and Alessandro need to find a way to put their differences aside to help someone else.

Which of your characters would you most like to be and why?

Right now, I like the idea of being Sacha. I love the beach and have always secretly yearned for a little beachside café. The thought of sleeping with the sound of the waves lapping against the sea wall under my bedroom window, like Sacha does, is rather nice. Dreams for a few minutes.

Is there anything else you would have liked to be asked?

When can we expect to see book 2 being published?

Book two will be out in Spring 2018. The book is called Autumn Antics and is about Sacha’s friend Bella, a part-time hand model who runs a small antique business from her living room on the boardwalk. She’s in love with someone she can’t have…

Thank you so much for your time in answering my questions. (Thank you for hosting me on your blog). Georgina x

Links: http://mybook.to/SummerSundaes http://www.deborahcarr.org/ https://theblondeplotters.com/ Debs/Georgina Mailing List: http://www.deborahcarr.org/contact/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorginaTroy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeorginaTroyAuthor/

Series: The Boardwalk by the Sea, Book 1

Author name: Georgina Troy

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Romance

Release Date: 15 July 2017

Publisher: Green Shutter Books

Wipe off your flip flops, it’s going to be a bumpy ride...

When Sacha Collins, cafe owner and sundae-maker extraordinaire, meets Italian archaeologist, Alessandro Salvatore in Rome, she's grateful to him for being her tour guide. Now he’s turned up in the seaside village where she lives, known locally as, The Boardwalk by the Sea and is setting up a gelateria in direct competition to her retro Summer Sundaes Café.

She's only been running her café for two years since taking over from her father. Until now the only other shops on the boardwalk have been a wool shop, an antique shop and a second-hand

book shop. These have helped rather than hindered her custom. How will her creative sundaes made from fresh Jersey ice cream compete with his delicious Italian gelato?

Sacha is worried. Is there enough custom for both businesses to thrive? Who is behind the strange changes being made on the boardwalk? And when the oldest resident on the boardwalk is threatened with eviction can Sacha and Alessandro come together and find a way of helping her?

For a peaceful little boardwalk overlooking one of the quieter beaches on the island, there's an awful lot going on and some of it is going to lead to big changes.

BUY LINKS Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Sundaes-Boardwalk-Sea-Book-ebook/dp/B071DCW79L/ Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Sundaes-Boardwalk-Sea-Book-ebook/dp/B071DCW79L/

About Georgina Troy
Georgina Troy is the pseudonym of author Deborah Carr. Her first book, A Jersey Kiss was a finalist in the Contemporary Romance Category of the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2016 (RoNAs) and finalist in the Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers 2015.

Her WW1 historical romance, Broken Faces, written in her own name, Deborah Carr, was runner-up in the Good Housekeeping Novel Writing Competition 2012. She lives on the island of Jersey with her husband, two children and three rescue dogs. Her books are published by Accent Press and Green Shutter Books. Georgina is a member of The Blonde Plotters.

Georgina’s new series, The Boardwalk by the Sea, includes four standalone novels about friends, Sacha, Bella, Lexi and Jools. Each book is set in a different season. The girls live on or near a small seaside village known locally as The Boardwalk by the Sea and all of them make an appearance in the books throughout the series but each book will focus on one of the friends.

Summer Sundaes (book 1)
Autumn Antics (book 2) - due Spring 2018
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeorginaTroyAuthor/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorginaTroy
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7224225.Georgina_Troy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofbooksandbeaches/ Google+ https://plus.google.com/117042212386862550212 Website: http://www.deborahcarr.org/

About the Author

Georgina Troy is the pseudonym of author Deborah Carr. Her first book, A Jersey Kiss was a finalist in the Contemporary Romance Category of the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2016 (RoNAs) and finalist in the Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers 2015.

Her WW1 historical romance, Broken Faces, written in her own name, Deborah Carr, was runner-up in the Good Housekeeping Novel Writing Competition 2012. She lives on the island of Jersey with her husband, two children and three rescue dogs. Her books are published by Accent Press and Green Shutter Books. Georgina is a member of The Blonde Plotters.

Georgina’s new series, The Boardwalk by the Sea, includes four standalone novels about friends, Sacha, Bella, Lexi and Jools. Each book is set in a different season. The girls live on or near a small seaside village known locally as The Boardwalk by the Sea and all of them make an appearance in the books throughout the series but each book will focus on one of the friends.

Summer Sundaes (book 1)

Autumn Antics (book 2) - due Spring 2018

COMPETITION

A character in Autumn Antics (book 2) named after someone the winner nominates, i.e themself/family member.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Island of Secrets

by

Patricia Wilson

Blurb

All her life, London-born Angelika has been intrigued by her mother's secret past. Now planning her wedding, she feels she must visit the remote Crete village her mother grew up in.

Angie's estranged elderly grandmother, Maria, is dying. She welcomes Angie with open arms - it's time to unburden herself, and tell the story she'll otherwise take to her grave.

It's the story of the Nazi occupation of Crete during the Second World War, of horror, of courage and of the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her children. And it's the story of bitter secrets that broke a family apart, and of three enchanting women who come together to heal wounds that have damaged two generations.

Review

I am a huge fan of Victoria Hislop and when I read the blurb about this book I knew I was going to enjoy it, but when I kept reading on social media how fantastic this book was, I had to resist the urge to read it straightaway as I wanted to save it for my holiday in Turkey!

Angelika is in the middle of organising her wedding to the lovely Nick when she decides to go to Crete to try to mend the pieces of her broken family. Her mother Maria has had no contact with her mother and brothers for nearly 40 years after she fled Crete one day and never returned and Angelika doesn’t know the reason why.

On arriving on the island of Crete, Angelika meets her Grandmother who is prepared to tell her everything on the promise that she tells her story in a book. Her Grandmother begins her story during the German occupation of Crete during WWII and tells Angelika the atrocious stories of how the Germans treated the local people, including herself and her children and what they had to do to survive those harrowing times.

The author did an amazing job with her research and her attention to detail is second to none. It can be a harrowing read at times, but when you think that a lot of what was written was true, it makes it all the more interesting.

I cannot praise this book enough and just hope that the author writes another book soon. It was a fabulous read and will definitely be one of my books of the year. I read this book on holiday in Turkey and it was just perfect for a summer read.  If you haven’t read it yet, why not!!


To order a copy of Island of Secrets click here