I am so lucky to get the chance to ‘meet’ authors and their books as a result of being a blogger and today I’m delighted to welcome Julie Shackman to Linda’s Book Bag. Julie has kindly agreed to stay in with me to tell me about one of her books.

Staying in with Julie Shackman

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Julie. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Thank you for granting me an appearance on your blog, Linda. It’s a real honour!

Which of your books have you brought along this evening and why have you chosen this one?

I’ve brought along my latest novel, A Room at the Manor. It’s a tale of tea shops; baking; family and romance. I’ve chosen it because it is my latest book and it’s being released tomorrow!

(Oh – how exciting! Happy publication day for tomorrow. What an absolutely gorgeous cover for A Room at the Manor too!)

What can we expect from an evening in with A Room at the Manor?

I hope that A Room at the Manor gives the readers lots of laughter, tears and escapism.

It’s about what a person can achieve when someone shows in faith in them and what determination and passion can result in.

I hope that A Room at the Manor has characters who the readers can relate to; love and empathise with and that they enjoy Lara’s story and how and why she discovers what she wants from life.

(A Room at the Manor sounds EXACTLY my kind of read. I’m going to have to find room on the TBR for it somehow!)

What else have you brought along with you and why have you brought it?

Well, I used to drink coffee up until about four years ago and then a friend of mine, Amanda, got me interested in herbal tea and now I am well and truly hooked!

So, I can offer you some English breakfast tea, as well as peppermint and camomile, Linda.

(English breakfast for me please Julie. Good and strong too.)

I also brought some cake. I love most things but I am rather partial to a fresh, warm, plain scone with butter or anything that is drizzled in coconut. Hope we can share some!

(I’m not keen on dessicated coconut but I love a scone so I’m glad to see you brought plenty. I’ve got a very nice black cherry jam that will go well with them.)

In keeping with the tea shop and baking themes, I’ve also brought along Chip, the enchanted tea up from Beauty and The Beast.

I love all things Disney but this has been my favourite fairy tale of them all, ever since I was little.

I’m an avid reader as well as a writer and for me, being able to lose yourself in an imaginary world, with characters who you admire, is wonderful.

Since I was little, I’ve adored the spell binding qualities of Beauty and The Beast and it still has a timeless air about it today.

(I just watched this recently Julie and I fell in love with it too!)

Thanks so much for staying in with me Julie, and telling me about A Room at the Manor. I think it sounds my kind of read and again – happy publication day for tomorrow.

A Room at the Manor

When her Maltese love affair turns sour, Lara McDonald returns to her quiet Scottish hometown of Fairview heartbroken, yet determined – instead of looking for another PR position, she decides to follow her dream of baking. She impulsively takes the first job offered and finds herself working for local dragon Kitty Walker in her tea room, True Brew.

Lara’s life is full of surprises, however, not the least being an unlikely friendship forged with one of Kitty’s elderly customers, the former laird Hugo Carmichael. The Carmichael family has lived at the beautiful Glenlovatt Manor for almost three hundred years and, although in need of renovation, Hugo, his son and grandson currently make it their home. There’s something about Lara that Hugo likes, and when Hugo suddenly passes away, Lara is stunned to discover she is mentioned in his will. But not everyone is happy with the old Laird’s faith in Lara.

A story of love, family, hope and trust, A Room at the Manor will delight every reader keen to find their place in the world.

Published by Allen & Unwin, A Room at the Manor is available for purchase here.

In Australia and New Zealand, you can buy it on line and also from all good bookshops.

About Julie Shackman

Julie Shackman lives in Scotland and is married with two teenage sons.

Julie trained as a journalist and studied Communication and Media but has always wanted to be an author.

She also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies.

When not reading or writing, Julie is a keen walker and loves music.

You can visit Julie’s website, find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @G13Julie.