I have a feeling Graeme Cumming must have been linked to buses in the past because, never having been on Linda’s Book Bag before, here he is for the second time in a week! Graeme was due to be one of the authors at the Deepings Literary Festival read dating last Saturday but of course, that event has had to be postponed. You can read about the authors who would have been attending here.

Today, I’m delighted to support Graeme and Kelly of Love Books Group by staying in with Graeme to hear all about his latest book.

Staying in with Graeme Cumming

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Graeme. Such a shame we didn’t get together last weekend but thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

As you know, I’ve had the pleasure of spending time in your company a few times in the past, so was delighted to grab the opportunity to do it again. It should be fun – I hope!

It does feel odd not to see you in person! I think I might have guessed, but which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I suspect this won’t come as a big surprise to you, but I’ve brought my new release, Carrion. Of course it’s because it’s just out, but also because this was a really tricky story to put together – for a variety of reasons – and it took several attempts to get it just right. So I’m really chuffed with how it’s turned out.

Interesting. Tell me more about what we can expect from an evening in with Carrion.

Well, I’d say it’s a thriller but, like my previous novel, Ravens Gathering, it’s a thriller that crosses genres – sometimes a story doesn’t fit neatly into a box. Fantasy is an element, but Carrion isn’t a fantasy novel: it’s an action-adventure with dark undertones, twists and turns, and the odd cliff-hanger thrown in for good measure.

Sounds brilliant. It really annoys me when we’re forced to put books into precise genres and I like the idea of crossing the boundaries.

Really, I just wanted to grab the reader by the throat and take them along for the ride – but I didn’t want it to be too predictable. From the early feedback I’ve received, I think I’ve pretty much achieved that.

Here’s a very brief extract to give you a flavour of it:

“You’ll die for that!” one of the guards yelled. He raised his sword, ready to charge. Behind him, the others were preparing to do the same.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

He probably saw the doubt in their eyes before they registered it themselves. It wasn’t enough to feed off yet. But it would be when it turned to fear.

“Have I introduced you to my friends?” He didn’t wait for an answer. The wings were beating before he’d finished speaking.

Now that’s not fair Graeme.  Now of course I want to know what’s going on!

What else have you brought along and why?

In the relatively short time (I know, it just seems longer…) we’ve known each other, I’ve come to recognise that you have certain passions aside from books. Travel is off the agenda at the moment, so you’ll have to make do with Bryan Ferry, who I was going to smear in chocolate, but realised social distancing would make that redundant. Still, have a Twix and watch him perform The Strand!

It might only be five years since we first met, Graeme, but you know me only too well! I was very tempted to include the photo of me with Mr. Ferry …

That done, it seems a shame to drag you away from your reverie, but I’ve also brought along a map.

That looks intriguing. Why a map?

A journey takes place in Carrion, and the travellers use a map, which is mocked when it’s revealed because it’s so badly drawn. Not only that, but the images have run because it’s been immersed in water following an encounter with rapids.

So I pondered the idea of having a copy included in the book. The question, though, was how to get one drawn.

My partner’s daughter is very artistic, so I asked her about it. I think she envisaged an exciting ‘treasure map’ project with fancy illustrations – especially because she knew the book included some creatures that don’t quite fit any of the fantasy stereotypes. So her disappointment was palpable when I told her I wanted a map that looks like it’s been drawn by someone who can’t draw and has subsequently been water damaged. Nevertheless, she took up the challenge, and this was the end result.

I think it looks incredibly authentic.

It didn’t end up in the book, but it provoked a lot of interest when I took it to the Read Dating event at Bourne Town Hall earlier this year. I can’t wait to take it to more events when the current ‘lockdown’ can be lifted.

I’m sure folk were fascinated by the map. That Read Dating was part of the Deepings Literary Festival and we were really disappointed not to be able to welcome you to a similar afternoon last weekend. Readers can see what they missed here. Let’s hope we can run the event soon.

It’s been great staying in with you Graeme, to hear all about Carrion. Thanks for coming and good luck with the book! 

Carrion

Choose your words carefully.

Words have power.

A sheet of black filled his vision as hundreds of birds dived at the cottage, pointed beaks thrust forward. From this angle, he couldn’t see many of them striking it, but the few he did see held nothing back as they hammered into the shutter. The scale of the attack was beyond anything he’d seen or heard of. And bloodied casualties littered the ground: skulls shattered, wings broken, innards spilling from them. The fact that so many of them continued with the onslaught in spite of this filled him with even more dread.

Salin has always wanted an adventure and, when the opportunity presents itself, he grabs it with both hands, taking his friends along for the ride – whether they want to or not.

With strange lands come strange creatures that stand between them and their goal. And that goal is the same for someone else, a man who believes the prize is worth every sacrifice – especially when the sacrifices are made by others.

The future is about to change. But who for?

Carrion is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

About Graeme Cumming

Graeme Cumming lives in Robin Hood country.  He has wide and varied tastes when it comes to fiction so he’s conscious that his thrillers can cross into territories including horror, fantasy and science fiction as well as more traditional arenas.

When not writing, Graeme is an enthusiastic sailor (and, by default, swimmer), and enjoys off-road cycling and walking.  He is currently Education Director at Sheffield Speakers Club.  Oh yes, and he reads (a lot) and loves the cinema.

For more information, visit Graeme’s website, follow him on Twitter @GraemeCumming63 and find him on Facebook.

It’s almost five years since I was fortunate enough to interview Anne Allen here and I’m delighted to welcome her back to Linda’s Book Bag today to stay in with me as part of her Guernsey Novels The Inheritance blog tour with Love Books Group and I’d like to thank Kelly for inviting me to participate.

Staying in with Anne Allen

Welcome back to Linda’s Book Bag Anne and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Thank you for inviting me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought the seventh book in my Guernsey Novels series, The Inheritance, which is celebrating its first birthday. All the stories are standalone but linked by characters popping up from previous books like old friends.

Happy The Inheritance book birthday Anne!

The Inheritance, like some others, is dual-time but it differs in the period. Whereas most of the books reference the German Occupation, this one features the author and poet Victor Hugo, who lived in exile in Guernsey for many years in the late 19^th century.

I never knew that about Victor Hugo! Tell me more about what we cam expect from an evening in with The Inheritance?

You will journey in time between the story of Eugénie, a young French widow living in Guernsey, who lives in the same street as Victor Hugo, albeit in a much more modest house, and her four times great granddaughter, Tess, a doctor who inherits her house. Hugo was, and still is, a prominent figure in Guernsey and his house is now owned by France and open as a museum, kept as it was when he died. The story offers an insight into Hugo’s life, his family and his incredible output of works. He wrote the final chapters of Les Misérables in Guernsey.

I’m feeling incredibly ignorant Anne. I’ve been to Guernsey well over 70 times (albeit only on the airport tarmac as I was on my way to work in Jersey) and I never knew Victor Hugo had lived there. I love the sound of The Inheritance, not least because I so enjoyed reading Les Misérables and Les Mis is my favourite stage musical and I’ve seen it four times.

What else have you brought along and why?

A photo of the great man himself, one of his house and one of his daughter Léopoldine.

The house and this daughter were the inspirations behind my book.

I have visited this house several times and it never fails to amaze me. As colourful as the man himself, it is full of tapestries, pictures, books, carvings and furniture all collected by Hugo or made by him. This room is called the Red Salon and where I had Eugénie copy out Hugo’s manuscripts while he worked in his ‘lookout’ in the roof. Eugénie is nineteen, the same age as Léopoldine when she drowned with her new husband in the river Seine in 1843. I created Eugénie in her image and when Hugo first sees her he thinks she is his daughter’s ghost – he believed in spiritualism.

How amazing. This is a far cry from a cold and drafty garret room isn’t it? You’ve made me determined to read The Inheritance as soon as I can Anne. It sounds an absolutely fascinating book. Let me tell Linda’s Book Bag Readers a bit more:

The Inheritance

How close were Victor Hugo and his copyist?

1862 Young widow Eugénie faces an uncertain future in Guernsey. A further tragedy brings her to the attention of Monsieur Victor Hugo, living in exile on the island only yards away from Eugénie’s home. Their meeting changes her life and she becomes his copyist, forming a strong friendship with both Hugo and his mistress, Juliette Drouet.

2012 Dr Tess Le Prevost, Guernsey-born but living in England, is shocked to inherit her Great-Aunt’s house on the island. As a child, she was entranced by Doris’s tales of their ancestor, Eugénie, whose house this once was, and her close relationship with Hugo. Was he the real father of her child? Returning to the island gives Tess a fresh start and a chance to unlock family secrets.

Will she discover the truth about Eugénie and Hugo? A surprise find may hold the answer as Tess embraces new challenges which test her strength – and her heart.

The Inheritance is available for purchase here.

All Anne’s books are available here.

About Anne Allen

Anne was born in Rugby to a Welsh father and an English mother. As a result, she spent many summers with her Welsh grandparents in Anglesey and learned to love the sea. Now she is based in Devon to be near her daughter and two small grandchildren. Her restless spirit has meant many moves, the longest stay being in Guernsey for nearly fourteen years after falling in love with the island and the people. She contrived to leave one son behind to ensure a valid reason for frequent returns. Her younger son is based in London – ideal for city breaks.

By profession, Anne was a psychotherapist who long had a desire to write and Dangerous Waters, her first novel, was published in 2012. It was awarded Silver (Adult Fiction) in The Wishing Shelf Awards 2012. Since then she has published six more books in The Guernsey Novels series; Finding Mother, Guernsey Retreat, The Family Divided, Echoes of Time – winner of The Diamond Book Award 2017, a finalist in Readers favorite awards and granted a ChillWithABookAward, The Betrayal, and The Inheritance, published April 2019.

You can visit Anne’s website, her Amazon Author Page and find her on Facebook. You can also follow Anne on @AnneAllen21.

Through blogging I have had the privilege of finding out about so many lovely sounding books that would otherwise have passed me by. Today I’m thrilled to welcome Diana Stevan to Linda’s Book Bag to stay in with me and tell me about one of her books.

Staying in with Diana Stevan

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Diana and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along my latest novel, Sunflowers Under Fire, a historical fiction, based on my Ukrainian grandmother’s life in Russia during the Great War and after. I brought it along because it celebrates what so many women on this earth go through in trying to provide love and security for their children. I hadn’t realized when I began writing this story about its universal message.

It sounds to me that Sunflowers Under Fire might be about the Great War but is still totally relevant today. Tell me more…

My grandmother was smart but illiterate. When I was just a baby, she moved in with my mom and dad to take care of me as both of my parents were working around the clock six days a week. I shared a bedroom with her from the time I was a baby until I was fifteen. She never talked about her life in the old country. It wasn’t until I did the research for this true life novel that I got to know her in a whole other way.

And the fact that so many readers regard her as a heroine has brought me such joy. I wish I could tell her how much her experiences are resonating with readers today.

I think many of us wish we’d spoken with older family members Diana.

Martha Conway, a wonderful author of historical fiction in the American mid-west, wrote this about my book: “This is a compelling and beautifully told tale of endurance and faith. Mothers everywhere will be drawn to Lukia Mazurets, a no-nonsense Ukrainian woman who in 1915 must protect and save her family when her husband goes to war. Lukia’s arduous journey with her children is a true story of the little-known Ukrainian diaspora. Gripping, illuminating, and personal, this story is a must-read.”

That’s such a lovely review. I have to admit, I don’t know much about Ukrain’s history and Sunflowers Under Fire might be just the way to find out more.

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

I’ve brought along my mother’s recipe for beet borscht, a family favourite. It’s a popular Ukrainian dish and served with sour cream.

Beet Borscht

2 large beets, peeled and cut in long slivers

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, diced

1 large potato, peeled and diced

4 cups of organic chicken stock

a quarter of a small head of cabbage, shredded

2 T. chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 tsp. fresh chopped dill

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 can of pork n’ beans

Salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pot, combine beets, onion, carrot, potato and stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off foam. Add tomato, cabbage, parsley and dill. Simmer for another 15 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add can of pork n’ beans and mix well. Heat and serve with a spoonful of sour cream on top.

Oh. I grow the ingredients for that on my allotment Diana. We always have far too many beetroot (beets) so I think I shall be trying out your recipe very soon. You’ll have to return to see if it tastes as it should!

One reader asked me for the location of the village of Kivertsi in Ukraine. In my novel, which takes place during the first part of the twentieth century, this country is not yet independent. It’s under the rule of Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II, the Romanov family. Kivertsi is about 9 miles or 15 kilometres from Lutsk, which is in the north-western part of the country, close to the Polish border.

Here’s a map of Ukraine, which is also helpful in understanding the countries that border this nation today.

In normal times  travel a lot but I’ve never been to this area. Hearing about Sunflowers Under Fire makes me want to go.

And here’s the church that Lukia Mazurets, my baba, went to in Lutsk. Her faith helped her survive all the wars in her country. This is a Ukrainian Greek Orthodox church. The religion and mass is similar to those practiced in the high Anglican and Catholic faiths, but there is no Pope and confession takes place once a year before Easter. This photo was taken in 1988 when our family visited Ukraine (when it was still under Russian rule). My mother wanted me to see the country she emigrated from in 1929.

That must have been a very special visit. Thank you so much for staying in with me to tell me all about Sunflowers Under Fire Diana. I’ve loved hearing about it and think it sounds a very special read.

Thank you so much for having me as your guest. It was such a pleasure. Happy Reading!

Sunflowers Under Fire

A Finalist for the 2019 Whistler Independent Book Awards, sponsored by the Writers Union of Canada.

In this family saga set in Russia, love and loss are bound together by a country always at war.During WWI, Lukia Mazurets, a Ukrainian farmwife, delivers her eighth child while her husband is serving in the Tsar’s army. Soon after, she and her children are forced to flee the invading Germans. Over the next fourteen years, Lukia must rely on her wits and faith to survive life in a refugee camp, the ravages of a typhus epidemic, the Bolshevik revolution, unimaginable losses, and one daughter’s forbidden love.

Sunflowers Under Fire is a heartbreakingly intimate novel that illuminates the strength of the human spirit. Ultimately, it’s a story about a simple woman who becomes a courageous and inspirational heroine. Based on the true stories of her grandmother’s ordeals, author Diana Stevan captures the voices of those who had little say in a country that is still being fought over.

You can purchase Sunflowers Under Fire here.

About Diana Stevan

Prior to becoming a novelist, Diana Stevan worked as a family therapist, teacher, actor, model, and a freelance writer-broadcaster for CBC television. She’s published poetry, a short story, and newspaper articles. Her novels are A Cry From The Deep (romantic mystery/adventure) , The Rubber Fence (women’s fiction) and Sunflowers Under Fire (family saga/historical fiction.

When she isn’t writing, she loves to garden, travel, and read. She lives in Campbell River, and West Vancouver, B.C. with her husband, Robert. She has two daughters and three grandchildren.

For more information, follow Diana on Twitter @DianaStevan, or visit her website. You’ll also find Diana on Facebook.

It’s my very great pleasure to support lovely Kelly of Love Books Group on Linda’s Book Bag by staying in with A.D. Pascal, who hails from Italy, for this blog tour.

Staying in with A.D. PASCAL

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

It’s my first time in Linda Book’s Bag, so I am excited and proud at the same time.

It’s lovely to have you here! Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

As well as my latest book, Fatal Longevity, I decided to do things a bit differently to others you’ve stayed in with Linda and I’ve chosen a set of books by other authors too.

First, it’s a blockbuster of the ancient times, The Interpretation of Dreams by Artemidorus of Ephesus, who lived in the second century AD. It has been in circulation for centuries and is now available even as an e-book. The book is dedicated to the fascinating world of dreams.

How interesting! I confess I hadn’t heard of it before.

Second, The Sign of the Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle. A must for any thriller lover, like me.

That’s much more familiar to me A.D..

Finally, Blue Notes, Still Frames by Colin Bell, a novel that takes places in Brighton in the 90s. Busker Joe lives on the beach with his flute and his troubled girlfriend, Victoria, a singer. Some different characters meet up around the beach. Past and present mix together.

That’s another I need to find out more about. Thank you for introducing it. So, what can we expect from an evening in with Fatal Longevity?

A journey around the world…

Five high-flyers die in strange circumstances in different continents

All five deaths are put down to natural causes, so there is, apparently, no connection.

The book starts on the edge of a swimming pool in Portofino, Italy. Here a wealthy trader with a mysterious past is found dead in his villa under suspicious circumstances. A quick forensic investigation discovers that he was probably poisoned by an exotic jellyfish, which is found only in Australia.

How could this animal get there and kill the trader without being captured?

You’ve got me intrigued already!

One strange death is chance. Two is a coincidence. But five…?

David, an intelligence analyst and Liz, his television journalist girlfriend, suspect there is a connection.

David suspects the existence of a “ghost” serial killer, able to disappear, leaving no clues. But is that true or is just the dream of an imaginative analyst?

In the background, Goran, a smart businessman chases his dream: prolonging human life well beyond 150 years in perfect health.

But longevity can prove fatal.

I think Fatal Longevity sounds brilliant. 

What else have you brought along this evening and why have you brought it?

I’ve brought some good food, including pizza and cakes, as I am Italian, a Star Wars’ movie and some friends of mine.

I’m so glad you brought pizza. I would have been very disappointed if you hadn’t! As we’re only just past May 4th I think the Star Wars movie will be a perfect way to end our evening as we eat pizza!

In addition, music, I’m used to writing while listening music.

I can reveal a secret. In Fatal Longevity, all the chapter headings are names of songs from various famous artists, such as Genesis, Queen, Pink Floyd, U2, Elton John and George Michael. At the end of the book there’s a code that discloses the complete list on my website.

That’s some song list A.D.. And how exciting to have this secret revealed here on Linda’s Book Bag. Thank you so much for staying in with me. Let me end our evening by telling everyone more about Fatal Longevity whilst you load up Star Wars and serve up the pizza.

Fatal Longevity

Five people at the height of their success die suddenly in different parts of the world. A villa in Portofino and a terrace in Capri, both in Italy. A flight to Singapore. A beach in Santorini, Greece. A luxury resort on the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. All five are filed as “death by natural causes”. No doubts, no links.

But an intelligence analyst and his television journalist girlfriend suspect there is a connection. And follow a trail of unusual coincidences.

Meanwhile, a brilliant businessman chases a dream: prolonging human life to over 150 years. And in perfect health. An ambitious goal. That entices the billionaires club: the privileged few who own over half of the world’s wealth. The human mind possesses hidden talents. You just need to know how to make the most of them.

But longevity can prove fatal.

Published on 2nd March 2020, Fatal Longevity is available for purchase here.

About A. D. Pascal

A.D. Pascal is an Italian writer. He lives in Milan. After graduating, he started his career as an economic journalist. Then worked as a marketing manager for multinationals.

He wrote several books on management as a ghostwriter.

 In his own words:

 “Writing has always been my passion and the base of my activities. My purpose was to present facts and figures in a stimulating way.

Later, I realized that I would also be able to create exciting works of fiction.

Fatal Longevity is the first of a series of books I am working on. They will all combine real events with just a pinch of imagination”.

For more information, visit A.D. Pascal’s website. You’ll find him on Facebook and there’s more with these other bloggers too:

I don’t read much flash fiction so when Jayne Martin asked if I’d like to read Tender Cuts I thought it was time to rectify that omission. My enormous thanks to Jayne for sending me a copy of Tender Cuts in return for an honest review.

Tender Cuts was published by Vine Leaves Press on 19th November 2019 and is available for purchase though the links here.

Tender Cuts

If Joy Williams and Raymond Carver had a love child that was often left in the care of Lydia Davis it might grow up to be Jayne Martin. Martin’s writing evokes the literary DNA of those who have influenced her most, while in a style and voice that is uniquely her own.

In these 38 tiny tales, everyday people do their best to manage the wounds life inflicts on all of us: A six-year-old beauty pageant contestant strives to please her demanding mother; a woman marries a 1985 Buick LeSabre; in a laundromat bored wives fall under the romantic spell of a lobster; a grown woman is still being fat-shamed by her deceased mother via a Ouija board; a widow carries her husband’s ashes around in Baggies.

With pathos and humor, these and all of the characters in this collection will speak to the reader’s own wounded heart.

My Review of Tender Cuts

Thirty-eight pieces with accompanying illustrations.

Tender Cuts has completely surprised me. I’m unused to reading flash fiction and hadn’t expected the depth of quality Jayne Martin provides. Each of these mini stories is a complete gem and equally as engaging as any full length narrative because each is carefully crafted. At a time when many are struggling to focus on reading at length, this collection is perfect. Reading Tender Cuts was akin to finding a long forgotten memory box and delving in to discover all manner of delights. I loved the fact that on the facing page for each of these stories is a related line drawing each featuring at least one tiny heart. These illustrations somehow added to the poignancy of the texts.

Although I read the collection in the order it is presented and Julie-Sue’s pieces are perhaps best read that way, I think Tender Cuts would be perfect for randomly dipping into because there’s such quality in each piece that provides much to ponder and reflect upon.

I found Jayne Martin’s writing superb, and the the variety of sentence structure in particular extremely impactful, because emotion is conveyed so effectively. In The New Kid, for example, the final sentence gives so many different interpretations depending on the intonation, so that the story, like so many in Tender Cuts, lives on beyond the confines of the page. What, for example, happens to Carmen in The Understudy after she unties the ribbons on her second ballet shoe? I loved too, the imagery in pieces like Eventide because I found a rich visual quality that placed me within the narratives too.

All life – and death – is present in this slim volume making it a beautifully written microcosm of society. Themes of birth, love, violence, passion, hatred, depression, entrapment, control, guilt and so many others, leap from the page so that I felt very moved by the stories. The Contract, for example, is only fifty-three words long (yes I counted because I was so surprised by its impact) and yet Jayne Martin managed to bring a tear to my eye.

Jayne Martin’s Tender Cuts is not a book I would ordinarily have chosen but I’m delighted to have read it. I thought it was as tender a portrayal of society as the title suggests, beautifully written and thought provoking. I really recommend it.

About Jayne Martin

Jayne Martin is a Pushcart, Best Small Fictions, Best Microfictions nominee, and a recipient of Vestal Review’s VERA award. Her debut collection of flash fiction, Tender Cuts, from Vine Leaves Press is available now. She lives in California where she rides horses and drinks copious amounts of fine wines, though not at the same time.

Prior to turning her attention to essay and fiction, Jayne Martin was a TV-movie writer whose credits include “Big Spender” for Animal Planet, and “A Child Too Many,” “Cradle of Conspiracy,” and “Deceived by Trust” for Lifetime. Her book of humor essays, Suitable for Giving: A Collection of Wit with a Side of Wry, is available in paperback and digital formats.

You can follow Jayne on Twitter @Jayne_Martin and visit her website for more information. You’ll also find Jayne on Facebook.

Sadly, I’m needing at least three months’ notice to be able to fit in reading for review at the moment, but with Pomeranski piquing my interest, I’m delighted to welcome author Gerald Jacobs to stay in with me and chat all about the book. My thanks to Grace at Quartet Books for putting us in touch with one another.

Staying in with Gerald Jacobs

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Gerald and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

My pleasure. Thank you for having me, Linda

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

My new novel, Pomeranski, published by Quartet.  And it was the obvious choice because it is only just out now. A sad and somewhat eerie time for a book to be published, with all bookshops closed, but it can be ordered online and one of the best lockdown activities is, of course, reading.

It is indeed. And you’re right. I should have been organising a literary event last Saturday which sadly couldn’t go ahead. However, tell me, what can we expect from an evening in with Pomeranski?

Well, if your guest had been the main protagonist, Benny Pomeranski himself, you could expect an entertaining evening. A self-taught, well-read man who was forced to leave school at the age of 14, he was at the centre of a group of colourful characters operating in Brixton, in south London, in and around the 1950s. He and his wife Bertha (both of whom grew up in the East End of London before moving across the river after the Second World War) ran a women’s dress shop in a shopping arcade at the heart of Brixton Market.

They sound interesting characters!

Although this ‘legit’ occupation was bustling and lively in itself, far more exciting were Benny’s extra-curricular activities, mostly on the wrong side of the law. Pomeranski was known as Benny the Fixer and his associates in these endeavours included Sam the Stick, Spanish Joe, Fancy Goods Harry and Maxie the Ganoff (Yiddish for ‘thief’). They called themselves the Astorians because they used to meet in the café attached to the fabulous Astoria cinema at the Brixton end of Stockwell Road. This was a beautiful domed building of Italianate design. It is still standing today under the name of the Academy and is no longer a cinema but a major rock and pop music venue.

Ruling the criminal roost in Brixton at that time was‘Little Jack’ Lewis, a cruel, self-regarding businessman — and gangster — who also owned a jazz club in Richmond. On the surface, he and Benny were courteous to each other but, beneath it, volcanic. And, while Benny considered himself and his crew as a kind of Robin-Hood-and-his-merry-men outfit, meting out — sometimes violently — their own brand of justice, Little Jack was concerned only for himself.

I love the sound of this cast of people. 

One thread throughout the entire narrative is the passionate love affair between Benny and the glamorous night-club singer, Estelle Davis, whose friends include Ruth Ellis —in real-life the last woman to be hanged in Britain, after killing her lover.

Crikey. Benny had some scary connections.

An important theme of the book, examined at a certain level, is the apparently deep-seated human need for revenge, born out of an unfulfilled sense of self, whether in the streets, the home, the boxing ring, or just in the mind. In life as in business, people always want to square the account, balance the books.

I think you’re right Gerald. Humans do have the need for justice – even if it isn’t necessarily altruistic!

For all of these things —plus a lot of music and a Jamaican sub-plot — mid-twentieth-century Brixton seemed to me to be the ideally vibrant setting.

I’m sure it is. You’ve made me desperate to read Pomeranski. So, what else have you brought along and why?

What: A glass of red Bordeaux wine and a couple of photos of Brixton residents taken by my father who became the de facto photographer for the post- Windrush Caribbean community in Brixton.

Why: The photos fit in to Pomeranski’s context. The wine fits in to any context.

Actually, I’m not a great wine drinker so you can have mine too. I’ve been looking at your father’s photographs. They are hugely evocative of the era and the people. If blog readers google Harry Jacobs photographer, they will see many wonderful images, but a good place to start is here.

Finally, if I may, because I am so thrilled by them, I’d like to quote two endorsements for Pomeranski— by two leading writers:

‘The characters come rolling off the page… This is vivid, compelling and true to life. Indeed it is about a life long gone, but so much not forgotten.’

Julia Neuberger

‘Fizzing with life both low and lower, hard to put down, impossible to forget.’

Rick Gekoski

My word you must be utterly delighted with those responses. Thank you so much for staying in with me to tell me all about Pomeranski, Gerald. I’m very eager to read it as a result.

Pomeranski

As Benny the Fixer Pomeranski is laid to rest on a cold November morning at the turn of the twenty-first century, a motley crew of survivors from his youth assembles around the grave, its members ‘identified by their lived-in faces – faces that indicated a singular kind of past, a chequered hinterland.’

This encounter with the past, and the discovery of his father Benny’s diaries, leads Simon Pomeranski back to his childhood and the post-war days of the Astorians, a small group of criminals and traders in ‘swag’ who ran their business from Brixton Market and exercised their own particular brand of justice.

From this wonderful assortment of characters we are introduced to ‘Spanish Joe’, the cultured Russian emigre, Sam ‘the Stick’, with his wounded machismo and penchant for violent retribution, and the dazzling songstress Estelle, among others.

Front and centre in their world, though, is Benny himself, the autodidact owner of Pomeranski Gowns, whose passionate affair with Estelle marks the beginning of a new era for the Astorians. Both riotous and profound, this novel resurrects a vibrant era that deserves a place in our collective memory.

Published by Quartet Books on 30th April, Pomeranski is available for purchase here.

About Gerald Jacobs

Gerald Jacobs is the literary editor of the Jewish Chronicle. His book Sacred Games was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1995, Penguin in 1996 and re-issued by Faber in 2011. He published Nine Love Letters with Quartet in 2016. He lives in London.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I can’t believe T.A. Williams has come to the end of his Dreaming of… series with Dreaming of Italy. I’ve so enjoyed reading these books and was delighted when Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources invited me to participate in the blog blitz for Dreaming of Italy. I have my review to share today.

T.A. or Trevor, has featured many times on Linda’s Book Bag, having written about how much of himself goes into his books here, and why he writes books for women here.

More recently I reviewed Dreaming of Verona here as well as Trevor’s Chasing Shadows here, Dreaming of Venice here and To Provence, With Love here and Dreaming of Christmas here. There’s also an extract from Dreaming of St Tropez that you can read here.

Dreaming of Italy is published by Canelo, today, 4th May 2020, and is available for purchase through the links here.

Dreaming of Italy

Up for a dream promotion, Emma won’t let anything get in her way – not even love.

Working for a major Hollywood film company isn’t all glitz and glam. But when Emma gets sent to tour around Italy to scout the perfect location for a new blockbuster movie, she’s not going to complain. Especially when it could make or break her career…

Historical adviser Mark is a distraction that Emma does not need. As they explore the beauty of Italy, though, Emma starts to fall for the mysterious historian, finding herself torn between her job and her heart.

From the wild, northern mountains of Piedmont, down the vibrant coast of Cinque Terre and through the rolling hills of Tuscany, Emma’s journey becomes one of self-discovery as she questions her priorities in life.

My Review of Dreaming of Italy

Emma has a movie location finding task to complete but it might lead to more than just promotion.

What a perfect lockdown read Dreaming of Italy is. I read it in rainy Lincolnshire and was completely transported to the glorious Italian setting in T. A. Williams’ perfect evocation of place through the use of the senses. His descriptions of food especially gave such an authentic and realistic atmosphere that I found myself picturing the food and tasting it along with the characters. Meticulously researched with a fabulous attention to detail, the novel really is an opportunity to travel without leaving home. History and geography are seamlessly woven into the narrative so that whilst Dreaming of Italy is a lovely gentle romance, it’s a beautiful and powerful travelogue too. When I’d finished reading Dreaming of Italy I truly felt as if I’d had a holiday and an escape from the trials of ordinary life.

I loved the touches I’ve come to expect from T.A Williams in the creation of his stories. As well as a vivid sense of place, there’s a realistic cast of characters who feel vital and real and of course, a black Labrador dog features too. I love the way small aspects of characters’ past lives are dropped into the story so that although they affect behaviour and action, they are are never heavy handed. This has the effect of making me feel I know these people personally and I find it impossible not to be affected by what happens to them. Despite the feelgood nature of Dreaming of Italy, I found I shed a small tear as present events for the characters mirrored the film Emma is researching. More minor characters like Erasmus add colour and humour too so that Dreaming of Italy really is a heartwarming and feel good read.

The plot works so romantically. As Emma, Mark, Rich and Marina search for perfect film locations, their own metaphorical searches for love, their sense of who they are, and their place in the world, are explored with great sensitivity. It’s difficult to define in a review, but it is as if T.A. Williams writes with a kind of tenderness that is very moving.

I so enjoyed Dreaming of Italy. Not only is Dreaming of Italy a gorgeous love story, it’s also a compelling love letter to Italy and I revelled in every moment of my travels there. It’s a glorious book that simply exudes summer and I thoroughly recommend it.

About T.A.Williams

T.A. Williams lives in Devon with his Italian wife. He was born in England of a Scottish mother and Welsh father. After a degree in modern languages at Nottingham University, he lived and worked in Switzerland, France and Italy, before returning to run one of the best-known language schools in the UK. He’s taught Arab princes, Brazilian beauty queens and Italian billionaires. He speaks a number of languages and has travelled extensively. He has eaten snake, still-alive fish, and alligator. A Spanish dog, a Russian bug and a Korean parasite have done their best to eat him in return. His hobby is long-distance cycling, but his passion is writing.

But let’s see what Trevor has to say about himself:

I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I did languages at university a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to Italy for seven years as a teacher of English. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only seven years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.

The fact that I am now writing romantic comedy is something I still find hard to explain. My early books were thrillers and historical novels. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations and, as a writer, I obviously have to go there in person and check them out first. I love my job…

You can find Trevor on Facebook, Goodreads and Amazon. You can also follow him on Twitter @TAWilliamsBooks and visit his website.

One of the joys of reading is that it can take the reader way beyond the confines of their environment and although I rarely feature science fiction writing here on the blog, when lovely Kelly at Love Books Group invited me to participate in this blog tour I knew I had to redress the balance. I’m delighted that she has brought me together with Jennie Dorny to stay in and chat about books.

Staying in with Jennie Dorny

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

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought Vengeance, volume two of Hybrids, as it is the follow up to volume one Trouble.

What can we expect from an evening in with Vengeance, volume two of Hybrids?

Fany Van Hemelen on Instagram and on her blog wrote about Trouble, volume one of Hybrids, the following:

What a great first book of a refreshing sci-fi series.
Trouble is a good start and I am sure the author will be growing even more with the next book. For now my compliments with the way she writes so I started to read and couldn’t stop anymore. Trouble is a book about fascinating worlds, difficult choices and destiny.

Now, with Vengeance, the second volume, massive clouds loom on the horizon as the characters get thrown one after the other into complicated situations. Readers will meet new characters – a cyborg with a weird mental disorder, an alien pet, a strange species called the rainrocks, as well as new planets – Earth Metropolis, Gambling Nova and Iglölü. Lovers are separated, friendships are questioned, characters’ motives are revealed.

My word Jennie. Both Trouble and Vengeance sound intriguing books. What else have you brought along and why?

In these anxious times when we must all stay at home, we are happy to find books, movies and music that allow us to escape. For fantasy and sci-fi fans and amateurs of gay and lesbian fiction, and every other reader, here is a recipe for an easy chocolate cake (which can be transformed into cupcakes as seen in this picture):

I love a cup cake. How do I make them?

Energetically mix 200g sugar, 150g flour, 200g butter, 4 eggs, 2 heaped tablespoons of unsweetened powdered dark chocolate and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Put in a buttered round or square mould in the oven at 190° for 30 minutes or less depending on the size of the pan. For cupcakes, perhaps 20 minutes.

For the icing, melt 75g dark chocolate with 25g butter. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons of warm water and add confectionary sugar until you reach the right consistency. Put on cold cake or cupcakes and add decorations. And enjoy while reading, watching or listening to any book, movie or music you like.

What a perfect way to accompany a book Jennie. Thanks so much for bringing along this recipe and for staying in to tell us all about Hybrids volume two: Vengeance.

Hybrids

Caught in a web of murder and vengeance, Theo must outsmart the Spylady to save her new friends.

Imprisoned in a male appearance, can Nand survive deportation without losing herself?

Forced to leave Eridan after her mental battle with Keith of Rain Forest, Theo travels to Earth Metropolis with SpaceSS agent Jack Finch. When Jack is arrested for murdering his husband, Farren, Theo’s plans for a new future collapse.

To impress Declan, Nand face-changes into her cousin’s appearance on the day of the Face Changer Assembly. But her moment of triumph turns into a nightmare when Keith launches an attack against the Face Changers.

Deported to Gambling Nova, the federal prison, with Ashta and a few Face Changers, will Declan be strong enough to overcome his guilt in order to help Nand keep her male appearance and safeguard Eridan’s future?

Convinced that Farren is still alive, Theo must outsmart the Spylady if she wants to get Jack released from the penitentiary and find Farren’s whereabouts. Yet when Sheer, the Savalwomen leader, orders her to rescue the Face Changers, Theo faces a new challenge: is she ready to return to Gambling Nova? And risk her life?

Hybrids is available for purchase here.

About Jennie Dorny

Jennie Dorny was born in 1960 in Newton, Massachusetts. She lives and works in Paris with her three cats. She is both French and American. She studied American literature and civilization, Italian and history of art at three Parisian universities. She wrote her Master’s thesis about contemporary Irish poetry after spending a year in Dublin. She loves words and languages, and she can spend hours exploring a thesaurus. Over the years, she has studied Spanish, Japanese, Hindi and sign language, and recently took up Italian again.

She has published in French Gambling Nova (1999), Eridan (2002) and Les Cupidons sont tombés sur la tête (Mischievous Cupids gone Crazy, 2007). Gambling Nova and Eridan are partial, earlier versions of Hybrids; science-fiction novels that in many ways deal with the question of gender.

You can visit Jennie’s website and join her club or find her on Facebook and Instagram.

There’s more with these other bloggers and bookstagrammers:

Today should have been one of the Deepings Literary Festival’s interim year events with a super read dating at the Deepings Community Library. I was really looking forward to running the event with a team of lovely Deepings volunteers. Sadly, if unsurprisingly, Corvid 19 has put a stop to today’s excitement.

However, we are hoping our authors will be able to join us at a new date once all this is over and in the meantime I thought I’d just tell you who and what you’re missing in case you might like to dip into their books anyway ready for when you can meet them face to face and ask them all about their writing!

Our wonderful authors today, in alphabetical order, would have been:

Sue Bentley

Sue Bentley is a worldwide best-selling author of novels for children and adults. Her sparkly magical animal series for 5-9 years has been translated into over 20 languages. Sue’s novels for adults are inspired by her love of folklore and nature. She is presently enjoying ‘getting stuck in’ to longer more complex fiction, with strong characters and lots of dark twists and turns. Her latest novels are We Other and Second Skin. Her short story Old Gods was recently included in The 3rd Corona Book of Horror Stories.

Sue has previously appeared here on Linda’s Book Bag when we stayed in together to chat about We Other.

We Other

Family secrets, changelings, and fairies you never want to meet on a dark night.

Jess Morgan’s life has always been chaotic.

When a startling new reality cannot be denied, it’s clear that everything she believed about herself is a lie. She is linked to a world where humans – ‘hot-bloods’ – are disposable entertainment. Life on a run-down estate – her single mum’s alcoholism and violent boyfriend – become the least of Jess’s worries.

We Other is available for purchase here and you’ll find all Sue’s books here.

Dominic Brownlow

Dominic Brownlow lives in Market Deeping with his two children. Although a Fenlander by birth, he lived most of his working life in London, working in the music industry as a manager before setting up his own independent label. He now enjoys life back in the Fens and has an office that looks out over water. The Naseby Horses is his first novel. It was long listed for the Bath Novel Award 2016.

The Naseby Horses

Seventeen-year-old Simon’s sister Charlotte is missing. The lonely Fenland village the family recently moved to from London is odd, silent, and mysterious. Simon is epileptic and his seizures are increasing in severity, but when he is told of the local curse of the Naseby Horses, he is convinced it has something to do with Charlotte’s disappearance. Despite resistance from the villagers, the police, and his own family, Simon is determined to uncover the truth, and save his sister.

Under the oppressive Fenland skies and in the heat of a relentless June, Simon’s bond with Charlotte is fierce, all-consuming, and unbreakable; but can he find her? And does she even want to be found?

Drawing on philosophy, science, and the natural world, The Naseby Horses is a moving exploration of the bond between a brother and his sister; of love; and of the meaning of life itself.

The Naseby Horses is available for purchase here.

Graeme Cumming

Graeme Cumming lives in Robin Hood country.  He has wide and varied tastes when it comes to fiction so he’s conscious that his thrillers can cross into territories including horror, fantasy and science fiction as well as more traditional arenas.

When not writing, Graeme is an enthusiastic sailor (and, by default, swimmer), and enjoys off-road cycling and walking.  He is currently Education Director at Sheffield Speakers Club.  Oh yes, and he reads (a lot) and loves the cinema.

Graeme’s latest book Carrion will be released on May 9th 2020.

Carrion

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY. WORDS HAVE POWER.

A sheet of black filled his vision as hundreds of birds dived at the cottage, pointed beaks thrust forward. From this angle, he couldn’t see many of them striking it, but the few he did see held nothing back as they hammered into the shutter. The scale of the attack was beyond anything he’d seen or heard of. And bloodied casualties littered the ground: skulls shattered, wings broken, innards spilling from them. The fact that so many of them continued with the onslaught in spite of this filled him with even more dread.

Salin has always wanted an adventure and, when the opportunity presents itself, he grabs it with both hands, taking his friends along for the ride – whether they want to or not.

With strange lands come strange creatures that stand between them and their goal. And that goal is the same for someone else, a man who believes the prize is worth every sacrifice – especially when the sacrifices are made by others.

The future is about to change. But who for?

Carrion is available for purchase here.

Philippa East

Philippa East grew up in Scotland and originally studied Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Oxford. After graduating, she moved to London to train as a Clinical Psychologist and worked in NHS mental health services for over ten years. Philippa now lives in the Lincolnshire countryside with her husband and cat. Alongside her writing, she continues to work as a psychologist and therapist. Her prize-winning short stories have been published in various literary journals. Little White Lies is her debut novel.

Little White Lies

She only looked away for a second…

Anne White only looked away for a second, but that’s all it took to lose sight of her young daughter.

But seven years later, Abigail is found.

And as Anne struggles to connect with her teenage daughter, she begins to question how much Abigail remembers about the day she disappeared…

Little White Lies is available for purchase here.

Christina James

Christina James is the pseudonym of Linda Bennett, née Sherrard, a former pupil of Spalding High School.  She is the author of the DI Yates series of crime novels, the eighth of which, Chasing Hares, was published by Salt in November 2019.  All the novels are set in South Lincolnshire, mostly in and around Spalding. She is currently working on the ninth Yates, in tandem with a completely different kind of novel, a love story that hinges on the fate of a motorbike, set in the 1960s during the Malayan Emergency.  Christina / Linda is a frequent speaker at festivals and bookshop and library events and particularly enjoys interacting with both new and established writers at author workshops.  She edits several novels each year for Salt Publishing.

Chasing Hares

Gordon Bemrose, a shady local businessman who lives in a large house on an island in the River Welland, decides he can make easy money from the property by using it for Country House murder weekends. For the first, introductory, weekend he recruits ten people from very different backgrounds: Ava and Reggie Dack and Lizzie and Jackson Fox, two self-made couples from Essex; Sonia and Richard Renwick, respectively a successful beautician and her husband, who is a failed writer; Dora Westerman, a lady of indeterminate age and obviously very slender means; Amelia Baker, an English literature student; and Margarett and Colin Franklin, a mixed-race couple of modest origins whom all the others look down upon. Reluctantly assisting with the festivities are Patti Gardner, Gordon s niece, who has been roped in to speak about the work of a SOCO, and Anton Greenweal, his nephew, who has achieved instant fame on a TV reality show and will be the lead actor in a short play to be performed during the weekend. The play is central to Gordon s plans: he intends it to be based on a popular farce, but with a macabre twist as its finale.

Events take an unexpected turn when a real murder takes place; and DI Yates, investigating, discovers that each of the guests had an ulterior motive for participating in the crime weekend. Everyone on the island becomes a suspect, including Patti, his former girlfriend. Meanwhile, an epidemic of hare coursing is sweeping the county. This illegal and cruel sport is pursued by cynical gamblers who bet high stakes on whose dog will catch the hare. On her way back to Spalding police station from a meeting in Bourne, DS Juliet Armstrong discovers a badly-wounded Saluki that has been abandoned by hare coursers and is determined to bring them to justice.

The eighth DI Yates novel is a modern take on the country house murder story; it also explores the crime of hare coursing, which is currently top of the agenda for police forces in Lincolnshire.

Chasing Hares is available for purchase here.

Marjorie Mallon

Marjorie Mallon writes YA Fantasy/Paranormal novels, Horror/Ghost short stories and multi-genre flash fiction as well as micro poetry – haiku and Tanka. She shares book reviews, poetry, flash fiction, photography and inspirational details of her writing journey on her blog

Marjorie is a member of two professional writing groups: The Society of Children’s Writers and Book Illustrators  and Cambridge Writers.

As well as this she runs a supportive group with fellow Administrator D G Kaye on Facebook: Authors/Bloggers Rainbow Support Club.

Marjorie also works as a Receptionist/Event organiser for an international sixth form and lives in Cambridge, England.

Marjorie and I ‘stayed in’ here on the blog a couple of years ago.

The Curse of Time

Fifteen-year-old Amelina longs for someone to confide in.  Her once carefree mother has become angry and despondent. One day a strange black cat and a young girl, named Esme appear. Immediately, Esme becomes the sister Amelina never had.

The only catch is that Esme must remain a prisoner, living within the mirrors of Amelina’s house.

The Curse of Time is available for purchase here.

Helen Matthews

Helen Matthews is the author of suspense thriller After Leaving the Village, which won first prize at Winchester Writers’ Festival, and Lies Behind the Ruin, published by Hashtag Press. She read English at university and holds an MA in Creative Writing. She has worked in international development, consultancy and HR but fled corporate life to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. She is a freelance copywriter and has, in the past, had columns published in The Guardian and broadcast on BBC radio.

Helen is an Ambassador for the charity, Unseen, which works towards a world without slavery.

Lies Behind the Ruin

How can you build a new life on toxic foundations?

Written by the winner of Winchester Writers’ Festival prize for the opening pages of a novel, Helen Matthews is the author of the best-selling book `After Leaving the Village’ – an absorbing story of deception, guilt, betrayal and the resilience of the human spirit.

Emma Willshire has overcome plenty of obstacles in her life. From student bride to single mum of a son, Owen, but she has found happiness with her second husband, Paul and another child, Mollie. Emma’s dark days seem far behind her until a fatal accident happens at Paul’s work and he is held responsible. On holiday in France, trying to leave his problems behind, Paul’s behaviour turns erratic. On impulse, he buys a cheap, dilapidated property and, to Emma’s dismay, persuades her they can renovate it into a holiday home. As the couple strive to renovate their marriage, and their French ruin to open a small business, shadows from the past threaten their happiness and safety. Because how can you build a new life on toxic foundations?

Lies Behind the Ruin is available for purchase here.

John Nicholson

Descended from the Nicholsons who farmed in the nineteenth century at Grimblethorpe Hall on the River Bain in North Lincolnshire, John Nicholson has lived for many years in the Fens where his writing is set.

A varied career included the Army, the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank in Paris, a First in Economics from LSE and a spell in the Diplomatic Service as a Second Secretary at the Foreign Office. A switch to education led eventually to more than twenty years as Head of Bourne Grammar School in Lincolnshire. He and his wife, Angela (also a retired teacher), share a love of the culture and language of France. In retirement he has pursued a long-held interest in Russia, fired by an extended visit to schools in Leningrad, Moscow and Riga in the mid-sixties, followed more recently by a spell living and studying the language in St Petersburg.

Care Home to Lie For

Visiting his cousin in The Cedars, Martin is impressed by the lavish provision, but finds it is financed by crime. He falls foul of the representative of the League of English Pensioners and, being snowed in, finds a B & B. The landlady’s son is wrongly accused of theft while delivering newspapers and Martin helps him, leading to the Manager thinking he is a senior member of the criminal side.

Even when the organisation goes legitimate, a suspicion lurks that he is well in with the billionaire owner. Ivan does very well as an interpreter and Martin arranges for the Home to pay for him to attend an independent school as a boarder as a reward for his loyalty. Martin’s wife and sister meet the billionaire’s bodyguard in Yalta and this results in the development of the Home as a centre for video-conferencing. The League of English Pensioners splinter group explodes a bomb at the Home, but a resident saves the day: to the amazement of the Police, none of the residents will cooperate, the culture of secrecy and pretending not to notice criminal activity is too strong.

Finally, Betty’s short story ‘The Two Sorts of Cake’ is sent to Martin: it reminds us all of the problems some can face when trying to cope ‘on the outside’.

Care Home to Lie For is available for purchase here.

And last, but by no means least:

Rex Sly

Rex Sly’s family have lived and farmed in the fens since the C16th. Rex has writtenthree  books on the fens covering its enclosures and drainage, its people and its agricultural history, From Punt to Plough, Fenland Families and Soil in their Souls.

His latest book, Exploring the Fen-Edge following the Roman Car Dyke from Peterborough to Lincoln visiting villages, churches and places which interest him. Rex follows some of the past travel writers routes recording what they saw and recording what he sees today always keeping one foot in his birthplace, the fens.

Exploring the Fen-Edge

Rex Sly’s journey follows the route of the Roman Car Dyke from Peterborough to Lincoln, visiting the villages and towns on the way. Few of the travel writers from the past have written on these areas, but where they have Rex retraces their journeys, recalling their comments and adding what he sees today.

Exploring the Fen-Edge is available for purchase here.

 

 

It’s such a shame we can’t meet up in person and our authors and attendees aren’t able to chat about books, reading and writing in what would have been a lovely afternoon.

Here’s hoping that the read dating can happen before too long and our main festival between 28th April 2021 and 2nd May 2021 can go ahead. Save the date and bookmark the festival website just in case!

Having been part of the cover reveal for Summer on a Sunny Island by lovely Sue Moorcroft back in February, I’m delighted to be part of the tour today by sharing my review.

As regular Linda’s Book Bag readers will know, I’m a member of Sue’s street team and Sue has featured here many, many times. Here are the links:

My review of Let It Snow

Discussing One Summer in Italy

An interview with Sue Moorcroft

A guest post from Sue on over-sharing and my review of The Christmas Promise

A guest post from Sue on her fantasy holiday companions

My review of Just For The Holidays

A guest post from Sue on loving a village book

My review of The Little Village Christmas

My review of A Christmas Gift

Published yesterday 30th April 2020 by Harper Collins’ imprint Avon, Summer on a Sunny Island is available for purchase through the links here.

Summer on a Sunny Island

This summer, sparks are flying on the island of Malta…

When Rosa Hammond splits up from her partner Marcus, her Mum Dory suggests a summer in Malta. Not one to sit back and watch her daughter be unhappy, Dory introduces Rosa to Zach, in the hope that romance will bloom under the summer sun. But Rosa’s determined not to be swayed by a handsome man – she’s in Malta to work, after all.

Zach, meanwhile, is a magnet for trouble and is dealing with a fair few problems of his own. Neither Rosa or Zach are ready for love – but does fate have other ideas? And after a summer in paradise, will Rosa ever want to leave?

My Review of Summer on a Sunny Island

Meeting Zach will not be the panacea for all ills for Rosa.

You know, whenever I pick up a Sue Moorcroft book I know I am going to be transported to whatever setting she has chosen, but in Summer on a Sunny Island I think the author has outdone all her previous novels. The sense of place is astounding. All the senses are evocatively stimulated through fabulous descriptions so that the reader can picture, hear, taste, smell and touch everything just as realistically as the characters. It is no exaggeration to say reading this novel left me ravenous and feeling as if I were in Malta experiencing it with Rosa et al.

I thoroughly enjoyed a slightly darker theme of crime here as Sue Moorcroft affords her readers the opportunity to explore shades of behaviour. I found it fascinating that, rather than simplistic right and wrong, I was able to contemplate morality through character responses to the action. I loved the other themes too. Marriage, mature relationships as well as younger ones, loyalty and trust, employment, emotions and anxiety give a warm rich depth that is so satisfying to read.

And what action there is. Summer on a Sunny Island has smashing pace because there are several surprises I hadn’t anticipated. Of course there are satisfactory resolutions that I would expect, but leading to them is a tautly plotted and hugely entertaining narrative.

However, it is character that really drives this story. I tend to prefer books that feature fewer people than Sue Moorcroft includes here, but in this case each person was so vivid and real that I had no problem keeping everyone distinct in my mind. Even secondary characters like Marcus were clear to me, adding enormously to my enjoyment in reading. But of course, it is Rosa and Zach who steal the show. I adored meeting them because, although the path of true love isn’t without obstacle, I felt as if they were destined to be together if not necessarily in this book. It was as if somehow they existed beyond the confines of the narrative because they are so real. You’ll have to read Summer on a Sunny Island for yourself to find out what happens!

Summer on a Sunny Island is the perfect lockdown read. Sue Moorcroft transports the reader to a different place and captivates them so completely that it’s an absolute pleasure to escape for a while. I loved being in Malta!

About Sue Moorcroft

Award winning author Sue Moorcroft writes contemporary women’s fiction with occasionally unexpected themes. The Wedding Proposal, Dream a Little Dream and Is This Love? were all nominated for Readers’ Best Romantic Read Awards. Love & Freedom won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA in 2013. Sue’s a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner, a past vice chair of the RNA and editor of its two anthologies.

The Christmas Promise was a Kindle No.1 Best Seller and held the No.1 slot at Christmas!

Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles, writing ‘how to’ and is a creative writing tutor.

You can follow Sue on Twitter @SueMoorcroft, find her on Facebook and visit her website.