It’s far, far too long since L.C. North appeared on Linda’s Book Bag. Then I was reviewing her book The Perfect Betrayal in a post you’ll find here.

I last caught up with L.C. North in Harrogate in July 2022 when I was thrilled to receive a very early copy of Lauren’s latest book The Ugly Truth. It’s a real pleasure to share my review of The Ugly Truth today.

Published tomorrow, 16th March 2023 by Penguin’s Bantam imprint, The Ugly Truth is available for purchase through the links here.

The Ugly Truth

Melanie Lange has disappeared.

Her father, Sir Peter Lange, says she is a danger to herself and has been admitted to a private mental health clinic.

Her ex-husband, Finn, and best friend, Nell, say she has been kidnapped.

The media will say whichever gets them the most views.

But whose side are you on?

#SaveMelanie
#HelpPeter

My Review of The Ugly Truth

Melanie Lange is missing.

Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting! I had anticipated that The Ugly Truth would be a normal (if normal can be applied to the genre) psychological thriller with a few twists along the way. I hadn’t expected such a cleverly structured book with the narrative told through interview, diary, a documentary and social media in ways that both appal and engage the reader. The way information is drip fed is very cleverly done because it makes you change your mind as you read.

Certainly The Ugly Truth is about family dynamics, control and relationships, but it is so much wider. What L.C. North does is to place the reader into a position they may well take in their normal lives, and illustrates just how much we are manipulated by social media, how easily we form opinion without the full facts and how vulnerable we are to having our own certainties altered and undermined by people we’ve never met. I found this theme nastily unsettling and totally plausible, making for a gripping read. 

The newspaper headlines, the hashtags and the opinions given with total disregard for empirical basis in The Ugly Truth are a salutary and disturbing example of what life must be like for those in the public eye. Whilst I was never quite certain if I liked Melanie as a person, I felt that wasn’t the point. How I might feel about any of the characters was immaterial. Instead, I was being drawn into a situation that made me question myself as much as Peter or Melanie. The different points of view created a maelstrom of response in me as a reader so that for much of the book I wasn’t quite sure whether I was on the side of #SaveMelanie or #HelpPeter and by the end of the book I was no nearer deciding!

Themes of guilt, identity, loyalty and trust and of the reasons why people behave as they do give The Ugly Truth added depth. There’s an almost Shakespearean understanding of how anyone, or, indeed, everyone can impact another person’s life. I’d love to see The Ugly Truth as part of the secondary school curriculum or as part of police training as it raises more questions than it answers and provides a rich seam of ideology that inspires debate.

I think The Ugly Truth might divide readers because it leaves them feeling uncomfortable and somehow complicit in a rather unsavoury world. I found it a fascinating, compelling and disturbing book. The Ugly Truth is a bit like the literary equivalent of dropping a pebble in a pond and watching how the rings reverberate across the surface. Be prepared to have your ideologies and beliefs challenged if you read it and I recommend that you do.

About L.C. North

L.C. North studied psychology at university before pursuing a career in Public Relations. Her first book club thriller – The Ugly Truth – combines her love of psychology and her fascination with the celebrities in the public eye. L.C. North is currently working on her second novel, and when she’s not writing, she co-hosts the crime thriller podcast, In Suspense. L.C. North lives on the Suffolk borders with her family. L.C. North is the pen name of Lauren North.

For further information, visit Lauren’s website or you can follow Lauren on Twitter @Lauren_C_North and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

As many of you know, one of the ways I got into blogging was because I’d been lucky enough to review middle grade books for Hodder and to write teacher resources to accompany them. Consequently, I’m always keen to promote fiction for all age groups here on Linda’s Book Bag. With that in mind, I invited Jude Gwynaire onto the blog.

Jude’s latest book for children is Celeste and the Witch Garden published by Burton Mayers on 17th February and available for purchase here.

Celeste and the Witch Garden

The Witch Garden is more than just your average, typical back garden – it’s more like a large and diverse, self-contained magical ecosystem, with fields, forests, rivers, villages and towns – even a castle – spread over its lush and green lands. Harper, the clumsy talking owl lives there, as do Alditha the white witch, the Green Man, and Skoros – the less than pleasant, megalomanic steampunk wizard.

When a giant flying teacup appears over the Green Man’s nook, Harper is convinced Skoros is up to no good, and reports the matter to Alditha. They discover, however, that the occupant of the teacup (which is really a spaceship in disguise) is actually a humanoid alien called Celeste, who looks about thirteen years old. Celeste hints that the Witch Garden is only a small part of a Class M planet called RY53-6, and seems intent on locating a series of mysterious silver orbs. She has a bio-mechanical alien sidekick called Alpha (who looks like a typical ‘Grey’ alien). They’re Astarians, and together, they’re on a mission to find The Sleepers – an Astarian space crew they believe visited the planet thousands of years ago.

Near the centre of the Witch Garden, in a town called Enki-Wood, is a monument to the nearest thing the WitchGardenfolk have to a god (Vin Taoo, the Great Gardener). The monument is Stone Hedge, and it’s actually the petrified drive system of The Sleepers’ dimension-hopping spaceship. When Celeste accidentally wakes The Sleepers from thousands of years of cryogenic sleep, the battle is on, not only to defeat Skoros and free the Witch Garden from his malign and polluting influence, but also to thwart the leader of The Sleepers, who wants to make the planet uninhabited again, as it was when he originally found it.

It takes the united efforts of all kinds of WitchGardenfolk, as well as Celeste, Alpha, and some of The Sleepers, to overcome both threats before the main Astarian Fleet arrives, and a deal can be brokered to co-exist with the Witch Garden’s newest residents.

An Interview with Jude Gwynaire

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Jude.

Thanks for having me.

I know both music and writing are important parts of your life. When did you first start writing?

I finished my first novel at the age of fifteen. Mr Clef’s Psychedelic World of Music, was heavily influenced by the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine’, and even had accompanying music. Although it wasn’t published, I still have a rejection letter from Fontana Paperbacks, which gave me enough encouragement to continue with my writing.

That sounds quite an achievement for a fifteen year old. You’ve obviously moved on considerably since then so tell me a bit about your latest book. 

My latest novel, a children’s/young adult sci-fi/fantasy entitled Celeste and the Witch Garden, is a distant relative of a fantasy website project I created twenty years ago called ‘Aliens In My Garden’. My son, Aaron, who was about ten years old at the time, created a range of colourful clay models (aliens, witches, wizards, trolls – and a whole host of other fantasy characters) that I photographed in my back garden, and around which I created stories. Many characters had their own page on the website. It was a great father and son project, and we still have all the models in the loft. I tried to get one or two film companies interested in the concept, and did receive one positive reply from the USA. Aaron is still very creative, and has a computer game coming out soon called ‘Neyyah’.

You sound like a very talented and imaginative family Jude! How did Celeste and the Witch Garden move from a game with your son to a published book?

Back in the present, it’s been great working with my present publisher, Richard Mayers, who has helped me bring Celeste and the Witch Garden to market. From February 2023, the novel has been available in paperback and on Kindle. Thank you to Toby French for an amazing cover.

And what are you working on next?

I’m already working on a sequel to Celeste and the Witch Garden, and also an adult sci-fi thriller entitled ‘The Orb Forest (Where Androids Have Souls’).

That sounds rather disturbing to me! Will music play a part too?

I aim to compose a soundtrack for the novel in the near future. Four of the tracks are already completed, and have been released as singles, as well as appearing on my 25 track album, Music From Slate Bird.

I’m always in awe of those with a musical talent Jude as I am sure I’m tone deaf. I wish you every success with both your music and your writing and with Celeste and the Witch Garden in particular. Thanks so much for being on the blog.

About Jude Gwynaire

Jude was born in the UK and lives in Suffolk, where he combines a love of writing with that of music and composing. Drawing inspiration from history, folklore, and the natural world, Jude has written science-fiction and fantasy stories for children and adults.

As a self-taught musician, working from his own studio at the peripheries of the industry, Jude draws on his many interests and influences to create new and diverse soundscapes that span the genres of Electronica, Ambient, New Age and Rock.

Jude has been able to pursue his passion for music free from constraint, and indulge in an atmosphere of unbridled creativity. By embracing the Internet as a means of promotion, his maverick approach has enabled him to reach an audience through channels other than mainstream.

For more information, visit Jude’s website or follow him on Twitter @judegwynaire. You’ll also find Jude on Instagram and Facebook.

It was back in 2021 when I reviewed Luke Adam Hawker’s Together in a post you’ll find here. I was so moved by his artistry that Together became one of my books of the year. Consequently, although I was avoiding taking on new blog tours, I simply had to be part of this one for Luke Adam Hawker’s latest book The Last Tree: A Seed of Hope. My enormous thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to participate.

Published by Octopus imprint Ilex on 2nd March 2023, The Last Tree: A Seed of Hope is available for purchase here.

The Last Tree: A Seed of Hope

Imagine a world without trees. A world that is in many ways like our world, but where magnificent canopies, tree climbing and leaves rustling in the breeze are now only distant memories.

Until a young girl comes along, a girl who is brave and spirited and willing to follow where her imagination takes her. Through Olive’s adventures in the world of trees we are reminded of nature’s extraordinary power and beauty, and her actions ultimately sow the seeds of new life in her own world.

From the mind and pen of bestselling author Luke Adam Hawker, The Last Tree is a powerful evocation of the fragility of our natural world and a magnificent celebration of its beauty.

My Review of The Last Tree: A Seed of Hope

A picture book for all ages.

I never know whether to envy or pity those who’ve yet to discover Luke Adam Hawker. I envy that first discovery, but because I feel my life has been enhanced by his books, I truly envy those who haven’t yet dived in to them.

There’s very little text in The Last Tree: A Seed of Hope, but that doesn’t mean that there’s no story or that the book isn’t rammed with meaning and thought-provoking images and messages. Even the end papers help illustrate our insignificance in the universe. The text can be taken literally, but the more times I looked at the book, the more significance I found. When Olive climbs the tree, for example, it was as if an understanding of the challenges of life in general was being conveyed with humanity and empathy. Indeed, I found myself attaching importance and interpretation that is perhaps way outside the original meaning intended. And that is the success of the book. It seems as if it adapts itself to the reader. Aside from any environmental message, Olive felt like a metaphor for Ukraine to me…

The Last Tree might initially feel simplistic, but it’s a book that increasingly rewards and provides greater meaning the more time is spent looking carefully at the images. What Luke Adam Hawker does so well is to allow a kind of breathing space so the reader or viewer can pause, contemplate and find their own meaning and construct their own narrative beyond that which is physically presented. The use of white space in the book enhances this feeling too.

The themes are profound and moving. Olive lives in a world without trees until her adventure begins. Her situation mirrors what is happening to the world’s environment to perfection making The Last Tree feel relevant and dangerously prescient. I loved the fact her name is also a tree and is associated with peace. I found this quite moving and ended The Last Tree feeling her name was more of a hopeful instruction – O. Live! And there is hope at the end of the story so that the book feels uplifting and positive in spite of the difficult messages it has.

The quality of illustration is outstanding. Each page is a mini work of art and I was intrigued by the fact that whilst there is considerable heaviness and darkness in many of the pictures, several have light alleviating them so that they enhance the ultimate feeling of optimism.  

The Last Tree is magical because it is a different book with different meaning every time it is picked up. It speaks to each reader individually. I thought it was wonderful.

About Luke Adam Hawker

Luke Adam Hawker worked as an architectural designer before becoming a full time artist in 2015. He sells his signed and limited edition prints to fans throughout the UK and the rest of the world. He has also been commissioned by brands such as the Soho House Hotel Group, and has an artwork hanging in the Parliamentary Art collection.

Luke’s first book, Together, was a Sunday Times bestseller. It has sold over 130,000 copies worldwide to date, and has been translated into nine languages.

Luke lives with his wife, son and dog Robin in Surrey, England.

You can find out more about Luke and his work on Instagram and his website. You can follow Luke on Twitter @lukeadamhawker and there’s more with these other bloggers too:

Anyone who has been in my home will know instantly that I’m a huge cat lover. House and garden are festooned with cat related items. Therefore, I was delighted to receive a copy of Festival of Cats (collective noun) from lovely Lorna at Crumps Barn in return for an honest review. It’s my pleasure to share that review today.

Festival of Cats was published by Crumps Barn Studio on 28th February and is available for purchase here and directly from the publisher here.

Festival of Cats

Heroes and danger, comfort and claws

A black cat dreams of finding a new family, and a vampire is woken by a brush with ancient folklore. Then a cat tests just how far his nine lives run, before a stray moves in, and a kitten discovers a thirst for adventure …

Full of playfulness and wildness, this is a vibrant collection from eleven UK authors about the reality of being owned by a cat.

My Review of Festival of Cats

A pocket sized anthology of cat related writing.

As might be expected from such an eclectic mix of entries, I enjoyed some of the writing more than other pieces in Festival of Cats, but found the whole anthology a pleasing love letter to our feline friends – even if some of the cats were more positive in behaviour than others! 

There’s everything represented here from a cat’s ability to raise a vampire, or become a matchmaker, through the definition of an ailurophile to the more prosaic antics of a cat trying to get a human to feed it, so that there’s something for every reader to enjoy. There’s a little touch of horror, a little touch of romance and, at the risk of being entirely anthropomorphic, it seems that the feline world is a metaphor for the human one, with homelessness, a need to belong, fear and kindness, for example, present in many of the pieces so that there’s a resonance to be found.

Accompanying the writing are some highly attractive illustrations that have a looseness and indistinct quality that represents to perfection the somewhat ephemeral nature of cats in human lives. They are tricky creatures to pin down! 

Festival of Cats is a charming collection that would make a lovely gift for a cat lover, containing something for every age group.

About the Authors

Festival of Cats includes contributions from eleven UK authors featuring original work from: Diana Alexander, Amaris Chase, Daphne Denley, J. J. Drover, Harriet Hitchen, Rebecca McDowall, Jane Phillips, Angela Reddaway, Margaret Royall, Stuart Samuel and Penny Wright. All are cat lovers to the core. The cover and illustrations in the book are from Lorna Gray.

My enormous thanks to Karen at Orenda for sending me a copy of So Pretty by Ronnie Turner in return for an honest review. I love books in the Orenda catalogue and I was sure So Pretty must be something special if Karen had added it to the list. It is and I’m delighted to share my review today.

Published by Orenda on 19th January 2023, So Pretty is available for purchase in all the usual places including directly from the publisher here.

So Pretty

Fear blisters through this town like a fever…

When Teddy Colne arrives in the small town of Rye, he believes he will be able to settle down and leave his past behind him. Little does he know that fear blisters through the streets like a fever. The locals tell him to stay away from an establishment known only as Berry & Vincent, that those who rub too closely to its proprietor risk a bad end.

Despite their warnings, Teddy is desperate to understand why Rye has come to fear this one man, and to see what really hides behind the doors of his shop.

Ada moved to Rye with her young son to escape a damaged childhood and years of never fitting in, but she’s lonely, and ostracised by the community. Ada is ripe for affection and friendship, and everyone knows it.

As old secrets bleed out into this town, so too will a mystery about a family who vanished fifty years earlier, and a community living on a knife edge.

Teddy looks for answers, thinking he is safe, but some truths are better left undisturbed, and his past will find him here, just as it has always found him before. And before long, it will find Ada too.

My Review of So Pretty

Teddy has a new job.

Crikey! This is a book and a half. So Pretty makes your skin crawl, your heart thump and the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention. It’s an astonishing debut with a creepiness and malevolence that permeates the reader’s mind every bit as much as Vincent manages with those who encounter him in the story. I thought it was completely brilliant. 

The plot of So Pretty is simultaneously fast paced and yet somehow measured in a blend of intelligent, mesmerising storytelling that meant I could hardly bear to read on and yet I simply couldn’t stop. I’d heard excellent things about Ronnie Turner’s writing, but I had mis-judged just how effectively she would get under my skin and repulse and attract me in a pitch perfect balance. I felt as captivated and manipulated by the author as any character in the book. To say a thing about what actually happens would be a disservice to other readers but my goodness this is a narrative that lingers and unsettles long after the final page is read. So Pretty is an incredibly powerful story, not least because there’s a visual quality to the writing that makes each detail vivid in the mind’s eye and whilst it feels Gothic and horrific it feels totally authentic and scarily possible too. I loved the iterative image of the apple – all the connotations are here from the temptation of Eve, through to one bad apple in a barrel to apples not falling far from the tree, and they add a sinister undertone that builds and ensnares.

The characters here are sublimely created. As there are relatively few, Ronnie Turner lends them an intensity and claustrophobia that almost feels as if it is tainting the reader even as Ada, Teddy and Albie become affected by Mr Vincent. Again, it is impossible to articulate too much for fear of spoiling the story. The control in the lives of these people by secondary characters adds such texture and depth. Johnny is only alluded to, never actually directly present in the story, but his effect ripples and reverberates with an almost Shakespearean intensity. Reading So Pretty made me think of the manipulation by Iago or the duplicity of the witches in Macbeth because there’s a timelessness to the beguiling and dangerous behaviour here. 

The themes in So Pretty are dark, disturbing, intelligent and perfectly explored. They impact the reader right into their very soul, creating a kind of heightened awareness in the potential for evil in the world. There’s a nightmarish sensation in reading what happens, making you think about the book continuously even when you’re not reading it.

I’m aware I’ve hardly said anything coherent about So Pretty for fear of revealing too much, but this story is a seething cauldron of obsession, of nature and nurture, and of the impact of distorted belief that is compelling, shocking and absolute genius. It’s a fascinating psychological insight into what makes humans behave as they do. I thought it was fantastic and cannot recommend it highly enough. So Pretty is a total triumph! 

About Ronnie Turner

Ronnie Turner grew up in Cornwall, the youngest in a large family. At an early age, she discovered a love of literature. She now works as a Senior Waterstones Bookseller and barista. Ronnie lives in the South West with her family and three dogs. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and taking long walks on the coast.

For more information, follow Ronnie on Twitter @Ronnie_ _Turner or find her on Facebook and Instagram.

It’s a pleasure to join the blog tour for Maid of Steel by Kate Baker today by sharing my review. My thanks to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part.

Maid of Steel was published by The Book Guild on 28th February 2023 and is available for purchase directly from the publisher here, Waterstones, Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Maid Of Steel

It’s 1911 and, against her mother’s wishes, quiet New Yorker Emma dreams of winning the right to vote. She is sent away by her parents in the hope distance will curb her desire to be involved with the growing suffrage movement and told to spend time learning about where her grandparents came from.

Across the Atlantic – Queenstown, southern Ireland – hotelier Thomas dreams of being loved, even noticed, by his actress wife, Alice. On their wedding day, Alice’s father had assured him that adoration comes with time. It’s been eight years. But Alice has plans of her own and they certainly don’t include the fight for equality or her dull husband.

Emma’s arrival in Ireland leads her to discover family secrets and become involved in the Irish Women’s Suffrage Society in Cork. However, Emma’s path to suffrage was never meant to lead to a forbidden love affair…

My Review of Maid of Steel

Emma’s life is about to change.

Maid of Steel opens with exciting drama that I wasn’t expecting, but that drew me in to the narrative instantly and set the tone for Emma’s personality that was developed through the rest of the story. I felt compelled to read on. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of Maid of Steel. Firstly it has obviously been assiduously researched so that it is convincing and transports the reader to 1911 with clarity and authority. Kate Baker blends the real events of the era with a fictionalised story that is entertaining and captivating. I had no previous idea about the soldiers’ homes for example. This educational element to Maid of Steel gave it depth and gravitas.

Secondly, Maid of Steel has an entertaining, brisk, episodic plot too that would make it ideal for adaptation to a television series. I could also envision it as a hugely successful west end play in the style of Les Miserables. 

I found the characterisation engendered strong reactions in me as a reader. Emma is by no means perfect. She can be foolhardy and reckless in behaviour, but I found I admired her totally. In contrast, I loathed Alice until towards the end of Maid of Steel when I discovered more about her. It was Thomas whom I found most fascinating though because I couldn’t decide how I felt about him. At times he seems weak, almost insipid and I despised him, and then in contrast he is seen to have self-control and moral integrity despite strong feelings and passions so that he is quite admirable even if mercurial. This made him really interesting to consider. Alongside the main characters, the more minor ones are equally realistic and interesting.

Dramatic, pacy story and great characterisation aside, however, I think it’s the sense of society, and specifically social injustice, that hooked me in so entirely. Women’s suffrage, Home Rule, the impact of church, state and societal expectation, sexuality and class all combine into a rich tapestry of fascination, making Maid of Steel a great read. 

I was impressed by Maid of Steel because it is highly entertaining. It’s packed with historical detail. It’s dramatic and it gives a credible sense of history through interesting characters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. 

About Kate Baker

Kate Baker wrote terrible holiday diaries as a child, which her husband regularly asks her to read out loud for their entertainment. She has since improved and has written with intent since 2018. Maid of Steel is her second novel; the first is lining drawers in the vegetable rack at their farmhouse.

For further information visit Kate’s website, follow Kate on Twitter @katefbaker or find her on Instagram. There’s more with these other bloggers too:

Back in October 2021 I was thrilled to begin reviewing for My Weekly online and the first book I ever reviewed for the publication was Tracy Rees’s The Rose Garden in a post you’ll find here.

Today I’m back on the My Weekly website with a review of Tracy’s latest book The Elopement.

Tracy has featured here on Linda’s Book Bag many times.

Details of my My Weekly review of The Rose Garden are here and the full review is here.

You’ll find my review of Tracy’s contemporary novel Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church here.

Amy Snow was one of the first books I ever reviewed on the blog here.

I reviewed Florence Grace here and had a wonderful guest post from Tracy about the appeal of the C19th that you can read here.

Florence Grace was one of my Books of the Year in 2016 and you’ll see it featured here.

I also reviewed Tracy’s The Hourglass here and Tracy was kind enough to provide a guest post all about her memories of Richmond when Darling Blue was published. Darling Blue is still on my TBR but I reviewed The House at Silvermoor here.

*

Published in paperback by Pan Macmillan on 16th February 2023, The Elopement is available for purchase through the links here.

The Elopement

A wealthy heiress . . .
1897. Rowena Blythe is wealthy, entitled and beautiful. As her twenty-fourth birthday approaches, she’s expected to marry – and to marry well.

An unsuitable match . . .
Her parents commission a portrait of Rowena to help cement her reputation as a great society beauty. However, Bartek, the artist’s young assistant, is unlike any man Rowena has met before – wild, romantic and Bohemian. While society at large awaits the announcement of Rowena’s engagement, it is Bartek who captures Rowena’s heart along with her likeness.

A scandal in society . . .
Rowena knows her parents would never approve of Bartek, who in their eyes is nothing but a penniless foreigner. As her feelings grow, she has no-one to turn to. Dare she risk everything for love?

My Review of The Elopement

My full review of The Elopement can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, I can say that The Elopement is a wonderfully vivid and enjoyable tale of love, life and opportunity that is a must read.

Do visit My Weekly to read more of my review here.

About Tracy Rees

Tracy Rees was the first winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition. She has also won the Love Stories Best Historical Read award and been shortlisted for the RNA Epic Romantic Novel of the Year. A Cambridge graduate, Tracy had a successful career in non-fiction publishing before retraining for a second career practising and teaching humanistic counselling. She has also been a waitress, bartender, shop assistant, estate agent, classroom assistant and workshop leader. Tracy divides her time between the Gower Peninsula of South Wales and London.

You can follow Tracy on Twitter @AuthorTracyRees or visit her website for more information. You’ll also find Tracy on Instagram.

I’ve been meaning to feature The Sound of Violet by Allen Wolf for months and months, but life kept getting the better of me and the book is still languishing on my TBR waiting to be read. However, at least I can share an extract from The Sound of Violet with Linda’s Book Bag readers and with the book now a film too, and the fact we’re heading towards Autism Awareness Month and I have an adult niece whose life is affected by autism, what time could be better?

The Sound of Violet

Desperate to find a soulmate, Shawn goes on one awkward date after another until he encounters the alluring Violet. He starts dating her, but his autism and trusting nature keep him from realizing that she’s actually a prostitute.

Shawn thinks he’s found a potential wife while Violet thinks she’s found a ticket out of her trapped life. This funny and dramatic award-winning story takes all kinds of twists and turns and has been adapted into a major motion picture.

The Sound of Violet book is available for purchase here.

About the Film of The Sound of Violet

While the novel takes place in New York City, the movie has been relocated to Seattle.

From the acclaimed novel comes a romantic comedy about a man who thinks he found his soulmate, but his autism keeps him from realizing she’s a prostitute looking for a ticket out of her trapped life.

The Sound of Violet is now available on Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, Blu-ray, or DVD.

A trailer for The Sound of Violet can be viewed here.

An Extract from The Sound of Violet

CHAPTER 1

IT’S STORMY

Shawn didn’t feel like an adult because adults were married, and he struggled to get through a date. He was twenty-four years old and looked like a man, with his powder-blue eyes, a trim physique, and a handsome face on a well-shaped head crowned with light brown hair. But he had never quite gotten used to his long arms and legs. When he walked, it looked like Shawn was carefully stepping between raindrops, especially when he started noticing all the colors around him.

The bashful sun peeked out from behind a gray curtain of clouds, kissing the Manhattan skyscrapers. Perfect dating weather. Shawn accompanied his latest date along a path through the High Line, a park that snaked above 11th Avenue, formerly abandoned railroad tracks that were transformed into a popular park years ago.

Emily looked pleasant but unremarkable as she trudged along, towering over him. She glanced his way, but Shawn couldn’t peer into her eyes or anyone’s eyes for that matter. When he did, it felt like he was staring into the sun. He’d force himself to do it, though, since people got uneasy when he darted his eyes away. But Shawn couldn’t keep looking for long. The connection felt too electric, like he had jammed his finger into a wall socket.

The trees around them swayed in the wind; their branches collided against each other, clanging like wind chimes on a blustery day. The melodic tones transfixed Shawn.

Emily cocked her head to the side. “Are you even listening?” she asked.

He wasn’t.

She knocked on an invisible wall between them. “Hello?”

Shawn broke out of his trance. “Sorry. I get distracted sometimes. By all the colors.” He looked up at her height. “You must be good at basketball.”

Her eyes narrowed. This wasn’t Shawn’s first awkward comment of the night. “And you must be great at miniature golf.”

Shawn kicked the ground. “Not really.”

“You’re gonna ask me how the weather is up here? I’ll save you the trouble.” She popped the cap off her bottle and splashed water on his face. “Stormy!”

Shawn stood there, water dripping off his face, his mouth hanging open. His stomach ached as Emily stomped off, shaking her head. What did I do this time? Maybe she doesn’t like basketball. She disappeared into the crowd of people surging around him.

Shawn sat on a park bench and logged into his online dating profile. Time to set up his next date. This was definitely a numbers game.

Later that week, he met Anna at the High Line. She was in her thirties, lean and frail-looking. Friendly, but needy. Pictures of cats covered her rainbow suspenders. Her profile emphasized her love for all things feline, and Shawn hoped there would be more to her. He was getting less picky. Shawn led her down the path.

“Whenever I look at a cat, I try not to think about how lazy it is,” Shawn said.

Anna raised her eyebrows. “They aren’t lazy. They like to sleep.”

“For seventy percent of their lives. Male lions sleep twenty hours a day, so you can tell they’re related.” Shawn had many more cat facts up his sleeve, but this one didn’t land the way he thought it would. He hoped she’d find the rest of them captivating, so all the preparation he did for this date wouldn’t be a waste of time.

“Cats are more intelligent than most people I date,” Anna said.

“Then, you’re dating the wrong people.” Shawn peered at her face. “You know, you look different from your profile picture.”

She slipped her hands into her pockets. “Confession time. That’s actually my sister. I get a lot more interest when I use her pic. We’re pretty similar, though. She’s just more photogenic.”

“No, she’s a lot prettier than you.”

Anna shrank back. “Are you for real?”

“Very,” Shawn said. “She’s the one who got the looks in your family.”

Shawn’s thoughts often raced out of his mouth, unedited. He knew people had to get used to that, or they wouldn’t stick around for long. Anna blinked a few times as if she didn’t know what to say. She scoffed, shrugged her shoulders, then hurried down one of the stairways that led to the street below.

Shawn knew better than to run after her. That had never worked on his previous dates. He peered at the red petals of the snapdragons circling the tree trunk next to him. The petals shivered and hummed, sounding like sustained chords of a violin.

On the following Saturday afternoon, he met Lindsay at the High Line. She looked identical to her picture, and he was relieved. She was in her twenties, with delicate features and dark hair pulled back from the planes of her face.

Their conversation began with how their days were going (fine) and about the state of the world (worrisome). They progressed to how expensive it was to reside in New York City (shockingly so, though technically Shawn didn’t pay anything to live here). Then, the conversation detoured to how people perceive colors. This was Shawn’s opportunity to shine. He fought to keep his thoughts on track as he strolled down the path with her.

“The light receptors in our eyes transmit messages to our brains about what we’re seeing. Newton first observed that the surface of what we see reflects some colors and absorbs the rest. So our eyes only perceive the reflected colors.” He forced himself to stop, a skill that usually led people to talk with him longer.

Lindsay leaned into him. “You’re a walking Wikipedia.”

Shawn beamed. The sunlight sparkled off the brook next to them as it bubbled down the path. He lost himself for a moment in the melodic stream of the water. Lindsay nudged him.

“You there?” she asked.

“Oh. Sorry about that.” He searched for a new topic. “The other day, I read an article about how this place would’ve still been an abandoned railroad track if someone didn’t have the imagination to make it this beautiful.”

Lindsay flicked her hair back. “So true.”

“When it opened, people called it a secret, magic garden in the sky.”

He started walking with a spring in his step. Lindsey reached over and held his hand. Startled, he shook her off. She stepped back with widened eyes. Shawn looked down; his arms hung to his sides.

“I’m sorry.” He paused. “Sometimes touching can be too intense for me.”

Lindsay poked her tongue against her cheek. “Oh.”

“You look like you swallowed a lemon.”

“And your profile didn’t say, ‘don’t touch me.’”

“It used to, but I didn’t get a lot of replies.”

Lindsay bit her upper lip. “Are you on the spectrum?”

Shawn hesitated, then nodded. Whenever he told someone about his autism, their reactions were a mysterious mixed bag. Mysterious because Shawn couldn’t understand what they were thinking. Sometimes those dates didn’t last long after he brought this information to light, even after he explained he was high functioning. His brother, Colin, thought Shawn should keep his autism a secret for as long as possible. Or at least until the second date. But whenever Shawn kept those details in the dark, his dates seemed confused by how he would react to the world around him.

Shawn looked past her at a tall woman with black curly hair and olive skin dressed in a flowing wedding dress, holding a bouquet of purple and pink roses. The bride intertwined her hands with her smiling groom, who kissed the top of her head as a photographer snapped pictures of them holding each other. Shawn took in the moment. This was special.

Lindsay checked her watch. “So…”

“We should grab some coffee,” Shawn said.

“Not a coffee drinker, I’m afraid.”

“I didn’t notice that on your profile.” Shawn swallowed.

“You know what? I should get going. Need to meet someone. Don’t know how I let that slip my mind. Sorry to cut this short.”

“They look like they won the lottery,” Shawn said, pointing to the couple behind her.

“It was so nice meeting you.”

“Should we go out again? I like how you smell like laundry detergent.” He realized he shouldn’t have mentioned her scent. His brother always reminded him to keep olfactory observations to himself.

“I’ll call you, okay?” she said, stepping back from him while keeping up the mask of her smile.

“I’ll wait for your call,” Shawn said, confident that day was just around the corner.

Her plastered grin continued as she made her way down the path. As Shawn watched her leave, the colors around him roared back to life. Tree branches clanged. The water tinkled. Petals hummed. The evening sun dazzled brightly. Shawn shielded his eyes and hurried his way back home.

Shawn shared a large condo with his grandmother on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where the kitchen, dining room, and living room all enjoyed inspiring views of Central Park. Black and white oil paintings of scenes from the city—wet seals basking in the sun at the Central Park Zoo, the triangular Flatiron building dominating its street corner, a couple caught in intimate conversation in front of a boxy florist shop in SoHo—hung on the silver-gray walls. All these were proud creations of Shawn’s grandmother, Ruth, whose spotless home could be easily confused with a museum if the furniture went missing.

A golden birdcage hung in the corner of the room near the window. Inside, the yellow and green lovebirds, Sunny and Cloudy, nestled against each other. Shawn dropped a large spoonful of cooked lentils into their feeding trough. His grandmother liked to stick her fingers into the cage to caress their feathers., But Shawn only dared to feed them. Nothing more.

Shawn kicked his feet up onto the walnut coffee table and tried to sink into the red velvet couch, but it never let him. It was too much like his grandmother, stiff and proper. He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until he settled on a black and white movie, where a woman gritted her teeth while a seamstress worked on zipping up the back of her wedding dress. The woman turned toward a mirror, and her face lit up. The seamstress dabbed a tear from her cheek.

Ruth’s voice echoed from her bedroom down to the hall. “Shawn, I can hear your feet on the table.”

Shawn quickly moved his legs off the table. “You can’t hear feet.”

Ruth glided into the room in a vintage robe. She was in her seventies with curly auburn hair and a slim body, a gift from her years of swimming. Her stateliness masked her artistic side. She never traveled without putting her face on, as she called it.

“Bore me with the details,” she said.

Shawn looked away from her inquisitive eyes at the darkening clouds outside. It felt like the sun was forever setting on his dating life.

Ruth tapped her foot. “I’m waiting.”

“Same as always…”

Ruth frowned. “You didn’t look into her eyes, did you?”

Shawn looked at the floor. “No one’s going to marry me.”

“Marry? We need to get you a second date.” She straightened one of the paintings on the wall.

“If I don’t get married, I won’t have anyone after you die.”

“I’m still ticking. And when I’m not, you’ll have your brother, whatever that’s worth.”

“Sometimes, to keep myself going, I picture you lying in a casket.”

Ruth gasped. “How dare you say that. You know I want to be cremated. So no one can screw up my makeup.”

“Maybe I should start picturing you as an urn.”

Ruth shrugged. “Whatever works.”

Shawn glanced out the window. A breeze rustled through the trees in Central Park. A drizzle fell in sheets from the sky. “I miss Grandpa.”

“Yeah? Me too.” Ruth filled a silver teapot with water from the sink and set it on the stove. “He’d love to ask me about my day and then turn off his hearing aid.” Ruth snickered. “Once, he told me the best part of growing up was getting less and less peer pressure since all his peers were dying.”

“He died so suddenly. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

“That’s sweet, Shawn,” she said, walking toward him. She took an unsteady step and grabbed a nearby chair to get her balance.

“Who’ll buy my cereal? Or help me pay bills? Or…”

“Glad I’ll be missed,” she said with a wry smile. “Just promise me you’ll keep the urn polished.”

“Of course.”

Shawn returned his attention to the TV. The woman was dolled up for her wedding day, gliding down a sweeping staircase. The groom’s smile stretched from one ear to the other. Shawn imagined himself in that white suit, waiting for the love of his life.

“Tell me about your wedding day again, Grandma.”

Ruth didn’t answer.

Shawn looked over and saw her slumped in her rocking chair, looking like a marionette without its strings. “Grandma?” His mouth went dry. He rushed over and shook her, but she only flopped around in his hands.

****

Doesn’t that sound brilliant? I really must bump The Sound of Violet up my TBR!

About Allen Wolf

Allen Wolf has won multiple awards as an author and filmmaker. He is also the host of the popular Navigating Hollywood podcast where he interviews film and TV professionals about what it takes to thrive in entertainment.

He married his Persian princess, and they are raising their kids in Los Angeles. Allen loves traveling around the world and hearing people’s life stories. He is an avid fan of Disneyland. Allen wrote, directed, and produced the feature film adaption of The Sound of Violet. 

For more information, follow Allen on Twitter @theallenwolf, visit his website or find Allen on Instagram and Facebook.

There are some authors with whom a blogger seems to have an affinity and for me, Val Penny hits that brief. Val is always so supportive on social media and I’m delighted to feature here here on Linda’s Book Bag today by sharing an extract from her latest book in the Jane Renwick thriller series, The First Cut.

Val has previously featured on Linda’s Book Bag when I reviewed Hunter’s Rules here and to celebrate the audio version of her thriller Hunter’s Chase here. I also reviewed her super non-fiction book Let’s Get Published here.

Published by SpellBound today, 6th March 2023, The First Cut is available for purchase here.

The First Cut

Sometimes it’s hard to escape a brutal past. That’s the case for DS Jane Renwick, who learns via DNA a serial killer could be a family member.

This gripping police procedural is set in Edinburgh and Glasgow. A vicious killer is on the loose and victims include an academic and members of Edinburgh’s high society. But Jane is banished to the side-lines of the case and forced to look on impotently when the hunt for the killer ramps up, because the Murder Investigation Team believes the killer is related to her.

Has someone from Jane’s estranged birth family returned to haunt her? Could one of her relatives be involved? Where will the killer strike next?

This exciting novel is the first in Val Penny’s new series of Scottish thrillers.

A Extract from The First Cut

“Don’t know that name, but there’s nobody else here right now. I’m working. Please just go away.”

He felt the blow of dismissal, like everybody had always dismissed him. How dare they? How dare he? This foreigner didn’t even belong here. None of them did. None of them deserved the time of day, never mind the air they breathed. He would soon stop all that.

He smiled and took a few steps into the room.

“What you busy with? It’s late to be working.” He walked around the desk, took out his blade, and punched it into his victim’s carotid artery with practised precision. He dragged the blade across the neck to slice the artery, a quick second slice to make sure, but the first cut was the deepest. He made no errors, no mistakes. There was no hesitation. His victim stared at him, clutching his throat as the life blood ran out of him. All over the desk, all over the laptop computer, all over the important work that had required his dismissal. The blood sprayed over the desk, spattered the bookcase and into his mouth. That tinny, metallic taste he had come to enjoy. He would need to wipe his face before he left the room. It was a lucky break that he had a packet of tissues.

He smiled as his victim held his neck, the struggle, the gurgle, the death rattle of the man who tried to hold the life sustaining liquid in his body. They all did that. Again, ridiculous. It would never work. Not for long. It splashed through his fingers and onto the floor. That carpet hadn’t been up to much before, and it wasn’t worth shit now.

The man flopped over the desk. He wondered if that action had broken the laptop. Not that he really cared, the computer would come with him anyway. He grimaced. Having to rummage through the bloody pockets to get the phone was nasty, but he didn’t want to leave anything behind. Good! Got it first time. A decent one. It would get a bob or two.

He chuckled as he thought how confusing this would be, because this one didn’t fit with the profiles of the other victims at all. It wasn’t possible, this one had nothing to do with anything. Maybe it was a good thing he had missed her. Good name he came up with too, Joy Tuesday. Pity nobody would ever know or be able to share it. Poor Policeman Plod. This one would make no sense, yet they would have to make it fit.

He left as quietly as he had come, laptop under one arm, phone in his pocket, bloody blade in his belt. Then he saw her, the right fucking woman, whatever her name was, he couldn’t remember now because of the excitement. The green flash at the front of her hair was quite endearing. This evening, she had had a lucky escape, but he would be back.

****

Crikey! I know my TBR pile is almost reaching Mars but I have a feeling I need to add The First Cut to it too! That’s quite a dramatic extract…

About Val Penny

Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store.

Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd.

Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat.

For more information about Val, visit her website or blog.  You’ll find Val on Goodreads, Twitter @valeriepenny, and Facebook.

I’m absolutely thrilled to help start off the blog tour for One Moment by Becky Hunter. I would like to thank Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to participate. I’m also hugely grateful to Becky for sending me an early copy of One Moment all those months ago and for agreeing to stay in with me today. I’ll be sharing my review of One Moment after our chat, but first, let’s find out what Becky told me:

Staying in with Becky Hunter

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

Thank you for having me!

It’s my pleasure. I rather think I know, but tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

My debut novel is called One Moment, and I’m so excited that it’s now out!

Happy publication day Becky. I’m looking forward to helping you celebrate later!

As a debut, it’s obviously a novel that’s very close to my heart – I had a few ‘near misses’ along the way to getting published, books that I wrote but just didn’t get a cut, so I think One Moment feels extra special because of that – this is the novel that means I can call myself a writer!

Having read (or rather, devoured) One Moment, you can certainly call yourself a writer!

For those who’ve yet to read it, what can we expect from an evening in with One Moment? 

When I was writing, I really wanted to celebrate female friendship – that kind of friendship that runs so deep, it’s built into the foundations of who you are. So I hope that comes across – I think female friendship, the positive, uplifting kind, is having a bit of a ‘moment’ at the moment. Jojo Moyes’ new book Someone Else’s Shoes is all about how life-changing a good female friend can be, and the brilliant We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman is about that friend who you are so close to, you’re almost like sisters. Both novels are so good, and I’m not claiming that mine is on a par, but I love that there are lots of novels that are championing female friendship at the moment.

I adored the friendship between Scarlett and Evie. 

In terms of the reading experience… It’s no secret that one of the protagonists dies at the beginning of the novel, so it is sad in places – but I hope it’s ultimately uplifting. That was the intention, anyway! It’s really nerve-wracking waiting to hear what readers will think of it, and I obsess a bit about the early reviews and go through phases of thinking I can’t write… BUT I’ve been lucky enough to have some wonderful early reviews, and I suppose that the nice things they’ve said is what I hope the reading experience will be!

This stunning debut explores grief, love and friendship in a beautiful and original way – a powerful read full of both moving and joyful moments – MY WEEKLY

Sharp, funny, tear-jerking, so assured and well observed. What a debut! — ELizabeth Buchan

‘Completely involving. An emotional read about love and trust, with an OMG ending — Jill Mansell

A warm and thoughtful novel that skewers friendship, loss and negotiating grief in a touching and relatable way. I was completely caught up in Evie and Scarlett’s stories. — Fanny Blake

A thought-provoking and moving novel about loss, love, and the unique and life-affirming power of friendship. Poignant yet unwaveringly hopeful, One Moment is a fresh look at how grief can not only break us, but put us back together again. An unmissable debut. ― Holly Miller

You must be utterly delighted with those responses Becky!

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

When I was writing the book, I thought about one of my own friends, Sophie Christopher, who died when she was only 28. She worked in publishing, and was one of the best friends you could hope for – she was warm, funny, positive, clever. A total champion of other people and someone who made you a better person, just by being near her. She died nearly four years ago now and I still carry around a photobooth line of photos of the two of us in my purse. It is a photo from a summer party and we are being silly – I’m wearing a pink wig and we are making faces at the camera. But it makes me smile, to look at it, even if I still feel sad, and still miss her whenever I think about her. Like Evie will always miss Scarlett in the book, but is a better person because she knew her, I feel the same about Sophie – so it’s right that she’s here with me.

Oh! That’s brought a lump to my throat. I remember the shock of Sophie’s death so clearly. I think she’d be so proud of what you’ve achieved Becky. 

On a more uplifting note, very early proofs of One Moment were sent out with biscuits and a sparkling reusable coffee cup. In the book, Evie buys Scarlett a ridiculous sparkly coffee cup that says BRING ON THE SPARKLE, which she hates initially, and then grows to love because it makes her smile and think of Evie. The morning that Scarlett dies, she has this coffee cup with her, so it has significance… So the biscuits and coffee cup are sitting next to me!

I have to say my biscuits didn’t last terribly long…

I also love to read with a glass of wine – so brining along a cold, crisp Sauvignon! Although as I’m celebrating my debut novel, maybe it should be champagne…

It should most definitely be champagne Becky! And of the kind tasted in One Moment. Thanks so much for staying in with me. I loved hearing about One Moment and I’ll share my review in one moment (see what I did there?) but first, let me give readers a few more details:

One Moment

One moment in time can change everything…

The day Scarlett dies should have been one of the most important of her life. It doesn’t feel fair that she’ll never have the chance to fulfil her dreams. And now, she’s still … here – wherever here is – watching the ripple effect of her death on the lives of those she loved the most.

Evie cannot contemplate her life without Scarlett, and she certainly cannot forgive Nate, the man she blames for her best friend’s death. But Nate keeps popping up when she least expects him to, catapulting Evie’s life in directions she’d never let herself imagine possible. Ways, perhaps, even those closest to her had long since given up on.

If you could go back, knowing everything that happens after, everything that happens because of that one moment in time, would you change the course of history or would you do it all again?

Published by Atlantic imprint Corvus today, 2nd March 2023, One Moment is available for purchase through the links here.

My Review of One Moment

Scarlett’s death is just the beginning.

One Moment is fabulous and everyone should buy a copy immediately.

That’s it. That’s the review! Mind you, I suppose I ought to say why I feel this way.

The plot in One Moment is constructed so engagingly; especially through the deceased Scarlett’s first person narrative, because it feels fresh and innovative whilst being so perceptive, educational and compelling. Evie’s story is just wonderful too as she comes to terms with what is happening in her life. I don’t want to spoil the story by saying too much more, but this thread is completely convincing. Indeed, Becky Hunter deals with some challenging and profound themes in One Moment, all of which feel assiduously researched and accessibly presented so that the reader gains real understanding of the characters. I loved the fairly small cast list too as it enabled me to get to know Evie and Scarlett intimately. These are not two dimensional characters, but warm, flawed, human beings whose friendship is at the heat of the novel and whom I came to love unconditionally. I was pretty fond of Astrid and Nate too!

What is so effective and so affecting is the consideration of ‘what if?’ in One Moment. What if we had our time over again? What if we had made a slightly different decision at any point in life? What if we replied to a text or answered a call? Said what we really meant? Had a different job? Becky Hunter explores with sensitive and humane skill the futility of regret and the way we can move on in spite of everything. She illustrates so accurately the way life is there for the taking – without hurting others along the way. She also shows how we make assumptions about others and define them in ways that might not be fair but perhaps can influence how they see themselves both positively and negatively. I thought this aspect was so beautifully handled. One Moment may deal with the deepest grief and with negative emotions like sadness, anger and regret, but it leaves the reader feeling uplifted, engaged and connected to the very essence of who they are themselves as people. There may be sadness in this story, but there’s joy, happiness, connection and pleasure too.

In One Moment, Becky Hunter has distilled love, friendship, grief and hope into diamond bright perfection that touches the reader’s soul because the story is emotional, funny, realistic and totally absorbing. I absolutely adored One Moment because whilst it absorbed me completely and entertained me totally, it also made me laugh and made me cry. I found it simply glorious and it has gone straight on my list of books of the year. Whatever you do, don’t miss this one!

About Becky Hunter

Becky grew up in Berkshire, UK, and has loved reading since before she can remember. After studying social sciences at Cambridge university, this love of reading led her to a career in publishing, where she worked as a book publicist in London for several years before taking a career break and moving to Mozambique to volunteer with horses. It was here that she decided to give writing a proper go, though it was still a few years, a few more destinations, and a couple more jobs before she had the idea that would become One Moment, her debut novel.

She currently splits her time between London, Bristol and Falmouth, and works as a freelance book publicist and editor, alongside her own writing.

For more information, follow Becky on Twitter @Bookish_Becky or find her on Instagram.

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