I am indebted to Olivia Mead at Quercus books for a copy of Love Notes for Freddie by Eva Rice in return for an honest review. Love Notes for Freddie was published in paperback by Quercus on 28th July 2016 and is available from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Waterstones, WH Smith, directly from the publisher and from all good booksellers.

Love Notes for Freddie

Every ending is a new beginning . . .

No one expected Marnie Fitzpatrick to be expelled from school . . . but the aftermath will haunt her forever.
No one imagined she’d fall for the boy from the wrong side of town . . . until the day she saw him dancing alone.
No one could know she had the one thing he needed to capture his dreams . . . the courage to chase them.

My Review of Love Notes for Freddie

What a triumph of a book. I really enjoyed Eva Rice’s The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, my review of which can be found here, but Love Notes for Freddie is in a different league altogether. It is more sophisticated, more intense and frequently beautiful in style.

Initially I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy the book that starts in a girls’ boarding school as it felt a rather alien world to me, but within a few pages I was completely hooked. The power of emotion conveyed by Julie Crewe’s memories of a lost love and Marnie’s sense of guilt and her passion for Freddy dances off the page in the way Freddy dances for real. There is apparent surface control but also an underlying abandonment that makes the reader understand exactly how the characters are feeling. As several truths are revealed the reader experiences the same sense of loss, shock, love or grief that the characters express. This is wonderful craftsmanship from Eva Rice.

In a sense, Love Notes for Freddie is all about passion and making the most of life, even when it throws the most unexpected elements at us. However, the plot is constructed so intelligently that the themes arise naturally and convincingly. I loved the concept that coming of age is not just the prerogative of the young. I thought the structure of the narrative was perfectly balanced but that the characters’ worlds could come crashing down at any moment – rather like life itself. Indeed, those characters felt real and human, even in their most stereoptypical presentation like Howard with his theatrical persona. Whilst there are echoes of Marnie in Miss Crewe and vice versa, they have distinct voices in their first person stories so that each has her own personality.

But for me, the aspect I enjoyed most was the quality of the writing. There’s a poetic nature to some passages and a staccato feel to others which mirrors the emotions presented at the time in a sophisticated style that I found very effective. I thoroughly enjoyed Love Notes for Freddie, and those who know me well will realise that a reference to Bryan Ferry, even in passing, always pleases!

You can follow Eva Rice on Twitter.

I’m delighted to be welcoming Chad Sanborn onto Linda’s Book Bag today to explain how he has created his character Billy Keene from All Debts, Public and Private. All Debts, Public and Private is available in e-book from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

All Debts, Public and Private

Billy Keene, a one-time high school sports hero, is now playing sheriff thanks to the small town power brokers who leveraged his local celebrity to set him up with the badge.

Billy knows he’s just a placeholder in the job. So does everyone else, including his undisciplined deputies.

When a young woman goes missing, everyone in town is telling their green sheriff how to do his job…or not telling him anything at all.

One person not saying much—the missing young woman’s newly-rich grandmother, Arlita Hardy. She has the means to resolve the situation outside the law.

Then there’s Horace Self, one of those town power brokers. As usual, he’s talking way too much. But he might not be as distraught – or innocent – as he puts on.

Time’s running out, Billy’s scrambling to find the missing young woman and her kidnappers are getting more brutal with each passing day. As Billy digs for the truth, he’ll come to question both his place in the town where he grew up and the people he thought he knew.

No Experience Required

A Guest Post by Chad Sanborn

How much does experience count for?

Not a lot, it turns out. At least, that’s what I decided when creating my main character in the Billy Keene Stories.

When you set out to create a series, the first challenge smacks you right in the face: You better conjure a main character with staying power.

Read enough series fiction of any genre and, generally speaking, you’ll come to recognize these Big Three requirements for the main character of a successful series:


– Your main character better be someone that readers want to spend time with. Readers don’t necessarily have to like the character – though it helps – but they do have to be engaged to the point that they want to hang around to see what happens next.

– Your character better be interesting enough that readers will want to come back again and again. In real life we call those kinds of people friends, and they’re rare and precious. So imagine how daunting it can be (if you let it) to make up one?

– Your character better be someone you really friggin’ like too. The two of you are going to be spending a lot of time together in your head. There’s enough boring people in the real world; no author needs them ratting around in his or her brain too.


A Nifty Trick 


Up to the point of creating the Billy Keene Stories, I’d only written standalone crime novels and stories. Most all were written from the criminal’s point of view. The characters were likable to some degree, certainly engaging and interesting enough to drive a story.

Still, in those stories I knew my protagonist could turn unlikable without fear of ruining a long-term relationship between the character and the reader. Once the story ended, the character went away and there was no need for them to ever bother readers again. A literary one-night stand, if you will.

But protagonists in crime/detective series usually are some variation of the Master Detective or Mast Criminal. They’re unchanging for the most part and therein lies their appeal. They’re familiar, so readers know what to expect. The character never lets the readers down because if they do, readers simply don’t pick up the next book in the series.

Billy Keene would be coming back again and again, but I knew I wanted something more than a static character. Otherwise I’d get sick of him even before readers did.

The most interesting people change, and I wanted to create a character who could grow too. (Cue high-pitched Pinocchio voice: “I’m a real boy!”)

That’s the nifty trick I was looking to pull off: Creating a repeatable character — with rock-solid traits, beliefs and quirks that become as familiar to readers as an old friend’s habits — yet give my character enough room to evolve over the course of the series.


It’s Not Easy Being Green 

I started by making Billy Keene green at his job and in life. Billy’s inexperience on the job – mixed with naiveté about the people he’s known all his life and they way they treat him now that he’s The Law – gives him a vulnerability readers can recognize, even empathize with.

But not too vulnerable. Nobody likes a wuss. People expect strength in their main characters, even if it takes time for that strength to show itself.

Then I decided to have all that vulnerability play out against Billy’s personal strength, his humor, his cool, calm manner in the face of small-town chaos, his commitment to action once he figures out what he should do—even if he’s at first unsure what to do (yet another note of vulnerability for readers to identify with).

The Fault In Our Scars 

I believe all of this together makes Billy Keene engaging and familiar character from book to book, yet one who over the course of the series comes to understand the role that the people need him, as their sheriff, to play in their community

My hope is that readers want to see what happens next, both in the individual stories and to Billy as he matures from book to book.

Because Billy’s not a grizzled veteran who’s seen it all, done it all and bearing the scars to prove it, the reader gets to go through the experiences too, earning those scars along with Billy.

Ideally, when the reader picks up the next book in the series, they’re greeted by the familiar Billy they know and (hopefully) love, but also recognize that he’s lost some innocence—because they were there when the innocence was slowly, painfully stripped away from him in the previous books.

Who knows, Billy may end up a grizzled old veteran. We’ll see what happened when we get there. The only promise I can make right now—I plan to put that poor bastard through some twisted situations.

And anybody who comes along for ride will be right there with Billy.

About Chad Sandborn

Sum total of Chad: Married, father of two and a dutiful son to his mother. Everything else is window dressing.

You’ll find more about Chad on his website and can follow him on Twitter. He’s also on Facebook.

I’m delighted to be welcoming Jane Lythell onto Linda’s Book Bag today as part of her summer blog hop. Jane’s latest novel Woman of the Hour was published by Head of Zeus on 14th July 2016 and is available for purchase as a hardback or an e-book on Amazon, Kobo and other good booksellers.

To celebrate Woman of the Hour Jane has kindly written a guest post all about creating a vivid setting.

Woman of the Hour

E-book and paperback cover

Meet Liz Lyon: respected TV producer, stressed-out executive, guilty single mother… woman of the hour.

StoryWorld is the nation’s favourite morning show, and producer Liz Lyon wants to keep it that way. Her job is to turn real-life stories into thrilling TV – and keep a lid on the scandals and backbiting that happen off-stage.

But then simmering tensions erupt at the station, trapping Liz in a game of one-upmanship where she doesn’t know the rules. As the power struggle intensifies, can Liz keep her cool and keep her job? Does she even want to?

In this gripping novel of power, rivalry and betrayal, Jane Lythell draws on her experiences of working in the glamorous, pressurised world of live TV.

Creating A Vivid Setting

A Guest Post by Jane Lythell

Setting is vitally important in a novel and I think about it a lot. It may be my background as a TV producer but I need to see very clearly the spaces my characters will move through. Only then can I write scenes that feel real. Sometimes I even sketch the locations out roughly to help me get it right.

In my latest novel Woman of the Hour I have created two main locations: a TV station housed in a converted Victorian warehouse on the river by London Bridge and a flat in Chalk Farm where my leading character, Liz Lyon, lives with her daughter Flo. How did I set about creating a visual sense of these two places?

Liz is a producer at the TV station and I wanted it to be a dramatic and visually striking place because it was going to be the cauldron where much of the drama would unfold. Liz likes the space where she works:

‘I’ve worked here for years yet I still find that the building gives me a lift when I arrive in the mornings. The architect who converted it used its space to great effect and there’s this dramatic light-filled atrium which you enter from the street. Off the atrium are the main studio, the small news studio, dressing rooms and the Hub, our staff café. There are two staircases, on either side of the atrium, which take you up to the executive offices above; features is on the left and news is on the right. It is a very showbiz building.

I included small details like the fact that Fizzy the TV presenter demands a posy of fresh flowers on the set every day; that the staff café has lime-green and orange designer tables and chairs and trendy lighting and that Julius Jones, the big boss, has the large corner office with the best views over the river and acres of polished oak floor. The reader needs to be able to see the building and believe that this is what a TV station is like. It is a glamorous building with an appearance designed to impress. TV is in the business of creating illusions and the impression it makes is more important than the reality.

In contrast Liz’s home is her personal space where you see the real, emotional Liz. You can reveal aspects of your character in their choice of home. After her divorce Liz is keen to have a nice home for her daughter so she takes on a mortgage that is too big for her. This means she can’t afford to leave her job even when the stress gets to her. Her flat is both a millstone around her neck and her haven:

          There’s not much of a garden, it’s more a patio with potted plants, but there’s room enough for Flo and me to have two deckchairs out there in the summer and to pretend we have a garden. It’s not a big flat inside either. It does have one beautiful large room, the living room, which is also our kitchen and dining room. There are doors at the far end which open onto the patio and I bought the flat because of this room. It’s costing me more than I can comfortably afford and a great slab of my salary goes on my mortgage every month. But my flat is my haven.

When Liz gets home from work she often cooks in order to decompress so I included scenes of her making macaroni cheese or flapjacks. I show her ironing. Her home environment is cosy with its squashy yellow sofa and the outdoor lights that twinkle along the garden wall.

Writing a novel set in a TV station and a London flat was not the easiest of settings to bring alive but it was important to try to do so. However with my second novel, After the Storm, I had a fantastic opportunity to create a vivid setting. The novel is about two couples who set off together in a sailing boat after knowing each other less than 24 hours to sail from Belize City in Central America to a paradise island in the Caribbean Sea called Roatan. I had made that sail of 138 miles and I could not have written After the Storm without that first-hand experience. It was a stunning place and I kept a journal and took lots of photographs. My journal was full of descriptions of the food I ate, the birds on the island and the fish I saw when I went snorkelling. These details helped me create the visual setting and as a result conch stew, cooking live lobsters in a boat, houses on stilts and pelicans landing clumsily on a mangrove tree all make an appearance in the novel.

By creating a vivid setting you can establish mood and atmosphere, you can reveal characters and you can make the world of your novel feel very immediate. You know you’ve got it right when readers say things like ‘I felt I was there’ or ‘It felt so real.’

About Jane Lythell

Jane lives in Brighton, UK andis a sea-lover, star gazer, film and football fan.She worked as a television producer for fifteen years. Jane then moved to the British Film Institute as Deputy Director, did one year as Chief Executive of BAFTA (miserable) followed by seven years at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (interesting). Jane now writes full time.

You can follow Jane on Twitter and find her on Facebook. She also has a blog. After the Storm was published in 2015 and is available here.

Stacy McWilliams is the mum of two boys, a wife and a writer. She loves reading a variety of genres and enjoy a diverse range of movies.

She writes paranormal romance and loves to meet new people.

Amazon Author Page

Facebook | Twitter

LinkedIn | Stacy McWilliams Newsletter

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Luminosity

Jasmine Johnstone’s life was relatively normal until she was forced to live with the Stevenson family. As she stayed she found she had no choice but to battle mythical creatures. Strengths she never knew she possessed began to surface, surprising those around her. Her only chance of surviving the rising tide of evil was Nathan Stevenson. Could she really trust him as he fought against his love for her? With the world against them and time running out, would their love be enough to defeat demons? (204 pages)

 

Ignition

Life has never been easy for Jasmine Johnstone, but failing for Nathan Stevenson brings a whole new level of difficulty. Since she arrived at his home he’s blown hot and cold with her, turned against her and revealed a deadly threat. He is sworn to kill her, and fights against his love for her more than ever, but he knows he can’t live without her.

As they run from monsters, and each other, can their love survive?

Time begins to run out and with new friends and enemies in the strangest places, will they learn who to trust in time?

With their love stronger than ever, but forces pulling them apart, is love enough to keep them together or will Nathan’s parents succeed in pulling them apart? (214 pages)

Candlelight

***This novella is the prequel to Luminosity****

Life was full of nothing but darkness for Nathan Stevenson until Jasmine appeared in his life. She brought his innermost desires to the surface. She burned her way through to his heart to become embedded in his soul. He knew she was dangerous but would she break down his wall as he dreamed of her touch and fought against the impulse to protect her? Would their love be enough to defeat his demons? Was he strong enough to resist her or would her light burn irrevocably? (95 pages)

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Here is an excerpt taken from Candlelight

School passed in a blur and that night, I spent my time catching up on all the work I had missed. The following day, an opportunity presented itself to me and I couldn’t resist getting my message across to that fucker.

James walked a little ahead of me during class time. It looked as if he headed to the library. He didn’t notice me as I looped around the corridor and caught him before he entered, pushing him into a disused office. I slammed him full force up against the wall and put my arm over his throat. I allowed my hands to morph into claws, holding them at a vein in his throat as fury pulsed through me.

I froze him with my powers. I could feel his powers trying to find a way around mine. I brushed them aside, as though they were no more than a fly in my face. Demon power raced through me and I stood tall before spitting out, “I know what you did and I know what you are trying to do. You won’t succeed. For every single time you try, I will ruin something you care about. You are not getting away with this; I will make sure of it…”

I broke off and turned my hand back to normal before I punched him full force in the nose. I relished the sound of the bone breaking. He would heal it in seconds, though he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the blood from Demon sight. Strolling towards the door, I called over my shoulder,

“Mop yourself up, you disgusting piece of filth.”

To request review copies, please stop by here.

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Quotes from readers:

Never have I wanted to ugly cry for someone then on the next page want to punch them before.

Anger at the Stevensons makes you love Jasmine even more.

by Lindsay Crook

Wildly addictive and uniquely captivating…a fantastic series

Katie Taylor

All the feels an author could possibly fit into a book, anger, angst, love, confusion……..if you can feel it, you will in Luminosity……addictive series

Alicia Huxtable

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GIVEAWAY

2x 1 e-book copy of Candlelight
2x 1 e-book copy of Candlelight & Luminosity
1x 1 e-book copy of Candlelight, Luminosity & Ignition

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m delighted to be part of the launch celebrations for Dylan The Doctor by Guy Parker-Rees. Dylan the Doctor was published by Scholastic on 4th August 2016 and is available for purchase from all good bookshops, supermarkets like Sainsbury’s and online retailers like Amazon.

Dylan The Doctor

Dylan’s on his way – are you ready to play? Dylan The Doctor is the first picture book in a series featuring an exuberant stripy dog, who just loves to play. Created by bestselling illustrator Guy Parker-Rees, Dylan is a joyous new character who uses playing and fun to help toddlers explore and understand their world. Today Dylan is playing at being a doctor. He dashes about looking after all of his friends: Purple Puss, Jolly Otter and Titchy Chick. But who will look after poor, tired Doctor Dylan? All his friends, of course! Look out for Dylan’s friend, Dotty Bug, on every page, as she encourages readers to join in with the story.

My Review of Dylan The Doctor

Dylan the dog is playing at doctors and his friends are his patients.

What a super and vibrant picture book for young children. Dylan the Doctor has great value as it is the kind of book parents can share with their children several times. Firstly, there is the story itself which is fun and accessible as Dylan bandages, administers plasters and medicine and generally takes care of his friends.

The illustrations are lovely and there’s plenty to look at and discuss with children. Also, I really liked the inclusion of Dotty Bug who not only provides extra commentary but also speaks directly to children enabling them to play an active role in reading and storytelling as they answer her questions.

Another benefit of Dylan The Doctor is that it deals with the subject of doctors and hospitals in a way that is non-threatening and I think the book would make a wonderful gift for small children who are going in to hospital or visiting people there for the first time. Other themes that are positively represented are the importance of friendship and being kind to others which are valuable lessons for children to learn.

I have one small criticism (and this is with my ex-English teacher and inspector hat on) and that is that the Y in Dylan looks lower case in an otherwise uppercase word and I’d like it to be more consistent. That said, however, there are some super touches to promote literacy with the alliterative Purple Puss, the onomatopoeic nee-naw of the ambulance and the creative compound words such as Jolly Otter’s ‘Floppy-Wobble’ fever.

I think Dylan The Doctor is the start of a smashing new series that children will love.

About Guy Parker-Rees

Guy Parker-Rees is one of the UK’s best-loved children’s illustrators. His many successes include Giraffes Can’t Dance (Orchard) and Spookyrumpus (Orchard). Guy lives in Brighton. You can find all Guy’s children’s books here.

You can follow Guy on Twitter and find out more on his website. There’s more with these other bloggers too:

 

I have to begin this blog post with an apology to Jennie Ensor. I was supposed to be part of the launch celebrations of Blind Side which was published by Unbound on 22nd July 2016, but personal circumstances meant my life was turned upside down and I wasn’t able to take part. However, Jennie has agreed to tell me a couple of things about life since Blind Side was published and is sharing them with me today.

Blind Side is available in e-book from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Blind Side

Can you ever truly know someone? And what if you suspect the unthinkable?

London, five months before 7/7. Georgie, a young woman wary of relationships after previous heartbreak, gives in and agrees to sleep with close friend Julian. She’s shocked when Julian reveals he’s loved her for a long time.

But Georgie can’t resist her attraction to Nikolai, a Russian former soldier she meets in a pub. While Julian struggles to deal with her rejection, Georgie realises how deeply war-time incidents in Chechnya have affected Nikolai. She begins to suspect that the Russian is hiding something terrible from her.

Then London is attacked…

Blind Side explores love and friendship, guilt and betrayal, secrets and obsession. An explosive, debate-provoking thriller that confronts urgent issues of our times and contemplates some of our deepest fears.

Three Stars and a Wish

A Guest post from Jennie Ensor

First fantastic thing:

I can tell people I’m an author, such as my husband when he asks how much longer am I going to be stuck upstairs in my office. While I’ve not yet received any royalties and I may never make living from my writing, soon I’ll be earning enough to buy authentic HP ink cartridges J (I’m looking forward to claiming writing-related expenses on my tax return.) Also I can nip onto Amazon at any time and see my book listed there. Which may sound OTT, but after over a decade of writing novels and wondering when and how my first book would be published, this is a big deal to me!

(Linda:I can fully understand that Jennie)

Second fantastic thing:

I was over the moon that the early reviewers on the Blind Side blog tour had such good things to say about my book. It has also been great to have other people say they enjoyed this or that about the book, or that suspense was such that they had to finish the book in a day. That said, I know that Blind Side (a thriller infused with psychological suspense along with romance, sex, war, terrorism and a dash of politics) can’t possibly please everyone. I will have to learn to deal some bad reviews along with the good ones.

(Linda: The trouble with writers is that they tend to forget all the good reviews and beat themselves up about the odd poorer one!)

Third fantastic thing:

 No more rewriting of Blind Side!

This novel has been a long time in the making. I started it at around the end of 2004 and returned to work on it several times since Unbound accepted it for publication last year. I’ve lost count of how many times it’s been revised over the years (removing a work sub-plot, altering the ending and so on). On top of that I made substantial changes during the developmental edit. Some of these were quite tricky to do, such as moving parts of the plot forwards to quicken the early pace and adding to the terrorism-related aspects of the plot. Though I have to say, I loved writing some extra chapters in the voice of my character Julian. He’s got a rather unwholesome side to him to say the least, and to give vent to it was weirdly satisfying.

One thing I wish had been different: 

With hindsight I might have asked for the book to come out a few months later than it did (23 July 2016) so I could have been more prepared. Just before publication everything seemed to be happening at once and there was a fair bit that I had learn on the hoof (blog tours, for example). Also it might have helped to get going earlier on things like Goodreads and Twitter. Goodreads is scarily huge and takes time to explore. Re Twitter, I don’t really know what I’m doing much of the time – and cutting characters from the perfect but slightly long Tweet is so frustrating.

On the other hand, The Big Thing that was looming for ages is out of the way. Now at last I can relax and enjoy the rest of summer!

(Linda: And I hope it’s a happy and successful one for you Jennie!)

About Jennie Ensor

Jennie is a Londoner descended from a long line of Irish folk. For much of her life she’s been a wandering soul, but these days she lives with her husband and their cuddle-loving, sofa-hogging terrier. As well as from reading and writing novels, she loves poetry. Her poems, published under another name, tend to inhabit the darker, sometimes surreal side of life.

While on an extended trip to Australia, Jennie studied journalism and worked as a freelance print journalist, covering topics from forced marriages to the fate of Aboriginal Australians living on land contaminated by the British nuclear tests.

When not chasing the dog, lazing in the garden with a book or dreaming about setting off on a long train journey with a Kindleful of books, Ms E can be found writing or doing Writing Related Stuff. WRS can include singing and playing the piano (vital for de-stress) and watching TV spy/crime/costume dramas (research). Soon she will be hard at work getting her second novel ready for publication, a dark and unsettling novel of psychological suspense.

You can find out more about Jennie on her website and blog, by finding her on Facebook  and following her on Twitter and by using #blindsidebook.

As a result of poor eye sight I didn’t learn to read until relatively late, although ironically I went on to teach and inspect English so I have some sympathy with those who struggle with reading and writing. When I heard that Denise Ersalahi Erguler is a writer who is dyslexic I felt I had to invite her onto Linda’s Book Bag to find out a bit more about her experiences. Denise has just published her first children’s story, The Adventures of Shifting Jack: A New Home on 7th July 2016 and I had intended to feature Denise at the time but personal events overtook me. The Adventures of Shifting Jack: A New Home is available for purchase in e-book on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

The Adventures of Shifting Jack

Jack has always known that he and his little sister, Lily, are different to other children, but he doesn’t know why – until the family moves to North Cyprus.

Jack thinks he’s going to like it here; school is okay, he makes new friends, and Lily is happy too. Then one afternoon, Jack and Lily are involved in an earthquake and their world is turned upside down. Jack not only finds out his dad isn’t exactly his dad, but that none of his family is exactly human either…

The whole family is thrown into danger, and Jack knows it’s his job to protect Lily, whatever that takes. In pursuit of illegal animal hunters, a strange school teacher, and the truth, Jack does his best – but he is only nine years old, will his best be good enough?

Writing with Dyslexia

A Guest Post from Denise Ersalahi Erguler

Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to you Linda for giving me the opportunity to post on your blog.

Writing for me has always been something of a challenge, as I am dyslexic. I love to read, always have, particularly fantasy and science fiction, I don’t have a problem with reading. My dyslexic affects my writing. When I was working as an interior designer, I sent an email to a client following our meeting. He telephoned me to ask if I meant what I had written, I was taken aback and re-read the email, I still couldn’t see anything wrong and it took my husband to point out that I had sent the email to Dead Dave, not Dear Dave! Of course I called him back and apologised. These days I get everything I write checked before it goes ‘public’.

My dyslexia was never picked up on at school, the teachers thought I was a bit stupid. I get numbers and letter mixed up, for example, I use a 3 instead of an E. It wasn’t until I read an article about dyslexia, that I realised it was something I had.

I have always been creative, more in an arts way, but a few years ago I was struggling to find something I wanted to read, so I started to dream up a story. Each night before I went to sleep I would visualise a scene. Then I started to write it all down.

My first book is an adult novel about aliens and shifters and it was while I was reading some excerpts out to my son, that I thought about writing a children’s book. His eyes lit up when I talked about shape shifters and that’s how The Adventures of Shifting Jack came about.

I have learned that if I read what I’ve written out loud I can pick up many of my mistakes, but I also have a very good editor and proof reader in Anne Hamilton of Write Right to help with all the spelling and grammar. I think it’s really important not to let something like dyslexia hold you back; there are ways around it.

About Denise Ersalahi Erguler

Denise Ersalahi Erguler moved to North Cyprus 10 years ago from London where she lives with her husband and two children. In her past life, Denise was an interior designer concentrating on open office space. Now, she helps runs the family business, a successful fabric and home furniture store. Denise writes for children and adults, and The Adventures of Shifting Jack is her first children’s novel.

You can follow Denise on Twitter and catch up with her on Facebook.

I am so grateful to Frances Gough at Headline for a copy of Late Summer in the Vineyard by Jo Thomas, in return for an honest review. Late Summer in the Vineyard was published by Headline on 11th August 2016 and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback from Amazon UK, Amazon US, W H Smith, Waterstones, from all good book sellers and directly from the publisher.

Late Summer in the Vineyard

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Emmy Bridges has always looked out for others. Now it’s time to put down roots of her own.

Working for a wine-maker in France is the opportunity of a lifetime for Emmy. Even if she doesn’t know a thing about wine – beyond what’s on offer at the local supermarket.

There’s plenty to get to grips with in the rustic town of Petit Frère. Emmy’s new work friends need more than a little winning over. Then there’s her infuriatingly brash tutor, Isaac, and the enigmatic Madame Beaumont, tucked away in her vineyard of secrets.

But Emmy will soon realise that in life – just as in wine-making – the best things happen when you let go and trust your instincts. Particularly when there’s romance in the air…

My Review of Late Summer in the Vineyard

With her depressed Dad relying on her to cover the arrears on the mortgage and the bailiffs at the door, Emmy needs to earn some money fast so when fate sends her to France this could be the boost she needs – or just another disaster.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed The Olive Branch by Jo Thomas (you can read my review here) I wondered whether this latest book would match such an enjoyable reading experience but she has done it again. Late Summer in the Vineyard has all the elements required for a perfect read be it on the beach or on a cold winter’s afternoon, but with a quality to the writing that lifts it far beyond generic women’s fiction.

What Jo Thomas does so evocatively is to set the scene. I was transported to France through the brilliant use of the senses so that I could see the early autumn mists swirling, smell the heady aroma of fermenting grapes and, frequently agonisingly, taste the brie, the crusty bread and the stews. In fact, I think Late Summer in the Vineyard should come with a warning – you’ll want to eat more as you read!

The characters are so realistic that I found myself wondering what they were doing when I wasn’t reading about them. I have a new role model to aspire to in Madame Beaumont whose feisty attitude and compelling background make her so much more than a minor character. Jo Thomas always seems to balance major and minor roles so that each person feels real and vibrant. What I think works so well is that the characters are not idealised and perfect, but Emmy, Isaac et al are rounded and believable.

I loved the plot of Late Summer in the Vineyard too. Real life is complicated and Emmy’s is no different. Whilst this is a romantic read and I expect there to be positive resolutions (you’ll have to read it for yourself to see if those expectations are met), there is such a wealth of really interesting authoritative detail woven into the story so that I have a much better understanding of the wine making process than before I started reading. However, the skill is that Jo Thomas provides the authenticity in a way that is utterly natural and integral to the story making the story a delight to read. This is brilliant writing.

I don’t know the extent to which Jo Thomas plans the themes and how much they arise naturally out of the realistic characters, but they give a depth and credibility to the narrative. We too frequently judge others by appearances or rely on others for our own happiness. Late Summer in the Vineyard teaches us to grasp life with both hands and make our own lives and luck. It also shows the importance of family and belonging.

I thought Late Summer in the Vineyard was very much like the wine that is described. It is smooth, velvety and satisfying – with a je ne sais quoi that adds that little bit extra making it a wonderful read.

About Jo Thomas

Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, first for BBC Radio 5, before moving on to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Radio 2’s The Steve Wright Show. In 2013 Jo won the RNA Katie Fforde Bursary. Her debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller in ebook and was awarded the 2014 RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the 2014 Festival of Romance Best Ebook Award. Jo lives in the Vale of Glamorgan with her husband and three children.

Find Jo Thomas on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Having been to Guernsey 70 times en route to Jersey for work and never having got off the plane I am delighted to be interviewing Anne Allen as her latest story in The Guernsey Novels series, Echoes of Time, is published today 15th August 2016 by Sarnia Press in e-book. At least I can travel vicariously to Guernsey! Echoes of Time is available for purchase here and although it is book five in the series all Anne’s books can be read as stand alone stories. All of Anne’s lovely stories are available here.

Echoes of Time

Betrayal, injustice and revenge echo down the years…

1940. Olive marries farmer Bill Falla. The Germans occupy Guernsey.
All too soon Olive realises she’s made a mistake.
Her life changes when she meets Wolfgang, a German officer-
but there’s a price to pay. . .

2010. Natalie Ogier returns to Guernsey to escape an abusive relationship – only to be plagued by odd happenings in her beautiful cottage on the site of a derelict and secluded farm. Disturbing dreams, disembodied voices and uncanny visions from the past. She becomes increasingly ill at ease as someone else’s past catches up with her own…
Her only immediate neighbour, Stuart, is the grandson of the original owners, Bill and Olive.

Thrown together in a bid to find out what really happened to Olive, can they each survive the repercussions of the past and move on?

An Interview with Anne Allen

Hello Anne. Congratulations of today’s publication of Echoes of Time. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing.

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

I live in Devon, by my beloved sea. I have three grown-up children and my daughter and two grandchildren live nearby. I was born in Rugby, to an English mother and Welsh father. As a result I spent many summers with my Welsh grandparents in Anglesey and learnt to love the sea.  My restless spirit has meant a number of moves which included Spain for a couple of years. The longest stay was in Guernsey for nearly fourteen years after falling in love with the island and the people. I contrived to leave one son behind to ensure a valid reason for frequent returns. My other son lives in London which is great for city breaks.

By profession I was a psychotherapist but have now retired to write full-time. At the back of my mind the itch to write was always present but seemed too time-consuming for a single mum with a need to earn a living. I’ve now published five books in The Guernsey Novels series and mapped out the story for the sixth, due out in 2017.

When did you first realise you were going to be a writer?

Ten years ago I finally decided to pick up my pen after being ‘pushed’ by my mother to enter a true-life story contest run by Prima magazine. To my delight and surprise I won! The prize was £500 of M&S vouchers and a boost to my confidence as a writer. I started my first novel, Dangerous Waters, at that time but it wasn’t until 2012 that it was published.

If you hadn’t become an author, what would you have done instead as a creative outlet?

Over the years I’d had many creative ‘itches’, learning to mosaic, paint furniture, interior design and sculpt. So there’s never been a shortage of creative outlets!

How do you carry out the research for your novels?

Anything to do with contemporary Guernsey has been quite easy as I lived there for so long. I also make frequent trips over to refresh my memory and catch up with my son and friends and do a spot of research. My work as a therapist has helped with the issues raised in my stories, such as tragedy or adoption. All the books reference the German Occupation in some way and I’ve completed a large amount of research on that period. Fortunately there’s a mass of documents and books available and I’ve been lucky to talk to islanders who lived through it.

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

The easiest is writing the outline of the story and the hardest is filling in the gaps.

(Oh, I know that feeling Anne!)

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

I’m a bit of a procrastinator so don’t start writing until I’ve completed essential tasks such as checking on Facebook, twitter and anything else that doesn’t require too much effort. Then the all-important coffee has to be made and drunk…By late morning I’m ready to work and will continue, if the Muse is willing, until early evening with a break for lunch.

I write in my study as I use my PC. I used to write by hand and then type it up, but after a problem with my right hand which involved an operation, I only write the brief outlines of each chapter before typing. And I can’t cope with noise and distractions so would never be able to write in a café or on a train.

(I think it’s the lot of many writers to procrastinate and social media is a great way to do so, so you’re in great company Anne.)

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

My choice is quite eclectic. I enjoy historical fiction such as the books by CJ Sansom and a mix of contemporary fiction including the works of Erica James and Robert Goddard. I like stories with depth and plots which make me think. But I’m happy to try new authors!

Do you have other interests that give you ideas for writing?

Well, I love dramas on television and visiting the theatre and museums and probably, unconsciously, pick up ideas from these.

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

Jeanne, from Dangerous Waters, as I fell in love with her man, Nick.

If one of your books became a film, which would you choose and why?

Readers have told me they think Dangerous Waters would make a great film as it’s particularly visual and even includes a police car chase. I’m just waiting for the film rights offers…

(Fingers crossed!)

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

It’s invaluable. Authors now have the opportunity to interact directly with their readers and vice versa, unheard of in the past. The worldwide reach of Facebook and twitter, for example, brings authors closer to their readers who can buy their books in any country in today’s digital society. I tend to use it for promotion, particularly if I have a new book launching or a price discount.

If you had 15 words to persuade a reader that a Guernsey Novels book should be their next read, what would you say?

If you love beautiful settings, a mix of love, mystery and drama then you’ll be hooked!

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

I’d like to point out that although my books form a series, each story is a standalone and could be read out of sequence. However, they are linked by characters who keep popping up, meaning if you don’t want to know what happened to them too soon, it’s better to read them in order. Just saying! Oh, and book 5, Echoes of Time, is out on 15^th August.

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

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 learnt to love the sea. Now she is based in Devon to be near her daughter and 2 small grandchildren. Her restless spirit has meant a number of 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.

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

As the summer rolls on, what better way to enjoy it than with a brand new e-book, Wicked Summer, by Roma Brooks out today 15th August 2016. Wicked Summer is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

To celebrate Wicked Summer’s release. Roma Brooks has kindly agreed to a guest post on Linda’s Book Bag, all about two things we really need – food and families.

Wicked Summer

Wicked Summer follows the Bloom family as they spend a once in a lifetime vacation at Cape Harriet, a charming seaside town on Virginia’s scenic Eastern Shore.

All Mary Bloom ever wanted was to celebrate her 60th birthday at the beach. The extended Bloom family converges at the Rising Tides Inn, where their slightest whim is catered to.

Forty something Iris is the perfect suburban mom, holding her four kids and husband on a tight leash. 36 year old Hyacinth is single, successful and the self-proclaimed brains of the family. At 26, Poppy is a top travel blogger, wandering across countries most people only dream of visiting.

The rivalry among the sisters is as strong as ever, and each sister is dealing with it in her own way. So while Iris taunts and needles, Hyacinth takes the high road and shows disdain. Poppy suffers silently, lost in her own inner turmoil. None of them has an inkling of the storm that is about to break loose in their lives.

Soft shell crabs and salt marshes will be forgotten as shocking secrets are revealed. Everyone seems to be guilty of hiding something.

Set in idyllic Cape Harriet, Wicked Summer takes the reader on a thrilling roller coaster ride with plenty of laughs, tears and intrigue with heart warming moments, scrumptious food and never a dull moment.

Of Scrumptious Food, Sparring Families and Cape Harriet

A Guest Post by Roma Brooks

Family is something I hold very dear to my heart. I am convinced that the love within families is what makes the world go round. This is the one thing that is a constant no matter where you are in the world, no matter what your ethnic background. We may aspire for great things in life, from the material to the very sublime, but none of our achievements have any meaning without family.

I created Cape Harriet to be a very positive, feel good type of place. With a former chef and inn keeper as a main character, food was bound to play a big part in the series. That doesn’t mean bad things don’t happen there. In Clipper Beach, Book 1 in the series, we read about the tragic history of the eponymous Harriet. We also read about the grief the Strathmores are living with every day of their lives.

Wicked Summer is the story of yet another family, the Blooms. The Blooms come to Cape Harriet for Mary Bloom’s 60^th birthday. Some come willingly, some grudgingly. They all have varying expectations. 40 something Iris and 36 year old Hyacinth are both dreading having to stay in some shady hovel. Little Danny is excited to see the ocean for the first time. 19 year old Amber’s counting days until she heads off to college. And at 26, Poppy’s training for something big. But they all seem to agree on one thing. The food! The delicious, fresh and seasonal food at the Rising Tides Inn, lovingly dished by Pete and Zadie Strathmore, the inn owners, brings the Blooms together.

As we read Wicked Summer, we come across a lot of surprises. The book begins with Poppy’s big announcement, and it seems like the tone is set after that. Every day of the week brings new shocks, some more severe than the other. At such a time, the fresh seafood – oysters, crabs, trout, flounder, and fresh garden produce – berries, vegetables and so on, bring a smile to everyone’s face. Zadie seems to think her food can solve all problems, because she turns up with a new gourmet creation at every meal.

Linguine with fresh clams, chocolate chip pancakes with caramel sauce, cobblers, tacos and of course, pimento cheese, are just the tip of the iceberg. If that sounds run of the mill, foodie readers are in for another treat with the Cape Harriet Summer Festival.

So if the thought of hand churned ice cream and creamy chowder makes you smile, if barbecues on the beach alongside crashing waves make you nostalgic, come to Cape Harriet for a Wicked Summer.

To find out more about Cape Harriet, Wicked Summer and Roma Brooks, follow the author on Twitter.