My enormous thanks to Elizabeth Preston at Simon and Schuster UK for a copy of Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley in return for an honest review. Lily and the Octopus was published on 14th July 2016 and is available for purchase from Amazon UK, Amazon US, W H Smith, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble and all good book sellers.

Lily and the Octopus

Companions come in all shapes and sizes.
Companionship lasts forever.

Lily and the Octopus is a novel about finding that special someone to share your life with.
For Ted Flask, that someone is Lily, and she happens to be a dog.
This novel reminds us how to love fiercely, how difficult it can be to let go and how the fight for those we love is the greatest fight of all.

Reminiscent of The Life of Pi and The Art of Racing in the Rain, with spins into magic realism and beautifully evoked universal truths of love, loyalty and loss, a hilariously sardonic and not altogether reliable narrator, and one unforgettable hound who simple wisdom will break your heart and put it back together again, Lily and the Octopus captures the search for meaning in death and introduces a dazzling new voice in fiction.

My review of Lily and the Octopus

Lily and the Octopus is just a story about a man, Ted Flask, who loves his dog, Lily. There are really only a few characters explored, the Dachshund Lily, the narrator Ted and the ‘octopus’. It ought to have a high ‘So what?’ factor and yet it is so much more in a beautifully poignant, heart wrenching tale of love, loss and grief that I could relate to completely. Substitute my Dad for Lily as we deal with his own octopus, a recent devastating stroke, and every word felt like an echo of my very soul.

Steven Rowley writes with such passion in an allegorical, mystical and compelling manner. The narrator, Ted, is not altogether truthful and reliable at times and there are passages of surprising violence, but this only serves to underline the gut wrenching emotion he is feeling. There is rage, sorrow, anger and the deepest of love that is so all encompassing that towards the end I read with tears (or eye rain) streaming down my face. As well as Ted’s connection with Lily, we get to see a real man; one who struggles with a range of relationships with family, friends and potential boyfriends so that it is impossible not to want the best for him, to want to hold and comfort him too.

Alongside this emotion is also lightness of touch and humour. Self effacing and aware of his own ridiculousness the first person narrator is not above a wry and sarcastic turn of phrase. I found the writing really effective. The variety of sentence length, the vibrancy of the present tense, the naturalness of the dialogue, the touches of description all combine in a vibrant new voice that I think will be a huge success. Comparisons have been made with other writers and books but I think this is erroneous. Steven Rowley has a unique style of his own that is almost impossible to define. I cannot recommend Lily and the Octopus highly enough. To quote Lily I! LOVE! IT!

You can find out more about Steven Rowley on his website, on Facebook and by following him on Twitter.

Once again I’m thrilled to be supporting Brook Cottage Books in spotlighting a smashing book. This time it is Before You by Kathryn Freeman and I have my review below. A contemporary romance, Before You was published by Choc Lit on 7th June 2016 and is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Kathryn recently featured on Linda’s Book Bag with a guest post all about how writing what you know isn’t always easy and you can read that post here.

Before You

When life in the fast lane threatens to implode …

Melanie Hunt’s job working for the Delta racing team means she is constantly rubbing shoulders with Formula One superstars in glamorous locations like Monte Carlo. But she has already learned that keeping a professional distance is crucial if she doesn’t want to get hurt.

New Delta team driver Aiden Foster lives his life like he drives his cars – fast and hard. But, no matter how successful he is, it seems he always falls short of his championship-winning father’s legacy. If he could just stay focused, he could finally make that win.

Resolve begins to slip as Melanie and Aiden find themselves drawn to each other –with nowhere to hide as racing season begins. But when a troubled young boy goes missing, everything is thrown into turmoil, including Aiden’s championship dream.

My Review of Before You

Having previously had her heart broken by one racing driver, press officer Mel has no intention of getting involved with playboy Aiden as he joins the Delta team.

Before You is a smashing romantic read. The glamorous world of F1 motor racing makes for an interesting and engaging backdrop for the romance and I have a much greater understanding of how that world works as a result of reading this story.

The characters of Mel and Aiden in particular are really well drawn and even the more minor participants like Frank are realistic and lifelike. The backstories have been well thought out so that readers get a real sense of who they are and how they have become the people presented in the story. Kathryn Freeman has a lovely touch when describing sexual moments so that there is an eroticism and sensuality without the language being overly explicit or saccharine. She also writes completely natural and engaging dialogue.

I found the plot raced along as the love interest between Mel and Aiden developed and was challenged by others and circumstances. I was never entirely certain what the outcome might be, which led to a greater satisfaction in the reading.

The only minor complaint I have is that I would have liked a little more detail about the exotic locations of the races as, even though they are not essential to the narrative, they do add to the picture of the F1 world and I love travel and finding out about new locations.

Before You is an ideal read to escape the mundanity of life into the glamorous arena of motor racing where drivers are flawed, handsome and sexy. I really enjoyed it.

About Kathryn Freeman

Kathryn was born in Wallingford, England but has spent most of her life living in a village near Windsor. After studying pharmacy in Brighton she began her working life as a retail pharmacist. She quickly realised that trying to decipher doctor’s handwriting wasn’t for her and left to join the pharmaceutical industry where she spent twenty happy years working in medical communications. In 2011, backed by her family, she left the world of pharmaceutical science to begin life as a self-employed writer, juggling the two disciplines of medical writing and romance. Some days a racing heart is a medical condition, others it’s the reaction to a hunky hero…

With two teenage boys and a husband who asks every Valentine’s Day whether he has to bother buying a card again this year (yes, he does) the romance in her life is all in her head. Then again, her husband’s unstinting support of her career change goes to prove that love isn’t always about hearts and flowers – and heroes can come in many disguises.

 You can follow Kathryn on Facebook, on Twitter and visit her website.

Click here to enter to win a paperback copy of Search for the Truth, another of Kathryn’s lovely books.

I’m delighted to be bringing you one of the first glimpses of A.J Waines’ latest novel Inside the Whispers, the first in a new series featuring Dr Samantha Willerby. I read A.J Waines’ wonderful No Longer Safe a while ago and you can see my review here. Inside the Whispers will be released in e-book and paperback on October 20th 2016 and the e-book is available for pre-order on Amazon UK and Amazon US or your local Amazon site.

I’m also ridiculously excited to find myself quoted on the back cover!

Inside the Whispers

Where the most Dangerous place – is inside your own head…

Following a London Tube disaster, three traumatised survivors turn to clinical psychologist, Dr Samantha Willerby, for help – but she’s mystified when their stories don’t add up. Her confusion turns to horror when one by one, instead of recovering, they start committing suicide.

When her partner, Conrad, begins to suffer the same terrifying flashbacks, Sam is desperate to find out what is causing them and a mysterious and chilling crime begins to unravel.

Then the flashbacks begin for Sam…

The first book in the Dr Samantha Willerby Series, INSIDE THE WHISPERS is a tense, haunting Psychological Thriller that will leave your nerves in shreds.

Inside the Whispers is available for pre-order here.

 About A. J. Waines

AJ Waines topped the UK and Australian Kindle Charts in 2015 with her number one bestseller, Girl on a Train. Following fifteen years as a psychotherapist, she is now a full-time novelist with publishing deals in France, Germany (Penguin Random House) and USA (audiobook).

Her first novel, The Evil Beneath, went to Number One in ‘Murder’ and ‘Psychological Thrillers’ in the UK Kindle Charts and Dark Place to Hide stayed for several weeks at Number One in ‘Vigilante Justice’. In 2015, she was featured in The Wall Street Journal and The Times and was ranked in the Top 20 UK authors on Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).

You can follow A J Waines on Twitter, on Facebook, on her blog and by newsletter.

 

I’m delighted to be featuring another Choc Lit author, Liz Harris, today in association with Brook Cottage Books to celebrate Liz’s historical romance The Lost Girl. The Lost Girl was published by Choc Lit on 8th August 2016 and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

I’m so disappointed that personal events meant I didn’t have time to read The Lost Girl in time for this blog post, but I do have a giveaway with Brook Cottage Books to win an e-copy of the book. You can enter at the bottom of this blog post.

The Lost Girl

What if you were trapped between two cultures?

Life is tough in 1870s Wyoming. But it’s tougher still when you’re a girl who looks Chinese but speaks like an American.

Orphaned as a baby and taken in by an American family, Charity Walker knows this only too well.  The mounting tensions between the new Chinese immigrants and the locals in the mining town of Carter see her shunned by both communities.

When Charity’s one friend, Joe, leaves town, she finds herself isolated. However, in his absence, a new friendship with the only other Chinese girl in Carter makes her feel like she finally belongs somewhere.

But, for a lost girl like Charity, finding a place to call home was never going to be that easy …

About Liz Harris

Liz Harris lives south of Oxford. Her debut novel was The Road Back (US Coffee Time & Romance Book of 2012), followed by A Bargain Struck (shortlisted for the RoNA Historical 2013), Evie Unndercover, The Art of Deception and A Western Heart. All of her novels, which are published by Choc Lit, have been shortlisted in their categories in the Festival of Romantic Fiction. In addition, Liz has had several short stories published in anthologies. Her interests are theatre, travelling, reading, cinema and cryptic crosswords.

You’ll find Liz on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, her WEBSITE and GOODREADS.

Click here to enter to win an e-copy of The Lost Girl.

I’m delighted to be part of the celebrations of Learning to Fly by Jane Lambert. Learning to Fly is Jane’s debut novel and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Today, Jane has kindly agreed to answer some questions about her writing and Learning to Fly.

Learning To Fly

Forty-year-old air stewardess Emily Forsyth has everything a woman could wish for: a glamorous, jet-set lifestyle, a designer wardrobe and a dishy pilot of a husband-in-waiting to match. But when he leaves her to ‘find himself’ (forgetting to mention the bit about ‘…a younger girlfriend’), Emily’s perfect world comes crashing down. Catapulted into a mid-life crisis, she is forced to take stock and make some major changes. She ditches her job and enrols on a drama course in pursuit of her childhood dream, positive that, in no time at all, she’ll be sexily sporting a stethoscope on ‘Holby City’, and her ex will rue the day he dumped her. Wrong! Her chosen path proves to be an obstacle course littered with rejection and financial insecurity. If she is to survive, she must learn to be happy with less, and develop a selective memory to cope with more than her fair share of humiliating auditions. She tells herself her big break is just around the corner. But is it too late to be chasing dreams?

An Interview with Jane Lambert

How have your experiences helped you in writing Learning to Fly?

My personal journey from glamorous, globe-trotting air stewardess to struggling actor inspired the theme of the book. Since becoming an actor and writer I’ve worked in all sorts of places to pay the bills. I have met so many people who feel trapped by their jobs or relationships and wish they’d had the courage to break free and follow their dream.

I wanted to write a book about how success is not necessarily a financial thing and doing what gives you fulfilment is healthier than focusing on your Christmas bonus. There are plenty of self-help books on the subject, written by authors far more qualified than me.

However, I wanted to write a romantic comedy with this theme at its heart – an ordinary, middle-aged woman starting over on her own and discovering true happiness and inner peace by taking control of her life – just as I did. The obstacle course the quirky Emily stumbles her way around provided the comedy and many of the events are loosely based on my own experiences – but I’d better not reveal which ones!

(You’ll have us all guessing now Jane!)

Does being an actress help or hinder your writing process?

It definitely helps to bring the characters to life.  When you play a character you have to know them as well as you know yourself. You fill in the blanks and create a backstory: where they live, where they went to school, their first kiss, their likes and dislikes, what music they listen to, have they siblings, their childhood memories and so on.

I use the same research with the characters in my writing. Before you make an entrance on stage you should know where your character has come from, what time of day and year it is and what their purpose is. These things affect the way they walk and talk and help to make them real and three-dimensional. I apply this method to the characters in my books.  

Do you think visually as you write?

Yes. As I write a scene I am transported to its location. I can see the characters, hear their conversations, feel the atmosphere. I use music to inspire me and have a Learning To Fly playlist.  

Is it hard not to produce a script rather than a novel?

I am writing my first screenplay and am finding the reverse: keeping a tight rein on my descriptive voice and allowing the visual and the audio to take over is challenging.

Are you aware of the naturalness of dialogue more as a result? 

Yes. People don’t speak perfectly and are not always confident in what they are saying. We interrupt one another, sometimes our sentences overlap, we get side-tracked, we mishear, conversations break down and awkward silences ensue. I bear this in mind when writing dialogue in the hope that my readers will find the characters flawed and believable.

 About Jane Lambert

Jane studied French and German, taught English in Vienna then travelled the world as air crew before making the life-changing decision to become an actress.

She has appeared in “Calendar Girls”, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” and “Deathtrap” in London’s West End .

Learning to Fly is Jane’s debut novel.  The audio book will be available in the Spring. Jane is in the process of writing the sequel, Marriage, Mafia & Mozzarella.

If you are in Edinburgh during the Festival pop along to Blackwell’s book shop at South Bridge on 18^th August at 6 p.m. when Jane will be talking about mid-life reinvention and what inspired her to write Learning To Fly.

If you can’t be there you can find Jane Lambert on Facebook and she has just joined Twitter where she’d love to hear from you.

You can find out more about and from Jane with these other bloggers:

My grateful thanks to Quercus Books for including me in their reading challenge #QuercusSummer and providing book three, The Lavender House, by Hilary Boyd in exchange for an honest review. The Lavender House was published in e-book and hardback on 4th August 2016 and is available for purchase from Amazon, W H Smith, Quercus and from all good booksellers.

I have also reviewed the other two books in the #QuercusSummer and you’ll find Last Dance in Havana by Rosanna Ley here and Florence Grace by Tracy Rees here.

The Lavender House

Nancy de Freitas is the glue that holds her family together. Caught between her ageing, ailing mother Frances, and her struggling daughter Louise, frequent user of Nancy’s babysitting services, it seems Nancy’s fate is to quietly go on shouldering the burden of responsibility for all four generations. Her divorce four years ago put paid to any thoughts of a partner to share her later years with. Now it looks like her family is all she has.

Then she meets Jim. Smoker, drinker, unsuccessful country singer and wearer of cowboy boots, he should be completely unsuited to the very together Nancy. And yet, there is a real spark.

But Nancy’s family don’t trust Jim one bit. They’re convinced he’ll break her heart, maybe run off with her money – he certainly distracts her from her family responsibilities.

Can she be brave enough to follow her heart? Or will she remain glued to her family’s side and walk away from one last chance for love?

My Review of The Lavender House

Four years after her husband leaves her for a younger woman, Nancy is going out for a friend’s birthday on an evening that will change her entire future.

The Lavender House is the kind of read that feels familiar and comforting because Hilary Boyd always writes with such authority and panache about relationships and ordinary life so that every word is completely believable. It’s almost as if she’s stepped into your head and understood your hopes, fears and vulnerabilities.

An aspect that (probably ridiculously) slightly marred the read for me was Jim’s hair and smoking. I loathe cigarette smoke with a passion almost bordering on pathological obsession and I can’t stand pony tails on men so it took me a short while to get over my own prejudices. However, these features also had the effect of making me wary of him like Nancy’s mother Frances and her daughter Louise so I could understand their emotions perfectly.

Most of the characters were rounded and realistic except perhaps for Christopher who felt a little too stereotypically pompous and self centered, although he is a minor character. It was scary how Frances echoed exactly my own mother so accurately – so much so that I won’t be passing on The Lavender House to her in case she realises! I did want to shake Nancy at times and thought that she ought to have put her own happiness first more frequently, but I felt the way in which her dilemmas were portrayed was very authentic.

The plot moves along with pace so that I found myself caught up in the action and wanting to know how life would resolve itself for Nancy but I did think there were perhaps a few too many blocks and obstacles for her. That said, I cared what happened to her completely.

The Lavender House touches on the kind of themes that can affect us all – loyalty to family, divorce, financial uncertainty, dealing with elderly parents – so that there is something here for all readers. I enjoyed the story very much – and even with a ponytail Jim won me over! I think The Lavender House would make a good holiday read.

About Hilary Boyd

Hilary Boyd trained as a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, then as a marriage guidance counselor. After a degree in English Literature at London University in her thirties, she moved into health journalism, writing a Mind, Body, Spirit column for the Daily Express. She published six non-fiction books on health-related subjects before turning to fiction and writing a string of bestsellers, starting with Thursdays in the Park. Hilary is married to film director/producer Don Boyd.

Follow Hilary on Twitter.

My enormous thanks to Sarah Harwood at Penguin Random House for a review copy of Falling by Julie Cohen in return for an honest review. Falling was published by Black Swan, an imprint of Transworld, on 28th July 2016 and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback from Amazon, WH Smith and Waterstones.

Falling

Honor’s secret threatens to rob her of the independence she’s guarded ferociously for eighty years.

Jo’s secret could smash apart the ‘normal’ family life she’s fought so hard to build.

Lydia’s could bring her love – or the loss of everything that matters to her.

Grandmother, mother and daughter – three women whose lives are falling apart. But one summer’s day, a single dramatic moment will force their secrets into the open.

Can they save each other from falling?

My Review of Falling

When Jo takes in her mother-in-law Honor to recuperate after a fall, their lives, along with that of Jo’s daughter, Lydia, will find new pathways.

Falling was not what I was expecting at all. I originally received a signed proof of Falling when it had a different title and hadn’t got round to reading it. I’d forgotten all about it so when it reached the top of the book pile I imagined a lightweight easy read in the chick-lit genre. Falling is an effortless read because of the lovely quality of the writing, bit it is not lightweight in its intensity and distinction.

Firstly, the title, Falling, is inspired as it encompasses the literal and metaphorical action about which the plot pivots. Characters fall in love, fall down stairs, fall from their pedestals, fall out with friends and fall more importantly and literally in ways that affect their whole lives and the lives of those around them.

Following three generations, Julie Cohen shows complete understanding of what it means to be female at any age. All three main characters, Honor, Jo and Lydia are complex and human so that the reader cannot fail to care about them, even when they behave in ways that are detrimental to their own happiness. I thought hard about which of the three characters appealed to me most but each is so distinct, so real and with such a complexity of personality I found it impossible to choose.

Alongside the character driven plot, Julie Cohen explores with sensitivity a range of themes that can touch any of us at any moment, from grief to love, sexuality to parenthood, age related disease to youthful anxiety. The themes are universal but at the same time are personal and intimate with regard to Honor, Jo and Lydia making it feel as if we’re reading about real people we know.

Falling is a wise and beautifully written exploration of love, loss and who we really are. I found it intimate, touching and moving. Falling is an emotional read that I won’t forget and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

About Julie Cohen

Julie Cohen grew up in Maine and studied English at Brown University and Cambridge University. She then moved to England permanently, where she taught before becoming a writer. Her books have won or been shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, the HOLT Medallion, and more. Her book Dear Thing was a 2014 Richard and Judy Book Club pick and her book Where Love Lies won Best Romantic Read 2016. She writes full time and teaches creative writing. She lives with her husband, son and dog in Berkshire, where she is teased daily about her American accent. When she’s not writing, she’s on Twitter as @julie_cohen (and sometimes when she’s meant to be writing, too).

Follow Julie on Twitter, visit her website and find her on Facebook.

I am absolutely thrilled to be part of the launch celebrations for The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight by Helen Docherty with illustrations by Thomas Docherty. The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight was published by Scholastic on 4th August 2016 in paperback and is available for purchase on Amazon UK, Amazon US, and Waterstones.

The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight

Leo the mouse isn’t like the other knights. While they like fighting, he’d rather read a book. Leo’s parents are keen to turn him into a proper knight, so they pack him off on a mission to tame a dragon. But Leo knows that books are mightier than swords, and he tames not just the dragon, but a troll and a griffin, too – by reading them stories. With its witty rhyming text and glorious, detailed illustrations, The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight is a joyful, magical picture book about the power of stories.

My Review of The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight

What better way to fight a dragon, a troll and a griffin – than by reading them stories!

It never ceases to amaze me just what a wonderful selection of books there is out there for children and The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight by Helen Docherty with illustrations by Thomas Docherty is one of the best I’ve encountered. It is absolutely stunning. I adored everything about it.

Firstly the moral of the story is perfect. It tells the tale of a mouse knight who prefers books to fighting and exemplifies generosity of spirit and deed in a natural and delightful way. The narrative gives wonderful status to reading and peaceful friendliness. There are smaller morals too – such as a reward for good behaviour when clearing up a mess.

The language used is also to be admired. The rhyme scheme works so well that there is no need to force the rhythm when reading it aloud to a child. There are some more challenging words like ‘trespass’ that, along with the rhyme, will enable children to increase their vocabulary in an effortless way. But more importantly still, I think, is the brilliant tale to be told of the mouse knight meeting griffins, trolls and dragons. Children will love the thought of dragon poo for example – and my 5 year old great nephew thought it was hilarious. He also enjoyed sounding out the book titles in the illustrations.

Finally, the quality of the illustrations is fantastic. There is so much to look at and discuss that there are hours of entertainment to be had. If there is any justice in the world, The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight will become a children’s classic outselling the likes of The Very Hungry Caterpillar or The Gruffalo. I cannot praise it enough. It is, in my opinion, perfection.

About Helen and Thomas Docherty

Helen Docherty is the author of The Snatchabbook and Abracazebra. Helen lives in Swansea with her husband, Thomas, and their two daughters. You can visit Helen’s website and follow here on Twitter.

Thomas Docherty is the acclaimed illustrator of The Snatchabbook, Abracazebra and The Snorgh and the Sailor. He was shortlisted for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal.

You can visit Thomas’s website and follow him on Twitter.

There is more with these other bloggers too:

I’m delighted to be taking part in the launch celebrations of What Happens at the Beach by TA Williams with KEPR Tours. What Happens at the Beach is the latest stand alone What Happens in… book from Trevor and you can enter to win an e-copy of the book at the bottom of this blog post. Released on July 11th 2016 by Carina UK, an imprint of Harper Collins, What Happens at the Beach is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

I’m delighted to have a guest post from Trevor all about why he writes books for women (seeing as he’s a man!)

What Happens at the Beach

For the perfect summer romance…

It’s finally time for Natalie Dryden to decide what she really wants! After ditching her sparkling engagement ring, and her ghastly fiancé, she jets off for the sun-kissed shores of Southern France – the only place that has ever truly felt like home. For the first time ever, Natalie is determined to forget all about men and follow her dreams!

…head to the French coast!

Only, avoiding the male population isn’t quite so easy, especially when she meets smooth-talking Philippe and gorgeous fisherman, Remy! But then Natalie, quite literally, bumps into brooding millionaire Mark whilst swimming in the glittering azure-blue bay – and her life is turned upside-down.

Love might be off the cards for Natalie, yet suddenly she finds herself in her dream job and working with her dream man! But is it all too good to be true…?

How come I write books for women?

(seeing as I’m a man)

A Guest Post from TA Williams

There are a number of reasons why my books, particularly the What Happens… series, are aimed at a female audience. The first is because I was told to do so. One of the things about working for a big publisher like Harper Collins is that you get an editor. My editors, Clio and Charlotte, have been wonderful. They read my books and then make all kinds of suggestions as to how to improve them. Time and time again they have proved to be bang on the money and I know my books have got better as a result. It was Clio who “suggested” I should try writing from a female point of view and aim at the female reader. A “suggestion” like that is one you ignore at your peril. If Harper Collins says jump, you jump. At least I do.

The second reason why I write books aimed at women is that you lot read more than men. Although we all know that 84% (or is that 73%?) of all statistics are made up on the spot, it appears incontestable that something like two thirds of all books bought in the UK are bought by women. This may be a terrible indictment of the male of the species (too much football and beer, perhaps?), or it may simply be because the female of the species, justly renowned for her multitasking skills, manages to fit books into her crowded day better than her opposite number. I don’t know the answer, but it seems sensible to appeal to the bigger market. Business is business, after all.

The third reason is that I enjoy writing the sort of books I write. Call them chicklit, call them romantic comedy (my preferred designation), they are a lot of fun to write. One thing I know without a shadow of a doubt is that any author should write what he or she enjoys writing. I can’t imagine anything worse than trying to get the creative juices going when attempting to write something that doesn’t appeal. My very first book, Dirty Minds, was about a man trying to write an erotic novel and failing. That was me. It took me less than 24 hours to realise that I didn’t have the experience, the talent or the desire to write smut, so I turned it on its head and made the book about somebody trying to write a dirty book. It charts the ensuing complications as he engages the services of a bunch of female authors to help him. The result was a romantic comedy that I thoroughly enjoyed writing.

My new book, What Happens at the Beach… was also a lot of fun to write. I wrote it last winter while it was cold and damp outside, dusk falling some days at four o’clock in the afternoon and a general air of gloom around the place. Writing about a sunny beach in the beautiful south of France did a great job of cheering me up. There’s the lovely scenery, the smell of the pine trees in the air, the gentle lapping of the waves against the sand and, of course, the world-renowned food and drink. Needless to say, there’s a big black Labrador in there as well just so my readers and I can get our regular canine fix. It saw me through the grim grey days of winter and I hope it will do the same for the readers, female or male.

I’m a lucky man. I enjoy my job.

About TA Williams

Firstly, my name isn’t T A. It’s Trevor. I write under the androgynous name T A Williams because 65% of books are read by women. In my first book, Dirty Minds one of the (female) characters suggests the imbalance is due to the fact that men spend too much time getting drunk and watching football. I couldn’t possibly comment. Ask my wife…

I’ve written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I’m enjoying myself hugely writing humour and romance. Romantic comedies are what we all need from time to time. Life isn’t always very fair. It isn’t always a lot of fun, but when it is, we need to embrace it. If my books can put a smile on your face and maybe give your heartstrings a tug, then I know I’ve done my job.

I‘ve lived all over Europe, but now I live in a little village in sleepy Devon, tucked away in south west England. I love the place. That’s why you’ll find leafy lanes and thatched cottages in most of my books. Oh, yes, and a black Labrador.

I’ve been writing since I was 14 and that is half a century ago. However, underneath this bald, wrinkly exterior, there beats the heart of a youngster. My wife is convinced I will never grow up. I hope she’s right.

See Trevor’s website, find him on Facebook, Goodreads and Amazon. You can also follow him on Twitter.

An extract from What Happens at the Beach

Just then, their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a visitor.

‘Ah, here he is, Natalie. This is my special friend. I forgot to tell you about him. He comes to visit me every day.’ She sounded very animated. Natalie looked up and saw that the object of her attention was a handsome black Labrador with a red collar who had appeared round the side of the house and was heading straight for the table. He was wagging his tail enthusiastically and he came across and nuzzled Colette with his nose. He sat down beside her and put a paw on her thigh.

‘What a beaut.’ Natalie had always loved dogs and her grandmother had always had a dog in the house until the last few years. ‘Where does he come from?’

Hearing her voice, the dog relinquished Colette and trotted round to Natalie’s side. He looked up at her with big brown eyes and Natalie fell instantly in love with him. The feeling was obviously mutual as the dog reared up on his hind legs and did his best to climb onto her lap. Kindly, she pushed him back onto the ground and took the big black head in both hands. ‘Who needs a stupid fiancé when there’s a handsome chap like you around? And where’ve you come from?’

‘I think he’s from the chateau. You know it was sold last autumn?’ Natalie vaguely recalled her grandmother telling her something to that effect, but she had been here so rarely over the past few years. ‘It’s been bought by some rich people, most probably for a holiday home. At least, that’s what I hear from Marie who got the news from Maître Delatour. They’re foreign, maybe even English.’ A note of regret entered Colette’s voice. ‘No surprise there. All the most beautiful places are being bought up by foreigners and turned into holiday homes. The local people can’t afford to buy houses down here any longer. It’s a real problem.’

By this time the dog had collapsed onto his back on the flagstones and was grunting happily to himself as Natalie scratched his tummy. ‘So does he have a name?’ She spotted a medallion hanging from the dog’s bright red collar. Squinting down at it, she saw that it only bore a telephone number, no name.

‘I call him Charlie and he doesn’t seem to mind.’ No surprise there. All the dogs her grandparents had ever had had been called Charlie. Up till now they had all been cocker spaniels, but the name seemed to suit the big black dog just as well. Natalie looked down at him again.

‘So, Charlie, would you like a biscuit?’ The dog clearly understood what was on offer. He rolled to one side and leapt to his feet, tail wagging. Natalie glanced across at her grandmother. ‘Have you been giving him bad habits?’

Enter to win an e-copy of What Happens at the Beach here.

I’m very pleased to be starting the celebrations of S5 Uncovered by James Durose-Rayner. S5 Uncovered was published by Clink Street on 19th July 2016 and is available for purchase on Amazon UK, but to whet your appetite I have a brief extract from this fascinating book based on real events.

S5 Uncovered

Based around a series of true events. The BBC’s current affairs programme ‘Panorama’ undertook a sixty minute documentary / exposé surrounding an elite government task force that went undercover in Sheffield over a period of twelve months. Their remit was to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to fill up the police federations coffers using illegally gained intelligence, on one hand overlooking – and in some cases encouraging – major criminal activity such as murder, kidnap and torture; whilst on the other, surreptitiously acquiring pre-bargained guilty pleas from defendants then reneging on deals, which culminated in some of the heaviest sentences ever handed out in the UK.

But the programme was never aired.

An Extract from S5 Uncovered

From Episode 1:

But before I go on with the story, I know I’ve mentioned the ’Cross a few times, and that needs explaining. The ’Cross, or Parson Cross rather, is an area of north Sheffield which is largely made up of a huge sprawling council estate that takes in literally fifty different streets, roads, crescents and avenues. On a sunny day, it can look like anywhere else in the country, but on a miserable rainy night it’s not somewhere that you would like to be stranded. The first rule of the ’Cross is that when it’s dark – you stay in.

About James Durose-Rayner

James Durose-Rayner has over twenty years’ experience in journalism. He is a member of the Writer’s Guild and the editor of NATM, the UK’s leading specialist civil engineering journal. His writing has been featured in over 210 magazines and his debut indie-novel, S63: Made in Thurnscoe, published in 2001, received positive reviews. In 2015, I Am Sam (Clink Street Publishing) and itv Seven (New Generation Publishing) followed to more affirmative acclaim. Durose-Rayner currently divides his time between the UK and Cyprus.

For more information please visit James’ website and follow him on Twitter. There’s more with these other bloggers too: