Once again it’s thanks to the lovely BookConnectors Facebook group of bloggers and authors that has introduced me to another author – this time Thea Hartley. Thea’s book Wear Bright Colours For Me is in the spotlight today. Wear Bright Colours For Me was published by Ex-L-Ence on 5th March 2016 and is available from Amazon but Thea is a prolific author and you’ll find many more of her books here.

Thea is a writer with visual impairment and today she has kindly agreed to tell readers about that experience in an inspiring guest post.

Wear Bright Colours For Me

Amy and Luke meet each other in life after life. However, usually in tragic circumstances,  they are quickly separated from each other. The rules of “karma” are all that can bring them together for eternity and they must overcome the evil nemesis who is responsible in each life for their tragedies.

Most of the characters turn up in every life in different guises, trying to work through their own karmic journeys; An African tribe in 10BC; Elizabethan England; A gypsy encampment in Victorian times and a small Welsh village during world War 2. In each historical scenario dramas are played out until the surprising ending in contemporary London.

Writing With A Visual Impairment

A Guest Post by Thea Hartley

Almost eight years ago in my right eye, my eyesight started to become distorted. I had a black spot in my right eye, and lines appeared wobbly and moving.

I thought it was something which would just go away. However, I consulted my optician who immediately sent me to the hospital eye clinic… I had some sort of macular degeneration.

This is a progressive eye disease which eventually leads to blindness,

Unfortunately for me, I had the faster, more dangerous wet type and my vision deteriorated rapidly. It soon also  affected the left eye and I was finding everyday tasks more and more difficult.

Within a year I progressed from reading normal books and magazines to using high powered glasses, magnifiers, and moving on to large print publications.

Before long, I could only read large print books, and this was with the help of the battery operated strong magnifier. Nevertheless, these too, became impossible for me and I moved on to the kindle app on my iPad where I could increase the print size to almost one word per page.

By now, I was having monthly treatment in the hospital of “lucentis” injections in my eyes and constant scans.

I loved my job as a psychology lecturer, at this time. However, despite all the help in the form of magnification, it soon became impossible to mark students papers as well as difficulties actually getting to work. With a sad heart I took early retirement on medical grounds.

Once home, I certainly needed something to do! The only thing I could think of was my life’s desire to write. I strange decision for someone with hardly any sight. The question was how?

I learned touch typing many years ago, so tried that on my PC. The problem was that  I couldn’t see the screen, so could not read back what I had written,

Contacting the RNIB they put me in touch with computer technicians who showed me how to use Dragon software which incorporated voice recognition. This, I must admit was difficult, so I graduated  to a more sophisticated programme called “Jaws”. This was better, but for some reason I still had difficulties.

Then I discovered that it was easier for me to type using the strongest glasses  prescribed and holding my iPad just a little further than my nose. This way, I can use a very large font and read back what I write or use iPad’s accessibility feature of voice over!

It IS a challenge, but not an impossibility. I do need a good proof reader and editor. I am probably slower than I was when touch typing, but my final work is much better and clearer.

This might be a really strange occupation for someone who is visually impaired, but it is still a rewarding one. I ‘see’ my books and stories in my mind, as if a film is running there and setting the scene for me.

I would encourage anyone with similar or even different eye problems, who desire to write, to try all the options I mentioned, until they are happy with one that works for them.

Never give up is my motto and I intend to keep writing as long as possible,

About Thea Hartley

Thea was born and bred in Merthyr Tydfil, and attended Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School.

She married young, and lived on the local Gurnos Estate, having three children by the age of twenty. Aware that she had not explored her educational opportunities, she became a mature student, obtaining a Psychology degree from The University of Glamorgan, followed by a Masters’ and PGCE at Cardiff University.

Thea became a practicing Psychologist and lecturer, a career which spans   over thirty years. During this time, she had research and educational papers published, plus some fictional articles and inclusion in two poetry anthologies,

Unfortunately, in 2007, Thea developed a degenerative eye disease, which  deteriorated rapidly, until she was no longer able to work.

Finding herself at home, for the first time in many years, she decided to write the book she had always wanted to write: A biography of her Grandfather, Tommy Horton, who moved to Merthyr in 1900 to pursue his fortune. He had led a very colourful, interesting life, culminating in opening the first factory to produce ‘condoms’ in the UK which opened in 1913.

Thea got in touch with the RNIB, who were extremely helpful in providing the training and equipment to allow her to write despite her failing sight,

This new writing career led to The French Letter King her first, acclaimed novel. This became the  first volume of a trilogy about her family.

Since then, Thea has ventured into several genres, including a series of Psychological Crime Mysteries, featuring Resa James, psychological thrillers, historical romantic fiction and her latest release Wear Bright Colours For Me, which explores the fascinating subject of reincarnation.

You can find out more about Thea on Facebook, by following her on Twitter and by visiting her website.

When I was approached by Catchphrase Dan and asked if I would like to review Monkfish Maggie and the Bungalow Stairs, little did I know what I was letting myself in for!  Monkfish Maggie and the Bungalow Stairs was published on 27th May 2016 and is currently available in ebook from Amazon UK, Amazon US and Kobo.

Monkfish Maggie and the Bungalow Stairs

Maggie stepped forward and rubbed her eyes in disbelief – how was this possible? A giant stone staircase stood in front of her, climbing high up through an ugly hole that had appeared in the ceiling. Maggie strained her eyes and looked for the end of the staircase, but it climbed and climbed into the darkness of the loft.

When Maggie returns home from the market one spectacularly normal day, two things in particular strike her as strange.

• Firstly, a rather peculiar set of stairs have sprouted from her otherwise stairless bungalow.
• Secondly, and probably most concerning of all, her husband Nesbitt is nowhere to be found…

Where is Nesbitt? Why have these extraordinary stairs appeared – and more importantly, what lies beyond them? Evil? Good? Monsters? Head lice?!

Join Maggie as she searches low, high and even higher for Nesbitt, in an intriguing debut adventure that will captivate children and adults alike.

My Review of Monkfish Maggie and the Bungalow Stairs

When 70 year old Maggie goes to the market, she doesn’t expect to return home to find her husband Nesbitt missing, with stairs having mysteriously appeared in their bungalow.

I have one criticism that I’m going to get out of the way first before I tell you my thoughts about Monkfish Maggie and the Bungalow Stairs and that is that there were a couple of Americanisms of ‘gotten’ and ‘gonna’ that I didn’t like because they didn’t seem to fit the British setting well enough.

Right. That said, I thought Monkfish Maggie and the Bungalow Stairs was a smashing book. It’s a modern morality fable with all the traditional ingredients needed, including peril, good versus evil and some scary moments. I think children of all ages will love it.

I really appreciated that the star character, Maggie, is a septuagenarian woman so that the stereotypes we might expect are shattered and challenged.  She is feisty and brave and not averse to some violent thoughts on occasion too. But what is lovely is that there is a real bond and love between her and Nesbitt, illustrating to children that it is good to show love for others.

The story is fast paced and exciting with magical and menacing stairs and a raven trapped within a spiral of evil. It is wonderfully concluded too, making for a very satisfying read.

I’m not sure younger children will necessarily get all the jokes and the first person asides from the narrator, but that would not detract from their enjoyment in the read and it makes the story thoroughly engaging for adults too. I laughed aloud at a comment about fancy recipe books, for example. It says something about the mind and humour of the author that the story begins with Chapter X and ends with an Outroduction.

To complement the story by Catchphrase Dan there are wonderful illustrations by Berg Norcross. Whilst they seem initially very simple, they are instilled with a spirit that reminded me of Van Gogh.

Monkfish Maggie and the Bungalow Stairs is quirky, entertaining and hugely enjoyable. I recommend it without hesitation to children and adults alike.

About The Author

You can find out more about Catchphrase Dan on Facebook and on his website. You can also follow him on Twitter and find him in Ello.

It gives me great pleasure today to welcome Mary-Jane Riley onto Linda’s Book Bag. Mary-Jane is another author from the wonderful Book Connectors Group on Facebook.

Her second novel, After She Fell, is currently available as an e-book on Amazon UK and Amazon US and will be out in paperback on 14th July 2016.

After She Fell

There are so many ways to fall…

Catriona needs help. Her seventeen-year-old daughter Elena was found dead at the bottom of a cliff near her boarding school. The death has been ruled a suicide, but Catriona isn’t convinced.

When her old friend, journalist Alex Devlin, arrives in Hallow’s Edge to investigate, she quickly finds that life at private boarding school The Drift isn’t as idyllic as the bucolic setting might suggest.

Amidst a culture of drug-taking, bullying and tension between school and village, no one is quite who they seem to be, and there are several people who might have wanted Elena to fall…

The Bad Things

Mary-Jane’s first novel The Bad Things is available in e-book and paperback here in the UK and in e-book here in the US.

Alex Devlin’s life changed forever fifteen years ago when her sister Sasha’s two small children were snatched in broad daylight. Little Harry’s body was found a few days later, but Millie’s remains were never discovered.

Now Jackie Wood, jailed as an accessory to the twins’ murder, has been released, her conviction quashed by the Appeal Court. Convinced Jackie can reveal where Millie is buried, Alex goes to meet her.

But the unexpected information Wood reveals shocks Alex to the core and threatens to uncover the dark secret she has managed to keep under wraps for the past fifteen years. Because in the end, can we ever really know what is in the hearts of those closest to us?

Five things I have learned since being published and one thing I have known for a long time

A Guest Post by Mary-Jane Riley

One

You’re always reaching for more. I danced naked around my bedroom when I put the phone down after my agent said she wanted to represent me. It’s not that I indulge in odd rituals (I do), but I had just got home from work and was getting changed when she rang. So there I was, not a stitch on, as she told me what she did and didn’t like about my manuscript. I nodded and murmured and agreed and then she said she’d like to represent me. She told me to rewrite the bits she thought hadn’t worked. Then she said goodbye. Then I danced. Then I realised I hadn’t written down a word of any of her suggestions. (I have never told my agent this story. I hope she never hears it.)

Anyway, the point of all this is that I had achieved my dream. I had an agent! Now I would be published! Feted! Acclaimed!

Er… hold on. Not as easy as that. No sir. I had to write another book – which turned out to be The Bad Things – before I got a publishing deal with Germany – it was a great deal and I was going to be published. What’s not to like?

Hooray!

But I wanted to be published in the UK. (Whiny voice).

Some time later, an editor at Killer Reads, a new digital imprint of Harper Collins, said she wanted to publish The Bad Things.

Hooray!

Cue celebrations (more of which later), and feeling that at last I had achieved my ambition.

But wait. People were going to read it. Real people. People I didn’t know.

Cue insecurities (more of which later).

Publishing day came and my feelings were mixed. Elation, doubt, worry, relief. But I’d done it!

And I had to do it again.

Luckily I had taken my agent’s advice (and numerous other writers writing about writing advice) and had been working on the next book, which became After She Fell, to be published by Killer Reads again.

Hooray!

So, After She Fell came out… it’s getting good reviews (though it can always do with more!) and readers I’ve spoken to say they are enjoying it even more than THE BAD THINGS.

So now I want to write an even better book. More clever, more twisty more….

See? Always reaching for more.

Two

I am learning to live in a constant state of anxiety. Do people like my books? Are they enjoying them? Is anybody buying them? What if the next one is rubbish? What if it doesn’t get published? What if my agent decides I’m not worth the bother? (Actually, I know the answer to this one – she is the most fantastic agent and sticks with her authors through the lean and bad times as well as the good). What if I can’t think of a plot? What if I don’t get any reviews?

Three

Which leads me on to point number three. Reviews. Rankings. Lists. When The Bad Things was published my husband was the worst person (bar none) for sitting up in bed, late at night, looking at Amazon (and Goodreads when he could find it). ‘Look,’ he’d say, thrusting his iPad under my nose, ‘you’re up to number 88 (or whatever).’ Five minutes later: ‘Look at this review – five stars. Five stars!’ An hour later: ‘Oh, look, you’re down to number 95.’ And this would go on until I fell asleep. He is nothing but loyal, my husband. Especially when I got a particularly nasty one star spoiler review. He wiped my tears and gave me wine. The name of that reviewer is now a swear word in our household. I can cope with people not liking my book, telling me in no uncertain terms they don’t like it, but what I don’t like (and my husband certainly doesn’t like) is a one line review that appears to contain a spoiler and so puts people off buying the book. Hurrumph. With the publication of After She Fell I have been a little more sanguine about reviews (I’m lying). I don’t worry about the fact I haven’t got 100 in the first month (I do). I know they will build (they will, won’t they?) – after all, I’m still getting them for The Bad Things. But the one thing I really am not doing and have forbidden my husband from doing is looking at the Amazon rankings. Therein lies madness. Believe me.

Four

Now for something practical – register your book with PLR (Public Lending Right) and ALCS (Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.). Registering for PLR means you get a few pence every time your book is borrowed from the library but you have to register by a certain time of year. I didn’t bother. My book was selling mainly as an e book and libraries wouldn’t  spend their money on little old me’s paperback. Wrong. I had underestimated how loyal the library service can be to local authors and the libraries in East Anglia stocked my book. (Reader, I cried when I saw my book on the shelf in Eye library for the first time). But because I hadn’t registered with PLR I won’t get a penny from the first year. I’ve done it now. ALCS collects money from all over the world when your work is used. I’m not expecting anything much from that, but you never know.

Five

I have learned that writing makes me happy. I love thinking about characters, I love trying to think of twisty plots. I go for long walks with my dog and we chat a lot about plots and character and sense of place. I enjoy the sheer physicality of typing. If I don’t write something for a couple of days I get a bit grumpy (I can get grumpy if the plot’s not working, too. Or if a character is a bit wet). I also feel very privileged to be able to do it for a (sort of) living and humbled that people want to read what I write. Thanks to all of you.

And finally…

And finally to the one thing I have always known: celebrate every step of the way – however small – it’s a tough business. This was great advice from my agent. So, when I finish a draft, out comes the fizz. Ditto when I finally send my book to my agent. And again when she says she likes it. And again when my editor says she likes it. And again when it is published and…. Yes, I am probably in a semi-pickled state most of the time, but hey, we all go through enough bad times, let’s celebrate the good!

About Mary-Jane Riley

Mary-Jane wrote her first story on her newly acquired blue Petite typewriter. She was eight. It was about a gang of children who had adventures on mysterious islands, but she soon realised Enid Blyton had cornered that particular market. So she wrote about the Wild West instead. When she grew up she had to earn a living, and became a BBC radio talk show presenter and journalist. She has covered many life-affirming stories, but also some of the darkest events of the past two decades.

You will find Mary-Jane Riley on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

It gives me great pleasure to bring you a guest post from Julieann Dove all about the messiness of life as she celebrates the publication today, 1st June 2016, of her latest novel A Reason to Stay. A Reason to Stay is available for purchase here.

A Reason to Stay

Elise Newton has it all—a dream job, a house that’s all hers, and a boyfriend who’s a cardiologist. Darren has been carrying an engagement ring in his pocket for two months, waiting for the perfect time to ask her to be his wife. He has no idea Elise has been waiting for the perfect time as well—to break up.

You see, Elise has a fatal flaw. She cannot commit to love.

An early-morning call from her sister gives Elise hope. She’s needed back home in Kentucky, to care for their mother who’s recovering from surgery. It’s the break Elise has been searching for, a reprieve from the strain of ducking Darren’s declarations of love.

But along with Kentucky comes seeing Ben—her first love, the one who came closest to being her happily ever after. Now a single dad, Ben has moved on with his life. But has his love for her moved on as well?

When Elise discovers a long-hidden truth about her family—and the reason why she can’t commit—she must decide which man will give her a reason to stay.

Messy!

A Guest Post from Julieann Dove

Someone once asked me why I titled my blog, “Writing about love and other messy things”. Well, to be honest it took me awhile to commit to a reason why I did write. Everyone has one, right? Sure, I enjoy the process—the endless hours in isolation, making up people and problems…but for what reason? Although I titled my blog before publishing my first book, “Waking Amy”, it didn’t become crystal clear until I read some of the reviews from it…why I considered love messy. It was a consistent theme being stated…women were relating to my heroine! They got her. Well, some did. Some thought she was too naïve. But some people haven’t walked in the shoes of losing oneself in order to please others. And I get that!

Let’s face it…love is messy. Life is messy. There are all kinds of reasons for it. And that’s what I write about. It’s why I write. To have my stories resonate with readers. I write about commitment issues, abandonment issues, denial issues… It’s all there…the good, the bad, and the messy. It’s life!

About Julieann Dove

Julieann lives in Virginia, yet longs to live everywhere else. It doesn’t come as a surprise that along with her gypsy soul, comes an active imagination. That’s why she loves to write and invent worlds and people, so that she can formulate their happily ever after. Hobbies include cooking new recipes, sewing, and spending time with her cute boyfriend/husband and five fabulous children. Vacations happen in Nantucket or the Carolina beaches–anywhere there is inspiration for her next book. One day she hopes to travel to Italy, drive one of those little cars around the countryside, and speak the language fluently! Please sign up for her newsletter to find out about new releases by clicking here!

You will find more about Julieann Dove on Goodreads, Facebook, and Pinterest and by following her on Twitter.

I’m delighted to be back blogging after a holiday and supporting Brook Cottage Books in spotlighting the contemporary romance Beauty and the Recluse by Ellie Gray which was published on 12th February 2016 by Tirgearr Publishing.

I have a smashing extract as well as the opportunity to win a £20 or $20 Amazon Gift E-voucher at the bottom of this blog post.

Beauty and the Recluse

Following the recent death of her father, and in need of both a job and somewhere to live, Kiya takes a housekeeping job on the spur of the moment. She soon finds herself living in a beautiful but neglected mansion, working for a strange and reclusive man.

St. John is a man scarred by the past, both physically and emotionally, and is determined to live out his life alone. They are two very different people, drawn to each other almost against their will, but can Kiya convince St. John that he is not the monster he believes himself to be?

EXCERPT

Singing softly to herself, Kiya was halfway into the room before she realised that she was not alone. From the corner of her eye, she saw St. John O’Neill spin around in surprise and she gave a startled cry, the vase slipping through her fingers to smash on the floor by her feet. He was a very tall man, easily 6ft. 5ins, broad-shouldered and muscular. His thick black hair, although clean, was long and unkempt, and his beard did not quite hide the vivid scar that ran from high on his right cheek down to his mouth. Incredibly bright blue eyes bore into her and, despite the scar and his rough, dishevelled appearance, Kiya was breathlessly aware that he was an incredibly attractive man. He continued to stare at her, radiating an aura of menace, and Kiya gave an unconscious shiver.

‘Seen enough?’ he asked coldly.

Blushing furiously, aware that she had been staring, Kiya quickly bent to pick up the pieces of shattered vase.

‘Leave it.’ His words were clipped.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise what time it was. I’ll just clear…’ she babbled, nervously.

‘Dammit, I said leave it.’

Her hand jerked at his unexpected ferocity and she gave a yelp of pain as the sharp edge of the broken vase sliced her palm. She stood quickly, lifting her hand to check the severity of the cut, and felt a wave of nausea wash over her at the surprisingly profuse amount of blood pouring from the wound. She heard St. John mutter an explicit curse and looked up to see him striding quickly towards her, his expression furious.

———-

You can buy Beauty and the Recluse via the following links:

Kindle UK/Amazon UK

Kindle US/Amazon US

Smashwords

Nook

Apple

Kobo

About Ellie Gray

Ellie lives in the beautiful East Riding of Yorkshire with her partner, David, and two children, Joe and Abbie.

Ellie is a contemporary romance author, published with the lovely Tirgearr Publishing, and is a proud member of the Romantic Novelist Association.

Her debut novel, Beauty and the Recluse, was published in February 2016 and her second novel, Love on the Nile, is due to be released in the Summer of 2016. In between working full-time in public services and studying for an MSc in Public Management, Ellie is currently working on her third novel.

A few random pieces of information about Ellie:

• Favourite TV shows – The Walking Dead, The X-Files, Nashville, Dr. Who, The Great British Bake-off!
• Favourite Music – I’m an 80’s girl!, country, sixties, Elvis, classical (when I’m writing)
• Favourite Food – Indian, tapas, crisps, cheese
• Favourite Drink – black coffee – copious amounts when I’m writing, Sauvignon blanc when I’m not.

To find out more about Ellie Gray visit her Facebook page or website, follow her on Twitter or see Goodreads, Instagram, Google+ or LinkedIn.     

GIVEAWAY

For your chance to enter to win a £20/$20 Amazon Gift e-Voucher click here!

I’m pleased to be bringing you a release day blitz post for Our Song by Ashley Bodette whose novel is out today, 31st May 2016. Dealing with a controversial issues of attempted rape and mental health problems, Our Song is a young adult book.

Today you have the opportunity to gain an insight into Our Song through a range of images.

Our Song

Becca:

I broke up with Trip four months ago. But with the exception of my parents, I haven’t told anyone why. Not my friends, not my little sister, not even Asher.

Asher:

I’ve been missing my best friend every day for the last nine months. Even though Becca broke up with Trip months ago, she’s still been distant, even when we’re in the same room.
Trip:

She thinks she can break up with me and then go on a “family” vacation with him? I’m going to prove to both of them that she never should have left me.

You can find more about Our Song and purchase it through these links:

Add to Goodreads | Amazon UK | B&N | Amazon US | Kobo | Smashwords | iBooks

About Ashley Bodette

Ashley Bodette is a soon-to-be MA publishing graduate from Kingston University London. She started her venture into the book world as a book blogger, never imagining that one day she’d write a book. Now, you couldn’t stop her from writing if you tried.

Along with writing and providing editing and other author services, you also might find Ashley crocheting, watching British television shows on Netflix, playing piano, singing around the house, or, of course, curled up with a good book.

You can find out more about Ashley Bodette through these links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr | Instagram | LinkedIn | Google + | Wattpad

I’ve featured a few children’s books on Linda’s Book Bag and when Natalie Page asked if I’d like to be part of the launch celebrations for Zak and Jen’s Astronomical Adventures: The Petal Planet, I readily agreed as it is a wonderful book. I have a review as well as a guest post from Natalie and you will find a Zak and Jen personalised bookmark giveaway at the bottom of this blog post too.

Zak and Jen’s Astronomical Adventures: The Petal Planet is published by Austin Macauley today 31st May 2016 and is available for purchase from Amazon and Austin Macauley.

Zak and Jen’s Astronomical Adventures

The Petal Planet

To Jen, her life was a terrible bore. She wished she had more than the landscape she saw… Jen lives alone on her solitary sand planet, until one day, a boy named Zak comes to visit. Through a little of Zak s magic and an unusual umbrella, Jen is transported to a beautiful world, and her new friend helps her learn a valuable lesson along the way.

From Rock Bands to KidLit

The Story behind Zak and Jen’s Astronomical Adventures

A Guest Post from Natalie Page

The Background – you never know why some people come into your life

Imagine this, you are out one evening watching a rock gig with your boyfriend and you happen to see this extremely talented band play. In a fit of over confidence you decide that you want to invite this band to play as part of a charity gig you are organising for Help for Heroes, so you make the call to the band’s management and amazingly, they agree!

Several months of planning later and you are chatting to the band after a very successful charity concert and a friendship is born. This is story of how I met Chris Nuttall, drummer for rock band Heaven’s Basement and now illustrator of Zak and Jen’s Astronomical Adventures.

That charity concert took place back in 2010 and somehow, despite extremely busy lives and both having children, Chris and I have managed to stay in touch.

As the years rolled by I got to know Chris a little better and soon discovered that as well as being a talented musician he was an exceptionally talented artist. I was particularly struck by two characters that featured heavily in some of his paintings. They resembled rag dolls and in each piece they were pictured against a beautiful night sky. The imagery was so ‘other worldly’ it was captivating, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so. I often wondered about the background to the characters, who they were, why they were in space. But that was all I ever did.. wonder.

Writing the book

In 2014 my life changed forever, I gave birth to my daughter and found myself on maternity leave. For the first time in over a decade I had head space to be creative. I had always loved to write. However, school, university and my career took over and I lost the ability to simply ‘write for fun’, swapping my fiction stories for PowerPoint presentations and business proposals. Suddenly that wasn’t the case anymore and my brain was alive with hundreds of stories that I just couldn’t wait to get down on paper.

It was during this time that I saw Chris post another image on Facebook of one of his rag doll paintings and my brain went into over drive. I called him and asked whether it would be ok for me to write a story featuring the characters he had painted. Strangely enough he told me he had been looking for an author to write some stories about them and the partnership was born!

Either unluckily or luckily for me, I had a baby who was not fond of sleeping, so I often found myself up in the middle of the night trying to settle her whilst sat in a chair. I soon found that this was my most creative time, and one night, when my daughter was taking a particularly long time to settle, I pictured the characters coming to life in my head.  As I sat, watching my daughter drift off my brain became filled with ideas and rhyming sentences and once my daughter was back in bed I was scribbling them down. For the first time in ages the story flowed out of me and within 45 minutes I had a first draft.

I sent the draft to Chris the very next day and he loved it. From then on we embarked on the long journey together to try and achieve one goal… get published.

We agreed up front that this was an entirely joint project with all credit being split 50 / 50. This makes things a lot easier as we never argue over who contributed what.

If I can give any upcoming authors / illustrators any advice, it would be that if you decide to partner up, be sure to have the conversation up front about how things are split. Don’t forget to include discussions about if your book becomes hugely successful and you have things like merchandise to consider. It may not happen, but at least you will know where you stand if it does.

The journey to being published

Our journey has been a somewhat unconventional one. Despite what you might think, we have found that traditional publishing agents are not keen to take on an author / illustrator partnership. This is apparently because big publishers prefer to match authors and illustrators themselves, often pairing an established author with a debut illustrator and visa versa (you don’t always see Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler together!).

It soon became clear that if we wanted to get the book produced as per our joint vision, then we would either need to self-publish or approach independent publishers directly (the big publishing houses don’t tend to accept unsolicited manuscripts directly from authors).

Thankfully for us, Austin Macauley were willing to take on our project and have been very supportive in allowing us to dictate how we wanted the book to look and feel.

The finished product is one that we hope will inspire children. We have tried hard to combine a simple, yet thought provoking story with some magical characters and we hope that people will enjoy what we have taken the time to create. Fingers crossed we will get to continue and turn these characters into a series!

My Review of Zak and Jen’s Astronomical Adventures: The Petal Planet

I loved this little book. It is beautifully illustrated by Chris Rivers Nuttall as some of the images elsewhere in this blog post show and the text works so well with the pictures. Zak and Jen are cartoon like which will appeal to children, but also they are not conventional looking children so that I feel an important issue of appreciating people for who they are, not how they look, is subliminal in this story.

There’s a really well constructed story with a defined beginning, middle and end that would satisfy all children, but with the potential for future stories to come. Indeed, I think it would make an excellent talking point with younger children to discuss what might happen next and to develop their oracy through making up new adventures for Jen and Zak.

I thought the rhyming prose was pitch perfect, especially as it is hard to construct a narrative in rhyme without it feeling contrived but Natalie Page does this brilliantly. There are so many useful ways the story could be used by teachers and parents too. Exploring the rhyme scheme, looking at homonyms and homophones would all be fabulously exemplified in Zak and Jen’s Astronomical Adventures.

I also really liked the messages behind the text with Jen coming to appreciate what she has in her own life and with the potential for children to try to grow plants too so that they are emulating Jen’s activities.

It sounds as if I’m just reviewing Zak and Jen’s Astronomical Adventures with my ex-teaching head on, but the bottom line is that this is a wonderful story, well written, fabulously illustrated and perfect for children of all ages!

Win a Zak and Jen Bookmark

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You can follow Natalie Page on Twitter and there is a Zak and Jen Twitter account too here. You can also visit the Zak and Jen Facebook page here.

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It gives me enormous pleasure to be joining Amy Lynch in celebrating the book birthday of her novel Bride Without A Groom which has just turned one! You can buy Bride Without A Groom in paperback and e-book on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

You can read my review of Bride Without A Groom here, but just so that you can see why Bride Without a Groom has been so successful, Amy has kindly provided a short extract for you to read here today.

Bride Without A Groom

Single, coupled-up or married, this laugh-out-loud summer read is the perfect anecdote for the wedding season!

Rebecca has chosen the most luscious, five tiered, wedding cake. The engagement ring that she has selected is celebrity inspired. The wedding singer is on speed dial. He doesn’t usually do Michael Bolton, but as it’s for a first dance he’ll make an exception. Father Maguire is checking dates for the parish church as we speak. The deposit on the white sand honeymoon is paid for in full on Barry’s card. She has fallen for an ivory lace couture gown that is to die for. The down payment may require her to sell a left kidney, but it will be worth it. Isn’t that why you have two?

There’s one teeny tiny problem. It’s nothing, really. No need to panic! It’s just that Barry has yet to propose. Says he’s not ready! He can be a bit of a kill joy that way. In fact, he’s gone away on a business trip and says that he needs some space. Meanwhile, Barry’s tie loosens, the Tiger beer is flowing, and his colleague Shelley is providing more than a shoulder to cry on. Back in Dublin, Rebecca worries, putting Operation Win Back Barry into action. But who is the mysterious dark haired woman that is so keen to talk to her, and what is it that Barry wants to get off his chest?

An Extract From Bride Without A Groom

Speed date number three is now beaming at me, white teeth sparkling all in a neat row.

‘Rebecca. Hi. So…’ This is starting to feel like a job interview.

‘What do you do, Brian?’

Yes, I know, unoriginal. Shush!

‘I’m a solicitor. And yourself, Rachel?’

‘It’s Rebecca…’

‘I’m a solicitor’, my mind plays on a loop as my heart pangs. A solicitor. Just like Barry. A sneaky thought takes shape. This man could be a stand-in, you know? A little switcher-oo. He could be like an understudy in a play. People might not even notice! Sure, I could call him ‘Barry’ as a pet name. He’d grow to love it. The wedding plans could still go ahead, just with one minor substitution. I could still keep the ‘B&R’ monogrammed bath towels I have ordered. He could be Barry version 2.0. Not quite the original model, I’ll grant you, but a toothier, sexier upgrade.

‘I work for a PR firm, Brian. Sloan Publicity?’

‘Oh? You might know my brother, he works in PR too? Our surname is Ramsbottom?’ Brian continues.

‘Oh.’ I try hard not to snigger, really and truly I do. But you must understand that Malibu makes me decidedly giddy. It’s like dosing an orang-utan with laughing gas.

Mrs Rebecca Jane Ramsbottom. Dear Lord! The deal is off. I couldn’t possibly marry someone with that kind of surname. My friends laugh at me enough as it is. I’ll have to call the Actors Casting Agency, and tell them that I no longer require their boyfriend substituting services. Anyway, he might have straighter, whiter teeth than Barry, and he might fill that suit very nicely indeed, but I think I prefer the original, crooked-toothed Barry. Don’t ask me to explain it.

We’ve stopped for a halfway break, so good old Pam has ordered me a tequila slammer, and a pint of Guinness. That should help things along nicely. As I sit at the bar, I picture myself balanced on a stool next to Cilla Black in a special edition of the TV show Blind Date. ‘Say hello to our Becky, all the way from Dublin,’ the permed Liverpudlian grins as the audience cheers. ‘Our Becky enjoys wine, OAP makeovers and planning weddings. And now, here’s our Graham with a quick reminder.’

Graham sums it up during the theme tune. ‘Well, Cilla, behind screen number one is Dan. He likes surfing, but you’ll have to … wave… goodbye to a two-way conversation with this one!’

The audience claps with glee.

‘Behind screen number two is Brian. He’s a solicitor, but it’d be a …crime… to take that surname!’

The audience howls with laughter. I’d forgotten how witty ‘our Graham’ could be.

‘Behind screen number three, it’s Farmer Fred. Fred has a cattle farm. But will Becky be …moo-ved… by him?’

Cilla is beaming at me, and wants to know which one I choose. She wishes me a ‘Lorra lorra luck, chuck.’ I try to explain that none of them measure up to Barry.

About Amy Lynch

Amy Lynch is an Irish author of humorous romantic women’s fiction, but not always with fairy tale endings! She has been working in the charity sector for many years, is married and has two young children. When she is not writing, she can be found juggling school runs, packing lunch boxes, tackling the laundry mountain and walking two large rescue dogs who stare at her until she walks them. Talk about multi-tasking!

Her debut novel Bride Without a Groom is a laugh out loud Bridezilla comedy, was published by Avon, Harper Collins in May 2015.

You’ll find Amy on Facebook and you can follow her on Twitter. You can also visit her website.

I recently took part in the cover reveal of Four Weddings and a Fiasco by Catherine Ferguson which is published by Avon Books in e-book and paperback on 16th June 2016 There are two lovely covers for the paperback and e-book and I am delighted to have had the opportunity to read it too now. You can order Four Weddings and a Fiasco on Amazon, or directly from Harper Collins.

Four Weddings and a Fiasco

Katy Peacock lives a life as colourful as her name.

As a wedding photographer, she spends her days making other people smile as she captures all sorts of fun and capers at celebrations that range from the wacky to the wild.

But her own life isn’t looking quite so rosy. Her mum is acting out of character, her menacing ex is back on the scene, and she is torn between two gorgeous men. And that’s before we even get started on the trouble her sister is causing . . .

As Katy weathers the ups and downs of the season, she revisits problems from the past, discovers new friendships and finds that four weddings and a fiasco have the power to change her world beyond measure.

A funny, feel-good read, perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond and Jenny Colgan.

My Review of Four Weddings and a Fiasco

Katy Peacock is struggling. After a major fall out with her sister, she is finding her debts are mounting, her wedding photography business is demanding and her ex-boyfriend Dominic is threatening.

I have a confession. I did not like the title Four Weddings and a Fiasco and probably would not have read it had I not received it for review. Had that been the case I would have missed out on a lovely entertaining story that brought me considerable pleasure.

I thoroughly enjoyed Four Weddings and a Fiasco, partly because I’ve worked as a wedding photographer and Catherine Ferguson’s portrayal is absolutely perfect so that I could really relate to the scenarios presented.

I thought the characterisation was super. Whilst typical of this chick-lit genre, there is sufficient variety of personality to give a warm, humane and realistic cast. Katy is especially well depicted and I thought she came across as the kind of person any reader could relate to.

The plot is carefully and satisfyingly constructed with the iterative theme of weddings acting as a cohesive force that works brilliantly. There’s an underlying mystery that gives depth too, as the reader tries to work out just what did happen between Katy and her sister Sienna.

Alongside the complications of romance you’d expect from this genre, there are other themes presented to make the reader think – grief, betrayal, family, deception in many forms – so that even the most chick-lit averse reader can enjoy Four Weddings and a Fiasco as an intelligent and absorbing narrative.

I thought Four Weddings and a Fiasco was brilliantly entertaining, well written and perfect for a beach read or a cosy winter’s afternoon. I will be looking out for more from Catherine Ferguson as her style is effortless to read, engaging and thoroughly lovely.

You can find all Catherine’s books here and follow her on Twitter.

My grateful thanks to the author Russell Mardell who sent me a copy of Cold Calling in return for an honest review. Cold Calling is published by Troubador in paperback and e-book and is available for purchase on Amazon, Troubador, Waterstones and WH Smith. Readers might like to know that the Kindle version of Cold Calling is only 99p until Thursday 2nd June.

I so enjoyed reading Cold Calling that I had questions that Russell agreed to answer and you can see his responses after my review.

Cold Calling

Still reeling from the break-up with the love of his life, insurance firm cold-caller Ray English has become a bit of a screw up. Cynical and withdrawn, Ray is aimlessly drifting through life in London with his long suffering best friend, Danny.

However, once he is asked to reform his college band for a friend’s wedding, Ray is soon forced to face up to his old life, and the hometown he had tried so hard to turn his back on.

Anya Belmont is a woman with a secret and a history that continues to shape her life. A coffee shop owner in Salisbury, Anya is successful, yet bored; married, yet lonely. She is also slowly being driven to distraction by her highly temperamental friend, the child-hating children’s author, Eva Cunningham.

Through fate, coincidence or just bad timing, Ray and Anya’s lives begin to change when Ray cold-calls Anya and the two strike up a seemingly innocuous conversation. Against their better judgement, their conversation is soon the start of a relationship played out over the phone.

But can there ever be anything real in a phone call? A sharp-witted, saccharine-free, thoroughly modern tale of lost loves and found friendships.

My Review of Cold Calling

There is a depth to Russell Mardell’s writing that surprised me. Whilst the story is akin to many other multi-perspective narratives based on the difficulty of relationships, Russell Mardell manages to provide a distinct, literary style with human and convincing characters that come across as real people.

Although all four perspectives are told in the first person, the voices are so clear and well balanced that each is definitely a believable character. Eva evoked the desire in me to shake her hard and, perhaps wrongly and saying something about my own personality, I hoped she would get her comeuppance until the very end of the novel when my attitude softened towards her.

I really cared for Ray, Anya and Danny, finding I identified with elements of all of them. The secondary characters play a vital role in developing Ray et al too. They also give layers to the themes that weave in and out of the narrative.

I thought the way the settings were described gave a perfect amount of detail so that I could picture the scenes vividly, especially when described through Ray’s eyes. The writing has humour and wit as well as thought-provoking themes and dialogues that really made me think. I also found the issues presented interesting and absorbing – just how do we deal with end of life care for the elderly with dementia? How many of us do settle for good enough rather than chasing our dreams? How many of us cling to the past at the expense of the present?

What I also found highly effective is that we never really know what Anya and Ray look like. This cleverly underpins the fact that their relationship is conducted over the phone rather than in person so that the reader can use their own imagination. I like the conceit of Eva’s thoughts about being a writer too and her concern that, once in the box of children’s author, she’ll never be able to escape. Russell Mardell obviously thoroughly understand the writer’s angst!

The plot is tightly structured so that there is a satisfying ending that enhances the quality of the novel further. This not all about happy ever after but is more about truth, realism and identifiable feelings that I could relate to and understand, giving me real pleasure in the reading.

I really enjoyed Cold Calling. I thought it was extremely well written, entertaining and interesting and I will be looking out for more from Russell Mardell.

A Few Questions Arising!

Thanks for agreeing to answer the questions I had as a result of reading and enjoying Cold Calling, Russell.

The dedication is to your Mum because she wanted you to write something a bit nicer. Was she satisfied with Cold Calling?

She was! It’s funny, it has become a little bit of an in-joke between us over the years, as much as she has enjoyed my previous, darker, books, she has always said ‘can’t you write something a little bit nicer?’ Though I should say that is not something she says just because of her own preferences, it was always more a case of her thinking a nicer book would sell better. We will have to see if mother knows best!

Adding the additional words in the dedication also allowed me to subtly suggest to people that enjoyed Cold Calling, that should they wish to have a read of my backlist, they would be reading very different sorts of books. I felt that was important too.

I’ll be one of those readers checking out your backlist too, but if readers want to see for themselves they can look here.

Music underlines a couple of key scenes. How important a role does music play in your own life?

Hugely. I am a complete music geek; in fact if music shops still existed in my hometown, I would probably be hounding them for a job. I dearly wish I had even a tiny fraction of musical talent, but I proved with some long ago guitar lessons that wasn’t the case. I always write to music, I can’t stand silence when I’m working. Though it is very important to get the right sort of music to fit the right sort of writing – I probably put too much thought into it! A lot of the bands mentioned I am very fond of, naturally, and I was very fortunate to be allowed to use lyric quotes from one of my favourites, Augustines.

Although Cold Calling is a relatively light read, you also explore some important issues, such as how we deal with elderly dementia sufferers. How did this theme arise? Did you intend to provoke debate in the reader’s mind or did you intend to show another facet to Ray’s character?

I’m always a little wary of covering such subjects, and in fact, in the first draft that storyline was left out. You have a responsibility when you cover such things, and I didn’t want it to ever appear like I was trying a cheap manipulation of the reader. But it became obvious that we needed to see another side of Ray. So much of his story is his struggle to move on from a broken heart. To see a character that can slip into self-indulgence, do something so automatic and unquestioning out of duty and out of love, like caring for an elderly relative, was an important contrast to make.

(And it works brilliantly – hence my question!)

It is an issue that has affected my family, which again made me think twice about going there. But I’m glad I included it, it is only a small part of the story, but a very important one, I think.

I found the four main characters completely convincing. How did you plan for Ray, Danny, Eva and Anna? Did you complete full character profiles, use visual stimuli, or some other system?

I wish I could say that I planned them out extensively. I’ve never written a character profile, I’m not sure I ever could. There are parts of me in all of them, I suppose (though in some cases wildly exaggerated, I should add!) I don’t like doing too much before I start writing, and I very rarely do treatments. It’s not a perfect way of working by any means but I do like the element of surprise when you are writing, to let events and characters be free enough to take you somewhere you didn’t know they needed to go. I always start with basic outlines for characters and events. More often than not, a beginning and an end, but I like the journey I take to get them there to be open to new ideas. The idea of having things planned out before, I think, I would find too constricting and would make the process slightly dull. You only get to know your characters when you are writing, so sometimes they change, and you need to be free enough to let the writing dictate, not the planning.

That said, Cold Calling was originally a film script, many years ago so I have lived with these characters for a while. They have changed a bit since then, but starting this novel I knew them better than any other characters I’ve written.

Are there plans to explore the lives of these four people in a future book?

Maybe. I haven’t any plans at the moment, but I do like them and wouldn’t mind writing for them again. I’m not sure it would ever be a direct sequel though. Often with my books there are character or location crossovers, little things that regular readers might pick up on, so we may meet them again, but only as supporting characters. In fact the book I am writing at the moment may have a few nods and winks to Cold Calling. There will certainly be similar locations, so you never know, they may find there way into this story too.

I do hope so – I’d like to know more about them! Thanks so much for responding to my questions Russell.

Russell is a novelist, playwright, producer and sometime director based in the south west of England.

His first published book was Silent Bombs Falling on Green Grass a collection of twelve weird and wonderful short stories centered around the town of Mewlish Lull. His follow up Stone Bleeding is a dark dystopian satire of reality TV and celebrity culture. More recently he has published Bleeker Hill a dystopian horror, as well as its sequel, Darkshines Seven. His latest novel is the comedy, Cold Calling.

All of Russell’s novels can be found for purchase here.

Russell has also written for the British stage with the plays Cool Blokes: Decent Suits, and its sequel Suits 2: Back From the Cleaners performed at the Salisbury Playhouse, and The Seventeenth Valentine and Freestate playing at The White Bear Theatre in London.

Having studied film production in London he has written and directed a couple of short films, and continues to develop a number of screenplays.

A music obsessive and film geek, he drinks too much caffeine and still, despite being given many reasons not to, retains a lifelong passion for Everton football club.

You can find out more about Russell Mardell by following him on Twitter, finding him on Facebook and visiting his blog.