I’m pleased to be supporting Xpresso in launching I Won’t Break by E. Mellyberry (A Broken Love Story, #2) which was published on February 2nd 2016. I Won’t Break is a contemporary, new adult book and is available for purchase here in the UK and here or here in the US.

You could also win a $20 Amazon Gift Card (INTL) or 2 copies of I Won’t Break: print (US only) or eBook (INTL) in the competition at the bottom of this blog post.

I have a brilliant Top Ten from E. Mellyberry to share with you here too.

About I Won’t Break:

Lea and Andrew’s story continues in this sequel to My Lea. From the city of San Francisco, the tale journeys on to the other part of the world: Jakarta, Bali, and Tokyo.

It’s been five years since Andrew walked out of his apartment and left Lea in America. Five long years without any single contact.

Andrew is now a twenty-eight-year-old man who just inherited his father’s business empire and is about to marry the granddaughter of the wealthiest man in Singapore.
At twenty-four, Lea is in the early process of sorting out her life and career back in her home country.

When Andrew’s father passed away, they are reunited again for the first time since America.
Like it or not, they are forced to revisit their past and deal with their unfinished business. For most people, love is the answer to everything. But Lea and Andrew’s love is far from ordinary. Theirs is tainted by sin and guilt. And anger. Lots of anger.

What happened five years ago that made Andrew leave?

What happened after Twin Peaks?

What happened to their baby?

Told in both past and present events, I Won’t Break tests the limit of love when faced with grief and heartbreak, discovers the true power of forgiveness, and explores the meaning of second chances.

I Won’t Break is the sequel to My Lea (A Broken Love Story series) and cannot be read as a standalone.

Due to mature theme and content, this book is not suitable for readers under 18.

 

E.Mellyberry shares the Top Ten Sentences from I Won’t Break

I have more than ten, but I choose the ones that won’t give out spoilers. Here they are:

Dedication page: For you, because you’re stronger than whatever it is that’s trying to break you.

I dedicate my story to every single one of us because we’re, after all, only human. Our life consists of ups and downs. When we are down, it’s good to always remember that we’re stronger than our problems, that our problems have solutions, that we can beat this. It’s important for me to remember that, and I hope you do too.

**

I’ve paid with the only heart I own and now I can’t even get a fucking refund.

A broken heart is not a product you can ask for a refund when you return it to the store. It’s-your-own-risk kinda thing.

**

They expect him to be something more than just a twenty-eight-year-old guy who mourns his father. They want him to be an entertainer, a savior, a King. He’s none of those. He’s not his dad. He’s the crying clown in the middle of a boring party.

You know the feeling when everyone holds a rather impossible expectation—the one you don’t want or care—of you? It’s like you’re in the middle of a prom and everyone sort of expects you to be their Prom King, but you don’t care about prom, you don’t care about the title or any of those shit, but you have to be there to please everyone. You feel like crying inside. These sentences describe that feeling.

**

How naïve she was to think that all problems could be solved simply by making promises, by kissing, or by falling in love?

Innocence is a beautiful thing… sometimes.

**

I wanted to love you without this hate and without this fear.

Love should be free of all of the negative energy, but in reality, love is often the combination of many contradictive things: hope, blessing, fear, risk, faith. In I Won’t Break, Andrew carried a heavy baggage from his past and he couldn’t shake it off. He wanted to move forward, but his past occasionally dragged him down.

**

Every living cell inside his body is rioting against reasons, against common sense.

This is one of my favorite lines in my book. Heart vs. logic; need vs. want. Oh, the battle…

**

Phantom happiness was the most evil of all broken promises. You could have, but oops, you didn’t.

Grrr! Upset just thinking about phantom happiness.

**

To be the one she deserves.

Another favorite line of mine. Love is hard, they say, but it’s so worth it at the end. Trying to be a better person for someone we love is not a tough job at all.

**

A second chance is not a miracle.

It’s truly not. It’s not magic either. A second chance is work and lots of work.

**

Some wounds are too big and too complicated to be defined as a simple game of winning or losing.

 People say scars are the sign of victory against what broke us. But some wounds cut us so deep, they keep on bleeding even after so many years. It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about surviving.

**

About E Mellyberry

Melly is a full-time mom, wife, and fangirl. She used to work in a school and she’s very passionate about education.

Melly has been writing children’s books since 2011 under the name mellyberry. She loves reading all kinds of books in her spare time, mostly MG, YA, NA, contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. She avoids horror and sci-fi as much as she can.

Melly was born in Indonesia and grew up in a multi-language environment. When she talks to people, she could accidentally string words from different languages into one sentence. When she does that, simply reminds her to speak properly.

Her ideal vacation always involves a beach; usually it’s the Nusa Dua beach, Bali. She spent a few years in USA to complete her Master degree. It was during that time that she’d fallen madly in love with San Francisco and the Bay Area. According to her, San Francisco is no doubt the most romantic city in the world.

Author links:

Follow Melly on her blog, on Goodreads, on Facebook and on Twitter

The first book in this series, My Lea is available from Amazon US, Barnes and Noble and Amazon UK

International Giveaway – to enter the competition to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card (INTL) or 2 copies of I Won’t Break: print (US only) or eBook (INTL) please click here.

Having long been a fan of Jill Mansell’s writing I’m delighted to be part of the celebrations of her latest novel You and Me, Always which was published by Headline Review in hardback on 28th January 2016. You can buy You and Me, Always here in the UK and here in the US, from all good bookshops and direct from the publisher. It’s my great pleasure to bring you an extract from this lovely book below. Equally exciting is the chance for UK readers to win a hardback copy of You and Me, Always in the competition at the bottom of this blog post.

About You and Me, Always

On the morning of Lily’s twenty-fifth birthday, it’s time to open the very last letter written to her by her beloved mother, who died when she was eight.

Learning more about the first and only real love of her mum’s life is a revelation. On the same day, Lily also meets Eddie Tessler, a man fleeing fame who just might have the ability to change her world in unimaginable ways. But her childhood friend Dan has his own reasons for not wanting Lily to get too carried away by Eddie’s attentions.

Before long, secrets begin to emerge and Lily’s friends and family become involved. In the beautiful Cotswold village of Stanton Langley, nothing will ever be the same again…

Read an extract from You and Me, Always

A bird was singing loudly in the honeysuckle outside Lily’s bedroom window. Coral would probably know what kind of bird, but Lily didn’t have a clue. It sounded very cheerful, though. She opened her eyes and saw from the dazzle of light slicing through the gap in the curtains that it was destined to be another hot, sunny day.

It’s my birthday. I’m twenty-five!

And so lucky …

She slid out of bed, knowing that when she opened the door, the tray would be outside. It always was; over the years it had been a tradition from which they’d never wavered.

And indeed it was there, on the wine-red landing carpet, the rectangular silver tray bearing a single rosebud in a squat silver vase, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, a sealed envelope and a small flat package wrapped in silver and yellow striped paper and tied with curly silver ribbons.

From her mum.

Lily bent down, picked up the tray and carefully carried it back into her room, laying it on the bedside table so nothing would topple over. Drifting up from downstairs she could hear sounds of movement, the clink of china, the murmur of voices on the radio, doors being opened and closed.

But this, now, was private, to be shared between her and her mother. Just the two of them.

For the very last time.

Lily took a sip of orange juice and opened the envelope. Whereas all the other letters had been written on thick lilac writing paper, this one was on a plain white sheet of A4. But the handwriting was the same, instantly recognisable with its extravagant loops and swirls. She ran the tips of her fingers over the paper, the first person to touch it since her mum had written the words, then lifted it to her nose and inhaled to see if it retained any recognisable scent.

No, it just smelled of paper.

OK, here goes. She took a steadying breath and began to read.

You can follow Jill Mansell on Twitter, on Facebook and via her web site

You’ll find other lovely things about Jill Mansell and You and Me, Always with these other bloggers:

Enter to win a hardback copy of You and Me, Always (UK only I’m afraid) by clicking here

Being a massive Tracy Chevalier fan I am hugely indebted to Love Reading for providing a reader panel review copy of At the Edge of the Orchard which will be published by Borough Press on 8th March 2016 in ebook, hardback and paperback. It will be available from Harper Collins, Love Reading, Amazon and all good bookshops.

In Ohio in 1838, James and Sadie Goodenough are scratching a living in the Black Swamp where both people and apple trees live a highly precarious life. In the violence of their lives, son Robert has a different path to tread.

It took me a few pages to settle in to reading this as I found I needed to attune myself to a new situation and new set of characters from Tracy Chevalier and initially I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it as much as her other novels. Once I got into the new rhythm, however, I decided that At the Edge of the Orchard is, quite simply, a magnificent book. The quality of writing transports the reader to a different era and is so well researched that the reader lives the history alongside the characters. The descriptions of the trees and apple cultivation give depth and interest to what is, already, a totally captivating story. Tracy Chevalier knows how to conjure the senses with pitch perfection. I could feel the mud, see the trees, hear the songs, smell the applejack on Sadie’s breath and, importantly, taste the apples.

I thought the title was magnificent. It put me in mind of the Garden of Eden as each character strives to make something out of a life in the Black Swamp, but is constrained by their behaviour and attitudes so that paradise can’t be reached. Consequently, the Goodenough family are always at the edge of the orchard.

I found the early stages of the book quite brutal and so affecting. All the characters are flawed and so beautifully depicted. Sadie is an incredible creation. I loathed her completely but sympathised with her bitterness, her sadness and her desire for affection, especially from her children. She had my empathy too. It was almost a relief when the focus of the book moved to Robert.

The framework of At the Edge of the Orchard is so intelligent and well constructed. Using Sadie’s own voice early on separately among the rest of the text isolated her even more from the family and I found the later letters that advance the plot in Robert’s story heartbreaking.

There’s a darkness and almost claustrophobic feel despite Robert’s attempt to keep moving in the great outdoors but there’s some light too so that the balance feels just right. I have to admit to shedding a tear or two towards the end of the story where there is both optimism and sadness. What I think Tracy Chevalier does so well is to show the reader humanity in all its forms in a way that doesn’t sanitise real life struggle.

At the Edge of the Orchard is now another of Tracy Chevalier’s books that I loved, admired and feel privileged to have read.

You can follow Tracy Chevalier on Twitter, visit her website and find out more on Facebook.

You’ll find other reviews from Love Reading panel members here.

 

I’m so excited to be bringing you the brand new cover reveal for After the Lie by Kerry Fisher. After the Lie will be published by Bookouture on 29^th April 2016. After the Lie is available to pre-order on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

After the Lie by Kerry Fisher

An addictive and gripping read about love, life and living a lie …
One little lie can make one big difference …

Lydia has the ‘right’ kind of friends, her children are at the ‘right’ kind of school and she’s married to the ‘right’ sort of man – kind, steady, reliable Mark. Her wedding business is flourishing and even though she is at loggerheads with her mother, she couldn’t ask for anything more from life.

But the truth is that Lydia has been lucky. She has been living a lie for years and Mark has no idea who he is really married to. But nothing lasts forever and the past has a funny way of catching up with the present. When the person who knows all of Lydia’s dark little secrets turns up at the school gates, his presence threatens to blow Lydia’s life apart.

What is Lydia’s terrible truth? Once the secret is out, you can’t put it back …

About Kerry Fisher

Born in Peterborough, Kerry Fisher studied French and Italian at Bath University, followed by several years working as an English teacher in Corsica and Spain before topping the dizzying heights of holiday rep and grape picker in Tuscany. She eventually succumbed to ‘getting a proper job’ and returned to England to study Periodical Journalism at City University. After two years working in the features department at Essentials magazine in London, love carried her off to the wilds of the West Pennine moors near Bolton. She now lives in Surrey with her husband (of whisking off to Bolton fame), two teenagers and a very naughty lab/schnauzer called Poppy. Kerry can often be seen trailing across the Surrey Hills whistling and waving pieces of chicken while the dog practises her ‘talk to the tail’.

Kerry has spent half her life talking about writing a novel, then several years at Candis magazine reviewing other people’s but it wasn’t until she took some online courses with the UCLA (University of California) that the dream started to morph into reality, culminating in the publishing of The Class Ceiling. The Avon imprint of HarperCollins picked it up and retitled it The School Gate Survival Guide, published summer 2014. Her second book, The Island Escape, came out in May 2015. It won first prize at the York Festival of Writing for the opening line: ‘I was wearing the wrong bra for sitting in a police cell’.

Best advice ever received: ‘This is fiction, we can skip the boring bits.’ Lynn Hightower, UCLA Writers’ Program.

You can find out more about Kerry via her website and her Facebook page. You can also follow her on Twitter.

 

You can read my review of The Island Escape here.

 

 

 

I’m delighted to be supporting Faye Rogers Publicity in the launch of The Seriously Extraordinary Diary of Pig  by Emer Stamp published by Scholastic on 4th February 2016. This is the third in the Pig series and you can find all you need to know about all three books here along with my review.

The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig

(Pig Diary #1) by Emer Stamp

 

Summary:

We love Pig, but Pig loves Farmer. After all, Farmer gives Pig yummy slops and special back scratches, and calls him Sausage and seems to love him more, the fatter he gets. Just as well Pig doesn’t speak any Farmer. But Duck does (Duck’s clever like that), and he’s determined his best friend should know the truth.

Release Date: 30^th Ocotber 2015

Genre: MG Comedy

Publisher: Scholastic

Format: Hardback & Paperback

You can buy The Top Secret Diary of Pig on Amazon as well as direct from Scholastic.

The Super Amazing Adventures of Me, Pig

(Pig Diary #2) by Emer Stamp

 

Summary:

The hilarious sequel to THE UNBELIEVABLE TOP SECRET DIARY OF PIG. Pig couldn’t be happier. Life with the vegetarian farmers is perfect, and he has a new friend, Kitty. Of course, Pig won’t believe she’s up to something until he’s eaten the entirety of the farmers’ prize crop and is half way to the pie factory.

Release Date: 30^th October 2015

Genre: MG Comedy

Publisher: Scholastic

Format: Hardback

You can buy The Unbelieveable Top Secret Diary of Pig on Amazon as well as direct from Scholastic.

The Seriously Extra Ordinary Diary of Pig

(Pig Diary #3) by Emer Stamp

 

Summary:

Pig, Duck and Cow are far away from their Farm and beloved Vegetarian Farmers. More fun, parps, slops and unbelievable adventure from this much-loved set of characters. Complete with illustrations throughout and printed in a unique diary format.

Release Date: 4^th February 2016

Genre: MG Comedy

Publisher: Scholastic

Format: Hardback

You can buy The Seriously Extra Ordinary Diary of Pig on Amazon as well as direct from Scholastic.

My Review

I have to be totally honest and say that initially I had a slight reservation about the ‘Pig’ books because of my background in literacy education. Pig speaks about himself using the first person pronoun I, but with third person verbs so that he will say ‘I is’ instead of ‘I am’ and it worried me that this might not be the best example for language acquisition.

However, within a few pages I was hooked and actually could see that these books might be a valuable teaching resource, discussing with children how Pig speaks and what he should really be saying. Indeed, the author, Emer Stamp, has already provided teaching materials on the accompanying website Diary of Pig where there are things to make and do that really enhance these excellent books.

That minor personal reservation aside, Pig’s diaries are super books. I laughed out loud at some of the antics such as the ‘Name That Fart’ game and children will adore the humour in the stories, probably wanting a Fartcycle or Trocket for themselves.

What is also special about these books are that they illustrate perfectly themes of loyalty, friendship, education and belonging in a lively and entertaining read. There’s a fantastic opportunity to discuss organic farming, vegetarianism, where leather comes from, why pigs don’t have udders, how vegetables grow and so on, or the books can simply be read as highly eventful stories. Many children may get lost as Pig does, and this is, for example, a great opportunity to discuss what they should do if they find themselves in that situation.

Divided into diary entries, the Pig books could easily be read at bedtimes in episodes with a younger child as well as independently for older ones. There is a fast pace so that it isn’t easy to guess what will happen next, making all three books exciting and engaging. The plots romp along as Pig gets into one scrape after another.

There’s great characterisation in the Pig books. Pig, Duck, Cow and a variety of others like Ki-Ki all have easily recognisable traits that children will know and understand, making them ideal story companions.

The construction and design of the books also deserves special mention and their super quality perhaps reflects the author’s background in graphic design. The font style and illustrations are attractive additions to a series of books that I think will become well-loved classics over time.

Children of all ages will adore Pig’s adventures and the diaries. They are great fun.

About Emer Stamp

Emer Stamp is the author and illustrator of The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig. Emer grew up on a farm in Devon before training in graphic design and working for some of London’s top advertising agencies. She was the Creative Director for the Adam and Eve DDB communications agency, which creates advertisements for clients including John Lewis, Halifax, Cadbury’s and Save the Children. She lives in London.

You can find out more about the author Emer Stamp by following her on Twitter, visiting her web site and seeing her Goodreads page.

You can follow Pig’s adventures with these other bloggers too:

My grateful thanks to Laurence Simpson for a review copy of According to the Daily Mail: The audacious sabotage of tacky tabloid newspapers and trashy TV  which is available in both e-book and paperback published by Matador on 25th August 2015. According to the Daily Mail is available for purchase here in the UK and here in the US.

Jonathon hates the red top tabloids and he hates the Daily Mail in particular. So when he receives a substantial windfall from his friend David he decides to employ it sabotaging the Daily Mail establishment – as long as no-one gets hurt. But plans have a habit of going awry and not everything will work as intended.

I have to be honest and say that had I not been sent a copy of this book I would probably not have read it as neither the title According to The Daily Mail: The audacious sabotage of tacky tabloid newspapers and trashy TV, nor the cover attracted me much. However, that would have been a real shame as this is a very entertaining read.

Despite the fact that Jonathon is a complete rogue and not without a considerable degree of sexism in his approach, regardless of his attempts to undermine prurient media, he is a thoroughly likeable rogue and I enjoyed reading what happened to him. He appears to be a cross between Johnny English and James Bond, enjoying fine wine and women (as long as they are not his ex-wife), and I think he will appeal to the fantasies of many a heterosexual male.

Although I think this might be a book that appeals more to male than female readers, I found myself grinning most of the time as I read and laughing aloud frequently. Much of the humour for me came through the snappy dialogue which is quick-witted and natural so that you can almost picture the expressions on the faces of those interlocutors.

There’s real skill in the writing and I actually think Laurence Simpson has been very audacious. The plot is fast paced and the variety of sentence lengths moves the story along at a cracking rate. I think a couple of passages could have been edited slightly more and didn’t always add to the narrative, but because the pace was so fast they did not interfere with my enjoyment of the novel. I really enjoyed the way in which Jonathon’s views reflect those of so many of us and his actions are those we’d like to be able to carry out for ourselves.

Given that this is a very successful comic novel I think credit has to be given to Laurence Simpson too for exploring many of the ills of today’s society – corruption, greed, overt and unnecessary sexual reference in the media and so on – in such an accessible way. I think many readers, as I did, will agree wholeheartedly with his underlying views and be rooting for Jonathon from start to finish.

According to the Daily Mail is a romp of a read and great fun.

You can follow Laurence Simpson on Twitter and read more about him on his web site.

Normally I’m delighted to host guest pieces by authors on Linda’s Book Bag. I say normally, but my dealings with Pete Adams show that he is not normal at all – in fact he’s quite crackers! Therefore it was with trepidation that I invited him to write a guest piece for the blog about writing a trilogy – you can see if my worries were justified below!

A Barrow Boy’s Cadenza was published by Urbane Publications on 1st June 2015 and is available to buy in both paperback and e-book here in the UK, here in the US and direct from Urbane who donate £1 from direct purchases to Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association, also known as Footprints.

About A Barrow Boy’s Cadenza

DCI Jack Austin – Jane to his friends and the not so friendly – knew he shouldn’t have come in to work. Following a terrorist bomb, an incident with a tutu and a hangover that would fell an elephant, investigating dead dogs, dodging bullets and being pulled sopping wet from a naval harbour is not conducive to a sunny disposition. But when the Head of Armed Forces and a City Banker are brutally murdered what’s a dashing DCI to do?

FORCE, a powerful Star Chamber, is under threat and Jack will need to go deep undercover to get to the bottom of the sinister plot. As revelations and rocket attacks threaten to turn his world upside down (and ruin his best pair of trousers), Jack will need courage, skill and a huge dose of lady luck if he is to bring the perpetrators of a nefarious plot that goes all the way to the Prime Minister’s office to justice.
As the trail leads to a showdown at the Albert Hall, Jack Austin, quintessential jumped up barrow boy and Portsmouth’s very own self-styled national icon, must fight to save his reputation, the country, and the lives of those who matter most. And work out just what a dead dog has to do with it all……

How to Write a Trilogy with Cherries and Porridge

a guest post from Pete Adams

author of A Barrow Boy’s Cadenza

How do you set about writing a trilogy? Although, in the case of Kind Hearts and Martinets by Pete Adams, the more appropriate question might be, ‘How do you set about writing a trilogy in five parts and then an epilogue, really?’ And the answer would be an emphatic, yes, it is a series of six books (all written) and Urbane Publications has just published book 3, A Barrow Boy’s Cadenza, which is climbing steadily in the ratings, and the manuscript for book four, Ghost and Ragman Roll, is with Urbane now.

So Pete, an explanation, and please, cherries and porridge?

Lemon entry my dear Linda, what if life really was just a bowl of cherries, then a trilogy need not be numerically so confined, especially if readers demand more stories of a fat ugly cockney spiv, who loves Pride and Prejudice and Mary Poppins, and a beautiful woman who inexplicably loves him? They are both youthfully challenged, and there are doubts as to Jack’s sanitary; De Mensa?  Do they retire into the sunset; not likely; a novel in a retirement home, perhaps? Oh what larks Pip.

Pete, please be serious for a moment, how did you set about writing a trilogy?

I never did, of course it helps if the early part of your writing career is a failure. For me, when book one, Cause and Effect became 180k words, it was time to take stock, but I couldn’t stop. I liked the characters and the narrative, so I started a second book, Irony in the Soul and the story continued, the characters developed and the same thing happened; I stopped and rolled into book three, A Barrow Boy’s Cadenza, and drew a conclusion to an extended narrative.

So now I had three connected books that had a natural ending, et-voila, a trilogy. The luxury was that I could return to all three books and manipulate the narrative introducing hooks and teasers to be resolved late in book 3. I announced to the world that I, a debut author, had written a trilogy, huh? A damp squib reply.

The first Agent response was encouraging, too long but she liked the synopsis. I edited and cut, ruthlessly, and a second Agent (in amongst a flurry of rejections, circa a dozen), said it had real merit and suggested I send to a friend, John Anthony, a retired Publisher. The result was I tightened everything – his comments, especially after book two, were highly influential:

“Cause and Effect is highly impressive…as good an example of its type as I have read for some considerable time, and by focusing on male and female characters fairly equally, you have succeeded in creating a work that appeals to women just as much as men, and because of the edge-of-seat suspense, the vivid characterisation and the sheer innovation and originality of the narrative, I feel this work is one which would lend itself beautifully to a visual medium, film or TV.”

And Urbane is following this up…

Irony in the Soul – “I always read the second book in a trilogy or series with a degree of trepidation, particularly when I enjoyed the first book so much, but you allayed my fears on the very first page.  Objectively, the book can be read as a standalone novel, and you have taken pains to ensure that there is nothing a new reader cannot pick up on, and the plot is one that, though linked to the previous book in the trilogy, is strong and coherent enough to speak for itself, much as the first book does.

And then his comment that led to the extended trilogy…

With the strong characters established, your only problem, as far as I can see, will be in feeding…readers…with more narrative material; once you ignite an appetite, it is not so easy to satiate!

            The catalyst, the challenge, “…more narrative material” and Kind Hearts and Martinets is now established as a trilogy; dilemma.

I was energised to write more, but, I described the books as comedy and this is, apparently, a hard genre to get published, (Urbane said the books were crime thrillers that make you laugh; Eureka). I ineptly self published books one and two, with no clue on marketing, promotion, the importance of getting reviews, but I was out there and people liked my books. I had written book four, Ghost and Ragman Roll, and was well into book 5, Merde and Mandarins, when I signed with Urbane to Publish A Barrow Boy’s Cadenza, book three, and Urbane announced Kind Hearts and Martinets, the trilogy. Get out of that without moving, it was in print, so Kind Hearts eventually became a trilogy in 5 parts, I told the world, and as it takes a gazillion years to get a book published, upon publication, I had written book six, The Duchess of Friesian Tun, so, that became an Epilogue.

The important thing for me, was, I had time to manipulate the narrative so that events in subsequent novels could resolve conundrums inserted into earlier books; a ‘series’ of coherent books is therefore written, but, called forever “a trilogy”.

So, what is your recommendation Pete?

A trilogy or series will occur naturally, and if you are several books ahead of the Publisher, you can manipulate the narrative, and subliminal plot complexities can be enjoyed, revelled in, and resolved later.

Thanks Pete, is that it?

No, I’m just finishing book 8, and here is the relevant part, I realised that not only did this story need a new beginning, it also needed a whole new book before it, and I could do that because I was under no pressure…and then, dramatically, I realise whilst writing this, I have burned the porridge, producing an inedible cereal (not a trilogy); and there you have it, a trilogy in six parts, with cherries and porridge, and two to follow; are they connected? You will have to wait and see.

It’s tough at the coalface of writing then?

Who you calling coal face…?

Thanks Pete (sigh…).

If you dare, you can find out more about Pete by following him on Twitter, visiting his Facebook page or his blog. In the mean time, I’m off for a lie down!

 

 

Having recently met the lovely author, I’m very pleased to be supporting Brook Cottage Books in highlighting the brilliant thriller by Sheryl Browne – ‘The Edge of Sanity‘. You can buy ‘The Edge of Sanity‘ here in the UK and here in the US. You also have an opportunity to win an e-copy of ‘Edge of Sanity’ or another of Sheryl’s books, ‘Death Sentence‘ at the bottom of this blog post.

All you need to know about

The Edge of Sanity

 

THE EDGE OF SANITY BY SHERYL BROWNE

Title of Book: The Edge of Sanity

Genre: Thriller/Psychological thriller/Crime thriller

Release Date: 29^th April 2014

Publisher:  Safkhet Publishing

The Edge of Sanity – How far would YOU go to protect your family?

A decent, ordinary man, a man who has already suffered the loss of one child, Daniel Conner is forced by extraordinary circumstances into being a hero. Tortured, forcibly drugged—heroin still pulsating nauseatingly through his veins—his wife and daughter degraded, Daniel knows their kidnapper is beyond reasoning with. But does being pushed one step beyond endurance justify doing the unthinkable?

High on drugs, indebted to his supplier, and desperate, Charlie Roberts takes Daniel’s wife and daughter hostage. Daniel does everything within his power to rescue the situation bloodlessly. Eventually though, Daniel realises that with or without violent mood swings induced by amphetamines and cocaine, Charlie Roberts is a psychopath. He wants more than Daniel’s money.

He wants him.

The Edge of Sanity: a harrowing story of hope amid loss and betrayal.

Watch the video promotional here and find out more about this chilling read.

Shortlisted for the Crime, Thrillers & Mystery SpaSpa Book Award for books published in 2014.

 

 ABOUT SHERYL BROWNE

Heartache, humour, love, loss & betrayal, Sheryl Browne brings you edgy, sexy, poignant fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and shortlisted for the Best Romantic e-book Love Stories Award 2015, Sheryl has seven books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies

Sheryl’s new contemporary romance novel was recommended to the publisher by the WH Smith Travel fiction buyer. THE REST OF MY LIFE comes to you from award winning Choc Lit.

You can find out more about Sheryl Browne on her Website, by following her on Twitter  and on Facebook. You’ll find all her books here in the UK and here in the US. Sheryl is also on Pinterest.

You might also like to see: Loveahappyending Lifestyle, Safkhet Publishing, Choc Lit and Romantic Novelists’ Association

 

 

 GIVEAWAY

Enter to win an e-copy of either ‘Death Sentence’ or ‘Edge of Sanity’ by clicking here.

I’d like to wish a very happy publication day for the action-packed, gripping conspiracy thriller Last Prophecy of Rome by Iain King. Iain’s first novel Secrets of the Last Nazi came out last year and caused a storm and got some fabulous reviews. Published by Bookouture today, 28th January 2016, Last Prophecy of Rome is available in e-book on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

I’m delighted to be hosting a guest post from Iain below where he asks if modern society could go the way of ancient Rome.

About Last Prophecy of Rome

An ancient empire. A terrifying threat to the World’s Superpower. Only one man can stop it. 

ROME: Maverick military historian Myles Munro is on holiday with girlfriend and journalist Helen Bridle. He’s convinced a bomb is about to be detonated at the American Embassy.

NEW YORK: A delivery van hurtling through Wall Street, blows up, showering the sky with a chilling message: America is about to be brought down like the Roman Empire.

Juma, an African warlord, set free by the Arab Spring, plans to make it happen.

When a US Senator is taken hostage, a chilling chain of events begins, and Myles finds himself caught in a race against time to stop Juma. But, he’s not prepared for the shocking truth that the woman he once loved, Juma’s wife, Placidia, has now become a terrorist.

An electrifying edge-of-your-seat thriller that will have you coming back for more.

A Guest Post from Iain King

Could modern society go the way of the Roman Empire?  It’s a greater danger than you might think… And what if a bunch of terrorists were trying to make it happen?  That’s the storyline of my latest book, ‘Last Prophecy of Rome’.

There are huge similarities between modern civilisation in the West and the ancient civilisation of the Western Roman Empire.  From traffic congestion, to budget deficits, to military quagmires in the Middle East: so many of the difficulties we face today were once big issues for Rome, too.

There’s a lot we can learn from Rome, and its many mistakes.  And it’s especially important, because Rome fell.

Why did Rome fall?  Well, there are more than two hundred theories on that.  (In my book, the hero finds clues in Edward Gibbon’s masterpiece, ‘The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’ – it’s still one of the best tomes on the topic.)

The ‘explanation’ which has come to the fore most recently is migration.  Many of the barbarians who raided Rome in 410 AD, and ransacked the city much more brutally in 455 AD, were people who today we might call migrants or refugees.  The fate of ancient Rome was even cited by the Dutch Prime Minister, when he was arguing for a block on refugees entering his country.

In fact, for the many centuries it was ascendant, Rome welcomed immigrants, and encouraged them to become citizens.  Several of Rome’s most effective emperors – men like Hadrian and Diocletion – were from families which had just joined the empire; the equivalent of today’s ethnic minorities.

But by the 370s, factors beyond the Empire – including mass starvation on the Steppe and brutality in East Asia – were driving whole tribes to Europe.  The plight of these people is tragically similar to the many thousands leaving Syria and Iraq today, desperately trying to reach safety in Europe.

Rome’s handling of this challenge was catastrophic.  They corralled the new arrivals into internment camps, where many froze or starved.  In one famous anecdote, Roman soldiers bought the daughters of immigrants for meat – many refugee girls were traded for just a single dog.  The tribes fought back, and defeated the Romans in battle – most famously at Adrianople in 376AD.  Exactly one century later, the Roman Empire was no more.

So could terrorists destroy modern society, just as barbarians destroyed the Roman Empire?  The lesson from history is that it will depend on how we respond.

I dedicated ‘Last Prophecy of Rome’ to the 5,230 refugees who died on their journeys last year, and the book tries to show how we need to be compassionate to the desperate people fleeing their countries.

Many aspects of Roman life were terribly cruel.  They showed cruelty to the many thousands of refugees who sought sanctuary within their borders, and eventually had that cruelty returned in kind.

Modern Western society differs because we have a much greater capacity to be humane.

The lesson from Rome is that, to survive, we may need to prove that we care.

——————

About Iain King

Iain King has worked in warzones, politics, teaching and journalism. In Afghanistan he served alongside both of Britain’s most senior casualties, and in more frontline bases than any other civilian. He is one of the youngest people ever to be made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE).

Once a student at Oxford University and later a Fellow
at Cambridge, he has given talks at the UK’s Defence Academy and lectures to the Royal United Services Institute. He now leads the UK Government’s research unit on conflict, and writes a column about military history for a popular monthly magazine. Iain King has also been a professional speechwriter for high-profile figures, a journalist, and a report writer to the UN Security Council.

He is already the author of two very successful non-fiction books, Peace at Any Price: How the World Failed Kosovo, and How to Make Good Decisions and Be Right All the Time. The Myles Munro books are his first works of fiction.

Iain wrote his first novel Secrets of the Last Nazi almost entirely in secret – a double- life he kept from both his wife and children, and his employers and coworkers – until just days before publication, when a friend accidently broke his cover with an innocuous post on Facebook, which caused mayhem.

You can follow Iain on Facebook, on his blog and on Twitter

 

I’m delighted to be part of the Brook Cottage Books’ celebrations of ‘While I was Waiting‘ by Georgia Hill. Published by Harper Impulse in e-book and paperback, you can buy ‘While I was Waiting’ on both Amazon UK and Amazon US. I have a review of this lovely historical/time-slip romance below and you also have the opportunity to win a print copy of the book in a competition open internationally at the bottom of this blog post.

About ‘While I Was Waiting‘

 

 

Tired of her life in London, freelance illustrator Rachel buys the beautiful but dilapidated Clematis Cottage and sets about creating the home of her dreams. But tucked away behind the water tank in the attic and left to gather dust for decades, is an old biscuit tin containing letters, postcards and a diary. So much more than old scraps of paper, these are precious memories that tell the story of Henrietta Trenchard-Lewis, a love lost in the Great War and the girl who was left behind.

 My review of ‘While I was Waiting’ by Georgia Hill

I really enjoyed reading ‘While I was Waiting‘ and found that both the sections about Hetty, from her first person point of view and those about Rachel written in the third person held equal weight and attraction. Indeed, there were resonances that echoed from Hetty through Rachel’s narrative that tied the two together perfectly. Although initially I preferred the story when it was set in Rachel’s timeline, I was soon seduced by the writing into enjoying both equally.

Georgia Hill managed to convey the First World War era perfectly, especially through Hetty’s letters and diary and as my Grandfather served in WWI and my Grandmother told me about attending her first ball in 1906 I found these passages particularly touching. Hetty’s diary and letter writing was pitched just right to convey her era as well as pleasing the modern reader.

The romantic elements were beautifully handled without gratuitous detail but with convincing and engaging realism. I fell in love with Gabe a little bit myself! I found all the characterisation very effective, partly because Georgia Hill writes dialogue so naturally so that it’s like listening to real conversation. There is just a hint of the supernatural throughout too which adds another layer of interest for the reader.

I thought there was an excellent sense of place in Georgia Hill’s writing. The descriptions of Herefordshire were highly evocative so that I could picture the views from Rachel’s cottage very clearly.

The plot works so well, drawing together the resolution of both Hetty and Rachel’s stories in symmetry. Both prologue and epilogue serve to provide a symmetry and balance to the narrative.

‘While I was Waiting’ is a lovely romantic and historical read. I thoroughly enjoyed every word.

ABOUT GEORGIA HILL

I used to live in London, where I worked in the theatre. Then I got the bizarre job of teaching road safety to the U.S. navy – in Marble Arch!

A few years ago, I did an ‘Escape to the Country’. I now live in a tiny Herefordshire village, where I scandalise the neighbours by not keeping ‘country hours’ and being unable to make a decent pot of plum jam. Home is a converted Oast house (Old agricultural building used for drying hops), which I share with my two beloved spaniels, husband (also beloved) and a ghost called Zoe.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel widely, though prefer to set my novels closer to home. Perhaps more research is needed? I’ve always wanted to base a book in the Caribbean!

I am addicted to Belgian chocolate, Jane Austen and, most of all, Strictly Come Dancing.

AUTHOR LINKS

Follow Georgia Hill on Facebook, on Twitter, on Pinterest and her website.

GIVEAWAY

To have the chance of winning a print copy of the ‘While I was Waiting’ (Open Internationally), click here. Good luck!