It’s always a pleasure being part of a book’s new life and I’m thrilled to participate in the cover reveal for Gill Paul’s latest novel, A Beautiful Rival.

I adore Gill’s writing and she has featured on Linda’s Book Bag several times. Most recently I reviewed The Manhattan Girls here.

I reviewed Gill’s The Collector’s Daughter for My Weekly’s online magazine in a post you’ll find here.

Previously Gill featured on Linda’s Book Bag when I reviewed The Lost Daughter here, and Gill wrote a superb guest post here. I reviewed The Second Marriage here too.

So you can see why I’m so excited about A Beautiful Rival. Let’s find out more:

A Beautiful Rival

The world is at war, but on the gilded streets of Fifth Avenue, New York, a battle of a different kind is brewing…

New York, 1915.
Elizabeth Arden has been New York’s golden girl since her beauty salon opened its famous red door five years prior. Against all odds, she’s built an empire.

Enter Helena Rubinstein: ruthless, revolutionary – and the rival Elizabeth didn’t bargain for.

With both women determined to succeed – no matter the personal cost – a battle of beauty is born. And as the stakes increase, so do the methods: poaching employees, planting spies, copying products, hiring ex-husbands.

But as each woman climbs higher, so too does what she stands to lose.

Because the greater the height, the harder the fall…

In this stunning new novel, internationally bestselling author Gill Paul reveals the unknown history of cosmetic titans Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein and their infamous rivalry that spanned not only decades, but also broken marriages, personal tragedies, and a world that was changing dramatically for women – perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Dinah Jefferies and Karen Swan.

****

Doesn’t that sound fabulous?

Published by Harper Collins on August 31^st in the UK, Australia and NZ, and September 5^th in the US, A Beautiful Rival is available for pre-order as follows in these links: US, UK, Australia and NZ.

About Gill Paul

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in the twentieth century and often writing about the lives of real women. Her novels have topped bestseller lists in the US and Canada as well as the UK and have been translated into twenty languages. The Secret Wife has sold over half a million copies and is a book-club favourite worldwide.

You can follow Gill on Twitter @GillPaulAUTHOR, visit her website and find her on Instagram and Facebook for more information.

This month’s U3A book group choice was Into the Water by Paula Hawkins and I’m very pleased to share my review today as I simply didn’t get time last week when we had our meeting.

Into the Water was published by Penguin way back in 2017 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Into the Water

The addictive new psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller and global phenomenon.

In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn’t pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help.

Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind.

But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped.

And most of all she’s afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool . . .

With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, satisfying read that hinges on the stories we tell about our pasts and their power to destroy the lives we live now.

My Review of Into the Water

Nel has drowned. 

Into the Water is an absolute maelstrom of a book. Reading it is akin to being in an eddying whirlpool where you hardly know which way is up. There’s a primeval sense of threat, of evil and deception running through the pages so that every character feels like an unreliable narrator and truth is difficult to grasp. Having seen the character list at the start of the book I was filled with dismay because I feared I’d be unable to keep tabs on who was whom. This didn’t happen. They all felt distinct and equally unlikeable, untrustworthy and fascinating. 

The plot is as sinuous and fast flowing as any river and I think what works so effectively in Into the Water is the sense of human powerlessness in the face of water’s power and our obsession with its ability to harm and heal. Paula Hawkins weaves together the iterative image of water; fluid truth, release and death incredibly skilfully. If the reader substitutes the word ‘truth’ for ‘water’, the complex cleverness of the book becomes even more apparent.

Although the fast paced plot revolves around the motif of water and events at the Drowning Pool over several centuries, spiced by an undercurrent of the supernatural through Nickie, it is human relationships, particularly that between Jules and Nel, that make Into the Water such a gripping read. Our assumptions about the lives of others, our mis-interpretation of their words and actions, our overlaying of societal norms and expectations are just some of the themes Paula Hawkins explores. There are dark and disturbing aspects that add to the sense of menace highly effectively. I thought the way Nel is at the heart of the action even though she is dead was deftly handled too. 

I found Into the Water an unpleasantly mesmerising and gripping read. I think it will probably divide readers but as I’m about the only person who has neither read Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train nor seen the film, I came to Into the Water with no expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

About Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing fiction. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has been a global phenomenon, selling 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over forty languages, it has been a No.1 bestseller around the world and was a No.1 box office hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Into the Water, her second stand-alone thriller, was also a global No.1 bestseller, spending twenty weeks in the Sunday Times hardback fiction Top 10 bestseller list, and six weeks at No.1.

For further information, visit Paula’s website or find her on Instagram.

It’s a little over a year since I stayed in with P N Johnson to hear all about his thriller Killer in the Crowd in a post you’ll find here. Today, as his latest thriller, Run to the Blue is released, Phil has kindly allowed me to share an extract with Linda’s Book Bag readers.

Run to the Blue is published by Burning Chair today, 14th April 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Run to the Blue

Run to the Blue is a fast moving thriller set in London, Suffolk and the beautiful Greek Islands. There are secrets and lies, killers and spies!

….Breaking News!… TV reporter Tess Anderson is on the run – her husband’s affair with a Government Ministerhas been exposed and a London crime boss has ordered her death. She was last seen in the Greek islands with a mysterious American yachtsman….more follows….

An Extract from Run to the Blue

I was dreaming of him and those precious hours we’d spent together in Two Rock Bay. How we swam from the boat in the early summer sun, the glistening water forming droplets on wet, naked skin. The astounding revelation of who he really was…

Then I opened my eyes and came back to reality. As I crawled into consciousness, I could make out the now familiar sound of Greek being spoken outside the room. In amongst the rapid-fire words, I picked out my own name: Tess Anderson. The constant blip from the monitor by the bed became uncomfortably loud as I fought the pain and eased myself up on the pillows. Snatches of what had happened were seeping back. I looked out of the window, the only relief from the stark white walls of the hospital room, to see the beckoning blue sky and sense the rising heat of the Corfu sun.

Slowly, I eased myself up a little further. Every part of me seemed to hurt. I caught a glimpse of a stranger in the mirror above the sink: was that really me? There was dried blood on my cropped, newly blonde hair. When I raked my fingers through it, I saw my nails were broken, my wrists were bruised. I looked down at my legs, scarred by raised, red cuts. I clasped my hands together, wishing I was holding his.

I needed answers. I manoeuvred myself out of bed as carefully as I could and sat down on the side of it, trying to make sense of those last few days… Who were my betrayers and who were my friends? What had really happened last night? Had he died too? Whatever the answers, I knew it wasn’t over yet. I was still in danger.

There was a knock on the door. A doctor walked in, accompanied by a policewoman. Grave-faced, they stared at me as I waited, in silence, for them to tell me the news I was desperate to hear.

****

No! You can’t just leave us dangling like that Phil. I now need to know exactly what happens…

About PN Johnson

As a TV Newsreader, Reporter and Producer for both BBC East and ITV Anglia, Phil Johnson covered everything from tracking down criminals in Spain and going on high-octane police chases, to interviewing pop stars, politicians and celebrities.

Phil was also the face and voice of Crimestoppers in the eastern region for many years and created the successful TV series: “999 Frontline”.

Now living near Norwich, England, Phil loves music, travelling, walking, and sailing, and bringing exciting new characters with amazing stories to the page.

For further information, follow Phil on Twitter @PhilJohnson01. You can also find Phil on Facebook and Instagram.

My enormous thanks to Sophie Ransom for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for No Place To Hide by JS Monroe and for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review. I’m delighted to share that review today.

Published by Head of Zeus today, 13th April 2023, No Place to Hide is available for purchase in all the usual places including here.

No Place to Hide

You might be paranoid, but that doesn’t mean they’re not watching you.

Adam lives a picture-perfect life: happy marriage, two young children, and a flourishing career as a doctor. But Adam also lives with a secret. Hospital CCTV, strangers’ mobile phones, city traffic cameras – he is convinced that they are all watching him, recording his every move. All because of something terrible that happened at a drunken party when he was a medical student.

Only two other people knew what happened that night. Two people he’s long left behind. Until one of them, Clio – Adam’s great unrequited love – turns up on his doorstep, and reignites a sinister pact twenty-four years in the making…

No Place to Hide is a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together the dark web, murder, and blackmail…

My Review of No Place to Hide

Adam’s life is in free fall. 

I absolutely loved No Place to Hide because it’s effective, alarming and gripping as a result of the fast paced chapters, the mix of first and third person with Adam at the centre, and the brilliant motif of Marlowe’s Dr Faustus woven so intelligently throughout. I thought naming Adam after the first man was a stroke of genius too because it adds to the sensation of temptation, threat and danger.

There’s a creepy, almost distasteful atmosphere that permeates the narrative set in 1998 so effectively that the reader feels almost as tainted by it as those who come into contact with Louis seem contaminated. I thought this effect was quite brilliant. Once the two time scales intertwine then the same effect occurs in Adam’s present too, making for an affecting and disturbing story. 

The characters are so well drawn. Adam shows how one wrong decision or careless moment can shape a whole life – or indeed a whole death and illustrates how easily we can be manipulated. Clio is enigmatic with a potent mix of sexual power and vulnerability so that the reader is as unsure of her integrity as Adam is, and Louis is both Faustian and Shakespearean in his malevolence, his manipulation of others and his hubris. These people become a heady cocktail of danger and threat.

I loved the exploration of the Big Brother concept. I don’t want to spoil the story for others, but J.S. Monroe will have you looking carefully at the world around you and wondering just who is watching you. Indeed, I think a decade ago I would have found this element almost science fiction, but now the reality and potential of this deftly plotted and exciting novel is all too possible, making it scary and believable. 

Other themes within the story are perfectly balanced. There’s the mundane nature of Adam’s life as he and Tania navigate marriage with two small and demanding children, pitched against darker themes of mental health, the media, trust and morality. Class, profession and education all play their part too so that No Place to Hide appeals broadly and relevantly. 

I thought No Place to Hide was superb. It held me captivated throughout and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It’s an excellent read.

About JS Monroe

JS Monroe, is the author of five psychological thrillers, including the international bestseller, Find Me. Under his own name, he has written five spy novels, one of which, Dead Spy Running, was optioned by Warner Bros. He is currently the Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford.

After more than 25 years in journalism, including two stints as Weekend editor of the Telegraph, and working as a foreign correspondent in New Delhi, Jon became full-time author in 2015.

Jon lives in Wiltshire with his wife, Hilary Stock, a fine art photographer, and is on the committee of Marlborough LitFest.

For more information, visit J.S. Monroe’s website, follow him on Twitter @JSThrillers or find him on Instagram and Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

What a pleasure to be reviewing The Love Algorithm by Claudia Carroll for My Weekly online today. I’ve long been meaning to read Claudia Carroll’s writing and this gave me the perfect opportunity.

If you pick up a copy of this week’s My Weekly magazine you’ll also find a short story, The Unexpected Date, written by Claudia.

Published by Bonnier imprint Zaffre in paperback on 30th March 2023, The Love Algorithm is available for purchase here.

The Love Algorithm

True love is only just a swipe away? Right?

Iris lives by numbers. The only thing missing from her perfectly calibrated life is a partner – and not for lack of trying. After decades of disappointment, Iris practically has a PhD in online dating. But something still eludes her: that unquantifiable spark.

Kim is too busy being the life of the party to look for love. Her terrible dates make great stories for her friends and co-workers, as long as she’s not caught by her tyrannical boss, Iris.

Connie, Kim’s recently widowed mum, is single for the first time since the 1970s. The dating game has changed a lot since her day . . .

Sick of being let down, Iris takes matters into her own hands – using her analytical skills to create the first real formula for love. With Kim and Connie on board, they launch Analyzed, a dating app like no other.

As Analyzed takes the world by storm, are the three women in over their heads? Is love really just a numbers game?

My Review of The Love Algorithm

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

However, I can say that The Love Algorithm is entertaining, witty and has lashings of sassy humour in a narrative I really enjoyed.

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

About Claudia Carroll

Claudia was born in Dublin, where she still lives and writes full-time. The only job she reckons, where you can stay in your manky track suit all day, look out the window and still get paid. However, even on the bad days when she honestly feels like flinging the computer up against a wall, she still considers this by a mile The Best Job Ever.

Claudia is the proud author of bestselling novels, including Meet Me in Manhattan, Love Me or Leave Me, Me and You, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow and Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother.

For further information, follow Claudia on Twitter @carrollclaudia, Facebook, and Instagram.

Cesca Major’s The Silent Hours was one of the first books I ever reviewed on Linda’s Book Bag (here) and I’ve loved her writing ever since – in all her pen names. It’s far too long since I featured Cesca on the blog so I was thrilled to be invited to participate in the blog tour for her latest book Maybe Next Time. My huge thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part. I’m delighted to share my review today.

Maybe Next Time was published by Harper Collins on 30th March 2023 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Maybe Next Time

Even the greatest love stories end. But what if this one didn’t have to?

Emma is having the worst day of her life. Frustrating. Chaotic. And the only person who could make it better is gone by the
end of the day.

Yet even worse than all of that: Emma keeps waking up to the same day, over and over again.

But what if this is a sign things could be different? Can Emma change the heartbreaking end to this love story?

My Review of Maybe Next Time

It’s Monday for Emma – again!

Maybe Next Time is an astonishing novel. At the start I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it, as it took me a while to realise how brilliantly it had been constructed. Once I’d settled into the rhythm of the narrative and had been dealt the first huge emotional blow I understood what a special book this is. 

I absolutely loathed Emma for the early part of the story. I wanted to climb into the pages of Maybe Next Time and shake her until her teeth rattled. Why? Because Cesca Major made her completely convincing, totally relatable and far too close to home for comfort! Emma has a husband and children and yet allows work and commitments to seep so far into her psyche that she loses sight of what is important in life. Hers is a lifestyle many, many readers will understand and relate to so uncomfortably and it’s this aspect of the story that makes it almost unbearably emotional. With one skilful moment in the narrative Cesca Major turned me from loathing Emma to wanting the very best for her. Indeed, I loved the characterisation because I found my assumptions about both Emma and Dan were challenged and changed as their personalities and lives were gradually revealed. There’s a kaleidoscopic shifting sand of understanding that somehow makes the reader as much a character as any of the others in the book because they change too as they read. This really is an affecting narrative.

The plot is so cleverly structured, with certain repetitions that emulate to perfection what Emma is experiencing. With Maybe Next Time billed as a kind of Groundhog Day, I thought it was so much more. Whilst Emma relives the same day continuously, the exploration of marriage, family, grief, friendship, work life balance and the need to listen to others with true focus, all combine to make this a textured, heart-wrenching story that gets under the skin of the reader and leaves them reeling. There’s also a fascinating insight into the world of publishing and I loved the nod Cesca Major’s other pen names!

Whether or not Maybe Next Time appeals to another reader as much as it did to me (because I absolutely loved it), there is no doubting that it will change their lives. This is a book that certainly moves and entertains, but equally it illustrates the fragility of life and how important it is to engage fully with those we love and to be the best version of ourselves we possibly can. Cesca Major has created a world that is scarily possible for any one of us to experience at any time. She has also illustrated what it means to have deep and abiding love for someone else.

Maybe Next Time breaks your heart but mends it too and it’s a shining example of a story written by someone who understands humanity and displays compassion and love with absolute perfection. I adored it.

About Cesca Major

Cesca Major is a novelist and screenwriter. She runs writing retreats and coaching throughout the year, is a mentor for Black Girl Writers and has taught creative writing for Jericho Writers and Henley School of Art. She blogs and vlogs about the writing process on her social channels.
Cesca has written under pseudonyms in other genres and has been nominated for both the RNA’s Romantic Comedy Award and the
CWA Gold Dagger Award.
She lives in Berkshire with her husband, son and twin girls.

Billed by The Times as ‘… a talent to watch’ you can find out more about Cesca by visiting her website, finding her on Facebook or following her on Instagram and Twitter @CescaMajor.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

It’s a couple of years since I reviewed three children’s book from EK in a post you’ll find here. Today I’m taking a look at three more – Anchored by Debra Tidball and illustrated by Arielle Li, Mama’s Chickens by Michelle Worthington and illustrated by Nicky Johnston and Easy Peasy by Ky Garvey and illustrated by Amy Calautti.

My enormous thanks to Kirsten Knight for sending them from the EK Children’s Books range. I’m delighted to review them all and with Easter coming up, these books would make smashing gifts as an alternative to chocolate.

All the books are available for purchase directly from EK Books.

General Views

What I find so attractive about EK Children’s books is that they are the perfect size for sharing with individual or groups of children and the hard back versions are always presented with strong, robust and durable covers that will withstand much use. The end papers are always as beautiful, vibrant or relevant as the rest of the illustrations.

Heading to the EK website will give teachers and group leaders teaching notes and the opportunity to find readalongs and other related material, making the books very good value for money.

An aspect that I find remarkably touching as well as giving me confidence in the books is that many of the themes explored are those directly experienced by the authors themselves.

Anchored

In this sensitive tale, Tug and Ship are connected by bonds of love despite being oceans apart. In a world where so many parents are separated from their children for periods of time due to work and/or living arrangements, sometimes the sense of attachment can feel a little vulnerable. Anchored is a reassuring book, reminding children that their attachment with their parents/caregivers can sustain time apart: they are firmly anchored in each other’s hearts.

Anchored will be published on 27th April and is available here.

My Review of Anchored

Tug misses Ship.

Oh for goodness sake! I really should be reduced to tears by a book aimed at 4-8 year olds but Anchored brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye because it is a beautiful and sensitive exploration of what it is like to be lonely and to miss someone.

The story is simple as Ship sails off leaving Tug working, but the message is universal and strong. As long as we take a piece of someone in our hearts they are always with us. I think Anchored would be perfect for children new to school and feeling a little out of place or lost. Teachers could share the story and give those children huge comfort as well as making them realise they are not alone in their feelings. It also shows that even though someone is much bigger, like Ship, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are braver or stronger.

The language in the story is pitched to perfection. There are so many learning opportunities here. The narrative models the structure of direct speech for example, and the efficacy of ellipsis in writing, with similes and adjectives used with a lightness of touch. There are opportunities for project work too as children might research and discover the kinds of places ship visits.

It’s also vital to acknowledge the way the illustrations enhance the narrative as they really do add depth and emotion.

I thought Anchored was totally brilliant and cannot recommend it highly enough.

About Debra Tidball

Debra Tidball is an award-winning author of picture books, short stories, poems and plays for children. With social work and children’s literature qualification, Debra is a children’s book enthusiast with a particular passion for picture books and the profound way they can touch children’s lives.

For further information, visit Debra’s website and find her on Instagram and Facebook or follow Debra on Twitter @debratidball.

About Arielle Li

Arielle Li is a Taiwanese-Australian illustrator based in Australia with a compelling new style. She has been passionate about creating art from a young age, and has been pursuing illustration as a career since 2019.

For further information, follow Arielle on Twitter @arielle_art, visit her website or find Arielle on Instagram.

Mama’s Chickens

Award-winning author Michelle Worthington uses backyard chickens to give us a child’s-eye view of early-onset dementia. As Mama loves and cares for her chickens, her kids learn lessons about disability and acceptance. Children will relate to the endearing chickens, while the author uses her own experience to depict early-onset dementia in a realistic but age-appropriate way. Dementia doesn’t only affect the elderly; this story shines a supportive, much-needed light on a reality many families face.

Mama’s Chickens will be published on 11th April and is available here.

My Review of Mama’s Chickens

Mama has chickens to care for.

What a lovely story. Mama’s Chickens can be enjoyed as a simple narrative but equally it can be used to exemplify what happens when someone we love, and who loves us, begins to lose their memory or suffer dementia. Indeed, both the writing and the illustrations have a literal and metaphorical meaning so that book is a sensitive exploration of a difficult theme. It would be a wonderful aid in school or, perhaps even more, in the home where such a topic can be difficult to broach with and be understand by young children. There’s a real poignancy here as the illustrations show that Mama is still young so that adults and children alike come to realise that dementia and memory loss are not confined to the elderly.

Aside from this very important theme, Mama’s Chickens can be used to explore other aspects of family life. There’s the acquisition of pets and looking after them, doing things together like crafts that might form the catalyst for young readers to try out new hobbies and a lovely message that despite how anyone might sometimes behave, it doesn’t mean that love isn’t still present.

I think Mama’s Chickens is a vital addition to books for children in a world where there are increasing young carers and emotional intelligence is needed all the more. It’s a super book.

About Michelle Worthington

Michelle Worthington is an international award-winning author, screenwriter and businesswoman. Shortlisted twice for the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s picture book of the year, two-time winner of the International Book Award and finalist in the USA Best Book Awards, Michelle also received a Gellett Burgess Award and a Silver Moonbeam Award for her contribution to celebrating diversity in literature. Michelle is dedicated to encouraging a strong love of reading and writing in young children and enjoys working with charities that support the vision of empowering youth through education.

In 2021, Michelle was diagnosed with Progressive Nonfluent Aphasia (PNFA) which is a form of dementia. It is a clinical syndrome associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration and affects her short-term memory and her ability to speak, read and write. Michelle’s personal experience has given her a passion for educating the public that dementia doesn’t just affect older people.

For further information, visit Micelle’s website or find her on Facebook and Instagram and follow her on Twitter @michelle_author.

About Nicky Johnston

Nicky Johnston is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. She has several bestselling titles published in Australia and overseas, including At the End of Holyrood Lane, The Fix-It Man, Grandma Forgets, The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp, Saying Goodbye to Barkley, This is My Dad, Upside-Down Friday and Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination, all published by EK Books.

Nicky’s illustration style is often described as whimsical, playful, narrative, emotive and colourful. She loves to work in watercolour, ink, pencils and pastel.

As a primary teacher and acclaimed presenter, Nicky’s love of books sees her thoroughly enjoy taking illustrator workshops and visiting schools regularly. She is passionate about inspiring young children with a love for reading, writing and drawing, encouraging them to use their imagination and develop their own ideas. Nicky lives by the beach with her husband and four sons.

For further information, visit Nicky’s website, follow her on Twitter @_nickyjohnston, or find Nicky on Facebook and Instagram.

Easy Peasy

Easy Peasy follows Ruby, who has just received sparkly roller skates as a present from her dad. Ruby is convinced it will be easy to learn how to roller skate and dismisses her dad when he offers to help her. But after a few tumbles, Ruby realizes it isn’t as easy as she thinks and that she might need his help after all! Embracing themes of independence, perseverance, and family relationships, Easy Peasy is a fun, engaging story for children learning how to do something for the first time.

Easy Peasy was published on 14th March and is available here.

My Review of Easy Peasy

Ruby has new roller skates.

Easy Peasy is a fun, vibrant story of resilience and perseverance that children will love, enhanced by the cartoon style illustrations that are colourful and humorous, matching the narrative perfectly.

I loved the relationship between Ruby and her dad and appreciated the fact there is no mum in this story as not all households have two conventional parents meaning that the book represents a wide range of society.

The themes are smashing for children to learn. Firstly, Ruby finds that making assumptions – in this case that roller skating is ‘easy peasy’ – isn’t always the best course of action. She also discovers that initial failure, being prepared to listen and be guided and having another go can lead to dramatic success. This is a valuable motif for many aspects of life. Easy Peasy could also be a brilliant way to prompt children to share a skill they have in school oracy work.

The repetition with subtle changes throughout is great for supporting reluctant or emerging independent readers because they will have a sense of achievement in being able to read the story. The balance of text to image also helps this independence, although the story could equally well be shared with larger groups so that they can predict some of the vocabulary and increase their own store of words. Similarly, the illustrations are slightly more mature so that children who struggle with independent reading will not feel belittled. Ruby isn’t an infant, making her highly relatable.

I’d also say that whilst Easy Peasy is a children’s book, there is an important message for adults too. Here we see an adult supporting his daughter as well as allowing her some independence, but above all, he’s doing something with his child rather than simply scrolling through his social media on a phone! What could be better than that?

I think Easy Peasy is a fun, and accessible read that children will really enjoy.

About Ky Garvey

Ky Garvey is a mother to two boys who are both diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. Through her experiences with her boys, she has been inspired to write fun and engaging stories that turn challenges into triumphs. Ky aims to share supportive, inclusive and empowering stories for children.

Ky also writes and hosts the podcast Totally Lit! a monthly podcast celebrating reading, writing and creating literature. The podcast features amazing writers, illustrators and all types of creators of books and stories.

For further information follow Ky on Twitter @ky_garvey, and find her on Facebook and Instagram.

About Amy Calautti

Amy Calautti loved to draw from a young age and often made up games based around drawing to entertain her younger brother and cousins. She now lives with her small tribe of humans who inspire her every day.

Amy’s other books include Turning Cartwheels, Hector and his Highland Dancers, and Mr Ming & the Mooncake Dragon.

For further information visit Amy’s website, follow her on Twitter @amy_calautti, and find Amy on Instagram and Facebook.

My enormous thanks to Sarah Hembrow at Vulpine Press for arranging for me to stay in with Lucinda Hart on The Beautiful Blue publication day. I’m delighted to welcome Lucinda to Linda’s Book Bag.

Let’s find out what Lucinda told me:

Staying in with Lucinda Hart

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

I’m delighted you’ve invited me. Thank you.

Tell me (as if I didn’t know!), which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I would like to share my latest novel The Beautiful Blue. It’s a very personal book for me, and a lot of it is based on my own experiences in dealing with my father’s cancer.

Gosh. That must be very poignant for you Lucinda. What made you choose to write such a book?

I hope The Beautiful Blue will raise awareness for the people who lose their voices from laryngeal cancer and have to learn to breathe and speak again.

It sounds as if your father had an awful time, so what can we expect from an evening in with The Beautiful Blue?

I think it will be an emotional evening for anyone touched by cancer. But this is also a family drama set in Cornwall so expect nostalgia, romance, tragedy and triumphs. In other words, all the things that make up modern life, and which are going on in the background – even when something like cancer appears to blot out all else.

I think that’s the thing with cancer Lucinda. Ordinary life has a habit of carrying on even at the moment we feel it can’t possibly do so. I think The Beautiful Blue sounds highly relatable.

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

If I could I would bring my late father Chris Hart (known as Paddy). He was the bravest man I have ever met. Cancer came back for him again and again and he never gave in. But as I can’t bring him, I’d like to share this picture of him. It was taken only a couple of months before his death.

I’m so sorry he can’t be here in person Lucinda.

I will also bring my two girls, Rafi and Aelfrida. They are my most loyal supporters and, more than anything, I want to make them proud of me.

I imagine they are already immensely proud – and what beautiful names they have.

The book is also about swimming because when you learn to swim you have to learn to breathe in a special way, just as you do with a tracheostomy, so I’ll bring my swimsuit and goggles just in case you have a secret pool hidden in the basement.

I’m afraid I don’t. But there’s a birdbath and a pond if you don’t mind sharing with the frogs and newts.

It’s been lovely finding out about The Beautiful Blue Lucinda and hearing a little about Paddy. Happy publication day and thank you again for being on the blog. Now, if you’d like to change into your swimsuit, I’ll give readers a few more details about The Beautiful Blue.

The Beautiful Blue

HOW many words does it take to end a life?

On a rainswept hallowe’en night two decades ago, it was only five: “She’s there with him now.” These few syllables sealed the fate of Amy Langford, in one cruel moment turning a student navigating love and life into a corpse on a treacherous Cornish road. But who is to blame?

Her cheating boyfriend Olly? Her best friend Chloe? Or Kathryn, the girl he destroyed?

The answer is in the wind until they all return, years later, pulled inextricably back to Cornwall in search of answers. Some remain their old selves, despite the horrors of that night, but one wears a cloak, a new persona crafted like a butterfly from the chrysalis of their past.

Their old teacher, Guy Lovell, and his wife Heather may hold the answer. But just as their lives all begin to converge and they find their voices, Guy loses his, forever. Will the truth make the survivors swim, or drown?

They can only find the answers in The Beautiful Blue.

The Beautiful Blue is published by Vulpine Press today 30th March 2023, and is available for purchase in all the usual places including Fantastic Fiction, Waterstones and Amazon.

About Lucinda Hart

Lucinda Hart grew up in Cornwall and has been writing fiction since the age of three. She has a BA in Fine Art and Creative Writing and a MA in Creative Writing, both from Bath Spa University. The themes in Lucinda’s books are often of great relevance to her. Lucinda’s interest in medicine and surgery means there is often a medical aspect to the stories, something not often talked about (laryngeal cancer, stoma bags, disfiguring skin problems, and plain old age and loss of mobility are some subjects  she has chosen). Lucinda hopes her books might help raise awareness for some of these conditions.

Place is also important; she uses her favourite locations in novels and hopes they will interest the reader as much as they have inspired her. She lives in Cornwall with her two daughters. She is the author of The Broken Air, released 2022.

For further information, follow Lucinda on Twitter @Lucinda_Author, or find her on Facebook and Instagram.