One of the joys of blogging is discovering new, and new to me, authors. When Joseph Mitcham told me about his debut novel I simply had to invite him onto Linda’s Book Bag to tell me more about it. Luckily he agreed to stay in with me, explain more and share an extract.

Staying in with Joseph Mitcham

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Joseph. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

The Watch List is my debut novel, so you’re stuck with that for now! I’m halfway through the first draft of the second book; the next in the Atrocities Series.

Sounds like an exciting time for you Joseph. Congratulations on your new series. What can we expect from an evening in with The Watch List?

A healthy dose of intensity from a story told in a harsh reality. It’s a hard-hitting military techno-thriller that explores what might happen if the UK Terror Watch List got into the hands of a group of well-trained Service veterans. I’ve taken insights from my own service to give the book an edge of authenticity that seems to be hitting the right notes with others who’ve served – this makes great reading for those who haven’t (so I’m learning from my reviews).

Oh – this sounds like an exciting version of write what you know. Tell me more.

The book is gritty and detailed when it comes to the meat of the story, but if you make it through the first chapter – you’ll be all right! The real tough part of the book is the ethical battle that the team is faced with, particularly for Alex, the lead character who is a thoughtful kind of guy. I’m proud of the fact that my ‘hero’ is not your typical ‘warrior type’, he is the sensitive soldier; I found this a key factor in making the book credible and original. I have gone to lengths to communicate how battle situations don’t come naturally to all soldiers, even some of the ex-special forces characters in the book.

I think we tend to forget that our service people are just that – people. 

I’ve been blown away by some of the feedback that I’ve had in reviews. Key themes are that The Watch List is gripping, ‘unputdownable’ – many readers have finished it in one or two sittings. Others comment on the level of realism and how it has opened their minds to the current terror situation.

You must be thrilled to have that kind of reaction. The Watch List certainly sounds a fabulous read to me and I’m delighted to have it on my TBR.

What else have you brought along and why?

I’ve brought a few Jamiroquai and Moby albums that are perfect for a couple of the lighter chapters in the book, and they’ll be comforting whilst reading the gnarly bits! I’ve got a photo of a buddy on mine who was killed in tour whilst we were deployed in Afghanistan, 2006; his death taught me an immense amount about soldiering and this is reflected in the book. I had to bring a bottle of quince gin to toast a good evening’s read – have you got any tonic?

I have Joseph. I’ve never tried quince gin so I think it would be perfect to toast your colleague too. You pour the drinks whilst I tell everyone a bit more about The Watch List. Thank you so much for staying in and telling me more about it.

The Watch List

Sixty-eight dead and nearly three hundred injured in a hostile vehicle and bomb attack on a community festival in Birmingham, the country is in shock.

Battling the mental turmoil of the aftermath, Alex, a former Army communications specialist, stumbles across the UK Terror Watch List – he cannot resist the challenge of stealing the list from under the nose of his contract supervisor, Lucy Butler, a razor sharp and headstrong Intelligence Corps corporal with big ambitions.

Wrestling with his conscience and the ethics of tackling unconvicted suspects, Alex enlists the help of famed former UK Special Forces Warrant Officer, Craig Medhurst. Alex struggles to win the respect of Craig’s core team, but together they hatch a daring plan to act on their selected targets. Can Alex use his charm to persuade Corporal Butler to join them?

The Watch List is available for purchase here and in case that has whetted your appetite, here’s an extract for you to enjoy:

An Extract From The Watch List

{BEGINNING OF} CHAPTER 12 – A PINT

“Are you sure you’re up to this mentally, Alex? There’s no shame in walking away and leaving us to it you know mate; we’ve got plenty of communications experts in our network.”

“No way.” Alex says, not quite convincingly. “I know that this project is what I want. Every time I see footage of the Birmingham victims, those poor kids – no, this needs to happen and I’ll be proud to be a part of it.”

“It does Alex, and it will, but that’s not what I asked, I asked if you were up to it. There’s no shame if you’re not. I’ve seen the toughest of guys crumble mentally when their hearts are not completely in something as challenging as this.”

“You don’t think I’m up to it?”

“Listen Alex, it doesn’t matter what I think, there’s no way I can judge, it’s for you to decide.”

“Can’t a man of your experience tell who’s got the minerals and who hasn’t?”

“All I know is that you’re untested in that way Alex. Even if you’d been through the mill like me and my boys, that’s still no guarantee.” Craig looks into his pint glass thoughtfully.

“You’ve been caught by surprise before then?”

Craig lowers his voice further, “Listen, I’ve seen some of the worst action encountered by my former regiment, which by definition, is about the worst that anyone anywhere could have been exposed to, so I have difficulty in understanding why others, including some of my closest comrades, have succumbed to mental health dramas, PTSD and all that. I don’t pretend to understand it and I don’t judge, not anymore.”

“That sounds like a hard lesson learned?” Alex says whilst trying to make eye contact, but Craig is solemn, with his head down firmly over his pint.

“I saw it first hand when my best mate committed suicide shortly after leaving the service.”

“Oh Craig, I’m sorry.”

My best mate, Gaz, flung himself down the stairwell in his swanky flat, leaving himself hanging a couple of feet off the floor in his living-room. The cleaner found him the next day.”

“And you never saw it coming?”

“I’d known him forever. We met on soldier selection at Pirbright and we went through every stage of our careers together – purely by chance at first, but we became tight in the Anglians and decided to give selection a go together; we made sure that we’d follow the same path – we were like brothers… more than brothers. He was an emotional kind of guy on a different level to me; he’d cry like a baby after every kill – a lot of tears. The years took their toll, forcing him from service before his time, and compounded with the shock of civvy street, it all became too much.”

“Jesus.” Alex doesn’t know what else to say.

“I’ve done some serious soul-searching whilst mourning Gaz, but without tears. I just find myself zoning out thinking about him, and his situation, from time to time. As much as mourning my friend, I’ve had my own internal struggle to come to terms with.” Alex becomes conscious that Craig’s reassuring pep talk is turning into his own counselling session – he is unsure of what to do or say, but carries on listening intently.

“Is there something wrong with me? Why do I feel nothing about the things I’ve seen, done or been exposed to? I have this creeping feeling that there is something deeply wrong with me and that it could spill out at any moment, like it’s in the post and there’s nothing I can do about it. I know myself as an openly emotional person in other ways, I’d get a wobbly chin from a heated exchange in the NAAFI, or a lump in the throat watching DIY SOS, but the dead or dying on the battlefield, even my own men – not a flicker. Something is definitely amiss and there surely must be some sort of mental deficit to be repaid.”

Alex tries to respond with feeling; “I’ve not seen anything like what you’ve seen. One of my mates was killed on tour, but I wasn’t there. Another guy I knew from basic training was killed in a vehicle accident on the area, but things like that happen, they don’t really affect you that badly. I can’t begin to imagine losing close mates the way that you have. To be honest I don’t know what affect our project will have on me. All I know is that I want to be a part of it and that I’m willing to take the consequences of our actions.”

“That’s honourable Alex, but you keep thinking about it.”

The two men turn to their pints for a moment of silence. Alex tries to put his experience in perspective with Craig’s, and struggles to fathom how he must be feeling – the torment that he must wrestle with every night before he goes to sleep. He thinks of how he might cope with the guilt that he may feel for the executed targets, and whether the saving of lives that he expects to achieve from this mission can provide sufficient recompense.

*

(I don’t know about you, but I really want to know what happens here!)

About Joseph Mitcham

Joseph Mitcham served with the British military, in elite and technical units, for over 16 years. His service not only gave him a thorough tactical and technical understanding of some of the techniques and processes employed in his first novel, it also provided him with the opportunity to develop himself, earning a first class honours degree in business leadership.

The inspiration for writing ‘The Watch List’ was taken from personal experiences from the roles that he has served in, and characteristics from some of the people that he has served with.

Joseph has written an incredible, yet compellingly credible story that plays out in our world as he sees it today.

For further information you can follow Joseph on Twitter @MitchamJoseph.

Once again I’m disappointed not to have been able to accommodate a book into my reading schedule. I am, however, delighted to be able to welcome author Chris Waddington to Linda’s Book Bag to tell me about his debut today and I’d like to thank Kelly at Love Books Group for inviting me to participate in this tour.

Staying in with Chris Waddington

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

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?  

The book I have chosen is Coffee Shop Girl. It is my maiden novel and the perfect romantic accompaniment to any evening.

Oh, I think we all need a bit of romance in our lives at the moment don’t we? What can we expect from an evening in with Coffee Shop Girl?

You can expect a frank and funny rollercoaster ride portraying the full gambit of human emotions. A five star Amazon review described it in the following way:- “captivating from the very first line, it is such a well written book which includes all of the key elements you could want from a novel, it’s funny, romantic and heartwarming. I could not put this book down, I read it in one sitting and was fully immersed the whole time. Would recommend 100%.”

You must be thrilled with that response to Coffee Shop Girl Chris. Congratulations. What else have you brought along and why? 

I’d love to have bought the woman who inspired the story, but she’s no longer in my life.

You’ll have to tell me a bit more about that when blog readers have gone Chris!

As my book celebrates romance and the splendour of falling in love I’ve bought along fresh strawberries and a chilled bottle of pink champagne. Also to enhance the ambiance even further I have a classic vinyl album from Elvis containing his finest love songs.

That sounds perfect Chris. I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone here before, but I ‘m rather fond of Elvis’ love songs! Thanks so much for staying in with me. You pour the champagne and I’ll tell Linda’s Book Bag readers a little bit more about Coffee Shop Girl.

Coffee Shop Girl

From a Rocky Balboa quote to ejaculation in two paragraphs and that’s just the first page!

Written from the man’s perspective, Coffee Shop Girl is not your everyday romantic novel. It portrays the hedonistic wonder one feels when falling in love alongside the agony associated with finding it in a hopeless place as aspiring author Ben finds himself captivated with the beautiful but married Alessia.

It delves into the romantic pasts of its two main characters to explain what has bought them to this emotional juncture in their lives.

Engaging, entertaining and punctuated with comedy, Coffee Shop Girl will enthral you from the outset.

Get ready to fall in love with falling in love again.

Coffee Shop Girl is available for purchase here.

About Chris Waddington

Chris Waddington is a father, grandfather, avid Liverpool fan and hopeless romantic. He believes passionately in the power of words. They can bring hope to those in distress, relief to the downtrodden and inspiration to the disillusioned. They’re capable of melting the coldest of hearts. After publishing 12 children’s stories Chris has just released his maiden novel. His one hope (besides a third Wayne’s World movie) is that people enjoy reading it just as much as he did writing it.

You can find more with these other bloggers:

A little earlier this year Chris McDonald stayed in with me to chat all about his debut novel A Wash of Black in a post you can read here. With A Wash of Black achieving rave reviews, today I’m thrilled to be helping reveal the next book in Chris’s Erika Piper series, Whispers in the Dark.

Whispers in the Dark will be published by Red Dog Press in all formats on 14th November 2020 and is available for pre-order here.

Let’s see what Chris has in store for us in Whispers in the Dark:

Whispers in the Dark

Whispers in the Dark

Who will heed the call when Death comes whispering?

Small time drug dealer, Marcus Stone and DCI Clive Burston had never met until one night in August. But by the end of that night, both had been shot dead in a small bedroom in the heart of gang territory.

DI Erika Piper is called to the scene but is at a loss to explain what’s happened. How did these two even meet, let alone end up dead in what appears to be a strange murder-suicide? As Erika leads the investigation, another two bodies are found, killed in a similar fashion. One murder, one suicide. But who is controlling this macabre puppet show?

As Erika delves deeper into the lives of the dead, the pieces begin to fit together and a number of nefarious characters crawl out of the woodwork – one of whom is almost certainly pulling the strings.

A catastrophic event and a personal miracle threaten to derail the investigation. Erika must find the strength to continue, before the whispers catch up with her too…

*

Now doesn’t that sound exciting? And in case you missed details of the first Erika Piper book, A Wash of Black, here they are again:

A Wash of Black

IT’S NOT LIFE THAT IMITATES ART. IT’S DEATH.

Anna Symons. Famous. Talented. Dead.

When the body of a famous actress is found mutilated on an ice rink in Manchester, recreating a scene from a blockbuster film she starred in years ago, DI Erika Piper must find the culprit; the media-dubbed ‘Blood Ice Killer.’

Having recently returned to work after suffering a near fatal attack herself, she must once again prove her worth. But when another body is found, and the killer issues a personal threat, Erika must put her demons aside and crack the case, or suffer the deadly consequences.

Published by Red Dog Books on 4th February, A Wash of Black is available for purchase here and directly from the publisher here.

About Chris McDonald

Originally hailing from the north coast of Northern Ireland and now residing in South Manchester, Chris McDonald has always been a reader. At primary school, The Hardy Boys inspired his love of adventure, before his reading world was opened up by Chuck Palahniuk and the gritty world of crime.

He’s a fan of 5-a-side football, has an eclectic taste in music ranging from Damien Rice to Slayer and loves dogs.

Follow Chris on Twitter @cmacwritescrime and Instagram. You can find him on Facebook too.

You’d have thought that with lockdown I’d have more time to read but sadly this hasn’t been the case and I’m so disappointed not to have been able to get to Mentoring Mr Singleman by Kim Sancreed as I think it looks great and I am glad it’s firmly on my TBR. However, I am thrilled to have an extract from Mentoring Mr Singleman to share today thanks to the team at Bookollective.

Published by Wildword, Mentoring Mr Singleman is available for purchase here.

Mentoring Mr Singleman

A witty, off-beat romance set in Cornwall.

New member of faculty Kate finds herself living below one of her colleagues in a converted engine house on the cliffs. Everyone can see they are made for each other, but he’s a little too in love with his surfing, and she’s a little too focused on her career. Under the merciless gaze of their students, Dave and Kate dance around each other through the highs and lows of a school term.

Will they manage to get out of the way of their own happy ending?

An Extract from Chapter 8 of

Mentoring Mr Singleman by Kim Sancreed.

Dave Singleman is at a weekend house-party – a reunion for a writing course that he attended  back in the summer.

He found his way to the kitchen where a small knot of guests was negotiating a rotation of kettle, toaster, fridge and microwave.

“Morning all. I take it we just help ourselves.”

“Apparently so.” This was Colin, a lean, fit-looking ex-Marine in his early fifties who Dave remembered was writing a novel about mercenaries in Afghanistan. “Candice floated in earlier and waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the fridge and that cupboard, which is where most of the cereals are to be found. There’s bread and pastries in a basket on the table. She’s gone off to walk the dogs.”

Colin moved off with his croissants, walking on the balls of his feet, as if ready at any time to dive for cover. Dave moved to the front of the toaster queue where Marina, who he vaguely recalled was writing something bleak set in a Newcastle abattoir, was nursing a mug of black coffee.

“Any idea how this works?” The toaster had a set of controls that would have graced the dashboard of Howard Hughes’s speedboat.

“You press that one down first – then set the dial, then pop the bread in – there,”

“I don’t think I met Mr Candice last night. Is he here?”

“Henry’s been packed off to town for the weekend. Apparently he’s very understanding.”

“As in, he’s happy to have his home taken over by wannabe writers?”

“As in he and Candice lead parallel lives. I believe there may be others involved.”

“I see.” He paused to absorb this, connected it briefly with the little black number, the smokey, indecent chuckle. “We’re meeting at 11, is that right?”

“That’s the plan. Circle time to share where we’re all at with our writing, then free time until supper at 7, and after that we read from our work. Then – general hilarity.”

Dave’s toast popped up, looking much as toast did on emerging from more humble appliances. He reached for the butter.

“I’d better get some writing done then, or I’ll have nothing new to share. What about you?”

“I’ve made some progress.”

It transpired at the eleven o’clock sharing session that everyone except Dave had made progress. The body count had steadily risen in the crime thrillers; and the romances had all duly met their Act 2 setbacks. Candice’s pole dancing memoir continued to weave its sinuous course through the red-light districts of northern Europe. Even Nigel, the part-time taxidermist, whose pastoral novel set in the Lake District so far contained, to everyone’s disappointment, not a single scene of taxidermy, had added a chapter or two of cloudy wandering. Only Dave’s own novel remained stubbornly stalled, and he determined to spend that afternoon, which was looking wet anyway, at a table with his laptop.

Thinking back, Dave couldn’t remember when the wine started to flow. Around five, perhaps? He had toiled away diligently all afternoon, and had knocked off fifteen hundred words, leaving time to apply a bit of sparkle – it felt important to give a good account of himself. A coalition of the energetic had gone walking in the rain, arriving back dripping and noisily pleased with themselves. He remembered that distinctly enough. They had gone off to shower and returned in a mood to kickstart the evening. So yes, maybe around five.

The drinking had continued steadily through supper, which was served and efficiently cleared by two women drafted in from the village at Candice’s expense. Bottles were carried through to the lounge to accompany the reading, and port appeared too. The reading itself went by in something of a blur – he remembered Marina’s cool voice detailing a mechanical dismemberment, and finding Candice’s smoky depiction of a Hamburg brothel unsettlingly erotic. In the end Nigel’s gentle account of Wordsworthian ramblings – free of taxidermy as they were –  had been rather welcome. His own contribution had not, he felt, stood out as being particularly remarkable.

Now they were playing some sophisticated variation of literary charades, the rules just a little too complex for the stage the evening had reached. Naomi, an athletic black girl from Birmingham, who didn’t drink, was miming earnestly in the middle of the floor, but the room was losing its focus, the shouted offers of a solution increasingly bizarre and apparently well off the mark. Candice put on some loud music and shimmied over to Dave, her wine glass in her hand. She pulled him to his feet, and others were starting to dance. Naomi gave up her miming, laughing. “It was Mrs Rochester!” Nobody seemed to care, and the port went round again.

Candice moved well, which, was not surprising, given her history. He did his best to keep up. He didn’t think he’d ever danced with a pole dancer before. He’d been missing out. She was, undeniably, quite sexy. Did it matter that she was a bit…well quite a bit really… older than him? Not in this day and age, he told himself firmly.

The tempo slowed, and now her arms were round his neck, his round her waist. He could feel her body through her dress. This didn’t feel entirely right, but he couldn’t quite remember why. He realised he was quite drunk, but told himself that this was just the writing life. A bit of Bohemia went with the territory…no…Bohemia was the territory. What was everybody else doing? What was Henry doing, right now as Dave slow-danced with his wife? There were others dancing, one or two close. My God surely it wasn’t going to turn into an orgy? He’d never been to an orgy, wasn’t sure he wanted…where were the Marines when you needed them?

The track finished and Candice held him close. Disengage, Singleman, disengage! She picked up the signal, flashed him a winning smile and unpeeled herself. He wandered off to find the toilet. Probably that was enough Bohemia for one evening.

He urinated noisily and as accurately as he could, leaning against one wall. He splashed water on his face and paused to look at himself in the mirror. There was lipstick on his cheek, and he wiped it off, but it felt like somebody else’s hand, or somebody else’s cheek. Bed. That was the answer. He just needed to gather himself. Just for a minute or so.

He drifted back into the lounge and raised a genial hand, but there was only a knot of three people in a corner, talking. The orgy had either lost its energy or moved to another room. He made his way to the stair, and set himself to the challenge of reaching his attic room. Such a long way up – such an unreasonably long way up. He reached the first floor and rested on the galleried landing. Why was he in one of those pokey garret rooms anyway? Perhaps because he was a proper writer. He made his way round and as he approached the more modest stair to the next level one of the doors opened, and Candice stood in the doorway. Beautiful, wise, Candice, generous hostess, whom he had perhaps unkindly spurned. Had he spurned her? He hoped not. She deserved not to be spurned. No woman of such elegance, such compact, erotic dignity, no woman who had lived as Candice had lived…

She took his hand and pulled him into the room.

“Just a goodnight kiss, darling.”

© Wildword publishing.

Now, of course, I want to know what happens next!

About Kim Sancreed

Kim Sancreed has been a teacher, freelance journalist, naval officer and weather forecaster.

Born and brought up near Glasgow, he first moved to Cornwall with his family in the 90s, and apart from a brief spell in the Midlands has lived, taught and written there ever since.

His work includes poetry, short stories, songs and general interest journalism, and has been anthologised (under a different name) with that of Alexander McCall Smith and Ian Rankine, and broadcast on Radio 4.

Apart from writing. Kim is a keen guitarist and Francophile. He enjoys sailing when he gets the chance and in the summer can occasionally be seen attempting to surf at Godrevy.

Mentoring Mr Singleman is his first full-length novel.

You can follow Kim on Twitter @kimsancreed and there’s more with these other bloggers too:

It’s a slightly different ‘staying in’ today to spotlight a new publisher and book from Editing Mee.

Staying in with Editing Mee

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought Quincey’s Questions because it’s a new project.

What can we expect from an evening in with Quincey’s Questions?

Children will learn how to accept themselves and each other with the help of a puppy French bulldog. We go through the adventures of Quincey, who loves to explore the world.

That sounds like a good idea.

What else have you brought along and why?

Puppy food! And your favorite puppy pal. They’ll love to eat with you!

Quincey’s Questions

A delightful children’s book that explores how it’s okay to be different through the eyes of an adorable French bulldog.

Quincey’s Questions is available for purchase here.

About the Publisher

Editing Mee is the brain-child of editor and writer Elizabeth Suggs. Her mission is to help writers when it comes to publishing and editing. When Elizabeth approached David, she never expected such an amazing experience. She’s excited to see what will happen with this book and future books in this series.

You can follow Editing Mee on Facebook and Twitter @EditingMee and can visit the website for further information

About David Pardew

David Pardew is a father of three, and often finds himself answering a lot of “What’s that?” questions. To help him and his kids understand the world, he created Quincey’s Questions.

About Jackie Prows

Jackie Prows is a dog lover and freelance illustrator, who discovered a love of drawing at a young age while watching Disney movies and superhero cartoons. She lives in Utah, where she currently doesn’t have any doggy companions but sometimes draws while daydreaming about adopting.

I have a feeling Graeme Cumming must have been linked to buses in the past because, never having been on Linda’s Book Bag before, here he is for the second time in a week! Graeme was due to be one of the authors at the Deepings Literary Festival read dating last Saturday but of course, that event has had to be postponed. You can read about the authors who would have been attending here.

Today, I’m delighted to support Graeme and Kelly of Love Books Group by staying in with Graeme to hear all about his latest book.

Staying in with Graeme Cumming

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Graeme. Such a shame we didn’t get together last weekend but thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

As you know, I’ve had the pleasure of spending time in your company a few times in the past, so was delighted to grab the opportunity to do it again. It should be fun – I hope!

It does feel odd not to see you in person! I think I might have guessed, but which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I suspect this won’t come as a big surprise to you, but I’ve brought my new release, Carrion. Of course it’s because it’s just out, but also because this was a really tricky story to put together – for a variety of reasons – and it took several attempts to get it just right. So I’m really chuffed with how it’s turned out.

Interesting. Tell me more about what we can expect from an evening in with Carrion.

Well, I’d say it’s a thriller but, like my previous novel, Ravens Gathering, it’s a thriller that crosses genres – sometimes a story doesn’t fit neatly into a box. Fantasy is an element, but Carrion isn’t a fantasy novel: it’s an action-adventure with dark undertones, twists and turns, and the odd cliff-hanger thrown in for good measure.

Sounds brilliant. It really annoys me when we’re forced to put books into precise genres and I like the idea of crossing the boundaries.

Really, I just wanted to grab the reader by the throat and take them along for the ride – but I didn’t want it to be too predictable. From the early feedback I’ve received, I think I’ve pretty much achieved that.

Here’s a very brief extract to give you a flavour of it:

“You’ll die for that!” one of the guards yelled. He raised his sword, ready to charge. Behind him, the others were preparing to do the same.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

He probably saw the doubt in their eyes before they registered it themselves. It wasn’t enough to feed off yet. But it would be when it turned to fear.

“Have I introduced you to my friends?” He didn’t wait for an answer. The wings were beating before he’d finished speaking.

Now that’s not fair Graeme.  Now of course I want to know what’s going on!

What else have you brought along and why?

In the relatively short time (I know, it just seems longer…) we’ve known each other, I’ve come to recognise that you have certain passions aside from books. Travel is off the agenda at the moment, so you’ll have to make do with Bryan Ferry, who I was going to smear in chocolate, but realised social distancing would make that redundant. Still, have a Twix and watch him perform The Strand!

It might only be five years since we first met, Graeme, but you know me only too well! I was very tempted to include the photo of me with Mr. Ferry …

That done, it seems a shame to drag you away from your reverie, but I’ve also brought along a map.

That looks intriguing. Why a map?

A journey takes place in Carrion, and the travellers use a map, which is mocked when it’s revealed because it’s so badly drawn. Not only that, but the images have run because it’s been immersed in water following an encounter with rapids.

So I pondered the idea of having a copy included in the book. The question, though, was how to get one drawn.

My partner’s daughter is very artistic, so I asked her about it. I think she envisaged an exciting ‘treasure map’ project with fancy illustrations – especially because she knew the book included some creatures that don’t quite fit any of the fantasy stereotypes. So her disappointment was palpable when I told her I wanted a map that looks like it’s been drawn by someone who can’t draw and has subsequently been water damaged. Nevertheless, she took up the challenge, and this was the end result.

I think it looks incredibly authentic.

It didn’t end up in the book, but it provoked a lot of interest when I took it to the Read Dating event at Bourne Town Hall earlier this year. I can’t wait to take it to more events when the current ‘lockdown’ can be lifted.

I’m sure folk were fascinated by the map. That Read Dating was part of the Deepings Literary Festival and we were really disappointed not to be able to welcome you to a similar afternoon last weekend. Readers can see what they missed here. Let’s hope we can run the event soon.

It’s been great staying in with you Graeme, to hear all about Carrion. Thanks for coming and good luck with the book! 

Carrion

Choose your words carefully.

Words have power.

A sheet of black filled his vision as hundreds of birds dived at the cottage, pointed beaks thrust forward. From this angle, he couldn’t see many of them striking it, but the few he did see held nothing back as they hammered into the shutter. The scale of the attack was beyond anything he’d seen or heard of. And bloodied casualties littered the ground: skulls shattered, wings broken, innards spilling from them. The fact that so many of them continued with the onslaught in spite of this filled him with even more dread.

Salin has always wanted an adventure and, when the opportunity presents itself, he grabs it with both hands, taking his friends along for the ride – whether they want to or not.

With strange lands come strange creatures that stand between them and their goal. And that goal is the same for someone else, a man who believes the prize is worth every sacrifice – especially when the sacrifices are made by others.

The future is about to change. But who for?

Carrion is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

About Graeme Cumming

Graeme Cumming lives in Robin Hood country.  He has wide and varied tastes when it comes to fiction so he’s conscious that his thrillers can cross into territories including horror, fantasy and science fiction as well as more traditional arenas.

When not writing, Graeme is an enthusiastic sailor (and, by default, swimmer), and enjoys off-road cycling and walking.  He is currently Education Director at Sheffield Speakers Club.  Oh yes, and he reads (a lot) and loves the cinema.

For more information, visit Graeme’s website, follow him on Twitter @GraemeCumming63 and find him on Facebook.

It’s almost five years since I was fortunate enough to interview Anne Allen here and I’m delighted to welcome her back to Linda’s Book Bag today to stay in with me as part of her Guernsey Novels The Inheritance blog tour with Love Books Group and I’d like to thank Kelly for inviting me to participate.

Staying in with Anne Allen

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

Thank you for inviting me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought the seventh book in my Guernsey Novels series, The Inheritance, which is celebrating its first birthday. All the stories are standalone but linked by characters popping up from previous books like old friends.

Happy The Inheritance book birthday Anne!

The Inheritance, like some others, is dual-time but it differs in the period. Whereas most of the books reference the German Occupation, this one features the author and poet Victor Hugo, who lived in exile in Guernsey for many years in the late 19^th century.

I never knew that about Victor Hugo! Tell me more about what we cam expect from an evening in with The Inheritance?

You will journey in time between the story of Eugénie, a young French widow living in Guernsey, who lives in the same street as Victor Hugo, albeit in a much more modest house, and her four times great granddaughter, Tess, a doctor who inherits her house. Hugo was, and still is, a prominent figure in Guernsey and his house is now owned by France and open as a museum, kept as it was when he died. The story offers an insight into Hugo’s life, his family and his incredible output of works. He wrote the final chapters of Les Misérables in Guernsey.

I’m feeling incredibly ignorant Anne. I’ve been to Guernsey well over 70 times (albeit only on the airport tarmac as I was on my way to work in Jersey) and I never knew Victor Hugo had lived there. I love the sound of The Inheritance, not least because I so enjoyed reading Les Misérables and Les Mis is my favourite stage musical and I’ve seen it four times.

What else have you brought along and why?

A photo of the great man himself, one of his house and one of his daughter Léopoldine.

The house and this daughter were the inspirations behind my book.

I have visited this house several times and it never fails to amaze me. As colourful as the man himself, it is full of tapestries, pictures, books, carvings and furniture all collected by Hugo or made by him. This room is called the Red Salon and where I had Eugénie copy out Hugo’s manuscripts while he worked in his ‘lookout’ in the roof. Eugénie is nineteen, the same age as Léopoldine when she drowned with her new husband in the river Seine in 1843. I created Eugénie in her image and when Hugo first sees her he thinks she is his daughter’s ghost – he believed in spiritualism.

How amazing. This is a far cry from a cold and drafty garret room isn’t it? You’ve made me determined to read The Inheritance as soon as I can Anne. It sounds an absolutely fascinating book. Let me tell Linda’s Book Bag Readers a bit more:

The Inheritance

How close were Victor Hugo and his copyist?

1862 Young widow Eugénie faces an uncertain future in Guernsey. A further tragedy brings her to the attention of Monsieur Victor Hugo, living in exile on the island only yards away from Eugénie’s home. Their meeting changes her life and she becomes his copyist, forming a strong friendship with both Hugo and his mistress, Juliette Drouet.

2012 Dr Tess Le Prevost, Guernsey-born but living in England, is shocked to inherit her Great-Aunt’s house on the island. As a child, she was entranced by Doris’s tales of their ancestor, Eugénie, whose house this once was, and her close relationship with Hugo. Was he the real father of her child? Returning to the island gives Tess a fresh start and a chance to unlock family secrets.

Will she discover the truth about Eugénie and Hugo? A surprise find may hold the answer as Tess embraces new challenges which test her strength – and her heart.

The Inheritance is available for purchase here.

All Anne’s books are available here.

About Anne Allen

Anne was born in Rugby to a Welsh father and an English mother. As a result, she spent many summers with her Welsh grandparents in Anglesey and learned to love the sea. Now she is based in Devon to be near her daughter and two small grandchildren. Her restless spirit has meant many moves, the longest stay being in Guernsey for nearly fourteen years after falling in love with the island and the people. She contrived to leave one son behind to ensure a valid reason for frequent returns. Her younger son is based in London – ideal for city breaks.

By profession, Anne was a psychotherapist who long had a desire to write and Dangerous Waters, her first novel, was published in 2012. It was awarded Silver (Adult Fiction) in The Wishing Shelf Awards 2012. Since then she has published six more books in The Guernsey Novels series; Finding Mother, Guernsey Retreat, The Family Divided, Echoes of Time – winner of The Diamond Book Award 2017, a finalist in Readers favorite awards and granted a ChillWithABookAward, The Betrayal, and The Inheritance, published April 2019.

You can visit Anne’s website, her Amazon Author Page and find her on Facebook. You can also follow Anne on @AnneAllen21.

Through blogging I have had the privilege of finding out about so many lovely sounding books that would otherwise have passed me by. Today I’m thrilled to welcome Diana Stevan to Linda’s Book Bag to stay in with me and tell me about one of her books.

Staying in with Diana Stevan

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

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along my latest novel, Sunflowers Under Fire, a historical fiction, based on my Ukrainian grandmother’s life in Russia during the Great War and after. I brought it along because it celebrates what so many women on this earth go through in trying to provide love and security for their children. I hadn’t realized when I began writing this story about its universal message.

It sounds to me that Sunflowers Under Fire might be about the Great War but is still totally relevant today. Tell me more…

My grandmother was smart but illiterate. When I was just a baby, she moved in with my mom and dad to take care of me as both of my parents were working around the clock six days a week. I shared a bedroom with her from the time I was a baby until I was fifteen. She never talked about her life in the old country. It wasn’t until I did the research for this true life novel that I got to know her in a whole other way.

And the fact that so many readers regard her as a heroine has brought me such joy. I wish I could tell her how much her experiences are resonating with readers today.

I think many of us wish we’d spoken with older family members Diana.

Martha Conway, a wonderful author of historical fiction in the American mid-west, wrote this about my book: “This is a compelling and beautifully told tale of endurance and faith. Mothers everywhere will be drawn to Lukia Mazurets, a no-nonsense Ukrainian woman who in 1915 must protect and save her family when her husband goes to war. Lukia’s arduous journey with her children is a true story of the little-known Ukrainian diaspora. Gripping, illuminating, and personal, this story is a must-read.”

That’s such a lovely review. I have to admit, I don’t know much about Ukrain’s history and Sunflowers Under Fire might be just the way to find out more.

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

I’ve brought along my mother’s recipe for beet borscht, a family favourite. It’s a popular Ukrainian dish and served with sour cream.

Beet Borscht

2 large beets, peeled and cut in long slivers

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, diced

1 large potato, peeled and diced

4 cups of organic chicken stock

a quarter of a small head of cabbage, shredded

2 T. chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 tsp. fresh chopped dill

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 can of pork n’ beans

Salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pot, combine beets, onion, carrot, potato and stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off foam. Add tomato, cabbage, parsley and dill. Simmer for another 15 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add can of pork n’ beans and mix well. Heat and serve with a spoonful of sour cream on top.

Oh. I grow the ingredients for that on my allotment Diana. We always have far too many beetroot (beets) so I think I shall be trying out your recipe very soon. You’ll have to return to see if it tastes as it should!

One reader asked me for the location of the village of Kivertsi in Ukraine. In my novel, which takes place during the first part of the twentieth century, this country is not yet independent. It’s under the rule of Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II, the Romanov family. Kivertsi is about 9 miles or 15 kilometres from Lutsk, which is in the north-western part of the country, close to the Polish border.

Here’s a map of Ukraine, which is also helpful in understanding the countries that border this nation today.

In normal times  travel a lot but I’ve never been to this area. Hearing about Sunflowers Under Fire makes me want to go.

And here’s the church that Lukia Mazurets, my baba, went to in Lutsk. Her faith helped her survive all the wars in her country. This is a Ukrainian Greek Orthodox church. The religion and mass is similar to those practiced in the high Anglican and Catholic faiths, but there is no Pope and confession takes place once a year before Easter. This photo was taken in 1988 when our family visited Ukraine (when it was still under Russian rule). My mother wanted me to see the country she emigrated from in 1929.

That must have been a very special visit. Thank you so much for staying in with me to tell me all about Sunflowers Under Fire Diana. I’ve loved hearing about it and think it sounds a very special read.

Thank you so much for having me as your guest. It was such a pleasure. Happy Reading!

Sunflowers Under Fire

A Finalist for the 2019 Whistler Independent Book Awards, sponsored by the Writers Union of Canada.

In this family saga set in Russia, love and loss are bound together by a country always at war.During WWI, Lukia Mazurets, a Ukrainian farmwife, delivers her eighth child while her husband is serving in the Tsar’s army. Soon after, she and her children are forced to flee the invading Germans. Over the next fourteen years, Lukia must rely on her wits and faith to survive life in a refugee camp, the ravages of a typhus epidemic, the Bolshevik revolution, unimaginable losses, and one daughter’s forbidden love.

Sunflowers Under Fire is a heartbreakingly intimate novel that illuminates the strength of the human spirit. Ultimately, it’s a story about a simple woman who becomes a courageous and inspirational heroine. Based on the true stories of her grandmother’s ordeals, author Diana Stevan captures the voices of those who had little say in a country that is still being fought over.

You can purchase Sunflowers Under Fire here.

About Diana Stevan

Prior to becoming a novelist, Diana Stevan worked as a family therapist, teacher, actor, model, and a freelance writer-broadcaster for CBC television. She’s published poetry, a short story, and newspaper articles. Her novels are A Cry From The Deep (romantic mystery/adventure) , The Rubber Fence (women’s fiction) and Sunflowers Under Fire (family saga/historical fiction.

When she isn’t writing, she loves to garden, travel, and read. She lives in Campbell River, and West Vancouver, B.C. with her husband, Robert. She has two daughters and three grandchildren.

For more information, follow Diana on Twitter @DianaStevan, or visit her website. You’ll also find Diana on Facebook.

It’s my very great pleasure to support lovely Kelly of Love Books Group on Linda’s Book Bag by staying in with A.D. Pascal, who hails from Italy, for this blog tour.

Staying in with A.D. PASCAL

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

It’s my first time in Linda Book’s Bag, so I am excited and proud at the same time.

It’s lovely to have you here! Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

As well as my latest book, Fatal Longevity, I decided to do things a bit differently to others you’ve stayed in with Linda and I’ve chosen a set of books by other authors too.

First, it’s a blockbuster of the ancient times, The Interpretation of Dreams by Artemidorus of Ephesus, who lived in the second century AD. It has been in circulation for centuries and is now available even as an e-book. The book is dedicated to the fascinating world of dreams.

How interesting! I confess I hadn’t heard of it before.

Second, The Sign of the Four, by Arthur Conan Doyle. A must for any thriller lover, like me.

That’s much more familiar to me A.D..

Finally, Blue Notes, Still Frames by Colin Bell, a novel that takes places in Brighton in the 90s. Busker Joe lives on the beach with his flute and his troubled girlfriend, Victoria, a singer. Some different characters meet up around the beach. Past and present mix together.

That’s another I need to find out more about. Thank you for introducing it. So, what can we expect from an evening in with Fatal Longevity?

A journey around the world…

Five high-flyers die in strange circumstances in different continents

All five deaths are put down to natural causes, so there is, apparently, no connection.

The book starts on the edge of a swimming pool in Portofino, Italy. Here a wealthy trader with a mysterious past is found dead in his villa under suspicious circumstances. A quick forensic investigation discovers that he was probably poisoned by an exotic jellyfish, which is found only in Australia.

How could this animal get there and kill the trader without being captured?

You’ve got me intrigued already!

One strange death is chance. Two is a coincidence. But five…?

David, an intelligence analyst and Liz, his television journalist girlfriend, suspect there is a connection.

David suspects the existence of a “ghost” serial killer, able to disappear, leaving no clues. But is that true or is just the dream of an imaginative analyst?

In the background, Goran, a smart businessman chases his dream: prolonging human life well beyond 150 years in perfect health.

But longevity can prove fatal.

I think Fatal Longevity sounds brilliant. 

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

I’ve brought some good food, including pizza and cakes, as I am Italian, a Star Wars’ movie and some friends of mine.

I’m so glad you brought pizza. I would have been very disappointed if you hadn’t! As we’re only just past May 4th I think the Star Wars movie will be a perfect way to end our evening as we eat pizza!

In addition, music, I’m used to writing while listening music.

I can reveal a secret. In Fatal Longevity, all the chapter headings are names of songs from various famous artists, such as Genesis, Queen, Pink Floyd, U2, Elton John and George Michael. At the end of the book there’s a code that discloses the complete list on my website.

That’s some song list A.D.. And how exciting to have this secret revealed here on Linda’s Book Bag. Thank you so much for staying in with me. Let me end our evening by telling everyone more about Fatal Longevity whilst you load up Star Wars and serve up the pizza.

Fatal Longevity

Five people at the height of their success die suddenly in different parts of the world. A villa in Portofino and a terrace in Capri, both in Italy. A flight to Singapore. A beach in Santorini, Greece. A luxury resort on the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. All five are filed as “death by natural causes”. No doubts, no links.

But an intelligence analyst and his television journalist girlfriend suspect there is a connection. And follow a trail of unusual coincidences.

Meanwhile, a brilliant businessman chases a dream: prolonging human life to over 150 years. And in perfect health. An ambitious goal. That entices the billionaires club: the privileged few who own over half of the world’s wealth. The human mind possesses hidden talents. You just need to know how to make the most of them.

But longevity can prove fatal.

Published on 2nd March 2020, Fatal Longevity is available for purchase here.

About A. D. Pascal

A.D. Pascal is an Italian writer. He lives in Milan. After graduating, he started his career as an economic journalist. Then worked as a marketing manager for multinationals.

He wrote several books on management as a ghostwriter.

 In his own words:

 “Writing has always been my passion and the base of my activities. My purpose was to present facts and figures in a stimulating way.

Later, I realized that I would also be able to create exciting works of fiction.

Fatal Longevity is the first of a series of books I am working on. They will all combine real events with just a pinch of imagination”.

For more information, visit A.D. Pascal’s website. You’ll find him on Facebook and there’s more with these other bloggers too:

I don’t read much flash fiction so when Jayne Martin asked if I’d like to read Tender Cuts I thought it was time to rectify that omission. My enormous thanks to Jayne for sending me a copy of Tender Cuts in return for an honest review.

Tender Cuts was published by Vine Leaves Press on 19th November 2019 and is available for purchase though the links here.

Tender Cuts

If Joy Williams and Raymond Carver had a love child that was often left in the care of Lydia Davis it might grow up to be Jayne Martin. Martin’s writing evokes the literary DNA of those who have influenced her most, while in a style and voice that is uniquely her own.

In these 38 tiny tales, everyday people do their best to manage the wounds life inflicts on all of us: A six-year-old beauty pageant contestant strives to please her demanding mother; a woman marries a 1985 Buick LeSabre; in a laundromat bored wives fall under the romantic spell of a lobster; a grown woman is still being fat-shamed by her deceased mother via a Ouija board; a widow carries her husband’s ashes around in Baggies.

With pathos and humor, these and all of the characters in this collection will speak to the reader’s own wounded heart.

My Review of Tender Cuts

Thirty-eight pieces with accompanying illustrations.

Tender Cuts has completely surprised me. I’m unused to reading flash fiction and hadn’t expected the depth of quality Jayne Martin provides. Each of these mini stories is a complete gem and equally as engaging as any full length narrative because each is carefully crafted. At a time when many are struggling to focus on reading at length, this collection is perfect. Reading Tender Cuts was akin to finding a long forgotten memory box and delving in to discover all manner of delights. I loved the fact that on the facing page for each of these stories is a related line drawing each featuring at least one tiny heart. These illustrations somehow added to the poignancy of the texts.

Although I read the collection in the order it is presented and Julie-Sue’s pieces are perhaps best read that way, I think Tender Cuts would be perfect for randomly dipping into because there’s such quality in each piece that provides much to ponder and reflect upon.

I found Jayne Martin’s writing superb, and the the variety of sentence structure in particular extremely impactful, because emotion is conveyed so effectively. In The New Kid, for example, the final sentence gives so many different interpretations depending on the intonation, so that the story, like so many in Tender Cuts, lives on beyond the confines of the page. What, for example, happens to Carmen in The Understudy after she unties the ribbons on her second ballet shoe? I loved too, the imagery in pieces like Eventide because I found a rich visual quality that placed me within the narratives too.

All life – and death – is present in this slim volume making it a beautifully written microcosm of society. Themes of birth, love, violence, passion, hatred, depression, entrapment, control, guilt and so many others, leap from the page so that I felt very moved by the stories. The Contract, for example, is only fifty-three words long (yes I counted because I was so surprised by its impact) and yet Jayne Martin managed to bring a tear to my eye.

Jayne Martin’s Tender Cuts is not a book I would ordinarily have chosen but I’m delighted to have read it. I thought it was as tender a portrayal of society as the title suggests, beautifully written and thought provoking. I really recommend it.

About Jayne Martin

Jayne Martin is a Pushcart, Best Small Fictions, Best Microfictions nominee, and a recipient of Vestal Review’s VERA award. Her debut collection of flash fiction, Tender Cuts, from Vine Leaves Press is available now. She lives in California where she rides horses and drinks copious amounts of fine wines, though not at the same time.

Prior to turning her attention to essay and fiction, Jayne Martin was a TV-movie writer whose credits include “Big Spender” for Animal Planet, and “A Child Too Many,” “Cradle of Conspiracy,” and “Deceived by Trust” for Lifetime. Her book of humor essays, Suitable for Giving: A Collection of Wit with a Side of Wry, is available in paperback and digital formats.

You can follow Jayne on Twitter @Jayne_Martin and visit her website for more information. You’ll also find Jayne on Facebook.