I’m enormously grateful to Emilie Chambeyron at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of Roar by Cecelia Ahern in return for an honest review and for inviting me to be part of Roar‘s launch celebrations.

Published yesterday, 1st November 2018, by Harper Collins Roar is available for purchase through these links.

Roar

I am woman. Hear me roar.

Have you ever imagined a different life?
Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided?
Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar?

The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf and The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very different women. Each discovers her strength; each realizes she holds the power to make a change.

Witty, tender, surprising, these keenly observed tales speak to us all, and capture the moment when we all want to roar.

My Review of Roar

Roar is an eclectic mix of thirty short stories about women.

What an intelligent, sensitive and thought provoking collection Cecelia Ahern has produced in Roar. Each of these thirty stories is a little triumph that is so satisfying to read. I did wonder if being an ‘older’ reader made me appreciate them more than I might have done had I been thirty years younger and with fewer similar experiences to the women in Roar, but for me there was much to relate to and identify with making me feel a real kinship with the women presented. Not every story will resonate with every reader (I actually liked the final title story the least!) and I think this is what is so important about a volume like Roar. Cecelia Ahern has provided thirty very individual stories that will be read differently depending on the experiences and emotions of the reader. I have a feeling that next time I pick up this collection I may very well find something different to identify with.

Although each story is unique, with many varied genres from romance to fantasy, they all have many elements in common. Most strikingly is the fact that none of the women is named so that they could be any one of us, creating an affinity that is very powerful indeed. I most identified with The Woman Who Thought Her Mirror Was Broken, but I found them all uplifting and positive, even to the extent of restoring my faith in some elements of my life. I found every story had a distinct identity and a deep feeling of the author caring not only about her characters, but her readers too.

Quite feminist in flavour, once or twice I wondered whether the stories were edging towards misandry, but then realised that what Cecelia Ahern is doing, is not vilifying men (such as some of those who may mock a waitress with a lisp perhaps), but is providing powerful, salient lessons so that women can see that they have control over their lives and do not need others to define them or create their happiness and well-being for them. This is very powerful indeed.

Incredibly well crafted, the stories in Roar have humour and pathos, sadness and joy so that there is an emotion to suit any mood. I found this collection an enormously entertaining celebration of women. It made me think and it actually empowered me in many ways. Roar is a collection to be roared about!

About Cecelia Ahern

(Image courtesy of Matthew Thompson)

Cecelia Ahern is one of the biggest selling authors to emerge in the past fifteen years. Her novels have been translated into thirty languages and have sold more than twenty-five million copies in over forty countries. Two of her books have been adapted as major films and she has created several TV series in the US and Germany.  She and her books have won numerous awards, including the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction for The Year I Met You in 2014. PS I Love You was awarded two Platinum Awards at the 2018 Specsavers Bestsellers Awards, for UK and Ireland.

Cecelia lives in Dublin with her family.

You can find out more by following Cecelia on Twitter @Cecelia_Ahern, visiting her website and finding her on Facebook.

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One of the frustrations I occasionally have as a reader is that books often don’t feature women over 40 as their protagonists. With that in mind, I am delighted to welcome Bonnie McCune to Linda’s Book Bag to tell me about one of her books.

Staying in with Bonnie McCune

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Bonnie. 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 my latest, Never Retreat. Like all my books, it features a real woman (not a teenager or an empty-headed flirt), and is set in my home state of Colorado. Her life’s complicated by challenges—money problems, a teenaged son, tension at work. The hero, too, has his share of trials—a pressing need for funds, a job transfer at the telecommunications firm where both he and the heroine work.

(I’m always eager to read about more mature women Bonnie. Sounds good!)

Still the book’s breaking some new territory for me. The story is more substantive than earlier novels. Raye and Des face more difficulties than usual. In addition to the push-pull of the possible relationship, the two and their co-workers are trapped by a massive summer storm and flash flood in the mountains.

What can we expect from an evening in with Never Retreat?

A healthy dose of believable characters who learn from their challenges and struggles, just as we all do. Like my characters, I believe in equal opportunities at home as well as work, in relationships as well as employment.

(Now, that’s a philosophy I strongly agree with!)

The story follows Raye and Des as they discover to overcome assumptions about each other and value the viewpoint, the history, and the strengths of their opposite. No losers in this struggle. Still, some troubles are too huge to solve easily or alone. A mere life-threatening deluge can be over in a matter of hours, but tangles between personalities last far longer. I think readers will enjoy how the two may tussle and argue but eventually find they’re much better with one another than apart.

(That sounds like real life to me.)

One reviewer said about Never Retreat: “More than a love story, Bonnie McCune has created a tale of partnership and equality, sure to remind us of both contemporary gender struggles and hope for the future of men and women as a united, beneficial partnership. . .an intelligent love story.”

Another said, “Clashing characters early on turns into a nice dose of chemistry between the pair. Strong well-written characters with a fleshed- out background for each of them makes this an enjoyable read. An imaginative storyline that hasn’t been overdone.

(Those are wonderful responses. It sounds as if you’ve achieved perfectly what you set out to do in Never Retreat.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

I thought I’d tell you a little more about the impetus for my writing.

(Please do. I love hearing why and how authors gain their inspiration.)

I’ve found I often use major catastrophes in writing.  My work is replete with floods, fires, blizzards, and disasters. One reason I use them is because everyday life can sound boring, and people often read fiction to escape. Because my work avoids rich or famous characters to favor everyday people, I find calamities can show there’s no such thing as a “normal” human. Everyone’s different, everyone has strengths, weaknesses, loves, interests. A crisis simply brings these to the fore and allows me to parade the character in all her wonderful strengths. So Never Retreat incorporates one of the flash floods notorious in this state and asks, “What if?”, the basis of all creative thought.

The second reason, I admit, is I’m a coward. I’m afraid of nearly everything, whether it’s getting fired (one of Raye’s fears), facing a flood, having a child in a car accident, or being broke (another of Raye’s fears). Writing novels allows me to consider these and come to grips with them, which defuses the fear.

(I’d never really thought of the author’s personal responses to the ‘What if?’ scenarios they create. How interesting Bonnie.)

Bits and pieces of my life seem to show up in my writing. The episode in which Raye reveals her skill at roping was based on my awe when my older sister, then age ten, taught herself to lasso. The lodge is similar to one I stayed in for a work conference and impressed me with its opulence. The teen’s confidence mimics that of my grandson’s. As a writer friend of mine said, “Everything’s material for writing.”

(Now THAT I am familiar with. Authors are real magpies when it comes to finding material to write about.) 

Thank you so much for staying in with me to tell us all about Never Retreat, Bonnie. I think it sounds a brilliant story. 

Never Retreat

A feisty single mom clashes with an ex-military, sexist, corporate star at a business retreat in the Colorado mountains…

Years ago, Ramona (“Raye”) Soto faced harsh reality when a roving conman knocked her up. Now, at thirty-something, she’s concentrating on her career with a major telecommunications firm and funding college for her teenaged son. Enter Desmond Emmett—a fast talker and smooth operator. New to the office, the ex-serviceman possesses every negative quality in a guy Raye should avoid.

Thrown together at a corporate retreat in the wilderness, the reluctant duo struggles to complete management’s extreme mental and physical tests for a huge reward. But only one can win the prize, and Des needs the money to underwrite medical treatments for his adored younger sister.

See-sawing between attraction and antagonism, the mismatched couple faces their biggest challenge: learning the meaning of true partnership. When a massive flash flood sweeps down the rocky canyon and threatens their love and survival, they must put aside their differences to rescue their colleagues—and their future as a couple.

Never Retreat is available for purchase here.

About Bonnie McClune

Bonnie McCune has been writing since age ten, when she submitted a poem about rain rushing down the gutter to the Saturday Evening Post (it was rejected). Her interest in the written word facilitated her career in nonprofits where she concentrated on public and community relations and marketing. She’s worked for libraries, directed a small arts organization, and managed Denver’s beautification program. Simultaneously, she’s been a free lance writer with articles in local, regional, and specialty publications.  Now her true passion is fiction, and her stories have won several awards. Never Retreat is her third novel and her fifth book of fiction.

To find out more visit Bonnie at www.BonnieMcCune.com, where you also can read her blog “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives.” You can also follow Bonnie on Twitter @bonniemccune and find her on Facebook.

I adore Tracy Rees’s writing as you’ll see in my reviews of her previous books. Amy Snow was one of the first books I ever reviewed on Linda’s Book Bag here. I reviewed Florence Grace here and had a wonderful guest post from Tracy about the appeal of the C19th that you can read here. Florence Grace was one of my Books of the Year and you’ll see it featured here. I also reviewed Tracy’s The Hourglass here.

Having met Tracy on a few occasions I have found her to be as wonderful as her writing so I’m thrilled to welcome her back to the blog today to celebrate her latest book Darling Blue. Tracy has written a smashing post all about Richmond. If you’re unfamiliar with Tracy’s writing, this post will give you a perfect flavour of how good it is.

Darling Blue is published today by Quercus and is available for purchase through the links here.

Darling Blue

Blue lives a charmed life. From her family’s townhouse in Richmond, she lives a life of luxury and couldn’t want for anything – well, on the surface at least.

Then on the night of her twenty-first birthday her father makes a startling toast: he will give his daughter’s hand to whichever man can capture her heart best in the form of a love letter. But Blue has other ideas and, unwilling to play at her father’s bewildering games, she sets out on her own path to find her own destiny…

My Memories of Richmond

A Guest Post by Tracy Rees

I’ll always remember the day I fell in love with Richmond. I was a publishing junior, out for a day work-shadowing a sales rep. While we talked to the manager of Waterstone’s (still there on the corner of Red Lion Street, still one of my favourite bookshops) Jerry Hall came in, looking ethereal in lavender, looking for Tennessee Williams (or his plays at any rate). I thought that was just perfect.

Later, heading home, we drove up Richmond Hill and my companion pointed out various celebrity homes among the beautiful townhouses on the left. But what drew my gaze and captured my heart was the view to the right, out over Petersham meadows. It’s the view that Blue and Barnaby enjoy together in Darling Blue when they have a drink in the Roebuck. To quote from my own book… “The view certainly was spectacular: an expanse of meadows far below; the bow and bend of the silver river, thick at the edges with willow and oak.” I saw it and I knew I had to live there. In fact, with my slightly prescient tendencies, I knew I would live there. (I was living in Croydon at the time – enough said.)

I was about 23 when I moved to Richmond but I’ll always think of it as the place I grew up. While I was there, my then-partner and I broke up. The ordered life I’d known fell away and I started creating my life, rather than simply ticking along. I conquered my fear of spiders. I went to work in a cocktail bar and earned the right to hum The Human League whenever I want. I learned for the first time that work didn’t have to be sitting in an office wearing a suit but could be sociable and fun (“Flirting for a living” my boss called it! I was ok with that.) I remember polishing the beer taps on quiet days and gazing out at the willow trees dreaming over the tranquil green water. I would dream and feel tranquil too. I remember hosing down the heavy rubber bar mats in the cellar in the small hours, feeling oddly content. I remember countless nights out dancing, volunteering in a soup kitchen, learning to cook Thai food. I started travelling, studying psychology and making so many friends.

I used to love walking along the river, in all seasons (that’s why Darling Blue is structured in five parts – seasons – summer through to the following summer). I used to heron-spot religiously. I’d see them fishing or flying or standing on one leg thinking deep thoughts. One day a heron lifted into the air from the path right in front of me; I saw those huge wings spreading at close quarters, looked right into its eye, felt the brush of air and the power of its flight. I couldn’t have been more awed if I’d seen an angel.

Another bird memory: seeing a swan walking into a pub! Yes, really. The men who were leaving just then stood aside to let it pass. They were actually trying not to get pecked but it looked for all the world as though they were saying, “after you Sir”.

I remember arriving back at the tube station after a night out in London and stumbling into a midnight fashion shoot in the middle of the street. The topless male model was spotlit, the photographer was shooting and the makeup girls were poised with brushes… that’s not something you see every day.

I have about a billion memories of Richmond. Some are hilarious, some profound and some are just beautiful snapshots in my mind. They’re all precious, and I hope that the great love I feel for that place has spilled onto the pages of Darling Blue.

(Wonderful memories Tracy. I’m looking forward to seeing how they weave into Darling Blue.)

About Tracy Rees

Born in Wales, Tracy Rees has been called “the most outstanding new voice in historical fiction” by Lucinda Riley and her books are paperback and kindle bestsellers. She was the winner of the Richard and Judy ‘Search for a Bestseller’ Competition. A Cambridge graduate, she had a successful eight-year career in nonfiction publishing and a second career practising and teaching humanistic counselling before becoming a writer.

You can follow Tracy on Twitter @AuthorTracyRees.

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One of the aspects I enjoy most about blogging is meeting authors in real life and Eva Jordan is one of the loveliest ones I have come across. Eva doesn’t live a million miles away from me and I count her as a friend. I’m really looking forward to her being part of the Deepings Literary Festival in May next year. Consequently, I’m absolutely honoured to have been asked to reveal Eva’s new book Time Will Tell for the very first time.

Eva has appeared on Linda’s Book Bag in the past with a wonderful guest post about female friendships to celebrate her novel 183 Times a Year that you can read here and another, that was part of the launch celebrations for All The Colours In Between, about the need for older protagonists here.

Today I’m absolutely thrilled to be helping to launch the next of Eva’s novels, Time Will Tell, with a cover reveal and details about the book.

Time Will Tell will be published by Urbane Publications on 14th February 2019 and is available for pre-order here.

So, without further ado – here is all you need to know about Time Will Tell:

Time Will Tell

Writer, Lizzie Lemalf, and her loving but somewhat dysfunctional family are still grieving over the loss of a much-loved family member. Lizzie is doing her best to keep her family together but why does the recent death of a well-known celebrity have them all in a spin?

The police suspect foul play; Lizzie and other family members suspect one another.

Lizzie begins searching for answers only to find herself being dragged back to the past, to 1960’s London to be exact, and to the former life of her father, that up until now she has never been privy to.

Every family has its secrets but how can the past hold the key to a present day celebrity death? They say the past comes back to haunt you. Surely the truth will out?

Maybe, but only time will tell…

Now doesn’t that sound absolutely wonderful? I love the way the colours of Eva’s books are harmoniously picked up in each cover design.

Make sure you pre-order Time Will Tell here.

About Eva Jordan

Eva Jordan, born in Kent but living most of her life in a small Cambridgeshire town, describes herself as a lover of words, books, travel and chocolate.

Eva is a published writer of several short stories and debut novel 183 Times A Year. Eva has always had a love of books and reading and really got the writing bug when she received a first for her dissertation, which looked at The People’s War during World War II, whilst studying for a degree in English and History.

Eva’s career has been varied, including working in a Women’s Refuge and more recently at the city library. However, storytelling through the art of writing is her true passion. Eva enjoys stories that force the reader to observe the daily interactions of people with one another set against the social complexities of everyday life, be that through crime, love or comedy.

Time Will Tell is Eva’s third novel.

You can find Eva on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @EvaJordanWriter and visit her website.

I don’t know about you, but as soon as the clocks go back in the UK I start to feel slightly depressed. I hate the winter and much prefer the summer. With that in mind I’m delighted to welcome Robertson Tait to stay in with me to tell me about one of his books as I think it could be just the pick-me-up we all need!

Staying in with Robertson Tait

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

Thank you, Linda, and I appreciate the opportunity to ‘Stay In’ with you and discuss my books.

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

I’ve brought along Kyle Harrison Movie Star – the first in my series Kyle In Hollywood which I suppose one could call a romantic comedy in the Richard Curtis vein of Notting Hill and Four Weddings. In fact I think one reviewer actually called my book a mix of Bridget Jones and Notting Hill, but then he rethought that and decided it was just ‘Kyle’.

(Whatever the comparison, Robertson, I like the sound of the Kyle series!)

The reason I’ve chosen it is I think right now we’re all suffering through some fairly stressful times, politically, and some darker than that globally, so my series may, for those who would find it so, be a bit of an escape from those concerns.

(I couldn’t agree more!)

I am a great fan of Wodehouse, and probably my favourite playwright would be Oscar Wilde. I think the movie version of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest‘ with Colin Firth and Rupert Everett is just terrific.

Now, I’m not equating myself with either of these illustrious iconic authors, but I do try for some humour, and I hope my stories might give a smile, and these days those seem harder to come by.

(I certainly think I’ll have to give Kyle a go as I’m all for a bit of humour and smiling!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Kyle Harrison Movie Star?

Well, Kyle is a young Scot sitting brooding about life at an outdoor cafe in Rome, Italy, when a Hollywood director notices him and thinks he’s found his next star. From that point on, we follow Kyle as he finds his feet and learns to hold his own against the soulless Hollywood machinery. Through his unexpected ascendancy and his innate good nature, Kyle tries to help all around him, although he’s no saint. But, if you have a moment, let me offer a passage here that might better give a flavour of Kyle’s world. Ronnie Bruce, the director, has charged his assistant Loretta with getting Kyle a tux for a premiere, and she has gone over to her sister Sally’s formal rental store. Sally thinks little of her sister’s position with the director’s production company, and Kyle notices the disdain in her manner towards Loretta:

Excerpt from the “Measuring Up” chapter

(Kyle Harrison Movie Star)

“So a tux, and we’ll need the shirt to go with it. You know the stuff, Sally, the full première bit.”

“Yes, yes, I get you,” Sally was thinking out loud, “I’d say a slim forty should do the trick. Let me see.” She walked just behind a decorative ornamental screen and pressed a button to rotate her hanging wardrobe. The device whirred smoothly, and she located the unit she was searching for.

She unhooked the ensemble and held it out towards Kyle with a triumphant assuredness.

“Don’t think so.” Kyle had sensed the subtle tension in the air between the sisters, and he was turning terse.

Sally shot Loretta an enquiring look as she asked, “What do you mean by don’t think so?”

“Not my size.” Kyle was slouching into a large, plush velvet Louis XIV chair, looking about him with barely concealed boredom.

“Yes, it is.” Sally was holding her business guard up to stop her annoyance showing as she expanded, “I’ve been measuring clients for over twenty years. If I say you’re a slim forty … you’re a slim forty!” Her eyes were charged with indignation, and she knew it might show, but she was trying very hard to temper her anger with professional poise.

“You’re sure?” Kyle caught her eye with his determined gaze. Sally could feel the challenge.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Her mind was set, and she was starting to feel offended.

Loretta felt the chill of daggers in the proceedings and tried to mediate. “Why don’t you give it a try, Kyle? Easiest way to find out is to try it on.” She was thinking maybe this had not been the best idea, to come to her sister’s place. They always had this underlying rivalry, and Sally was always just that bit superior and supercilious.

“Okay … up to you, but I’m not a forty, slim or otherwise.” Kyle took the hanger and headed for the changing room while he heard Sally squeezing out her frustration with a suppressed murmur, “Yes, you are,” as she looked down at her counter and needlessly shuffled some papers.

In the changing room Kyle squeezed into the shirt and suit and found it quite amusing to see himself in the mirror for the first time in a black-tie get-up. It wasn’t bad, and he turned around, immodestly appreciating that, if he didn’t know who he was, he could pass for a movie star on the red carpet.

It was a fun thought, but the jacket was not fun and, if he needed to move, he could tell something would have to give, and he knew that realistically what was going to give was the stitching.

He stepped back into the main display area to meet the critical assessment of Loretta and Sally.

“So what do you think, Kyle? Does it fit?” Loretta knew Ronnie didn’t want any mistakes.

“Not really.” Kyle turned to show the area of his discontent. “It’s too tight on the chest and across the back and the sleeves, too. I’m squeezed in like a sausage.”

Sally was not going to back down. She’d made her claim, and she was damned if she’d concede.

“You’re just not used to formal wear. I think it’s fine and, just like I said, a perfect forty … here, try the tie.” She proffered the black silk bow tie towards him and, as he extended an arm to reach for it, they all heard the softly destructive sound of the seam splitting up the back of the jacket. It was a painfully submissive sound that Sally felt was punishing her into accepting that Kyle was, after all, NOT a size forty.

“Okay, what is your damn size then?” Regrettably, Sally’s annoyance had robbed her voice of its usual polished professionalism. “What is your chest measurement … just give it to me in inches, okay?”

“I’m a forty-three-inch chest.” Kyle was employing his most soothing calm and cool voice which he knew, in the circumstances, was all the more annoying.

Loretta and Kyle eventually departed with a ‘made-up’ suit set: the trousers from a forty long and the jacket from a slim-fitting forty-four. As they opened the glass door to step back out onto the pavement, Loretta could hear Sally inside muttering to herself a begrudging reasoning of her miscalculation, “Deceptive … very deceptive.”

(I loved that! Made me want to find out more!)

Sorry if that was a bit too long.

(Not at all – it gave us a real flavour of your writing.)

The story is episodic in nature, so it’s hard to isolate a representative passage that’s not too long. Throughout the books, Kyle has many adventures with a large cast of supporting characters, but perhaps one of the strongest of those is Randy Riley, an aging veteran of cowboy/western movies whom Kyle befriends and, in so doing, he changes Randy’s direction away from the rabble-rousing heavy drinker whose career is almost over into a reborn star with a whole new lease on life and career.

(It really does sound a lot of fun.)

What else have you brought along and why?

Ah yes, speaking of Randy, the other thing I’ve brought along is a song Randy composes for a movie he’s in with Kyle. He writes the song at a low point in his life as his contract is coming to an end and he’s being let go. However, that is before the Kyle effect kicks in and his career reblooms big-time. You can listen to it here.

(What a smashing song. I love the way Randy sings about doing his best but not always succeeding!)

And I suppose as my only real comment on my writing process, I’m going to have to confess that I don’t set up, or map out, or story-board anything. I just watch the movie in my head and write down the lines as I hear them. Quite often my characters surprise me!

(Ha! Many authors tell me their characters don’t always do what is expected Robertson!)

Thanks so much for staying in with me. I’ve really enjoyed our evening.

Kyle Harrison Movie Star

Dry humour and a good dose of romance. He’s tall, he’s handsome and he doesn’t fit any mould. Kyle Harrison is a young Scottish actor blundering his way to the top of the Hollywood tree. Discovered on the Via Veneto in Rome, Kyle takes Hollywood by storm with his irreverent charisma. With his trademark slouch and deadly mixture of boyish charm and athletic good looks, Kyle is beguiling to the ladies but frequently misunderstood.

Kyle’s photo is all over the tabloids, the day after he lands in Hollywood. He’s a movie star who hasn’t done a single screen test yet. A top director is sure he’s discovered his next action hero, but Kyle is clueless about the business, although he certainly looks the part.

Can he handle instant fame and stand up to Hollywood’s ruthless star-making machinery?

Kyle Harrison Movie Star is available for purchase here.

About Robertson Tait

Born in the Scottish Highlands, Robertson Tait writes romantic comedy and optimistic contemporary stories featuring imperfect but sensitive heroes and gorgeous, confident heroines, lovingly described locations, and some dry Scottish humour.

The Kyle in Hollywood series draws upon his experiences as a British Actors’ Equity member, his extensive travels, and twenty years of competitive horse riding.
Also a singer songwriter, Robertson lives in the country with his wife and two demanding cats.

To find out more, visit Robertson’s website where you can subscribe to his newsletter and find information on new releases and free content, short stories and some of his own songs that are often worked into the narrative.

It seems a while ago now when I was privileged to meet Anstey Harris, author of  The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton, at a wonderful evening hosted by Books and the City @TeamBATC for Simon and Schuster. I wrote about that evening in a post you can read here.

Today I’m thrilled to share my review of this lovely book.

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton will be published by Simon and Schuster on 10th January 2018 and is available for pre-order through the links here.

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton

Between the simple melody of running her violin shop and the full-blown orchestra of her romantic interludes in Paris with David, her devoted partner of eight years, Grace Atherton has always set her life to music.

Her world revolves entirely around David, for Grace’s own secrets have kept everyone else at bay. Until, suddenly and shockingly, one act tips Grace’s life upside down, and the music seems to stop.

It takes a vivacious old man and a straight-talking teenager to kickstart a new chapter for Grace. In the process, she learns that she is not as alone in the world as she had once thought, that no mistake is insurmountable, and that the quiet moments in life can be something to shout about …

My review of The Truth and Triumphs of Grace Atherton

Madly in love with David, Grace hasn’t played her ‘cello in public for years.

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton is a beautiful, beautiful book.

I am a complete ignoramus about classical music and have no idea how reading about someone playing a ‘cello can reduce me to tears, but the quality of Anstey Harris’s writing is so magical in The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton that I found myself transported by her words. Reading this book opened up a whole world of music and instrument making I had never before appreciated. The writing is so convincing I had to go online and find out more about some of the aspects, but I won’t reveal which in case I spoil any part of the story for other readers.

The characters are wonderful. With most of the action revolving around Grace, David, Mr Williams and Nadia there is an intensity that touches the very soul of the reader. I felt I knew Grace intimately – much better than she knows herself and at one point, mid way into the story I felt as broken by what was happening as is Grace because she was so real to me. I was genuinely terrified by what I thought might happen to these people and found myself shouting ‘Oh no!’ and cheering as I read so that my husband thought I had gone completely insane. It felt to me as if this wasn’t just Grace’s story, but that she was a universal figure whom we all can relate to.

Nadia is the perfect foil to Grace. Her expletives and dynamism give a perfect counterpoint to Grace’s constrained life. I so loved Mr Williams too because his wisdom is pure and unselfish, contrasting brilliantly with the emotional David.

But it is not just the characters who are so well written. Anstey Harris captures Paris so evocatively that I was there walking the streets with Grace. Reading The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton made me want to return to Paris as soon as I can.

Although I have alluded a little bit to the plot and I can’t say too much as I really don’t want to spoil the read for others, let me just say it is absolutely right for the cast of characters. The themes of identity, failure, how the past shapes us in our present, relationships, music, and being true to ourselves are so magically oven together that this was not just a cracking read of a book, but a timeless message for the reader too.

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton is as warm and vibrating with life, love and emotion as a perfectly tuned ‘cello. It is a sparkling diamond of a book and I adored it.

About Anstey Harris

Anstey Harris is based by the seaside in south-east England where she lives with her violinmaker husband and two dogs. She teaches creative writing in the community, local schools, and as an associate lecturer for Christchurch University in Canterbury.

Anstey writes about the things that make people tick, the things that bind us and the things that can rip us apart. In 2015, she won the H G Wells Short Story Prize for her story, Ruby. In novels, Anstey tries to celebrate uplifting ideas and prove that life is good and that happiness is available to everyone once we work out where to look (usually inside ourselves). Her short stories tend not to end quite so well…

Things that interest Anstey include her children and granddaughter, green issues and conservation, adoption and adoption reunion (she is an adopted child, born in an unmarried mothers’ home in Liverpool in 1965), stepfamilies, dogs, and food. Always food. She would love to be on Masterchef but would never recover from the humiliation if she got sent home in the first round.

You can follow Anstey on Twitter @Anstey_Harris and visit her website.

It’s an absolute joy to be part of the launch celebrations for Heidi Swain’s Snowflakes and Cinnamon Swirls at the Winter Wonderland, as she’s one of the friendliest authors I’ve met. I haven’t caught up with Heidi in person since a lovely blogger evening that you can read about here, so I’m thrilled to welcome her back to the blog today.

Before you read Heidi’s super guest post today, you might like to see what happened when we ‘stayed in’ together to discuss Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square here, and to read my review of Heidi’s Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market here.

Snowflakes and Cinnamon Swirls at the Winter Wonderland will be published tomorrow, 1st November 2018 by Simon and Schuster and is available through these links.

Snowflakes and Cinnamon Swirls at the Winter Wonderland

After calling off her engagement, Hayley, the Wynthorpe Hall housekeeper, wants nothing more than to return to her no-strings fun-loving self, avoiding any chance of future heartbreak. Little does she know, Wynbridge’s latest arrival is about to throw her plan entirely off course . . .

Moving into Wynthorpe Hall to escape the town’s gossip, Hayley finds herself immersed in the eccentric Connelly family’s festive activities as they plan to host their first ever Winter Wonderland. But Hayley isn’t the only new resident at the hall. Gabe, a friend of the Connelly’s son Jamie, has also taken up residence, moving into Gatekeeper’s Cottage, and he quickly makes an impression on Wynbridge’s reformed good-girl…

What Christmas Means To Me…

A Guest Post by Heidi Swain

Merry Christmas Linda, and thank you so much for inviting me tell you all about what Christmas means to me on this leg of the Snowflakes and Cinnamon Swirls blog tour. I thought long and hard before writing this post and I have to admit I’m still a little concerned that I won’t be able to cover everything in just a few hundred words!

I know not everyone is a festive fan, but for me, Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year – cliché intended.

Christmas, in my head, begins long before I hang my much loved and somewhat worn around the edges Matthew Rice advent calendar up in the kitchen. I guess it’s around mid-October, as the leaves begin to turn and the morning air turns crisp, that my thoughts first flicker to all things festive. The shops of course will have already been stocked with confectionery and cards for weeks by then, but I will be avoiding the supermarket and the city for as long as I can. Not because I have an aversion to present buying (far from it), but rather that I want to soak up the atmosphere in a more measured way.

Planning eats, events, parties and reading Christmas books can all happen from early autumn but the big guns – carols, Slade, late night shopping and mince pies – are all jam packed rather than dragged out. When December the first dawns that’s when I’ll be batch baking, wrapping and tuning into Classic FM because in Heidi Swain world the perfect Christmas is all down to pacing. Start too early and by mid-November you can’t face another tin of Quality Street, leave it too late and you turn into a screaming banshee gripped by the tinsel- toting panic and buying all manner of tat.

I like to be fully locked and loaded by the twenty first as the winter Solstice is a big deal in our house. As the wheel of the year turns that’s when I’ll really start to wind down, feeling ever so slightly smug that I can just sit back and enjoy the frost enhanced ride. I can never understand how folk can get in such a muddle in the run up to Christmas. It’s been happening on the same day for quite a while now and year on year our lives are becoming busier so don’t pull down the blinkers of denial and kid yourself it isn’t coming. Rather, embrace the season, write those lists, put those orders in and be prepared.

(Photo courtesy of Fay Esme)

Christmas has always meant a lot to me and now, with a festive title hitting the shelves in the winter as well as the summer, it means even more. Popping out to the supermarkets on publication day for those much loved #shelfies with Elton blasting out in the background and the scent of cinnamon wafting down the aisles from the in-store bakery is the best present ever.

May I take this opportunity to send you all lots of love and wish you a very merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy the celebrations every bit as much as I do and that Christmas means as much to you as it does to me!

H x

Thanks so much Heidi. Have a wonderful publication day tomorrow and I look forward to reading Snowflakes and Cinnamon Swirls at the Winter Wonderland and catching up with you in person very soon! Merry Christmas!

About Heidi Swain

Heidi Swain is the Sunday Times bestselling author of five novels: The Cherry Tree Cafe, Summer at Skylark Farm, Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market, Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage and most recently, Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair. She lives in Norfolk with her husband and two teenage children.

You can follow Heidi on Twitter @Heidi_Swain and visit her blog or website. You’ll also find Heidi on Facebook and there’s more with these other bloggers:

I’m going off piste for Linda’s Book Bag today and featuring a topic about which I know absolutely nothing as Todd R. Thomas stays in with me to tell me about his book.

Staying in with Todd R. Thomas

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

Thank you for having me! You seem to be exponentially more popular than I am.

(That made me laugh! I very much doubt it!)

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

It was an easy choice, since I have only written one. I brought Racing With “The Doctor”: Recollections from a Member of Jerry Crabb’s Sprint Car Pit Crew. It is the result of a 12 year project, which includes a 10 year hiatus in the middle.

What can we expect from an evening in with Racing With “The Doctor”: Recollections from a Member of Jerry Crabb’s Sprint Car Pit Crew?

I was a snot-nosed 18-year-old in 1985 when I attended my first sprint car race at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, and fell in love with the sport. As luck would have it, six years later I found myself, with zero experience, as a member of Jerry’s pit crew. I was an outsider and it was all new and shiny and interesting to me, so I would sometimes write things down as a way to keep memories from fading. After Jerry retired from racing I attempted to put my notes in a book-like format – then let it sit on my computer for 10 years. But it was always in the back of my mind, kept nagging at me, and wouldn’t shut up until I did something about it. I came across it again last year, continued working on it, and self-published in March.

(You’d be surprised how many authors tell me how long it has taken to get their book completed Todd.)

Hopefully the topic does not turn those away who are not familiar or interested in racing, because I’ve received positive feedback from readers who know little about the sport. I believe the below review received on Amazon describes it best:

Wonderful racing memoir! My brother recommended this book to me as a great read and he was right. I’m not a die-hard race fan by any means, but Thomas’ recollections of working his way up in a sprint car race crew are perfect for those with lots of knowledge about the sport, or very little like I have. We get to ride along with him as he learns the ropes as he works pit crew for racer Jerry Crabb, and I’m not going to spoil anything, but the climax race for Thomas’ team is one of the best I’ve read in a sports book. Great read. Great coming of age story. I can totally see this one as a movie someday. Thomas makes you feel like you’re in the pits with him as the engines roar. Definitely going to give it a second read!

(What a wonderful review. And actually, Todd, I think books are the perfect way to discover something new.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

I brought the cowl from Jerry’s sprint car, which normally hangs on the wall in my man cave. It is a little amazing that it survived, because Sometimes Bad Things Happen (also a chapter title in the book) in sprint car racing. Note the name “Mr. Cool” refers to me. For some reason that was my nickname, likely given sarcastically.

Thanks so much for staying in with me Todd. I’ve learnt an awful lot about a topic I knew nothing about. Good luck with Racing With “The Doctor”.

Racing With “The Doctor”:

Recollections from a Member of Jerry Crabb’s Sprint Car Pit Crew

Jerry Crabb raced motorcycles, 3-wheelers, and 4-wheelers from the 1960’s into the 2010’s. At the age of 47, in 1990 he made his first start in a 410 cubic inch sprint car at Knoxville Raceway. In 1991 he built his own 360 cubic inch sprint car, and raced at Knoxville and several Iowa tracks until 2006. He was the winner of the 1998 Masters Classic at Knoxville Raceway. This book contains recollections from a fifteen year member of Jerry’s sprint car pit crew.

Racing With “The Doctor”: Recollections from a Member of Jerry Crabb’s Sprint Car Pit Crew is available for purchase here.

About Todd. R. Thomas

At the age of 18 in 1985, Todd Thomas attended his first sprint car race at the famed Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, and fell in love with the sport. As fate would have it, six years later the avid fan found himself as a pit crew member on Jerry Crabb’s sprint car pit crew, and he served in that capacity for 15 years. After Jerry retired from sprint car racing in 2006, Todd compiled the notes he took over the years and attempted to put them in a book-like format. It sat on his computer for 10 years until he came across it again in 2017. He continued working on the project and eventually published this book in March of 2018. Todd is a life-long Marion County Iowa resident.

I often wonder what my 18 year old self would have thought if they knew then what I know now about how life was going to pan out. Today I’m delighted to welcome Jay Mullings, author of The Thought Book 2 to Linda’s Book Bag to share some advice with his 18 year old self in a smashing guest post.

The Thought Book 2 is available for purchase here.

The Thought Book 2

The Thought Book II is a companion that builds the self esteem and confidence of its readers. TTB2 helps you to sustain your drive and quieten the voice of anxiety in your thoughts. No matter your career path or choice of goals, The Thought Book II contains what you need to strengthen your edge.

Top Three Things I’d Tell My 18 Year Old Self

A Guest Post by Jay Mullings

 It’s the year 2018 and finally we have a working time travel device (disguised as a smart watch). I am lucky enough to be chosen for its maiden trial. Seeing as time travel is risky, I am only allowed to have one interaction and that’s with my 18-year-old self. No one would ever believe 18-year-old spoke with a future version of themself.

Now I don’t have long before they find me. I’ve decided not too much good comes from going back in time but in the name of science here are the top three things I said to 18-year-old Jay.

Follow Your Passion

I spent the majority of my youth acquiring knowledge that is of little consequence to me now. Learning the inner workings of computers was a true waste of my talent. Studying for qualifications I have no use for was almost sinful.

Jay your true calling is (I didn’t spoil it for him) in your heart. Be passionate and don’t be scared to dream as big as possible with that crazy imagination you have! You know what it is and you should definitely pursue it. We smile at each other; I know myself all too well.

Be Formless

Growing up it was accepted as true wisdom to be a master of only one thing. “Well, in our future world you need multiple strings to your bow.” I tell myself this and I can see it causing an internal struggle. We go back and forth about a Jack-of-all-trades being a master of none. I retort, “Jack has multiple revenue streams and creative outlets for his skills. Jack is doing just fine. Do you really want to waste precious time debating this with the one person who has seen this movie already?” Stop hiding your secondary talents in pursuit of one. Try to sharpen them all or use them in service of each other.

Amplify Your Voice

I wrap things up by giving probably the best advice of all (I am well aware self praise is no recommendation). Speak up about the things you see and feel. You have really specific insight, be sure to share it. Most of all speak up about all the times you’ve been mistreated or singled out for being young, gifted and black. Don’t keep it all bottled up inside.

Share your bold, silly and funny views with the world. Don’t let the cruel people of the world silence you or wipe that broad smile from your face. Share your unique voice with the world. It might be a good idea to exempt this conversation between us though…

Okay, let me not leave you high and dry, I’ll answer a few of your questions quickly. No Arsene Wenger will never deliver the champions league for Arsenal. Thierry Henry leaves for Barcelona, wins the champions league and then plays in the MLS before coming back on loan for us. He has a statue outside the new ground as our record goal scorer. Chelsea wins the Champions League before we do, Leicester City wins the premier league, Spurs finish above us more than once, Manchester City becomes a force in World Football and America gets its 1st Black President. He does two terms and there are no assassination attempts. No Hilary Clinton does not succeed him; Donald Trump becomes President of The United States immediately after…

Why don’t you believe me?

(Ha! I have to agree that last fact is rather unbelievable Jay! Great advice to your former self though.)

About Jay Mullings

Jay Mullings, who is part of the ‘Sleepless Elite’, has thrived on just 3 hours a night for the past 6 years. Rather than limited sleep being a hindrance, Jay maximises these twilight hours by writing and developing his business Written Mirror Ltd.

You can follow Jay on Twitter @WrittenMirror.

My enormous thanks to Emma Welton of Damp Pebbles Blog Tours for inviting me to take part in the blog tour for Keep Your Friends Close by June Taylor and to Finn Cotton for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

It’s almost two years since June Taylor was last on Linda’s Book Bag when her first psychological thriller Losing Juliet had just been published by Harper Collins Killer Reads.  You can read that interview here. and I’m delighted to welcome June back again to introduce her latest book. I also have my review to share with you too.

Staying in with June Taylor

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

Thank you for inviting me.  Lovely to be here again.

As if I couldn’t guess, tell me June, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

 

I’m bringing Keep Your Friends Close, my second psychological thriller published by HarperCollins Killer Reads.  It came out in ebook on 26^th October 2018.  (Paperback 10^th January 2019).

(Oo. Belated Keep Your Friends Close happy ebook publication day June.)

It’s another standalone so you don’t need to have read the first one (but by all means do!)  I think Keep Your Friends Close is perfect for the darker winter nights.  So just make sure the front door is locked, curl up by the fire and get comfortable.  Expect to stay up late though as you may want to keep going until the last page is turned.

(I can agree whole heartedly. I thoroughly enjoyed Keep Your Friends Close and have my review to share in a little while. I’ll definitely be keeping my door locked!)

So what can we expect from an evening with Keep Your Friends Close?

Well I like thrillers that delve deep into characters’ minds, so it does get quite claustrophobic and tense at times. I wouldn’t say it’s scary, but it’s an uncomfortable and unsettling read for sure, with a few surprises along the way.  The main character is Karin, a young woman with a turbulent past who’s beginning to put her life back together.  But on her twenty-second birthday, everything changes.  The past won’t let go and if her ex catches up with her she knows that things could start to unravel pretty quickly.  Only it’s worse than she ever imagined when one of her friends is murdered.

(I know those who’ve yet to read Keep Your Friends Close will find this intriguing June.)

It’s hard to say a great deal without giving away spoilers!

(I agree – I struggled not to give anything away in my review! Everyone will just have to read it for themselves!)

Yes. But you know the saying: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”.  Well hopefully this book will keep you second guessing.

(It will indeed!)

What else have you brought along and why?

I made a big bowl of popcorn because I think reading a good thriller should be like watching a movie.  Only better in a way.  If the writer has done a good job then there’s no better place than your own imagination.

You’ve certainly done a good job with Keep Your Friends Close June. Thanks so much for staying in and explaining a little bit more about it. I’ll share the book details and then you can read my review!

Keep Your Friends Close

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…

An addictive and shocking psychological thriller, full of twists you won’t see coming.

A friend who won’t let you escape.

When Karin is taken on a romantic break by her loving partner Aaron, she can’t wait for him to propose. But her surprise weekend quickly becomes a nightmare from which she may never escape.

Who wants everything you have.

They are staying by the beach at the Midland – a grand hotel where Karin used to work. And where Karin’s dangerous and obsessive ex, whom she has been trying to leave behind for years, is waiting patiently for her to return.

Who won’t stop until your life is in ruins.

Now all of Karin’s darkest secrets are being dragged into the light and her friends are turning against her. When one of them is murdered, Karin begins to realise just how treacherous relationships can be…

Keep Your Friends Close is available for purchase on Amazon, BookDepository, from Waterstones and Foyles.

My Review of Keep Your Friends Close

Life is vastly improved for Karin – but will it stay that way?

Crikey! Keep Your Friends Close is a twisty, keep the reader guessing until the final full stop kind of thriller. I found it exciting and compelling so that I didn’t want to leave it when ordinary life got in the way.

I can’t say too much about the plot as it relies on perfectly plausible though still shocking surprises, but I will say it is brilliantly thought through and skilfully delivered making for a very entertaining read.

I thought the characterisation was excellent. Because of the title I had my suspicions about every one of the people in this story, some of which were realised and some of which weren’t (but again I can’t say more). I found my reader response to Karin fascinating because I vacillated in my opinion of her throughout. At times I admired her, hated her, thought she was strong, pathetic (in the true sense of the word), self-centered, generous, intelligent and stupid and by the end of Keep Your Friends Close I still hadn’t made up my mind about her. She’s certainly a complex individual. I think it says something about the skill of a writer when the reader continues to contemplate the people they have created long after reading the book in the way June Taylor has here.

I thought the themes and issues underpinning the fast paced plot were so good. There’s an intelligent exploration of how our past can affect us, and of how we can manipulate and affect others and in turn allow ourselves to be manipulated and affected by them. Guilt, betrayal, obsession, identity, and trust are all woven throughout and I really appreciated the sympathetic presentation of the homeless who are an important aspect of Keep Your Friends Close. June Taylor exemplifies just how easy it is to spiral into difficult circumstances.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from Keep Your Friends Close, but what I found was a hugely rewarding read that kept me gripped from the first page to the last. It’s a super read.

About June Taylor

June Taylor is a UK psychological thriller writer. For many years she was a TV promos writer/producer before turning to writing plays and fiction.  She was runner-up in the 2011Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction competition with her YA novel.  Her debut Adult psychological thriller Losing Juliet was nominated for the Not the Booker Prize 2017.

Keep Your Friends Close is June’s second psychological thriller for the Harper Collins Killer Reads imprint.

June is active in her local writing scene, including serving on the Board of Script Yorkshire and taking part in Leeds Big bookend.

You can follow June on Twitter @joonLT and visit her website. You’ll find June on and Facebook and occasionally on Instagram too.

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