I am very pleased to welcome back lovely Laura Briggs to Linda’s Book Bag as part of the A Garden in Cornwall publication day push with Rachel’s Random Resources. Laura previously wrote a super guest post for the blog about the influence of Jane Austen that you can read here.  Today I have my review of Laura’s latest book A Garden in Cornwall and she is staying in with me to tell me more about it too. Not only that, but you have a chance to win your own copy of A Garden in Cornwall at the bottom of this blog post.

A Garden in Cornwall is available for purchase here.

A Garden in Cornwall

With their lives exactly what they’ve always dreamed, Matt and Julianne await the arrival of the third member of their family — but their happiness is threatened when their landlady Mathilda announces her intention to sell their beloved Rosemoor Cottage for an impossible value. Devastated, Julianne struggles to accept the cold reality of her and Matt making their home elsewhere.

Matt’s life has taken a new turn as he finally puts aside his academic work to pursue his gardening hobby as a career: his first new job as a landscape designer involves neglected Penwill Hall’s ‘lost’ garden — one with a truly romantic Cornish past. But the task of restoring its legendary beauty from nearly seventy years ago proves difficult among the ruins lost in weeds and wilderness.

With notions of secret gardens and wartime stories echoing in her thoughts, Julianne is determined to help Matt and the estate’s new owner after the discovery of a hidden mural in the hall itself, depicting a breathtaking garden that may well be the lost one. Her efforts to uncover the past lead her to a curmudgeonly local gardener who just may hold the knowledge that would restore the ‘lost garden’ to its former glory. Will Julianne’s quest help her find a way to deal with losing the home she loves?

Hellos and farewells abound as Dinah returns to lend a helping hand at Cliffs House and Julianne relives her favorite memories of her and Matt’s beloved cottage in Book Twelve — the final installment in the bestselling series A Wedding In Cornwall.

Staying in With Laura Briggs

It’s lovely to have you back on the blog Laura. Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell us all about A Garden in Cornwall.

Thank you so much, Linda, for inviting me to share my book with your readers!

A Garden in Cornwall is actually the final book in my series of romantic novellas known as A Wedding in Cornwall. It concludes the adventures of American event planner Julianne who came ‘across the Pond’ in book one in search of a new job and ended up finding more than she ever dreamed of—including a romance with Matthew, a gardener and scientist with Ross Poldark-esque looks!

Writing this series has been wonderfully fun, and after 12 books with the same characters, it would be hard not to feel a little emotional as Julianne’s story draws to a close. I love researching the beautiful and unique county of Cornwall in my efforts to bring my fictional village to life, and the pictures alone tell me it’s a place I would definitely love to visit. It’s always great to hear from readers who say that my novellas truly evoke the Cornish countryside for them, since that was certainly a big part of my goal when fashioning the stories.

I’m going to have to start at the beginning with these as I really enjoyed A Garden in Cornwall!

What can we expect from an evening in with A Garden in Cornwall?

Expect to be swept away to a fictional part of Cornwall, where the ruins of a lost garden lead to forgotten pieces of the past. If you’re a fan of The Secret Garden, either the classic novel or the film adaptations, I hope you’ll find a little of that story’s magic in the descriptions of flora and fauna and the notion of restoring a long neglected garden to its former beauty.

(I thought the descriptions were very vivid Laura.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

I’ve brought along the traditional Cornish meat pie known as an ‘oggie’—my heroine, Julianne, enjoys eating these at Charlotte’s bakery in the village where she lives, and though I’ve never tried one myself, I have to say they sound quite scrumptious! For something to drink, I thought a nice ‘cuppa’ might hit the spot (I would love to experience an authentic English teatime meal someday—maybe even in a Cornish village, who knows!).

As you’ve brought something I love eating – an oggie – you’re welcome back any time for a traditional English teatime meal Laura. Thanks so much for telling us more about A Garden in Cornwall.

My Review of A Garden in Cornwall

With a baby on the way, Matt and Julianne have some big challenges and decisions to make.

Not having read any of the previous books in the A Wedding in Cornwall series, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I found that I didn’t need any previous knowledge of plots or characters to enjoy A Garden in Cornwall.

There’s a delightful story here as the mystery behind the lost gardens at Penwill Hall unfolds so that whilst this is a cosy chick-lit style read, A Garden In Cornwall has other layers too. As a keen gardener I loved the attention to detail in naming the plants and describing the planting. I felt Laura Briggs had really researched her topic well.

I enjoyed meeting the cast of characters. I have no idea whether some or all have been in previous books and it simply didn’t matter. There was sufficient detail to bring them all to life for a new reader. I especially liked Old Bill and the values he stands for. I thought Laura Briggs used him beautifully to show how life can impact on us and how we can still live in the present whilst remaining true to our past. It also made a real change to see how the established relationship between Juli and Matt develops as they rise to the challenges of life.

In fact, it was the handling of the different themes that I appreciated the most. Juli and Matt have some difficult choices to make but I thought their attitude and approach to life was a great lesson for us all. I felt that Laura Briggs illustrated how we can change and adapt and how we never really know quite what goes on underneath other people’s personas really well.

A Garden in Cornwall is a charming read.

About Laura Briggs

Laura Briggs is the author of several lighthearted romance novels and novellas, including the bestselling Amazon UK series A Wedding in Cornwall. She has a fondness for vintage-style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family, caring for her pets, going to movies and plays, and trying new restaurants.

You can follow Laura on Twitter @PaperDollWrites, find her on Facebook, visit her blog and see all her lovely books here.

Giveaway

For your chance to win* an e-copy of A Garden in Cornwall click here.

Please note – this giveaway is independent of Linda’s Book Bag.

*The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then the organiser reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time the organiser will delete the data.

As I was off in India before last month’s U3A Reading Group and I forgot to download our book before I went I simply didn’t read it so this month I’m making sure I have read our book for discussion in plenty of time; Death on The Cherwell by Mavis Doriel Hay.

Death on the Cherwell was originally published in 1935 and was re-released by British Library Crime Classics in 2014 with an introduction by Stephen Booth. It is available for purchase here.

Death on the Cherwell

For Miss Cordell, principal of Persephone College, there are two great evils to be feared: unladylike behaviour among her students, and bad publicity for the college. So her prim and cosy world is turned upside down when a secret society of undergraduates meets by the river on a gloomy January afternoon, only to find the drowned body of the college bursar floating in her canoe.

The police assume that a student prank got out of hand, but the resourceful Persephone girls suspect foul play, and take the investigation into their own hands. Soon they uncover the tangled secrets that led to the bursar’s death – and the clues that point to a fellow student.

This classic mystery novel, with its evocative setting in an Oxford women’s college, is now republished for the first time since the 1930s. Includes an introduction by Stephen Booth, award-winning crime writer.

My Review of Death on the Cherwell

Persephone Ladies College in Oxford is plunged into scandal when their bursar is found floating down the river in her own canoe – murdered.

My, my. I don’t think I’ve ever been so flummoxed by writing a book review before. I honestly have no real idea what I think to Death on the Cherwell. At times I found it less of a crime thriller and more of a social commentary of a rather elitist society.

Whilst there is a crystal clear description of the college setting, I wasn’t really able to distinguish between the undergraduates especially well, except perhaps for Draga because she is ‘foreign’. And this is my difficulty. I found many aspects of Death on the Cherwell so vividly evocative of 1930s privileged England that they are almost offensive to a modern reader. The comments about Draga being odd because she’s foreign, the rather sexist, and sometimes downright misogynistic, attitudes to women felt uncomfortable and yet I did enjoy the book.

Reading Death on the Cherwell made me think of the Famous Five and Secret Seven books by Enid Blyton in my childhood so that it evoked happy memories of reading as a child. I enjoyed that fact that there was a mystery to be solved in finding out how Bursar Denning came to have drowned but was in the canoe and I found the era fascinating. The rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge, the choosing of the correct hotel to be seen in, the references to ‘lekkers’, the correct positioning of hats and having crumpets toasted on fires in rooms all provided a vivid sense of the 1930s. The concept of propriety comes roaring through the writing so that I really don’t think I’d have survived living in the era.

I think in a way, the actual plot is subsidiary for me as a reader. I enjoyed the story, I didn’t have to think too hard and I was entertained. However, more compelling was the insight into the society of the time when Death on the Cherwell was written. Reading Death on the Cherwell as a fast-paced crime thriller of the kind with which we are now familiar might leave readers disappointed. Reading it as an intellectual exercise in looking at how crime writing has changed or as an historical snapshot of a particular decade makes it engaging and fascinating. I think it’s a book that will polarise readers. When I’ve finally made up my mind what I think I’ll let you know, but I would say, read Death on the Cherwell for yourself and make your own judgement.

About Mavis Doriel Hay

Mavis Doriel Hay, also known as M. Doriel Hay, was a British author of detective fiction and of non-fiction works on handicrafts. M. Doriel Hay was born in Potters Bar in Middlesex, England in 1894 and attended St Hilda’s College, Oxford from 1913 to 1916.

So many wonderful bloggers are turning their hands to organising blog tours and I’m delighted to have been asked by lovely Emma of DampPebbles to take part in this one for Rubicon by Ian Patrick. I invited Ian to stay in with me to tell me all about Rubicon and luckily he agreed!

Staying in with Ian Patrick

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

The pleasure’s all mine. Thanks so much for the invite, it’s a lovely place to chill out here.

Thanks! Though to be honest, a flick round with the duster before you arrived wouldn’t have gone amiss! I know you’ve brought Rubicon along to share this evening so why have you chosen it? 

I only have one book published so thought that would be the best one to bring. Rubicon is my debut novel set in London. I’ve chosen this one, as it’s very special to me. Your readers may find it interesting.

(Congratulations on your debut Ian.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Rubicon?

Many questions! My book is fast, taught, suspenseful and compelling. I have a strong narrative and tend to do away with long sentences for word count sake and concentrate on the here and now. I let the reader fill in the gaps in their own way.

(It sounds as if Rubicon will be a breathless read!)

Rubicon is primarily concerned with austerity, corruption and objectives. It’s a book that explores two different officer’s values and goals. DS Sam Batford is a corrupt undercover officer seconded to the National Crime Agency to infiltrate an Organised Criminal Network run by a guy called Big H who’s importing cocaine. DCI Klara Winter is the Senior Investigating Officer on the investigation and wants the job done well and people locked up. DS Sam Batford wants the cocaine for his own gain. It’s a cat and mouse chase to the end where truth and lies collide.

Here’s one reader’s review:

It’s not hard to see why Ian Patrick’s pacey crime thriller, Rubicon, has been optioned for television. First of all, it oozes authenticity – hardly surprising given the author’s former incarnation as an undercover Met officer. Patrick is such a skilled writer that the detail is drawn lightly, with Batford’s backstory, complex chains of command and a multi-layered investigation seamlessly woven into the story.

It paints a deeply compelling portrait of corruption and moral ambiguity that’s reminiscent of Line of Duty, exploring a world in which villains and police officers are often two sides of the same coin. This is certainly true of the protagonist, Batford, a mesmerising central figure who more or less steers the entire novel in his confident first person voice.

Batford is a fascinating mix of the solitary, mindful and brutal. He’s tender one minute, dispatching raw justice the next. As for his motives, there’s a question mark hanging over him, even at the end. But for me, this is the most satisfying element. He’s human, pulled in different directions by his conflicted, troubled history, while operating in a world where doing the right thing is far from straightforward. Bring on the sequel!

(Wow! You must be thrilled – both with this review and also the optioning for television Ian. How wonderful.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

I’d like to bring and listen to The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott Heron as we sit back and chat. I’ve brought along my dog Fargo. He’s a thirty-kilo slouching Spinone who evokes rest and calm of an evening.

(Fargo does take up quite a bit of room on the sofa doesn’t he?)

Also, my medals. They remind me of my police service as a Detective Sergeant with the Met Police. You probably wouldn’t be interested in those but if you got bored you may wish to pin them on and march around the room. You may as well take the dog with you too as he enjoys a walk.

(I am interested Ian – you’ll have to tell me more another time…)

A Television! Why? The BBC has optioned Rubicon for a six part series! We could compare the book with the TV adaptation, if you’re still happy with my company by then!

(Wow! So exciting. You’ll definitely have to return so we can have that discussion Ian!)

Finally I’d bring a Woodspirit as he reminds me of the trees, sea and air back home. It would fit with the porch we’re sat on while drinking, talking and enjoying the freedom.

(I love that Woodspirit Ian. I’m assuming it’ll be OK to hang on to him when you and Fargo leave?)

Thanks so much for staying in with me Ian and bringing along Fargo to chat all about Rubicon. It sounds like exciting times are ahead and I wish you every success.

Rubicon

Two cops, both on different sides of the law – both with the same gangland boss in their sights.

Sam Batford is an undercover officer with the Metropolitan Police who will stop at nothing to get his hands on fearsome crime-lord Vincenzo Guardino’s drug supply.

DCI Klara Winter runs a team on the National Crime Agency, she’s also chasing down Guardino, but unlike Sam Batford she’s determined to bring the gangster to justice and get his drugs off the streets.

Set in a time of austerity and police cuts where opportunities for corruption are rife, Rubicon is a tense, dark thriller that is definitely not for the faint hearted.

Rubicon is available for purchase from the publishers, Farenheit Press, here.

About Ian Patrick

Educated in Nottingham, Ian left school at sixteen. After three years in the Civil Service he moved to London for a career in the Metropolitan Police.

He spent twenty-seven years as a police officer, the majority as a detective within the Specialist Operations Command. A career in policing is a career in writing. Ian has been used to carrying a book and pen and making notes.

Now retired, the need to write didn’t leave and evolved into fiction.

You can follow Ian on Twitter @IPatrick_Author and there’s more with these other bloggers:

Now, with over 900 books on my TBR I have promised myself that I won’t accept any more for review until I have read some of the ones I already have – and indeed I’m not accepting new blog tours at the moment either. However, when lovely Emilie Chambeyron from Harper Collins got in touch to see if I would like a copy of The Restless Sea by Vanessa de Haan in return for an honest review I simply couldn’t resist!

Published by Harper Collins on 19th April 2018, The Restless Sea is available for purchase through the links here.

The Restless Sea

Absorbing and richly observed, The Restless Sea is a masterful story of the turbulent years of the Second World War.

Three lives collide in a way that only the war makes possible…

Jack, a child of the Blitz, has fled the law to become a seaman in the Merchant Navy. The frozen world of the Russian Arctic convoys may be harsh, but it opens his eyes to a new life.

While on leave in the Navy’s secret Scottish harbour, Jack meets Olivia, the cossetted daughter of an officer family. Free to roam, Olivia relishes the new freedom granted by war. But her family – and especially the well-connected Charlie, now a fast-rising pilot – don’t welcome these changes. Least of all the arrival of Jack, the boy who casts doubt on each of their futures.

The war inflicts danger and social upheaval like never before. But the most unlikely friendships are forged in times when people live like they don’t want tomorrow to come…

My Review of The Restless Sea

As 1939 Europe spirals into war, the lives of Olivia, Jack and Charlie will never be the same again.

The Restless Sea is an absolute epic of a read. Each time I thought Vanessa de Haan couldn’t possibly take the reader any further, the plot went hurtling off again so that reading The Restless Sea was akin to being on one of Jack’s convoy ships in the broiling ocean, sailing the highs and lows of every wave. Certainly there are coincidences that may stretch the reader’s belief at times but they had no detrimental effect on my absolute enjoyment of this novel and I loved the way it was plotted and resolved because it truly was a real roller coaster of a read.

What I so enjoyed was the gritty realism of Vanessa de Haan’s depiction of the war. I was thoroughly entertained by the narrative but incredibly educated too. In fact, at times, her presentation of the harshness Charlie and Jack endure was almost too great to bear. I had to give myself small breathers and breaks in my reading because it felt too intense a read simply to race through the fast paced story. Vanessa de Haan has the ability to transport a reader through her magnificent and frequently poetic descriptions – whether they want to go on the journey or not. I found some of the conditions, especially with regard to the weather and the Arctic runs, almost too hard to bear so that I was experiencing the same things as the characters. The descriptions of nature, the elements and living conditions were incredibly convincing and frequently quite disturbing. This is such powerful writing.

What I think works so well for The Restless Sea is the contrast between the sweeping historical aspects and the relatively small number of characters whom we get to know so well and intimately. I felt a profound sadness reading about Jack in particular so that I feel as if I understood his experiences, and therefore those of the real people of the era, far more acutely than perhaps I have before. Yes, there is romance and light amongst the shade in The Restless Sea, but this is no glamorised and sanitised version of events, making for a moving, captivating and fulfilling read that I think would suit many different readers.

I genuinely found myself thinking about the book when I wasn’t reading it, wondering how Olivia, Jack and Charlie were progressing without me. I thought The Restless Sea was an evocative and enthralling read and I know it’ll be lurking in my head for a very long time. I really recommend it.

About Vanessa de Haan

Vanessa de Haan is a historical fiction author, as well as a freelance journalist and editor. In 2005 she left an in-house job at The Spectator magazine in London and moved to Devon to concentrate on her own writing. She took the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and was a columnist on the Western Morning News for almost three years (writing under the name Zoë Kenyon).

Her first novel – The Restless Sea – is about the Merchant and Royal Navies during the Arctic convoys of the second world war, and was inspired by family stories as well as a love for the West Highlands of Scotland and the sea.

Vanessa still lives in Devon, and still proofreads and copy edits when not writing or tripping over small children, pouncing cats or a particularly enthusiastic flatcoated retriever.

You can find out more by following Vanessa on Twitter @vzdehaan, or visiting her website.

I’ve always thought of books as a way to escape, to experience new elements or to help us with our experiences and as a result I am very pleased to welcome LaTasha ‘Tasha B’ Braxton to Linda’s Book Bag to stay in and tell me about one of her books as I think she probably manages to encompass all those features in one go!

Staying in with LaTasha ‘Tasha B’ Braxton

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

You’re welcome Linda, thank you for the opportunity!

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

I brought Dark Chains an inspirational and spiritual read that speaks on abuse, neglect, mental health and family dysfunction. It’s a book based on my life. I’ve experienced a considerable amount of trauma from being raised by an abusive and neglectful mother. This sort of dysfunction created a dark path for me to travel upon throughout my life. I chose this book to share with you and others in hopes of reaching victims of abuse who are silenced by fear. To help heal the hearts of young people who feel hopeless because of the environment they’ve been subjected to. I want to help hurting families and change their perspectives for the better. I’ve touched so many people already from this book, all from different walks of life and I would like to continue. Because I know what it’s like to struggle on your own with no guidance at all, learning only from your trial and errors. I know what it’s like to live in a world where the word “love” is constantly questioned and in your mind…considered nothing more than a taunting fictitious tale. I can relate to the brokenhearted and defeated, I can relate to the one who’s had their self esteem destroyed to what they thought was beyond repair. I just want them to know…they are not alone, and they don’t have to continue to be defined by the pain they’ve been through. They are resilient and deservant of being loved, truly loved. And sometimes it takes a relatable person to help introduce you to the greatness that has always resided deep within you…beneath the pain and hurt, beneath the anger, and beneath the self doubt.

(My goodness. I’m so sorry to hear your story, but am delighted that out of your own experiences has come something so positive LaTasha.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Dark Chains?

You can expect to cry, to learn, you can expect your mind and heart to open up like a blossoming flower. You can expect for your perspectives to be challenged, you may even experience an increase in your ability to sympathize. But most of all…you will get the courage and urge to heal your wounds, so you too can grow.

(And what could be a better outcome from reading a book?)

What else have you brought along? 

Some Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and a cup of chamomile tea.

Now that combination sounds like a fabulous way to relax and enjoy the evening. Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me all about Dark Chains. I wish you every success with it.

Thank you Linda.

Dark Chains

Dark Chains is an inspirational and spiritual autobiography about a misguided young girl who struggles to survive mental, emotional, and physical abuse. Plagued by decades of pain, mental illness and generational curses. She enters a life without God at a young age, and finds herself infatuated with the idea of escaping and never returning to the abusive life she once was subjected, manipulated and conditioned to living in.

This book was created to help young girls and boys who are going down a dark path, it is meant to open minds and change their perspectives for the greater. It was created to help overcome the pain and anger endured from a dysfunctional family and lifestyle in order to become who God initially wanted them to be.

This book will heal the wounds of mentally and emotionally hurt families who aren’t aware that they’ve been conditioned to live immorally due to the pains that plagued them and the many generations that came before them. It is a read from an author who can easily relate to those who inhabit a lost soul and a broken heart. It is inspiring and will create understanding and hope to many and create a positive pattern for many more to come.

Dark Chains is available for purchase here.

About LaTasha ‘Tasha B’ Braxton

Author and songwriter LaTasha “Tacha B.” Braxton is quite a complex and beautiful mystery. An intricately woven entity made up of everything right about creation. Her mind is a cavern of creativity. Her heart is big, but the love encapsulated within it is a buried treasure. The kind one wouldn’t readily discover the significance of unless they were extremely determined and intentional about finding. Then there’s her soul. Vibrant as a moonlight glow, but it’s constantly at war. She’s suffered a lot. Has been disappointed by most and naturally carries her skepticism openly of everyone who tries to get close. Her force field is not easily penetrable, but it’s not impossible to. Her greatest joy is the life of her baby boy. A young inquisitive genius that has taught her much about life and challenges her to grow each day. If she was literally a flower. He would most undoubtedly be her water. This is her reason to live above all, and it’s this unconditional love that causes her to flourish. LaTasha “Tacha B.” Braxton’s gift is her writing. This is how she communicates to the world. Whether it comes out in the form of music, poetry or in a novel. If you want to know exactly who she is, these are the chambers you can go to.

You can find LaTasha on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @Itsmzchampagne and Goodreads.

One of the aspects of this year’s Staying in with… feature that I am really enjoying is the chance to encounter books that wouldn’t usually come across my radar. Today is one such book from Pamela Fagan Hutchins and I’m very pleased to welcome Pamela along to tell me more about her writing.

Staying in with Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Pamela. 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 Bombshell, Linda. I picked it because I think shocking suspense, and journeys of self-empowerment are great with a glass of wine and candles in a bubble tub!

(That’s one of my favourite ways to read actually, but I need a sparkling wine, preferably champagne!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Bombshell?

Hmm, expect? I like to surprise you :-). Well, maybe a few hints. First, Bombshell is a romantic mystery with a few sexy bits.

(So, a fairly ordinary story then!)

Your second hint about what to expect: Ava is easy to love and hard to write. A few years ago, I wrote three novels about a late-blooming woman named Katie Connell with a sexy, sassy best friend, Ava. Katie isn’t a prude, but next to Ava she might as well be. Three Katie novels later, readers had been asking for more AVA. And I was terrified to write her.

Oversexed Ava. Non-monogamous Ava. To write a trilogy of mysteries starring her without dealing with these truths of her personality and life would be inauthentic, yet these are the two of the qualities I am least comfortable exploring. I’m just not a Fifty Shades of Grey type of author or reader, even though I don’t think I’m a Pollyanna. I just have personal preferences as to what I enjoy exploring in fiction.

(I’m quite glad to hear that Pamela!)

So I’ve wrestled with how to write Ava’s point of view for the last few years. She should have been easier, since she’s based on my best friend Natalie, from my nearly ten years on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The translation from person to page, though, is not a straight line. I launched into her first story only to find myself struggling with my own health issues and putting the manuscript down for a few months.

I was relieved to stop. *Sigh*

I picked it up against a few months later, and wrote this piece about my writing experience:

I’m eighty pages into Bombshell. In the first seventy pages, I channeled Ava without having to confront her sexuality with direct behavior. Heck, the only times I’ve written sex scenes, they were love scenes, and I could turn to experiences I am familiar with. Not with Ava, not in her life at the time I am writing about. Love has nothing to do with the scenes I need to write.

It’s not that I don’t know how to write sex or think it doesn’t belong in books. When it’s important to the development of the character or the plot/storyline, sex belongs in a book, at a level of disclosure appropriate to the POV character. Which means, for Ava, a lot more disclosure for me than before. And if I am going to write sex, I not only have to have a compelling reason for it, I have to write it well. I have to write good sex, from Ava’s perspective. Good sex is, well, good, and I am lucky in that regard personally, but that just isn’t the same as what it is for Ava. So I have to come up with unique good sex outside my experience and my comfort zone.

Finally, that moment came when to continue to keep Ava out sexual situations was no longer possible, if I was going to be true to her point of view.

So I trudged up to my writing tent in my knee high snake boots and some really attractive gray yoga pants that ended at the top of my boots. I’d jammed a straw cowboy hat on over my wet hair and thrown on a t-shirt promoting tiny Burton, Texas. Our two draft cross horses were munching sweet alfalfa from a round bale, eying me and lazily swishing their tails. Three dogs dug their sleeping spots and settled at my feet in a cloud of dust.

I didn’t look like a woman about to get her sexy on, that was for sure, and I didn’t feel like one either.

I closed my eyes and pictured Ava. Within seconds, I am on the island of St. Marcos, at a party on the patio of a gorgeous home, the silky night air caressing my skin, the stars winking at me from above. In this scene Ava’s the date of a wealthy, mysterious man (just her type!) who’s a partner in the business she’s just gone to work with.

There’s been a murder, maybe two. Someone is stalking her, or maybe not. Not everything seems kosher with her new employer, or maybe it is. She’s struggling as a single mom and only child of aging parents. And, she’s trying to convince herself that she’s not in love with another man who she’s just dumped. So she’s throwing herself into a new relationship, or, relationships—this is Ava, after all.

The evening unfolds, ripe with sinister elements, suspense, and night blooming jasmine, and suddenly I can see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, and touch it, as if I’m Ava instead of Pamela. She makes choices, says things, does things, that I have no experience with, yet they flow from my fingertips as if it’s all happening around me and to me, because of me.

And I don’t even have the grace to blush.

When I’d finished the scene, I looked up. The horses had come to the fence nearest me. They were watching me, curious. I wondered if they’d sensed my departure from my body, the temporary takeover staged by Ava. They’re empathic like that, and after a few moments, they resumed eating, and I realized, yes, they probably knew better than I what just happened.

Time and many, many more words will tell whether or not this scene will stay in the book as is or whether it will get a substantial toning down or be cut altogether. Maybe we’ll close the door and not be a voyeur to Ava’s private life. Sometimes as a writer, though, it’s not about what makes the final cut, but about writing it true, understanding your character, and letting the chips fall where they may later.

Yesterday, I wrote Ava true. And I think I need a cold shower

(I love this Pamela. I’m sure I’d be hopeless at writing a steamy scene! What happened?)

The scene stayed in the book. My content editor loved it. My betas said it got them hot under the collar. And it is true to Ava, whose personal experiences make her uniquely her, which is what mattered most to me.

(I think it’s fascinating when characters simply take over and almost force writers to create their scenes.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

This should be a treat. Put down that wine glass and break out the blender. Ava’s drink of choice is a rum Painkiller. So crank up the Rihanna—I recommend “Umbrella” or “Please Don’t Stop the Music”—and make sure your candle is coconut scented, because Ava’s taking us to the Caribbean with her tonight.

(Oh! I love a good cocktail…)

Ava’s Painkillers

Mix 2 parts orange juice, 2 parts pineapple juice, 1 part Coco Lopez, and 1 part rum in a blender. Serve over ice sprinkled with nutmeg. Drink at your own risk. You’re welcome.

I love Ava’s cocktail Pamela. Thanks so much for bringing the ingredients to make it. Thank you for staying in with me to introduce Bombshell.  I understand that by clicking this Bombshell, Linda’s Book Bag readers can get a free copy too, before going on to read the rest of the books in the series.

Bombshell

Ava dreams of building a better life for her daughter through her island pop songs. Her new temp job leads to a once-in-a-lifetime shot at a record deal, but before she can pack her bags for New York, she discovers a dead body outside her office building. Horrified, Ava recognizes the murdered sex worker as her childhood friend.

The single mother finds herself torn between pursuing her life’s passion or justice for her murdered friend. When another friend is killed, she worries the deaths are connected to a shared trauma that she’s been running from her whole life. After dumping her cop boyfriend, she realizes the pain she keeps locked inside could be sabotaging her shot at lasting love.

Before Ava can move on to a bright future in music, she must confront the truth behind her dark past to catch the murderer or she’ll be next on his kill list.

Bombshell is available for purchase here if you’re not quick enough to get your free copy through this link.

About Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Pamela Fagan Hutchins writes overly long e-mails, award-winning and best-selling romantic mysteries, and hilarious nonfiction from deep in the heart of Nowheresville, Texas and way up in the frozen north of Snowheresville, Wyoming. She is passionate about great writing and smart authorpreneurship as well as long hikes with her hunky husband and pack of rescue dogs, riding her gigantic horses, experimenting with her Keurig, and traveling in the Bookmobile.

You can find out more on Pamela’s website, where you will find purchase links for all Pamela’s books. You can follow her on Twitter @PamelotH and find her on Facebook too.

I am the least maternal person I know. I don’t have children, have never wanted any and didn’t even play with dolls as a child. I preferred my Girl From U.N.C.L.E spy kit. With all of that in mind, I was intrigued when Adam T Hourlution got in touch and asked me if I would review his novella 3 Hour Dad. Now, I think it’s good to go beyond your comfort zone so, even though I’m not often accepting new books for review at the moment, I agreed.

3 Hour Dad is available for purchase here.

3 Hour Dad

What would you do if you were suddenly told you were going to be a mum or dad without any notice? How would you react? What thoughts would go through your head? You haven’t prepared to be a parent, you’ve not made any arrangements and nobody in your family is aware.

Now imagine that not even the mum-to-be knew that she had been hiding a little person inside her tummy the entire time.

One day Adam, just your average, typical guy receives a call from his mother-in-law (to be!) summoning him to the hospital following his girlfriend being rushed in with suspected appendicitis only to discover that she is in fact having contractions and has been admitted to the labour ward.

This heart-warming and true story invites readers to step into Adam’s shoes and experience what it is like to be a 3 Hour Dad.

A proportion of sales is donated to a random act of kindness fund. To read more about this please refer to the about me section at the end of the book and help join in the 3hourlution.

My Review of 3 Hour Dad

A late night phone call has Adam racing to be at his girlfriend’s side in hospital.

I really didn’t expect to enjoy 3 Hour Dad because I have absolutely no interest in babies or children. However, neither did Adam T Hourlution and he writes with such honesty and liveliness that I was thoroughly entertained by his first person story. I felt his direct appeal to the reader worked very well in making them feel part of the action and his ability to write excellent description gives an immediacy to his account. There’s a cracking pace to this novells so that the reader gets caught up in the story and is keen to know what the outcome will be.

Although there is shock and disbelief in Adam’s story with a couple of fairly graphic details too which reinforced my view that I’d made the right decision never to have children, what really makes 3 Hour Dad a success is the realism and Adam’s self-deprecating humour. I loved his eBay auction concentration and we actually learn a considerable amount about him in a narrative that only takes about 50 minutes to read. Here is a man about to be a parent who at times seems unable to string a sentence together or find his own socks and his panic is evident through the writing. I think it says much about me as a reader too as I enjoyed reading about Adam’s evident bewilderment, panic and emotions!

3 Hour Dad is an uplifting and realistic account of a new life coming into the world. If, like me, you’re not particularly interested in babies and children, 3 Hour Dad might just persuade you otherwise as I really enjoyed reading it!

About Adam T Hourlution

Adam T Hourlution is the founder of 3HourDad.com and author of 3 Hour Dad book. 3HD was born from his love of helping and giving back to others. Adam loves meeting new people and his goal is to remind them of just how brilliant they are by spreading some cheer in a world which doesn’t always seem so colourful.

He aims to add value by making people smile by sharing the sales proceeds of his novella. Sales of his short eBook (about his miraculous experience of becoming an unexpected Father in just three hours) is the lifeblood of 3HD which he uses the proceeds to launch the 3hourlution! aka randomly selecting people to receive free gifts and sharing their reaction and testimonials. These people he calls “the chosen ones” receive a happy note and a random act of kindness present which he records and shares across YouTube and social media. Adam is certain that this will not only positively impact someones’ day but will leave an imprint on the world.

You can find Adam on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @ as well as visit his website and YouTube channel.

I’m a hopeless romantic and I love to travel so I’m thrilled to have That Summer in Puglia by Valeria Vescina on my TBR as I have a feeling it’s going to appeal to both aspects very effectively! Today I’m delighted to be celebrating That Summer in Puglia. by bringing you an interview with Valeria conducted by those lovely folk at Bookollective.

That Summer in Puglia is available for purchase directly from the publisher, Eyewear Books here and on Amazon.

That Summer in Puglia

Tommaso has escaped discovery for thirty years but a young private investigator, Will, has tracked him down. Tommaso asks him to pretend never to have found him. To persuade Will, Tommaso recounts the story of his life and his great love. In the process, he comes to recognise his true role in the events which unfolded, and the legacy of unresolved grief. Now he’s being presented with a second chance – but is he ready to pay the price it exacts?

That Summer In Puglia is a tale of love, loss, the perils of self-deception and the power of compassion. Puglia offers an ideal setting: its layers of history are integral to the story, itself an excavation of a man’s past; Tommaso’s increasingly vivid memories of its sensuous colours, aromas and tastes, and of how it felt to love and be loved, eventually transform the discomforting tone with which he at first tries to keep Will and painful truths at a distance. This remarkable debut combines a gripping plot and perceptive insights into human nature with delicate lyricism.

A Bookollective Interview with Valeria Vescina

Who is your perfect reader?

I think my ideal readers probably fall into two overlapping camps because of That Summer in Puglia’s different layers.  I hope that if you enjoy the psychological tension in the fiction of Salley Vickers or Sandor Marai, and the lyricism of Marilynne Robinson or Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, That Summer in Puglia will be a book for you. Like these authors, I aimed for lightness of touch whilst dealing with universal themes: grief, love and the need for compassion. The book might appeal to you also if you like novels occupying the ‘space’ where psychology, philosophy, history and the arts meet: it requires no knowledge of these subjects, but those drawn to them will spot unobtrusive allusions. I imagine that many readers’ preferences span, in any event, both kinds of fiction. In addition, the book might intrigue those who, having enjoyed Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, are eager to discover the cultural diversity and richness of Southern Italy.

What books are on your bedside table?

My bedside table includes fiction and non-fiction. I’m enjoying La vita com’è, Grazia Verasani’s novel about the writing life, relationships, intergenerational dialogue, and much more. There is also Kai Aareleid’s Burning Cities, a compelling historical novel I’ve just reviewed for the Baltics edition of The Riveter Magazine. I’m dipping in and out of Literary Wonderlands, a mesmerising compendium of essays on fictional worlds, from those in The Epic of Gilgamesh to the ones in Salman Rushdie’s Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights. And I’m re-reading chapters of Gabriel Josipovici’s The Teller and the Tale, a treasure of insights into literature, music, history…

Do you have a writing routine?

My various roles – personal and professional – don’t easily allow for a writing routine. However, I organise myself so as to be able to fit in my writing and all other commitments. The time management skills acquired during my previous career are definitely helpful.

Where do you write best?

I write best in the mountains. Whenever I’ve needed to tackle a crucial writing challenge – a fresh revision of a draft of That Summer in Puglia, or the development of the plot of my next novel – I’ve shut myself for a week or two in the Alps. Creativity and new perspectives come so easily to me there; and the quantity and quality of the writing benefits from allowing myself time for uninterrupted immersion in the world of the novel.

Where did you inspiration for That Summer in Puglia come from?

That Summer in Puglia is the fruit of a lifetime of reflections flowing into the imagination. My protagonist, Tommaso, has been missing from Italy for over thirty years. The death of a parent during Tommaso’s childhood sets off a tragic sequence of events. The novel is about the countervailing power of love – of friendship, of romantic relationships, of strangers’ kindness… – which requires compassion for oneself and others. I did not set out to write about these themes – they emerged in the process of writing – but I had reflected on them over the years. In London, seeing notices of missing persons at railway stations fills me with sadness; I’ve wondered about the suffering behind each of those posters. Like most parents, when my children were little I occasionally asked myself how they’d cope if I were to die. In my previous work in executive search I was, at first, surprised by the resentments which ostensibly successful people had held onto for a very long time. Last but not least, my native Puglia provided inspiration: how can its layers of history and different cultures fail to spark musings on the layers of any society and person – and on the interaction between the two?

What are you working on next?

My second novel will also be set in Puglia, but in the 1500s. It will be inspired by historical events, and the main protagonists will be women. I’ve been carrying out the necessary research for years – in Italian libraries and archives, the British Library, the Bodleian… – and can’t wait to start writing the story. Microhistory – the study of one or more persons from another era – can reveal a surprising amount about the present day. I’m hopeful that the novel will illustrate how deep the roots of Western society’s attitudes towards women’s behaviour and aspirations are

About Valeria Vescina

Valeria Vescina is from Puglia, was educated in Switzerland and the UK, and has lived for years in London with her family. After a successful career in management, she gained an MA in Creative & Life Writing at Goldsmiths (University of London). That Summer In Puglia (Eyewear Publishing, 2018) is her debut novel. Her activity as a critic includes reviews for Seen And Heard International, Talking Humanities and the European Literature Network. She has taught creative writing workshops on the narrative potential of various art forms. Valeria also holds a degree in International Studies (University of Birmingham) and a Sloan Msc. in Management (London Business School).

You can follow Valeria on Twitter @ValeriaVescina and visit her website for further details. There’s more with these other bloggers too:

What with one thing and two others it’s been a bit manic here on the blog of late so it gives me great pleasure to put my feet up and stay in with Debra Purdy Kong today whilst she tells me all about one of her books.

Staying in with Debra Purdy Kong

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

It’s a pleasure, and thank you for the invitation.

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 mystery novel, Knock Knock which was published in November 2017 and is #5 in the Casey Holland series. It’s been a long and interesting journey to write about the same protagonist all these years and I’m pleased, not to mention a little relieved, to have finally finished this book!

(I’m always fascinated by authors who have a series Debra. It strikes me that they must get to know their characters intimately!)

I’ve also chosen this book because it represents a return to self-publishing. The first four books were published a year apart from 2011-2014 by a traditional publisher here in Canada. It was extremely difficult to submit a book a year, what with a day job and an aging mother who requires more care. By the time I and my publisher parted company and I got all rights back to my work, I was well into the third draft of Knock Knock. Self-publishing allows me to work at my pace, which is really important right now, given my hectic schedule.

(This is so interesting. I know of several authors who have decided to take complete control over their work after having been traditionally published. I know what you mean too about having older parents. My elderly mother takes up quite a bit of time …)

What can we expect from an evening with your mystery Knock Knock?

Hopefully, you can expect an entertaining whodunit with a little bit of grit. My protagonist Casey Holland is a 33-year-old transit security officer employed by a private bus company in Vancouver British Columbia. Undercover transit officers have been riding Vancouver’s real-life TransLink buses for years, by the way, but most people are unaware of their presence.

Through her work, Casey encounters plenty of unsavory characters. But in Knock Knock, things are different. She and the team are working with the police to help protect senior bus riders who are being stalked and then targeted by a group home invasion thieves. Meanwhile, Casey’s trying to prepare for her upcoming wedding, be a parent to her fourteen-year-old ward, and deal with a growing number of violent encounters, not the least of which happens to her.

(This sounds very exciting Debra. I know many Linda’s Book Bag readers will enjoy it.)

Many of my ideas come from true events and this one is no exception. Vancouver and many North American cities have endured home invasions. Given that my 83-year-old Mom lives on her own and that a senior was recently attacked in her area, it’s something that I think about a lot.

(And what a sad world it is when we have this kind of issues to think about.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I’ve brought a photo of my cat Mimo in his younger years.

(As a mad cat woman I’m delighted to meet Mimo!)

He’s almost 19 years old now and doesn’t keep himself nearly as well-groomed as he was in this photo. He’s also pretty much deaf. He’s a daily reminder that at this point in my life, I need to care for older things…pets, people, and even our aging home. Knock Knock reminds me that I also need to watch out for my neighbours and other seniors. As my Mother says, and I’m sure Mimo would if he could, aging isn’t easy. As my protagonist, Casey, knows all too well, the elderly need all the help they can get.

(Oh yes indeed! It has been an intense couple of years for me too looking after parents Debra. My father had a massive stroke almost exactly two years ago and it took 17 weeks to kill him so we have had a tricky time looking after my Mum too.)

Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about Knock Knock Debra. I’ve really enjoyed it.

Knock Knock

The latest attack in a string of violent Vancouver home invasions kills senior Elsie Englehart. Security officer Casey Holland is devastated. She is supposed to be watching over elderly bus riders in an affluent, high-risk area, but she’s let Elsie down.

Determined to keep others safe, Casey escorts an elderly man home, but an armed intruder attacks them both. Hospitalized and angry, Casey struggles to regain control of her life, despite interference from family and colleagues—and the postponement of her long-awaited wedding.

Yet another home invasion compels Casey to take action, but at what cost to her health and her relationships? In Knock Knock, Debra Purdy Kong’s fifth installment of the Casey Holland series, the risks have never been higher and the consequences more deadly.

Knock Knock is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

About Debra Purdy Kong

Criminology studies, along with volunteer work in prisons and employment in the security field, inspired Debra to write the Casey Holland transit security novels The Opposite of Dark, Deadly Accusations, Beneath the Bleak New Moon, The Deep End, and Knock Knock. She has also two Evan Dunstan mystery novellas, Dead Man Floating and A Toxic Craft, published more than fifty short stories in a variety of genres as well as personal essays, and articles for publications such as Chicken Soup for the Bride’s Soul, B.C. Parent Magazine, and The Vancouver Sun.

You can find out more about Debra by visiting her website and blog, finding her on Facebook and following her on Twitter @DebraPurdyKong.

Just after I first started blogging in 2015 I had a smashing guest post from Alison Baillie on Linda’s Book Bag and I reviewed her wonderful novel Sewing the Shadows Together in a post you can read here. Since then, the blog has changed quite a bit and I have been delighted to meet Alison in real life so it gives me enormous pleasure to welcome her back to Linda’s Book Bag today to stay in with me.

Staying in with Alison Baillie

Welcome back to Linda’s Book Bag Alison. It was so lovely to meet you recently. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me here on the blog.

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 along a copy of my second novel, A Fractured Winter, which just came out at the beginning of this month.

Congratulations Alison and a belated happy book birthday. I’ve heard marvellous things about this book from other bloggers so what can we expect from an evening in with A Fractured Winter?

I hope you will be caught up in an intriguing mystery set in Switzerland, Scotland and Yorkshire. Reviewers have said it’s difficult to put down – and one said it caused her to burn her dinner, so it’s probably best to avoid reading and cooking at the same time.

(No worries there. My husband does all the cooking these days. He had to learn or starve when I worked away from home!)

The book describes one winter when the seemingly idyllic life of Olivia, a young Scottish mother living in a small Swiss village, begins to crumble. Her daughter’s best friend goes missing and figures from the past come back into her life. She is terrified that someone knows her secret, the reason she had to leave Scotland and, while she is haunted by memories from her childhood, she becomes obsessed with the search for the missing girl. It is a story of the search for the little girl, and for love and identity. It also deals with rejection, loss and trust.  One reviewer described it as ‘A family drama with a deeply sinister edge’.

(I know I’d love this Alison. I so enjoyed Sewing the Shadows Together and I love your writing.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I’ve brought along some raclette for us to eat. This is a Swiss mountain delicacy and is basically just cheese melted on a grill or by the fire, eaten with boiled potatoes and pickled onions and gherkins. You can also add bacon and salad, but the great attraction for me is that everyone cooks it themselves – and it is delicious. I chose this dish because Olivia’s family eat it in the last scene in the book.

(You’re my kind of guest Alison. I love anything with cheese – though I’m less keen on pickled onions so you can have most of those.)

It’s usually accompanied by Swiss white wine, but as I don’t think you drink wine I’ve brought some herbal tea for you, which is also often eaten with it.

(Thanks! Though I notice you sneaked in some wine for yourself. You’re right. I rarely drink ordinary wine these days – seems to make me ill!)

And, of course, I’ve also brought some Swiss chocolate for us to eat afterwards!

(Oh… It was meant for afterwards. Oops…)

Thanks so much for staying in with me and telling me about A Fractured Winter Alison. It sounds such a good read and I’m looking forward to it.

Thank you very much for having me, Linda!

A Fractured Winter

A missing girl.
Threatening notes.
Sinister strangers.
Olivia’s idyllic family life in a Swiss mountain village is falling apart. She thought she’d managed to escape the past, but it’s coming back to haunt her.

Has somebody discovered her secret – why she had to leave Scotland more than ten years ago?

What is her connection to Marie, a lonely schoolgirl in a Yorkshire seaside town, and Lucy, a student at a Scottish university?

A story of the shadows of the past, the uncertainties of the present and how you can never really know anybody.

Published by Williams and Whiting, A Fractured Winter is available for purchase here.

About Alison Baillie

Alison Baillie was brought up in the Yorkshire Dales, but has always felt Scottish. Her parents were both from Scotland and, as soon as she could, she went back there to study English at the University of St Andrews. After a year in Finland she taught English in several Edinburgh High Schools. She then moved to Switzerland, where she still lives, but her heart will always be in Scotland, where she goes as often as possible. She loves travelling, reading crime fiction, going to crime writing festivals and being with her family and friends.

You can find out more about Alison on her website and follow Alison on Facebook and on Twitter @alisonbailliex.