I’m delighted to be part of the launch celebrations for A Grand Old Time by Judy Leigh as it was my birthday yesterday and I feel as if I’m rapidly approaching 75 myself! As I have a mountain of things I still want to do in life I asked Judy which three things are on her bucket list before she hits 75 and she agreed to tell me.

I shall be taking A Grand Old Time with me as I head off on another bucket list item of my own soon – a trip to India looking for tigers.

A Grand Old Time will be published by Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins, on 3rd May and is available for pre-order here.

A Grand Old Time

Evie Gallagher is regretting her hasty move into a care home. She may be seventy-five and recently widowed, but she’s absolutely not dead yet. And so, one morning, Evie walks out of Sheldon Lodge and sets off on a Great Adventure across Europe.

But not everyone thinks Great Adventures are appropriate for women of Evie’s age, least of all her son Brendan and his wife Maura, who follow a trail of puzzling text messages to bring her home.

When they finally catch up with her, there are shocks in store . . . because while Brendan may have given up on life and love, Evie certainly has not.

Three Bucket Things Before I’m 75

A Guest Post by Judy Leigh

Limiting myself to just three things on a bucket list before I’m 75 is impossible: when I have finished my list of three, half a dozen more will pop into my head and jostle for pole position. I can be a bit impetuous and change my mind frequently, but here’s an attempt at my three things.

There is fascinating local history of women being accused of witchcraft, and I’m interested in researching their stories. It will become a novel. It might also become a PhD thesis, as I’m wondering what sort of prevailing culture singled these women out for discrimination.

I want to travel to places I’ve never been. I’d like to drive across the USA in a big American car and across New Zealand in a camper van, visit Sri Lanka. Of course, it’s all research for a novel.

I’d like to learn the Romani language. Words we use every day such as dosh, lollipop, pal all come from Romani. My grandmother used to use fascinating words such as hotchiwitchi, a hedgehog. There is a novel there too, about my father and my grandmother who came from a family of fairground travellers.

(These are smashing wishes Judy. I hope they all come true.)

About Judy Leigh

Judy Leigh completed an MA in Professional Writing at Falmouth University in 2015, leaving her career of 20 years as an Advanced Skills teacher of Theatre Studies. She has had several stories published in magazines, including The Feminist Wire, The Purple Breakfast Review and You is for University. She has also trained as a Reiki healer, written a vegan recipe blog and set up a series of Shakespeare Festivals to enable young people to perform the Bard’s work on stage.

You can visit Judy’s website and follow her on Twitter @JudyLeighWriter.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I’ve been ‘meeting’ so many new authors for this Staying in with… feature on Linda’s Book Bag and today it’s another new to me author, J.Q. Rose who is dropping by to tell me about one of her books.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying In With J. Q Rose

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, J. Q. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books.

Thanks so much, Linda. I’m looking forward to visiting with you this evening.

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

I brought a romantic suspense novel, Dangerous Sanctuary. The setting is in a small town in Michigan in the spring time, my favorite time of the year. Since it is or almost is spring in our corner of the world, I thought the book would be appropriate for a spring evening.

(I think we could certainly do with a book about spring. It seems to have been very slow arriving here this year.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Dangerous Sanctuary?

This particular book is a quick read, perfect for an evening in, and the quirky characters will make you giggle. One amazon reviewer said, “A florist, an orphan, a cat that needs a new home, an intelligent pot-bellied pig, a wallaby and a homeless man added amusement, interest and suspicion to the story.”

(Oo. I love the sound of that cast of characters. Quite an eclectic mix!)

The story is a “who-dun-it.” Who murdered the church choir director? The handsome detective, although attracted to the female pastor, suspects Pastor Christine clobbered the unsuspecting choir director and pushed him down the stairs to the church basement. The amusing characters and situations lighten up the dark atmosphere of mystery and suspense.

(I think Dangerous Sanctuary sounds highly entertaining.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I snuck in a yummy pizza just waiting for us on the kitchen counter. Can you smell those spices wafting in here? I hope you like pizza with extra cheese, Linda. Pastor Christine and her florist friend, Lacey, often enjoy pizza and cold beer on the parsonage’s screened-in porch while brainstorming ideas on how they can catch the killer.

(I don’t allow myself pizza often so this is a real treat. Thanks J.Q.)

I also brought along a bouquet of fresh spring flowers for the table to celebrate this occasion. Don’t the colors just make you feel happy? I believe I chose spring to be the background of this inspiring story because I liked the juxtaposition of the bright sunny days against the dark crime in the story. Plus, Michigan winters are pretty rough. The only thing that keeps us going is the hope of spring when the landscape is transformed by trees and flowers bursting into bloom, the sun shines, and the warm breezes comfort our winter-weary souls. In the book, the pretty weather helps calm and renew Pastor Christine Hobbs when dealing with the many trying events and twists in her life.

(Thanks so much for the pizza and the flowers. You’re right. They are so cheering.)

It’s been a real pleasure staying in with you to discuss Dangerous Sanctuary J.Q. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Dangerous Sanctuary

Pastor Christine Hobbs has been in the pulpit business for over five years. She never imagined herself caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Detective Cole Stephens doesn’t want the pretty pastor to get away with murdering the church music director. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her.

Can they find the real killer and build a loving relationship based on trust?

Dangerous Sanctuary is available for purchase here.

About J.Q. Rose

After writing feature articles in magazines, newspapers, and online magazines for over fifteen years, J.Q. Rose entered the world of fiction. Her published mysteries are Deadly Undertaking, Dangerous Sanctuary and Terror on Sunshine Boulevard released by Books We Love Publishing. Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games, and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. She spends winters in Florida and summers up north camping and hunting toads, frogs, and salamanders with her four grandsons and granddaughter.

You can find J.Q. Rose on Facebook and visit her blog.

Once again I’m finding another new to me author to stay in with me on Linda’s Book Bag. Today A. K. Amherst, traveller and writer, has agreed to tell me about one of her books.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with A. K. Amherst

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

Thank you for having me. I’m always excited to talk about my favourite topics: books.

(One of mine too – along with travel and chocolate!)

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

Well I brought my one and only: Belfast Central. It tells the story of Ryan Goodwin, whose family made a fortune with their company in the ammunition industry. But Ryan turns down the ‘traditional family career’ and becomes a paramedic instead. He wants to help people, not arm them.

When he gets shot on duty, he suffers a major life crisis. He knows the only way to move on, to find closure, is by investigating why the shooting at Belfast Central took place – an investigation the police is not very eager to do.

So he sets off on his own, starting by searching for the stranger that saved his life. The deeper Ryan digs into this stranger’s past the clearer it becomes: There is a fatal feud going on between opposing paramilitaries and stopping them might force Ryan to let go of some of his deepest values.

(I understand Belfast Central will be published on 10th April, exactly 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement was signed. Congratulations!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Belfast Central?

Well it is a thriller so you can definitely expect suspense and unforeseen plot twists. It’s also a story about friendship, about bridging differences. Because you know, sometimes water just is thicker than blood.

Belfast Central also integrates certain true events of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. So for readers interested in contemporary history this book has a lot to offer. My two main characters live in Belfast at different times – one in 1993 and the other in the 1930s. Belfast Central tells the story of those two lives that inevitable collide at the Belfast Central Station.

The story is very authentic and well researched with a lot of details that add up to its unique charm. So yeah, readers who love thrillers and/or are interested in history will definitely find a gem in Belfast Central.

(I imagine doing that research was a totally absorbing experience. I love reading about recent history.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I brought a Belfast Bap – the best regional food I ever ate. The bun is a speciality of Belfast and it goes with everything – eggs, bacon, sausage … simply delicious.

(Ooo. I hope you’re not expecting me to share that. I could do that justice very easily right away!)

You know with all the research I did about Belfast beforehand I really didn’t expect to come across something I never heard of before. But there I was, on my first day in Belfast, stepping off the train and stumbling across this local speciality at the market.

It’s more than just food to me, for me the Belfast Bap is a symbol for how important it is that a writer does his homework and researches to the fullest. And if your tummy is full by the end of the day as well … how could life get any better?

How indeed? Thanks so much for staying in with me Andrea to tell me all about Belfast Central. I think it looks a cracker of a thriller. 

Belfast Central

Belfast 1993: A nocturnal ambulance service at the Belfast Central Station almost turns deadly for the young paramedic Ryan. In the crosshairs of the IRA, he is badly wounded and wakes up in the hospital with muddled memories. The police close the case fast, leaving too many burning questions unanswered. Most importantly, who was that old man who appeared at the scene out of nowhere and saved Ryan’s life?

Not fully recovered yet, Ryan begins searching for the mysterious man, only to get dragged into a feud between opposing paramilitaries – with fatal consequences…

A thrilling story about fates in 20th century Northern Ireland.

Belfast Central is available for preorder in paperback here and the e-book is available for pre-order on Amazon.

About A.K. Amherst

Born and raised in Austria Andrea travelled the world from a young age. Besides travelling she loves to try new and unusual hobbies, always looking for the next great story to tell.

You can follow Andrea on Twitter @amherst_ak, find her on Facebook or visit her website for more information.

My enormous thanks to Jenny Platt at Penguin Random House for sending me a copy of The Stranger by Kate Riordan in return for an honest review and for inviting me to be part of the launch celebrations for this wonderful read.

Published on 22nd March 2018 by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin, The Stranger is available for purchase here.

The Stranger

Cornwall, 1940.

In the hushed hours of the night a woman is taken by the sea.

Was it a tragic accident? Or should the residents of Penhallow have been more careful about whom they invited in?

In the midst of war three women arrive seeking safety at Penhallow Hall.

Each is looking to escape her past.

But one of them is not there by choice.

As the threat of invasion mounts and the nightly blackouts feel longer and longer, tensions between the close-knit residents rise until dark secrets start to surface.

And no one can predict what their neighbour is capable of . . .

In a house full of strangers, who do you trust?

My Review of The Stranger

Three new landgirls at Penhallow Hall will find their lives changed for ever.

Oh my goodness me. What a book! I adored every word of The Stranger. It was like reading a modern day Daphne du Maurier, but for me, so much better. The quality of the poetic and beautiful writing is gorgeous. Kate Riordan has the ability to create a tangible sense of foreboding that permeates the reader’s skin, giving them goosebumps. There’s a fabulous use of pathetic fallacy so that the weather, the sea and Cornwall all become inextricably woven into the narrative making reading The Stranger visual and filmic. The absolute power of place is deftly and convincingly created, with an oppressive, self destructive and menacing atmosphere crackling like an approaching storm that I found utterly compelling.

There’s a preternatural evil and claustrophobia lurking around Penhallow Hall making a tragedy an inevitability. Ghostly echoes of the past weave in and out of the narrative, tantalising the reader and making it impossible for me to pull myself away from the book. The plot is a cracker too. I was sucked into the story as if I were a character myself.

Speaking of characters, Diana is a magnificent creation. Kate Riordan uses the perfect voice for Diana’s first person diary accounts so that I loathed her entirely for the first hundred pages of the book. Diana created a visceral and physical response in me that quite shocked me by the violence I felt towards her. It’s a terrible thing to say but I wanted her dead because of her tainting and corrupting effect. I found her a far more malevolent person than the controlling Mrs Fox. However, as the book progressed I came to understand, pity, and even respect Diana and this is such skilled writing by Kate Riordan to be able to effect such a change of opinion.

There are so many layers to The Stranger too. Not only is it a love story, a mystery and in many ways an homage to other literature through subtle reference, but it explores so many fabulous themes. Oppressed and suppressed sexuality, relationships, the nature of good and evil, the present and the past, identity and the basic human need to be loved and accepted without which we all become the stranger, all reverberate through the story giving it a brilliant depth and making it oh so satisfying to read.

In case you hadn’t gathered, I loved The Stranger. It is one of those books that will stay with me a very long time. Wonderful.

About Kate Riordan

Kate Riordan is a writer and journalist. She is an avid reader of Daphne du Maurier and Agatha Christie, both of whom inspired her first two novels, The Girl in the Photograph and The Shadow Hour. She lives in the Cotswolds, where she writes full-time. The Stranger is her latest book.

You an follow Kate on Twitter @KateRiordanUK, visit her website and find her on Facebook.

There’s more with thse other bloggers too:

It’s a real privilege to be part of the Legend100 team of bloggers and I’m delighted that today that gives me a very special guest post to share on Linda’s Book Bag. Legend Press are reissuing some of the most popular titles for the last ten years and 5th April marks the reissue of The Generation Game by Sophie Duffy. To celebrate, Sophie reminisces about her protagonist Philippa and the setting for the novel.

Published by Legend Press, The Generation Game is available for purchase here.

The Generation Game

Philippa Smith is in her forties and has a beautiful newborn baby girl. She also has no husband, and nowhere to turn. So she turns to the only place she knows: the beginning. Retracing her life, she confronts the daily obstacles that shaped her very existence. From the tragic events of her childhood abandonment, to the astonishing accomplishments of those close to her, Philippa learns of the sacrifices others chose to make, and the outcome of buried secrets.

Remembering Philippa

A Guest Post by Sophie Duffy

I know Philippa Smith better than I know myself. I first started writing about her in 2005 where she showed up in a short story of mine. I’m not quite sure where she came from – probably an amalgam of a school friend, Benny from Top Cat, and maybe a teensy bit of me – but she was here to stay, living on in my imagination while the short story became a novel.

Philippa is naïve, innocent and slow, but not stupid – though some of the things she does are admittedly daft even if they are carried out with the best of intentions. She is fiercely loyal and if she loves you, she will love you forever. (Once a Torquay United fan, always a Torquay United fan.) She could be seen as a victim if it weren’t for her good heart and her blundering resilience. She loses the people she loves the most but, somehow, she ends up with more than she ever thought possible – most importantly her baby.

This is where we first meet Philippa in 2005, giving birth in St Thomas’ hospital, the very place she was born forty years earlier. As she tries to make sense of being a new mother, she tells her story to her baby. She tells her about Helena, her feckless mother, Lucas, her best friend, Mr Bob Sugar, owner of the sweet shop where she lived, and Wink, the old lady from across the street.

The part of The Generation Game that is real is the setting. For two years in the early 70s, my parents owned and ran a sweet shop in Torquay. Mum, Dad, my two brothers, Sammy the cat, and I lived above it, a pretty cool place to live when you are five years old. The shop wasn’t just about the sweets. It was also a newsagent’s and a tobacconist’s. My older brother can remember measuring out snuff for the old gents who used to come in. I was too young to serve so I would sit behind the counter on the step that led to our back room and I’d watch and learn. We also sold the football pools and tacky gifts for the holiday makers. Boxes of chocs and saucy seaside postcards. Sandcastle paper flags and ice lollies. It was the best place in all the world and the ideal backdrop for my first novel.

Sophie and her brother in the back yard of the shop on Sophie’s first day at school

Across the street from the shop was a chemist’s where Agatha Christie was said to be a Saturday girl, learning about poisons. On the other corner was a chippie. And because we only had a small back yard, we used to play out in the ‘boneyard’ of St Andrew down the road. There really was an old lady called Wink who lived opposite us. We ‘inherited’ her from the previous shop owners and visited her every Saturday for fish and chips. And she really did love Brucie.

The Generation Game was first published in 2011 by Legend Press after winning the Luke Bitmead Bursary. Not long after this, Brucie became Sir Bruce. Since then, many of the TV figures of my childhood have been disgraced, but never Brucie. He was a hero to the end. Which brings me back to Philippa. I wonder how the news of his passing would have affected her? I reckon she’d be as sad as I am but proud too. Proud that her loyalty in him was not misplaced. (Unlike her loyalty to The Gulls.) And I’m thrilled that I get to share Philippa, Helena, Lucas, Mr Bob Sugar, Wink and Brucie with some new readers.

(A fascinating insight into the background to The Generation Game Sophie. Many thanks for sharing it with us.)

About Sophie Duffy

Sophie is the author of three novels. The Generation Game was her debut novel, inspired by her childhood growing up in a sweet shop in Torquay. Her second novel, This Holey Life, is about a reluctant curate’s wife. Her latest novel is Bright Stars, a modern day Brideshead, the story of students reunited after 25 years.

As part of Creative Writing Matters, Sophie appraises manuscripts, runs workshops and mentors novelists. CWM run the Exeter Novel Prize and the Exeter Story Prize as well as other writing competitions.

She lives by the seaside in Devon.

You can follow Sophie on Twitter @sophiestenduffy, vist her website and find her on Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I’m delighted to welcome Ken Kuhlken, another former English teacher like me, to Linda’s Book Bag to tell me about one of his many books.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Ken Kuhlken

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Ken. 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 brought along Newport Ave, because it’s brand new and a favorite of mine and  I wrote it as a sort of ode to my cousin Virgie. She was extraordinary. Smart, beautiful, and kind.

I often write about families and how the members affect each other. And I have to wonder what would’ve happened if Virgie’s dad hadn’t gotten sidelined by liquor. He was a warm and charming guy. Virgie loved him dearly. But he shot somebody and went to prison. Not long thereafter, Virgie was dating guys who appeared to also be headed for prison.

Later, while she was a flight attendant, she met and married an older fellow who was once a bodyguard for the infamous L.A. mobster Mickey Cohen. (By the way, you could read about Mickey Cohen and some of his wicked deeds in my novel The Angel Gang.)

I adored Virgie. She was two years older but always treated me with respect and affection.

When her marriage dissolved, leaving her with big financial and other troubles, I wanted to help her but could think of nothing to do except to exercise what I’m all about, which is making up stories.

(Virgie sounds as if she’s had a really tough time. I bet she was a fascinating lady too.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Newport Ave?

Well, plenty of suspense. And you’ll meet some memorable characters: my lovely cousin disguised as Olivia; Greg, who attempts to make light of a probably fatal disease; James, a brilliant alcoholic on the run from the FBI; and FBI agent Miles, who’s falling for Olivia while trying to nab her brother.

(Gosh – that sounds quite a cast of characters!)

The story goes like this: As teenagers, Greg and James get jumped by the brothers of Greg’s girlfriend. In the scuffle somebody dies. James flees and only years later returns home to their California beach town, still wanted by the FBI.

Hoping to protect his sister Olivia from her estranged husband, a mob-connected gambler, he enlists the help of his old friend Greg, now a devoted Christian family man and Sunday school teacher. After exploring all options, they decide the only sure way to protect Olivia is to kill the gambler.

(It sounds as if you’re exploring all kinds of themes as well as writing a cracking narrative Ken.)

Though my novel fits into the noir tradition, it’s quite unique in that it explores the crimes from several perspectives, a bit like Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet, which I consider a masterpiece.

(I have to confess I haven’t read Durrell.)

And, of course, since I did time as a high school English teacher, the our evening will conclude with discussion questions.

(We’ve BOTH done that time Ken so it could be a long plenary session!)

What else have you brought along and why? 

I brought this poem about Virgie:

Warner Springs 1958

 Outside in the mineral pool where kids

shout and splash, our mothers —

one widowed, one divorced —

lounge and gab.

Inside, our cousin Stevie — orphaned last year—

and I slouch against the wall between

the swinging doors and the jukebox while

Virgie, two years older, ages wiser,

like the girls on American Bandstand

or in news clips screaming their vows

to Elvis — Virgie reigns here in the rec room,

commanding obedience with her poise, tight

pedal pushers, bare feet and fleecy

sweater, short sleeved and pink.

A boy with glossed black hair, his chinos

pleated and pressed, has won her provisional favor.

Virgie and this stranger dance

belly to belly,

to “Twilight Time.”

Stevie and I twitch and squirm.

Because we too are boys, we know of his scheme

to steal her away from us. We would

banish him from our world but

we’re only thirteen.

The jukebox lifts the record off the turntable.

The boy’s hand slides low on Virgie’s back —

he steers her toward the far door and his chopped

Mercury painted to match

Virgie’s scarlet lipstick and nails.

But she knows everything.

She spins toward us, dismissing

him with her royal smile. He freezes.

Only his throat moves.

He’s swallowing a lesson

about class, as in classy,

about family.

(I love that poem Ken. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.)

Thank you very much, Ken, for staying in with me to introduce Newport Ave. You’ve really whetted my appetite to read it. I hope it’s very successful.

Newport Ave

A fugitive from a manslaughter charge returns home to a foggy California beach town hoping to protect his sister Olivia from her estranged husband, a mob-connected gambler.

He enlists the help of his closest old friend, now a devoted Christian family man and Sunday school teacher.

After exploring all options, they decide the only sure way to protect Olivia is to kill the gambler.

Newport Ave, a gripping novel in the noir tradition, explores crime and its endless consequences.

Published by Hickey’s Books, Newport Ave is available for purchase from all the usual places including here.

About Ken Kuhlken

Some of Ken’s favorites are early mornings, the desert in spring, kind and honest people, baseball and other sports played by those who don’t take themselves too seriously, most kids, and films he and his Zoe can enjoy together. He reads classic novels, philosophy, theology, and all sorts of mysteries. On his blog, he offers some hard truths and encouragement about living as a writer. He has long been the author of novels, stories, articles, poems, and essays. Lots of honors have come his way, including a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship; Poets, Essayists and Novelist’s Ernest Hemingway Award; Private Eye Writers of America Best First Novel and Shamus Best Novel; and several San Diego and Los Angeles Book Awards. Though he advocates beer in a video, he actually prefers Scotch.

You can follow Ken on Twitter @kenkuhlken, find him on Facebook and visit his website for more information.

Regular readers of Linda’s Book Bag know how much I like to feature authors I’ve met in real life. Today I’m featuring the latest books, Before Her Eyes and A Woman Scorned from one such author, lovely Jack Jordan. Jack is unveling Before Her Eyes today and I’m delighted to help out with the reveal.

Previously, I reviewed Jack’s debut Anything For Her here and took part in its relaunch here. I also reviewed Jack Jordan’s My Girl here.

A Woman Scorned will be published by Corvus on 3rd May 2018 and is available for pre-order here.

Before Her Eyes will be published by Corvus on 16th August 2018 and is available for pre-order here.

A Woman Scorned

Are you afraid? 
You should be.

The husband: in over his head with no way of knowing the truth.
The mistress: blinded by love, betrayed by her family…
The neighbour: will stop at nothing to protect the life he has fought to create.
The wife: a woman bent on revenge, but how far is she willing to go…?

Before Her Eyes

She can’t see the killer
But the killer can see her…

Naomi Hannah has been blind since birth. Struggling with living in the small, claustrophobic town of Balkerne Heights, Naomi contemplates ending her life.

But before she can, Naomi stumbles across the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. She senses someone else there at the scene – watching her. Naomi may not be able to see the killer’s face, but she is still the only person who can identify him.

For Naomi, this frightening truth changes everything: she realises that she wants to live, at the very point at which her life is in greatest peril.

As the police begin hunting the person responsible and the bodies pile up, Naomi must lie in wait and answer the question that hangs her fate in the balance: why did the killer let her live?

In a town this small, the murderer must be close, perhaps even before her very eyes…

Now doesn’t that make you want to pre-order!

About Jack Jordan

Jack Jordan is the global number one bestselling author of Anything for Her (2015), My Girl (2016), A Woman Scorned (2018), and Before Her Eyes (2018).

You’ll find Jack on Facebook, Instagram: @JackJordan_Author and Goodreads. You can follow Jack on Twitter @JackJordanBooks.

Never having been a parent, I’m naturally fascinated by those who have and the experiences they have encountered. As a result, I’m delighted to welcome Nina Farr, author of I am the parent who stayed – joyfully parenting alone to Linda’s Book Bag today.

Published by Practical Inspiration, I am the parent who stayed – joyfully parenting alone is available for purchase here.

I am the parent who stayed – joyfully parenting alone

Being The parent who stayed can be more beautiful than you ever imagined. It’s hard to be left taking care of your family all by yourself. Parenting alone in the wake of domestic violence, intense conflict or traumatic, unexpected events, makes being The parent who stayed even more difficult.

Are you standing in the ruins of your family wondering what the hell you have to do to get back to being ok again?

Has the amount of conflict, aggression and shame that came with separation/divorce floored your and your kids?

You deserve to be happy, no matter how awful this has been.

Parenting alone after traumatic family breakdown is relentless, lonely, scary and hard. The nights you sit on the stairs crying after the kids finally fall asleep. The days you can barely get out of bed but push on through because no-one else is going to pick up the pieces. The times you watch your children crumple into anger, despair and frustration and you simply don’t know what to do. If you feel that you’re stuck in the trenches, this book is for you.

It’s for you, if even lifting your eyes to the path ahead feels like putting yourself in the firing line.

It is for you if you’re just about getting through the day you’re in.

It’s for you if you know that life cannot change when you have no perspective, no vision, and no plan. You can figure out how to pick up all the broken pieces of your life and put them back together again. Discover how to parent on your own with skill, courage and artistry. Rebuild your family from the shattered mess of grief and anger Create a life more beautiful and more rewarding than you ever thought possible, for both you and your children Be truly proud of what you have achieved as a single parent, no matter how you arrived in this place I promise that if you show up and work your way through this book with commitment you will also experience a new way of living together as a family. You’ll discover a beautiful life waiting for you, where your family is whole and complete just as you are. You will learn how to put down all your resentments, how to let go of your need to control or manipulate people, places or things, and in the journey, rediscover your joy and connection to being a parent again

Overcoming Overwhelm

A Guest Post by Nina Farr

Becoming a lone parent can quite literally turn your life upside down. At the start of my lone parenting journey I felt completely overwhelmed by the changes that heaped one on top of the other. I didn’t simply end my relationship. I became the sole carer for a toddler and had a baby on the way. I couldn’t continue to live in the home I’d shared with my ex-husband so had to relocate.

Because I relocated I had to leave my job. Because I left my job, I had no stable income and couldn’t seek work due to my pregnancy, so was unable to rent somewhere new in my own name. Because my extended family could house us in their spare room, I was ineligible for social housing. So, I found myself stuck, searching for an opportunity to put down new roots and start my life again. Knowing it would look absolutely nothing like the one I’d had before.

Luckily, I had the blessing of a family who were able to provide a home for my children and me in the interim period. I am well aware that many other lone parents will not have this luxury, at one extreme finding themselves in temporary or emergency housing, at the other forced to stay in an unhappy house they would rather be able to leave. I can certainly admit that, from my own experience, it was not easy to let go of everything that created the edges of my world. Stepping into a new, undefined version of reality where I had no idea what to expect or who I should be.

Today I call this ‘the still and silent place’. It’s like a waiting room between one life and the next. It can feel crushingly empty, oppressively lonely, frighteningly dark. However, in this waiting room, this silent place, there is an astonishing opportunity for change.

When all the edges of your world disappear, you can build a completely new one. If you find that leaving your relationship has also stripped away your professional identity, severed friendships, changed your living arrangements or triggered relocation, take a moment to be still. It is in stillness that we can feel the space that has opened up in this place.

Being relentlessly busy helps many parents in transition, at least at first. The busyness masks the fear we have of wide open spaces. It is natural for a mother not to feel safe with her children if she finds herself in a place without shelter, boundaries or safety. I know that asking you to welcome this space may feel like going against your very nature, possibly evoking strong feelings of fear and the urge to run and hide. If you do not feel safe here yet, you are not alone. In embarking on this journey, you have already taken your first step toward discovering places where you may feel secure again. For this new world has safe places too. We simply have to slow down long enough to see them clearly.

Any one of the changes I described above, from separation to relocation, involves setting down part of the identity you once called your own. You may no longer be so-and-so’s partner, who lives at X and does Y. Perhaps your social circle suddenly feels upsettingly small. Each of the people who are no longer sharing your life leave a space. A space that can feel intensely painful. Yet from another angle, a space is full of possibility too.

If you are able to, consider the vacancies that have opened up. In time, for each person you say goodbye to, you’ll find a space appears where you may make new choices about where, how and with whom to rebuild your life. In each of the ‘no’s’ you hear from others or find you have to say yourself, spaces are opening up ready to receive your new ‘yes’.

Even if you have lost only one of the pillars that held up your life, you have entered a new land. You may be living in the same home, sleeping in the same bed, moving in the same circles and yet know that some essential part of yourself will never be the same again. The edges of your world may look the same from the outside, but inside the whole universe you inhabit has tilted on its axis — perhaps leaving you feeling motion sick and unsteady on your feet.

You too are in a still and silent place. For each of us moving into new worlds, releasing old paradigms and unwillingly accepting the new — this space must be allowed to settle. It is hard and scary stuff to take a deep breath when you feel vulnerable or exposed. Take your time and be gentle with yourself while you feel your way back to creating firm foundations and edges for your world in this new era.

It takes time to pick out new hats to replace the ones we’ve taken off. I didn’t become a Leadership Coach immediately after I became a single parent. It took me two years to arrive in the city I now call home. Cementing new friendships also took a lot of time, courage and commitment. It’s important to remember, when we make any investment in ourselves, that there is no point giving up on a goal just because it will take time to achieve it. The time is going to pass anyway, of that we can be certain.

Allow yourself to enjoy the space you are in right now. Emptiness and stillness after a big storm can be a truly creative place. When we accept what is, and stop fighting against the inevitable changes in our day-to-day lives or clinging on to a life that no longer serves us or our children’s happiness, the space that opens up will cease to frighten us.

Instead of a cavern of loneliness, we begin to see a canvas waiting to receive all the colour of our new life. Think back to five years ago. Where were you then? Now cast your mind back another five years. What about then? Keep going.

Remind yourself often that where you are now is no more permanent than where you were yesterday. If you feel desperate or pessimistic about the way life looks this morning, cast your mind back five years. Make a mental note of the enormous leaps forward each five-year period represents. You will certainly not be where you are today in five years’ time.

Nothing is permanent. Not the good, not the bad.

(Wise words for all of us Nina, parents or otherwise. Thanks so much.)

About Nina Farr

Nina Farr is a Leadership and Parenting Coach who works with parents who are raising their families alone. She is a TEDx speaker and author of I am the parent who stayed – joyfully parenting alone.

You can find out more on Nina’s website. You can also follow Nina on Twitter @LoneParentCoach.

I’ve been lucky enough to feature a few authors (with more to come) published by Williams and Whiting on Linda’s Book Bag and today I’m delighted to welcome one of their number, Joan Moules, to stay in with me to tell me about one of her books.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Joan Moules

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Joan. 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 Script for Murder along because it has recently been published by Williams and Whiting in paperback and on kindle.

What can we expect from an evening in with Script for Murder?

It involves a trip to the theatre, and to the seaside in the 1950s.   It is set in Fairbourne on the Sussex coast and although Fairbourne is a fictitious place it is based on a real town – I’m sure many people who read this book and have been there will recognise it.  For those who do I must tell you that I have moved some of the landmarks around to fit in with the storyline.  That was fun too.

(And now, of course I want to know where exactly it’s set!)

What else have you brought and why?

Two books which Williams and Whiting have also published recently. Both set during World War Two. Tin Hats and Gas Masks tells the story of two London evacuees from completely different backgrounds and It’s One of Ours which follows four main characters Anna, Rosie, Queenie and Liza  and their families.  This story opens on the day war broke out when Anna’s baby is born as the air raid siren sounded for the first time.

I have also brought with me a box of After Eight chocolates and a bottle of Baileys.

(Oh. Smashing. I love a Bailey’s and anything with chocolate is always welcome in this house. Thanks Joan. Cheers.)

Cheers and thank you for this evening Linda. It has been great to talk about my passion for writing.  

Thank you so much, Joan, for staying in with me to introduce Script for Murder. Good luck with all your writing.

Script for Murder

The Victoriana is a lovely old theatre in the Frank Matcham style. It is an old music hall (with a reputed ghost) and is situated opposite the pier in the seaside town of Fairbourne on the south coast of England.

During the season of 1955 one of the actors is murdered in his dressing room sometime between the matinee and the evening performance.

Suspicion falls on each of the other actors and actresses in the small company, as well as on the murdered man’s wife, who is more famous than her husband. Then there are the other staff in the theatre, the producer, the electricians, and the cleaners. Or did someone from an area of his life outside the theatre gain access and kill him?

Inspector Carding and Sergeant George Binns are investigating. The absence of an obvious motive for the murder makes their task far more difficult, as does the fact that the main suspects are all actors and actresses, used to playing a part. The tension builds up as secrets are gradually revealed, and the small cast become suspicious of each other. Yet to leave before the season finishes will point the finger at the murderer…

Published by Williams and Whiting, Script for Murder is available for purchase here.

About Joan Moules

Joan M Moules is the author of over twenty-five fiction and non-fiction books in a variety of genres. She also writes short stories and articles, runs occasional day workshops and is passionate about her writing. Joan is a member of The Society of Women Writers’ and Journalists, Society of Authors, The Crime Writers Association and The Deadly Dames.

Joan Moules lived in London from 1940 to 1945 before returning to Hastings. From working in various offices she was plunged into the life of a busy shopkeeper when she married. Joan lives by the sea in Selsey, Sussex. She has two daughters, five grandchildren and two cats. Among her many other interests are reading, walking, the theatre, music hall and Victorian jewellery.

You can find out more by visiting Joan’s Jottings.

Just over a week ago I had the pleasure of meeting Louise Candlish at the @TeamBATC #SpringBloggerEvening2018 that you can read about here. I had put Our House on the spare bed ready to place in my hand luggage to read on a forthcoming trip, but everyone kept telling me how brilliant it is so I decided to bump it up my TBR. I’m so glad I did!

Our House will be published on 5th April 2018 by Simon and Schuster and is available for pre-order here.

Our House

FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE.
When Fi Lawson arrives home to find strangers moving into her house, she is plunged into terror and confusion. She and her husband Bram have owned their home on Trinity Avenue for years and have no intention of selling. How can this other family possibly think the house is theirs? And why has Bram disappeared when she needs him most?

FOR RICHER, FOR POORER.
Bram has made a catastrophic mistake and now he is paying. Unable to see his wife, his children or his home, he has nothing left but to settle scores. As the nightmare takes grip, both Bram and Fi try to make sense of the events that led to a devastating crime. What has he hidden from her – and what has she hidden from him? And will either survive the chilling truth – that there are far worse things you can lose than your house?

TILL DEATH US DO PART.

My Review of Our House

Returning home Fi finds another couple moving in to her home with her husband Bram and children Leo and Harry missing.

Oh my goodness me. What a book!

Our House is an absolute corker of a thriller. I didn’t so much read Our House as gulp it down. In fact I think I almost suffocated as I kept holding my breath to see what happened next and then gasping with exclamations of ‘Ooo’ right the way through. I could not tear myself away. It was the superb quality of Louise Candlish’s writing that so captivated and impressed me. Yes, Our House is undoubtedly a fabulous read, but it is such an intelligently written and impressively crafted book. I have some very distracting events going on in my life at the moment but Louise Candlish transported me to another world completely so that I was totally subsumed and not entirely in control of my own destiny as I read. In fact, I felt as manoeuvred by Louise Candlish as Bram’s life is by Mike.

The plot is a stunner. I can’t say too much about it as I don’t want to spoil the read but the way it unfolds through Fi’s words and Bram’s writings is so deftly handled. It’s also extremely disturbing. There’s a real sense of incredulity at the ease with which the events could happen so plausibly. It truly felt as if it could happen to any of us at any time. One small omission of the truth or a small lie or error of judgement and our whole world could so easily implode.

I thought the characterisation was brilliant. Fi is the one for whom the events initially seem to have the greatest impact and who deserves our sympathy so that the reader feels her emotions with her because she is presented so clearly. In so many ways Bram deserves everything he gets and yet… I had tears in my eyes for him at one point. He became almost Shakespearean and made me think of Lear being ‘a man more sinned against than sinning’ on several occasions. He’s one of the most complex and satisfying male characters I’ve encountered in a very long time.

Our House is truly a breathtaking book. It is entertaining and absorbing as all good thrillers should be but it is so much more too. Reading Our House made me question the very nature of crime and atonement. Its themes of normal daily reality and self-deception, of love and hate, of betrayal and trust left me so that I ended the book wondering if I would ever think about my own house and life in the same way again. I was utterly captivated by Our House. I thought it was brilliant.

About Louise Candlish

Louise Candlish is the bestselling author of twelve novels, including The Sudden Departure Of The Frasers (2015) and The Swimming Pool (2016). Her new thriller Our House is published in the UK in April 2018 by Simon & Schuster.

Though her stories are about people facing dark dilemmas, Louise tries to get through the day without too much drama of her own. She lives in South London with her husband and daughter and is very attached to her dog Maggie and cat Tilly.

You can follow Louise on Twitter at @louise_candlish or find out more on her website or on Facebook.