I don’t think I know a female who hasn’t had some form of anxiety about their appearance at least once in their life. Consequently, it gives me great pleasure to be part of the launch celebrations for Learning to Love the Girl in the Mirror by Helena Grace Donald.

Learning to Love the Girl in the Mirror will be published on 13th April and is available for pre-order here.

Learning to Love the Girl in the Mirror

This book is for every girl who has ever looked in the mirror and criticized her own reflection; for every girl who has ever compared herself negatively to others; for every girl who has ever thought of dieting; and for every girl who is already struggling with negative body image issues and unhealthy eating habits.

Learning to Love the Girl in the Mirror is a “must read” for any teenage girl. It’s packed full of self-empowering and self-loving tools that will leave you feeling Supergirl confident.

In a world where advertising, celebrity culture and social media reign, it’s becoming more and more common for young girls to have some form of negative  body issue or eating disorder. This is not only harmful and dangerous on a personal level, it’s also destructive and disempowering for womanhood as a whole, and it’s got to STOP now!

This is Helena’s brutally honest story of how she overcame the battle with her own body and went from miserable and self-hating to absolutely loving the skin she’s in! Still in her early twenties, Helena completely relates to her fellow young women in the most loving and supportive way. Helena’s mission is to inspire young women that it is possible to love and appreciate your body in a completely healthy way. This book is packed full of the tools that will help any young girl to do exactly that.

An extract from Learning to Love the Girl in the Mirror

Say Goodbye to Little Miss Critical

Do you have a Little Miss Critical in your life? I bet you do. We all do! Does yours just visit from time to time, or has she moved in permanently? Mine used to pop in occasionally in my early teens, but as the pressures of teenage life increased, her visits became more and more frequent until, finally, when I was about 16, she stuck to me like glue and wouldn’t leave. She came everywhere with me.

Every morning she was there, waiting for me at the bathroom mirror:

“You’ve got another disgusting, humongous spot on your chin!”

She would stand right next to me, criticizing my reflection in the bedroom mirror as I got dressed:

“That skirt is waaay too tight! You’ve put on weight again!”

 She was with me at school, comparing me negatively to other girls she thought were slimmer or smarter or more social than I was:

“How come Emily can have a perfect figure and you can’t?”

 And she was there at every mealtime, whispering threats in my ear about the weight I might put on if I ate what was on my plate:

“That pizza has a gazillion calories. If you eat that you’ll be a big fat pig!”

She thought her job was to make me and my life “perfect,” and she tried to do it by pointing out all the ways I fell far short of “perfection.” One of her favourite things to do was to scrutinize my body, looking for flaws. She would squeeze my tummy and pinch any fat she could find, making tears well up in my eyes. When I walked, she would hold an imaginary mirror behind me to make me conscious of the size of my butt, the way my thighs rubbed together, and the cellulite she said was beginning to appear on the backs of my legs. Her sarcastic and hurtful comments echoed in my head, telling me that I was not good enough the way I was and that I would never be successful at what I wanted to do until I was  skinnier.

Because of her, I put more and more pressure on myself to be the perfect size, the perfect student—the perfect everything. I tried weight-loss plans, diets, detoxes, and I even fantasized about having cosmetic surgery to slim my hips and thighs when I would be older. As far as Little Miss Critical was concerned, I would only be good enough when I had a “perfect” body, perfect grades, and a perfect life. The more powerful she became, the unhealthier my obsession with my weight became.

Eventually, I reached a tipping point when I felt like the only way I could cope with her constant criticism and put-downs was either to starve myself or throw up my meals. In the end I did both—often in the same day. Looking back, I can see that I was really struggling to gain some control over my life and my body while simultaneously maintaining my image of having it all together. Some days I would try to see how long I could push myself without eating, then I would feel so hungry and anxious that I would stuff myself with food in an attempt to numb the pain and anxiety I was feeling. I’d do this until my stomach was about to explode—and then I’d emotionally release it all by throwing up.

I hid this from everyone. It was my shameful secret. I used to excuse myself from the family dinner table, run the bathroom taps so that nobody would hear me, throw up whatever I’d eaten, and then return to the table as if nothing had happened. I counted calories throughout the day, and Little Miss Critical always had something to say about everything I ate. Don’t get me started on how harsh she could be if I ate anything that she perceived to be indulgent!

About Helena Grace Donald

Helena Grace Donald is the founder of Girl Unfiltered. Her mission is to inspire girls to love and value themselves so that they feel empowered as they journey into the wonderful world of womanhood. Still in her early twenties, Helena relates easily to teenage girls and truly understands what it feels like to be in their shoes. She grew up in England and currently lives in Los Angeles where she leads a happy and creative life; acting, writing and raising awareness through public speaking.

You can follow Helena on Twitter @Helena_G_Donald and visit her website.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

Regular readers of Linda’s Book Bag know I frequently refer to my previous life where I worked to try to promote reading and literacy as an English teacher, adviser, consultant and inspector, so it gives me enormous pleasure to welcome Kaye Newton to stay in with me today because I think Kaye is probably a woman after my own heart!

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 Kaye Newton

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Kaye. 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?

Linda, thanks for hosting me! I’ve brought along How to Get Your Screen-Loving Kids to Read Books for Pleasure.  I thought parents would be interested in practical advice on how to get children to put down the smartphones and gaming consoles and pick up books.

(My former life means I love the sound of this one!)

What can we expect from an evening in with How to Get Your Screen-Loving Kids to Read Books for Pleasure?

The first part of my guide delves into why parents (and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and godparents) should care if kids read long form sentences found in books and articles. (Research shows reading can reduce stress levels, help kids sleep better, and improve school performance.) I compare of the pros and cons of electronic eBooks versus paper books and write about what motivates kids to read books. There is also discussion of whether the reading experts count graphic novels, manga, and chat fiction, which kids read on their phones in text format, as “real” reading.

(That sounds fascinating.)

The second part of my book details how to carry out a revitalizing reading project with your family. Here I share lists of books that hook kids of all ages, how to use reading rewards, family book clubs, how to find a reading buddy for your kid, and ways to make the assigned school reading more interesting. I also detail what worked and didn’t work for my family when I tested the reading experts’ advice.

(I’m sure many parents will love these practical tips Kaye.)

Fortunately, my guide has been well received and thought I’d share one of my favorite reviews on Amazon:

This wonderful book is an essential resource for every parent/caregiver. Period. Even non-book loving adults need to get this information. In How to Get Your Screen-Loving Kid to Read For Pleasure, Kaye Newton has created an intelligent, quietly funny and superbly well-written guide to help parents (and other people who like /have kids: grandparents, aunts, caretakers, etc.) gently steer their offspring toward a true appreciation of reading.

(What a smashing review. I think some of Linda’s Book Bag Readers might try your guide with other adults as well as their children as many fellow bloggers tell me their spouses don’t read. Mine does, fortunately!)

What or who else have you brought along and why?

I have brought along my thirteen-year-old son Eddie. Eddie is still enamored with his Xbox One but now also reads books for pleasure. I thought we could share how this works.

(Great idea. Authors have brought all kinds of things with them to stay in but never a child before!)

Librarians, teachers and parents report that one of the best ways to hook kids on reading is to find books about their current passions. When trying to get Eddie excited about reading, my husband and I leverage two of his main interests – video gaming and watching Stranger Things, a scary TV show.

Kaye: So, Eddie, tell Linda about two of your favorite recent reads.

Eddie: “Ready Player One” is good. A kid searches for a fortune through a virtual reality game.  It’s got a lot of action.

Kaye:  That’s coming out as movie soon, isn’t it? And we all know that it’s always better to read the book before the movie! (Eddie looks askance. Short silence ensues.) How about another suggestion? (Medium length silence) How about the series that you are reading right now? The creators of Stranger Things said they are big fans of this author.  .  .

Eddie: Oh yeah. Stephen King’s “Gunslinger.”  It’s a western fantasy.

Kaye: And what got you to actually pick up this book and read it?

Eddie:  The Stranger Things writers are the G.O.A.T. * I saw online that they like Stephen King, so he’s got to be good.  And you told me that I have to read a book if I want screen time.

Kaye: True enough. Linda, what currently works for us is earning screen time. After Eddie reads for 45 minutes, he gets 45 minutes of screen time.  I notice that when Eddie reads a book that hooks him, he voluntarily reads for longer than 45 minutes. It’s human nature to get caught up in a good story, and when that happens reading sells itself.  Your child starts to think of himself as a reader and will continue to consume “readalikes” found on sites like Goodreads.

*Greatest of All Time

(How brilliant. I love this concept. And I’m glad you explained G.O.A.T. as I think I must be getting old and out of touch…)

Thanks so much for staying in with me, Kaye, to tell me all about How to Get Your Screen-Loving Kid to Read For Pleasure. It sounds a really practical and helpful book.

How to Get Your Screen-Loving Kids to Read Books for Pleasure

Reading improves kids’ abilities to concentrate, empathize, and do well in school. The author, Kaye Newton, spent over a year researching expert advice about promoting reading. She then tested it on her three screen-loving children. Get practical tips on finding books that hook kids, leveraging screen time to increase reading, and making the required reading for school enjoyable.

How to Get Your Screen-Loving Kids to Read Books for Pleasure is available for purchase here.

About Kaye Newton

Kaye is a bibliophile and award-winning author who spent over a year researching expert advice about promoting reading and road testing it on her three screen-loving children.

Kaye lives outside Nashville, TN with her husband, three kids, and two lively dogs. Incision Decisions, her first book, won a silver medal at the 2017 Readers’ Favorite Awards.

You can find out more about her experience and books on Kaye’s website and follow her on Twitter @kayenewtonbooks.

Having previously had the privilege of staying in with Patricia Asedegbega to discuss her book to the moon and back in a post you can read here, I’m thrilled to be participating in these celebrations for When I grow up, organised by Anne Cater at Random Things Tours. I have a fabulous giveaway for one lucky Linda’s Book Bag reader to win a signed copy of When I grow up that you can enter at the bottom of this blog post.

When I grow up is available for purchase here.

When I grow up

“You need a plan B,” said Alicia’s mother when at five years old she told her what she wanted to be when she grew up.

Thirty odd years later, Alicia is on plan D: sharing a flat, no tangible savings, and working for hateful Julia, whose sole purpose in life is to make her existence utterly miserable. Good thing she has Oscar and the girls to make the long hours at work bearable.

But when a series of events tears the close-knit group apart, putting friendships and motives under suspicion, will Alicia be able to restore balance and set things right? More importantly, will she ever be able to upgrade her life to at least plan C?

About Patricia Asedegbega

Author of I stand corrected, …to the moon and back, When I grow up… Rewind, Balou uncensored, Bienvenidos a gatos anónimos, Pasarse cuatro Pueblos and Sesenta segundos dan para mucho, Patricia Asedegbega Nieto was born to a Spanish mother and a Nigerian father in Madrid. As a child, she relocated with her family to Nigeria and later returned to Spain, where she acquired her BSc and master’s degree. She is currently living near Madrid with her family and her very stubborn cat, Merlin Mojito.

You can find Patricia on Facebook and visit her website. She’s also on Twitter @Patricias_Place.

Giveaway

For your chance to win a signed copy of When I grow up by Patricia Asedegbega, click here. Giveaway closes at UK midnight on Friday 16th March 2018 and is open internationally.

There’s also more with and about Patricia Asedegbega and When I grow up with these other bloggers:

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed one of my Deepings U3A Monday Reading Group books on Linda’s Book Bag, so I thought it was time I rectified that. This month we will be discussing Simon Armitage’s Walking Home and I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t really thought about him as a prose writer, rather than a poet, but that situation is well and truly rectified now.

Walking Home is available for purchase here.

Walking Home

In summer 2010 Simon Armitage decided to walk the Pennine Way. The challenging 256-mile route is usually approached from south to north, from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm, the other side of the Scottish border. He resolved to tackle it the other way round: through beautiful and bleak terrain, across lonely fells and into the howling wind, he would be walking home, towards the Yorkshire village where he was born.

Travelling as a ‘modern troubadour’ without a penny in his pocket, he stopped along the way to give poetry readings in village halls, churches, pubs and living rooms. His audiences varied from the passionate to the indifferent, and his readings were accompanied by the clacking of pool balls, the drumming of rain and the bleating of sheep.

Walking Home describes this extraordinary, yet ordinary, journey. It’s a story about Britain’s remote and overlooked interior – the wildness of its landscape and the generosity of the locals who sustained him on his journey. It’s about facing emotional and physical challenges, and sometimes overcoming them. It’s nature writing, but with people at its heart. Contemplative, moving and droll, it is a unique narrative from one of our most beloved writers.

My Review of Walking Home

Setting out to walk the Pennine Way ‘the wrong way’ as a modern day troubadour, Simon Armitage occasionally finds he has bitten off more than he can chew!

I loved Walking Home. It completely took me by surprise and enchanted me. I haven’t been walking in the UK for a few years and I immediately want to dig out my walking boots and head to the hills. I don’t know if my enjoyment was enhanced by the fact that I have walked in many of the same places in similar weathers but I felt as if I were travelling along with Simon Armitage as he walked, seeing the same sights and encountering the same challenges, so vivid was the writing.

As one might expect from a renowned poet, the language in Walking Home is fluid, beautiful and gorgeously descriptive. However, I wasn’t expecting it to be hilariously funny and so self-effacing too. I think my husband thought I’d taken leave of my senses as I kept trying to read parts aloud to him but couldn’t finish because I was laughing so much. It’s not that Simon Armitage writes hilarious prose, but conversely that he has a pithy and dry wit that drops in with incisive precision via a couple of choice words after a lengthy prose passage so that the contrast has real impact. Usually this comes in the direct speech that is used so sparingly and so entertainingly. The contents of the sock passed round like a hat after the author’s poetry readings always provided high interest and entertainment too.

Each chapter in Walking Home is a different day on the journey and these make for self-contained narratives that can be enjoyed and dipped in to when a reader might be in that particular environment, so that I think Walking Home would be a wonderful text to read after a day spent walking the same route. That said, I read the book chronologically and kept thinking I’d just read one more day and one more day until I’d travelled the entire length of the walk through highly entertaining writing that I couldn’t put down.

Although this isn’t a narrative in the conventional sense of a novel, there is still a wonderful cast of characters to meet. I especially liked Slug. What Simon Armitage does so well is to leave the reader to fill in his opinions. He makes a factual statement about the people he has encountered which makes it obvious what he thinks of them without him saying so directly. I loved that approach as it made me feel conspiratorial and privileged as if I were privy to Armitages inner most thoughts.

I really enjoyed Walking Home as it is witty, entertaining and so well written. I would love to read more prose from poet Simon Armitage.

About Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage was born in West Yorkshire and is Professor of Poetry at the University of Sheffield. A recipient of numerous prizes and awards, he has published eleven collections of poetry, including Paper Aeroplane: Selected Poems 1989-2014. He also writes extensively for television and radio and is the author of two novels and the non-fiction bestsellers All Points North (1998), Walking Home (2012), and Walking Away (2015). His theatre works include The Last Days of Troy, performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2014. In 2010 he received the CBE for services to poetry and in 2015 was appointed Professor of Poetry at Oxford University.

For more information you can visit Simon’s website. You’ll also find him on Instagram.

What could be better to celebrate Mothering Sunday that a smashing e-book giveaway of All the Fun of the Fair by Lynda Page? I’m thrilled to have been given the chance to host this by lovely Bethan James at edpr.

All the Fun of the Fair was published by Canelo on 18th February 2018 and is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

All the Fun of the Fair

It’s the 1950s and Grundy’s Travelling Fair arrives in town with a bang.

When night falls, the local town is drawn to the Fair. But when the fairgoers head home, the Grundys are left behind. Hours are long and the work back-breaking. But family and friends hold things together.

Gemma married into the lifestyle, her reliable husband Solomon making the work worthwhile. Solly’s Dad Samson is still the boss, but his other son, known as Sonny, is getting a reputation…

Times are changing. Can the family – and the fair – survive?

About Lynda Page

Lynda Page was born and brought up in Leicester. The eldest of four daughters, she left home at seventeen and has had a wide variety of office jobs. She began her prolific writing career with her first novel during her 45 minute lunch hours at work. The book took 18 months to complete and was snapped up by a leading UK publisher who she went on to publish over 30 books with. She lives in a village in Leicestershire and is a full-time writer.

Best known for her Jolly’s Holiday Camp series, Lynda is writing a new series exploring life at a travelling fair in the 1950s for Canelo, with the first book, All the Fun of the Fair, out in February 2018.

You’ll find Lynda on Twitter @LyndaPage9, Facebook and Goodreads.

Giveaway

For your chance to win an e-copy of All the Fun of the Fair by Lynda Page, click here. Open internationally. Giveaway closes UK midnight on Sunday 18th March 2018.

I’ve very eclectic tastes in reading but I don’t read much science fiction so I thought it was about time to put that right on Linda’s Book Bag and invite science fiction writer Tabitha Lord to stay in with me and talk a bit about that very genre. Luckily she agreed!

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 Tabitha Lord

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Tabitha. 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 HORIZON, the first book in my science fiction series. I chose this one because it’s a good idea to read them in order!

(Brilliant because I know blog readers like to have a good series to get their reading teeth into.)

What can we expect from an evening in with HORIZON?

Well, it’s a space opera series. If you aren’t familiar with this sub-genre of sci-fi, loosely defined, a space opera has elements of warfare, adventure, romance, and generally an epic good vs. evil arc. Think Star Wars!

(Well, I’ve learnt something already. Never really thought about space opera before…)

When I start imagining a story, I usually begin with a question – some larger issue or ethical dilemma I want to explore. HORIZON began with a “what if” question. What if, on a remote planet with a small, isolated population, some of the people evolved differently from their neighbours and could do things like read minds and heal telepathically? What would that do to the fabric of the civilization? It was a great launching point. Naturally, those people who didn’t have the new gift felt very threatened by those who did and ended up nearly wiping out their peaceful neighbours. I also really wanted to explore the idea of what it means to be a hero. In the face of injustice and atrocities, who stands and fights? Who turns a blind eye? Anyway, in a nutshell, I like to say HORIZON is a WWII resistance story set in space!

(It sounds really interesting. I love the way writers like you explore the ‘what ifs’ of life Tabitha.)

My favourite review praised the book and said, “Bravo all around, Ms. Lord, for great prose, world-building, action/adventure, and for even-handedly dealing with themes of honour, friendship, and love throughout the story.” That’s really what I’d hoped to do.

(What a super review. I bet you were thrilled.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I brought a couple of photos that help sum up my writer’s life!

Sometimes when I need to clear my head, I wander on the beach. I’m blessed to live just a few miles from the ocean and it’s stunning in any season!

(And that green glow you can see is my envy – I live about as far as you can get in the UK from any sea.)

There are days when my cat thinks I need to snuggle him more than I need to hit my word count. He may be right…

(I’m even more green now. I adore cats and miss having them around the house – though there are several cat related items as you can see.)

And some days, well, the picture says it all!

Ha! I think there are several authors with a bottle or two of that about! Thanks so much for being on the blog and telling me about HORIZON, Tabitha. I’ve really enjoyed it.

Thanks for having me!

Horizon

 

Caeli Crys isn’t living—she’s surviving. On the run after the genocide of her empathic people, she witnesses a spaceship crash near her hidden camp. When she feels the injured pilot suffering from miles away, she can’t help but risk discovery to save his life.

Commander Derek Markham awakens stranded on an uncharted planet. His co-pilot is dead, his ship is in ruins, and he’s only alive because a beautiful young woman is healing him with her mind.

As Derek recovers, Caeli shares the horror of her past and her fear for the future. When Derek’s command ship, Horizon, sends rescue, Derek convinces Caeli to leave with him. But his world is as treacherous as hers—full of spies, interplanetary terrorist plots, and political intrigue. Soon the Horizon team is racing to defend an outlying planet from a deadly enemy, and Caeli’s unique skills may just give them the edge they need to save it.

Published by Wise Ink, HORIZON is available for purchase here.

About Tabitha Lord

Tabitha Lord currently lives in Rhode Island, a few towns away from where she grew up. She’s married, has four great kids, two spoiled cats, and lovable black lab. The house is noisy and the dinner table full! She holds a degree in Classics from College of the Holy Cross and taught Latin for years at an independent Waldorf school where she now serves on the Board of Trustees.

Her debut novel, HORIZON, won the Writer’s Digest Grand Prize for Self-Published fiction in 2016 and was named a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the Indie Excellence Awards.

You can visit her website, find Tabitha on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @tlordauthor. Tabitha is also on Instagram.

My enormous thanks to the author Suzy Davies for a copy of Luna the Moon Pig: The Pig Who Hid in return for an honest review. I’m so grateful for all the wonderful children’s fiction I get to read now as there wasn’t a lot of money for books when I was a child.

Luna the Moon Pig: The Pig Who Hid is available for purchase here.

Luna the Moon Pig: The Pig Who Hid

Luna Moon Pig is the cutest of pigs, with a moon face, chocolate-drop eyes, and the wiggliest of tails. The Millers adopt her, and give her to their daughter, Maria. But Moon Pig longs for her freedom, and she soon escapes!

A friendly cardinal bird, and a wise owl accompany her on her adventure – a magical journey to a wild wood, and beyond.

When Luna returns to her surrogate family, something is different! How has she changed? Who did she meet? She has made a discovery, and has a new philosophy about life! What she knows now will change her life, for good!

This is a fairy tale for all ages, that tells of a kind of magic – the magic of self-belief!

My Review of Luna the Moon Pig: The Pig Who Hid

Luna is the runt of the litter but that doesn’t prevent her having adventures!

What a glorious children’s book this is. Luna the Moon Pig is just delightful. Luna’s character is so well developed, being an insecure individual who learns to love herself through her adventures. She’s intelligent, appealing and I have a horrible feeling will make every child encountering this book want a pig as a pet, so parents – you have been warned!

There’s a fabulous plot that takes the reader from Luna’s birth through her new home and adventures to discovering her real value in life. All of this is told in excellent, straightforward language that not only conveys the narrative well and is interesting, but is accessible for slightly older children of around six to read independently so that their own literacy can be enhanced at the same time as they are being entertained.

The themes presented are so good for children to encounter and explore without feeling threatened personally. Luna lacks confidence in her appearance but comes to realise that beauty is on the inside too. She is aware of stranger danger and yet understands there is an exciting world to investigate but that family and home are important. I loved the blend of traditional fairy tale elements like wishes and magic alongside the more prosaic (and that’s not a criticism) aspects of simply having fun.

Alongside a smashing story of Luna’s adventures are wonderful illustrations by Sheila Graber that beautifully enhance the narrative. I loved the way the people in the book represent a wide range of ethnicities so that Luna the Moon Pig feels naturally inclusive and not contrived. Luna comes alive in these illustrations adding to the feeling that she is a very real character.

I think Luna the Moon Pig: The Pig Who Hid is a wonderful children’s book and cannot recommend it highly enough.

About Suzy Davies

Suzy Davies is a Children’s Author, Romance Novelist and Poet. Her new release, Luna The Moon Pig: The Pig Who Hid is illustrated by award-winning world-acclaimed illustrator and animator, Sheila Graber, famed for her work with Paddington Bear and family, Children’s Television and her illustration and animation of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So stories.

Suzy has also published Snugs The Snow Bear, a children’s book, and Johari’s Window, a romance novel.

Suzy has been a writer from an early age. She is a sociologist, and following her first degree at Leicester University, she read for an MA in English Literature at the University of Sussex, in England.

An educationist, Suzy was a Lead English Teacher and Literacy specialist. Suzy is passionate about nurturing future generations of writers, and to this end, she reviews books from time to time, and is an author contributor for The Young Writers’ Newsletter, an international online newsletter which is for young people who wish to write. She is also a regular contributor to The Writers’ newsletter online, where she posts her book reviews.

When Suzy isn’t behind a book, she likes the outdoors and enjoys communing with nature on the beach or by one of Florida’s lakes. She also likes to go to music concerts and enjoys visiting restaurants or mall shopping.

You can follow Suzy on Twitter @birdwriter7.

About Sheila Graber

Sheila Graber is a British animator and Visiting Professor to the University of Sunderland. She animated the children’s television series Paddington, has taught in schools and universities, and has won numerous awards.

You can follow Sheila on Twitter @sheilagraber.

I can’t believe it’s 18 months since lovely Jackie Baldwin last featured on Linda’s Book Bag with a smashing guest post, Saints and Sinners, that you can read here. I’m delighted that she has agreed to stay in with me today to talk 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 Jackie Baldwin

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

My absolute pleasure, Linda!

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

Well, I’ve brought along Dead Man’s Prayer, the first in my DI Farrell police procedural series. The second, Perfect Dead, is currently lying in pieces on the floor as its being edited and I didn’t want to mess up your carpet.

(That’s very thoughtful of you as this is a brand new carpet! I understand Perfect Dead will be released on 15th June and is available for pre-order here!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Dead Man’s Prayer?

Frank Farrell is a rather different lead detective. As one reviewer said, ‘he has more baggage than Gatwick’ which made me laugh. He is a former practising RC priest who suffered a complete mental breakdown as a young priest. He recovered and subsequently entered the police. The book sees him returning to his home town of Dumfries only to be landed with the murder of a local priest, the one who drove him out of the priesthood fifteen years ago. Then twin boys go missing from a local nursery. One is recovered unharmed in a local church. Is Farrell seeing patterns where none exist or is he losing his grip on reality once more? It has been described as an ‘intense’ read but there is some humour in there as well.

(Dead Man’s Prayer sounds brilliant. I’ve known a few dodgy RC priests myself!)

What else have you brought along and why?

Well, Linda, I’ve brought some Gregorian chants along as Farrell finds them soothing. I’ve also brought along some handcuffs and a Taser…just kidding!

(Phew! Had me worried there for a minute Jackie…)

I’m hoping I can tempt you into joining me for a hot toddy, consisting of whisky, sugar and hot water. I’ve also brought along pictures of the empty Benedictine Convent where a pivotal scene takes place and the view from Farrell’s cottage at Kelton. And of course, it’s only polite to bring chocolates…!

I’ll definitely join you in that hot toddy Jackie and as you’ve brought chocolates it would only be rude to refuse…

Thanks so much for staying in with me Jackie. I can see where the humour in your books comes from and I’ve really enjoyed hearing about Dead Man’s Prayer.

Dead Man’s Prayer

A dark and gripping crime debut, the first in an exciting new series. Eighteen years ago, DI Frank Farrell turned his back on the church. But when an ex-priest is murdered in his hometown, he has no choice but to delve into his past.

Ex-priest DI Frank Farrell has returned to his roots in Dumfries, only to be landed with a disturbing murder case. Even worse, Farrell knows the victim: Father Boyd, the man who forced him out of the priesthood fifteen years earlier.

With no leads, Farrell must delve into the old priest’s past, one that is inextricably linked with his own. But his attention is diverted when twin boys go missing. One twin is recovered in an abandoned church, unharmed. But where is his brother?

As Farrell investigates the two cases he can’t help but feel targeted. Is someone playing a sinister game, or is he seeing patterns that don’t exist? Either way, it’s a game Farrell needs to win before he loses his grip on his sanity, or someone else turns up dead.

Dead Man’s Prayer is available for purchase here.

About Jackie Baldwin

Jackie Baldwin worked as a solicitor specialising in criminal and family law for twenty years before training as a hypnotherapist. She is married with two grown up children and lives in Dumfries, SW Scotland.

You can follow Jackie on Twitter @JackieMBaldwin1 and find her on Facebook.

My grateful thanks to Anne Cater, fellow blogger and organiser of Random Things Tours, for inviting me to be part of the celebrations for The Hope and Anchor by Julia Kite. I have a smashing extract to share today.

Published by Unbound you’ll find more details here. The Hope and Anchor is available for purchase here.

The Hope and Anchor

When a vulnerable young woman goes missing, her girlfriend discovers how little she knows of life, love, and London.

Two crucial parts of Neely Sharpe’s life are missing: Her once-great potential and her girlfriend, Angela. A failed academic turned frustrated office drone who had assumed that once she made it to London, she would be somebody, Neely finds herself tasked with a job finally suiting her intellect – piecing together the hidden life of the working-class, epileptic, and quietly devoted woman she loves.

As the crucial days of Angela’s disappearance pass, Neely excavates Angela’s secrets, uncovering a sister who pushed her family away, a father obsessed with immortalising it, and a smattering of locals who don’t let their own problems get in the way of poking around in those of others.

In search of answers as to what happened to her girlfriend – and why – Neely scours the city, from parks to pubs to the sewers in a snowstorm as the two women’s networks of friends, family, and old adversaries intertwine.

In order to find any answers, Neely risks losing all the illusions she so carefully cultivated about what her life should be – but for the generation that was promised so much, one thing is certain: there is nothing worse than being a nobody. The Hope and Anchor captures the dreams London embodies for its natives and newcomers alike, and what happens when the dreamers finally have to wake up.

An Extract from The Hope and Anchor

If Angela was not in, then it made sense to Neely that she must be out. Basic logic, common sense. Any idiot could figure that out, and Neely had always thought herself more than a scratch above any idiot, and so she locked the door and hit the pavement in the evening chill. Neely did the Harrow Road door-to-door, a tour of the pubs and their yellow-lit insides. Why might Angela be in the pub? Again, logic: she might be in the pub because she was definitely not in the flat, and if she was not in the pub, then that would be one less place left to look afterward. Simple as.

A peek in the Barlby Arms: no Angela. Not on either side of the wrap-around bar, which split the pub evenly down the centre and gave it the only bit of charm to be found within its walls. She was not sitting by the old men watching the cricket, nor was she among the tracksuited wasters around the snooker table. The Windsor Castle: no sign of Angela Archer. No sign of anybody in particular, because the clientele at that moment certainly counted as nobodies. Neely recognized them. The gingery one with the broken nose and the fingers shakily looking for something to scratch was called Rob, a fitting name for someone whose only useful skill seemed to be thieving. His girlfriend, Gina, sat across from him. Her lips were split again. Rob wasn’t responsible for that. He’d have a go, and usually an ill-advised one that left him the worse off, at anybody except his girlfriend. He’d go especially mental on anybody who looked at her sideways. Neely knew this. She’d seen it happen before on the corner of Harrow Road and Elgin Avenue just around kicking-out time. Gina had spoken three words to Neely in all her life: “Black don’t crack,” with a cackle, when she saw Neely staring at a scrape on her cheek one night during a pub quiz. But it just did, Neely had thought back, smiling only to be polite. Rob and Gina hadn’t been playing that night. They never did.

The pub quiz this night wasn’t at the Windsor Castle, though. It was down the road. Rob and Gina always migrated pub to pub, wispily, like Neely was doing now, and as she leaned her full weight into the door of the Hope and Anchor and grunts it open, the heat and the noise rushed to meet her. Melanie the barmaid’s eyes did, too. Her face registered relief for a split second before she covered it with an asinine grin. On nights like this, she served as quizmaster and ringmaster of a human circus with far too many coked-up amateur clowns and no safety net beneath the trapeze. Mel was in fact younger than Neely, but her overall appearance was that of a once-stunning outfit that had been put through the wash twice as often as recommended, and on a turbo spin cycle at that. She had both faded and sagged considerably from the last time she and Angela Archer shared a classroom at Sion Manning School. Her ankles were too big for her high heels, which were too high for any practical purpose and made her wobble on the carpet. The thick, inexpertly-applied highlights in hair pulled tight against her skull gave the impression her head had been burnished by a sculptor who had quickly lost interest and moved onto the next project before finishing the first. The overall effect screamed, from every curve: I will grow old here and I will die here and when that happens I will be doing the exact same thing I am doing now. And right now, she was verbally wrangling a speeding skinhead who had greeted Neely’s arrival with nothing less than the facial equivalent of a raging hard-on.

“Is that the stripper? Told you, we should have a stripper in here, not a fucking quiz.”

“Shut up. No, it’s the encyclopedia. We’ll ask her. Her decision is final, OK?”

“Could still be the stripper if she’s up for it.”

“Fuck off! Her missus will poison you for that.”

“Her missus! Girl-on-girl? You’re sitting on a goldmine here, Mel!”

The barmaid-turned-emcee snorted and turned to the newcomer. “Neely. Question. Settle this for us: is Pluto a planet now or not?”

From the same stubble-ringed mouth, on the same tirade: “Why can’t we just fucking Google it?”

“I said no phones! Neely?”

She glanced from the man to the barmaid and back. “Well, that’s the thing, it was, and then they got rid of it, and maybe they’ll bring it back, but not yet.” And then she gave them what they had asked for: “No.”

“Ha!” Mel hollered. “Sit down, Jim, Brainbox says I’m right, Pluto’s not a planet anymore. The correct answer is that Venus is the smallest planet around. Goddess of beauty. Small but perfectly formed. Like this girl here. You’re wrong, you’re wrong.”

“It’s Mercury, though,” Neely blurted, unaware her time to contribute was up.

“You what?”

“Mercury’s the smallest planet, not Venus.”

The room breathed; first, a silent inhalation before a burst of laughter.

“Change of plans, Mel! Let Shorty here run the quiz and you go get your kit off, get on top of the bar!”

“Fuck you. OK, that question is a freebie. Everybody gets a point. So that means…alright, the standings are, it’s Great Western Wasters with 6 points, Doctor How with 7, and both Quizlamic Jihad and I Wish This Microphone was Jim Newlands’ Cock have 8. Happy now?”

“Happier now you’ve finally admitted it!” the Jim in question yelled, and the room hooted as if they hadn’t heard this play out every week since time immemorial.

“OK, five minutes, everybody go have a piss – in the actual toilet this time, Martin! – and then it’s the picture round,” Mel snapped, dismissing her audience before turning to Neely. “Alright, Neely? The shitshow’s in full force tonight. Ignore Jim. He’s pissed but he’s harmless.”

Neely straightened her face. “I’m alright. It’s just, has Angela been in today?”

“Nah. Haven’t seen her. Everything alright?”

“Can’t find her. She’s not answering her phone.”

“Ooh. No, haven’t seen her since yesterday. You two fall out?”

“No. Why? Why was she in here yesterday? When?”

Mel leaned back dramatically. “Jesus, cool your boots. Just saying, she was alone yesterday, and you’re alone now. Well, she wasn’t alone yesterday, it’s just that you weren’t with her. Haven’t seen that since before the two of yous were together.”

“Who was she with?”

“Nobody. Well, Rob. She talked to Rob a bit, before Gina came in. Then Gina started giving her evils so she backed off. How thick would you have to be to think Angela wants anything to do with him? Fucksake.”

“Did you hear what they were talking about, then? Angela and Rob?”

Mel’s patience depleted faster than the average pint of beer on this particularly wet weekend night. “Neely, I have better things to do then stick my nose in the business of every single person who comes in for a drink, yeah? Leave it out. She was here, you were elsewhere, you both have your own lives. If you two are having problems, I’m not getting involved.”

“We’re not having problems. I just…I’m sorry. I’m just worried about her. This isn’t like her.”

“Maybe her phone’s broken. Maybe she just needs a little time on her own. Relax.”

“Sorry.”

“For what it’s worth, she looked like she was having a good time. Let her tell you about it. Just don’t smother her. She’s been smothered her whole life by people worried about her. Alright?”

“Cheers,” Neely said, with no conviction and even less gratitude.

“Neely?”

“Yeah?”

“Sure everything else is alright? The two of you really didn’t fall out? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. One who’s stripping on the bar like Jim said.”

Of course everything’s not alright, she thought. I just told you. I can’t find Angela. How do you think that’s alright? In what solar system would that be alright? But she held her tongue to retain an ally, no matter how tentative. Laughed at herself. “Yeah. Everything else is fine.”

“I swear I’ll send her to you quick-style if she shows up.”

“Great. Great.” Lying was easier than she expected. Neely didn’t bother to look around, to survey the scene for herself. She took the startled face and the body to which it was conveniently attached, turned, and faced Harrow Road once again.

About Julia Kite

Julia Kite lives in Manhattan, and calls New York City and London home. She is a graduate of Columbia University and the London School of Economics. Obsessed with cities and the people in them, she started her career researching housing and urban regeneration, and she now directs policy and research for a transportation improvement organisation.

Before she began working to make New York City’s streets better for cyclists, she was taking long rides along the Grand Union Canal in West London. She is a member of the Columbia Fiction Foundry, an alumna of quiz shows The Chase and Jeopardy, an urban wildlife rehabilitator, a keen amateur baker, and the owner of an opinionated parrot. The Hope and Anchor is her first novel, a work of fiction about a very real place she holds dear.

You can visit Julia’s website and follow her on Twitter @juliakite.

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My enormous thanks to Megan Brownrigg of Strauss House Productions for contacting me to see if I would like a copy of Peace Lily by Hilary Robinson, illustrated by Martin Impey, in return for an honest review. Being obsessed by WW1, how could I refuse?

Peace Lily is available for purchase here.

Peace Lily

Ever since she was small, Lily wanted to be a nurse. Her dream becomes real when she takes the brave decision to follow her childhood friends, soldiers Ben and Ray, to the dangerous battlefields of Western France. Will she ever see them again?

Peace Lily is the fourth story in the award-winning series by Hilary Robinson and Martin Impey, set during World War 1. It not only pays tribute to the valuable contribution of women to the war effort but also shows how, after the chaos and distress of the long and painful battle, peace is eventually found both on land and in hearts.

The final book in this delightful and moving series brings all four stories together in a celebration of life and in the eternal hope of a new beginning.

There’s a lovely trailer for Peace Lily that you can watch here.

My Review of Peace Lily

WW1 is raging and Lily becomes a nurse and follows her friends to France.

What a glorious, magnificent book Peace Lily is. I loved every aspect of it; from the quotation from Florence Nightingale that precedes the story to the uplifting ‘photograph’ album at the end.

Firstly it introduces WW1 in an accessible and acceptable way to children so that they can develop an understanding without too many gory and disturbing features. Lily’s friend Ben is injured with a threat of death but he survives, for example. The themes of war, friendship, family and duty are subtly presented.

The language in Peace Lily is also very accessible and children could read it independently as well as enjoy having it read to them. The rhythm of the story flows effortlessly and the rhyme scheme used is natural and would help develop children’s language, especially where there are homophones. The iterative refrain of ‘It’s Lily, it’s me‘ gives a smashing coherence and also suggests that even as we age and have new experiences, the essence of who we are remains. This is reinforced by the initial, beautiful illustration showing Lily as both child and adult. Lily is a wonderful role model for girls.

I loved the plot too. I actually felt very moved by Lily’s story. It brought back memories of my grand father who was blinded and injured during the Battle of the Somme at the age of 19 and I found what happens to Ben gave me a surprising emotional jolt.

The artwork by Martin Impey is utterly, utterly divine. If it were not damaging to the book I’d be very tempted to cut it up and frame the pages for the wall. There’s so much detail that adds background to Hilary Robinson’s words and helps bring them to life. Peace Lily would be an inspiration to budding artists and there’s so much in the illustrations to find and to discuss that although the actual story is quite short, reading Peace Lily could provide hours of inspiration, discussion and exploration.

Peace Lily may well be a book for children, but I don’t think they should be allowed to keep it for themselves. It is truly a fantastic book that I feel privileged to own.

About Hilary Robinson

Hilary Robinson is an author, radio producer, broadcaster and feature writer. She was born in Devon and brought up in Nigeria and England. The author of over forty books for children she is best known for Mixed Up Fairy Tales. Her books have been translated into a number of languages and are sold across the world. She lives and works in London and Yorkshire.

You can follow Hilary on Twitter @HilsRobinson and visit her website for more information.

About Martin Impey

Martin Impey has been a freelance illustrator over 20 years. Working on a huge variety of exciting projects from children’s books, toys and games, art licensing, magazine editorials, tv commercials, animation, packaging, greetings products, character development and much much more.

You can follow Martin on Twitter @Martin_Impey and visit his website.