I’m thrilled to be part of the paperback release celebrations for A Secret Sisterhood: The Hidden Friendships of Austen, Bronte, Eliot and Woolf by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney today.

I’m delighted to link back to a wonderful guest piece from Emily and Emma that featured on Linda’s Book Bag here, all about their own modern day friendship. I’m also sharing my review again and sneaking in a link to another of my reviews – this time of Emma Claire Sweeney’s Owl Song at Dawn here.

A Secret Sisterhood: The Hidden Friendships of Austen, Bronte, Eliot and Woolf is published by Arum Press and is available for purchase here.

A Secret Sisterhood

A Secret Sisterhood uncovers the hidden literary friendships of the world’s most respected female authors.

Drawing on letters and diaries, some of which have never been published before, this book will reveal Jane Austen’s bond with a family servant, the amateur playwright Anne Sharp; how Charlotte Brontë was inspired by the daring feminist Mary Taylor; the transatlantic relationship between George Eliot and the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe; and the underlying erotic charge that lit the friendship of Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield – a pair too often dismissed as bitter foes.

In their first book together, Midorikawa and Sweeney resurrect these literary collaborations, which were sometimes illicit, scandalous and volatile; sometimes supportive, radical or inspiring; but always, until now, tantalisingly consigned to the shadows.

My Review of A Secret Sisterhood

I have to confess that it has taken me some time to read A Secret Sisterhood as there is so much information to absorb I needed time to reflect and consider what I’d read. The style of the book is very accessible and balances quotation and research with original writing perfectly. At times this is more like reading a narrative than an academic study and it just goes to show what wonderful writers both authors are. Their own friendship shines through the pages.

The quality of research that has gone in to A Secret Sisterhood is impeccable. Whilst several facts are already well documented, Midorikawa and Sweeney present them with a fresh eye. They also include new material and occasionally some conjecture so that the reader is left to form their own opinion too. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book and the details of quotidian life really bring the text alive. I also really appreciated the understanding of feminism that underpins much of the book and the debunking of so many stereotyped views of these women. They come to life between the pages of A Secret Sisterhood so that they are no longer the conventional creatures we have known for so long.

A Secret Sisterhood is a must read for any fan of Austen, Bronte, Eliot and Woolf, but equally for anyone interested in history, society and literature. The bibliography and footnotes make for fascinating reading and again, it took me ages to read the book because I found myself following up some of these independently. A passing reference to Roger Fry had me looking up his paintings, for example. I think A Secret Sisterhood is a book to be savoured and returned to frequently over the years.

About Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney

Writer friends Emily Midorikawa and Emma Claire Sweeney are the authors of A Secret Sisterhood: The hidden friendships of Austen, Brontë, Eliot and Woolf. They also co-run SomethingRhymed.com, a website that celebrates female literary friendship. They have written for the likes of the Guardian, the Independent on Sunday and The Times. Emily is a winner of the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, Emma is author of the award-winning novel Owl Song at Dawn, and they both teach at New York University London.

You can follow both authors on Twitter via @emilymidorikawa and @emmacsweeney, and Emma has an author page on Facebook.

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I’m so pleased to be featuring Little Pink Taxi by Marie Laval today and sharing an extract with you. Not only have I met Marie in person, but I have been able to interview her here on Linda’s Book Bag.

Little Pink Taxi was published by ChocLit on 20th February 2018 and is available for purchase through the links here.

Little Pink Taxi

Take a ride with Love Taxis, the cab company with a Heart …

Rosalie Heart is a well-known face in Irlwick – well, if you drive a bright pink taxi and your signature style is a pink anorak, you’re going to draw a bit of attention! But Rosalie’s company Love Taxis is more than just a gimmick – for many people in the remote Scottish village, it’s a lifeline.

Which is something that Marc Petersen will never understand. Marc’s ruthless approach to business doesn’t extend to pink taxi companies running at a loss. When he arrives in Irlwick to see to a new acquisition – Raventhorn, a rundown castle – it’s apparent he poses a threat to Rosalie’s entire existence; not just her business, but her childhood home too.

On the face of it Marc and Rosalie should loathe each other, but what they didn’t count on was somebody playing cupid …

An Extract from Little Pink Taxi

Oblivious to the rain running down his face and soaking his hair and coat, he walked back along the road and cut through the undergrowth towards the pine tree where the woman had been standing. A huge raven, perched on a nearby treetop, stared down at him with beady eyes. The woman, however, had gone.

Puzzled, he peered through the shadows and walked into the woods. If there was a path, he couldn’t see it. He breathed in mixed scents of rain and rotting vegetation. Above him the raven flew off with a shrieking call and a loud flapping of wings.

‘Monsieur Petersen? Are you all right?’ Rosalie Heart called from the road. She had put her hood up so as not to get drenched.

He turned and walked back to her. ‘She’s gone, and yet I was sure she needed help.’

Rosalie Heart smiled. ‘If it was who I think it was, she does indeed need help, but not of the kind you, or anyone of us, can give her.’

‘What are you talking about?’

She sighed. ‘Forget it. You won’t believe me.’

‘Try me.’

She took a deep breath. ‘You just saw the ghost of Isobel McBride.’

He narrowed his eyes, and dug his fists into his coat pocket. His shoes were soaked and muddy. Icy water trickled down his face, his neck and the collar of his coat. He had the migraine from hell. And this small woman dressed in marshmallow pink was babbling about ghosts?

‘Are you serious?’ he asked, between clenched teeth.

She nodded, turned away and walked back to the cab, leaving him behind. The woman was making fun of him, that much was obvious. He followed her back to the taxi, slung the door open and sat down. His wet clothes stuck to the pink plastic seat with squelching sounds. Water dripped from his coat and trousers and pooled at his feet. The windows steamed up, and it was like being enclosed in a cosy bubble of gum.

Rosalie Heart pulled her hood off and shook her curly brown hair. As it tumbled around her shoulders he caught the scent of the rain and a deeper, fruity fragrance. She smiled again, and he couldn’t help but notice she had a very attractive smile indeed. In fact, he thought, looking at her properly for the first time, she was rather pretty with her eyes a warm chestnut colour, and her cheeks glowing pink from the cold.

‘It’s a long time since anyone reported seeing Lady Fitheach,’ she remarked in a thoughtful voice as she started the engine.

‘Lady Fitheach? I thought you said her name was Isobel McBride.’

‘Fitheach is Scottish for raven. People call Isobel Lady Fitheach because of the raven that never leaves her side. You saw the bird, didn’t you?’

There had indeed been that huge raven staring down at him from a nearby branch. He dismissed it with a shrug. ‘It’s a wood. There’s bound to be all kinds of birds there.’

She gasped. ‘So you did see it! When I tell everybody at the Stag’s Head you’ll be so famous you won’t have to pay for a single pint for the duration of your stay.’

‘There’s nothing to tell. It was a rambler, that’s all.’

He probably would be the talk of the local pub before long, but it wouldn’t be because of Isobel McBride’s ghost – or whoever had been standing by the side of that forest road.

‘It was Isobel,’ she insisted. ‘You said she had a hooded cloak, didn’t you? That’s what she always wears. Actually that’s all she ever wears. Apparently she is stark naked underneath.’

He sighed, impatient. Did the woman actually believe this nonsense? ‘I don’t believe in ghosts. It was a hiker, or some new age hippy … or some Isobel McBride ghost impersonator.’

She burst out laughing. ‘Now you’re being funny.’ She glanced at him and grimaced. ‘No, you’re not … Anyway, I hope you don’t see her again.’

‘Why?’

‘Men who see her more than once usually end up drowned in the loch.’

He shook his head. This had to be the silliest conversation he’d ever had. ‘They probably had too much to drink.’

‘Well, that too.’ She reached out to switch the radio back on.

‘No.’ His sharp voice stopped her in her tracks. ‘No music, no singing, and no more talking.’

She glanced at him in surprise. ‘Don’t you like music?’

‘I like civilised music, not what you’ve been playing.’

‘And what do you call civilised music, Monsieur Petersen? No! Let me guess. You like classical music and jazz, am I right?’

He looked surprised. ‘How did you know?’

(Argh! And now I want to know what happens next!)

About Marie Laval

Originally from Lyon in France, Marie has lived in the beautiful Rossendale Valley in Lancashire for a number of years. A member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors, she writes contemporary and historical romance. Her native France very much influences her writing, and all her novels have what she likes to call ‘a French twist’!

You can follow Marie on Twitter @MarieLaval1 and find her on Facebook.

One of the joys of this series of Staying in with… is that it is affording me the opportunity to ‘meet’ new to me authors and travel the world. Today I’m delighted that Inga Batur is transporting me to Scotland!

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 Inga Batur

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Inga. 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 have chosen my first romance novel, Faodail, a Scottish word for a lucky find. It is set in Altnaharra, a fictional remote island far in the North of Scotland, where the weather is moody and everyone knows everyone’s business. I might not be objective but I hope this book offers pure escapism. It gives a reader a chance to join the lead character, Sophie as she trades a corporate job in busy London for an uncertain future in the middle of nowhere.

(Ooo. Sounds great. And I understand congratulations are in order as Faodail was only released a couple of days ago.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Faodail?

Expect to fall in love with Scotland and book a next flight up there. All kidding aside, I actually got the idea for the book, when we were in the North of Scotland on holiday, staying in the small whitewashed cottage overlooking the cliffs and the sea. Not wanting to leave, I figured if I write about it, I can keep returning there in mind over and over again.

But I think that the story of Sophie, a young woman stuck in her corporate job but dreaming of an adventure is something we can all relate to. Of course, she never planned for what happened next, reminding her and all of us of the saying: ‘Be careful what you wish for.’

(Wise advice indeed!)

She learns her one night stand with Aiden, an up and coming chef resulted in pregnancy. Her life is turned upside down, when she decides to keep the baby, quit her job at the bank and follow the reluctant Father-to-be to his hometown on a remote Scottish island. The stay on the island is only temporary, Aiden promises, while Sophie vows to keep him at a distance. But once on the island, things don’t go as planned.

(I love the sound of this narrative Inga.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

I’ve brought along some coffee in lovely porcelain cups and still warm fruit scones. That is the other thing we did on our holiday in the North of Scotland. We explored the beaches and moors and then we’d go for a cuppa and some scones in the local tea rooms. Sophie can’t live without coffee and great coffee and food help her see the good side of the island and Aiden. I must admit it felt great feeding my lead character with all the sweets and great British classics such as fish and chips, Shepard’s pie, etc. I could indulge in it as well with no guilt about the many calories.

(I love scones and a good cuppa! You’re really talking my language here!)

I also brought along a photo of the whitewashed cottage where I put Sophie and Aiden. I bet you want to stay there too.

That is just beautiful. I’d be off like a shot to stay there. Thanks so much for staying in with me Inga to introduce your lovely sounding books and for transporting me to beautiful Scotland.

Faodail

Sophie Moore has her eyes set on a promotion at a bank in London City and not on Aiden, an up and coming hot chef. Then she learns her one night stand with Aiden resulted in an unplanned pregnancy.

Her life is turned upside down, when she decides to keep the baby, quit her job at the bank and follow the reluctant Father-to-be to his hometown on a remote island in Scotland.

The stay on the island is only temporary, Aiden promises, while Sophie vows to keep him at a distance. But once on the island, in a whitewashed cottage by the Ocean, things don’t go as planned.

Faodail is available for purchase here.

About Inga Batur

Inga lives in the city with her husband, who makes sure she looks great on all the photos and two kids. She dreams of moving into a cottage in the most remote corner of Scotland, where she can write steamy contemporary romances, stare at the Ocean and eat scones. Her daughters aren’t impressed.

She loves to write as much as she loves to travel. She combines the two in her novel and on her award-winning family travel blog Coolkidzcooltrips. You can find her sitting at the computer before dawn and on the playground every afternoon chasing her girls and thinking of the next plot twist.

She also loves to hear from her readers and you can find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @coolkidscooltri.

I was thrilled to meet lovely Holly Cave at a recent ‘Warming the Blood’ event and so I’m delighted to welcome her to Linda’s Book Bag today as part of the launch celebrations for her novel The Memory Chamber. Today Holly shares three very personal memories that make perfect sense when you’ve read The Memory Chamber. I am also sharing my review.

Published by Quercus, The Memory Chamber is available for purchase from Amazon and through the publisher links here.

The Memory Chamber

You are going to die. You can preserve a handful of special memories for ever. Which ones would you choose?

True death is a thing of the past. Now you can spend the rest of eternity re-living your happiest memories: that first kiss, falling in love, the birth of your children, enjoyed on loop for ever and ever.

Isobel is a Heaven Architect, and she helps dying people create afterlives from these memories. So when she falls for Jarek, one of her terminal – and married – clients, she knows that while she cannot save him, she can create the most beautiful of heavens, just for him.

But when Jarek’s wife is found dead, Isobel uncovers a darker side of the world she works within, and she can trust no one with what she finds…

The Memory Chamber is a thrilling and original story which vaults the reader into a world that is terrifyingly close to our own, where we can avoid everything we fear – even death itself. But can we ever escape the truth?

Three Things I’d Like To Find In My Heaven

A Guest Post by Holly Cave

A sunny autumn day’s walk with my dog

One sunny autumn day, I was walking my dog in the fields, gathering blackberries from the hedgerows – something I’ve always taken such quiet pleasure from. Everything felt so perfect, and I thought to myself ‘this is what heaven would be like.’

By the end of that walk, I had the idea for the novel, and Isobel’s character was solidifying in my mind. So, this memory would make the cut, and in fact it features in the book, when Isobel first starts to describe her own Heaven (‘the footpaths of my Heaven are lined with blackberry bushes’) in Chapter 17.

Dancing at my wedding

I’d love to relive the emotional high I felt, spinning around the dancefloor with my new husband at our wedding. It was a few minutes of sheer joy. But I’d ask Isobel and Jess to do their best to merge two memories for me, so that I could dance with my baby son on my hip even though he wasn’t born until three years later.

The last phone conversation with my Dad

During their second meeting, Isobel tells Jarek that ‘true happiness is only cast from shadows.’ So, I would have to choose a sobering memory to help colour the joyful ones.

It might have to be the breathless phone call I made to my Dad after I first met the woman who would become my literary agent. I can clearly remember walking along Regent Street, telling him that she wanted to sign me, my excitement echoing in his own voice. I’d choose to remember that it was the last proper conversation we had, that I lost him three weeks later.

Oh Holly! What glorious memories and what an emotional final choice.

My Review of The Memory Chamber

Isobel Argent creates memories for perfect heavens for after we are dead, but she cannot know the full extent of what she is doing.

I thought The Memory Chamber was an exceptional book. I have to admit that I didn’t much enjoy the sensation of reading it because it’s so well written, so plausible and so terrifying that I read it with a knot of tension and fear in the pit of my stomach that made me feel real anxiety. It’s the potential reality of a book set in the not too far off future against an ominous threat of international war that has such impact. Holly Cave has identified our modern day fears and distilled them into a read that compels and terrifies in equal measure.

I’m not usually enamoured of futuristic narratives but The Memory Chamber was just brilliant because I could picture myself living in the London of its setting so easily. Holly Cave writes with such skill. She has a fabulous balance between pared down prose and vivid detail that conveys exactly how Isobel is behaving and feeling so that it’s like being in her mind. It was this that also made me feel very uncomfortable. I didn’t especially warm to Isobel as a character and yet I found myself almost becoming her which was a very disturbing effect of reading The Memory Chamber. I felt quite manipulated by the writing in the same way Isobel finds herself manipulated by events and other characters.

The plot is wonderfully intelligent with the science underpinning its effects and processes giving real authenticity. There’s a compelling murder mystery, but more important is the questioning of how we behave as humans, how we manipulate our own realities and of what should happen when we die. It felt quite nihilistic at times but equally left me feeling it is the life we have now, in our living present, that is so important and meaningful. The themes of truth, identity, technology and science are interwoven effortlessly so that The Memory Chamber is a book that I truly believe will resonate across several decades, not just as a cracking thriller for 2018.

A chilling and compelling book, The Memory Chamber really is ‘electric’ and I urge you to read it, but be prepared to have to question some of your fundamental beliefs and opinions.

About Holly Cave

Holly Cave was born in Devon, UK, in 1983. She has a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College London. She spent four years working at the Science Museum in London. After a career break to travel the world, Holly became a freelance writer and now writes about science and technology alongside her fiction work. She lives in Bedfordshire with her husband, son and dog.

The Memory Chamber is her first novel with Quercus UK. She self-published The Generation in 2015, and also wrote a number of unpublished works with her father on his typewriter in the 1990s.

You can follow Holly on Twitter @HollyACave and visit her website. You’ll also find Holly on Facebook.

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I do an awful lot of travelling, but I never really think about what might be happening in the airports I go through. Consequently, I’m delighted to welcome AP McGrath to Linda’s Book Bag today as I have a feeling staying in with him will make me more thoughtful as I fly off to my latest destination!

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 P McGrath

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

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

I’ve brought along the only book I’ve managed to publish so, I’m afraid, I have little choice. However, it’s a book I’m very proud of. It’s called A Burning in the Darkness. In some ways it could have been called ‘A Light in the Darkness’ because the central character, Michael Kieh, is a good man who is falsely accused of murder, but he attempts to prove his innocence without breaking his principles or, more importantly, his belief in love. It is a thriller/crime romance and takes place in one of the world’s biggest airports where Michael is one of several full-time faith representatives –which is a politically correct way of describing a priest or an imam or a rabbi. Michael is a Roman Catholic priest.

What can we expect from an evening in with A Burning in the Darkness?

After a struggle with doubt, Michael is about to set out on a new life when agrees to take one last confession. The penitent confesses to a murder, but evidence and circumstances point to Michael’s guilt. Michael refuses to betray the identity of the murderer because he still believes in the Seal of Confession and what it represents. The question I wanted to explore is: what kind of person and what circumstances would lead someone to sacrifice their liberty for the sake of their beliefs?

(Sounds really intriguing AP.)

When he was a child, Michael witnessed appalling abuses of power, including the killing of a missionary priest who refused to betray young Michael. But there was a first love that he left behind in the brutal confusion of war. When she and Michael cross paths once more, they battle to prove his innocence in a foreign, hostile country, where ultimately, love  carries the day.

The characters are sympathetic and complex. The settings are cinematic and expansive. I studied English and philosophy, but I work as a cinematographer, so I wanted to create a character-driven, page-turning, visual story.

(I’ve found authors who used to work in visual media write highly effectively so I’m sure A Burning in the Darkness would be visually interesting too.) 

I’ve brought some food and wine as these are almost essential for a good conversation. I would have cooked a slow-cooker casserole. I also do a tasty chocolate bread and butter pudding. Winter food that tastes just as good in the summer, or anytime of year. I hope the conversation wouldn’t only be about novels, but also about family and the state of the world.

Oh my goodness. I adore bread and butter pudding but I’ve never had a chocolate one! I think that could lead to some serious discussions to finish our evening AP. Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me all about A Burning in the Darkness.

A Burning in the Darkness

A compelling crime drama and poignant love story about a devoted man who must confront the painful legacy of his war torn childhood when he is wrongfully accused of murder. Michael Kieh’s struggle to prove his innocence leads him on a charged journey that pitches the pursuit of justice and the search for love against the instinct for revenge.

Michael is the chief suspect in a murder at one of the world’s busiest airports where he is a full-time faith representative. A series of brief encounters with a soul mate has eased his loneliness and together they come close to uncovering a past major crime, but ultimately he chooses to protect a young witness who could prove his innocence.

When he was a child, Michael witnessed appalling abuses of power, including the killing of a missionary priest who refused to betray young Michael.

But there was a first love that he left behind in the brutal confusion of war. When she and Michael cross paths once more, they battle to prove his innocence in a foreign, hostile country.

Can they solve the mystery before it is too late?

A Burning in the Darkness is available for purchase here.

About AP McGrath

AP McGrath was born and grew up in Ireland. He now lives in London and works in TV. He is a single father with three beautiful children. He studied English and Philosophy and then post-graduate Film Studies.

You can visit AP Mcgrath’s website and follow him on Twitter @apmgrath1234.

I’m absolutely delighted to be part of the launch celebrations for Only Child by Rhiannon Navin and would like to thank Jess Duffy at Pan Macmillan for inviting me to participate.

Published by Mantle, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, Only Child is available for purchase here.

Only Child

We went to school that Tuesday like normal.
Not all of us came home . . .

Huddled in a cloakroom with his classmates and teacher, six-year-old Zach can hear shots ringing through the corridors of his school. A gunman has entered the building and, in a matter of minutes, will have taken nineteen lives.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the close knit community and its families are devastated. Everyone deals with the tragedy differently. Zach’s father absents himself; his mother pursues a quest for justice — while Zach retreats into his super-secret hideout and loses himself in a world of books and drawing.

Ultimately though, it is Zach who will show the adults in his life the way forward — as, sometimes, only a child can.

My Review of Only Child

A school shooting has repercussions that reverberate throughout the community and especially the life of Zach.

That’s it. I am officially broken. I’ve found it difficult to shake off the total feelings of devastation, grief and, yes, hope, as a result of reading Only Child.

Let me be honest. I don’t much like children. I’m never very keen on children as protagonists and I usually find their appearance contrived or unrealistic. I avoid books where they play too great a role.

And I am utterly wrong.

Zack in Only Child is sheer perfection. He has wrapped his fists round my heart and I am not going to forget him. The manner in which Rhiannon Nevin conveys Zach’s innocence and his wisdom is nothing short of genius. He is completely and utterly real so that it is impossible not to be caught up inescapably in his story.

I found Only Child gut-wrenchingly emotional. I was so glad the chapters were short as I had to keep stopping for a break as I couldn’t tolerate the intensity of the emotions it created in me. I experienced the grief of Zach’s family. I experienced deep love. I experienced white hot rage. I think the fact that I read Only Child just after the latest totally futile shooting of children in America made me feel every moment, every nuance so that I wish all those in favour of guns would read it too. Whilst Rhiannon Nevin illustrates the absolute devastation such events have on those left behind, she does so without sentimentality, but rather lays bare the very souls of those affected. So powerful is her writing that I felt I had lost Andy myself.

The reverberations in the aftermath of a school shooting are poignantly and acutely displayed. The breakdown in relationships, the family dynamics and interactions, the response of the media and society, the desire for revenge and the need for forgiveness are flawlessly explored so that I experienced every moment first hand and not just as a reader one space removed.

I finished Only Child through a blur of unstoppable tears, mirroring those of the characters between its pages. I applaud Rhiannon Nevin for her utterly beautiful, heart rending and impassioned writing. I’ve not encountered anything quite like it. I cannot express what an important, moving and terrifyingly too familiar story this is. We all need to read Only Child and campaign to stop the madness.

About Rhiannon Navin

Rhiannon Navin grew up in Bremen, Germany, in a family of book-crazy women. Her career in advertising brought her to New York City, where she worked for several large agencies before becoming a full-time mother and writer. She now lives outside of New York City with her husband, three children, two cats, and one dog.

Only Child is her first novel.

You can follow Rhiannon on Twitter @rhiannonnavin and visit her website. You’ll also find Rhiannon on Facebook and Goodreads.

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I’m so thrilled to be staying in with Anne Stormont today because I feel as if I’ve ‘known’ Anne forever. She has been such a wonderful supporter of Linda’s Book Bag that I’m delighted to welcome her here today.

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 Anne Stormont

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Anne. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me as I feel I’ve known you for ever.

Which of your books have you brought along to share with me and why have you chosen it?

I’ve chosen Displacement. I chose it as I still feel very close to it and its characters. This could be because I’m currently writing its sequel, Settlement. And I’d like to introduce readers of this blog to the main characters Rachel and Jack and their story.

(Brilliant – so blog readers can soon get their hands on two books featuring Rachel and Jack.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Displacement?

You’ll be transported to the beautiful and wild landscape of the Isle of Skye and then to the heat and edginess of the contested land of Israel-Palestine.

(Crikey – that’s some journey!)

You’ll spend time with former Edinburgh policeman Jack, and with children’s book writer, illustrator and crofter Rachel. And you’ll follow the growing relationship between this – on the face of it – mismatched pair.

The supporting cast should prove good company too. They include Jack’s six-year-old granddaughter Poppy, and Rachel’s good friend, Morag, who are keen to see Jack and Rachel get together. Then there’s Jack’s friend and sometime lover, Bridget, and Rachel’s Israeli suitor, Eitan, who’d like to keep them apart.

Because the theme of the book is displacement, you’ll be prompted to think about certain political issues such as the plight of refugees and the consequences of war, but you’ll also be confronted by personal issues such as bereavement and divorce. All-in-all you can expect an emotional and hopefully heart-warming time in two relatively unusual settings – from a book that’s probably best described as contemporary fiction in the romance-plus genre.

(I love the sound of Displacement Anne. I think it sounds a perfect book for me.)

What else have you brought along and why?

Two things:

I’ve brought a bottle of Talisker malt whisky from the distillery on Skye. This is a favourite drink of Jack’s and I’m rather partial to it myself. I’ll pour us a wee dram each and we’ll say the Scots Gaelic toast – Slainte Mhath (pronounced slanje va) which means Good Health –  before enjoying this smoky, peaty flavoured amber liquid.

(I’m not a big spirits drinker Anne but this does sound delicious.) 

And I’ve also brought along some delicious Middle-Eastern snacks. There are olives, homemade hummus and falafels and some tasty bread. They actually go rather well with the whisky. Enjoy!

(Now you’re talking. I love Middle-Eastern food!)

Thanks so much for staying in with me to tell me all about Displacement Anne. It sounds a wonderful read.

Displacement

A story of love, courage and hope

Divorce, the death of her soldier son and estrangement from her daughter, leave Hebridean crofter, Rachel Campbell, grief stricken, lonely and lost.

Forced retirement due to a heart condition leaves former Edinburgh policeman Jack Baxter needing to take stock and find a new direction for his life.

When the two of them meet in dramatic circumstances on a wild winter’s night on the island of Skye, a mutually supportive friendship develops between them, despite their very different personalities.

But with Rachel due to be in the Middle East for several months and Jack already in a relationship, it seems unlikely they’ll get the chance to take their relationship any further – much as they might want to.

Set against the contrasting and dramatic backdrops of the Scottish island of Skye and the contested country of Israel-Palestine, this book tells a story of love, home and heritage and what happens when these are threatened at a political and a personal level.

Displacement is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon US

About Anne Stormont

Anne Stormont writes contemporary women’s fiction. So far she has published two novels Change of Life and Displacement. She is currently working on a sequel to Displacement which will be out in 2018. She has also written a children’s novel called The Silver Locket published under the name of Anne McAlpine.

Anne is a Scot and she has recently moved from the Isle of Skye to the Scottish Borders. She has travelled the world and has visited every continent except Antarctica –where considering her penchant for penguins she really must go. Anne was a primary school teacher for 36 years and is also a wife, mum and grandma.

She says she is a subversive old bat but maintains a kind heart.

You can find out more about Anne on her author websites: Anne Stormont and Anne McAlpine. She has an excellent Blog. You’ll also find Anne on her Facebook Author pages: Anne Stormont and Anne McAlpine and can follow Anne on Twitter @writeanne.

You know, being a blogger is a real privilege and also a responsibility because authors and publishers are trusting you with work that represents some very personal effort and emotion. Today I review one of those books that falls into that category and am delighted to have been asked by the team at Bookollective if I would like a copy of When Dad Became Joan: Life with My Transgender Father in return for an honest review.

Published by Librotas, When Dad Became Joan: Life with My Transgender Father is available for purchase here.

When Dad Became Joan: Life with My Transgender Father

In 1987, Cath Lloyd’s father made the shocking confession that he was a transsexual and wished to become a woman.

Although she wanted to be supportive, Cath didn’t want to lose her dad, and it was hard to accept his decision. In those days, asking for help wasn’t the norm, and gender issues like this were swept under the carpet. Throughout the years of emotional, conflicting and tormenting thought processes, Cath wondered if life was ever going to feel normal again.

We all have a story about coming to terms with change, whether this is transgender reassignment, separation, divorce, loss, grief, illness, disability or living through another trauma. As we live through our story, we do the best we can with the strategies we have at our disposal. Sometimes these are not enough and we have to search long and hard to find alternatives.

That’s where Cath’s book will help you. She shares 7 of the strategies that helped with her family challenges. These can support you too, whatever difficulties you’re facing in your life.

With self-help tools that focus on topics like your values, self-honesty and positivity, you’ll develop a plan of action to support you through the difficult times. This will help you to understand, acknowledge, and accept what needs to happen to move forward and live your new normal. These strategies are those which Cath uses now with her clients as a life style change and stress relief life coach.

My Review of When Dad Became Joan: Life with My Transgender Father

Cath Lloyd’s father is about to become a woman and it impacts on Cath rather more than she would have liked.

Firstly let me say what a bargain When Dad Became Joan is. The reader is getting two books in one as the first part is more of a biography and autobiography as Cath Lloyd describes finding out her father was undergoing gender transitioning and the second is more of a self-help manual as Cath Lloyd outlines her seven strategies for living a happy and fulfilled life. In both sections there are some helpfully motivational quotations that I enjoyed immensely, particularly the final one in the book which I found inspirational.

I have to admit to feeling slightly uncomfortable reading the first section of When Dad Became Joan as it seemed slightly voyeuristic to be enjoying the processes Cath Lloyd describes, because the book is so well written and interesting. I was also slightly ashamed that I have never really considered just how difficult it must be for those undergoing gender transitioning, but have simply blindly and rather unthinkingly accepted those people for who they are. Equally, I hadn’t any previous idea of the real impact on the family and I felt extremely sorry for Cath and for Joan as they tried to adapt to new lives – or, as Cath would put it, a new normal.

I found the style of writing in this first section honest, compelling and engaging. It is also hugely informative, giving scientific and medical detail as well as a personal perspective. I felt quite privileged to have been allowed a glimpse into the lives of Joan and her family, even if I did want to climb into the pages and give Nick a jolly hard shake.

In the second section, 7 Steps to Living Your New Normal, I thought the way Cath Lloyd linked her own experiences with strategies for coping that the reader can use was extremely good. There’s an excellent balance between advice, and the opportunity for the reader to become more self aware and reflective. I loved the way all seven strategies are summarised at the end so that the prompt questions can be used as refreshers really easily. There’s a real confidence that Cath Lloyd practises what she preaches here so that a reader needing such self-help guidance would feel they could trust the advice given.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up When Dad Became Joan, but what I got was a fascinating story of two people. of Cath and Joan, alongside a smashing self-help volume that would be of benefit to any reader to give them coping strategies and a positive outlook on life.  When Dad Became Joan is a great book and I highly recommend it.

About Cath Lloyd

Cath is a lifestyle change and stress relief life coach, with a teaching background in adult education spanning over 25 years, with 15 of these working with offenders. This experience thrust her into a very different society which helped her refine her teaching and life coaching skills, whilst keeping her in touch with the real and creative worlds.

She now combines her teaching and life coaching skills with a holistic approach. She loves working with her clients on an individual level to achieve positive and quick results. Cath blends her teaching and coaching skills together in group workshops, courses and events such as ‘Recipe To Success’ and her regular ‘Stress Relief Awareness Days’. These courses are a great way for her clients to gain peer support in a fun, educational and inspiring environment.

You can follow Cath on Twitter @CLmakethechange and find out more on her website. Cath is also on Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

It’s a welcome return to Linda’s Book Bag for Tim Walker, author of Uther’s Destiny. Tim previously wrote a cracker of a guest post about fiction and fear when the second book in his A Light in the Dark Ages trilogy, Ambrosius: Last of the Romans, was published and you can read that post here.

Uther’s Destiny is available for purchase here.

Uther’s Destiny

Britannia is in shock at the murder of charismatic High King, Ambrosius Aurelianus, and looks to his brother and successor, Uther, to continue his work in leading the resistance to barbarian invaders. Uther’s destiny as a warrior king seems set until his world is turned on its head when his burning desire to possess the beautiful Ygerne leads to conflict. Could the fate of his kingdom hang in the balance as a consequence?

Court healer and schemer, Merlyn, sees an opportunity in Uther’s lustful obsession to fulfil the prophetic visions that guide him. He is encouraged on his mission by druids who align their desire for a return to ancient ways with his urge to protect the one destined to save the Britons from invaders and lead them to a time of peace and prosperity. Merlyn must use his wisdom and guile to thwart the machinations of an enemy intent on foiling his plans.

Meanwhile, Saxon chiefs Octa and Ælla have their own plans for seizing the island of Britannia and forging a new colony of Germanic tribes. Can Uther rise above his family problems and raise an army to oppose them?

Book three in A Light in the Dark Ages series, Uther’s Destiny is an historical fiction novel set in the Fifth Century – a time of myths and legends that builds to the greatest legend of all – King Arthur and his knights.

Uther’s Destiny – The Background Story

A Guest Post By Tim Walker

Uther’s Destiny (published in March 2018) is the third book in the series, A Light in the Dark Ages. I had the idea for this series in the summer of 2015 when I visited the site of what was once the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum. Located in Hampshire in the English countryside, it is now a grassy meadow without any structures (except the ruin of a Medieval Christian church) on which cattle graze, with the outline of a stone perimeter wall, visible in jagged patches, maintained by English Heritage.

I stood there and soaked up the atmosphere, feeling the call of history. Questions ran around my mind – What was it like being an inhabitant of a Roman town? When did the Romans leave and what happened to the locals afterwards? This set me on a path to research what was known about the final years of Roman Britain and what happened to the Britons after they left. I had already compiled and published a book of short stories – Thames Valley Tales – and felt that I wanted to write my own story of events in Fifth Century Britain – historical fiction woven around historical facts.

I soon discovered that historical facts were thin on the ground, and this period had become known as The Dark Ages for this reason – it was a time of confusion and opportunistic plunder in which the light of learning had all but been extinguished. Although the Christian Church was established, it was in its infancy and this was before the time of monastery building, something that would only happen later under the protection and patronage of Christian Saxon kings. The Romans took their scholars and clerks with them, leaving behind few who could record the events of the time.

I came across a translation of a book written around 1136 AD, the Historia Regum Britanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain) by Geoffrey of Monmouth, that is the earliest written version of the Arthurian Legend. Geoffrey set out to write a complete timeline of British monarchs from ancient times up to the Saxon kings. There is clear evidence he has done his research, drawing on the early accounts of monks Nennius and Gildas, and referencing the Welsh chronicles, but too many gaps remained that he chose to fill with bizarre and unbelievable stories. He also elected to ‘cut and paste’ historical snippets and rearranged them to suit his own purpose, confounding historians. For this reason his work has been largely discounted as a credible historical source. More recently, some have reappraised his work, believing that there may be more credibility than previously thought if his claim to have had access to lost works (written accounts of deeds from the fifth and sixth centuries) is true. Efforts have been made to understand his thought process and re-arrange his maverick chronology into a more believable timeline.

I decided to use Geoffrey’s framework for events after the Romans finally departed (believed to be 410 AD) as a basis for my storytelling. Historians such as John Morris* have boldly claimed that a King Arthur most likely did exist, and have put his death at the Battle of Camlann (based on studies of contemporary sources) at around 515 AD. So, my question is, what actually happened between 410 and 515 AD?

Geoffrey’s account starts with Archbishop Guithelin of London taking ship to Armorica (Brittany) to plead with King Aldrien to claim Britain as his kingdom and provide protection for the people from barbarian raiders. Aldrien declines, but agrees to send his brother, Constantine. He arrives on the south coast with a small army and soon persuades a group of tribal chiefs to make him High King (or Emperor) of Britannia and offer them protection from hostile chiefs and the many invaders who beset the island.

Constantine marries into a Romano-Briton family and rules for about ten years, having three sons – Constans, Aurelius and Uther. He is deceived and murdered by a noble called Vortigern who seizes the crown. Vortigern employs Saxon chiefs Hengist and Horsa to lead his army. Then there is the appearance of sorcerer Merlin, who advises the king to re-site his tower to avoid rock falls caused by two dragons fighting in a cave beneath it. After some time the sons of King Constantine, Aurelius and Uther, defeat Vortigern in battle and Aurelius becomes king, taking the name ‘Ambrosius’ meaning ‘The Diving One’. He is murdered by a Saxon spy and is succeeded by Uther, who takes the name ‘Pendragon’ after seeing a dragon fly across the sky on his coronation day.

Then there is the Arthur story – he is conceived at Tintagel Castle, born from the union of King Uther Pendragon and Ygerna (or Igraine), Duchess of Cornwall, who is deceived into thinking Uther is her husband Gorlois. With Gorlois dead, Uther marries Ygerna and they have a second child, Anna.

Arthur becomes king at the age of fifteen, defeats the Saxons at York wielding a sword called ‘caliburn’, rebuilds London, and marries Ganhumara (‘Guinevere’) who is from a noble Romano-Briton family. Arthur establishes his court at Caerleon in Wales, forms an alliance with his nephew, King Hoel of Brittany, and they inflict further defeats on the Saxons at Lincoln and Bath before crushing a combined force of Picts (Scots) and Hibernian (Irish) tribes near Loch Lomond. They then attacks Ireland, the Orkneys, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and parts of Gaul (France), forcing the people to pay them homage. He lays waste to fields, slaughters the population of these places and burns down their towns – the exact opposite of a chivalric king. Geoffrey’s Arthur is an arrogant, aggressive and brutal warlord who kills and takes what he wants.

But Geoffrey’s story does not end there – Arthur is summoned by the Roman Emperor to face charges of war crimes and responds by raising a large army, sailing to Gaul, and meeting the Roman army in battle, defeating and killing the emperor. Arthur’s mind is set on capturing Rome and becoming Emperor, but he is forced to return home at news that his nephew Mordred has taken his queen, Ganhumara, and seized the kingdom. In a bloody civil war in which thousands die, both Mordred and Arthur fall in battle – Arthur’s body is taken to the Isle of Avalon. Arthur is succeeded by his cousin, Constantine of Cornwall.

This is a summary of Geoffrey’s account in his Historia, and it is an intriguing thought that he MAY have taken it from a lost manuscript. Later generations lightened the blood-soaked narrative and gave Arthur a noble makeover, adding more sorcery, the romance of Camelot, chivalric heroes (the knights of the round table), the quest for the Holy Grail, an evil foe in Morgana, and a doomed love triangle involving Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot.

Uther’s Destiny continues on from the second story in the series, that of Ambrosius Aurelianius (Ambrosius: Last of the Romans) and follows some of Geoffrey’s narrative, but includes some other historical source material and details I’ve uncovered – such as the connection to Dragon Hill in the Berkshire Downs. Uther is a warrior king who had been his brother’s main military commander for many years, taking the fight to aggressive Angle, Saxon and Jute colonists, the Scots and Irish. His falling in love with the wife of a noble and his elaborate deception to win her presents a great opportunity for character exploration, and there is a climactic battle scene at Badon Hill. This is a battle variously attributed to Ambrosius Aurelianus and King Arthur by speculating historians, but in my story it is Uther who rallies the Britons to defend this hill outside the town of Bath.

Until a missing text is uncovered or archaeologists finally unearth clues that point to real individuals and true events, we are left with a tantalizing glimpse of this lost age through the writing of Geoffrey of Monmouth, and the possibility that there may be some credibility in his account.

*The History of Merlin and Arthur by Geoffrey of Monmouth – translated by A. Thompson and J.A. Giles, published by Omo Press, 2014.

*The Age of Arthur by John Morris, published by Orion Books, 1993

(Thanks so much for this insight Tim. I love this era of history and think your A Light in the Dark Ages sounds fascinating.)

About Tim Walker

Tim has been writing fiction since 2013, following a career encompassing journalism, marketing, general management and business ownership.

After school, he worked as a trainee reporter, progressing to writing a music column and reviewing films.

He obtained an honours degree in Communication Studies, majoring in film studies, and added a Post-Graduate Diploma in Marketing two years later in Bristol.

After graduating, he worked for ten years in London in the newspaper publishing industry in market research and advertising sales support.

He followed this with two years as a voluntary worker with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) in Zambia, working in book publishing development.  Soon after, he set up and managed his own publishing, marketing and management consultancy company.

Tim now lives near Windsor in Berkshire where he blogs and writes creative fiction.

You can visit Tim’s website, find him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter @timwalker1666.

I am offered so many books for review that I simply can’t accept them all and today I’m featuring one I’m sorry that I had to pass by. Whispers of Hope by Charlie Albert sounds an important book and I am pleased that at least I can spotlight it on Linda’s Book Bag today. Even better, Charlie and I went to the same university so it’s a bit of a trip down memory lane for me too!

I’m also thrilled that not only is Charlie a newly published author today, but the publishing house Whispers Publishing is new too so I’m delighted to support them both.

Published today, Whispers of Hope is available for purchase here.

Whispers of Hope

Divorce or separation of a partnership when children are involved can be painful experiences for everyone, not least the children who are the innocent parties.

These six stories based on true events, demonstrate the lengths that some parents will go to, to stop the other parent from having access to their child. Whilst they are shocking, they are written to give hope and to shine a light on this tragic issue.

About Charlie Albert

Charlie Albert, 50 years old. He is currently single and now has a good relationship with his ex-partners, the mothers of his five children. Charlie has four grown up children with his first wife and a young son with his second wife.

Charlie Albert secured residency for his own son Junior in 2013 after a 3-year battle and legal fees in excesses of £100,000. The last year Charlie represented himself employing a barrister in March 2013 for the Final hearing. Charlie is now in a good place with his ex-wife who sees Junior on a regular basis.

Based on all of the above Charlie used this experience to assist other separated parents.

Charlie studied his first year of law at the University of Essex and has not ruled out continuing with his studies.

He was born and raised in London. He has been in the hospitality industry since a teenager. Charlie initially trained as a chef and built his way up to own and co-own Restaurants and Hotels.

Since securing residency of Junior and gaining knowledge of the family courts. Charlie is currently semi-retired. Charlie has just completed his first book, Whispers of Hope and currently writing his second book Shadowed Tears as he feels the time is now right to share these experiences with a wider audience. He is also about to invest in a new Middle East restaurant concept in the city of London. Charlie privately continues to assist single parents in family matters.

You can follow Charlie on Twitter @charliea_author and there’s more on Facebook.