Having so loved An Act of Silence by Colette McBeth, my review of which you can read here, I’m thrilled to be starting launch celebrations for such a brilliant book. I have a super extract from An Act of Silence for you to read today.

An Act of Silence was published by Wildfire, an imprint of Headline, on 29th June 2017 and is available for purchase through the links here.

An Act of Silence

These are the facts I collect. My son Gabriel met a woman called Mariela in a bar. She went home with him. They next morning she was found in an allotment. Mariela is dead. Gabriel has been asked to report to Camden Police station in six hours for questioning.

Linda Moscow loves her son; it’s her biological instinct to keep him safe. But if she’s not sure of his innocence, how can she stand by him? Should she go against everything she believes in to protect him? She’s done it before, and the guilt nearly killed her.

Now, the past is catching up with them. As old secrets resurface, Lind is faced with another impossible choice. Only this time, it’s her life on the line…

An Extract from An Act Of Silence

Monday, 17 November 2014

Linda

Say yes.

One word, all he wants to hear.

Yes, I believe you. Yes, I will help you.

That look of his, brimful of need, stirs in me the biological instinct to protect, make safe, put things right.

I am hardwired to give him what he wants. That is love, I suppose.

But here’s a thought: what if I had resisted, left him to deal with his own mistakes, learn his lessons the hard way; would he be the same man, sitting here recounting this story?

The truth is I’ll never know.

We are where we are.

It is early, night is fading but dawn has yet to crack open the day. These are what I call the never hours. Suspended between dark and light when the world’s eyes are firmly shut and only the few night owls and early birds among us get to glimpse secrets unfolding. Five minutes ago I woke with a jolt; a noise, a movement, an overactive imagination tore through my sleep. I descended the stairs, fearful there was a secret waiting for me in the shadows, behind a door or hidden in a cupboard. I reached the kitchen, flicked on the light and his voice shattered the morning silence with a simple request.

‘Milk, one sugar, please.’

The fright found an echo in my heartbeat, galloped through my body. Another break-in, that was my first fear. My second? That it was me they wanted this time, not simply an old laptop. I swung around to match the voice to a face and found him.

I waited for relief to flood me. It didn’t arrive. Instead, my fear was replaced by dread.

It wasn’t him.

He could have been a stranger, this man. The familiar gloss of wealth and success and fame scoured away to reveal a bleaker version, one with a film of dirt thick on his skin, dark oily eyes that hadn’t found sleep in a long time. He was broken, that much was obvious. Something had happened and seeing him like this broke me too.

‘What have you done?’ I asked.

He caught me in a stare. The swell of tears in his eyes quickly rubbed away with the back of his hand.

‘Oh, Gabriel.’ I held my son as tightly as I did when he was a baby. ‘Tell me,’ I said. ‘There’s nothing that can’t be fixed.’

Now we sit at my kitchen table where he used to inhale one, two, three Weetabix as a boy each morning. And he tells me.

A woman.

She is called Mariela. Pretty name. About mid-twenties he thinks but apparently it’s hard to tell these days.

‘Was she your girlfriend?’

‘It was just sex.’

I don’t bite. Gabriel’s casual approach to intimacy has long been the cause of my disapproval. Now is not the time for lectures.

‘I see. And when was this encounter?’

‘Two days ago. Not last night, the night before.’

‘At your house?’

He nods, rolls his eyes at his own stupidity.

‘And then what?’

He covers his mouth with his hand, the words sting as they come out.

‘Then they found her.’

These are the facts I collect.

My son Gabriel met a woman called Mariela in a sushi bar two nights ago. She went home with him where they had sex. The next morning she was found in an allotment.

Mariela is dead.

The allotments back on to his house.

Gabriel has been asked to report to Camden police station in six hours for questioning.

‘You believe me, don’t you?’

‘I . . .’

I’m not fast enough and he can’t slow down now he has started. He races on with his monologue. My mind is stuck, terrified of following him because it knows where this ends.

He wants me to help him. Give him some time to get his head straight. Provide my car, that’s all really, not a lot to ask, and cash too. And if anyone asks if I have seen him, the answer is no. He’s not running away, just giving himself a bit of space.

There’s an intensity to his argument that is impossible to ignore. Wasn’t it always the way? My boy is nothing if not persuasive; one of his many qualities, but dangerous at times too. ‘Someone is trying to frame me,’ he says. I want this to be true but it doesn’t stack up, all I can think of is, Why, why, why would they do that?

‘You’re my mother. You know I couldn’t have done this. And you know how it looks, it’ll be all over the papers by the morning. They’ll be judge and jury and I’ll . . . I’ll be fucked. I’ve never begged you for anything before but I’m begging now.’

His desperation spins out a fierce, kinetic energy that drags me along. He is falling apart and it is agony to witness. I need to hold him together, I have to do something to help. He is right about the press, they’ll crucify him. He won’t be treated fairly. He is well known, a famous face, all the better to sell newspapers. They’ll rake over every detail of his life, cook up a dark side. And my name will be dragged in to damn him further: disgraced politician’s son. He’s in for a public mauling, no doubt, and having been there myself I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, least of all my son.

I have to do the right thing, but it wears many guises and at the moment I can’t tell it apart from wrong.

Time. He’s not the only one who needs time to think. The world has slipped out of sync, sent me freefalling into a terrifying darkness. I close my eyes, praying that when I open them again, order will be restored.

‘Mum, please.’

His words go to my core, to who he is, who I am. He is a baby in my arms again, the midwife handing him to me for the first time, a tiny wet being writhing against my skin. And me, his mother, drunk on fear of the past, hope for the future.

‘Gabriel,’ I said. My very first word to him, to his father. ‘We’ll call him Gabriel, like the angel.’

Yes, I’ll help you. I’m about to give him what he wants

because what else can I do, he’s all I have. He needs me and above everything else I know this: my son is not capable of murder.

But.

I open my eyes and I see it, a red line gouged out of his neck like a warning.

‘What is that?’

He runs his index finger along its trail. Surprised. Hesitates long enough for me to catch the lie that flashes on his face.

‘Oh that. I did it on a branch.’

It is only a scratch but it rips through my belief. It is doubt and fear and dread.

‘Don’t do that,’ he says.

‘What?’

No answer. He’s stopped making sense now.

‘If you haven’t done anything wrong,’ I say, ‘you have nothing to worry about.’

‘If ?’

‘What?’

‘You said, if I haven’t done anything wrong.’

‘Did I?’

‘You think I could have done this?’

About Colette McBeth

Colette McBeth is the critically acclaimed author of psychological thrillers Precious Thing and The Life I Left Behind.

Colette was a BBC TV News television correspondent for ten years, during which time she covered many major crime stories and worked out of Westminster as a political reporter.

She lives on the South Coast with her husband and three children.

You can follow Colette on Twitter, find her on Facebook and visit her website.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I’m delighted to be working with Brook Cottage Books in welcoming Suzy Turner to Linda’s Book Bag to celebrate her latest novel Aphrodite’s Closet.

Published on 6th May, Aphrodite’s Closet is available for purchase in e-book on Amazon UK and Amazon US. I’m thrilled to bring you an extract from Aphrodite’s Closet and an interview with Suzy. There’s also a fantastic giveaway run through Brook Cottage Books to win an e-copy of the book and a £20 or $20 Amazon Gift Voucher. You can enter at the bottom of this blog post.

Aphrodite’s Closet

Agatha Trout didn’t even know she had a Great Aunt Petunia, so imagine her surprise when she finds Petunia left her a corner shop in her will. But it’s not just any old corner shop—it’s a corner shop that needs something unique, something the town of Frambleberry has never seen before. Influenced by her confident best friend, Coco, Agatha is soon convinced that there’s only one way to go: an adults-only sex shop.

While some of the townspeople are clutching their pearls in horror, others are open to the new experiences this shop offers. But not everyone in Frambleberry is convinced. Will the women soldier on in the face of violent threats or will their fears get the best of them—and their new venture—before it even gets off the ground?

An Interview with Suzy Turner

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Suzy. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing and Aphrodite’s Closet in particular. Firstly, please could you tell me a little about yourself?

Hi Linda! Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here. I’m a British expat living in Portugal for the past 31 years (I was ten when we moved). I live with my husband, Michael, who has also lived here 31 years. I’m a former magazine editor and now full time author/blogger/yoga instructor.

Why do you write?

Usually because I have an idea that won’t leave me alone until I’ve gotten it down on paper!

When did you realise you were going to be a writer?

In my early 20s I was already a writer for a newspaper, but after reading an interview with Jenny Colgan, I was so inspired that I knew I would have to write novels as well.

So, which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

The easiest part is coming up with ideas – my head is always full to bursting with wacky stories. The most difficult (and least fun) is probably the editing process.

What are your writing routines and where do you do most of your writing?

When I am writing a book, I start typing at 10am, stop at midday and then start again at 1pm until about 4pm. I never write in the evening because I enjoy nights in watching TV with hubby (we’ve literally just binge watched the entire Downton Abbey series and I’m so sad it’s over!). I write wherever is comfortable at the time. The kitchen island, the dining table, on my knee on the sofa. I did have a dedicated office in the summer house but that’s now become my tiny yoga studio.

Although you’re Yorkshire born, you live in Portugal. To what extent do you think location has influenced you as a writer?

I think living in Portugal has had a huge impact on my writing. I think pretty much all of my books do feature Portugal in it to some extent – if not the country, then I usually introduce a Portuguese character. I think it’s also made me more keen to write about travel, which features a lot in my writing.

Without spoiling the plot, please could you tell us a bit about Aphrodite’s Closet?

Aphrodite’s Closet is about a woman named Agatha who inherits a beautiful old building in the fictitious town of Frambleberry and is encouraged by her mad best friend, Coco, to open a sex shop.

Aphrodite’s Closet is clearly chick-lit, but you also write for young adults as well as penning chick lit for the adult market. What are the challenges and benefits in writing in different genres do you think?

I actually don’t think it’s too challenging in my situation, because I tend to write in a similar way in both genres. With the exception of my book, And Then There Was You, I avoid writing anything that wouldn’t be appropriate for a slightly younger audience. Even Aphrodite’s Closet would be okay for 14+ readers. And Then There Was You, however, is not!

(And now I want to read And Then There Was You!)

Of all the possible settings open to you for Aphrodite’s Closet what made you decide on a sex-shop?

I think it’s because many years ago I actually pondered the idea of opening a sex shop myself. I guess it stuck with me all this time! I’ve been wanting to write Aphrodite’s Closet for years but it’s only this year that I finally got down to it. Plus, just think of all the situations that could happen in a sex shop!?

(I’m thinking – maybe I need a lie down now!)

I know you’re a yoga instructor as well as a lifestyle blogger and writer. Can yoga help in the writing process?

It’s funny that you should ask me this because I’m actually in the process of creating yoga classes specifically designed for authors. I’ll be sharing some of them on Youtube over the next few months (as well as creating some for download too). But one of the reasons I became a yoga instructor in the first place is because of the horrendous back pain I used to suffer with. All because I spent so much time sitting down and typing at the computer. I really want to help others ease their pain too – and also to help inspire them using breathing techniques.

(I think bloggers could benefit from those too!)

How did you go about researching detail and ensuring Aphrodite’s Closet was realistic?

When I’m writing I spend a lot of time on Google and Google Earth!! I also use my own travel experiences in my books.

If you could choose to be a character from Aphrodite’s Closet, who would you be and why?

I think it would be fun to be Great Aunt Petunia – although she had died when the book starts, there are scenes that feature her and she was a total hoot!

If Aphrodite’s Closet became a film, who would you like to play Agatha and why would you choose them?

That’s actually a tough question because when I wrote it, I don’t think I had  anyone specific in mind. I guess I’d like to see someone like Emilia Clarke (from Game of Thrones) play the role. It should be someone who can be a plain Jane before revealing herself as a true beauty.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to read?

I love reading chick lit – the fun, light-hearted aspect of this genre always leaves me feeling happy and what’s better than that? I also love to read young adult urban fantasy and anything about the power of positivity.

Finally Suzy, if you had 15 words to persuade a reader that Aphrodite’s Closet should be their next read, what would you say?

If you loved the humour and pathos of Bridget Jones, then you’ll love Aphrodite’s Closet.

Thank you so much for your time in answering my questions.

My pleasure!

An Extract from Aphrodite’s Closet

“What about wool?” Aggie suggested.

“What about wool?”

“A wool shop?”

“A wool shop?”

“Are you just going to repeat after me all morning?”

Coco shook her head and put her hand on top of Aggie’s. “Aggie, honey. You’re twenty-eight years old, not seventy-eight. Why, oh why would you want to sell wool to all the old biddies of Frambleberry all day long?”

Aggie shrugged, “It wouldn’t be so bad. Some of those old biddies are quite lovely.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot they’re some of your neighbours. You really need to find yourself another house. Living in a bungalow is for retired people,” she mouthed as an old lady walked past and scowled at her.

Coco raised her eyebrows and returned her attention to Aggie.

“Come on, there must be an alternative business opportunity needed in this town. Oh my God. I mean, seriously O-M-G,”

“What? What Coco?”

Coco began to grin at her best friend as she sat up straight. “I’ve got it. It’s bloody brilliant. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier. It’s perfect and it’s a proper money earner, Aggie. There’s potential to earn squillions here. Oh my God…I’m so excited. I could so help with the decor. I’ve got ideas swimming about in my head already. We must get on to suppliers right away. I know a few people who might be able to help, come to think of it. Dickie from Saffron Walden, for example, he owes me a favour. And there’s Selena from Frome. Oh and I must ring Alison, although I think she’s in Edinburgh at the moment. I’ll wait ‘til the weekend. Oh this is going to be so much fun. Drink up, Agg. We need to get going. We’ve got masses to do. Come on, let’s…”

Coco stopped short and stared at her friend. “What?”

Aggie closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head.

“What’s up, honey?”

“Have you listened to yourself? You’re getting so carried away. But there’s just one little something you haven’t mentioned yet.”

“Oh really, what’s that?” Coco replied innocently.

“What kind of shop are you talking about?”

Coco slapped her own forehead and started to chuckle, “Oh right. Sorry…Aggie. You’re going to open the town’s first…sex shop!”

About Suzy Turner

Born in England and raised in Portugal, Suzy lives with her childhood sweetheart Michael, two crazy dogs and a cat.

Shortly after completing her studies, Suzy worked as a trainee journalist for a local newspaper. Her love of writing developed and a few years later she took the job of assistant editor for the region’s largest English language publisher before becoming editor of a monthly lifestyle magazine. Early in 2010 however, Suzy became a full time author. She has since written several books: Raven, December Moon, The Lost Soul(The Raven Saga), Daisy Madigan’s Paradise, The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw, The Temporal Stone, Looking for Lucy Jo, We Stand Against Evil (The Morgan Sisters), Forever Fredless,  And Then There Was You, Stormy Summer and her latest, Aphrodite’s Closet.

In 2015 she launched her popular 40+ lifestyle blog which continues to go from strength to strength, while just over a year later, she trained to become a yoga instructor. Suzy continues to write, blog and teach yoga in one of Portugal’s loveliest settings – the Algarve.

You can follow Suzy on Twitter, find her on Goodreads, Instagram and Facebook and visit her book blog.

Giveaway

For your chance to win an e-copy of the Aphrodite’s Closet PLUS a £20 / $20 Amazon Gift Voucher click here.

It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome Taryn Leigh, author of Perfect Imperfections to Linda’s Book Bag today. Like me, Taryn is convinced about the importance of books in people’s lives and she’s here to persuade us all about the importance of fiction.

Published by Olympia in e-book and paperback, Perfect Imperfections is available for purchase here.

Perfect Imperfections

Sarah Lewis desires nothing more than to begin again after a failed marriage and a tragedy so terrifying, it forces her to leave her life in London to stay with her best friend a world apart in South Africa.

Despite immediate success in her business, she struggles to understand who she really is and where she belongs in the world. So begins a journey of discovery as Sarah re-unites with Katy in the land where she was born, where the air is lavender scented, and weekends are spent cycling on the beach.

Until the day when she has to return to London to face the ghosts of her past and confront a situation that has grown more complicated in her absence.

Perfect Imperfections is an intriguing tale which hints at wrongdoings and deceit without giving too much away. The author cleverly weaves a tale around fragile yet strong Sarah as she tries to reconcile her past with her future, engaging the reader to the point where we simply want the best for her and for happiness finally to come her way.

The Power of Fiction

A Guest Post by Taryn Leigh

Fiction may be seen to some as a way of escaping reality. Journalists or Political Activists might feel that an Author writing fiction has no power to influence society, culture, and an individual.

That however is vastly untrue.

For centuries books have been a source of knowledge, the gateway to understanding, and a platform for debate. Fiction novels, have been at the forefront of these in many instances.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence is a book about an aristocratic woman who commits adultery with a working-class man. This book was subsequently banned in the UK due to its sexual content and language. However, it brought to light the plight of censorship and helped to overthrow it.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beacher Stowe is given credit for transforming American views about slavery.

Animal Farm by George Orwell strongly affected readers’ views of government and politics.

The question stands that how could a story, primarily brought together by the Author, have such a profound effect on society, and how we view things?

The answer is found in how these stories have a way to cause the reader to:

• Have empathy for the lead character
• Feel the pain of what they may be going through
• View painful circumstances through the eyes of someone else
• Go through the suffering from a distant yet involved view
• Share in the frustration of societal problems and dysfunctions, and explore possible solutions.

These stories have a way to connect the reader emotionally to a fictitious stranger. It causes people to empathise with a stranger, where they might not empathise with someone they know. It causes them to tap into their emotions and review their stance on real issues.

As an Author of Fiction myself, I have made it my mission to write books that can bring a change to someone else’s life. Whether it’s showing them the power of forgiveness or allowing them to have empathy for someone else who is going through the hardest moments in their life.

For me, it’s important, to not just write beautiful stories, but to have a lasting impact on the very person whose hands grace the pages of my books.

About Taryn Leigh

Taryn Leigh is the Author of Perfect Imperfections, which is currently available worldwide. She spent her childhood with her nose buried in books, which transpired into her ambition to become a writer. She first tried her hand at blogging, which eventually led to her writing her first novel. She lives in South Africa, with her husband, son and two cocker spaniels.

You can follow Taryn on Twitter @tarynleighbook or visit her blog.

It has been far too long since I’ve read a book by Carol Drinkwater. You can read my review of her lovely The Forgotten Summer here. Consequently, I was thrilled to be asked to be part of the launch celebrations for The Lost Girl which is just fabulous. I have my review for you and a very special extract from the book too.

The Lost Girl was published on 29th June 2017 by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin, and is available for purchase via the links here.

The Lost Girl

Her daughter disappeared four years ago. . .

Since her daughter went missing four years earlier, celebrated photographer Kurtiz Ross has been a woman alone. Her only companion her camera. Since Lizzie disappeared, she has blamed and isolated herself, given up hope. Until, out of the blue, an unexpected sighting of Lizzie is made in Paris.

Could this lead to the reconciliation she has dreamed of?

Within hours of Kurtiz arriving in Paris, the City of Light is plunged into a night of hell when a series of terrorist attacks bring the city to a standstill. Amid the fear and chaos, a hand reaches out. A sympathetic stranger in a café offers to help Kurtiz find her daughter.

A stranger’s guiding light

Neither knows what this harrowing night will deliver, but the other woman’s kindness – and her stories of her own love and loss in post-war Provence – shine light into the shadows, restoring hope, bringing the unexpected. Out of darkness and despair, new life rises. New beginnings unfold.

Dare she believe in a miracle?

Set during a time of bloodshed and chaos in one of the most beautiful cities on earth and along the warm fragrant shores of the Mediterranean, Kurtiz discovers that miracles really can happen . . .

An extract from The Lost Girl

Prologue

Charlie, Paris, March 1947

Charles Gilliard was whistling as he strolled the Parisian avenue, heading in an easterly direction. Glancing to and fro, enjoying all that was going on around him on that fine spring morning, he was relishing the day that lay ahead of him to do with as he pleased. He was suffering no headache; he had risen early after sleeping soundly, which was to say relatively peacefully and without his recurrent nightmares. No reason, then, not to be in an optimistic frame of mind. The city was pulsing with life: the boulevards were busy; the chestnuts were coming into bud; a merry‑go‑round of automobiles was tooting and turning as though the engines themselves were in song. Although he was grateful for what had come out of the war – he had done well for himself during those years of silence, of wartime emptiness and repression – it lifted his spirits to witness the capital’s renaissance. Paris reawakening. Peace time. The jazz clubs, the gaiety, the night life. Dancing be‑bop at the Caveau de la Huchette over on the Left Bank; drinking with the Americans who had brought a light-­heartedness and latitude to the liberated city. The pretty girls, the free and easy lifestyle. Life was becoming cool. An excellent description, thought Charlie, who had sweated it out for too long now.

He was marvelling, too, at the continuance of his own good fortune, even beyond those years of occupation. Surely, though, such luck could not continue for ever. His opportunities for making money were slowing down. The black-­market possibilities for income had been drying up in his field since the end of the war. In any case, he had long ago grown tired of such a fly‑by‑night existence. And, more to the point, the money he had stashed away could not be eked out for more than another year or two. It was unwise of him to fritter it away on all-­night boogying. He should invest in some fresh clothes, give some serious thought to his future, find gainful employment. The grey suit he was wearing was beginning to look shabby, threadbare about the cuffs. It would not serve him for much longer. Fortunately, he still had access to the apartment he had installed himself in and made his home. Its owner was a woman – that much he had gleaned – a Jewess, Madame Friedlander. Where she had fled to, he had failed to discover. There were no clues, or none that he had found left lying about in the high-­ceilinged dusty rooms. Or, most importantly, any information about when she might return to reclaim her home and pick up the threads of her life. Of course, there was always the possibility that she was dead, killed in a raid as she fled the city, or from natural causes, or had been arrested and imprisoned in one of those atrocious camps everyone was reading and talking about. Judging by the photographs hanging on her walls, she was well into middle age. Might there be offspring, relatives with an interest in her estate? He must remain alert, and look to the future.

My Review of The Lost Girl

Searching for lost daughter Lizzie will bring Kurtiz much more than she could have imagined or, perhaps, have wanted.

When I saw the premise for The Lost Girl I had my doubts as I thought it might be too close to recent events and I was concerned it might be exploitative. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In The Lost Girl Carol Drinkwater sensitively uses the settings of the terrorist attack in Paris, the Second Word War and various other conflicts shown through Kurtiz’s photographic work, to illustrate with compassion and sensitivity the impact of global events on the ordinary person. This is a book with total heart.

The use of the senses to create place and atmosphere is sublime. The attention to detail is such that reading parts of The Lost Girl is more like looking at one of Kurtiz’s photographs than reading a book. I also found the creation of atmosphere so convincing that my heart was thumping at times and my stomach rumbling at others. I was genuinely transported to the scenes described.

The plot is so compelling because of the level of reality within it. Carol Drinkwater has crafted a spell-binding narrative and every word adds depth and understanding to the situations in which the characters find themselves so that The Lost Girl is writing of the very highest standard.

The characters are vibrant, realistic and convincing. At one point I found myself wanting to Google them to find out more and had to remind myself that these are fictional people. I didn’t always agree with their behaviour and actions, but I understood them completely. The Lost Girl is such a clever title because Kurtiz, Marguerite and Lizzie are all physically, emotionally or psychologically lost in their own way.

The sense of personal loss In The Lost Girl against a backdrop of national and international events is palpable so that there was a real intensity that I felt physically as I read. The Lost Girl is about loss, terrorism, love, war, identity, culture and ambition but most of all it is about humanity, about the lives of so many that hang in the balance on the phrase of ‘What if…’ and about a world that we all inhabit and that can change in an instant. I absolutely adored it.

About Carol Drinkwater

Carol Drinkwater is a multi-award-winning actress who is best known for her portrayal of Helen Herriot in the BBC television series All Creatures Great and Small. She is also the author of over twenty books, both fiction and non-fiction. Her quartet of memoirs set on her olive farm in the south of France have sold over a million copies worldwide and her solo journey round the Mediterranean in search of the Olive tree’s mythical secrets inspired a five-part documentary film series, The Olive Route.

You can follow Carol on Twitter and visit her website. You’ll find Carol on Facebook and there’s more with these other bloggers:

 

My grateful thanks to the author, David Videcette, for a copy of The Detriment in return for an honest review.

I was thrilled when David asked me if I would like to read The Detriment as he kindly provided a guest post for me all about reality in Crime Fiction that you can read here, when I first began blogging in 2015.

The Detriment is the second book by David to feature Jake Flannagan after The Theseus Paradox and is available for purchase here.

The Detriment

“The truth costs nothing, but a lie can cost you everything…”

June 2007: a barbaric nail bomb is planted outside a London nightclub, a spy is found dead in his garden, and a blazing Jeep is driven into Glasgow airport. Three events bound by an earth-shattering connection that should have remained buried forever.

From the author of The Theseus Paradox, the smash-hit 7/7 thriller based on true events, comes the sequel about a real-life mystery that threatens to destroy a nation. Detective Inspector Jake Flannagan must uncover how a series of astonishing events are inextricably linked, before the past closes in on him.

We all have secrets we say we’ll never tell…

My Review of The Detriment

Jake Flannagan is back at work, but he’s still not entirely ready to play by the rules.

I really enjoyed The Detriment, finding it intelligently written, intriguing and interesting.  There is no need to have read the first book in the series, Theseus Paradox (although I would recommend it) because The Detriment works really well as a stand alone and I was hooked from the very first page. The book starts at a cracking pace and doesn’t let up from the first page to the last.

David Videcette has quite an urbane style of writing. I really liked the sense of immediacy from the date, time and place information at the start of each chapter and the way in which some information is slightly withheld so that the reader experiences the discoveries in the same way as the characters. I kept thinking I’d just read one more chapter to see what happened next and before I knew it, a whole day had disappeared. I really couldn’t put down The Detriment. The level of detail was pitch perfect; enough to give a real sense of atmosphere so that the story came alive without extraneous padding, creating a heart-thumpingly good read.

The book is a truly disturbing insight into the murky underworld of the police and the powers that be so that I was left wondering just which side of the law is the right side at times. As The Detriment is brilliantly based around real events it is impossible to know what is fact and what is fiction and I found this aspect very intriguing and thought-provoking. I was completely absorbed in the events.

There’s a cracking pace to the plot so that I can really visualise The Detriment as a film or television series. In fact, it felt more like I was watching events than reading about them, so realistic was the writing.

I found the factual and source detail at the end of the book particularly fascinating and not a little disturbing. Reading The Detriment has left me feeling naive, previously duped and newly informed as well as hugely entertained. The Detriment is a brilliant book and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

About David Videcette

David Videcette is a former Scotland Yard investigator who specialises in terrorism and organised crime. As a Metropolitan Police Detective he worked on a wealth of infamous cases and was a lead investigator in the London 7/7 bombings in 2005. He supports the work of the Police Dependants’ Trust through his writing.

You can find out more about David on his website, by following him on Twitter and on Facebook.

I’m thrilled to be part of the launch celebrations for Skin Deep by Laura Wilkinson.

Published on 15th June 2017 by Accent Press, Skin Deep is available for purchase in e-book and paperback through the links here.

Art student and former model Diana has always been admired for her beauty, but what use are good looks when you want to shine for your talent? Insecure and desperate for inspiration, Diana needs a muse.

Facially disfigured four-year-old Cal lives a life largely hidden from the world. But he was born to be looked at and he needs love too. A chance encounter changes everything and Cal becomes Diana’s muse. But as Diana’s reputation develops and Cal grows up, their relationship implodes.

Both struggle to be accepted for what lies within.

Is it possible to find acceptance in a society where what’s on the outside counts for so much?

My Review of Skin Deep

Diana has had an emotionally abused childhood, but has she learnt from her experiences?

Not having read anything by Laura Wilkinson before, I had no idea what to expect from Skin Deep and hadn’t even looked at the genre and blurb as I began. Wow. I was sucked into the narrative by the fabulous quality of the writing from the very first word.

Skin Deep is a gripping social commentary on what makes us who we are, on society’s demands for us to conform physically and on the way we can manipulate others to our own ends, albeit sometimes unwittingly. Laura Wilkinson writes with such intelligence and skill that I was gripped throughout; rather like those who might stare at Cal, I found I couldn’t tear myself away in spite of myself.

I found the social and cultural messages about the obsession with the way we look so well handled. There’s no preachiness here and having reflected for some time on Diana’s behaviour, which I can understand perfectly, I still can’t make up my mind what I think about her. Indeed, the quality of characterisation is so good that I completely forgot I was reading a story and that Cal, Alan, Diana et al were not real people. I thought about them, wondering what was happening to them, when I wasn’t actually reading the book.

Having read Skin Deep, I feel quite disturbed. It stirred memories of teaching a child not dissimilar to Cal and the level of protection I felt towards him and it has made me wonder if I might behave exactly like Diana at her worst moments in the same circumstances. This is not a comfortable thought.

Whilst Skin Deep is a cracking story with a sophisticated plot that keeps the reader entertained throughout, it is so much more. Reading Skin Deep made me uneasy, made me question my whole belief system and make me thankful I am an ordinary person with an ordinary life. I loved Skin Deep and can’t recommend it highly enough.

About Laura Wilkinson

Liverpool born, Laura is a taff at heart. She has published six novels for adults (two under a pseudonym) and numerous short stories, some of which have made the short lists of international competitions. Public Battles, Private Wars, was a Welsh Books Council Book of the month; Redemption Song was a Kindle top twenty. The Family Line is a family drama set in the near future, looking at identity and parenting. Her latest is Skin Deep. Alongside writing, Laura works as an editor and mentor for literary consultancies and runs workshops on aspects of craft. She’s spoken at festivals and events nationwide, including the Frome Festival, Gladfest, University of Kingston, The Women’s Library and Museum in Docklands. She lives in Brighton with her husband and sons.

You can follow Laura on Twitter @ScorpioScribble and find her on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Laura is also on Goodreads and there is more with these other bloggers:

I so enjoy Domenica de Rosa writing as Elly Griffiths that I jumped at the chance to be part of the launch celebrations for One Summer in Tuscany as I haven’t read any of her women’s fiction before.

You can read my review of Smoke and Mirrors here, The Crossing Places here and The Janus Stone here.

Previously entitled Summer School, One Summer in Tuscany was published yesterday, 29th June 2017 by Quercus and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback here.

One Summer in Tuscany

Rivalries and romance in a Tuscan paradise. A relaxing writers’ retreat? If only! Perfect holiday reading from Domenica de Rosa, author of the bestselling Dr Ruth Galloway series under the name Elly Griffiths.

Patricia Wilson’s carefully composed ads for the writers’ retreat she runs at her thirteenth-century Italian castle promise so much. But while the splendour of their surroundings and chef Aldo’s melanzane never fail to wow the guests, huge maintenance bills and bad news from the bank threaten to close Patricia down. It’s make or break time for the Castello.

Each of her seven aspiring authors arrives with the inevitable baggage alongside their unpublished manuscripts. But this August something is different, and soon lifelong spinster Mary is riding on the back of Aldo’s vespa, and smouldering odd-job man Fabio has set more than one heart racing.

As temperatures rise, the writers gossip, flirt and gently polish their prose by the pool. But with ghosts, scorpions, and some unexpected visitors to contend with, one thing’s for sure: neither the Castello, nor Patricia, has ever seen a summer like this.

My Review of One Summer in Tuscany

With the threat of bankruptcy over her head, Patricia really needs an injection of cash. Maybe one of her summer school guests can provide the answer?

Oh my goodness I enjoyed One Summer in Tuscany. What I really loved was the whole writing conceit. I enjoyed the pieces coming from the participants in the course that enabled me to see more of their characters and the whole idea of a writing retreat which transported me to the beautiful Italian countryside. There’s the fabulous joke of one hit wonder Jeremy teaching the others when he can’t write anything himself.

There’s a fantastic sense of place in One Summer in Tuscany and the smatterings of Italian lend an authenticity that transports the reader to Italy so that it’s impossible not to want to go there too.

In a sense, there isn’t a complicated plot, but that was one of the positives. This is very much character led writing with a well defined time frame of the two weeks at Patricia’s Castello. There’s a vivid feeling of what it would be like to be one of the participants, to write, swim in the pool, visit local attractions and eat Aldo’s wonderful food. I could so easily picture myself there as one of the less talented writers!

And speaking of Aldo – what a wonderful creation. He and Mary were my favourite characters, but I think it says something about the quality of Domenica de Rosa’s writing that I utterly loathed Cat who is so well named when we consider how cattiness is seen as unpleasant. I so wanted her to get her comeuppance but you’ll have to read One Summer in Tuscany to find out if she did.

I thoroughly enjoyed One Summer in Tuscany. It’s a smashing summer read – especially if you’re off to Tuscany on holiday.

About Domenica de Rosa

Domenica de Rosa was born in London. She is half Italian and half English and her books often reflect life in both countries. Her first book The Italian Quarter was shortlisted for the Pendleton May First Novel Award. She lives in Brighton with her husband and two children.

You can find out more about Domenica De Rosa on her website. You’ll also find more her writing as Elly Griffiths on the website, by following her on Twitter and finding her on Facebook.

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I have heard so many wonderful things about Natalie Fergie’s The Sewing Machine that, although I haven’t had chance to read it yet (it’s working its way up my TBR), I am thrilled to be able to interview Natalie on Linda’s Book Bag today.

The Sewing Machine was published by Unbound on 17th April 2017 and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback here.

The Sewing Machine

It is 1911, and Jean is about to join the mass strike at the Singer factory. For her, nothing will be the same again.

Decades later, in Edinburgh, Connie sews coded moments of her life into a notebook, as her mother did before her.

More than 100 years after his grandmother’s sewing machine was made, Fred discovers a treasure trove of documents.  His family history is laid out before him in a patchwork of unfamiliar handwriting and colourful seams.

He starts to unpick the secrets of four generations, one stitch at a time.

An Interview With Natalie Fergie

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Natalie. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing and The Sewing Machine in particular. Firstly, please could you tell me a little about yourself?

Thank you for inviting me.
I live near Edinburgh, which is one of the locations for the novel. I left nursing in 2007 and began a small business dyeing yarn for knitters and fibre for spinners. I love colour, although most of the walls in our house are painted white.

What are your writing routines and where do you do most of your writing?

I would love to say I have a routine, but I don’t. Most of my writing is not done sitting at a computer, it’s done in my head when I am walking the dog, or sitting on a tram, or walking around Edinburgh. I work out the next part of what needs to happen and try it out. The dog is particularly helpful; he always listens and doesn’t mind if I say the same sentence twenty times in succession to get it right.

Without spoiling the plot, please could you tell us a bit about The Sewing Machine?

Sewing machines like the one in the book were workhorses used by our mothers and grandmothers as an essential piece of household equipment. They patched the knees of school trousers, made wedding dresses, and in war time, turned sheets sides-to-middle to make them last longer. The novel follows one such sewing machine, a handcrank Singer 99k, from the day it left the factory in 1911, until the present, in 2016.

The story begins with Jean, a worker in the Singer factory, who is about to go on strike. Her story alternates with that of the first owner, Kathleen, and in 2016 we meet Fred, who has just inherited the machine.

(I think it sounds wonderful – one of my earliest memories is of my grandmother using one of these machines.)

The Sewing Machine seems to me to be more than just a novel as fabric and textile is so big a part of your life. Why did you decide to write it?

The story really found me, rather than the other way around.

I collect old sewing machines. I have nine of them now, dating from 1897 until 1963. In the drawer of the oldest one was a Singer catalogue from 1929 and it seemed that after thirty years of using her old machine, the owner was looking for a replacement, just as we might today.

Old catalogues are like catnip to a collector – we instantly want to complete the set! It’s true whether we collect Pokemon cards, or stamps, or pencil sharpeners. I realised that there were many gaps in my collection and I set about looking for a 99K.
I researched the history of it first and discovered that it was first made in 1911, and if you google Singer factory 1911, you find the history of the strike at the factory.

The Sewing Machine is receiving glowing reviews from bloggers. How does that make you feel?

There aren’t enough words for this feeling. It’s lovely that so many people are enjoying it, and heartwarming to know that part of that is the story, but also that many people are loving the connection with their own family history because they remember similar sewing machines being used as they were growing up.

Every single review is like a little piece of treasure and I appreciate the time taken to write them. it’s such a kind thing to do, to tell an author that you like their work.

How important is it to you to ensure the heritage of textiles doesn’t die?

It was an integral part of life, for women (it was mostly women) to ‘Make Do and Mend’ during wartime and rationing. I feel these everyday items are just as important as fine 18th century gowns. It’s what they tell us about everyday life which fascinates me.

What advice would you give to those who would eschew an item like the sewing machine at the heart of your novel as being too old-fashioned and better thrown away?

Everyone has something old they are interested in. People save seed catalogues, or collect mugs or fridge magnets from holiday destinations.

We even keep books after we have read them, and store them on shelves!
And you only have to look at the popularity of car boot sales (like the one in the book) and Gumtree and eBay, to know that things which are old-fashioned are sought after. One woman’s discarded powder compact is another’s treasure.

How did you go about researching detail and ensuring The Sewing Machine was realistic?

I used the internet, and saved useful sites in Evernote so I could find them again. I kept the plot order in an old Filofax, because it meant that I could shuffle things around and flip through to make sure everything still worked.

There was an awful lot of arithmetic, to make sure that people weren’t still at school at twenty-five, or retiring at the wrong age, and I used weather records for all the different eras to find out whether it was hot or cold or snowing on a particular week.

I went to a wonderful museum in Edinburgh which is a reminiscence centre; you can pick up all the items and look at them closely – wind up a lipstick, sniff a tin of baby talc or look at things like grocer’s paper bags. That was where I discovered that Alf’s Thermos flask had a cork and not a screw top!

But the best research was done by talking to people in organisations. I spoke to the Royal Botanic gardens in Edinburgh about how to store seeds, to a jeweller about enamelling and to a housing organisation about tenants’ rights. Without fail, everyone was generous and they gave me insight I could not have got from a website.

(That sounds so interesting to do Natalie.)

Bearing all that research in mind, which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

I love the research and do ten times the amount which actually ends up in the book.
The hardest part is knowing when to stop editing. If you do too much, you take the energy out of the words and leave them dried up and lifeless on the page.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to read?

Magazines!

There is something about a new magazine, all those untouched pages and bright colours and ideas in short snatches. It’s like a tasting menu in a posh restaurant.

For books, I’ll read most things except horror, and that’s true of cinema too. I don’t like to be terrified, I guess I’m just a scaredy cat. I’m currently reading the debut novel, Wages of Sin, by Kaite Welsh, about a Victorian lady doctor-turned-detective.

(I have that on my TBR too!)

The Sewing Machine has a cover that reminded me of the Fates. How did that image come about and what were you hoping to convey (without spoiling the plot please!)?

The cover was designed by Mark Ecob.
Unbound is unusual in involving the authors closely in the cover design. I’m told that generally in publishing, this isn’t the case.
I sent him an idea which was based on the idea of an Instagram image, where there are objects from the book arranged around the edges of a cover. He took that idea and created the cover. If you look closely after you have finished reading, you’ll discover that all the snippets of paper, the maps, the thread, everything appears in the novel. You can’t work the story out from looking at them though…

If you had 15 words to persuade a reader that The Sewing Machine should be their next read, what would you say?

“Did your grandmother sew? Unpick the secrets of four generations, one stitch at a time.”

Thank you so much for your time in answering my questions Natalie. I can’t wait to read The Sewing Machine.

About Natalie Fergie

As well as loving writing, Natalie Fergie dyes and cooks and spends time walking Boris the dog!

You can find out more about Natalie on her blog, by following her on Twitter @theyarnyard and visiting her Instagram page.

I was lucky enough to be part of the hardback launch celebrations for Before You Go by Clare Swatman when I had an extract from the book that you can read here.

Out in paperback on July 27th 2017, Before You Go is published by Pan MacMillan and is available for purchase through all good book sellers and the publisher links here.

Before You Go

When Zoe’s husband Ed dies, her world caves in. But what if Zoe can get Ed back?

You find your soulmate . . .

Some people stare love in the face for years before they find it. Zoe and Ed fumbled their way into adulthood, both on different paths – but always in the same direction. Years later, having navigated dead-end jobs and chaotic house shares, romance finally blossoms. Their future together looks set . . .

Then the unthinkable happens.

One morning, on his way to work, Ed is knocked off his bike and dies. Now Zoe must find a way to survive. But she’s not ready to let go of the memories. How can she forget all of the happy times, their first kiss, everything they’d built together? Zoe decides she has to tell Ed all the things she never said.

Now it’s too late. Or is it?

My Review of Before You Go

A bang on the head after Ed’s funeral leads Zoe to hope she might be able to change history – but can she?

Oh dear. My tears started  on page 9 of Before You Go by Clare Swatman and that was pretty much it until the sobs at the final few pages. Admittedly there was some respite when I laughed along with Zoe and Ed too, but on the whole, Before You Go grasped my heart in a fist of emotion and didn’t let it go for the entire read. I’m not sure whether it’s because my own husband has had two life threatening illnesses in the last three years and the thought of losing him has been devastating, but this book held such a personal resonance for me that I adored every word.

The plot structure is so clever. Certainly a reader has to suspend their disbelief that it could happen, but that doesn’t matter a bit. Beginning with Ed’s funeral in the prologue, the narrative moves from when he and Zoe first met twenty years before to the present. I had several theories as to how the story might resolve itself and found the end of the book very satisfying but I’m not going to say more as I don’t want to spoil the read.

I loved both Zoe and Ed as well as the more minor characters, but it is the intimate study of a relationship that Clare Swatman has depicted to beautifully. She has crept under the skin of real people and understood their frailties so that it is impossible not to be swept along in the story. I simply put my life on hold to read the entire book in one sitting, so emotional was its appeal to me.

I found Clare Swatman’s style completely effortless to read because she writes so convincingly, so that it wasn’t as if I was reading a book, more observing two people I really cared about. I especially enjoyed the anchoring of events through the references to contemporary music so that there was a realism to the story. I loved the messages behind the text too. It really made me grateful for what I have and determined to make sure those I love know about how I feel on a regular basis. In this respect I’d even go so far as to say Before You Go is a life-changing read.

For readers looking for huge emotion, an absorbing story and a book that will stay with them long after they have read it they should look no further than Clare Swatman’s Before You Go. It is quite wonderful.

About Clare Swatman

Clare Swatman is a journalist for a number of weekly women’s magazines. Clare was Features Editor for Bella and has written for Best, Woman’s Own and Real People. She writes for her local magazine as well as the travel pages for Take a Break. Clare lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and two boys.

Before You Go is her first novel.

You can follow Clare on Twitter and visit her website.

I’m delighted to be part of the launch celebrations for Rosie Millard’s latest novel The Brazilian which is a follow up to The Square.

The Brazilian was published on 14th June by Legend Press and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback here.

The Brazilian

Following a sensational scandal at one of London’s most desired postcodes, Jane and Patrick decide to escape the gossip with a family holiday to Ibiza, their eight-year-old son George in tow.

Also on the island that week is a TV reality show involving an eccentric artist, a horny It Girl, a Brazilian footballer and a famous magician.

As hapless celebrities are picked off one by one, Jane is desperate to be on the programme, leaving childcare in the not so capable hands of a teenager.

One lesbian escapade and an explosive row over hair removal later, the contestants of Ibiza or Bust leave the island with more than sand in places they never knew existed…

My Review of The Brazilian

A holiday in Ibiza mixed with a reality TV event is going to give all the participants more than they bargained for.

Initially I didn’t think I was going to enjoy The Brazilian as I found the first character presented, Jane, totally vacuous and detestable. However, the more I read, the more I was sucked into what is a clever, witty and acerbic commentary on today’s society. As the tapestry of individuals increased I found all types were represented from the shy and retiring to the sexually prolific so that there is a person for every reader to respond to. By the end of the read I still hadn’t found Jane any better, but I really liked Grace, Bella and George. Similarly, the range of ages, gender and sexual proclivity all make for fascinating reading. I found looking at a reality television programme from the perspective of the producer, Simon, quite enlightening and his participation really appealed to me.

I wish I had read the first book to introduce all the characters, The Square, as I think that would have eased me in to the story more rapidly, but Rosie Millard has a deft touch in bringing her readers up to date so The Brazilian works well as a stand alone read.

The plot is well presented, with much of the action revolving around the reality television programme Ibiza (Or Bust) as well as the family dynamic of Patrick, Jane and George. However, it is the interplay of relationships that really brings the text alive – ironically just as the relationships are the lynchpin of such television programmes.

The stand out aspect of The Brazilian (alongside the dual meaning of the title!) is Rosie Millard’s devilish spotlight on today’s celebrity led society. She lays bare the contemptuous, the pathetic and the despicable as well as the admirable, the heroic and the realistic so that hers is a vivisection of how we have become obsessed with appearance and fame. So clever is the writing that I went from initially not much liking The Brazilian to thinking it was a perfect presentation of modern society. The Brazilian was a book I really enjoyed.

About Rosie Millard

Rosie Millard is a graduate of the University of Hull, London College of Communication and the Courtauld Institute. She has been a Trustee of the Carnegie (UK) Foundation, Home Live Art and Modern Art Oxford.

A journalist and author, Rosie Millard is Chair of Hull UK City of Culture 2017.

You can follow Rosie on Twitter, visit her website and find her on Facebook.

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