My enormous thanks to Alison Barrow at Transworld Books for a copy of Lissa Evans’ ‘Crooked Heart’ in return for an honest review. ‘Crooked Heart’ is published in paperback by Black Swan on 31st December 2015 and is also already available in Hardback and ebook from Amazon UK, Amazon US and direct from the publishers.

When 10 year old Noel Bostock is evacuated from London to St Albans during the Second World War, staying with Vera Sedge is going to change his life in many ways. Still only 36 herself, Vera has an indolent adult son and a mountain of debt and difficulties so that Noel’s arrival gives her the brain power she needs to live her life differently.

‘Crooked Heart’ is a complete gem of a read. I’m not sure quite how Lissa Evans does it, but she manages to combine humour and exquisite sadness in a blend of perfection so that I loved every word from the opening line to the final full stop.

There’s a fairly small cast of characters so the reader comes to understand them fully. Vera is a complete rogue but utterly convincing and endearing. Noel’s precocious intelligence should make him irritating and annoying but instead he is so beautifully portrayed that I almost couldn’t bear to read on in case life treated him even more harshly. He’s wonderful.

The wartime setting is skilfully conveyed. It’s so easy to picture Lissa Evans’ scenes, whether through description, the queuing system, the bombings, or the dialogue which feels natural and effective. I also loved Vera’s mother Flora’s constant steam of letters advising Churchill how to run the war.

Although I would say ‘Crooked Heart’ is ultimately about love, it has a fabulous balance of wit and empathy in an emotional and compelling combination, exploring justice, morality and education within its narrative. It is both compellingly beautiful and wittily funny as the plot races along and whilst there is a tenderness to the writing, there isn’t a hint of sentimentality to undermine its perfection.

I thought ‘Crooked Heart’ was brilliant and Lissa Evans has gained a new fan.

You can follow Lissa Evans on Twitter and find out more about her on her web site.

I’m delighted to be staring off the winter celebrations for Anne Blankman’s atmospheric book, ‘A Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke’. It was published by Headline on 21st April 2015 and is available in all good book stores as well as here in the UK and here in the US or direct from the publisher.

Gretchen Muller has three rules for her new life:
1. Blend into the surroundings.
2. Don’t tell anyone who you really are.
3. And never, never go back to Germany.

Here Anne tells us about the background to the story and how a factual event led to her novel.

A Blend of Fact and Fiction: The Real-Life Unsolved Homicide that Inspired the Murder in Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke

Most of the pieces of Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke came to me fairly quickly, but one—a crucial one—kept eluding me. I had figured out every aspect of the mystery in my story except for the murder. I knew I needed a suspicious death to occur. But what kind of killing should it be? Who was the victim? And how could I connect the dead person to my two main characters?

These questions circled in my head for days. Finally, stumped, I turned to one of my favorite activities: research. Usually reading about my story’s historical background will jumpstart my brain, and this time was no exception. As I flipped through an excellent social history of early twentieth century Berlin, I came across a snippet about a still-unsolved homicide case that had occurred on the last night of 1932.

The story was brief: After a long shift, a young seamstress had gotten off a bus in her working-class neighborhood and began walking home. She probably didn’t pay attention to the man riding a bicycle toward her. In those days, he would have been a common sight: a man dressed in the brown uniform belonging to the SA, one of the divisions within the Nazi Party.

Perhaps she didn’t even notice when he slipped a pistol from its holster and aimed it at her head, shouting, “Heil Hitler!” She wouldn’t have felt the bullet ripping into her skull, shattering bone and slicing up brain matter in a split-second. She was dead before she hit the ground.

The SA man continued bicycling down the street while other Berliners rushed to the dead woman’s aid. The killer didn’t look upset or act concerned; just turned the corner and vanished into the inky-black night.

He was never identified. The homicide case’s file has moldered into dust; a heartbreaking, random stranger-on-stranger crime.

How bizarre, I thought as I reread the passage. I wonder if this man had a secret motive for killing her—it seems like a well-planned street assassination.

And then I felt it. The breathless, shivery feeling of anticipation, the tingle deep in my mind, the signal that this story is meant for me. I knew I had my murder.

I’m sure this will have whetted your appetite for Anne’s writing and you can follow her on Twitter and via her Web Site. You can also see what else is happening for Anne’s winter celebrations with other bloggers here:

 

I am delighted to introduce a rereleased novel by Amanda Nicol, ‘Badric’s Island’, published today, 8th December 2015, by Clink Street. It is available from all good bookshops, online and from Amazon

Badric’s Island

It’s sex in another city when a down on her luck actress in London fancies a new career as a writer in this quirky, chucklesome and relatable novel about a modern woman and her eclectic circle of trusty (and sometimes furry) sidekicks.

“A broken heart is preferable to a broken head.” 

Once a cast member on the hit television show Chefs’ Wives, Rachel Jameson now has the means to live in a home in the swanky Battersea Park area in London where she constantly dreams about one day writing a novel or a comedy script – if only she can actually start writing. With her two best friends, Carla, a single mother – who moonlights as the drummer in a band – and Mica, Carla’s keyboard player by her side, Rachel faces all the trials and tribulations of every woman in an especially humorous and touching fashion with Amanda Nicol’s ever-relatable novel ‘Badric’s Island’.

Just as Carrie Bradshaw and Bridget Jones captured the hearts of women who felt like the classical characters were themselves and their close friends, readers will follow Rachel through her personal and professional adventures and root for the frazzled thirty-something to find her happy ending.

Here’s a teaser from the book!

RACHEL JAMESON’S RULES OF EXISTENCE

Rule No. 1: Wanting what you don’t have, chasing it till you’ve got it and then finding out that you didn’t want it after all. In fact you still want what you don’t have, i.e., the thing that you once had when you wanted the other.

Rule No. 2: Work comes when you could do without it.

Rule No. 3: You will be absolutely knackered on all the most important days of your life.

Rule No. 4: However sorted you think you might be, when it comes to this particular issue, you’re lost.

Rule No. 5: When solitude is craved, company will call, and vice-versa.

Rule No. 6: Dreams are dreams and reality is reality and never the twain shall meet.

Rule No. 7: Things that are for the best always feel like utter shite.

Rule No. 8: Feeling any degree of smugness is just asking for trouble.

Rule No. 9: There’s always a perfect time for making matters worse.

Rule No. 10: A broken heart is preferable to a broken head.

About Amanda Nicol:

Living with her husband in Hastings, East Sussex, Amanda Nicol spent 20 years restoring Old Master paintings and is now a full time writer and painter. She is currently working on a memoir of her journey of healing from both mental illness and, more recently, cancer and its treatment both in the UK and in Mexico. Her other titles include ‘Dead Pets Society’ and ‘House of Bread’ (Clink Street Publishing December 2015). Badric’s Island by Amanda Nicol was originally published in 2013 and will be re-released 8th December by Clink Street Publishing (RRP £8.99 paperback, RRP £4.99 ebook).

For more information about Amanda, please visit her web site.

It is my very great pleasure to support Brook Cottage Books in spotlighting ‘Out of Control‘ by T A Belshaw and to offer the chance to win one of 5 ecopies and 2 signed paperback copies of the book. This giveaway is open internationally. See the end of this blog post for your chance to enter.

Originally published on 25th August 2015, ‘Out of Control‘ is a noir-suspence novella.

The Story

It began with a trivial moment of carelessness, but the shockwaves that reverberate from this seemingly insignificant incident, spread far and wide.
Ed and his heavily pregnant wife Mary are on an errand for Ed’s ailing father before the pair depart for warmer climes. But the winter of 1962 comes early and one innocuous event and a hastily taken decision will have devastating consequences for the family of young Rose Gorton. Mary’s already fragile mental state is put under further stress while Ed tries to make sense of events that are spiralling massively, ‘Out of Control’.

‘Out of Control‘ is available for purchase here:

AMAZON UK

AMAZON.COM

About Trevor Belshaw

Trevor Belshaw, aka, Trevor Forest, is a writer of both adult and children’s fiction. He lives in Nottingham, UK with his mad Springer Spaniel, Maisie. Trevor is the creator of Tracy’s Hot Mail (Crooked Cat Publishing,) and has recently released a noir novella, ‘Out of Control’.

Writing under the name, Trevor Forest, he has published fourteen children’s books including the Magic Molly series, The Stanley Stickle series, and Peggy Larkin’s War.

Trevor’s short stories and articles have appeared in various magazines including The Best of British, Ireland’s Own and First Edition. His poem My Mistake was awarded a highly commended status and included in the Farringdon Poetry competition best entries anthology. His children’s poem Clicking Gran, was longlisted in the Plough Poetry competition 2009.

Trevor’s short stories have been published in many anthologies including the charity anthologies. 100 Stories for Haiti, 50 Stories for Pakistan, 100 Stories for Queensland, The Best of Café Lit, (2011 2012 and 2013) The Best of Friday Flash Volume 2, Another Haircut, Shambelurkling and other stories and 24 Stories for Advent.

You can follow Trevor on Twitter and his web site

Enter the giveaway here

I’m delighted to be bringing an extract from Alison Ripley Cubitt and Molly Cubitt’s lovely family memoir of love and loss, ‘Castles in the Air‘ which was published in ebook on 25th November 2015. It is available to buy on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

The Story:

An eight-year-old child witnesses her mother’s secret and knows that from that moment life will never be the same.

After Molly, her mother dies, Alison uses her legacy to make a film about Molly’s relationship with a man she had known since she was a teenager. What hold did this man have over her mother? And what other secrets was her mother hiding?

Castles in the Air follows the life of Molly Ripley through the eyes of her daughter Alison. From Molly’s childhood in colonial Hong Kong and Malaya; wartime adventures as a rookie office girl in the far east outpost of Bletchley Park then as a young nurse in the city; tangled romance and marriage… to her challenging middle-age when demons from the past seem set to overwhelm her.

The writer in Alison can’t stop until she reveals the story of Molly’s past. But as a daughter, does she have the courage to face up to the uncomfortable truths of Molly’s seemingly ordinary life?

As she unravels the private self that Molly kept secret, Alison realises that she is trying to find herself through her mother’s story. By trying to make sense of the past, can she move on with her future?

Honest yet unsentimental and told with abundant love and compassion, this is a profoundly moving portrait of a woman’s life, hopes and dreams. We learn not only about Molly, but about mothers and daughters, secrets and love. A story for readers struggling to come to terms with the trauma of losing loved ones.

Read an extract from Alison’s moving story here:

In December 1941, just as Molly was sitting School Certificate, the schoolgirls heard some ominous news on the radio:

We were all greatly encouraged when we heard of the arrival of the mighty battleship, Prince of Wales and cruiser Repulse and all thought they would soon ‘sort out’ the Japanese. Then we heard on the news that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbour on December 2nd, 1941, thus drawing the Americans into the conflict – to be followed by air-raids on Singapore. Most of the children not taking School Certificate had been sent back to their homes. 

December 2 was, in fact, the date that Prince of Wales and Repulse arrived at the Singapore Naval Base with great fanfare. The attack on Pearl Harbour took place on 7 December, 8 December in Malaya, at the same time as the first Japanese bombing raid on Singapore. It was 4am in Singapore when Don and Ciss were woken by the air raid sirens. Their worst fears had come to pass. Their darling Molly was hundreds of miles away. All they could do was pray she would get home safely, but as a former Royal Marine, Don would have known only too well what perfect cover a remote jungle region could provide for an advancing Japanese land invasion.

 There were four of us Seventh Formers left – two girls whose families were in the diplomatic service in Bangkok (they spent the whole of the war years in the Cameron Highlands and I think their parents went to a Japanese POW camp). One girl [Marjorie] and I, both from Singapore and scheduled to take one more examination, were left. Neither of us realised the seriousness of what was happening. The Japanese were advancing rapidly down the Malay Peninsula, thus cutting off the Cameron Highlands and another hill-station.

Marjorie and I travelled down ‘The Hill’ for the last time together, then boarded the train at Tapah [for] Kuala Lumpur.

I made that same trip fifty years later in a modern car with power steering. It took over an hour and a half to negotiate the hairpin bends on that treacherous road. In 1941 it was little more than a dirt track.

We were to board the Night Mail Train from KL to Singapore where our parents would be waiting for us. We had dinner with one of our friends in KL and their cook-boy and driver took us to KL station. Suddenly the air-raid sirens sounded – the cookie hurriedly took us to the subway under the station. 

We were two rather frightened schoolgirls in our grey and blue school uniforms and hats, and suddenly we found our ourselves in a crowded subway, crammed with soldiers from all sorts of different regiments on the way up the Peninsula to fight the Japanese. The soldiers comforted us with sweets and cigarettes (we didn’t smoke) and made jokes. It was a relief to hear the ‘All-Clear’ sounding, but I shall always remember those brave men, and wonder to this day how many survived.

It was an eleven to twelve hour journey from KL to Singapore and I doubt if the two girls got much sleep that night.

We boarded the train again and arrived in Singapore where our anxious parents were awaiting us at the station. The war had come to our doorstep at last.

———————

Follow Alison on Twitter on Facebook and at Lambert Nagle Books

 

 

What if everything you thought you knew about London’s 2005 7/7 bombings was a lie?

In July 2005,  Detective Inspector Jake Flannagan, finds searching for the truth of the 7/7 bombings leads to more than he bargained for, as his girlfriend disappears and he is suddenly suspended from duty.

I ‘met’ the author of ‘The Theseus Paradox’, David Videcette on Book Connectors on Facebook and when I realised he was an ex-detective, whose writing also helped to support a charity, I was really interested to know whether he thought true crime and fictional crime had much in common. He kindly agreed to write a guest post for me which I’m sharing with you today.

HOW REAL IS CRIME FICTION?

by

David Videcette

As a former detective with twenty years in the job, I want my fiction to be as true to life as it can be.  But I also want to be entertained, because in real life, investigating crime is rarely very glamorous at all.  It’s often very tedious, extremely time consuming and in some cases takes many years to crack.  And who wants to read about boredom, overtime rates, child-care problems and yet another stolen sat nav?

Research, research, research

Once I settle into a story, I don’t want to be distracted from the plot by errors. An author of historical fiction wouldn’t write about an Anglo-Saxon eating a potato before the vegetable had been introduced to Europe.  The same should be true of crime fiction.  A bobby should be of the correct rank, wear the right hat, speak into the right radio and have the right ‘jam sandwich’ stripes down the side of their car.

Starting out in the police means learning your trade. You deal with with high volume crimes such as handbags nicked from the floor of busy pubs, phones pick-pocketed from people on the bus and neighbour disputes about parking spaces. You cannot progress to a higher rank in the force without putting in years of hard graft. You also cannot become the lead on a case by being a freelance art dealer or insurance consultant who is drafted in from the outside – although we all enjoy the escapism in imagining if that were us!

It’s true that we do use the expert opinions from external specialists. For example, I worked on a case where the evidence included 250 documents containing 250 different signatures and 250 different addresses. An external handwriting expert was able to analyse the script and tell us that there were actually only five authors in total. So rather than actually solving the case, that narrowed it down substantially. External experts may well change the course of the investigation.

The Crime Scene

Far from being the fascinating places that they often appear in fiction, crime scenes are very unpleasant and are not some form of canvas on which the criminal has deliberately painted.  The scene won’t give you the emotions or the motives behind the crime.  We are looking instead for fingerprints, DNA, footprints – things that have been left accidentally by the criminal.

Believe it or not – there’s very little blood at the scene of the average murder.  When someone is attacked and dies, the injury will have been serious enough for the heart to stop beating pretty quickly.  Blood ceases from being pumped out of the body. If a weapon like a knife or gun has been used, any damage is often internal and the vast majority of the bleeding will be internal too.

In contrast, GBH (Grievous Bodily Harm) scenes are far worse. At the two bloodiest crime scenes I’ve attended in my career – the victims both lived. Both of their hearts kept pumping large amounts of fresh, oxygenated, bright-red blood out of their bodies.  As a police officer you see much more gore when someone receives a horrendous wound to their head or hand, and then survives, than that associated with a murder victim.

Motivation, emotions and feelings

Anyone can look at a photo of a dead child and describe it. That’s easy. A good writer will also be able to describe what the emotions may feel like at the time. But how many writers could describe how it feels to see a dead child in front of them whilst standing alongside parents who had let their baby die through the stupidity of their own actions? How many could describe what that feels like?

The act of cold-blooded murder isn’t that fascinating to me. The motivation behind a crime is much more interesting.  A criminal investigator is immersed in a dark, dingy world where raw emotion is never far away.  The writer who can capture that, and get behind the motives for the killer’s deeds – those are the books I want to read.

Who gets it right?

Crime fiction works when the creators do their research.  Ian Rankin gets it nearly 100% spot on and I like Patricia Cornwell, she writes well. (Although Kay Scarpetta does seem to be overly brilliant at everything – from making home-made pasta to cracking the most unsolvable of police cases!)

The Bill, the British police procedural television series that was broadcast by ITV for almost twenty-seven years up until 2010, was a prime example of how important thorough research is to recreate real-life.

They’d call up and ask, ‘In this episode, we’ve got a police officer sitting at a computer screen looking for some information on a car theft ring. How does it work?”

I’d explain about our criminal intelligence system (CRIMINT) and what the computer’s monitor screen would look like so they could mock up an identical one. It was all about making it as real as possible for the viewers – many of whom were police officers themselves. Now that is what I call real attention to detail.

You never stop learning

Even though I’m a former officer, I still had to undertake research for my own police novel – and that’s despite it being based on a case I worked on for five years.  I hope my reader will learn about how a major police investigation works with as much precision as I’m able to give.  But first and foremost, I hope they will enjoy a twisty thriller that entertains them – because however accurate your research, you must always spin a tale that hooks people in.

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. His new thriller supports the work of the Police Dependants’ Trust.

You can chat to him on Twitter or Facebook.

Visit David’s Web Site to find out more.

Become a fan of The Theseus Paradox on Facebook.

THE THESEUS PARADOX IS OUT THIS WEEK ON AMAZON!

Here’s a little ‘thing’ that is doing the rounds on some of my favourite book blogs. I first saw it on Kate’s blog Biblophile Book Club and Anne from Random Things Through My Letterbox has joined in. Joanne from Portobello Book Blog has tagged me to take part. In turn I tag Sharon from Shaz’s Book Boudoir to tell us her 25 random things

So, what can I tell you?

What is your middle name?

It’s Jane. My first name was going to be Christopher but I didn’t turn out to be a boy after all

What is your favourite drink?

Tea! It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning. I can’t drink wine much these days but I do like champagne and a good Mai Tai cocktail.

What is your favourite song at the moment?

Hmm. Life has been busy lately so I haven’t really listened to much music. I’m a big Bryan Ferry fan so one of my all time favourites is ‘Love is the Drug’.

What is your favourite food?

Apart from chocolate? Fruit. I love fruit. Very fond of a curry too.

What was the last thing you bought?

Christmas lunch at my garden group this lunchtime and I ‘bought’ a free ebook today too Married by Midnight by Talli Roland when I got back from lunch.

Favourite book of all time?

So many to choose from, especially lately when I’ve read some amazing books, but I think it has to be ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ by Thomas Hardy. It takes me back to the summer before A’Levels when I read it as I was going to study it and so identified with Tess. It launched me into doing an English degree and teaching English so without it my life might be very different. I re-read it frequently now.

Favourite colour?

Jade. Although I seem to be buying a lot of pink recently…

Do you have any pets?

Unfortunately not at the minute. We used to have four cats at the same time, one of which was diabetic and we had to inject with insulin twice daily. We have decided life is too complicated for pets at the minute. My husband says I’m a ‘very demanding pet to look after’ so I suppose that’s enough!

Favourite perfume?

Tresor by Lancome. I wear it all the time.

Favourite holiday?

There are two that really stand out. A three week trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos and a month long trip to Brazil, Argentina, the Falklands and Antarctica. We swam with sharks in the Galapaogos where I suddenly realised I looks at bit like a sea lion in my wetsuit. Sharks eat sealions!

Are you married?

I have been married to Steve for almost 33 years and we were married within 10 months of meeting. A whirlwind romance that has endured!

Have you ever been out of the country?  If so, how many times?

Too many to mention. We have a couple of ‘big’ holidays and several city breaks a year. This year, for example, we’ve done a Caribbean cruise, toured various safari lodges in South Africa and visited Lisbon, Prague and Madrid.

Do you speak any other language?

Yes, French, but I’m not saying how well! I studied it for A’Level and in my first year at university so I can get by. It comes back when we go to France, but it’s very rusty. I was also surprised to find I remembered some O’Level German in Vienna last year.

How many siblings do you have?

I have a sister who is almost 9 years older than me, but she looks younger than I do.

What is your favourite store?

Any book shop. The covers, the smell, the excitement!

Favourite Restaurant?

I don’t eat out much as we have such lovely meals at home so I don’t really have one.

When was the last time that you cried?

Yesterday when the cancer nurse rang to say the latest biopsy for my husband was benign. I was so relieved. Keeping my fingers crossed for next week now.

Favourite Blog?

Too many to mention. I’ve only recently started blogging and other bloggers have been so generous with their advice and help. One I admire from a writing point of view is Sacha Black’s as it’s quite unusual.

Favourite Movie?

Brigit Jones’s Diary. Love it – especially when she gets her hair blown about in the sports car. (Shh, don’t tell anyone, but I enjoy it more than the book).

Favourite TV Show?

Strictly Come Dancing. Love the romance of it all and the costumes. I wish I could dance elegantly, but a foot injury prevents it.

PC or Mac?

PC (though I have a love/hate relationship with my iPad)

What phone do you have?

An LG smart phone something or other. I’m not in to phones – much prefer email.

What is your favourite pastime?

Daft question – reading. I love to walk and travel too and I’m a very keen gardener.

Can you cook?

Yes, but my skills are rusty because I used to work away from home quite a bit and when I was away 98 nights in one year all over the place including Jersey in the Channel Islands and New York, my husband had to learn or starve and as a result he’s become addicted to it so I am just the sous chef now.

Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

My ears are pierced. I didn’t want them doing but in contrast to most other people my mother insisted I have them done for my 15th birthday. Ugh.

‘No Longer Safe’ by A J Waines, the best selling author of ‘The Girl on a Train’, will be published on 4th February 2016 and is available for pre-order here.

She was your best friend. Now she’s your deadliest enemy – and there’s nowhere to run…

When Alice receives an invitation from Karen, her charismatic University friend, to stay in a remote cottage in Scotland, she can’t wait to rekindle their lost friendship. But two more former students arrive – never friends of Alice’s – and as the atmosphere chills, Karen isn’t the warm-hearted soulmate Alice remembers. Barely is the reunion underway before someone is dead and the fragile gathering is pushed to breaking point.

As the snow cuts them off from civilisation and accusations fly, Alice finds herself a pawn, sinking deeper into a deadly game she can’t escape.

NO LONGER SAFE is a chilling Psychological Thriller that delivers a delicious sting in the tail.

About the Author:

AJ Waines topped the UK and Australian Kindle Charts in 2015 with her number one bestseller, Girl on a Train. Following fifteen years as a psychotherapist, she is now a full-time novelist with publishing deals in France, Germany (Penguin Random House) and USA (audiobook).

Her first novel, The Evil Beneath, went to Number One in ‘Murder’ and ‘Psychological Thrillers’ in the UK Kindle Charts and Dark Place to Hide stayed for several weeks at Number One in ‘Vigilante Justice’. In 2015, she was featured in The Wall Street Journal and The Times and was ranked in the Top 20 UK authors on Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).

You can follow A J Waines on Twitter, on Facebook, on her blog and by newsletter.

I love Emma Hannigan’s writing so I am delighted to be bringing you the opening chapter from her wonderful festive read ‘The Heart of Winter’ which was published in ebook and paperback on 22nd October by Headline Review.

There are other festive treats from Emma with other bloggers too.

When you’ve read Chapter One of ‘The Heart of Winter’ I’m sure you’ll want to know that it can be purchased from Amazon UK, Amazon US and direct from the publishers.

The Heart of Winter – Chapter One

                                                                             Wicklow County Council

                                                                              Attention: Mr Joey Craig

                                                                                   Huntersbrook House

                                                                                                        Wicklow

                                                                                                          Ireland

Dear Mr Craig

We are delighted to inform you of our decision to grant your commercial licence as requested. From this date forward Huntersbrook House has permission to operate as a commercial venue. Please note our terms.

✶ Licence to serve alcohol must be gained by applying to the address at the foot of this notice.

✶ The owners may host events on the grounds. Insurance for such events may now be applied for using this document.

✶ Huntersbrook House may host paying guests in an overnight capacity.

We will forward all relevant documents to enable full registration of your home as a business.

Kind regards

Mr Brennan

Wicklow County Council

 

Huntersbrook House

PIPPA SHOT THROUGH THE MAIN GATE OF HER childhood home, Huntersbrook. Almost instantly she passed the gate lodge to her right. The two-bed bungalow with its painted wooden-framed windows and immaculate hanging baskets reminded her of the cottage from Hansel and Gretel, minus the cauldron witch and cruelty, of course. It blended in so well, she found it hard to remember it hadn’t always been there. Grandma had built it a few years ago as her own oasis, away from the hustle and bustle of the main house. Sadly, she’d passed away before she could really make it her own. Still, Pippa mused, as it had transpired it was a good thing. Her parents Holly and Paddy had taken up residence there a couple of years ago and seemed to have found it quite easy to mould it into their permanent home.

It was still weird to Pippa that none of them actually lived in Huntersbrook House any longer. The stunning Georgian residence had been in the Craig family for generations. But the downturn in the economy had forced them to rethink things. Rather than letting it go, they’d come together as a family to save it.

As she zoomed up the drive she remembered her mother’s finger-wagging the last time she’d come home. ‘Do you absolutely have to drive that fast, Pippa? What difference will it make to your journey from the gate to the front door? Seconds? You need to slow down, my girl. Just look at the wonderful scenery that’s on offer if you choose to glide down the driveway toward the house.’

Pippa grinned triumphantly as she glanced back at the dust cloud she’d created. She knew she was being a bit of a brat, but she’d always had a problem with doing as she was told. Her mother was right about one thing though, Huntersbrook and the surrounding land was pretty spectacular. After the muggy, trafficjammed chaos of Dublin city, this really was like a slice of heaven on Earth. Not many houses boasted such an expanse of unspoilt land, bereft of freshly constructed housing estates or even purposebuilt shopping centres. The rolling fields as far as the eye could see were a joy.

Grinding to a halt at the back of the main house, Pippa jumped out of her car and stood onto the side, leaning on the door. Craning her neck, she tried to squint across to the right and into next door. Her sister, Lainey, had married Matt from next door and was now living in the farmhouse with her baby son, Ely, and father-in-law, Jacob. Their houses were very much separate, but close enough for Lainey to feel as if she hadn’t really left home. That was one of the many differences between the sisters. Pippa would get on a plane train or jet-ski at the drop of a hat if she thought it would lead to an adventure of any kind. While Lainey had always been a home-bird and was perfectly content living a stone’s throw from Huntersbrook.

As she walked in the side door to the kitchen Pippa was greeting by a happy screech from Ely.

‘Hello baby nephew!’ she said scooping him into her arms.

‘Hi Lainey,’ she said rushing to kiss her sister on the cheek. ‘I thought you might still be across the path in your lair.’

‘Joey said to be here for ten,’ she said. ‘It’s almost ten fifteen now. I’ve made scones and the coffee and tea are waiting for boiling water.’

‘Organised to within an inch of your life as usual,’ Pippa teased. ‘Where are Mum and Dad? I didn’t notice any sign of life at the gate lodge just now.’

‘Might that have been because you careered by at a thousand miles an hour?’ Lainey asked.

‘Who, me? Drive too fast? Nah,’ she said. ‘Have you seen them this morning?’

‘Last I spotted, Mum was wrestling with an apple tree she bought. Dad is pottering in a shed, I’m guessing. Do you know what Joey’s up to?’

‘Not a breeze,’ Pippa said picking a tasty sugary bit from a scone.

‘Hey, get away,’ Lainey said slapping her hand. ‘I’m putting them in a basket and we’ll all sit and have them nicely once Joey arrives. I can’t bear the way you pick like that.’

‘I get it from Mum,’ Pippa said shrugging her shoulders. She put a wriggling Ely down so he could continue playing with his wooden bricks on the kitchen floor.

‘That’s not a good thing,’ Lainey said crossly. ‘It’s so rude to pick food like that. Besides, remember the saying Grandma used to recite? “Little pickers wear big knickers”,’ said Lainey smugly.

‘Well my knickers haven’t changed size since I was sixteen,’ Pippa said slapping her own backside.

‘Don’t I know it,’ Lainey sighed. She looked down at her own figure. Instead of losing the post-baby weight after Ely’s birth last year, she’d kind of filled in around her saggy tummy. Even though her mother and Pippa shared that annoying picking habit, neither of them ever put on weight. She, on the other hand, seemed to put on half a stone by even being in the same room as a calorie.

‘I wish I had your metabolism,’ Lainey said wistfully. ‘I try so hard. I’m good for a week and then I seem to lose the run of myself and eat my way back to square one.’

‘Don’t be too hard on yourself,’ Pippa said. ‘You grew a person inside you. That has to have a totally nasty effect on your body, right?’

Lainey stopped short and stared at her sister. With her dark sleek ponytail trailing down her slender back and her stick thin legs in her painted-on-tight jeggings, she could easily pass as a model.

‘We can’t all look like you,’ Lainey snapped.

Pippa threw her head back and whistled before bursting out laughing. ‘Touchy touchy! Jaysus, someone got out the wrong side of the bed this morning. How about I go into the pantry and pull a black sack over my head and sit in the corner rustling?’

In spite of herself, Lainey’s scowl turned into a grin. ‘Shut up, Pip,’ she said swatting her arm playfully. ‘I suppose I’m a bit oversensitive. Mum didn’t help by telling me yesterday that I look “good and solid”.’

Sadie, who’d been their housekeeper for over forty years, came through to the kitchen from the hallway.

‘Ah now Lainey,’ she said gently. ‘I couldn’t help overhearing you just now. Your Mum didn’t mean any harm with that remark. I was there. She was trying to say that you’re toning up with all that walking you’ve been doing.’

Lainey sighed. It was typical that everyone would take Holly’s side. Nobody seemed to recognise that she treated her differently from the others. She’d never dare make a remark like that about Pippa. Even if she did, Pippa would probably drop-kick her, Lainey mused. Maybe that was what she needed. To be more forceful with her mother. Maybe then she’d treat her with a little more respect and little less disregard.

‘Your mother loves the bones of you three,’ Sadie continued. ‘Even though you girls and Joey are grown-ups now, she still sees you as her babies.’

‘Huh,’ Lainey said unable to let the comment slide. ‘When I was a baby she handed me over to Grandma. She was too delicate to cope with me and yet now she expects me to be unfathomably capable in everything I do.’

‘Your mother would walk over hot coals for each one of you,’ Sadie said firmly. ‘I remember the time you had chicken pox, Lainey. You weren’t more than four or five. You had the worst dose I’ve ever seen. You scratched and cried and your mother stayed awake for four nights on the trot bathing you in bread soda baths.’

Lainey busied herself with setting the table. Not for the first time, she felt Sadie had a rose-tinted image of what had gone on during her childhood. Lainey and Holly had been like sandpaper rubbing off one another from as far back as she could remember. No matter what Sadie or anyone else recalled, Lainey knew the truth. Holly had been there physically while Lainey was small, but mentally she’d been in a dark and clouded place where nobody, least of all her daughter, could reach her.

The sound of a car pulling up on the gravel outside made Lainey sigh with relief. She was uncomfortable with this conversation and didn’t want to get into anything negative with darling Sadie.

‘Here’s Joey,’ Pippa confirmed. ‘This better be good. I don’t appreciate being hauled out of bed at the crack of dawn at the weekend.’

‘It’s half ten, Pippa!’ Sadie said with a giggle. ‘Although knowing you it was dawn before that pretty little head of yours hit the pillow.’

Joey arrived in looking very smug.

‘What’s happening?’ Pippa asked, attempting to grab the A4 envelope he was carrying.

‘Ah-ah, all in good time,’ he said slapping her hand away. ‘Mum and Dad are on the way. They’re having a healthy discussion about an apple tree,’ he said. ‘They’re getting battier by the minute, you know?’

‘We know,’ Pippa said. ‘They were never exactly “normal” but the passing of time is certainly taking them to a whole new level of insanity,’ she grinned.

‘I’m getting out of here before I swat one of you with a tea towel,’ Sadie said. ‘Anyone would think this place is flanked by dotty geriatrics. I’d challenge any of you to a game of Scrabble and beat you. My mind is as sharp as a razor and your parents are babies in comparison to me. So be careful who you’re labelling as past it.’

Sadie disappeared, tutting and muttering about the youth of today.

Lainey laughed. ‘That’ll tell you, Pippa. Jeez, I have to hand it to Sadie, there are no flies on her!’

‘Quick one before the folks arrive,’ Joey interjected, glancing back to make sure there was no sign of them. ‘I need a bit of girly advice here.’

‘Ooh excellent,’ Pippa said leaning in.

‘Turns out I’m ninety-nine per cent sure I’m about to be promoted at work.’

‘Hey that’s amazing, Joey,’ Lainey said rubbing his arm. ‘Good for you.’

‘Yeah, thanks. I’m stoked. But it’s kind of a bit awkward. It’s going to mean a fair bit of social stuff. Skye isn’t really wired for sound when it comes to fancy-schmancy outings. Would you two be a little bit mindful of her over the next while?’

‘In what way?’ Lainey asked.

‘Well, help her out with stuff to wear and all that kind of malarkey.’

‘I’ll do that,’ Pippa said instantly. ‘Oh I’d love to give her a makeover. I tried a few times when we shared the flat, but she never seemed that interested.’

‘Hold up a second,’ Lainey said looking concerned. ‘Skye is beautiful just the way she is. She’s admittedly quite bohemian in style, but that’s part of who she is. I’m not sure she’d be too happy with either of us barging in and telling her what to look like.’

‘No and I don’t expect you to do that,’ Joey said attempting to back track. ‘It’s just that our social calendar is going to fill up quite a bit and these corporate do’s are a different kettle of fish from what she might be used to. Just keep an eye, that’s all I ask.’

‘Sure,’ Pippa said looking as if it was a perfectly reasonable request. Lainey wasn’t so sure. She was probably overthinking things as usual, but she couldn’t help feeling slightly protective of Skye.

‘Joey,’ she ventured. ‘Mum and Dad are about to walk in, but being the elder lemon here, don’t forget the reason you feel in love with Skye to start with. You love her because she’s different. Am I right?’

‘Yeah. Sure,’ he said. ‘Forget I said anything. It was literally just a thought and I only suggested it so she wouldn’t feel ill at ease. Maybe I’m on the wrong page. I’m only a man after all,’ he said bumping her shoulder and smiling.

Holly and Paddy arrived in amidst hugs and kisses. By the time they were all seated at the table with a cuppa and a fresh warm scone, they were all begging Joey to put them out of their misery and tell them why he had called them all to a family meeting.

‘It’s really good news,’ he announced. ‘We’ve been granted a commercial licence! We’re good to go as far as the authorities are concerned. Huntersbrook House, the venue, can officially open!’

Joey raised his coffee cup high in the air. ‘A toast to Huntersbrook House and her bright future.’

‘To Huntersbrook,’ they all chimed, grinning widely at each other.

Lainey smiled as she clinked cups with each of her family members. None of the gripes and cribs really mattered once they could all pull together when necessary. She glanced over at Pippa and Holly. Her mother had her arm around her sister and was kissing the side of her head affectionately as she smiled in delight. Lainey adored Pippa, but she couldn’t help noticing that her mother had never been that affectionate with her. As if to bridge that painful gap, she scooped Ely from his high chair and spun him around in the air, making him giggle loudly.

‘Wee,’ she said. ‘Huntersbrook is going to be a destination to be reckoned with, baby boy!’

They all clapped as Ely joined in, bashing his chubby hands together, lapping up the good humour.

—————

You can follow Emma Hannigan on Twitter and on her Web Site

I am very grateful to Corvus Books for a copy of Rosie Blake’s ‘How to Stuff Up Christmas’ which was published on 5th November 2015 in both ebook and paperback. It is available to buy from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Foyles and Waterstones

Having got engaged at Christmas, Eve is devastated just before the next Christmas to find an intimate photo from another woman on her fiance, Liam’s, phone. She runs away to try to fix her broken heart on a houseboat in Pangbourne. Not everything goes as she expects – especially when she tries to cook.

I have to be honest and say the title of the book, ‘How to Stuff Up Christmas’ didn’t really appeal to me and I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it. I did!

This is a lovely, romantic Christmas story with plenty of twists and turns in the plot to keep the reader thoroughly entertained and there is the kind of ending readers of this genre will love.

The characters are great. Eve immediately gains reader empathy and it’s easy to relate to her and live her emotions with her so that the hardest hearted reader would want her to be happy. Even the most minor characters are vivid and convincing, especially Marmite, the dog.

I love the way we see the story from two perspectives; Eve’s and Greg’s, because it really adds to the depth of emotion conveyed. I particularly like the sightly awkward elements to their relationship as I feel they reflect the reality of what it’s like to test the water with an embryonic romance.

Equally appealing are the recipes that start several of the chapters. They made me hungry as I read and I felt I wanted to be baking Daisy’s Chocolate Biscuit Cake or the Christmas Cookies (Lebkuchen), so much so that I’m off shopping for ingredients when I’ve written this review.

However, what really brings ‘How to Stuff Up Christmas’ alive most for me is the quality of Rosie Blake’s writing. She conveys setting and appearance so effectively through small details that each scene really comes to life and is so easy to picture. Rosie Blake also has a deft touch with humour so that at times I laughed out loud. I’ll admit to shedding a tear or two as well.

Readers wanting a feel good Christmas read that is totally  engaging will be delighted by ‘How to Stuff Up Christmas’. I heartily recommend it.

You can follow Rosie Blake on Twitter and via her web site