Saturday 9 October 2021

The Best Christmas Ever by Karen King

Today I am delighted to be part of Karen King's book tour to celebrate the launch of her fabulous book - The Best Christmas Ever

A heart-warming Christmas romance, perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Mandy Baggot and Milly Johnson.

Lexi Forde adores Christmas. She’s especially looking forward to it this year as it’s the first Christmas with her boyfriend Ben and her older brother is visiting from Canada with his family. So they’re having a family Christmas at her parents’ house in Devon.

But then Lexi sees Ben kissing someone else and discovers he’s been having an affair. Devastated, she travels to Devon alone. She’s determined not to let her break up with Ben spoil her family Christmas. But when she arrives, Lexi discovers the council won’t allow the Christmas tree on The Green to be decorated this year; it’s too dangerous and has to come down. Lexi is desperate to save their favourite family tradition and make this Christmas extra special.

Can she save the tree and mend her broken heart in time for Christmas?

Amazon: The Best Christmas Ever

The Best Christmas Ever

Extract

It was bitterly cold. Lexi shoved her hands in her pockets, wishing she hadn’t left her gloves in the car, and glanced over at the entrance to the big office block where people were starting to trickle out. Ben should be out any minute now, he finished work at five thirty and it was twenty to six. Unless he was working late. He had worked late quite a bit lately. It was stupid of her to come and meet him on impulse like this, she should have messaged him first, she realised. She’d text him now; she could wait in the café around the corner if he was working late, or maybe he would be able to leave if he knew she was waiting for him.

She took out her phone then paused, a smile springing to her lips as the doors opened and Ben walked out, looking endearingly handsome as he buttoned up his long black overcoat, the grey- cashmere scarf she’d knitted for him wrapped around his neck. She always thought that there were two different Bens, the easy-going Ben that lounged around in jeans and T- shirts at home and the sales manager Ben who always dressed impeccably for work in a suit, shirt and tie. She loved both versions.

She waved and stepped forward but Ben had turned back to the entrance. Has he forgotten something? A woman with short, dark hair, dressed in a long camel coat with knee-high,-

Leather boots, and a brown-leather handbag swinging on her shoulder, walked out and her face lit up in a smile. Lexi watched, stunned, as Ben stepped forward to meet her and the

woman wound her arms around his neck and kissed him. Kissed Ben. Her boyfriend. And Ben was kissing her back. Then they were both walking off hand in hand and Lexi was watching them, too shocked to move. Ben and another woman?

Suddenly she found her voice and shouted ‘Ben!’ so loud that everyone stopped and stared. Ben turned around and she saw the shock register on his face as he quickly released the woman’s hand. ‘Lexi?’

He was walking back towards her now, swiftly composing his face to one of pleasant surprise. ‘Lexi, darling...’

Here it came, the big excuse why he had kissed another woman and was walking off with her hand in hand. Did he think she was so gullible she would accept anything he said? The look on that woman’s face when she had spotted Ben waiting for her had said it all.

            

Karen King Bio

Karen King is a multi-published author of both adult and children’s books. She has had ten romantic novels published, two psychological thrillers, 120 children’s books, two young adult novels, and several short stories for women’s magazines. Her romantic novel The Cornish Hotel by the Sea became an international bestseller, reaching the top one hundred in the Kindle charts in both the UK and Australia. Karen is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. Karen now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.

Contact links

Website

Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Twitter

Bookbub



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Thursday 13 May 2021

Bargain offer - don't miss out!

I am delighted to announce that Headline have reduced Say Your Prayers (previously published as Retriever of Souls) for the month of May ONLY to 99p (was £5.99). This offer is also available across most Amazon sites worldwide in the respective currencies.





THERE'S NO REST FOR THE WICKED . . .

Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling is urgently called away from court when a young woman's mutilated body is found dumped in a car park.

As the post-mortem begins, he is horrified to discover that the victim was the lead witness who failed to appear in court just days earlier. And, at the same time, a connection to another ongoing case is revealed and, suddenly, DI Sterling realises he is on the hunt for a depraved and senseless serial killer.

Delving further into the investigation, Paolo and his team find themselves embroiled in a terrifying underworld that has unexpected links to Paolo's life. And, when the lines between professional and personal blur, Paolo is forced to confront his worst nightmare. But how far will he go to protect those he loves? And what will he have to sacrifice to do so?

*PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS RETRIEVER OF SOULS*

This is the lowest price for the book in the last 30 days, so don't miss out. Buy Now for just 99p!




In addition to the reduction for Say Your Prayers, Headline have also reduced the price of the next two in the series. Rock-a-Bye Baby and Pins and Needles are both on offer at the low price of £2.99 each. You can find out more here.


Happy reading! Please consider dropping a review (or even just a star rating) on Amazon as it really helps with visibility.
 



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Thursday 6 May 2021

Shh… It’s Our Secret by Lizzie Chantree

Shh… It’s Our Secret

Blog post By Lizzie Chantree

Having a good mental-health can help us relax, achieve far more and leave happy lives. In my latest book, Shh… It’s Our Secret, my main character, Violet, has been dealt some blows by life. She is determined to show her friends and family that she can do more than hide behind an unappreciative boyfriend and that she can be successful in her own right.


After losing her parents of young age, Violet falls into working at a rundown café bar, where her regulars quickly become a surrogate family. Two feisty pensioners appoint themselves as her guardian angels and she wants to repay their kindness. Violet has a secret that could not only change her life, but those of her café regulars too. The only problem is that sharing her secret, means stepping out of her comfort zone, believing in herself and finally finding her voice.

Book Blurb:

Violet has a secret that could change the lives of everyone she knows and loves, especially the regulars at the run-down café bar where she works. After losing her parents at a young age, they are the closest thing she has to a family and she feels responsible for them.

Kai is a jaded music producer who has just moved outside of town. Seeking solitude from the stress of his job, he’s looking for seclusion. The only problem is he can’t seem to escape the band members and songwriters who keep showing up at his house.

When Kai wanders into the bar and Violet’s life, he accidently discovers her closely guarded secret. Can Kai help her rediscover her self-confidence or should some secrets remain undiscovered?

Bio: International bestselling author and award-winning inventor, Lizzie Chantree, started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year in 2000. She discovered her love of writing fiction when her children were little and now works as a business mentor and runs a popular networking hour on social media, where creatives can support to each other. She writes books full of friendship and laughter, that are about women with unusual and adventurous businesses, who are far stronger than they realise. She lives with her family on the coast in Essex. Visit her website at www.lizziechantree.com or follow her on Twitter @Lizzie_Chantree https://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree.



Book links: Lizzie Chantree

Universal book buy link: The little ice cream shop: viewbook.at/IceCreamShopByTheSea

Universal book buy link: Networking for writers: viewbook.at/NetworkingForWriters

Universal book buy link: If you love me, I’m yours: viewbook.at/IfYouLoveMe-ImYours

Universal book buy link: Ninja School Mum: viewBook.at/NinjaSchoolMum

Universal book buy link: Babe Driven: viewbook.at/BabeDriven

Universal book buy link: Love’s Child: viewBook.at/Amazon-LovesChild

Universal book buy link: Finding Gina: viewbook.at/FindingGina

Universal link: Shh… It’s Our Secret: mybook.to/ItsOurSecret

 

Social media links:

Website: www.lizziechantree.com

Author page: https://www.viewAuthor.at/LizzieChantree

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizzieChantree/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7391757.Lizzie_Chantree

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzie_chantree/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/LizzieChantree/pins/

FB Groups: https://www.facebook.com/groups/647115202160536/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lizzie-chantree

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lizziechantreeauthor

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnCop-RlAcGqggZG3JfE-Mw

 

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Saturday 1 May 2021

One Summer in Cornwall by Karen King

Today I am delighted to feature an extract from Karen King’s latest feel-good romantic novel One Summer in Cornwall.


Escape to Cornwall this summer...

A gorgeous feel-good read, perfect for fans of CATHY BRAMLEY and PHILLIPA ASHLEY.

When Hattie is made redundant and evicted from her flat in one horrible week, she needs time to rethink. Her Uncle Albert left her and her father each half of Fisherman's Rest, his home in the Cornish town of Port Medden, so this seems the perfect place to escape to until she can figure things out.

As Hattie stays in the cottage, clearing it out, tidying it up and getting it ready to sell, she starts to find her feet in Port Medden and making a new home here begins to feel right. If only her dad didn't need a quick sale and things weren't complicated by her unwelcoming neighbour Marcus . . .
Chapter Two

Sunlight streaming through her window woke Hattie up the next morning. And it sounded as though the seagulls were having a party on the roof. She sat up for a moment, hugging her knees, thinking how drastically her life had changed in the past few days. On Monday, she’d had a home and a job, now, five days later, she had neither. She shook her head. She wasn’t thinking about that now – this was a chance for her to sort out her life, and she was going to grab it with both hands.

She threw back the sheet, ran over to the window and looked out, just as she used to do when she was a child on holiday here, eager to see the shimmering ribbon of sea over the rooftops. The cottage was just a few minutes’ walk from the picturesque harbour, and when she was younger she had often opened the window and inhaled the sea air, with her mother anxiously warning her not to lean out. She wasn’t going to do that now, not until she was dressed, anyway, so contented herself with kneeling down, so only her head was visible, and peering at the sparkling turquoise ocean just a stone’s throw away. She couldn’t wait to walk along the beach and have a paddle. She almost felt as though she was on holiday! I’m going to take a few days to relax and have a good look around, she decided, then I’ll start tidying up the house. She and her father had agreed to put the cottage on the market as soon as they could, so she would probably only be here for the summer, but at least it gave her some time to sort out the shambles that her life had become.

First, though, she needed a cup of milky coffee to wake her up. She’d put a box of three-in-one sachets in her right saddlebag, in case there were no supplies in the house. She carefully negotiated the first set of narrow stairs to stop off at the bathroom to go to the loo and splash some water on her face, then cautiously descended the other staircase to the kitchen.

‘Who is it? Who is it?’ Buddy screeched as she walked in.

‘Morning, Buddy. It’s me, Hattie!’ she called. She filled up the electric kettle, glad that the old stove kettle she remembered, with the high-pitched whistle that let you know when the water had boiled, had been replaced. The almost-new silver kettle and matching microwave looked a bit out of place in the dated kitchen, but she was grateful for them. She took a clean mug out of the cupboard, then froze as she heard the back door open and someone stride in, whistling cheerfully. Horrified, she spun around and stared at the suntanned stranger, who was dressed in low-slung grey surfer shorts that skimmed his hips. His long fair hair was tied back in a ponytail, revealing a tiny silver cross earring dangling from his right ear, he had a large tattoo on each upper arm, and his body was taut and toned. Then his hazel eyes widened as they flitted to her naked body. Shit! She’d forgot she was starkers! They both stared at each other, dumbstruck for a second, then Buddy’s screech of ‘Bloody Hell!’ brought Hattie to her senses.

Two quick steps and she’d whisked the checked tablecloth off the table and quickly wrapped it around herself. She glared at the man. ‘Who the hell are you? And how dare you walk in like this!’

‘More to the point, who are you?’ the man demanded. ‘I’m Marcus, from next door. I’m here to feed Buddy. I’ve been looking after him.’

Damn! She remembered thinking yesterday that Buddy looked well fed and cared for, so a neighbour must be popping in to feed him. Why the hell hadn’t she pulled her dressing gown on this morning? Because it was still in her saddlebag and she was half asleep and hadn’t expected someone to walk into her kitchen this early in the morning, that’s why. It was barely eight o’clock!

‘I’m Hattie, Albert’s niece. He left this cottage to me and my dad in his will.’ She held the tablecloth tighter around herself, the plastic feeling sticky and uncomfortable against her skin. ‘I came down last night. I’m staying here until the cottage is sold.’

A look of disdain crossed Marcus’s suntanned face and his hazel eyes narrowed . ‘I thought you were coming down next weekend. You obviously couldn’t wait to claim your inheritance. Shame you didn’t see fit to visit your uncle when he was alive and lonely.’

 

Buy Links

Preorder: https://t.co/cGO6wxrZMN?amp=1

 

Karen King Bio

Karen King is a multi-published author of both adult and children’s books. She has had eight romantic novels published, one psychological thriller with another one out later this year, 120 children’s books, two young adult novels, and several short stories for women’s magazines. Her romantic novel The Cornish Hotel by the Sea became an international bestseller, reaching the top one hundred in the Kindle charts in both the UK and Australia. Karen is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. Karen now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.

 

Contact links

Website

Amazon Author Page

Facebook

Twitter

Bookbub



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Thursday 29 April 2021

BOLLYWOOD P.I. California Dreaming

Some time ago I had the good fortune to read an early draft of this wonderful book. It has given me great joy to know that it has now been published.


BOLLYWOOD P.I. California Dreaming has launched!

A bookkeeper rushes into a mystery with the best of intentions, but stumbles into something that's way out of her league.

 ***

Aparajita Patel plods through her days at a health clinic in Santa Barbara, California.

When her cousin mysteriously disappears, Jita strikes out on her own, only to be joined by a collection of misfits along the way...but they run into all that is unexpected.

 It turns out...that only the unexpected can save them.

 Reader Alert: Contains irreverent humour, some suggestive humour and language.

***
Available for Kindle, on Kindle Unlimited and as a paperback...

AMAZON USA
https://amzn.to/3x8hMWx

WORLDWIDE
https://bit.ly/3uX5ApQ

FREE FIRST CHAPTER
https://bit.ly/3sL6O6c




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Wednesday 18 November 2020

Interview with A D Thorne

Interview with A D Thorne, author of Mass Murder, Book two of the Camino de Santiago Series.

What genre would you say your novels fall into, or do they defy classification?

Broadly, they are crime novels. The Santiago de Compostela series was intended to be a police procedural series but seem to mutate into political thrillers as I wrote them, Mass murder has almost Dan Brown style action, I love the result but it was unintentional and makes the book hard to describe.

The treasure of Saint Bee series started as cosy mystery and also veered off course into a more traditional mystery. In the New Year, I have planned a series of cosy mysteries which will remain true to the subgenre. I plan to be very strict with my characters and myself, I will not veer off course.

What made you choose that genre?

It gives me a chance to murder people without committing a crime, so my imagination can run riot.

Also, if anyone upsets me they might end up metaphorically dead. It is much easier to forgive people once you have planned their murder in your mind.

I have ideas for stories in other genres too, if I ever get a chance to write them. More seriously, I read quite widely and you have to start somewhere.

How long does it take you to write a book?

I haven't been writing for long enough yet to be certain, because each book takes less time. But about six months start to finish at the moment. I have planned three books for next year so I am banking on writing faster in the future.

What is your work schedule when you are writing?

Again, that is still developing. At the moment, I start the day by editing the previous day's work, then have a break. Then I write about a thousand words before lunch. After that, it depends on what else I have to do. Writing related tasks, like website, answering emails, maybe watching a writing related Youtube video or doing some research. Household tasks tend to go in this slot as well, so washing, cleaning, food prep. Then if I can, I write some more in the evening before my husband who is a teacher gets home.


Tell me something about yourself that your readers might not know.

I am terrified of social media. I have done all kinds of jobs, been climbing, sailing, even parachuting all of which I did without batting an eyelid, and yet the mere thought of posting something on Facebook or Instagram has me curled up in a ball under the bed covers. Twitter is nothing more than a torture device, you write something and then wait for people to hurl insults back and if you are not careful; you lose the ability to escape from it all. I don't know how people do it.

When did you write your first book?

Just over two years ago, I'm a late starter. I was almost 60 when I started. I have always been an avid reader of all genres and had had a blog. I had never tried writing fiction. I would have loved to write a book earlier, but lacked both confidence and time. I'm working on the principal that it's never too late to start a new career.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

We are restoring an old stone farmhouse in Galicia and four acres of land. There is always something to do. Of course, in Galicia it rains, so it's good to have some indoor activities on hand. I read and sew and crochet and sometimes sit on the balcony and watch the buzzards circle overhead.

I also cook sometimes for a stall on an artisan market, or in the summer for a couple of summer camps. At the moment I mostly write, and being a relative beginner, I watch your tube videos on things like formatting, email lists and marketing. There is a steep learning curve and many new skills to learn.

What is the most surprising thing you learned in creating your books?

How addictive it is: I had expected it to be hard work; I knew that I would encounter many things that were technically difficult. I'm old enough to feel like a dinosaur at time, when dealing with the digital world. Like many writers, I find the notion of selling or marketing is quite scary. I have never been good at selling. I even lost money selling unwanted items on eBay. Twice I felt guilty when someone bought thing I was selling and I rushed out and bought a new item and gave them that instead. Once, when someone collected something in person, I gave them the item for free and invited them in for tea and biscuits. I had to stop; it was costing me so much money.

I hadn't anticipated the thrill of telling a story, or that I would wake up in the night thinking about the next scene, or the sinking feeling at the start of a day out, that my computer wasn't going with me (I do sneak a notebook into my bag).

How many books have you written?

I have two full-length novels, two novellas, and a short story. My latest full-length novel is being edited at the moment. I'm not sure of the publication date yet though, I might prefer to miss the Christmas rush and publish in January.

Do you google yourself? What did you find that affected you most?

No, I don't. Is that a thing? I mean, do people really do that?

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

As I child, I changed my mind often, but it was usually an explorer or a mountaineer. My mother thought I would end up on the button counter at Woolworths, she meant it as a threat, but I don't remember thinking it would be a bad thing. I remember wanting to live in a croft in Scotland. But that is probably because I was in love with Lillian Beckwith's Hebridean books. I still love them, and I still sometimes wonder why I didn't do that. I suppose a farmhouse in Galicia is not so different though. Now I know that I want to be a writer when I grow up.

How many unpublished or half-finished books do you have on your computer?

Just two: my work in progress, and a half-written memoir, which I haven't yet had the courage to finish. I have a number of short stories though; maybe some of them should be books. I write them mostly to deal with ideas that threaten my current work in progress. But I also give them away to my mailing list.

Bio: Abigail Thorne was born in the Yorkshire mining town of Doncaster and attended the grammar school there, one of the oldest schools in England.

She has been married for over forty years to her husband Steve; they have two children and four grandchildren all living in the UK.

She now lives in a tiny Galician aldea with an ever changing number of animals, a productive vegetable garden and an amazing view over the hills.

She especially loves the tranquillity of life there.

Website and Blog: https://abigailthorneauthor.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writingingalicia

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B07FNSB3SF?

 



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Thursday 12 November 2020

Author interview with Lisa Rose Wright

Author interview with Lisa Rose Wright. 


What genre would you say your novels fall into, or do they defy classification?

My books are travelogue memoirs about our life here in beautiful green Galicia

What made you choose that genre?

I guess because I felt I had a story to tell which might interest readers, and maybe even encourage people to find this lovely, little known area of Spain

How long does it take you to write a book?

Well, I suppose my first book was ten years in the making. I wrote odd stories down from time to time with no clear idea what to do with them until I joined a writers’ group. I then wrote a short story as a reader magnet which only took me a couple of months. My second book is at the editing stage now and I’ve started making notes for book three. I think they will each end up being a year in the making.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I don’t really have a set schedule though I do get itchy fingers if I don’t write for a couple of hours a day. I sit typing and staring out of the window at my lovely view!

Tell me something about yourself your readers might not know.

Aged eight I won a writing competition with the milk marketing board. My prize was a two foot high Rupert Bear. He was adorable!

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I suppose I wrote my first ‘book’ around age ten. It was a collection of nine stories about creatures living on each of the planets in the solar system! My first published book went on sale in Amazon stores on July 1st this year at age 55 so it’s taken a while!

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

If I’m not writing you can usually find me on my huerta sowing, planting, weeding or harvesting our produce, or in my kitchen preserving the harvest or baking cakes…my favourite pastime!

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That I can apparently write things people want to read. It sounds daft but I was always shy of letting people read my efforts until I entered a competition in a local anthology called The Good Life in Galicia. In the second year I won second in the non-fiction section. That was a revelation.

How many books have you written?

I have one full length memoir and a short story ‘prequel’ both on Amazon. I also have a free Christmas story out this month and I’m planning on book two of the Writing Home series being out next spring.

Do you Google yourself? What did you find that affected you most (good or bad)?

No, I never do…is that odd?

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I always wanted to work with animals though I did have a brief spell of wanting to be a bus conductor when I was six.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have on your computer?

Ah well, on my computer only the WiP and a short Christmas story for release in December. In my notepads though I have many more half-baked ideas for memoirs and even a couple of novels…one day!

 Author Bio:

In 2007 Lisa left a promising career as an ecologist catching protected reptiles and amphibians, and kissing frogs, to move to beautiful green Galicia with her blue-eyed prince (who has since become her blue-eyed husband but that’s another story).

She divides her time equally between growing her own food, helping to renovate a semi-derelict house (or actually two… but that’s another story too) and getting out and about to discover more of the stunningly beautiful area she calls home.

Lisa is happiest outside in her huerta weeding, watching the antics of her chickens or in her kitchen cooking interesting recipes on her wood burning range.

Plum, Courgette & Green Bean Tart is her first memoir. Book two of the writing home series will feature more anecdotes, more letters home and more recipes. Oh and more bureaucracy! Tomato, Fig & Sweetcorn Jelly will be available in 2021. In the meantime there is a short story prequel Camino available on Amazon or free to subscriber’s to Lisa’s newletter.

 

Links:

Website http://www.lisarosewright.wixsite.com/author

Blog http://www.lisarosewright.wixsite.com/author/blog

Amazon author page https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08B6CXX8H

Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54150601-plum-courgette-green-bean-tart

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisarosewright.author

 

Books:

Plum, Courgette & Green Bean Tart – A year to write home about http://www.smarturl.it/PlumCourgetteBean

Camino, or a Peanut Butter, Marmite & Banana Butty – a sort of prequel

http://www.smarturl.it/PeanutButty

Tomato, Fig & Sweetcorn Jelly –A year to write home about too (coming soon)

Christmas in Galicia – a Free short story download. My Christmas gift to anyone purchasing Plum, Courgette & Green Bean Tart in December.



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