Category: Writing

Posted in Writing

LOVE ME TINDER by NICOLA MAY, INTERVIEW, PROMOTION AND REVIEW

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

nicola orbaGood morning Nicola and welcome. Can I start, as always, by asking you a little about yourself?

Thanks for having me! Well, I live in Ascot in Berkshire with Stanley the cat. Writing is my complete passion. I still undertake freelance projects as a marketing/events manager so my life is a whirlwind of writing, working, meals out with friends, time with family, attending horse racing meetings, walking in Windsor Great Park and promoting my books. Love Me Tinder is my eighth novel.

When did you first decide you wanted to be a writer and how did you begin that journey?

Wow, a big question for me, but I will try and précis the answer. I started writing 20 years ago. I amazingly got an agent on submitting my first novel. For 2 years I received rejection letters. The agent let me go. I wrote another 5 books and then in 2011, 15 years since I started my first novel, I decided to publish 6 of them myself. After a massive amount of hard work and persistence, I won 2 awards at the Festival of Romance and bagged myself another agent, the lovely Kate Nash. In 2015 my dreams started becoming reality as I signed a 7 book deal with a long awaited traditional publisher – Accent Press.

When your latest book has been published is the next story already plotted and ready to write?

No. Ideas come to me but I usually have a break as when I start again I know it is all consuming.

Can you tell us something about your current WIP?

I’m clearing the mind cache at the moment as Love Me Tinder still swirling around after final edits. I have a few ideas forming but think I really must start Beyond the School Gates, the sequel to The School Gates which has been my bestseller so far. Plus, I would like to get another Christmas novella out there.

If money was no object what would be your idea holiday destination?

A private villa on Mustique Island with turtles in the garden!

And lastly, if you had to spend a year on a desert island, what four ‘must haves’ would you want to take with you?

  • Leonardo di Caprio
  • My cat Stanley
  • A feather pillow
  • PG Tips tea bags

CATCH UP WITH NICOLA ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: nicolamay1
Website: http://www.nicolamay.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicolaMayAuthor/

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Dull security or risky freedom – which would you choose? 

With her marriage in pieces, shy Cali Summers is faced with this decision and hits the world of fast love on an internet dating app. Using room 102 in the hotel where she works as her dating ‘lair’, she opens herself up to a world of sex, lies, deception, as well as personal discovery and passionate love.

With a charming F1 engineer, a handsome army officer and her adulterous ex all on the scene, a predictable love match is far from on the cards.

MY REVIEW OF LOVE ME TINDER

I have to admit, Chick Lit is not my usual choice but as I had organised this promo for Nicola I decided it would be good to read and review the book as well.

I took to Hotel Events Manager Cali straight away.  Having spent twelve years with Jamie Summers, getting married seemed the natural thing to do.  But nine months after the wedding they are divorcing because he now wants to be with his blond bimbo trainer Bella.  In the middle of her divorce, Cali is not in a good place. However, she has great support from gay receptionist Adam who encourages her to download the Tinder Dating App and go out and find herself some male distraction.  This she does with some very interesting results.  At the same time she finds herself pulled in to other peoples’ problems – her boss Marcus, best friend Annie and Events Coordinator, Louise. And despite leaving her for Bella,  Jamie keeps turning up at her flat, making everything even more complicated.

I loved this story. All the way through I wanted Cali to have a happy ending.  The internet dating world was a real minefield – men who lie about their age, download misleading photos, lie about their marital status – Cali seemed to come across them all.  There were great support characters plus an abusive grey African parrot, all which made for lots of laugh out loud moments. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

And does Cali get that happy ending I wanted so much for her?  Well, sorry, you’ll have to buy the book to find out.

I would like to thank Nicola for a pre-publication copy of Love Me Tinder in exchange for an honest review.

You can download Love Me Tinder here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Me-Tinder-Nicola-May-ebook/dp/B01HD2QN4O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468587293&sr=8-1&keywords=love+me+tinder

 

Posted in Writing

TUESDAY TALK CHATS TO WRITER MADALYN MORGAN WHO HAS JUST PUBLISHED THE FOURTH IN HER DUDLEY SISTER’S SAGA -THE 9.45 TO BLETCHLEY

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

Author Madalyn Morgan has just published her fourth novel The 9.45 to Bletchley and today she has dropped in for a chat on my blog.

Morning Madalyn and welcome. Can you tell us something about your latest book?

Good morning, Jo. Thank you for having me on your fabulous Blog. My latest book, The 9:45 To Bletchley, is the fourth book in the Dudley Sisters Saga. Set in the midst of the Second World War it is the youngest Dudley’s sister, Ena’s, story.
Ena works at Silcott’s Engineering, a local factory a couple of miles from she lives with her parents in a cottage on the Foxden Estate. She is taken off the factory floor and given vital work to do on disks and dials that are taken to a secret facility that Ena only knows as, Station X.
When Coventry is bombed, and Silcott’s parent company destroyed, Ena has to accompany the assistant of the boss, on the 9:45 train to Bletchley. Ena makes regular trips to Bletchley Park, until one day her work is stolen.
When she and her friends are accused of being involved in the theft, and later in sabotage, Ena investigates. While trying to clear her name, she falls in love.

This is the fourth in The Dudley Sisters Saga. Are there any more in the pipeline?

Yes. There may be more in the future, but at the moment I only have one plotted. Foxden Hotel opens during the New Year’s Eve party of 1948, exactly ten years after the first novel Foxden Acres. The land of the estate has been sold off and the hall turned into a hotel. The hotel’s opening celebrations are thwarted by someone from the Dudley sister’s past. Although the first four books were set during WW2, I have tried to vary the genres – land army, show business, undercover agent in occupied France, and Spy thriller. The Foxden Hotel is a murder mystery.

Is there anything in particular that draws you to write about the Second World War?

My mother used to tell me about the war. She told me about her life at that time; the work she did, the dances, the letters the girls wrote to lads in the forces overseas. I found it fascinating. So, when I did a writing course and came to the Biography module, I wrote about my mum’s life. My tutor liked it, but suggested that because mum and I were unknown, I should write it as a fiction. At the same time, my mother said she wanted to give the brass Wellington Bomber that had stood in our hearth for as long as I could remember, back to the Polish airman who had made it for her. He had died, but I found his son. He came up, met mum, and he was overjoyed with the plane. It was after that that I decided to set my novels in the Second World War. I had so many ideas in my head, too many for one novel. So, I plotted four stories. Four sisters, four jobs, four loves. I still have mother’s biography somewhere. One day I shall turn it into a fiction.

Have you been influenced by any favourite authors? If so who?

Yes, many authors have influenced me. From Shakespeare to Mary Webb, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Virginia Woolf, and many modern writers like, Ben Macintyre and Robert Harris.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am plotting, The Foxden Hotel, and trying to get my garden in shape before I go to Fishguard. I attend The Writers’ Holiday every year. It was after a week at Caerleon, The University of South Wales that I finalised and published my first novel, Foxden Acres in 2013.

When writing do you keep to a set number of words per session or simply go with the flow?

I do hours rather than words. If I write for three hours in the morning, and what I have written is good, that’s great. If I go on in the same vein after lunch, that’s also great. But if I have lost the plot, excuse the pun, and I’m writing rubbish, that is depressing. It is then that I’ll go into the garden, or do the ironing. I think while I’m gardening. I watch old movies while I’m ironing. I do a word challenge with an author group, but I don’t give myself high targets, that kind of pressure I do not need. It’s why I don’t do NaNoWriMo. The research I have to do is pressure enough.

If you weren’t writing historical fiction is there any other type of genre that would interest you?

Yes. I have a contemporary book with the working title, 42 Into 28 Won’t Go! Briefly, it’s about a young guy who takes advantage of an older woman, an actress, in several very bad ways. In the end, he gets his comeuppance. It is part autobiographical. However, I shall write it as fiction because I can make it much more dramatic. I shall make the threats, happen.

ABOUT MADALYN

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Madalyn Morgan has been an actress for more than thirty years working in repertory theatre, the West End, film and television. She is a radio presenter and journalist, writing articles for newspapers and magazines.
Madalyn was brought up in a busy working class pub in the market town of Lutterworth in Leicestershire. The pub was a great place for an aspiring actress and writer to live. There were so many wonderful characters to study and accents learn. At twenty-four Madalyn gave up a successful hairdressing salon and wig-hire business for a place at E15 Drama College, and a career as an actress.
In 2000, with fewer parts available for older actresses, Madalyn learned to touch type, completed a two-year course with The Writer’s Bureau, and began writing. After living in London for thirty-six years, she has returned to her home town of Lutterworth, swapping two window boxes and a mortgage, for a garden and the freedom to write.
Madalyn is currently writing the fifth novel in the Dudley Sisters Saga, The Foxden Hotel.

Madalyn Morgan – Novels

First novel, Foxden Acres

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Foxden Acres: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BCX59LE/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBox21aU8TY

Second novel, Applause

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Applause: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00J7Y5LCW/
Trailer: https://youtu.be/qFqzoVHMm9Y

Third novel, China Blue

China Blue-AMAZON Kindle (2)
China Blue: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00XD85NQW/
Trailer: https://youtu.be/NVv-lyE79xw/

 

Fourth Novel, The 9:45 To Bletchley

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GEVW3Z8/

Trailer: https://youtu.be/SZdBoQEEHQM

Visit Madalyn Morgan online:

Non-Fiction Blog: http://madalynmorgan.blogspot.co.uk/
Fiction Blog: http://madalynmorgansfiction.blogspot.co.uk/
Actress website: http://www.madalynmorgan.com/

Twitter Name: ActScribblerDJ
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/madalyn.morgan1
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/madalynmorgan/
Radio Links: http://www.raidersbroadcast.com/

Posted in Writing

TUESDAY TALK celebrates publication day for Lynda Stacey’s debut novel House of Secrets

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

HOUSE OF SECRETS COVER

A woman on the run, a broken man and a house with a shocking secret …

SYNOPSIS

Madeleine Frost has to get away. Her partner Liam has become increasingly controlling to the point that Maddie fears for her safety, and that of her young daughter Poppy.
Desperation leads Maddie to the hotel owned by her estranged father – the extraordinarily beautiful Wrea Head Hall in Yorkshire. There, she meets Christopher ‘Bandit’ Lawless, an ex-marine and the gamekeeper of the hall, whose brusque manner conceals a painful past.
After discovering a diary belonging to a previous owner, Maddie and Bandit find themselves immersed in the history of the old house, uncovering its secrets, scandals, tragedies – and, all the while, becoming closer.
But Liam still won’t let go, he wants Maddie back, and when Liam wants something he gets it, no matter who he hurts …
Winner of Choc Lit & Whole Story Audiobooks 2015 Search for a Star competition.

MY REVIEW

Writer Madeleine Frost thought she had found that special someone and a new beginning after the tragic loss of her husband in a car crash.  But recently her partner Liam has been behaving strangely with mood swings which trigger controlling and aggressive behaviour especially towards her small daughter Poppy.

After finding him in a compromising situation with his female boss, Madeleine  decides to leave him. But the only place she can find safety for herself and Poppy to is Wrea Head Hall, a hotel run by her father, a man she hasn’t seen for years.   Her father is delighted to see his long lost daughter and is pleased to have Madeleine and Poppy stay with him.

One of the first people Madeleine meets is Christopher ‘Bandit’ Lawless, the hotel’s handyman.  Ex-marine Bandit lives in the lodge house, once the home of his father who is now in care.  An Afghanistan veteran haunted by his own loss, his first unfortunate encounter with Madeleine is soon brushed aside as the two start to get to know each other.  Madeleine begins to relax and feel safe, hoping she can make a new life with her daughter at the hotel. But when tragedy strikes and Liam turns up again she realises her nightmare is far from over.

Lynda has written an entertaining debut novel with some unforgettable characters.  There is romance between Madeleine and Bandit as well as light hearted moments between Poppy and the hotel’s cook Nomsa.  Drama and suspense are provided by the thoroughly unpleasant Liam.  Why won’t he let Madeleine go and what exactly are behind the locked doors in his house?

Woven through this modern day story is a link with the past; the diary of Emily Ennis, whose family once owned Wrea Head Hall. When Bandit and Madeleine discover it and begin to read about her tragic love affair it takes them on a journey that will eventually link the past with the present.

A hugely enjoyable read.  I look forward to more from Lynda…

 

4-stars

AUTHOR BIO

meLynda, is a wife, step-mother and grandmother, she grew up in the mining village of Bentley, Doncaster, in South Yorkshire.
She is currently the Sales Director of a stationery, office supplies and office furniture company in Doncaster, where she has worked for the past 25 years. Prior to this she’d also been a nurse, a model, an emergency first response instructor and a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor … and yes, she was crazy enough to dive in the sea with sharks, without a cage.Following a car accident in 2008, Lynda was left with limited mobility in her right arm. Unable to dive or teach anymore, she turned to her love of writing, a hobby she’d followed avidly since being a teenager.
Her own life story, along with varied career choices helps Lynda to create stories of Lynda joins Choc Litromantic suspense, with challenging and unpredictable plots, along with (as in all romances) very happy endings.
Lynda joined the Romantic Novelist Association in 2014 under the umbrella of the New Writers Scheme and in 2015, her debut novel House of Secrets won the Choc Lit & Whole Story Audiobooks Search for a Star competition.
She lives in a small rural hamlet near Doncaster, with her ‘hero at home husband’, Haydn, whom she’s been happily married to for over 20 years.

LYNDA’S LINKS:

Link to Choc Lit
http://www.choc-lit.com/dd-product/house-of-secrets/

Link to Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Secrets-Choc-Lynda-Stacey-ebook/dp/B01H9961XY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466448741&sr=8-1&keywords=Lynda+stacey
or
http://hyperurl.co/rys35u

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/lyndastaceyauthor

Twitter
@Lyndastacey

Website
http://www.Lyndastacey.co.uk

Posted in Writing

TUESDAY TALK trips to Monday to catch up with Lynda Stacey whose debut novel House of Secrets is out tomorrow….

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

meAuthor Lynda Stacey’s debut novel HOUSE OF SECRETS is published tomorrow. Today I’m pleased to have her on my blog for a pre-publication chat.

Morning Lynda and welcome. Huge congratulations on the publication of your first novel. Can you tell us something about House of Secrets?
Hello and thank you so much for having me.
OK, where do I start. Madeleine is twenty-four and desperately wants to believe that Liam loves her, but he’s cruel to her three-year-old daughter, Poppy and Maddie knows that she has to leave. She takes refuge at her father’s country house Hotel, Wrea Head Hall. Here she meets Christopher Lawless, aka Bandit, an ex-marine with an over protective nature. You could say that a tentative relationship begins, but Liam wants Madeleine back and what Liam wants, he normally gets, no matter who gets hurt in the way.

You joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writer’s Scheme. Did you find this helpful?
I really did find it helpful. I got to have my work critiqued, this gave me the necessary help to move my novel forward. I’d encourage anyone to join, the RNA are the best and most supportive network of people I’ve ever met. It’s like becoming a family member over-night and suddenly finding that you’ve got a hundred and fifty new siblings.

Have you been influenced by any favourite authors? If so who?
I’ve read all my life. Starting with the amazing Enid Blyton. In later years, I read all the classics, but always steered back towards romance, or thrillers. I love Stephen King, Tess Gerritsen, Lesley Pearce, Jill Mansell, or Kate Morton. It all depended on what mood I was in. I’m currently reading Jean Fullerton’s, ‘Wedding Bells for Nurse Connie.’ It’s a great book with loads of history.

You have a busy full time job. How do you find time for writing?
Ha ha… I don’t sleep. I wake up very early and do a little writing. I then go to work. I’m a Sales Director for a stationery and office furniture company and my days are full on. I can be manipulating spreadsheets one minute and sitting in corporate meetings the next. My husband finishes work before me and he normally makes the tea while I do other housework jobs. Then, I sit down and I put the laptop on my knee and I start. It gives me an escape from day to day work. I love it.

Do you have a favourite place to write?
Yes, sat on the corner of my big corner suite. Albeit, I always feel a bit naughty doing this seeing as I had an extension put on my house two years ago. I insisted that I needed an office, but now I have one, I still prefer to sit on the sofa – lol..

What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve just finished writing my 3rd novel. The first chapter of that novel was shortlisted for the Elizabeth Goudge Award last year and it’s been an interesting one to complete. Once I’ve finished launching House of Secrets, I’ll be starting a time-slip. I was a miner’s daughter and I’m going back to my roots and writing about the mining community of South Yorkshire. I feel as though I need to write this book, to give something back to where I came from.

Many thanks Lynda and happy publication day tomorrow….

Posted in Writing

This week Tuesday Talk is chatting to Choc Lit’s Search for a Star finalist Lisa Hill

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

Lisa Hill WriterGood morning Lisa and welcome to Tuesday Talk. First of all congratulations on being short listed for Choc Lit’s 2016 Search for a Star. To kick off the interview can I ask you to tell us a little about yourself.

Hi Jo, and thank you for inviting me to Tuesday Talk! I was born in Cheltenham but moved to a little village called Bussage, near Stroud, when I was fourteen months old. My Dad was from Slad, where Laurie Lee grew up and Cider with Rosie is set. I had an idyllic childhood growing up in the Cotswolds, dancing around maypoles and riding ponies until I returned for schooling in Cheltenham as a teenager. My first encounter of an author was Jilly Cooper who lived in Bisley, the next village to us. My Dad would take me for summer walks (he was a photographer, always after his next best shot) and he used to chat with ‘Mrs Cooper’ over her garden wall. It wasn’t until some years later I realised how famous Mrs Cooper was! I have three sons; Hamish, 13, Archie, 10 and Laurence, 7 who is named after Laurie Lee (as my Dad was Godfrey and I couldn’t bring myself to name any of the boys after him!). I have been married to my Superhero, Matt, for two-and-a-half years and I carry out the admin and accounts for his electrical firm. Before I met Matt my career was in property which is where I drew much of my writing inspiration to begin with. We have a bonkers Vizsla x Weimaraner called Sparky who I enjoy taking for country walks even though he has a propensity to go missing!

When did your writing journey begin and what was the trigger?

I have always been a book worm. When I was a child my favourite series were The Worst Witch and Sweet Valley High but GCSEs, A-Levels and then College kerbed my appetite for reading and it wasn’t until Hamish was born, when I was twenty-three, that I really got into reading romance; lots of breastfeeding gives you plenty of time to read! I enjoyed writing stories at school, I was always writing up little books of some description or other (mainly about horses) but it had never occurred to me to write a novel until I started reading romance. At first I would find myself coming to the end of a novel and continuing the plot in my head. Then, when my first marriage became an unhappy one, I would imagine myself as the heroine in my own novels, a lot of the time with Sean Bean as the hero. The threads of stories came together and I decided after Laurie was born to take up creative writing evening classes. I joined the RNA New Writers Scheme in 2011 and have written three full novels in my time as a member.

Who are your favourite authors and did any of them inspire you?

Anyone who knows me will know how star struck I am by Jill Mansell. I don’t even try to hide it. If we go back to the breastfeeding period for a moment, that was when I discovered her novels. It was in 2003 and she had a decent back catalogue even then. The first novel I read of hers was Head Over Heels and I fell in love with her writing, her characters and her sense of humour. A few years later I read an article in a newspaper about her writing career and realised that if Jill could go from being a medical professional to being a bestselling author then there was no reason why I shouldn’t try either (although I’m still trying!).

What is the best part of writing for you? And the worst?

For me, it’s when the unexpected happens. I love coming up with characters and a setting (I even draw a picture of the town or village where my characters live) but it’s when I start writing and the characters come to life and do something, make a decision or act differently to how I expected, that I really enjoy the writing process. My worst has to be editing. I wish I didn’t but I find it hard to juggle so many plates in the air. Although my good friend and Choc Lit Author, Alison May, has helped me with coping strategies i.e. not trying to edit everything at once. Now I do one read through to deal with plot issues, a second read through for grammar and spelling then a final read through for anything I miss. Hence why it’s my worst; it seems to take so long!

How do you spend your chill out time?

Well, funnily enough, writing is my chill out time. We recently went to Corfu and I spent most of my time sunbathing and writing! With three lively boys and an even livelier eight-month old puppy there is precious little chill out time and writing is creative for me; I find it therapeutic.

What is your favourite holiday destination?

Ashamedly, I am thirty-six and have only been abroad four times (this is what happens when you spend your twenties reproducing), something I intend to rectify as the children get older. However, I am quite a home bird. I am very lucky to live in the Cotswolds; sometimes an afternoon out can feel like a holiday. My favourite holiday destination has to be Devon and Cornwall. We are off to Cornwall again later this summer, to Port Isaac where Doc Martin is filmed (another favourite of mine).

If you were able to go back and live in any historical time period what would it be and why?

I think it would have to be the 1920’s. Women’s appearance and independence changed dramatically during this era and it would be amazing to experience (not to mention all the wonderful couture and dancing!).

 

You can catch up with Lisa on her Social Media Links

http://www.lisahillwriter.wordpress.com
Twitter & Instagram: @lisahillie
Facebook – Lisa Hill (https://www.facebook.com/lisa.bodenham.5)

Posted in Writing

As Tuesday Talk takes a break, the eyes have it…

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

images (1)Tuesday Talk is taking a break this week so I thought it would be a good opportunity to write about something personal to me. Something which I though might help reassure anyone who has either been diagnosed with a cataract or is awaiting cataract surgery for the first time.

Three weeks ago I had a cataract op. It was something I wasn’t particularly looking forward to.  In fact the thought of anyone doing anything around my eye just about freaked me out.

My eyesight has always been good and I’ve been lucky enough only to need glasses for reading or PC work.  However, about three years ago I noticed a definite change in my left eye.  It was subtle at first and mostly noticeable when driving.  The number plates of vehicles in front became blurry.  They were ‘ghosting’, so effectively I was seeing two plates, one slightly to the right of the other.

My annual eye check revealed I had a cataract developing and the ‘ghosting’ was due to the fact it was a rare vertical variety which splits the vision.  Everything stabilized for a while and was copeable with, the only changes being to the lenses in my prescription glasses.  Then last summer I began to notice a definite deterioration. An eye test in September confirmed the cataract had worsened but it was borderline so my optician was unable to refer me. It was suggested I return for another assessment in the New Year by which time they felt it would have reached the stage to justify surgery.  This I did, in March and a referral letter was written to my GP.

Once the paperwork was processed I had my initial consultation and was measured for a new lens. Then I had to wait to be contacted and offered a suitable date for surgery.  When I received the call I chose 14th June, two days after returning from holiday.  With hindsight I’m not sure whether this was the most sensible thing to have done.  OK I was away relaxing, but each day my date with the surgeon was looming ever nearer.  By the time Sunday 12th came and we had arrived home I wasn’t looking forward to what was about to happen…not at all.  However putting things into perspective, like it or not the situation was a ‘must do’ if I was to retain my sight.

My appointment was scheduled for 1.40 pm.  I arrived and was directed to the Day Surgery Unit. I had arrived minus make up and any earrings or necklaces had to be removed.   A nurse arrived and a gown was slipped over my clothes. We then went through the form I had completed on my initial consultation just to clarify nothing had changed – prescription meds etc.  I was then given two lots of post op eye drops and guidance on how to manage the eye after surgery.  Before the nurse left he inserted a tiny drug delivery bead behind my lower left lid.  This gradually released medication to dilate the pupil.  It took about an hour to take effect following which I was taken into surgery.

Looking back I realise the great unknown was driving most of my fear; that and the fact the eye is such a delicate organ for someone to be operating on.  As it was I have to say the whole process (which only took 20 minutes) was nothing like I expected.  The face is covered; the anaesthetist who sat on a small stool by the operating couch was merely there as he put it ‘for hand holding’.  I had instructions to squeeze his hand if I wasn’t comfortable and wanted them to stop.  As it was I didn’t.  There was the sensation of having liquid poured across the eye followed by an awareness of light to my left.  While the surgeon carried out the procedure I felt absolutely nothing.  Once the op had been completed I left the theatre with my eye protected by a clear plastic shield. I kept this on overnight and removed it the next day, although I did use it for the first few nights afterwards to continue to protect the eye while I was asleep.

My OH joined me back in Day Surgery reception where were brought tea and biscuits. The nurse arrived to complete the discharge paperwork and eventually we went home.  The anaesthetic gradually wore off, of course, and regular doses of paracetamol were needed afterwards for a couple of days.   I was also one of those patients whose eye was closed post op and it took around a quarter of an hour for it to open properly.  My first sensation was brightness, then it was as if I was looking through fine gauze so everything was slightly hazy before my vision eventually cleared.

Once home, there was a regime of four lots of drops per day for the first two weeks and two for the second two weeks. I had to wait 24 hours before being able to wash my hair.  There was also a make up ban for the first week and for me who never goes anywhere without putting their ‘face’ on, it was like going out in public wearing just my underwear. But it was a small sacrifice in order to make sure everything was allowed to heal properly.  A week after the op my eye still felt a little scratchy but my vision was amazing.  What it did show was how bad the ‘good’ right eye had been .

I had my follow up appointment last Tuesday and it’s been a complete success. My right eye will need the same treatment as a cataract is already developing. However, now I know what to expect the future holds no fear for me, only the expectation of having clear vision once more and that, for me, is incredible.

Posted in Writing

Tuesday Talk: Today author Mary Wood takes time out to chat to us about her latest WIP and some ‘must have’ dinner guests…

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

51RreVdSiKL._UX250_Good morning Mary and welcome. Can I start, as always, by asking you a little about yourself?
Good morning and thank you for inviting me, it is an honour to be your guest today.
I was born in Maidstone, Kent, brought up in Leicestershire and have lived in Lancashire since 1983. I now spend half of the year in Spain and half in England.
Now, for something about me that makes people gasp: I am the thirteenth child of fifteen! My mother was from an upper-middle class family. She married my father, an East-End barrow boy against her family’s wishes and was cast out for many years.
Growing up we were very poor but rich in love. Education was mainly centred on what I call the 4 R’s, reading, writing, arithmetic and religion. My favourite was writing and I used to sometimes get into trouble for writing too much when given a title for composition. I was told that though what I wrote was very good, the teacher didn’t have the time to go through it all and the school didn’t have the resources to supply me with two or three exercise books a term. My destiny had already begun . . .
I have been married for 53 years to Roy – not the famous Roy Wood from Wizard, I hasten to add, though mine does do a good rendition of ‘I Wish It Could be Christmas Every Day’ when he’s had a couple . . .
We have four children, eight grandchildren and four step-grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren. Family picnics and get-togethers are lovely, but Christmas is expensive!

How did your writing journey begin?
An avid reader, with thoughts that I could write a book, and a story going round my head, I first put pen to paper, in 1989 – literally as I didn’t own a typewriter.
I was nursing my mother during her last months. A traumatic time from which I needed some respite and a channel for my emotions.
Like all would-be authors I imagined I was writing the next best-seller as I sat in the garden during the hour or two when mum would take a nap. I could even visualize the block-buster film!
That manuscript is gathering dust on a shelf having been rejected so many times I could paper a wall with the letters. However, I never gave up and here I am 27yrs later, a Sunday Times Best-Seller, and published by one of the ‘big six’ publisher’s Pan Macmillan – Dreams do happen!
Besides a longing to write, and not being able to stop once I started, there is a genes element – my great grandmother, Dora Langlois, was an author and I am very happy and privileged to have acquired a first edition of one of her books. Published in 1908 there is 106 years between us having our books in print! Very proud to walk in her footsteps.

Who are your favourite authors and why?
I love Penny Vincenzi, her stories are so far reaching and have many threads, I love her style too, and have adapted it in my own writing. Each character has a chapter and their stories though intertwined, play out separately till that moment when everything comes together. Fascinating journey.
Barbara Erskine, is my tiny dip into the unknown. I’m not a fan of fantasy, but the present connecting with the past is a concept I do like to think is real. Barbara links characters to the past in a way that keeps me spellbound.
Catherine Cookson, my all-time hero and inspiration. The first commercial author I read, and read, and read as before that I read the classics, and loved them. I feel that Catherine was the first real, ‘character driven’ author. She drags you into the feelings and traumas of the people of her books as if you are there. An emotional journey and something I wanted to emulate. The greatest compliment I had of my northern trilogy was to be told the book reminded the reader of a modern-day Catherine Cookson novel.
Jeffrey Archer, a great story-teller. Loved his Clifton Chronicles and Kane and Able too. He is so knowledgeable about life in politics and history. He is another inspiration of mine.
I also have many other favourites, too many to say why: Margaret Dickinson, Annie Murray, Kate Thompson, and Diane Allen, all of whom are in the same publishing camp as me and I have had the pleasure of meeting. Then there is Marion Fellows, and, Oh so many, I would like to mention whose books have given me a lot of pleasure. However, there is one author I have to mention and do so with such pride, my sister, Felicity Dwyer. She published her debut on kindle last year, and it is a wonderful book. ‘When Blossoms Fall.’

What is your favourite food

I love paella and chocolate. Not all at once – oh, go on then….

Can you tell us something about your current WIP?

I have just completed a book that will be published in Dec 2017, yes, we have to work that far ahead, as there are many processes a book has to go through from submission to reaching the shelves.

Entitled, Reach Out To Me, it is set in the Second World War, with a back drop of Bletchley Park, where the codebreaking operations were carried out.

However, the planning of it was going to feature much more of the park until I did my research. On visiting the fascinating Bletchley – a day out all the family can enjoy, I found that life for most of the women who worked there was quite hum-drum, as their work was difficult and intense and carried out over twelve hour shifts. So most of my action moved to their leave breaks.

My main characters are Flo and Molly.

As always, I have a girl from the north, as I love the depth of the northerners. Flo, a working-class girl works for a pharmacist who recognizes her potential and helps her to better her education by paying for night classes for her. This leads to discovering her genius at maths. When war breaks out she is a natural candidate for Bletchley Park.

Bletchley was staffed by nepotism, and it is her tutor who makes the introduction, his boyfriend is a code-breaker there and looking for an assistant.

Molly, a Londoner, is abused by her father who is a butcher. His shop is failing due to his drinking. A notorious gang move in and persuade him to let them use his shop as a front for their black-market operations. This gang also pimp girls and they force Molly to join their brothel. Holding her kidnapped and in fear.

The story examines this seedy side of life and the consequences of being gay in the mid twentieth century. It is an emotional journey of love and friendship with the backdrop of war – the blitz in particular. It has Flo as the mainstay, trying to keep lives together and heal them when they are broken. And, as is characteristic of me – it is a gritty novel that deals with all issues and doesn’t shy away from them.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with music playing in the background? If the latter, have you any favourite artists?

I need silence so that I can hear and listen to the characters as they tell me their story.

If you could invite four famous people to dinner who would they be and why?

  • Charles Dickens – how fascinating to listen to him. He would speak in the old fashion way, and we would discuss his books and social history of his day.
  • Winston Churchill – he could tell me what he was really thinking when he rallied the people of Britain to fight, and how it was to be captured in the Boar war and to escape though many continents with the world watching his progress through siting’s of him. Oh, and I would ask him how he felt about his beloved wife’s alleged infidelities.
  • Charlie Chaplin – he would have Charles and Winston laughing to spilt their sides as he tumbled over imaginary walls and did his funny walks, but I would like to explore the serious side he is said to have had too.
  • And for the feminine touch, Marilyn Monroe. What would that be like, to throw her into the mix? Wow. And what a story she would have to tell me about her affair with the Kennedy brother’s their jealousy over her and whether she was really murdered, and by whom.

If only I could have this dinner party, I’m already so excited about it.

I have loved being interviewed by you, Jo. I hope your readers enjoy reading about me. Thank you, once again for having me.

Thank you so much Mary for taking time to chat.

MARY’S BOOK LINKS

WARTIME SAGAS

Time Passes Time: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Passes-Breckton-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00IXLVWAA – (A spin off of my Northern Trilogy, but a stand alone book) also available in paperback – Amazon and WH Smiths

Proud of You: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Proud-You-Mary-Wood-ebook/dp/B00LB89RNG   …………………………..availability DITTO to Time Passes Time

All I Have To Give https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Have-Give-Mary-Wood-ebook/dp/B00ZCCXE5E   ………………….availability      DITTO

In Their Mother’s Footsteps (will be published in December 2016 and available for pre order) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Their-Mothers-Footsteps-Mary-Wood-ebook/dp/B01D0BD0X4

MY NORTHERN TRILOGY

[ File # csp9473548, License # 2001962 ] Licensed through http://www.canstockphoto.com in accordance with the End User License Agreement (http://www.canstockphoto.com/legal.php) (c) Can Stock Photo Inc. / diter

To Catch a Dream: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Catch-Dream-Breckton-Novels-Book-ebook/dp/B00SN935VQ – also available in paperback from Amazon and WH Smiths

An Unbreakable Bond https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unbreakable-Bond-Breckton-Novels-Book-ebook/dp/B015YCGQRY – availability DITTO (a Sunday Times Best-Seller)

Tomorrow Brings Sorrow https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomorrow-Brings-Sorrow-Breckton-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B008PH7V7A Only available on Kindle, but will be out in paperback in May 2017

THE COTTON MILLS SAGA

JMN_Cover

Judge me Not: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Judge-Cotton-Mill-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B00EBFQG8K Only available on kindle. Plans for paperback in 2018.

 

 

 

Posted in Writing

This week Tuesday Talk chats to Melanie Robertson King whose latest book The Secret of Hillcrest House is currently on tour with Brook Cottage Books

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

Good morning Melanie and welcome. Can I start, as always, by asking you a little about yourself?

Thanks for inviting me to your Tuesday Talk Interview, Jo. I live in Eastern Ontario, Canada and if I stand on the sidewalk (I believe you call it a pavement here in the UK) and turn to my right, I can see the St. Lawrence River.
My house is over 125 years old and I’ve had a few weird paranormal experiences in it during the thirty plus years I’ve lived in it.
There’s nothing I like better than curling up with a book and a blanket and woe to anyone who disturbs my reading.
I could tell you more here, but I’ll save it for my author bio.

How did your writing journey begin?

I was twelve-thirteen when I started writing stories and illustrating them but never thought about the possibility of being published. I mean, authors were geniuses, placed on pedestals by us when we were that age. Still, the written word had bitten me. Even back then, when I wasn’t writing (or reading), I talked about writing – and here I am.

Can you tell us about what you’re working on at the moment?

I’m working on a Christmas novella. It’s called Christmas in Quebec City (although I might drop City from the title).

Think Miracle on 34th Street meets Sleepless in Seattle.

Who are your favourite authors and why?

I love to read crime fiction so one of my favourite authors is Stuart MacBride. His Logan McRae novels are set in Aberdeen (city and shire) which are near and dear to my heart as my father was born there in the parish of Kennethmont (Kendonald in my debut novel – A Shadow in the Past).

Diana Gabaldon ranks high in my list of favourite authors because of the Outlander series of books. I have the entire series as well as her Lord John Grey novels.

Another author whose works I enjoyed reading is Joanna Lambert – have you heard of her? I think she’s got a couple more books out since the last one I read so I must get them so I can catch up on the goings on with her characters.

Have you a favourite holiday destination?

Scotland. I love the rugged beauty of the country and it’s part of my heritage. I still have family there so it’s great to go back and see them. Over the years, I’ve made a lot of good friends there, too. And, it was in Scotland where I met Princess Anne in 1999.

If you could invite four famous people to dinner who would they be and why?

Bram Stoker. After visiting the ruins of Slains Castle on my last trip to Scotland and seeing the surrounding area, I want to find out straight from the horse’s mouth was it the Cruden Bay area of Scotland or Whitby, England that inspired him to write Dracula.

Three more, eh?

Diana Gabaldon. She’s one of my favourite authors so would like to be able to talk writing, publishing (trials and tribulations) and Scotland with her.

Helen Mirren. The woman is beautiful and has class. I recently saw where she visited a young boy still in her Queen attire after a performance because Her Majesty was unavailable.

Jackie Stewart. I’ve earned that nickname from driving in the UK. The first time I drove over there, I was nervous and didn’t go very fast. The next time, I was able to keep up with my Auntie Edith who wasn’t known for being a slowpoke… LOL!

Book Blurb

The Secret of Hillcrest House 4-4-2016 Front Cover-page-001 612x792Sometimes there’s more to a house than bricks and mortar.
Hillcrest House is one such place. Perched on a cliff in the picturesque town of Angel Falls, there is more to this Victorian mansion than meets the eye. When referring to the house, the locals use the word haunted on a regular basis. Strange visions appear in the windows, especially the second-floor ones over the side porch. Even stranger events take place within its four walls.
Rumour has it, the original owners, Asher and Maggie Hargrave, never left their beloved home. They claim the couple and their family are responsible for driving people away. Over the years, Hillcrest House has changed hands numerous times. No one stays long. Renovations begin then stop and the house is once more abandoned. The latest in this long line of owners is Jessica Maitland.
Will Jessica be the next one to succumb or will she unravel the mystery of the haunting of Hillcrest House?

Feedback

  • Melanie Robertson-King’s latest novel serves up a delightful blend of the supernatural and spicy romance, Lynn L. Clark, author of The Home Child, and Fire Whisperer & Circle of Souls: Two Novellas of the Supernatural, & The Accusers
  • Intrigue, dark buried secrets, hot romance and a neat twist in the tale make this riveting reading, Sheryl Browne, MA Creative Writing, Choc Lit Author
  • A fun read that keeps you guessing right up to the surprise ending, Dayna Leigh Cheser, Author of Janelle’s Time, Moria’s Time, Adelle’s Time, & Logan’s Time

Buy links

Paperback and Kindle from

Amazon.ca http://www.amazon.ca/Secret-Hillcrest-House-Melanie-Robertson-King-ebook/dp/B01EEJOIXW/

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Hillcrest-House-Melanie-Robertson-King-ebook/dp/B01EEJOIXW/

Amazon.co.uk http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Hillcrest-House-Melanie-Robertson-King-ebook/dp/B01EEJOIXW/

 

Barnes and Noble

Paperback and nook

Kobobooks

At the iTunes store

And in paperback at

Books a Million

About the Author

Melanie author photo 500x590Melanie Robertson-King lives in Eastern Ontario, Canada, within sight of the St. Lawrence River. She has always been a fan of the written word. Growing up as an only child, her face was always buried in a book from the time she could read.
At her father’s behest, she studied Highland Dancing and won a silver medal in the Sword Dance in 1969 at the 1000 Islands Highland Games. She also learned how to play the bagpipes (and has her own set) although she admits she doesn’t play very well and hasn’t played in many years. Her neighbours thank her for that.
Melanie’s father was one of the thousands of Home Children sent to Canada through the auspices of The Orphan Homes of Scotland, and she has been fortunate to be able to visit her father’s homeland many times and even met the Princess Royal (Princess Anne) at the orphanage where he was raised.

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com
Celtic Connexions Blog: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/
Facebook Author Page: Melanie Robertson-King Author
Twitter: @RobertsoKing

 

Posted in Writing

Tuesday Talk welcomes the multi-talented Kate Glanville chatting about all things book, her recent house move and some interesting desert island ‘must haves’

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

unnamed (1)Good morning Kate and welcome. Can I start, as always, by asking you a little about yourself?
I am a writer and ceramic artist living in West Wales with my three children. I have had three novels published in the last four years, A Perfect Home, Heartstones and Stargazing and am currently trying to write a fourth. Writing time has been scarce this year, as I’ve moved from the house I lived in for twenty years in a little village called Bethlehem not far from Llandeilo. Moving was a mammoth process as my ex-husband and I were both potters and seemed to collect an enormous amount of ‘stuff’! But after weeks and weeks of sorting, packing, trips to charity shops, trips to the dump, numerous bonfires and general down-sizing the children and I have finally moved.
Our new home is Dairy Cottage, a gorgeous little house in Dinefwr Park – a National Trust property on the edge of Llandeilo. Our garden backs onto IMG_3594the deer park and we have a resident peacock who spends his days trying to impress our three cats with his magnificent tail feathers! We are surrounded by beautiful parkland, woods, a castle and even have a very nice National Trust café and gift shop on our door IMG_3602step! What more could a writer want!
I also have a business decorating ceramic tiles and pottery – a business I’ve had for nearly twenty-five years. I’ve sold my work all over the world supplying Liberty, The Conran Shop, Fired Earth and many other shops and galleries. These days I mainly get bespoke orders via my website designing tile murals to go behind Aga’s and for bathrooms and plates and mugs to celebrate weddings and other celebrations.
I’m very lucky to be able to write and paint for a living – the two things I enjoy most!

How did your writing journey begin?
I’ve always loved writing and have had many stories ‘living’ in my head! When I was eight I decided to fill up a whole notebook with stories about cats I had known and loved – I didn’t get very far as it was a rather big notebook and I had only really known one cat! After that I was constantly trying to start novels and loved writing stories and essays for English lessons. Unfortunately my spelling is absolutely terrible – (as an adult I was diagnosed with dyslexia) so my essays would come back with many more red lines than unnamed (3)positive comments. Though I did have a very inspiring teacher in my final year of primary school, Miss Pellow. She loved my stories and told me I should become a writer despite my spelling. It was lovely that thirty-three years later I was able to send Miss Pellow a copy of my first novel and thank her for her early words of encouragement.
After school I went to St Martins in London to study fashion design but would always have some sort of idea for a novel in my head. When I left college I started the pottery business and didn’t really have time to write though every now and then I’d sit down and try to start a novel. When my children were very little I wrote and illustrated stories for them and about them and did I try, unsuccessfully, to get some of them published.
I was forty when I really decided to try to finish a novel. I was inspired by a close friend who had been diagnosed with cancer telling me that if there was ever anything I’d wantedunnamed (2) to do in my life I should do it as soon as possible as you never know what’s around the corner. I told her I’d always wanted to write a novel and she encouraged me to just get on with it. Unfortunately my friend didn’t recover and I dedicated A Perfect Home to her memory.
I spent nearly three years on the first book, writing long hand in note books and getting a lovely lady in the village to type everything up for me. I remember she told me it was better than her library book at the time and I was overjoyed! I never actually asked her what book she was reading from the library!
After I had finished the first draught the author Charlotte Bingham, who was a pottery customer of mine, suggested I should send it to Cornerstones Literary Consultancy to get their opinion. This was the best advice I could have had as Cornerstones were wonderful, very encouraging and helpful and after suggesting a few changes to the initial manuscript they found me an agent.
My first contract was with Penguin in the U.S. which was very exiting, and then I signed with Accent Press in the UK. By that time – the process of actually finding a publisher did take some time!- I’d written Heartstones. Accent took that on too and I got publishing contracts in Germany and Norway. Stargazing came out this January with Accent and will be published in Germany by Baste Lubbe this month.
I still find it hard to think of myself as a professional writer, and often forget to mention it if people ask me what I do. I think for so long it had been a secret ambition I still feel shy about talking about it. I still remember those red marks all over my school exercise books and feel I can’t possibly be any good at it!

How would you describe your writing style?
I think my style is hard to put it into a specific category. The books are aimed at the woman’s fiction market, all three novels are written about women and from the perspective of women but men seem to enjoy reading them too. They are about relationships and love but also have a darker side to the stories and a mystery to be solved. I think of them as domestic thrillers! Though they all contain some serious subjects like domestic abuse, adultery and addiction I try to write with humour and want the reader to feel good about life by the time they finish the book.

Is there any other type of fiction you would consider writing?
As I said previously I have written and illustrated books for very small children so I think that’s something I might like to start doing again – maybe when my children leave home and I have more time – maybe if I have grandchildren! I can’t really see myself branching out into anything like sci-fi or erotic horror – those stories just aren’t in my head!

What are you currently working on?
My fourth novel is set in a large house in the Dordogne where a group of friends are having a week’s holiday. Things happen!!! It’s inspired by several holidays we spent at a beautiful house near Riberac with a large group of friends and their children– I would like to just say that the things that happen in the novel are not the things that ever happened on those holidays!!
Unfortunately I have yet to get back into my writing swing as we are in the midst of exam revision at Dairy Cottage – my 11 year old son has his year 7 exams and my 16 year old son has his GCSE’s – instead of getting on with my next novel my evenings are spent helping to work out the components of a plant cell and learning more that I ever thought I’d need to know about Germany between the wars!
But soon the exams will all be over and I hope to be back to work on my novel, ideally out in the garden on warm evenings, sipping gin and tonic and watching the deer go by as I contemplate my next sentence!!

What locations are on your bucket list?
My parents are from Ireland and my childhood holidays were spent in Dublin and on the south west coast. I have often taken my own children to Ireland and Heartstones was set in County Kerry. There are many places in Ireland I have yet to visit and I hope to spend more time there if I can.

I also hate being cold so I dream of hot beaches and warm evenings and that lovely freedom when you don’t have to wear too many clothes. So anywhere hot really (I know Ireland isn’t very hot!! I’m just always happy when I’m there!)

If you were to spend a year on a desert island, what four ‘must haves’ would you take with you and why?

A photograph album filled with pictures of my children so that I can look at them and dream of when I can see them all again.
Hand cream – my hands are always horribly dry from working in the pottery so it would be a good opportunity to try to get them into good condition! Maybe my nails would grow and I could paint them – can I have a bottle of nail varnish too?! Maybe a whole manicure set!!
A large bottle of gin and some bottles of tonic! Would some lemons be too much to ask for? I don’t mind about the ice.
A pen and a very ,very large notebook – of course!

 

KATE’S BOOK AND SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Amazon link for Kate’s books:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_gnr_fkmr0?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Akate+glanville&keywords=kate+glanville&ie=UTF8&qid=1465658369

Accent press link  https://www.accentpress.co.uk/kate-glanville

My web page  www.kateglanville.com

Face Book Kate Glanville Author   https://www.facebook.com/kateglanvilleauthor/

 

Posted in Writing

COUNTING CHIMNEYS BY SANDY TAYLOR – MY REVIEW

Posted on by Jo Lambert - Author

 

 

51PG8pXNXTLI was really looking forward to Sandy Taylor’s second dip into the life of Dottie Perks via Counting Chimneys. Once again we were reintroduced to her quirky family. I particularly love her dad Nelson who grumbles his way through life, not really coping with all the social changes of the sixties – or being able to do anything right at home. Sister Rita is now a mother and has moved to a semi- on one of the new estates. Rita so much reminded me of Bob Ferris’s wife Thelma from TV’s ‘The Likely Lads’ – a girl who was keen to make all the right impressions and distance herself from her working class roots.
As the story begins, it’s now 1969 and Dottie is happy in her job working for a magazine in London. She flat shares with Polly who has become her new best friend. A family christening takes her home and brings her face to face with Ralph Bennett, the boy who broke her heart. Ralph’s daughter Peggy is now five and he is engaged to be married to the very pretty Fiona. When Dottie learns they are about to emigrate to Australia she begins to question her feelings about her current happiness and about Ralph.
I won’t go into any more detail, other than to say Sandy has introduced us to a whole new raft of great support characters who are carefully wrapped around Dottie and Ralph’s story. This book is as good, if not better than The Girls from See Saw Lane and is a definite must read for those who love a good family saga/romance. There are lots of twists and turns, laughter and tears before you reach the end but it’s a fabulous story and written true to the times.
Although this is without doubt another well-deserved five star read, there was one personal niggle for me and that was Ralph and what eventually happened after Dottie returned to Brighton. I simply couldn’t forgive him and sadly it coloured my view of his character for the rest of the book.

This review has also been posted on Amazon and Goodreads….