JO LAMBERT

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

Hello, thank you for having me! Well, I’m 25, a Needs Assessor for students with disabilities. I live in the West Midlands with my husband and two kittens who think swinging off curtains is normal.

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

I never really made the conscious decision really. I have always had a love affair with books and I’ve thought many a time that I’d love to be able to write. I never thought I had the imagination for it, but then I had quite a lot of free time in my previous job and spent a few nights writing a few ideas I had and then it just happened.

What was the inspiration behind The Puppet Master?

The Puppet Master began as a collection of memories I had – then I pondered what message I wanted to send through my writing. I wanted to write a book showing people that even though you may go through something horrific and traumatic – there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can still be happy and not let that ‘event’ define you.

Have you a favourite place to write?

I spent a whole day in Ikea with my poor husband choosing the perfect chair. I got one – but I’ve since discovered I prefer to write in cafes or anywhere there are people!

What are your plans after The Puppet Master has been published? Will you stay in the same genre or write something completely different?

I have a few ideas that I am ruminating on but I haven’t put any significant work into them just yet. I think I probably will stay in this genre but I think once I get more experience I want to branch out into fantasy.

Are you a beach or city girl? Name some of your favourite holiday destinations.

I am neither – I hate sand so the beach is a nightmare for me. And I was brought up in the Lake District so Cities are quite an intimidating place for me! I’m a place in the country type of girl! My favourite places to go are places that have natural beauty. I went to Iceland and it was stunning. I’m going to Croatia soon and I can’t wait for that.

And lastly, if you were able to invite four celebrities to dinner who would they be and why?

Just four! Oh this is hard. I would invite Harlan Coben as he is just a masterful writer and I would love to meet him. I would also invite Sara J Maas, she is the best fantasy writer I’ve ever read and I’m convinced we would get on fabulously. I would also invite Lionel Shriver, I saw her speak at the Hay Festival and she was amazing, inspiring and really funny! My last guest would be J K Rowling, I have so many questions about Harry Potter that I’m desperate to get the answers to so I would love to grill her – over dinner of course.

CATCH UP WITH ABBIE ON HER SOCIAL LINKS

WEBSITE: www.abigailosborneauthor.com

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/abigailosborneauthor
TWITTER: @Abigail_Osborne
GOODREADS BOOK LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31422186-the-puppet-master?from_search=true
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15598060.Abigail_Osborne

Manipulated by fear and love…could you cut the strings and take back control?

Billie’s hiding from the world, believing it to be the only way to take control of her life as she lives in fear of the man who nearly destroyed her. But what she doesn’t realise that she’s exactly where he wants her; isolated and afraid. A chance meeting with budding journalist Adam sparks a relationship that could free her from the terror that controls her. But will Adam be able to see the real Billie buried under her terror and pain?

Adam knows exactly who Billie is and is determined to expose her and get justice for the lives she ruined. But first, he needs to convince her to open up to him but as unwanted attraction and feelings blossom between them, Adam is forced to realise that all is not as it seems.

Most of their lives have been unknowingly governed by the desires and needs of someone who considers himself their master. He has influenced and shaped them for years, meticulously weaving a web of lies and control around them. Can Billie and Adam survive the betrayals in store and cut the strings that bind them?

One thing is for sure. The master wants his puppets back – and he’ll do anything to keep them.

PURCHASE LINK FOR THE PUPPET MASTER

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Puppet-Master-Abigail-Osborne-ebook/dp/B01JMA4USQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471862632&sr=1-4&keywords=the+puppet+master

Good morning Diane and welcome. Can I start, as always, by asking you a little about yourself?
Hi Jo. Thanks so much for inviting me to your blog! I’m an American living in Australia writing suspense novels set in both countries (although only my American ones have been published to date.)

I came to Australia in 1980 as a violinist with the Adelaide Symphony and later moved to a 50-acre farm in Port Lincoln, South Australia. There I discovered and fell in love with writing – while raising two kids, running a donkey sanctuary and keeping every pet you can name!

I tried for eleven years to get published before Random House Australia picked up my first thriller, RUN TO ME, which made the finals of the 2014 Daphne du Maurier Awards. My second thriller, HIT AND RUN, is due for release in early November.

When did you first decide you wanted to write and how did you begin that journey?
I came to writing later in life but my love of story-telling began at an early age and in a rather unusual way. As an only child I had to entertain myself a fair bit. My parents, both classical musicians, had given me my own record player with a collection of records.
These were all big ‘cinematic’ pieces – Nutcracker Suite, Rite Of Spring, Night On Bald Mountain, Fire Bird, Pictures At An Exhibition, etc. As I listened to these works alone in my room, I used my stuffed animals to act out stories that the music inspired.
I created these plays for my own amusement. But one day some friends came around and, with nothing else to do, I put on a record and performed one of my stories for them.
Perched on my bed with my audience seated on the floor before me, I acted out the story I’d invented to go with The Fire Bird Suite. I vividly remember the looks on their faces, their changing expressions as my story unfolded. And what a thrill I felt knowing my efforts had been responsible.
Though it took some time to emerge, I believe it was this early experience that, years later, grew into my joy of writing novels.

Who are your favourite authors and have any of them inspired your writing in any way? Tess Gerritsen is one of my favourite authors and one of her stories inspired my novel, RUN TO ME. I’m drawn to stories about adults befriending children and loved Tess’s novel HARVEST for that reason. The only thing that disappointed me was that the heroine and the child she’s helping never actually meet. In writing RUN TO ME I used that element of an adult helping a child but had them together throughout the story.

What influenced you to write thrillers?
I’m a Hitchcock fan from way back. I’ve watched all of his classics dozens of times.
I so wish Hitch was still alive today creating more masterpieces, I think I’m attempting to satisfy my longing for his work by writing those stories myself.

I don’t write crime and I don’t write mysteries. Though my stories contain elements of both what I write mainly is suspense. Those stories where the protagonist is untrained and totally out of their depth with what’s happening to them. I just love writing stories about ordinary people thrust into dangerous situations who discover within them the courage to be heroes.

Do you have music playing when you write? If so, what are your favourite pieces?
I’ve tried playing music as I write but unfortunately it doesn’t work for me. I guess because I’ve been trained in music, if there’s music playing anywhere near me it demands my full attention, so it creates a bit of distraction.
My creative stimulus of choice is fragrance. Every day when I sit down to write I either light a scented candle (currently burning: Yankee Candles’ Pumpkin Gingerbark) or fire up the essential oil burner (favourite blend: orange, bergamot and rosewood.)
It’s become sort of a writing ritual for me. I read that our perception of fragrance is a function of the temporal lobe, the same part of the brain that deals largely with writing. So by stimulating this area with scents I’m hoping to fire up my writer brain.

Can you tell us about your up-coming new release, HIT AND RUN?
Like my first thriller, HIT AND RUN is set in rural Maine (I just love that part of America!) My heroine, Raina Wilkins, is driving home alone one night when she hits a man who darts from the forest in front of her. The injured stranger climbs in her car and forces her to drive on at gunpoint, but gets out soon after and disappears back into the woods. Raina thinks never to see him again, but Alec DeMarco has left something behind in her car, something others will kill to possess – evidence gathered by a homeless teenager with a deadly secret. When Alec returns for it, Raina is swept into a world of conspiracy, abduction and murder. A world where even the police want her dead.

Has being a professional musician helped you in any way as a writer?
Absolutely! I could fill pages with what I’ve carried over from music! Probably the biggest is that talent is greatly over-rated. I saw this not only as I was learning the violin, but from my years of teaching. I’ve seen so many kids with little ‘natural ability’ go on to surpass more talented ones simply because they worked consistently.
Music ingrained in me the understanding that if I practice something I’ll get better at it. The results of practicing are easy to see when you’re learning an instrument – there’s a passage in the piece you’re working on that’s currently beyond you but after days of focused practice it starts to improve. You know you’ve progressed because today you can play that passage and yesterday you couldn’t.
It’s not as easy to see how your writing is getting better. Sometimes the only way is to pull out something you wrote months or years ago and compare it to your current work. Having learned this from music, however, enabled me to trust that my writing was improving even when I couldn’t see it as readily.
The other thing I learned from music is patience and perseverance. Learning the violin takes years and progress isn’t always steady. Sometimes you get stuck on plateaus where you don’t see any improvement for ages, then suddenly you’ll leap ahead. The same goes for writing.
Another great lesson music taught me was about bouncing back after a failure. I remember once getting really depressed about my playing. I thought to myself, ‘No matter how much I practice, no matter how good I get, there will always be someone better than me.’
In the end I found an answer to that one: ‘Just because we can all speak, doesn’t mean we all have the same thing to say.’
I learned it’s not about being ‘the best’, it’s about acquiring the skills to communicate what’s inside you. What you learn when you practice your scales and exercises is the technique of your instrument. You’re learning how to speak the language of music. Same with learning the craft of writing. But once you’ve learned how to speak in your craft, you alone decide what you will say.

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

• Lots of writing paper
• A pen that never runs out of ink
• Coffee!
• And a trunk full of books by my favourite authors

Thanks again for having me, Jo! Happy writing!

Purchase links:

Booktopia Australia   http://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=Run+To+Me+Diane+Hester&productType=917504
http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/run-to-me-diane-hester/p/9781742756424
Booksamillion   http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Run/Diane-Hester/9781742756424?id=6001383514716
Amazon UK  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Run-Me-Diane-Hester/dp/1742756425/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400139704&sr=1-1&keywords=Run+To+Me+Diane+Hester

Pinterest   https://au.pinterest.com/dianehester18/

Betrayal, injustice and revenge echo down the years…

1940. Olive marries farmer Bill Falla. The Germans occupy Guernsey.
All too soon Olive realises she’s made a mistake.
Her life changes when she meets Wolfgang, a German officer-
but there’s a price to pay. . .

2010. Natalie Ogier returns to Guernsey to escape an abusive relationship – only to be plagued by odd happenings in her beautiful cottage on the site of a derelict and secluded farm. Disturbing dreams, disembodied voices and uncanny visions from the past. She becomes increasingly ill at ease as someone else’s past catches up with her own…
Her only immediate neighbour, Stuart, is the grandson of the original owners, Bill and Olive.

Thrown together in a bid to find out what really happened to Olive, can they each survive the repercussions of the past and move on?

LINK TO BUY: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ Echoes-Time-Guernsey-Novels- Book-ebook/dp/B01IXB3LRG

My Review

I was privileged to receive a pre-publication copy of Echoes of Time. This is the first time I’ve read anything by Anne and was the fourth time slip novel I’ve read this year – a genre I’ve really come to enjoy.

Beauregard Cottage sits on the site of a farmhouse which burnt down many years ago. There is also something of a mystery surrounding the owner, Olive Falla, who disappeared around the time of the fire.  Natalie Ogier, quitting her highly paid job in London, has returned home to the island to escape her abusive partner Liam and begin a new life.  Falling in love with the cottage she buys it and discovers the neighbouring property, The Barn, is owned by the farmer’s grandson Stuart Cross, a teacher. A friendship blossoms but anything beyond that seems impossible. Like Natalie, Stuart is also escaping from a painful past so new relationships aren’t on his agenda either. When Natalie begins to hear voices and has disturbing dreams she believes are tied to Olive, she enlists Stuart’s help. Together, with his mother Tabitha (Tabby) who grew up on the farm, they begin to piece together Olive’s life during the war. They hope to establish what happened to her and why it appears her unhappy spirit  is now haunting the cottage.

Echoes of Time is a beautifully written story woven between the past and present. Life on Guernsey during the Nazi occupation is dealt with in great detail and shows exactly how much hardship the islanders suffered. A great read and  thoroughly deserving of five stars.

About Anne Allen

Anne Allen lives in Devon but originates from Rugby. Finding early on in life that she loved the sea she spent most of her adult years moving from one coast to another. Her happiest time was spent in Guernsey where she lived for nearly 14 years and her books are all set on that beautiful island. Until recently Anne was a psychotherapist but has now retired to write full time. So far she has published Dangerous Waters, Finding Mother, Guernsey Retreat, The Family Divided and Echoes of Time, forming the Guernsey Novels series. The books focus on love, mystery, drama and relationships. A sixth, The Betrayal, will be published in 2017.

www.anneallen.co.uk

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Anne-Allen-Author-176883759173475

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnneAllen21

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5830010.Anne_Allen

Good 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/

Dull security or risky freedom – which would you choose? 

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

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…

AUTHOR BIO

Lynda, 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 romantic 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

Author 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….