Showing posts with label guest blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest blog. Show all posts

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Daisy James ~ Author of "There's Something About Cornwall" - & Prize draw @daisyjamesbooks

Today I'm welcoming Daisy James to my blog to talk about the importance of location's in her writing. This book is set in Cornwall. Check out her influences below and enter her prize draw too!  

TITLE - There's Something About Cornwall

AUTHOR - Daisy James

PAGES - Kindle Edition 203 pages

BUY LINK - Amazon UK

PERFECT FOR - Fans of Mandy Baggot, Christie Barlow and Zara Stoneley.

SYNOPSIS -
The new delightfully uplifting romantic comedy from Daisy James.

A knight in a shining camper van!

Life is far from picture perfect for food photographer, Emilie Roberts. Not only has her ex-boyfriend cheated on her, he’s also stolen her dream assignment to beautiful Venice! Instead, Emilie is heading to the wind-swept Cornish coast…

Emilie doesn’t think it can get any worse – until disaster strikes on the very first day! And there’s only one man to rescue this damsel in distress: extremely hunky surfing instructor, Matt Ashby.

Racing from shoot to shoot in a bright orange vintage camper van, Matt isn’t the conventional knight in shining armour – but can he make all of Emilie’s fairy tale dreams come true?


GUEST POST


There’s Something About Cornwall 

By 

Daisy James 

First of all, a huge thank you for featuring my brand new release – There’s Something About Cornwall - on your blog.

Location is always very important to me when I’m writing. It’s almost as though it’s another character that requires just as much attention, just as much crafting, as any other. My first novel – The Runaway Bridesmaid - was set in New York. I enjoyed an amazing trip there a couple of years ago, for a milestone birthday, except, instead of spending five exhilarating days taking in the sights, because of Hurricane Sandy we ended up being there for eleven. Everywhere was closed, even the Broadway shows, so I grabbed a pen and some paper and started writing and my first published novel was born.

When I began researching my fourth book, I wanted my characters to have a fabulous backdrop for their story, so it had to be Cornwall. The scenery is so beautiful and diverse, not to mention the fact that the sun always seems to be shining. There’s Something About Cornwall follows Emilie Roberts, a food photographer, who takes a culinary road trip around the whole county as she works on a photo shoot for a celebrity TV chef working on her next cookery book.

Emilie’s epic journey starts in Padstow where she meets Matt at a beach party. He becomes a last-minute replacement driver for an orange-and-cream vintage campervan they’ve nicknamed The Satsuma Splittie. There’s plenty of stops along the way and lots of baking and tasting of the delicious Cornish food that is being photographed.


Apple & Caramel Loaf
I wanted to showcase not only the local recipes, but also the wide array of artisan beverages that Cornwall is famous for. So, in Truro, they visit an apple orchard where Emilie photographs the Cornish Cyder Cake and Apple and Caramel Loaf, but they also indulge in a few pints of the local Scrumpy.


During my research, I was amazed to find that vineyards flourish on south-facing slopes and fabulous white and rosé wine is produced in Cornwall. The county is also the only place in England that grows tea – Tregothnan Tea - it offers a whole new meaning to the label English Breakfast tea!


I also came across the Southwestern Distillery, run by Tarquin Leadbetter, which produces
Tamara Copper Still & Cornish Pastis 70-30
not only Cornish Gin but also Cornish Pastis. The pastis is a modern take on the classic French aperitif and the first of its kind created in the UK. It is made with gorse flowers foraged from the Atlantic clifftops and fresh orange zest finished off with a touch of liquorice root. Tarquin also grows his own Devon violets for use in his Tarquin’s Gin.

http://www.southwesterndistillery.com/

I hope readers will enjoy escaping to our southernmost county when they read There’s Something About Cornwall.

PRIZE DRAW

For a chance to win a book on the history of the much-loved, iconic camper van, a mug and a coaster, just follow Daisy James and retweet the pinned tweet. The prize will be drawn on 31st March 2017 (UK only).




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daisy James is a Yorkshire girl transplanted to the north east of England. She loves writing
stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines. When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. Her husband and young son were willing samplers of her baking creations which were triple-tested for her debut novel, The Runaway Bridesmaid. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something pink and fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea – china plates and teacups are a must.

Daisy would love to hear from readers via her Facebook page or you can follow her on Twitter @daisyjamesbooks, especially if they have given any of the recipes in her book a whirl… photos are very welcome.

Daisy James links:

BuyLinks: http://buff.ly/2kQhrmp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/daisyjamesbooks

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


Also on Instagram.


Friday, 15 April 2016

"Wonder Cruise" by Ursula Bloom - Plus Guest blog post - My holiday read

Those who know me really well, know I love two things a lot (apart from My Husband and my cats), books and holidays! Well I am off on a road trip of the USA in a few days time and I wanted a travel inspired book to read that was nice and light hearted, to read on the plane. Who better to offer me a great read other than Ursula Bloom. This is her new book, Wonder Cruise, released on the 15th April. She was kind enough to do a blog post feature for me too. I'll be reviewing the book when I'm home and doing a blog post about my holiday. I am a bookalicious traveladdict after all. Please take a read ........

Wonder Cruise by Ursula Bloom
A witty, heartwarming read with great romantic and comic characters. This warm, feel-good tale will make you smile, and you’ll be rooting for Ann to find lasting love and happiness. A moving portrait of an unforgettable 1930’s woman; Ann Clements will stay with you long after the last page.

Ann Clements is thirty-five and single, and believes nothing exciting will ever happen to her. Then, she wins a large sum of money in a sweepstake and suddenly can dare to dream of a more adventurous life. She buys a ticket for a Mediterranean cruise, against the wishes of her stern brother, the Rev. Cuthbert, who has other ideas about how she should spend her windfall. Ann steps out of the shadows of her mundane life into the heat of the Mediterranean sun. Travelling to Gibraltar, Marseilles, Naples, Malta and Venice, Ann’s eyes are opened to people and experiences far removed from her sheltered existence in the offices at Henrietta Street, and Mrs. Puddock’s lodging house. As Ann blossoms, discovering love and passion for the very first time, the biggest question is, can there be any going back?

‘Brightly told and very readable.’ Woman’s Journal

‘… with every book she adds something to her reputation … related with all Miss Bloom’s liveliness and easy skill.’ Daily Telegraph

‘Ursula Bloom writes in a delightful way, with a deep understanding of human nature and a quick eye for the humorous things in life. Wonder Cruise … is one of the most entertaining novels we have read for a long time.’ Cambridge Daily News

‘Vividly entrancing.’ Scotsman

‘She has always been able to tell a story … Miss Bloom is to be heartily congratulated.’ Everyman




GUEST POST


You and Your Holiday by Ursula Bloom

One of the most annoying things in this life is that other people always return from their holidays declaring that they have spent quite the most marvellous time, and you yourself always seem to get landed with a tragic failure! Either these people are luckier than you are (which I beg to doubt) or they are more untruthful. Nobody likes to confess to the failure of a holiday; everybody likes to brag about the fun it has been and the wild success of that glorious fortnight. But they are not essentially truthful.
If you are honest, then you can probably only admit to one really marvellous holiday in your whole

life. I am not including the ones of your childhood when naturally they were always glorious and always a success. You need more as you grow older, for your standards are higher. I can only produce one truly marvellous holiday (a cruise to Norway in S.S. Orontes), and that is being honest. It hardly seems the qualification for writing this, when you come to think about it, but it is because I feel the tragedy of all those misspent holidays that I’ve got to do something about it.

So here we are!


We look forward to the precious holiday of a fortnight for weeks; we talk about it for weeks afterwards, trying to lend it some of the brightness it never really had, but when we look into our own hearts, most of us have to admit that the whole thing fell very far short of expectation.



And why?

Possibly we approached that holiday without giving it due consideration and forethought. I am convinced that the really entrancing holiday does not drop into your lap by accident; it has to be well planned. Possibly the venture was ruined because, although the place was well chosen and the weather propitious, loneliness crept into the picture, and loneliness in itself will ruin any venture of any kind, and anywhere. Or it may have been the right place but at the wrong time of year, and you went on the recommendation of a friend who had enjoyed it enormously, but had gone at the right time, which you never took into account.

Are you surprised when you really come to think about it? Of course you can’t be.

The key to a successful holiday is to know what you are seeking, and what you expect to get from it. The attitude of “ Really, I don’t mind where I go, or what I do, as long as it is a good holiday,” is quite a fatal one. Here is a questionnaire to help you, and I suggest that you are scrupulously truthful in your replies to each question, because those replies are the stepping stones to a really good time.



What do you actually want?

    Do you want a rest?
    A lively and well-entertained time?
    Do you want complete relaxation and peace?
    Are you seeking lovely scenery?
    Bracing air?
    Relaxing air?
    Do you want to meet a lot of new young friends?
    Or are you seeking older people?
    Do you want golf and tennis?
    Just a country holiday with games?
    Pleasant single companionship?
    Solitude?
    Or a love affair?



The point is that you will never get what you want unless you know what you want. Decide upon your essential need, because if you blind yourself to this, calamity has already overtaken your holiday and it may be utterly ruined from the outset.

So many people go away for a holiday, forgetful of the fact that change of conditions and climate can wreak havoc with the tummy, which immediately refuses to behave. They then fly to the other extreme and make themselves ill with dosing. Never take immediate strenuous exercise if used to a sedentary life, work up slowly to it.

Provided that you have made proper plans, and are taking the holiday seriously, it ought to be the happiest you have ever had.

I hope so.



Ursula Bloom
Bestselling author Ursula Bloom wrote over 500 books (her first when she was only 7 years old), a feat which earned her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. She also wrote short stories, and radio and stage plays. Ursula was chief crime reporter for a national newspaper at a time when few women worked as Fleet Street journalists, and was also the agony aunt for a weekly magazine, and beauty editor for Woman's Own! Her books are now being reissued in paperback, and published as ebooks for the first time, starting with her witty holiday romance "Wonder Cruise". Ann Clements leaves behind her dull life to take a Mediterranean cruise, where she discovers more about life, love and herself.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wonder-Cruise-romantic-adventure-lifetime-ebook/dp/B01CWCD5UA

www.ursulabloom.com



Friday, 2 May 2014

BOOK TOUR, GUEST BLOG & GIVEAWAY - Milk Fever, Lissa M.Cowan - Historical Ficition / Suspense



Title: Milk Fever
Author Name: Lissa M. Cowan

Book Description:

What if the only person you ever loved suddenly disappeared without a trace?
In 1789, Armande, a wet nurse who is known for the mystical qualities of her breast milk, goes missing from her mountain village.
Céleste, a cunning servant girl who Armande once saved from shame and starvation, sets out to find her. A snuffbox found in the snow, the unexpected arrival of a gentleman and the discovery of the wet nurse’s diary, deepen the mystery. Using Armande’s diary as a map to her secret past, Céleste fights to save her from those plotting to steal the wisdom of her milk.
Milk Fever is a rich and inspired tale set on the eve of the French Revolution–a delicious peek into this age’s history. The story explores the fight for women’s rights and the rise in clandestine literature laying bare sexuality, the nature of love and the magic of books to transform lives.
Excerpt:
Armande handed me a book that felt clumsy and stiff in my hands.
I pressed it with all the strength I could bring to bear. She said the
pages of books were made from cotton and linen rags stamped into
pulp, then pressed into paper and hung to dry. I laughed at her for
telling such a lie because I thought maybe she was just like my father
who told tall tales to make me behave. Rows and rows of lines she
called words looked odd to me. Many times I searched hard within
every letter, every sound to find meaning. The letters cut my tongue
as thorns on a rose bush, each one sticking to me. I could not speak
the next letter until the one before it came unstuck. Soon after the
word was finally spoken, my lazy tongue quit my mouth.
Months later, the wet nurse asked me to read a passage aloud.
The first line was, Bodies gliding on morning’s cloak of dew, lit up
as iridescent insect wings they flew. When I came to the word iridescent,
Armande said to say it slowly, one letter at a time. She told
me it was from the word iris for the flower, and escent for colours
of the rainbow that change as a dragonfly in the sun. Finally, when
my tongue began working with me and worrying less, she asked me
to say other words like deliquescent, effervescence, and florescence.
These newfound words were as rare gems dug up by the wet nurse
solely for me. She wrote them out with big stokes that filled a whole
page. I rubbed my eyes to make the words go away, yet they only
stayed there waiting for me to say them.
In the days and months that followed, I learned to read and write
well, and I learned first-hand about the miraculous effects of Armande’s
milk on babies. Before, I was a mere servant watching from afar as the
wet nurse suckled. Then I was part of her life, holding and changing
babies, burping them, and rocking them to sleep. Armande cared for
three babies during this period yet not all at once. She would also tend
to others from time to time, reassuring worried mothers in soothing
tones as gentle and sweet as the milk itself. First there was Jacques
who she still cared for. His mother died in childbirth and Armande
stepped up to nurse him without a thought about payment. Caroline
came after, then Héloïse. The first time I watched from up close as
Jacques drank her milk was in the drawing room.
Armande was on her favourite oak chair with the sagging blue leather
seat and worn arms while I sat on the sofa. Suddenly Jacques stopped sucking,
then gazed at me knowingly, his eyes full of light. In that instant, a slim ray
of sun gleamed through a crack, lighting up the darkness inside me.
My hands shook. Sweat ran down my cheeks and the back of my neck.
Just as she said her father sometimes described it, we were entering a new
age driven by light. And I, a peasant girl whose father and mother never
held a book, would be there to witness the change


Author Bio: 

Lissa M. Cowan is the author of Milk Fever and founder of Writing the Body. She speaks and writes about storytelling, creativity, work-life balance and creative spirituality. She is a Huffington Post blogger and writes regularly for Canadian and U.S. magazines and newspapers. 
She is co-translator of Words that Walk in the Night by Pierre Morency, one of Québec’s most honoured poets. She has been writing and telling stories in one form or another since she was six years old and has received awards for her writing from the University of Victoria’s Writing Department and from The Banff Centre. She is an alumna of The Banff Centre and The Victoria School of Writing. She has had some wonderfully talented teachers along the way such as Nino Ricci, Jane Rule and Daphne Marlatt who have helped her hone her writing craft.
Lissa believes that inspiration for writing can come from anywhere and that lifelong creativity begins by cultivating a deep awareness of ourselves, and the world around us. She coaches her students to develop the skills to tune in—rather than wait for the muse—and to trust their intuition. She believes that true creative work begins with a loving relationship to self and spreads outwards to encompass all living beings.
When she’s not writing or teaching, you can most likely find her in a cafe working on one of her stories or book ideas. She just started work on a creative non-fiction book, though it’s too early right now to spill the beans on that one!
She holds a Master of Arts degree in English Studies from l’Université de Montréal and lives in Toronto, Canada.

Author Links - 

Website: lissacowan.com 

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lissamcowan 






Book Genre: Historical fiction, literary suspense
Publisher: Demeter Press
Release Date: October 18, 2013











Wednesday, 11 September 2013

VBT & Giveaway - Do You Remember? by Mandy Baggot - Contemporary Romance


Do You Remember? Contemporary Romance

Released date 25th July 2013

First Love. First Loss. Last chance?
2005 was the most traumatic year of Emma Barron’s life. It was the year her mother died and the year she met Guy Duval. Eight years on, she’s an English teacher with a doting boyfriend and a young son. Life’s been hard but now it’s comfortable. She’s settled and content…so why would she risk it all for another chance with the man that broke her heart?
Guy’s an international renowned footballer newly signed to a top UK team. But behind the confident facade is a man determined to drown the horrors from his childhood with fame, success and money.
Unable to confide in her best friend, Aly, Emma tries to hold her life together as her heart is pulled apart. Did she turn her back on love too soon?
Neither of them know what really happened on 5 September 2005 and as events are slowly revealed can anyone cope with the truth?

NEWSFLASH!
Do You Remember? has been chosen for Amazon Kindle UK’s Last Summer Fling sale! Pick this up for just 99p between 6th-19th September! What are you waiting for?


AUTHOR GUEST BLOG POST 

Camping or glamping – let’s get back to nature!
Thank you so much for having me on your blog today! Now, Do You Remember? is part set in France where heroine Emma is taken on a 3 week holiday to a Riviera campsite. There she experiences the joy of living under canvas in a less than luxury four man tent with her dad, Mike.


But at this campsite in my novel there is much more than zips and pegs, there are also luxury holiday homes, used by the rich players of the book.



Now I’ve stayed in both. When Mr Big and I were young and free from children we would take his mum and dad’s ancient old tent (which we still have) and head off to a site and pitch up. We were young, we had an airbed and we knew how to use it. Later, when we had our first child we took the travel cot and slept under fabric...and I’m almost sure the other campers didn’t mind the night feed screaming!
But present day we’ve moved up to our own caravan!


She’s called Parker...because we take her and we...park her. Get it? Sad I know! Anyway, without further ado here are my top five tips for camping:-


1.       You don’t need a sleeping bag. Take your duvet and pillows and you will soon feel all the comforts from home...with added woodlouse maybe but...

2.       Plastic is best! Lady B doesn’t recommend taking your best china and cutlery. Where there are children and animals and ham-fisted relatives it’s much better to have plastic plates, cups and glasses! Cheers!

3.       Choose your pitch wisely! Avoid being too close to
a) the toilet block – might seem like a convenient idea to begin with but where there’s a heatwave there’s odourb) the entertainment complex – might be a short walk for that beer but the disco goes on ALL night!

4.       Take clothes for all weathers unless you’re abroad. I’ve been known to wear wellies AND flip-flops in the space of half an hour.

5.       Remember it’s not forever! Going back to basics and being cooped up in a tight space with your family arguing over board games and who broke the apparently non-breakable plastic plate might start to grate if you’re away for more than a few days...focus on their good points or...run off with the torch and leave them all to it!


         Have you got some camping stories or top tips to share? Leave a comment!
     


  ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Mandy Baggot is a romantic fiction author.  She writes strong contemporary romance and characters you'll fall in love with.In 2012 she won the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance. Her self-published title, Strings Attached was also short-listed for the Best Author Published Read award.
Also in 2012 she signed with American publishing house, Sapphire Star Publishing, who produced her novels, Taking Charge and romantic suspense, Security.
In June 2013 she signed a two book deal with Harper Collins' digital first romance imprint, Harper Impulse.
She is a regular contributor to writing blogs and on-line magazine, Loveahappyending Lifestyle http://www.loveahappyending.com/.
Mandy loves mashed potato, white wine, country music, World’s Strongest Man, travel and handbags.   She has appeared on ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and auditioned for The X-Factor.
Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and cats, Kravitz and Springsteen.

Author Links:

Loveahappyending Bookshelf: http://loveahappyending.org/mandy-baggot/
Harper Impulse: http://ow.ly/mAQBP
 The giveaway:
Entrants will be able to choose an ecopy from a selection of Mandy Baggot novels.  These include :
                Knowing Me Knowing You
           Breaking the Ice
          Excess All Areas
          Strings Attached
           Taking Charge
           Public Property
           Security
          Do You Remember?
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Friday, 23 August 2013

Book review & Giveaway - Beneath an Irish Sky by Isabella Connor - incl Guest blog from the authors!

Title - Beneath an Irish Sky
Author - Isabella Connor
Publisher - ChocLit publishing

Synopsis
The past is never over.
Jack Stewart thought he'd put the past behind him. On the surface he was everything - success, money, a big house and he is never short of an attractive woman by his side, but a tragic road accident shatters his world.

Raised as an Irish Traveller. Luke Kiernan hasn't had it easy, and when he wakes in a Dublin hospital to find the man he's hated since childhood at his bedside, he's hungry for revenge.

Two very different worlds collide, bringing new dangers, exposing past deceits and unearthing dark family secrets buried long ago. But from tragedy springs the promise of a fresh start with two women who are intent on helping Jack and Luke mend their lives.

Can new love heal old wounds, or are some scars there for good?




GUEST BLOG POST BY THE AUTHORS........ Yes authors. Carry on reading :)

Beneath an Irish Sky
by Isabella Connor

I can't remember when I began my love affair with Ireland. Or why. It just happened. I think there was always a little fascination but it suddenly erupted into full-blown obsession which has never gone away, and when I'm there, I feel comfortable. More than comfortable - I feel at home.

I buy as many books about Ireland as I can; I buy DVDs of movies set in Ireland; I have a shelf full of CD's featuring traditional Irish music; I have a stash of recorded programmes on the V+ that I'm loathe to delete. And don't start me on the accent - I swear that if I were on a jury for a trial with an Irish defendant, I'd find him innocent irrespective of the evidence. 

The protagonist in ‘Beneath an Irish Sky’ (initially, the book was called Luke) was always going to be Irish. I'd happily have Irish heroes every time, but maybe that would be going beyond passion into fanaticism!
Beautiful Cobh, Ireland - credit psyberartist

Despite my fascination with Ireland and everything/everyone Irish, I didn't actually get there until 1992, when I visited my penpal, lovely Kathleen Ryan, living at the time in Borrisoleigh, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. We'd never met, but she and her family welcomed myself and my children into their home and ensured my first visit to Ireland was everything I’d hoped for. Kathleen will hopefully forgive me for saying she's not unique. I've found everyone I've met in Ireland to be welcoming, so it's no surprise it has a reputation for being one of the friendliest countries in the world.  

Limerick, Ireland - Credit fitm
It's impossible to choose my favourite part of Ireland, but I do love Limerick. It's a typical city, but I loved it there, and felt a real affinity for it. I always loved watching Terry Wogan, so maybe it's his influence! Mallow, Cobh, Cork, Killarney, all places that were once just names on a map, but now I feel the same kind of familiarity that I do with places in England.

Three years ago, I found myself in Ennis, where Luke was living before having to leave so suddenly. Now this is where I probably lose any credibility, because I walked around this lovely little town, thinking he had probably covered the same ground, and when we went into a pub for lunch, I wondered if Luke's family drank there...
Ennis, O'Connell St - Credit Joseph Mischyshyn

But this is what fiction does, right?  It takes you away from reality, and I'm quite happy with that. And I don't think I'm looking through shamrock-coloured spectacles - I know it's not Utopia. But as nations go, it's the best for me. 


Isabella Connor is the pen-name of Liv Thomas and Val Olteanu. Val lives in Canada, and Liv is in England. They met on a Tolkien fan forum and decided to write a novel together. Despite living some 4,700 miles apart (and with an 8-hour time difference), they succeeded in producing their debut novel, ‘Beneath an Irish Sky,’ which is now available as eBook and paperback. 




My Book Review 

Well ChocLit publishing have done it again. They've given us another great author in the form of Isabella Connor.

Beneath an Irish Sky brings us some amazing characters. Some you'll love and some you'll just despise. 

Without giving away anything with spoilers, this book tells the story of how the lives of Jack Stewart, a wealthy man who wants for "almost" nothing, and Luke Kiernan an Irish Traveller, collided in a way neither of them could have expected. This was a great story that drew you in from the start. It is an amazing story of families and deep connections. 

There are so many wonderful characters in the book, but you never lose track of who is who, due to the way the author immerses you into their lives.

Whilst reading the book it took me through so many different emotions from concern to anger and love to sadness. 

The way the author depicts the locations in the book makes you feel like you have actually been there. Bizarrely enough, after reading the book the author sent me some photos, and Ennis (shown in the photo's above) is just how I pictured it to be when reading the book.

I loved this book and I didn't want it to end. I would love to know what happened to all the characters next. I didn't want it to end and I didn't want to leave them behind. A great read.


I loved this video of Ennis as it was all about families - Some beautiful music too. Enjoy.




a Rafflecopter giveaway