Guest Book Review: Tilly Tennant - The Man Who Can't Be Moved

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Fledgling journalist Ellie Newton is keen to prove herself when she lands a hard-won job at the Millrise Echo. So when reports come in of a man camped on the corner of a local street, refusing to move until the girl who has jilted him takes him back, Ellie is on a mission to get the scoop.

She arrives to meet Ben Kelly, a man she is instantly attracted to. But she has a job to do and an incredible story to write and has soon pledged to help him win back the girl of his dreams. With Ellie’s help, Ben’s plight captures the hearts and imaginations of the public. And when a TV film crew appears to make a feature on the most romantic gesture the town of Millrise has ever seen, Ellie’s mission gets its happy ending...

But while Ellie has been busy fixing the lives of her wayward parents, providing shoulders for heartbroken friends to cry on, and worrying about her terminally-ill aunt, she hasn’t noticed that she has also been falling quietly in love – with the very man she has now ensured is hopelessly out of her reach.

Ellie must choose between doing the right thing, and the thing that feels right. And whatever choice she makes, someone will get their heart broken. 

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Guest Book Review: Cynthia Harrod-Eagles - Goodbye Piccadilly

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

In 1914, Britain faces a new kind of war. For Edward and Beatrice Hunter, their children, servants and neighbours, life will never be the same again. 

For David, the eldest, war means a chance to do something noble; but enlisting will break his mother's heart. His sister Diana, nineteen and beautiful, longs for marriage. She has her heart set on Charles Wroughton, son of Earl Wroughton, but Charles will never be allowed to marry a banker's daughter. Below stairs, Cook and Ada, the head housemaid, grow more terrified of German invasion with every newspaper atrocity story. Ethel, under housemaid, can't help herself when it comes to men and now soldiers add to the temptation; yet there's more to this flighty girl than meets the eye. 

The once-tranquil village of Northcote reels under an influx of khaki volunteers, wounded soldiers and Belgian refugees. The war is becoming more dangerous and everyone must find a way to adapt to this rapidly changing world.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

Author Interview: Rachel K. Burke

Today is publication day for Rachel K. Burke's latest novel Love Bites so I'm pleased to be able to welcome Rachel to the blog for a quick chat.

What do you do when you fall in love with your best friend’s boyfriend?

That is the question that twenty-six year-old Justine Sterling has been asking herself ever since the day she met David Whitman, her best friend Renee’s boyfriend. Justine is determined to ignore her growing feelings for the irresistibly charming David, until one night, when she finds herself in the bed of the one person she should stay away from.

When Justine and David’s affair ends in heartbreak, Justine is forced to repair the damaged friendship with her best friend. In doing so, she learns that right and wrong decisions aren’t always black and white, and sometimes you have to follow your heart to see where it leads.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest novel Love Bites?  
Love Bites is the story of a 26-year-old girl who is searching for love, and she eventually finds it - the only problem is that the person she ends up falling for is her best friend’s boyfriend.  

Reading the blurb, it sounds like Love Bites is a prequel to your previous book. Had you always intended to tell this story or did it develop whilst writing Sound Bites? 
I hadn’t intended on a prequel at all, but when I finished Sound Bites, I realized that the story mainly focuses on the main character, Renee, and her new love interest, Dylan. Readers never get a chance to find out the true story of what transpired between Justine and David, so I thought it would be a good idea to share Justine’s story as well. Some readers even requested a sequel from Justine’s POV. 

Guest Book Review: Carrie Elks - Fix You

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

You've found the one, but what if life has other plans?

London, 31st December 1999
At a party to toast the new millennium, Hanna meets Richard. He is a gorgeous, wealthy New Yorker. She is a self-assured, beautiful Londoner with no interest in clean-cut American men. They are from different worlds and have nothing in common... except for their instant - and mutual - attraction to one another.As the clocks chime midnight it is a new year and the beginning of a wonderful romance.

New York, 12th May 2012
Hanna, the girl who broke Richard's heart, walks into his Wall Street office - and back into his life - to reveal an explosive secret.

He was sure they were meant to be together forever, but she broke his heart so completely the last time, can he find a way to let her mend the pieces?

Amazon link: Kindle

Christmas Memories: Christmas in Florida

Although I love the build up to Christmas, buying presents, sending cards and catching up with news as to what's going on in everyone's lives, I have to confess I normally hate Christmas day itself as it brings back too many memories.  Since my mum died almost 15 years ago, Christmasses have changed a lot as she was the one who brought us all together and since then we've all splintered off into our own separate lives.

Anyway I digress... back in the Summer of 2008 my friend Nickie asked me if I would like to join her and her family for a Christmas with a difference, spending Christmas and New Year in Florida.  So I gratefully accepted and soon we were merrily planning our holiday of a lifetime only for the rug to crashing down under our feet.... no sooner had we paid the balance for our trip then the travel company goes bust!  But Nickie was determined that the holiday was going to go ahead so even before we'd submitted all the paperwork to try and claim our money back she was on the phone to Virgin Holidays trying to rebook and in the end we came out winners as we ended up with a much better deal than we originally had...

Christmas Memories: My Only Pantomime Experience by Rebecca Raisin

When I contacted authors about taking part in my Fictional Characters in Panto feature I didn't even consider the reality that pantomimes are mainly a British tradition and are not as well-known in other countries.  So I'd especially like to thank Australian author Rebecca Raisin who offered to share with us her one and only experience of seeing a pantomime instead.

I’m not sure that pantomimes are as big here as they are in the UK, or it could be that I just live in a bubble! 

Though, when my boys were two we took them to a local pantomime, and the only one I’ve ever been to! The actors were friends of ours in the community, and we’d watched them rehearse on weekends, and were excited to see them on the opening night. 

The performed Scrooge, and I was completely blown away by how good they were! I was a little worried the boys would get bored, being almost babies still, but they sat there for two hours mesmerised! We sat close to the stage and they could see every minute detail from the costumes, to the make-up. They were entranced! 

Guest Post: My Favourite Christmas Songs and Movies by Stella Newman

Today it's my stop on Stella Newman's blog tour to celebrate the publication of her festive short story A Pear Shaped Christmas with a look at Stella's favourite Christmas songs and movies... dare you not to sing along ;-)

I love a neat list of Top Tens at this time of year but there are only four Christmas songs I genuinely like, and three films. (I a a fan of Bond, The Pink Panther, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, etc - but technically they’re just films you watch at Christmas, not films about Christmas.)   So on that basis, here are my top seven…

Fairytale of New York
As my upstairs neighbours will tell you, I’m a huge fan of karaoke.  They’ll also tell you I have a terrible voice.  Still, come the festive season, that doesn’t stop me from drunkenly belting this out in my living room like Shirley Bassey’s more confident little sister.   Those lyrics, those harmonies, that emotion!  One of the greatest pop songs ever written - I could listen to this 365 days a year.  

White Christmas
Of course it’s an obvious choice - but then again it’s the best selling single of all time for a reason.  It’s also the single that’s been most covered by other artists.  What other song could you imagine being recorded by singers as diverse as Bob Marley, Barbra Streisand, Rick Astley, Crash Test Dummies and Cee Lo Green?  Probably not the second best selling single of all time - Candle In The Wind…

Fictional Characters in Panto: Talli Roland casts Snow White

When I contacted authors to take part in this Fictional Characters in Panto feature, Talli Roland was one of the first to say yes despite having never watched a panto.

I love writing over-the-top characters, so when it came time to cast my characters in a pantomime, I had no trouble. My first novel, The Hating Game, is a tongue-in-cheek take on reality television featuring very vivid individuals. 

With the evil, sausage-scarfing producer Silver, the ballsy female protagonist Mattie who’s locked away her love, and the dodgy group of men she’s meant to be dating on the TV show, one play sprang to mind: Snow White. Okay, so Snow White is rather passive while Mattie is the opposite, but they do meet their prince at the end – after many trials and tribulations.

Fictional Characters in Panto: The Wedding Proposal in Anti-Panto

Something a little different for you today from Sue Moorcroft for the festive Fictional Characters in Panto feature.

Pantomimes don’t lend themselves to my books. Panto heroines are too wishy-washy, hanging around and waiting to be rescued, and my heroes tend to be a bit too attitude-laden to fulfil the role of Prince Charming.

So here’s my anti-Panto: Elle, wishes for a new life on a boat in a marina in Malta, leaving behind her old self in Corporateland and volunteering at a drop-in centre. As she doesn’t have a fairy godmother, she makes this happen herself. Or maybe Simon, who lends her the boat, is her fairy godfather? I can’t see him in a tutu and wand. And he could equally be cast as a mischievous elf because he has also lent the boat to …

… Brooding Prince Lucas. Lucas is the good guy, he really is. Truth and honesty are his constant companions and right is always on his side. Unfortunately, he has been blinded to any form of the truth that’s not black or white, making him a teeny weeny bit judgemental, especially where Elle’s concerned. Beautiful Elle is hiding a boatload of secrets. And Lucas doesn’t like them. He does not need her turning up just when he’s reinvented himself as a divemaster in a magical land of sun and fun. 

Fictional Characters in Panto: My favourite Panto Heroes and Villians by Clare Dowling

Today it's the turn of Irish author Clare Dowling to be creative for this festive feature.

It’s that time of the year again (oh no, it’s not!) when there’s a Christmas panto on at a theatre or town hall near you. Everybody’s got a favourite panto character or two, whether it’s Peter Pan or the Ugly Stepsisters (although I think they should get a medal for putting up with that wet rag Cinderella).  Pantoland wouldn’t be the same without beautiful princesses, wicked witches and men dressed up in enormous bloomers.  And hopefully a handsome prince to help the evening along.   

Here are a few of my favourite panto heroes and villains, except I’ve decided to mix it up by casting them with characters from my books.  Coming to a theatre near you…

The Character: Buttons.  One of the sweetest panto characters around.  Young and hapless, but capable of vicious jokes at the Ugly Stepsisters’ expense.  Deeply in love with Cinderella, except she has no idea.

The Cast: Anto Brady, from ‘A Special Delivery’.  Anto is an unintentionally funny teen who finds himself the butt of many jokes. Like Buttons, he too suffers from unrequited love, for the beautiful Nicola, who scarcely acknowledges his existence. Even if he’s a little rough around the edges, Anto’s a bit of a show stealer.  

The Character: Sleeping Beauty.  The first thing that should be said about her is that she sleeps a lot.  She’s also resilient and forgiving, even if she has to do a lot of hanging around waiting for that prince to come and kiss her.

The Cast: Nicola O’Sullivan, from ‘A Special Delivery’.  This would be casting against type, as the only thing Nicola has in common with Sleeping Beauty is that she, too, sleeps a lot, but for an altogether different reason.  Troubled and headstrong, Nicola never takes anything lying down.  And though she meets her Prince Charming in the end, it’s not quite as rosy as in fairytales.  

Author Interview: Amanda James

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of chatting to Amanda James about two of her books that had just been published, and today I'm delighted to welcome her back to talk about her third book of the year... busy lady... Cross Stitch, sequel to A Stitch in Time, which has just been published as an eBook.

A stitch in time may save nine but a cross-stitch spells disaster …

It should be the happiest day of her life. Despite past heartache, Sarah Yates is finally marrying her true love, John Needler.

But Sarah and John can’t pretend they’re an ordinary couple. They’re time travellers and where time travel is involved, nothing runs smoothly. One minute Sarah is saying her vows and the next she is hurtled back in time to a country that is on the cusp of war, and into the company of the bad-tempered Veronica Ratchet.

Newly-wedded bliss is certainly not on the cards for Sarah as events see her travelling from the British punk era to 1950’s America. And even when she returns home she can’t escape Veronica.

But when the past and the present collide, that’s when the real problems start …

Thanks for inviting me back to your blog, Sharon!

Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect in Cross Stitch? 
Sarah plans to marry her true love, John, but will she live happily ever after? A stitch in time may save nine, but a cross stitch spells disaster ...

Did you know when you were writing A Stitch in Time that you wanted the story to continue?  
I hadn’t planned on writing another but Sarah kept whispering in my ear towards the end so I left it open.

Is this the end for Sarah and John or are they likely to crop up again in the future?
When I was writing Cross Stitch I decided that it would be the end. The same thing happened towards the final few chapters however. So ... Sarah and John might pop up in the future and there might also be others ready to take over the time travelling baton too.

Guest Book Review: Talli Roland - Marriage to Measure

Reviewed by Tanya Phillips 

When Serenity Holland proposes to her long-time boyfriend Jeremy, she’s certain ‘forever’ is a perfect fit. As the wedding train steams forward, though, Serenity starts to wonder if they really are an ideal match. From a crusty old ring to a dilapidated house she’s left to renovate on her own – not to mention the appearance of Jeremy’s clingy ex-fiancée – engagement feels more like disengagement. 

Even worse, wedding planning’s like a bad hangover as Serenity juggles the wishes of family and friends with her bossy mother-in-law-to-be, resulting in a Frankenwedding nothing like the simple ceremony she envisioned. 

Can Serenity knit her relationship back together and fashion a celebration that suits, or will ‘I do’ become ‘I don’t’? 

Amazon link: Kindle

Fictional Characters in Panto: Cora’s Christmas Kiss – The Panto!

The festive challenge from Shaz was to cast some of your own characters in a panto. So these are the characters in my brand new festive story, Cora’s Christmas Kiss. Here goes…

Cora Strachan is Dick Whittington. Yes. I know Dick Whittington was a boy, but we’re living in different times now, and it’s sort of traditional to have pantomime boys played by girls in tights, so I think it’ll be fine. 

Cora came to London to make her fortune. She’s had some good times, and some really hard ones, but she’s still here, and somehow a part of her still believes that the streets might really turn out to be paved with gold.

Mrs Atkins is the pantomime dame. Fulsome of bosom and not to be messed with, Mrs Atkins in the story rules over all things festive at Golding’s Department store with a rod of iron. She keeps errant elves, and misbehaving children in check, and I have no doubt that she’d be just as happy giving a misbehaving pantomime prince a clip around the ear if she needed to.

Flash Giveaway: Win these Snow Crystal trilogy books by Sarah Morgan

In the spirit of Christmas I have decided to host an extra giveaway for existing followers (blog, Twitter or FB page) to win my paperback copies of the three books in the Snow Crystal trilogy by Sarah Morgan, Sleigh Bells in the Snow (read once), Suddenly Last Summer (bought secondhand) and Maybe this Christmas (new) as I also have all 3 books as eBooks :-)

Once upon a time Kayla loved Christmas

Now she’s more dedicated to her job than decking the halls, and can’t wait for the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ to be over.

Until she arrives at the enchanting Snow Crystal ski resort, determined to win gorgeous owner Jackson as a marketing client.

But wooing Jackson professionally quickly turns personal as they spend flirty festive nights in this glittering winter wonderland.

With snowflakes swirling and sleigh bells ringing…could Jackson be the one to make Kayla fall back under the Christmas spell?

Fictional Characters in Panto: Cinderella, starring the cast from One Hundred Christmas Proposals

Today's festive feature is brought to us by author Holly Martin who has certainly been a busy lady this year with the publication of her novels The Guestbook, One Hundred Proposals and One Hundred Christmas Proposals.

Harry and Suzie would make the perfect Prince Charming and Cinderella.  Harry adores Suzie and in One Hundred Proposals he takes her round the world to prove his love for her.  Prince Charming proves his love for Cinderella by going to every house in the land to try to find her.  Suzie is a normal girl who works hard in her job, just like Cinderella.  After a tough patch in her life when her brother dies, she needs the magic of the proposals to turn her life around and Harry, her very own Prince Charming, does that for her.

Badger would make the perfect Buttons.  He is loyal to Harry and Suzie and goes out of his way to give them both the happy ever after they deserve. In One Hundred Christmas Proposals it looks like Badger will get his own happy ever after too.

Guest Book Review: Luke Delaney - The Keeper

Reviewed by Clodagh Phelan

Thomas Keller knows exactly who he’s looking for…

They tried to keep them apart, but when he finds her, he’s going to keep her. Just like he knows she wants him to.

DI Sean Corrigan is not like other detectives. His dark past has given him the ability to step into a crime scene and see it through the offender’s eyes. He understands what drives a person to commit terrible acts – but sometimes his gift feels more like a curse.

When women start disappearing from their homes in broad daylight, Corrigan’s Murder Investigation Team is reluctant to take on a missing persons case. But then the first body turns up, and Corrigan knows he must quickly get into the mind of the murderer. Because this killer knows exactly who he wants. And he won’t stop until he finds her.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Guest Book Review: Luke Delaney - Cold Killing

Reviewed by Clodagh Phelan

NO MOTIVE. NO MERCY. NO REMORSE. 

A series of brutal killings leaves South London’s Murder Investigation Unit struggling to connect the crimes: no recognizable method; no forensic evidence; and the victims have nothing in common. 

NO TIME TO LOSE. 

DI Sean Corrigan’s troubled past has left him with an uncanny ability to identify the darkness in others – a darkness he struggles to keep buried within his own psyche. Sean knows these murders are the work of one man. As the violence escalates, Sean must find the evidence he needs to bring the perpetrator to justice – before the next attack hits too close to home…

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Fictional Characters in Panto: A.L. Michael casts Driving Home for Christmas

Well, no doubt, when considering the characters from my new Christmas book, Driving Home for Christmas, and how they could fit into Panto, I had some doubts. Firstly, I don’t know panto that well, beyond each year taking a bunch of less than enthused brownies and girl guides to watch something in the church hall. But there seem to be some themes, and some of the characters I knew instantly would fit.

Presenting Auntie Anna as the Fairy Godmother

Anna is exactly what you’d want in a fairy godmother; she’s wise, loving, never sees a problem she can’t fix and tends to meddle in your life in order to make it better. She’s the reason my main characters Megan and Skye decide to go home for Christmas to see their estranged family. Anna is fun and fabulous, and more than a little sneaky. She took Megan and Skye in when Megan was disowned by her parents as a pregnant teenager, and is now giving her back her family for Christmas. Who needs a magic wand?

Jeremy as The Dame

Jeremy isn’t a main character, but I love him, and he fits the role of Dame so well. Living with Anna and Megan and Skye as a lodger, he’s a playwright by day and a drag queen by night. He’s thoughtful, a constant presence in the women’s lives, supporting Anna and her old actress friends in creating a Gatsby Christmas for them, as well as being there as a shoulder to cry on for Megan, and recommending great books to Skye to make sure she has a well rounded education. He’s fabulous, fun and talented, and he’ll tell you the truth, no matter what, usually in a sassy and to-the-point kind of way. Just what you need in a dame. Plus, his makeup skills are fantastic and he’s excellent with the glitter.

Guest Post: Christmas in Cornwall by Jenny Oliver

Today it's my stop on Jenny Oliver's The Little Christmas Kitchen blog tour with a guest piece by Jenny about spending Christmas in Cornwall.

Last year my parents bought a little cottage by the sea in Cornwall. It’s picturesque pretty - ivy climbs over stone walls, robins perch on the white picket fence, and gnarled oak trees surround the garden behind which the cows in the neighbouring field moo happily. It was the perfect place for a Christmas. 

We arrived late in the pitch dark, the frost already icing windscreens. The sea crashed in the distance, whipped up by the winter storms and the wind cracked through the branches.  Our tiny car was piled high with stuff, so as we ran through the lashing rain we were carrying armfuls of presents, panettones and all the other paraphernalia that accompanies a week away. 

Dripping wet, tired, high on Haribo and Costa coffee, fraught from arguments about directions we stood forlorn on the doorstep, not really speaking, but then the stable-style door opened and it was like stepping into a fairytale. 

In the corner of the main room was a huge great tree sparkling with silver tinsel and weighed down with all our ramshackle childhood baubles. Next to that was a roaring fire that crackled and spat and scented the air with rich woodsmoke and pine. Garlands draped the staircase (my mum can turn a bunch of holly and ivy into the most lavish of decorations) and Whisky Macs sat waiting on the big table (the Christmas tablecloth already laid out and red candles flickering). 

Debut Spotlight: Jo Bloom

Today it's my pleasure to introduce you to Jo Bloom whose debut novel Ridley Road was published yesterday.

Jo Bloom has worked as a freelancer in the communications field for the past fifteen years with a focus on arts publicity and e-learning. She also contributed to the book review section of Time Out, London for a few years. Prior to this she lived and worked in Prague and New York. She was inspired to write Ridley Road when she met a Jewish anti-fascist who'd lived in the East End all his life and participated in numerous street battles with the fascists alongside both the 43 Group and the 62 Group. She lives in Brighton with her husband and young son.

Summer, 1962. Twenty-year-old Vivien Epstein, a Jewish hairdresser from Manchester, arrives in London following the death of her father. Alone in the world, she is looking for Jack Fox, a man she had a brief but intense love affair with some months before. But the only address she has for him leads to a dead end.

Determined to make a new life for herself, Vivien convinces Barb, the owner of Oscar's hair salon in Soho, to give her a job. There, she is swept into the colourful world of the sixties - the music and the fashions, the coffee bars and clubs.

But still, Vivien cannot forget Jack. As she continues to look for him, her search leads her into the fight against resurgent fascism in East London, where members of the Jewish community are taking to the streets, in and around Ridley Road. Then one day Vivien finally spots Jack, but her joy is short-lived when she discovers his secret...

Can you tell us a little bit about your debut novel Ridley Road? 
Ridley Road is inspired by real events surrounding the 62 Group, a Jewish anti-fascist organisation which formed to confront the revival of fascism in London. I’ve set a love story against this political backdrop while sweeping the reader up into the world of music, coffee bars, fashion and hair in the early sixties. 

Fictional Characters in Panto: Where's a Fairy Godmother When you Need One?

The Fictional Characters in Panto features are certainly proving very popular so today I'm pleased to welcome Margaret James with her casting.

It’s Christmas and that means pantomimes, doesn’t it? Well, here in the UK it means pantomimes, stage shows in which traditional fairy tales are loosely – sometimes very loosely – reinterpreted as opportunities for famous and not-so-famous celebrities to do their party pieces, excuses for the loud and out-of-tune community singing of current pop songs, and chances for the smaller children in the audience to get up on stage and be acutely embarrassed in exchange for a lollipop or one of the celebrity’s latest CDs.

My novel The Wedding Diary features the tag line where’s a fairy godmother when you need one. The fairy godmother is a key character in the pantomime of Cinderella, and my version of Cinderella was certainly lots of fun to write. 

My heroine Cat doesn’t exactly sit at home in the kitchen while her ugly sisters (in Cat’s case her friends Tess and Bex) go off to the ball. But at the start of the story poor Cat has just been dumped by a heartless rascal and she’s feeling very sorry for herself. As for Prince Charming – in this case he’s a builder who specialises in restoring stately homes and he’s not remotely rich or famous, but he is very gorgeous and you can’t have everything – my Prince Adam needs a lady in his life. But he’s already had his heart broken by one daddy’s little princess and he hasn’t much inclination to look around for another one. 

Author Interview: Jane Lovering

It's certainly been a busy year for Jane Lovering publishing 2 books so it's my absolute pleasure to welcome Jane back to the blog to talk about her new book How I Wonder What You Are which has just been published as an eBook, paperback will follow next year. 

“Maybe he wasn’t here because of the lights – maybe they were here because of him …”

It’s been over eighteen months since Molly Gilchrist has had a man (as her best friend, Caro, is so fond of reminding her) so when she as good as stumbles upon one on the moors one bitterly cold morning, it seems like the Universe is having a laugh at her expense.

But Phinn Baxter (that’s Doctor Phinneas Baxter) is no common drunkard, as Molly is soon to discover; with a PhD in astrophysics and a tortured past that is a match for Molly’s own disastrous love life.

Finding mysterious men on the moors isn’t the weirdest thing Molly has to contend with, however. There’s also those strange lights she keeps seeing in the sky. The ones she’s only started seeing since meeting Phinn …

Can you tell us a little bit about How I Wonder What You Are?  
How I Wonder What You Are (or HIWWYA as it’s so oddly known because it actually takes longer to say than using the words) is set on the North York Moors, where jilted fiancée Molly teams up with the phobic, anxiety-ridden astrophysicist Phinn Baxter to investigate some mysterious lights in the sky over the village of Riverdale.  It features a horse called Stan, who has the build and disposition of a hall table, a septic tank, snow and a lot of scenery.

Guest Book Review: Sheila Roberts - The Snow Globe

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When Kiley Gray discovers an enchanting snow globe in an antique shop, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. For years, the snow globe has passed from generation to generation, somehow always landing in the hands of a person in special need of a Christmas miracle. 

Kiley could use a miracle herself. This year, all she wants for Christmas is someone to love. A hopeful shake leads her on an adventure that makes a believer out of her. When Kiley shares the story of the snow globe with her best friends-two women with problems of their own-they don't believe it. But they're about to discover that at Christmastime, sometimes the impossible becomes possible and miracles really do come true.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Fictional Characters in Panto: Robin Hood with a sprinkling of Cinderella …

This morning I have another fabulous festive feature for you from Emma Davies, author of Letting in Light, or in a seasonal variation, Robin Hood with a sprinkling of Cinderella …

This is so difficult, putting your book characters into a pantomime, but I think in my case it had to be Robin Hood, seeing as a large part of Letting in Light is set at Rowan Hill, a woodland estate.

So that must make Will, the lead male character, Robin Hood? Erm, well no actually. You see Will is not your typical dashing hero, never really pictured him in tights somehow (too short), but I think he'd make a good Will Scarlett, grumpy (but with good reason), brooding, but a good man, misunderstood, and just needing the love of a good woman, which brings me to Ellie …

Now Ellie is definitely a Maid Marion type, looks good in autumn colours, teeny bit feisty, and not adverse to a bit of ‘theres a bear behind you’ … ‘A bare behind, where?!’ She's no slouch when it comes to fighting for her man either, and I think if pushed would definitely buckle her swash! 

Christmas Reads 2014: Sheila Roberts - On Strike for Christmas

At Christmas time, it seems as though a woman's work is never done. Trimming the tree, mailing the cards, schlepping to the mall, the endless wrapping - bah humbug! So this year, Joy and Laura and the rest of their knitting group decide to go on strike. If their husbands and families want a nice holiday filled with parties, decorations, and presents - well, they'll just have to do it themselves.

The boycott soon takes on a life of its own when a reporter picks up the story and more women join in. But as Christmas Day approaches, Joy, Laura, and their husbands confront larger issues in their marriages and discover that a little holiday magic is exactly what they need to come together.

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback 

Fictional Characters in Panto: The Not Quite Perfect Christmas Pantomime

I was festively delighted when Sharon asked me to write something for her Christmas feature, firstly because she is a brilliant blogger, tireless supporter of our books and all-round lovely person, secondly because I love Christmas almost as much as my children do and thirdly because pantomimes are my guilty festive pleasure (along with M&S Snowy balls and the Christmas24 movie channel).

Over the past three years I have accompanied my son’s class on their annual trip to see a pantomime. Two years ago, one of the other mums and I came over a little peculiar at the sight of Sid from Cbeebies playing Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk (I know, I should be ashamed). Last year I hugged myself with delight watching Phil ‘Get art ma pub’ Mitchell as Captain Hook. I love the cheery sing-alongs, the rubbish jokes, the laugh-out-loud slapstick and most of all, watching the children’s faces as they drink it all in.

So I thought I would try to re-imagine the cast of Not Quite Perfect in a medley of my very favourite pantomimes.

The Characters

Emma Darcy as Cinderella
I always secretly wanted Cinderella to marry Buttons and had a nagging feeling that the handsome prince was too good to be true. Emma may not have an evil stepmother or ugly sisters but she certainly needs a Fairy Godmother to help turn her life around.

Emma’s fiancé Martin as Buttons
He’s reliable, dependable and always there for Cinders, just like Martin is for Emma. Okay so reliable isn’t always the most exciting but surely it’s enough? Oh no it isn’t! Oh yes it is! (Sorry)

Guest Book Review: Hester Browne - The Honeymoon Hotel

Reviewed by Sarah Brew

The Bonneville Hotel is the best kept secret in Mayfair: its art deco suites and glittering ballrooms a former home-away-from-home for royalty and film stars alike. Recent years haven't been kind, but thanks to Events Manager Rosie, the Bonneville is reclaiming some of its old cachet as a chic retro-glam wedding venue. 

While Rosie's weddings are the ultimate in romance, Rosie herself isn't; she's focused on the details, not the dramas. But when the hotel owner appoints his eccentric son Joe to the Bonneville staff, Rosie finds herself up against an unprecedented challenge: a rival whose predilection for the unconventional could derail not only Rosie's own career, but the most elaborate, high-profile wedding the Bonneville has ever seen.

Amazon Links: Kindle or Paperback

Fictional Characters in Panto: Janey Fraser casts After The Honeymoon as a Panto

I’ve always loved panto! When my children were little, we used to take them to see them to Oxford or  Chipping Norton where we’d roar ‘It’s behind you’ until our throats were sore. Now they’re older, I have to beg them to come with me so I can keep the tradition going.

But I have also have a terrible confession to make. One Christmas, when I was still trying to get published, I took a recently-finished manuscript with me to ‘Aladdin’ where I sat in the back row, with my torch, and did a last-minute edit while my three children (all under seven) were jumping up and down in their seats. It was the equivalent of putting them in front of the television while I worked. And yes, I know I’m a bad mother....

I also used to wonder which one of my characters would make a good baddie. So when Shaz’s Book Blog asked me to role cast some of my heroes and heroines and villains, I jumped at the chance to set them in AFTER THE HONEYMOON, my latest novel about one Greek honeymoon destination; three couples; and six secrets. Here goes:

Greco is a very sexy hero in ‘After The Honeymoon’ who starts off life as a villain/Jack the Lad. The clue is in the name. Yes! I’d cast him as Jack in the Beanstalk. Why? Because he’s a bit naive; he does some stupid things; but he means well. My Greco is also short of a few beans which gets him into trouble but I’m not going to spoil the story. However, I will add that what he makes up for in intelligence, he more than makes up for in another area. In fact, he’d rival a Giant in that department, any day...

Guest Post: Tanya's Christmas Memories

Well when I volunteered to write a Christmas Post for Sharon I thought it would be easy but there are so many great Christmas’ to choose from.  Christmas for me means time spent with people I love, we play card games and board games together and of course over indulge in food.  We are also lucky/unlucky enough to celebrate many birthdays within 6 days of Christmas. 

Three Christmasses really stand out for me.  Two of them being the girls first Christmas with us in 2002 and 2005. I remember watching Sian (now 12) feeling her stocking at the end of her cot with the biggest smile on her face.  We were sat downstairs watching her on the TV monitor as we couldn’t sleep any longer and was so excited we got up to have a coffee and open our stockings to each other.  I am still like that now and hardly sleep Christmas Eve as I can’t wait to see the girls’ faces.

Christmas Giveaway: Win a copy of The Parisian Christmas Bake Off by Jenny Oliver

I was recently sent a paperback copy of The Parisian Christmas Bake Off as a thank you from the lovely peeps at Carina UK but as I've already read and reviewed the eBook last year I have decided to share the love and offer it as another Christmas giveaway prize.

Welcome to the most celebrated patisserie competition in Paris – ready, steady, bake!

Watching snowflakes settle on the Eiffel Tower, Rachel Smithson’s cosy English village feels very far way – as, thankfully, does her commitment-phobic ex, probably already kissing someone else under the mistletoe. But Rachel hasn’t come to Paris to mope she’s come to bake. Hard. 

Guest Book Review: Janine Cobain - How Will You Remember Me?

Reviewed by Tanya Phillips

Are we in control of our own life, or will fate always win in the end? 

When Catherine Harvey's marriage ends in divorce, she finds solace with her best friend Jessica in Belfast. Seven years on, she has her material and physical needs covered, but her heart is firmly locked away. 

After the death of her ex-husband, and lustful designs on a sexy stranger, Catherine feels ready to share her life with a special man, all she needs to do is find one.

Connor Maxwell returns to his home town, after twenty years in emotional exile, to rebuild his life after suffering a devastating loss. As his world begins to heal, it brings him far more than he bargained for. 

How many times will destiny cross their paths before it gives up?

Amazon links: Kindle or Paperback

Fictional Characters in Panto: Linda Mitchelmore casts Cinderella from To Turn Full Circle

The latest author to accept the Fictional Characters in Panto feature challenge is Linda Mitchelmore. 

The bottom line is that TO TURN FULL CIRCLE is a pure, Cinderella, rags to riches story.

CAST

CINDERELLA – Emma Le Goff. This pantomime could have been written for Emma Le Goff. The story opens with her in borrowed clothing which is too big for her, and none too clean. She is mentally strong and feisty – well, she has to be with all that’s happened to her. She can’t dance at the beginning of the story but she finds someone who can. Will a turn around the dance floor turn her head away from Seth and towards Matthew Caunter. Hmm … we shall see.

PRINCE CHARMING – It’s rare for a man not to know how handsome he is but this can be said of Seth Jago. He would walk over hot coals for Emma Le Goff, never mind search high and low for her to return a glass slipper. He goes travelling and has one teensy fall from grace but then, he’s a man. And he redeems himself in the end.

Emma's Christmas Giveaway #2: Win a copy of Christmas in the Snow by Karen Swan

Today I have another genorous giveaway for you from guest reviewer Emma which is for a copy of Christmas in the Snow by Karen Swan.

No secret stays buried forever... 

In London, the snow is falling and Christmas is just around the corner - but Allegra Fisher barely has time to notice. She's pitching for the biggest deal of her career and can't afford to fail. And when she meets attractive stranger, Sam Kemp, on the plane to the meeting, she can't afford to lose her focus either. She learned to shut off her emotions long ago and only her sister and best friend Isobel knows why. But when Allegra finds herself up against Sam for the bid, their passion quickly turns sour. 

Cover Reveal: Conditional Love by Cathy Bramley

Cathy Bramley is a fantastic supporter to bloggers like myself so it's my absolute pleasure to be able to support her today with a cover reveal for her latest book.

I am thrilled to announce that a new ebook* edition of CONDITIONAL LOVE is being published by Transworld today.  

I first published CONDITIONAL LOVE myself on Amazon in October 2013 but now it has had the full Transworld treatment.  It is essentially the same story, with the same characters and the same happy ending. So what is different about it?

Well, I feel like my writing has developed since I first wrote it almost two years ago and so when Transworld very kindly gave me the opportunity to re-write it, working closely as usual with my editor, Harriet Bourton, I jumped at the chance. I took on board her editorial comments, sharpened up the narrative, tweaked some of the characters and generally I’ve given the book a more punchy, fast-moving feel.

I asked Harriet to share her thoughts about this new edition of the book in her own words:

I first read CONDITIONAL LOVE before I’d met Cathy. I’d seen her on Twitter talking to bloggers I follow and I was impressed by her cover for the book and the reviews she had, so I bought it and started reading. That one casual purchase led to Cathy’s deal with Transworld and a creative, fun and rewarding new author relationship. Some happy months later, Cathy and I set about looking at CONDITIONAL LOVE with a fresh eye. I thought the novel was wonderful, full of Cathy’s trademark warmth, comfort and good humour, but being an editor we can never leave well enough alone, and I had some ideas for how Cathy could squeeze even more out of the story. The heart of the novel is still the same, and the over-arching plot and characters too, but I think of this new refreshed edition of CONDITIONAL LOVE as being the high-definition version: brimming with colour and romance, sharp witted and lively from beginning to end, and impossible to resist once you’ve taken a glance!

I am delighted with what Harriet and I have achieved together this year and I hope readers will approve too. And of course the most exciting bit— is the sparkly new cover!

Debut Spotlight: Clare Chase

Today it's my pleasure to introduce you to Clare Chase whose debut novel You Think You Know Me was published earlier this week.

Sometimes, it’s not easy to tell the good guys from the bad …

Freelance journalist, Anna Morris, is struggling to make a name for herself, so she’s delighted to attend a launch event for a hip, young artist at her friend Seb’s gallery.

But an exclusive interview isn’t all Anna comes away with. After an encounter with the enigmatic Darrick Farron, she is flung into the shady underground of the art scene – a world of underhand dealings, missing paintings and mysterious deaths …

Seb is intent on convincing Anna that Darrick is up to no good but, try as she might, she can’t seem to keep away from him. And as she becomes further embroiled, Anna begins to wonder – can Seb’s behaviour be explained away as the well-intentioned concern of an old friend, or does he have something to hide?

Thanks so much for having me on to your blog, Sharon!

Can you tell us a little bit about your debut novel You Think You Know Me?
The story is a murder mystery set in the arts world in the run-up to Christmas. The action starts in a smart London gallery when journalist, Anna Morris, meets a man she can’t resist. The attraction between them is powerful, but within hours she finds he’s lied about his identity. Torn between backing off and allowing him to explain, Anna gets drawn in. Before she knows it, she’s part of a history that’s already been written, where a little knowledge is a very dangerous thing.

Where did the inspiration come from to set the story in the underground art scene?
My mother trained as an illustrator, and my brother is an artist too, so the arts world has always held a fascination for me. Watching documentaries about celebrities like Damien Hirst made me conscious of just how much money sloshes around in the sector. And where there’s money, there’s plenty of potential for crime! I’m also interested in the cult status certain artists attain, and the effect this has on the people who want to own their work, and be a part of that dream.