Author Interview: Kristina Adams

Today it's my pleasure to welcome Kristina Adams, author of the What Happens in... series, to the blog to talk about the latest book Return to New York. 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing journey? 
I’ve been writing for most of my life. Whether it’s fiction, poetry, scripts, or nonfiction, I’ll write it. I know it sounds cheesy, but I really do love all forms of writing. 

I started writing the What Happens in… series ten years ago. From the minute I started telling Hollie and Fayth’s stories, I knew that theirs would be the first stories that I shared with people. 

Back in the days of online forums, I shared their early adventures and people always commented on how well they connected to the characters. I still get comments from readers buying the books today and talking about how they relate to Hollie and Fayth and their situations – even though they’re surrounded by the rich and famous – and that’s really important to me.

If you had to give an elevator pitch for Return to New York, what would it be? 
Fayth is about to finally get a taste of the independence she never knew she wanted. 

She'll live in New York with her celebrity boyfriend, study photography, and start to build a life away from what's left of her close-knit family. 

But is she ready? 

And when the ghosts of her past begin to haunt her, can she fight them, or will they finally win?

If you had to describe Fayth in three words, what would they be? 
Loyal, creative, Hufflepuff.

Emma's Review: The Windmill Café: Christmas Trees by Poppy Blake

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

As Rosie Barnes takes her latest batch of warm St Clement’s mince pies from the oven, even December’s wintery weather can’t dampen her spirits. With friends Grace and Josh getting married on Christmas Eve, and her beloved Windmill Café hosting its inaugural Christmas Tree Carousel competition the night before, there’s so much to look forward to.

But when Theo, one of the stag party, has a nasty accident during a bike race through the woods, the mood turns chilly. With someone potentially targeting wedding guests, Grace begs Rosie to team up again with outward bound instructor Matt, to try and solve the mystery and save her wedding.

With Rosie’s tree competition and Grace’s marriage at stake, they need to act fast. Can they find the culprit before Willerby’s winter wonderland turns into a festive fiasco?

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Books Read: Not Just for Christmas by Natalie Cox

Charlie hates the holidays, and this year is shaping up to be her worst yuletide ever. Her boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, her flat is out of bounds after a gas leak, and her mother has gone to spend Christmas in Melbourne with her fifth husband. Finding herself single, mildly concussed and temporarily homeless, Charlie hesitantly agrees to dust off her wellies and spend the festive season in Devon, looking after Cosy Canine Cottages, her cousin Jez's dog-care centre.

However, her plans for a quiet rural Christmas with only the four-legged friends for company are dashed as soon as she meets Malcolm the deaf Great Dane, Hugo, his gorgeous (but engaged) owner, and Cal, the undeniably attractive but unbearably haughty and patronising local vet...

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Books Read: Into the Night by Sarah Bailey

Senior Detective Gemma Woodstock is a small-town policewoman working on the biggest homicide cases in Melbourne. When an up-and-coming movie star is stabbed to death while the cameras are rolling on his new blockbuster, Gemma, eager to prove herself, is assigned to the case.

With the whole thing caught from multiple angles, how hard can it be to catch the crazed culprit? And who would want to hurt Australia's adored boy-next-door? As Gemma uncovers the deadly underside of fame, her investigation turns into a dangerous game against those with money, power and everything to lose...

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Emma's Review: An Island Christmas by Jenny Colgan

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Christmas on the remote Scottish island of Mure is bleak, stark - and incredibly beautiful.

It's a time for hunkering down, getting cosy in front of whisky barrel wood fires, and enjoying a dram with the people you love - unless, of course, you're accidentally pregnant to your ex-boss, and don't know how to tell him. In what should be the season of peace and goodwill on earth, will Joel think Flora is a bearer of glad tidings?

Meanwhile Saif, the doctor and refugee from war-torn Syria is trying to enjoy his first western Christmas with his sons - but without his missing wife. Can the little family possibly find comfort and joy?

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Books Read: The List That Changed My Life by Olivia Beirne

Georgia loves wine, reality TV and sitting on the sofa after work. She does not love heights, looking at her bank account, going on dates, or activities that involve a sports bra. And she will never, ever take a risk.

That is, until her braver, bolder, big sister finds out that she won't be able to tick off the things she wanted to do before turning thirty, and turns to Georgia to help her finish her list.

With the birthday just months away, Georgia suddenly has a deadline to learn to grab life with both hands. Could she be brave enough to take the leap, for her sister?

And how might her own life change if she did?

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Books Read: The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan

It’s not what’s under the Christmas tree, but who’s around it that matters most.

All Suzanne McBride wants for Christmas is her three daughters happy and at home. But when sisters Posy, Hannah and Beth return to their family home in the Scottish Highlands, old tensions and buried secrets start bubbling to the surface.

Suzanne is determined to create the perfect family Christmas, but the McBrides must all face the past and address some home truths before they can celebrate together . . .

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Emma's Review: One New York Christmas by Mandy Baggot

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Lara Weeks is heading to New York with best friend Susie for the Christmas trip of a lifetime.

A festive break in the snowy Big Apple visiting the tourist hotspots, not to mention the shopping, seems like the perfect way for Lara to get over her ex-boyfriend. Or maybe make him so jealous he begs for a second chance.

Enlisting the help of gorgeous actor, Seth Hunt, doesn't quite go to plan, but there's something about him that has Lara wishing for a different kind of happy ever after...

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Books Read: Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber

Before beginning her new job as sous chef at one of Seattle's finest restaurants, Josie Stewart takes on a six-month position cooking at a lodge in an Alaskan lake town. It's only temporary--or so she thinks, as she becomes a valued part of the local community, falling in love with the people who call the Klutina Lake home.

But one man, in particular, stands out among the rest of Josie's new friends: an intriguing swordsmith whose very existence forces her to question whether her heart wants to return to Washington at all.

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Books Read: I See Through You by Daisy McNally

It started with a lie . . .

Skye has finally met someone she can trust. A holiday romance, of all things. But you know when something real comes along, when it's meant to be. Don't you? A week after returning home, and Johnny has disappeared. He hasn't called or returned her messages.

Then, with the easiest of lies, Skye finds a way back in to Johnny's life - and to the people in it. When she makes an unlikely friend, they realise that Johnny is telling lies of his own. So will the two women find a way to bring him down - or each other?

It ended with the truth.

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Extract from Hush Hush by Mel Sherratt

Today as part of the Hush Hush blog tour I have an additional post for you.  This morning I shared my review, which you can read here, and now I have a short extract below.

A killer is on the loose, attacking people in places they feel most safe: their workplaces, their homes. It’s up to DS Grace Allendale to stop the murders, and prove herself to her new team.

All clues lead to local crime family the Steeles, but that’s where things get complicated. Because the Steeles aren’t just any family, they’re Grace’s family. Two brothers and two sisters, connected by the violent father only Grace and her mother escaped.

To catch the killer, Grace will have to choose between her team and her blood. But who do you trust, when both sides are out to get you?

Bethesda Police Station was situated in the street of the same name, at the bottom of the city centre. Before 1910, Stoke-on-Trent was made up of six towns. It became a federated city with a merger in that year, Hanley then becoming the main shopping centre of the Potteries.

Grace had already been told by several disgruntled members of the public that Hanley was not, and never would be, Stoke-on-Trent’s city centre as it was known on signposts. Stoke was the centre, it was where the railway station was situated and where the civic centre had been until recently. But to her, Stoke was a drive-through town with a few roads. It seemed that most of the money and resources were focused on Hanley, which was great for where she was based. Some areas had been pedestrianised, making them feel safer and a pleasure to walk around, perhaps sit in to have a sandwich during a work break. At night, like most cities of its size, it had its problems with the homeless and drunk and disorderly. Violence was often rife at kicking-out times, but for the most part it boasted a good vibe.

Books Read: Hush Hush by Mel Sherratt

A killer is on the loose, attacking people in places they feel most safe: their workplaces, their homes. It’s up to DS Grace Allendale to stop the murders, and prove herself to her new team.

All clues lead to local crime family the Steeles, but that’s where things get complicated. Because the Steeles aren’t just any family, they’re Grace’s family. Two brothers and two sisters, connected by the violent father only Grace and her mother escaped.

To catch the killer, Grace will have to choose between her team and her blood. But who do you trust, when both sides are out to get you?

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Emma's Review: A Gift from the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Christmas has never been Katie Seddon’s favourite time of year. Whilst everyone else shares memories of families coming together and festive number ones, the soundtrack to Katie’s childhood wasn’t quite so merry.

But since she moved to the village of Budbury on the gorgeous Dorset coast, Katie and her baby son have found a new family. A family who have been brought together by life’s unexpected roads and the healing magic of a slice of cake and a cupful of kindess at the Comfort Food Café.

This year, Katie’s new friends are determined to give her a Christmas to remember, and with a gorgeous newcomer in town, Katie’s Christmas wish for a happy home for her son might just come true.

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Emma's Review: Daughters of War by Lizzie Page

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

As a teenager in Chicago, May always dreamed of travelling the world. So when she meets handsome George Turner, she jumps at the chance to return to London as his wife. Ten years later, May is wondering if she’s made a terrible mistake.

It’s 1914 and war has been declared in Europe. All around, brave young men are being called up to serve. George, banned from conscription himself, has taken to the bottle, and May suspects he’s seeing other women too. She longs for a way to escape.

The chance comes when May meets veteran nurse Elsie, who persuades May to join the war effort. May knows nothing of nursing – it will be difficult, dangerous work, but her heart is telling her it’s the right thing to do.

But then George does the unthinkable and May’s future is put at risk. Will she have to make the impossible choice between duty to her family and her promise to the soldiers on the front line? And can she live with the consequences if her husband goes through with what he’s threatening to do?

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The Write Stuff with... Val Portelli

Today it's my pleasure to welcome author Val Portelli to the blog with her tongue-in-cheek training course on 'How to Market your Book'.

This is part of my ‘How to’ series for aspiring Indie authors. Coffee ready? Doors locked to keep out unwanted intruders? Then let us begin.

Did you find it difficult to scribble off 50,000 plus words? You ain’t seen nothing yet! This is where you actually have to get people to buy the darn thing.

Contrary to what you might believe, it’s not enough to upload your manuscript to Amazon, and then start browsing for luxury homes and cars.

Here are a few possible marketing options:

The ethical way.
Join Social media groups, become an active member, respond to posts.

DON’T mention your books. Links to mine are attached but if you are ethical you won’t look at them. Oh, go on then. Have a quick peek so you know what not to do.

Build up relationships with readers and book bloggers. Get to know them, their likes and dislikes, and don’t mention your books every time you post a comment. You will notice I haven’t mentioned the ones I have published, all available on Amazon.

Are you paying attention? I said ‘Don’t look now.’ (When I finish my presentation will be soon enough.)

Gradually build up a mailing list, but only of people who have expressed interest in you and your books. Always ask permission to add them, (which under new laws is now a legal requirement.) Have an easy ‘unsubscribe’ option. Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend having it buried so far in the Ts and Cs that no one can ever find it. (Be honest, have you ever read them through from start to finish?) 

Make the unsubscribe option bright and clear, and blame computer glitches when it doesn’t work.

Marketing is a long-winded process and you will lose some followers along the way. However, you can be certain that the six people left on your list (assuming next door’s cat counts as ‘people,’) will remain steadfast and true, even if Amazon doesn’t yet accept kitty-treats in payment.

Emma's Review: Christmas at the Beach Hut by Veronica Henry

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Everyone adores Christmas . . .

Especially Lizzy Kingham. But this year, she is feeling unloved and underappreciated by her family. The present-buying, decorating and food shopping have all been left to her. So she wonders . . . what would happen if she ran away and left them to it?

Lizzy heads to her favourite place: a beach hut on the golden sands of Everdene. There she meets an unlikely collection of new friends, all running away from something. But the spirit of Christmas gets under Lizzy's skin: soon the fairy lights are twinkling and the scent of mulled wine mingles with the sea air.

Back at Pepperpot Cottage, her family are desperate to find her. For Christmas isn't Christmas without Lizzy. Can they track her down in time and convince her she means the world to them, every day of the year?

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Books Read: The Insider by Mari Hannah

'It was the news they had all been dreading, confirmation of a fourth victim.'

When the body of a young woman is found by a Northumberland railway line, it's a baptism of fire for the Murder Investigation Team's newest detective duo: DCI David Stone and DS Frankie Oliver.

The case is tough by anyone's standards, but Stone is convinced that there's a leak in his team - someone is giving the killer a head start on the investigation. Until he finds out who, Stone can only trust his partner.

But Frankie is struggling with her own past. And she isn't the only one being driven by a personal vendetta. The killer is targeting these women for a reason. And his next target is close to home...

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Emma's Review: The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

After the death of her father – Pa Salt, an elusive billionaire who adopted his six daughters from around the globe – Tiggy D’Aplièse , trusting her instincts, moves to the remote wilds of Scotland. There she takes a job doing what she loves; caring for animals on the vast and isolated Kinnaird estate, employed by the enigmatic and troubled Laird, Charlie Kinnaird.

Her decision alters her future irrevocably when Chilly, an ancient gipsy who has lived for years on the estate, tells her that not only does she possess a sixth sense, passed down from her ancestors, but it was foretold long ago that he would be the one to send her back home to Granada in Spain ...
In the shadow of the magnificent Alhambra, Tiggy discovers her connection to the fabled gypsy community of Sacromonte, who were forced to flee their homes during the civil war, and to ‘La Candela’ the greatest flamenco dancer of her generation.

From the Scottish Highlands and Spain, to South America and New York, Tiggy follows the trail back to her own exotic but complex past. And under the watchful eye of a gifted gypsy bruja she begins to embrace her own talent for healing.

But when fate takes a hand, Tiggy must decide whether to stay with her new-found family or return to Kinnaird, and Charlie . . .

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Books Read: The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to tales of murder. As a literature teacher specialising in the Gothic writer R.M. Holland, she teaches a short course on them every year. Then Clare's life and work collide tragically when one of her colleagues is found dead, a line from an R.M. Holland story by her body. The investigating police detective is convinced the writer's works somehow hold the key to the case.

Not knowing who to trust, and afraid that the killer is someone she knows, Clare confides her darkest suspicions and fears about the case to her journal. Then one day she notices some other writing in the diary. Writing that isn't hers...

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Emma's Review: The Soldier's Girl by Sharon Maas

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

France 1944 and the streets are filled with swastikas. The story of a brave English girl behind enemy lines, a German soldier, and a terrible sacrifice… 

When young English nurse Sibyl Lake is recruited as a spy to support the French resistance, she doesn’t realise the ultimate price she will end up paying. She arrives in Colmar, a French town surrounded by vineyards and swarming with German soldiers, but her fear is dampened by the joy of being reunited with her childhood sweetheart Jacques. 

Sibyl’s arrival has not gone unnoticed by Commander Wolfgang von Haagan and she realises that letting him get closer is her best chance of learning enemy secrets. Yet despite her best intentions, Sibyl soon finds that betrayal does not come easy to her.

When Jacques finds that Sibyl is involved with the enemy, he is determined to prove himself to her with one last act of heroism. An act that will put all of their lives in terrible danger…

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Emma's Review: Darling Blue by Tracy Rees

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Blue lives a charmed life. From her family's townhouse in Richmond, she lives a life of luxury and couldn't want for anything - well, on the surface at least.

Then on the night of her twenty-first birthday her father makes a startling toast: he will give his daughter's hand to whichever man can capture her heart best in the form of a love letter. But Blue has other ideas and, unwilling to play at her father's bewildering games, she sets out on her own path to find her own destiny...

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