I’m delighted to be introducing another new to me author today, Crystal Sellers. Crystal will be telling us about her debut novel Summer Under My Quilt which is available from Amazon US and Amazon UK where it will be free from March 20th -23rd 2016 as Crystal celebrates the publication of her second novel Fire Within Me which was published on 14th March.

About Summer Under My Quilt

Megan Creeway spent the summer at her grandparent’s lake house. Her life had imploded and she didn’t know how to get it back. Her husband was a cheat, her son was outgrowing his mother, and her grandpa was very sick. Seeking refuge from it all, the one thing she did not expect, was to find herself being courted by the very handsome local Pastor.

Reid Stone was finally enjoying his life three years after a divorce. He started over in the quaint town of Lake Charlotte as the pastor of the local church. He quickly made friends yet still led a peaceful quiet life of bachelorhood.

About Fire Within Me

A hundred year old feud arose between blood lines, cursed in anger from the rival Merk family, Elizabeth Strong ran across the country from one nightmare into another to find that sometimes fairy tales and myths are real.

Billy Merk was the sheriff of Blu Harbor, Virginia. He served the town with grace and honor. His personal life, on the other hand, was not so perfect. After a failed marriage, Billy moved home to live with his mother. She was hard to deal with but a cake walk compared to Billy’s brother, Vance. All Billy wanted was a nice, quiet life.

Elizabeth never thought she would love again. Billy was not prepared for the fireworks a beautiful new stranger would bring to his town. Vance would do anything to stop unity between rival families.

An Interview with Crystal Sellers

Hello Crystal. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer some questions on my blog about your writing and Summer Under My Quilt. Firstly, please could you tell readers a little about yourself?

Of course! I am a mother of a teenage boy so I am busy with all of his activities. I have been married for 16 years. I met my husband just after I graduated high school.
My hobbies include watching movies, crafting, crocheting and I love board games.

Summer Under My Quilt is your debut novel. How does it feel to be in print?

It feels awesome! I worked for 5 years crafting my writing skills. I’m so happy it paid off.

When did you first realize you were going to be a writer?

Well I always knew it was in me. I have been writing poetry since the 5th grade. I had some of them published. I am waiting to hear if two of them made into the next Chicken Soup book. That’s exciting. My first few attempts at a novel flopped but I finally found my voice with Summer Under My Quilt. When I was in the 8th grade, my best girlfriends and I all wrote a story together. Maybe that’s when I first knew I could be good at this.

If you hadn’t become an author, what would you have done instead as a creative outlet?

I have a blog about my life as a stay at home mom which readers can find here. So I suppose I would have continued that. As far as creativity, I have lots of creative outlets as I mentioned before, the crafting and such. I also am trying to start a beauty YouTube channel. It’s slow going because writing is my first priority but its super fun!

Which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

Well, I’m a procrastinator. That can be good and bad in itself. There are days the words flow out of me faster than I can type and others where I am way too easily distracted by social media. I’m not so great at grammar but I do have a great editor over at Pecan Summers.

What are your writing routines and where do you do most of your writing?

I tend to write my first draft on my ipad, believe it or not, and mostly at night in bed after my husband and son are asleep. My brain writes well at night.  Then I edit on my computer in my office. I love to listen to music when I need a muse.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to read?

I like romance and fantasy novels.

Do you have other interests that give you ideas for writing?

I think not so much. I do have the craziest dreams that I wish I could write but mostly my writing comes from fantasies in my head.

Which of your characters would you most like to be and why?

That’s a hard one.  I am a little like Megan from Summer Under My Quilt. And I am also a little like Beth, the main character in my next book, Fire Within Me.  It is available on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Megan is in need of comfort and restoration in Summer Under My Quilt. Did you choose the title to convey the idea of comfort or was it for another reason?

Yes, her quilt is her main form of comfort. She holds tight to it to keep from falling apart.

What made you select a lake house for the setting of Summer Under My Quilt?

When I was in high school we lived at a lake and to me the water has its own healing powers for the soul. So if I were to need a place to go for comfort, I would go back home to the lake house if it were possible.

Family is important in Summer Under My Quilt. Do you have a close family of your own?

I’m close to some of my family. But family is very important to me.

If  Summer Under My Quilt became a film, who would you choose to play Megan and why?

Maybe Reese Witherspoon, she’s the right age and looks a bit like what I envision Megan to be.

If you had 15 words to persuade a reader that Summer Under My Quilt should be their next read, what would you say?

It’s an easy read, filled with moments to take your breath away.

Is there anything else you would have liked to be asked?

I think you covered it. Thank you for your interest in me. I appreciate the opportunity to reach out to all the fabulous readers of your site!  I love getting a chance to hear from readers!

You can find Crystal on Facebook and Goodreads.

My grateful thanks to Tracy Fenton of The Book Club on Facebook (#TBConFB) for an advanced reader copy of Shtum by Jem Lester which is published in e-book and hardback by Orion on 7th April 2016.

Unable to manage their autistic son Jonah’s increasingly challenging behaviour, Ben and Emma Jewell are desperately trying to place Jonah into a school that will best meet his needs, but they are meeting resistance from the local authority all the way.

What a story. The premise seems rather bleak but Shtum resonates with a vast range of emotions from fear and self-loathing, through joy and anger, to love and grief. There is humour too so that what could be a totally depressing story is engagingly written and fulfilling to read.

It took me a long time to warm to Ben and this is one of the many strengths of the novel because we see the true effects on the parents of trying to manage an autistic child. Ben drinks far more than is good for him and I wanted to shake him to force him to face his problem. It was not until towards the end of the novel when the text physically begins to fragment and more is revealed about Ben’s past and that of his Jewish father Georg that I fully understood and empathised with him completely. Emma is quite a shadowy character too and when, at the same time as Ben, I received the full picture about her, my heart broke for them both.

Although the story is told from Ben’s first person perspective, at the centre of the whole plot is Jonah. He is complex, frustrating, loving, violent and destructive so that the reader is forced to face the same kind of situations of parents with such autistic children, making Shtum a truly emotional read. My heart goes out to parents struggling to cope in similar situations. What I found so clever in the writing is that there is a paperweight that shines light like a prism and has a central place in placating Jonah and in linking past and present – and in a way Jonah is a similar catalyst for all the others in the book. He is the conduit through which they live their lives. The importance of Jonah is emphasised by the signs that head the chapters or sections of the book, as they are similar to the PECS or Makaton signs frequently used by those with autism. It is this attention to detail and the obvious knowledge of the subject that gives such a profound feeling to reading Shtum.

The title Shtum resonates with meanings on so many levels. Jonah doesn’t speak. Emma and Ben keep shtum about their own real feelings and some of the events that have happened to them, making them miserable and ashamed. Georg doesn’t tell Ben enough about his past so that Ben feels isolated and excluded from his father’s love and one of the most important central messages of the book is that we need to communicate with our loved ones as fully as we can.

I loved Shtum. I didn’t always find it an easy read, but I found it emotional and moving. It has helped me count my blessings.

You can follow Jem Lester on Twitter.

I’m passionate about travel and have been all over the world from Antarctica to Zambia but I’ve hardly been to Greece so it is with great pleasure that I’m hosting a guest post from Julie Ryan, author of Jenna’s Journey, where she tells us all about seeking inspiration in Greece. Jenna’s Journey was published on 8th September 2015 and is available in e-book and print from Amazon US and Amazon UK (where at the time of posting it’s a mere 99p). You can also read an extract from the book below.

About Jenna’s Journey

“Dazzling Greek Isles can hide sinister secrets.”

Leaving town, heading to the Greek Isles without telling husband or friends, is heady medicine for a failing marriage. Seduced by Grecian sun and sky, Jenna innocently buys a bewitching urn that tangles her into the web of a criminal world more sinister than she ever imagined. Romance is always afoot in the Greek Isles and Jenna gets a large helping with the seductive Nikos. Family is important in Greece, and Nikos helps Jenna learn all the richness it brings, and pass it on to the next generation.

Twenty-five years later, Allie takes this same journey, and a little time travel, a big “what if” dream, a fated meeting with a taxi driver and a sprinkle of paranormal intrigue intertwine in a story that spans the lives of a mother and daughter. Twisty as the streets in a Greek island village, full of unexpected characters found on a faraway vacation along with frightening threats from nasty villains, Jenna’s Journey will keep you turning pages far into the night.

Working out a lifetime of secrets, imagining what might have been, eluding nasty antiquities thieves, exploring a new love—how would you have managed? Follow Jenna’s adventure and see how she changed her life in one journey!

Seeking Inspiration in Greece

A Guest Post by Julie Ryan

Inspiration can come in many forms. Sometimes I overhear a snatch of conversation on the radio and it can find its way into a story. Other times it can be a line from a song or maybe an image that I’ve stumbled across on Facebook that can be the trigger. Of course, every book I’ve ever read plays some part subconsciously in the writing process.  My favourite genres are historical fiction, contemporary romance, thrillers and mysteries. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy writing romantic, mystery thrillers set in Greece?

Why Greece you may ask? Well back in my younger days after graduating from University, I spent a couple of years teaching there. At the time, little did I know what an enormous impact that period was to have on my life  It’s true that there is something magical about Greece that draws people back year after year. I was hooked when I first stepped foot on one of the islands. The translucent turquoise sea, cerulean sky and magical light make it a paradise.

I particularly enjoy books which transport the reader to another place; books where you can lose yourself in another life for a few hours or relive precious moments once spent there. One day, in the middle of an English winter, I was looking out of the window and suddenly wondered what my life might have been like if I’d stayed in Greece. This eureka moment was the starting point for my first book in the Greek Island mystery series, Jenna’s Journey. Whilst being careful not to overload the reader, I do enjoy painting a vivid description of the beauty of Greece so that the reader can come with me on the journey.

Of course, as with any paradise, if you scratch under the surface you will expose the darker side that tourists fortunately don’t see very often. I think the juxtaposition of the idyllic beaches, hospitable people and delicious food next to the shady underground world of prostitution and artefact smuggling works well in creating the atmosphere of suspense that I was looking for.

I didn’t set out to write a series. In fact, Jenna’s Journey started life as a short story. Such is the pull of Greece, however, that once I’d finished the book, I missed the world I’d created. Other characters were calling me to have their stories written too. The second book, Sophia’s Secret,’ although set in the same location features mainly different characters to the first book so can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed researching Greek customs for this one and there is a slightly more historical feel to it.

Pandora’s Prophecy is different in tone again as it has a paranormal element to it. This time Jenna and Nikos from the first book are at the centre of the story as it takes place in a hotel that they’re running. The darker side manifests itself in a serial killer running amok on the island.

For now that concludes the series but there may be plans for a fourth book in the future. I just need to get my Greek fix with another research trip!

About Julie Ryan

Julie Ryan’s roots are in a small mining village in South Yorkshire. After a degree in French Language and Literature, wanderlust kicked in and she lived and worked in France, Poland, Thailand and Greece. Her spirit enriched, her imagination fired, Julie started a series of mystery romances, thrillers set in the Greek Isles.

Jenna’s Journey is the first novel in Julie Ryan’s Greek Islands Series, a series she did not set out to create but which took on its own life and grew, rich and fascinating. This is the first of three published so far, and now as a newly released edition in the USA from Booktrope, it promises to delight readers looking for the hidden dark sides of dream vacations in the Greek Isles.

A prolific and well-known book review blogger, Julie does her writing and reviewing from rural Gloucestershire, where she lives with her husband, son and dippy cat with half a tail.

You can find Julie on her website/blog for the Greek Isles series, her website/blog for book reviews, her blog, on Facebook and on Twitter.

 Read an Extract From Jenna’s Journey

Arrival in Greece: Allie

July 2013

As Allie stepped off the plane, a rush of excitement and anticipation flooded over her. She wondered if her mother had felt the same when she arrived in Greece almost twenty-five years ago. She knew that there must have been many changes during that time. Instead of flying direct to the island, her mother would have had to fly to Athens first, and then taken a boat to the island as direct flights to the island had only started up a couple of years ago. She stood in line waiting to clear customs, feeling guilty even though she had nothing to hide. Just walking through the green channel, she could sense hidden eyes watching her every move. This automatically made her act suspiciously, and then breathing a sigh of relief, she was through and out into the bright Greek sunshine. Squinting to read the address on the scrap of paper, she hailed a taxi and the driver sped off towards the hotel.

“Hi, I am Leo,” the taxi driver said, introducing himself in fluent English.

“Allie,” she replied.

She’d been anxious about being ripped off or taken on a wild goose chase, but there was no need to worry. Leo seemed to be the exception to her stereotyped image of Greek drivers. Although he drove fast, he negotiated the roads with great skill. Driving up narrow tracks, he tooted his horn to let any other drivers know he was coming.

She wanted to ask him about the austerity measures that had recently been imposed on them in order to meet their euro-deficit obligations. She had been quite shocked at the effects that the cutbacks had had on ordinary people. Last year, the government had introduced a kind of surtax cunningly collected through the electricity bill. If you refused to pay or couldn’t pay, you were cut off—simple! People had struggled to keep warm through the winter, as many couldn’t afford oil any more. The news had shown piles of rubbish in the streets thanks to the refuse collectors going on strike because they hadn’t been paid. Allie remembered seeing pictures of Piraeus on the news with garbage heaped as high as cars. She wanted to ask Leo more about how ordinary people had coped, but when she pressed him for more details, he shrugged and smiled.

“Greece is not only Athens, you know. Here, sure, life is tough, but we survive. Maybe we spend a little less, complain a little more, but life is good. You are in the most beautiful place in the world. If you have the sun and the sea and a few vegetables—what more do you need?”

I’m thrilled to be hosting an interview with Antonia Honeywell to celebrate the paperback release of her book The Ship, published by Weidenfeld and Nicholson, an imprint of Orion, on 10th March 2016. The Ship is also available in e-book and can be purchased from the publishers, Amazon UK, Amazon US, WH Smith, Waterstones and all good book shops.

The Ship

If you hadn’t become an author, what would you have done instead as a creative outlet?

I was a teacher for a long time, and I loved that. Working out how to present things to different children, and how to encourage them and get the best from them, was a wonderful outlet for my creativity. I started piano lessons three years ago and I love every moment; sometimes I wonder whether that might have been a possible path if I’d had the chance to learn properly earlier.

Which aspects of your writing do you find easiest and most difficult?

The easiest part is the first draft. Just writing and writing, letting the ideas come and take the characters and story all over the place as they find out where they need to be. Not everyone works like this, but for me, the only way to find out what I’m writing about is to write. Then comes the discipline of deciding where the story lies and carving it out of the hundreds of thousands of words I’ve written. That can be like chiselling marble with a darning needle.

I know you attended a novel writing course. What three things do you think you learnt there that have been most useful to you and might be helpful to other aspiring writers?

Firstly – you have to write. It doesn’t matter whether you use a pen or a computer, whether you colour-code your notes in files or scribble them on the backs of old envelopes, whether you use voice recognition software or write the whole thing by hand in copperplate. You have to write. Anything else is just noise.

Secondly – you have to show people your work. That’s really, really hard. But it’s essential if you’re hoping to be published. It’s like music – I can play the piano really well in a room on my own. But stick someone in with me, listening, and I go to pieces. If I could find the courage to play to another person, it would help me discover where my weaknesses lie, where I need to practice, the skills I need to develop. And if I found that courage, I might even get to the point where we both enjoy my playing. Writing’s like that.

Thirdly – be your own worst critic, but be your own best friend too. Believe in yourself and others will believe in you.

With four children, you have still managed to produce a successful novel. What would you say to those who claim they don’t have time to write?

I have every sympathy! Finding time to write is almost impossible; it’s a rare and fortunate person who has enough. But I’d go back to my first answer to the last question. Wanting to write doesn’t make you a writer. Writing does. So what is stopping you? What is taking up the time that you would like to use for writing? What are you prepared to give up? What can you do more efficiently? How can you get the help you need to create the time? How badly do you want to write?

What are your writing routines and where do you do most of your writing?

I don’t have anything as organised as a routine. Four children, the house, the garden and a very nearby mother mean that curveballs and googlies are inevitably thrown at any plans I make. I do my writing at the kitchen table, in the car, in soft play centres… I have a lovely study, but it’ll still be there when the children are a bit older and can start taking a turn at cooking family meals. For the moment, I make the most of every writing moment I get and never, ever object when my husband gets home late from work.

You blog about a variety of topics, including books. When you’re not writing, what do you like to read?

I usually have three or four books on the go at any one time, not counting the books I’m reading to the children. A lovely comforting re-read (currently Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers), a new book, often in proof (currently The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry), some non-fiction, often to do with a story idea (currently The Teeth May Smile But The Heart Does Not Forget, by Andrew Rice) and a classic (I’m having a bit of a Wilkie Collins thing at the moment and am really enjoying his lesser-known novels.). In with all that will be something I’m reading for ‘work’ – I shouldn’t call it work when it’s so enjoyable – preparing for interviews, for example. And if I’m appearing on a panel with another writer, I always read their work first.

How do you encourage your children to read and to write their own stories?

We all read a lot together. I try not to restrict their choices when we’re in a library or bookshop. Sometimes, if they’ve got a particular story they want to tell, I’ll scribe for them so that they can let their ideas flow without worrying about their pencils keeping up. But mostly, I let them see how much I love to read, I make sure there are plenty of books around and then I leave them alone. At the moment, they all love reading, but the eldest is only ten, so we’ll see.

You take part in many festivals and events. How important is it for authors to make contact with readers directly do you think?

I do as many events as I get invited to – I’d love to be invited to more! The opportunity to make direct contact with readers is one of my favourite things. To be in a room with readers, talking about books and writing, responding to readers’ questions, has to be the greatest privilege a writer can have.

‘The Ship’ has been described as ‘a dystopian novel with a utopian heart that will appeal across genres and age ranges’. How accurate do you find that description and how does it make you feel?

My editor wrote that and I thought it was a very great compliment. I loved that she saw something universal in the novel and resisted the temptation to categorise it.

What techniques did you use to create the high levels of tension in ‘The Ship’?

I try to keep the reader one step ahead of Lalla as Lalla works out what’s going on. So there’s the tension of what’s actually happening, then another layer as the reader witnesses Lalla piecing together the evidence. And then, of course, there’s the layer of what Lalla is going to do once she understands. Above all, I wanted the tension to come from the reader’s sense of what is right and wrong in this situation – not just from what Lalla is going to do, but from the reader’s own self-questioning about what they would do in Lalla’s place. Because there are right and wrong answers, but it’s not always easy to see them, or to act upon them.

‘The Ship’ is quite political in a sense, how important are politics to you personally?

I don’t think of myself as particularly political  – but then I see that Donald Trump has won another primary and realise that I am blazingly political. If Donald Trump becomes the president of the USA, I’ll buy a cruise ship myself. So many issues that we like to think of as personal are actually political – the right to abortion, assisted dying, equal marriage, maternity pay, gender discrimination – I could go on. The point is that a good government should enshrine equal opportunities in law. Then we can battle it out amongst ourselves.

If you could chose to be a character from ‘ The Ship’, who would you be and why?

I’m Lalla. I think we’re all Lalla. Anyone who’s ever had to make a decision that runs counter to their upbringing, or other people’s ideas, is Lalla. The teenager contemplating coming out to his or her family; the spouse beginning to understand that their marriage isn’t working; the child who doesn’t want to join the family firm; a couple whose parents don’t agree with their childrearing decisions; the vicar who starts doubting the existence of God. There’s a Ship moment in every life. Sometimes more than one. It’s the moment when you realise you have to trust your own instincts over everything else. It’s the moment when you find out what you’re made of.

If  ‘The Ship’  became a film, who would you like to play Lalla and why would you choose them? 

I think Lalla should be played by a relatively unknown actor. I saw Game of Thrones for the first time recently, and the moment I saw Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, I thought, there’s Lalla. But of course I was late to Game of Thrones, and Maisie Williams is incredibly famous now, so I’ve rather missed the boat on that one. If we had Julianne Moore as Lalla’s mother, say, and Hugh Laurie or Charles Dance as Michael, you could give a new actor a fantastic break as Lalla.

What are you working on now and when can we expect another Antonia Honeywell novel?

I’m working very, very hard and, if I may, I’ll come back as soon as there’s any definite news and let you know!

Thank you so much for your time in answering my questions. I wish you every success with’ The Ship’.

Thank you so much for having me. It’s been a real pleasure.

About Antonia Honeywell

Antonia Honeywell studied English at Manchester University and worked at the Natural History and Victoria and Albert Museums in London, running creative writing workshops and education programmes for children, before training as a teacher. During her ten years teaching English, drama and film studies, she wrote a musical, and a play which was performed at the Edinburgh Festival. She has four young children and lives in Buckinghamshire. The Ship is her first novel.

You can find out more about Antonia and The Ship on Antonia’s web site, on Facebook and by following her on Twitter.

There are lots of other posts about Antonia and The Ship with these other bloggers too:

It’s my great pleasure to bring you the latest novel by Lisa Lutz, The Passenger, which is published today 15th March 2016 by Titan Books. The Passenger is available for purchase on Amazon UK, Amazon US, and from Titan Books, Waterstones and all good book shops.

I have an extract from the novel for you below but first, find out about The Passenger.

The Passenger

From New York Times bestselling author of The Spellman Files Lisa Lutz, comes a captivating thriller about murder, secrets and desperation that will appeal to readers of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden. 

Tanya DuBois doesn’t exist. At least not after an accident leaves her husband dead and she finds herself in the unfortunate position of Suspect No 1 with only one choice: Run.

As “Tanya” watches her life recede in the rearview mirror, we realize she was never real to begin with. Neither is Sonia Lobovich, Debra Maze, or any of her other aliases. Avoiding attention at every turn, Tanya is eventually forced to face up to her past and the person she may yet become…

Effortlessly mixing sharp wit and intrigue, Lutz crafts a pacey thriller that trades in the traditional ‘whodunnit’ for a beguiling mystery about the nature of identity: after all you can change your name but you can’t change what you’ve done…

Praise for The Passenger

“An utterly compelling thriller.” Chris Pavone, best-selling author of The Expats 

“Clever plot twists & sharp characters that are sure to keep you guessing long into the night.” Kim McCreight, New York Times Bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia

The Passenger – An Excerpt

When I found my husband at the bottom of the stairs, I tried to resuscitate him before I ever considered disposing of the body. I pumped his barrel chest and blew into his purple lips. It was the first time in years that our lips had touched and I didn’t recoil.

I gave up after ten minutes. Frank Dubois was gone. Lying there all peaceful and quiet, he almost looked in slumber, but Frank was noisier asleep than he was awake. Honestly, if I had known what kind of snorer he was going to turn into, I never would have married him. If I could do it all over again, I never would have married him even if he slept like an angel. If I could do it all over again, there are so many things I would do differently. But looking at Frank then, so still and not talking, I didn’t mind him so much. It seemed like a good time to say good-bye. I poured a shot of Frank’s special bourbon, sat down on Frank’s faux-suede La-Z-Boy, and had a drink to honor the dead.

In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it. I was taking a shower when Frank died. As far as I could tell, he fell down the staircase all on his own. He had been suffering from vertigo lately. Convenient, I know. And I doubt he mentioned it to anyone. If I had waited for the police and told them the truth, maybe life could have continued as normal. Minus Frank.

I poured another drink and contemplated my options. My first thought was to dispose of the body. Then I’d tell the authorities that Frank left me for another woman. Or was running from a loan shark. It was well-known that he had a love for cards but no talent for it.

I decided to test my strength to see if it was even possible. I tugged on Frank’s bloated and callused feet, feet that I had come to loathe—why do you have to tell a grown man to clip his toenails? I dragged the body about a foot from his landing site before I gave up. Frank had put on weight in the past year, but even if he were svelte I couldn’t see depositing him anyplace where he’d never be found. And now there was a suspicious trail of blood in the shape of a question mark just above his head. I might be able to explain it away if I called the police and stayed put. But then they’d start looking at me real carefully and I didn’t like people looking at me all that much.

I tried to imagine my trial. Me, scrubbed clean, hair pulled back in a schoolmarm bun, wearing an innocent flowered sundress with a Peter Pan collar, trying to look not guilty, with my hard-edged poker face dry as the desert. I couldn’t imagine how I’d summon tears or sell that shattered look of loss. I can’t show much emotion anymore. That was something Frank always liked about me. There was a time I used to cry, but that was another lifetime ago. My heart was broken just once. But completely.

As I sat in Frank’s chair, nursing my drink, I pretended to be weighing my options. But there was only one.

Frank kept his gambling stash in his toolbox. A little over twelve hundred dollars. I packed for a short trip and loaded the suitcase into the back of Frank’s Chevy pickup.

I was only leaving two people behind, if you don’t count Frank: Carol from the bar and Dr. Mike.

About Lisa Lutz

Lisa Lutz is the author of the bestselling series, The Spellman Files, as well as the mystery Heads, You Lose (with David Hayward) and the upcoming literary novel, How Not to Start a Fire. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including an Alex Award, and nominations for the Edgar, Barry, Anthony awards, among many others.

Follow Lisa on Twitter and visit her web site for more information.

Being utterly obsessed by WW1 after my grandfather was injured during the Battle of the Somme and with his photograph and medals above my desk, I can’t be more thrilled to be supporting Brook Cottage Books in bringing you D M Carr’s Broken Faces, a WW1 historical romance.

You can read an extract from this wonderful book below and there’s even the chance to enter to win a £25 or equivalent Amazon gift voucher too.

Broken Faces can be bought from AMAZON US and AMAZON UK.

Broken Faces

Freddie Chevalier, a wealthy farmer’s son, suffers a life-changing disfigurement in the Great War. He’s in love with his best friend’s fiancé and is determined not to miss out on the excitement of the Great War. Soon his life changes from one of idyllic days spent with his friends, Charles, Meredith and Lexi, staying at the Baldwyn’s ancestral home in Shropshire and working on his father’s farm in Jersey, to one of horror, pain and betrayal.

It doesn’t take long for Freddie to discover that the life he enjoyed before the war has vanished and that he is going to have to find a way to live with the consequences of the choices he and Charles have made.

Broken Faces beat 7000 other entrants to be a runner-up in the Good Housekeeping Magazine Novel Writing Competition (2012) they described DM Carr as as ‘one to watch’, They also added, ‘In Deborah Carr’s Downton-esque tale, Broken Faces, a soldier suffers a life-changing injury in the Great War’. The book also received a special commendation in that year’s Harry Bowling Prize.

EXCERPT

Prologue

1918

As the weight of the plaster of Paris slowly increased on his face, he tried to steady his breathing and not give in to claustrophobia. It would be worth it in the end. He concentrated on the gentle American accent of the woman clasping his hand. She had a kind face. Her lack of shock when he’d been unmasked was admirable. Or was it simply she had grown used to seeing men such as he? They told him she was a sculptor. Someone overheard her say she saw beauty in the men she helped and that those men with missing noses and shattered faces were like the sculptures she created.

All he could think about, apart from the suffocating pressure on his nose and mouth, was a poem he’d heard someone recounting back at Les Invalides. Was it by Yeats? He wasn’t sure. He recalled it was about Easter in 1916, but not referring to the Front, even so the words still resonated. How did it go? He couldn’t quite remember. He was now one of the gueules cassées. One of the broken faces and his life would never be the same again.

ABOUT D.M. CARR

D.M Carr lives in Jersey with her husband and three noisy but adorable rescue dogs. She writes romances for Accent Press under the pseudonym Georgina Troy. Broken Faces is her debut novel in her own name. You can find out more about D M Carr by clicking the links:

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There will be a full cover reveal for The Joyce Girl by Annabel Abbs on Thursday 17th March 2016. The Joyce Girl is to be published by Impress Books in June. However, to whet your appetite for this historical novel and to support #YoungMindsMatter mental health I am bringing you this teaser post today. I hope you’ll return to find out more about The Joyce Girl later too.

1928

Lucia, the talented and ambitious daughter of James Joyce, is making her name as a dancer, training with the most gifted performers in glittering, avant-garde Paris. When a young Samuel Beckett comes to work for her father, she’s captivated by his quiet intensity and falls passionately in love. Persuaded she has clairvoyant powers, Lucia believes her destiny is to marry Beckett. But when her beloved brother is enticed away, the hidden threads of the Joyce’s lives begin to unravel, threatening Lucia’s determination to become a professional dancer, destroying her dream of marriage – and foiling her attempts to escape the shadow of her genius father.

 1935

Her life in tatters, Lucia is sent by her father to pioneering psychoanalyst, Doctor Jung. For years she has kept quiet. But now, she decides to speak.

Inspired by a true story, The Joyce Girl is a compelling and moving account of thwarted ambition and the destructive love of a father.

You can follow Impress Books on Twitter as well as @The_JoyceGirl using #JoyceGirl for more information as it’s released.

I was very fortunate to meet lovely Daniel Pembrey at an event organised by The Book Club (#TBConFB) on Facebook but with an enormous pile of books awaiting review it’s taken me several months to get round to reading my signed copy of The Candidate. The Candidate is available in ebook, audio and paperback on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

I have also read another of Daniel’s short stories, The Lion Hunter, and you can read that review here.

The Candidate

When Nick Thorneycroft wakes to find a long blonde hair on his pillow and some female underwear on his bedroom floor but he can’t remember a thing about the night before, little does he anticipate the chain of events about to unfold. This is more than just a good night out!

I’m not sure quite how he does it, but in only 126 pages Daniel Pembrey manages to encompass a world of international and corporate espionage, intrigue, sexuality and violence in a novella worthy of the best crime writers. I think the fact that this is a novella gives a sharpness to the writing so that each word has to earn its keep. However, that’s not to say that there isn’t sufficient description to add colour too. There’s a real sense of place so that Luxembourg, rather than any other European city, has to be the setting for The Candidate with views over the skyline, bridges and side streets all adding to the atmosphere and advancing the plot.  I’d even go so far as to say that Luxembourg is a character in its own right.

There’s very much a feel of James Bond about the plot, although Nick is a far more prosaic character than 007 and all the more appealing for it. Given the political and corporate world he inhabits, Nick could be described as either totally naive or completely astute when he doesn’t go to the police following some startling events, and that is what makes this such a compelling story. The reader accepts Nick’s decisions and wants to know the truth as much as he does.

There are twists and turns aplenty in The Candidate and Daniel Pembrey deceived me on a number of occasions making for a highly satisfying read. The title has a range of interpretations – who is the candidate for leaving their underwear on Nick’s floor? Who is the candidate being headhunted by Nick’s firm? Why does the firm need such a candidate in the first place? Who are the candidates pursuing Nick? Whilst these questions are resolved, there’s also a kind of cliff hanger with scope for further development of Nick in another story which I’d certainly like to read.

If you want an exciting, quick and intriguing read, I can’t recommend The Candidate highly enough.

You can find all Daniel’s fiction here and you can visit his web site where if you sign up to his newsletter you’ll find out how you can meet Daniel too! You’ll also find Daniel on Twitter.

I was delighted to be offered the chance by Ruby Mitchell at Hodder to read The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence in return for an honest review. The Mirror World of Melody Black was published on 10th March 2016 and is available in paperback, hardback and e-book from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Hodder, Waterstones and all good bookshops.

I was fortunate to be involved in the launch celebrations for The Mirror World of Melody Black and you can read my interview with Gavin here.

My Review of The Mirror World of Melody Black 

When freelance journalist Abby finds the dead body of neighbour Simon, little does she realise how her life will freefall in the coming months.

The Mirror World of Melody Black is an intriguing and intelligent read. Gavin Extence’s first hand experiences underpin his writing with an authority and depth that make it hard not to be affected by the writing.

I found Abby a very difficult character to like. She’s brittle, manic and selfish in many ways. However, despite the fact I wouldn’t want her in my life, Gavin Extence made me empathise with her almost against my will. I didn’t like her but I wanted to know what happened to her. It worried me that those around her didn’t know quite how to respond to her, and her relationships with Beck and her family particularly left me feeling sad.

The themes explored in The Mirror World of Melody Black are highly relevant to today’s society as Abby struggles to manage good mental health. Reading this made me question my own responses and attitudes and the answers did not always make for a comfortable feeling. It’s testament to the quality of the writing that Gavin Extence illustrates so well just how easily a person can go from being slightly unhappy to suicidal or happy to completely manic. The vibrancy and extremes of experiences as Abby attunes to colour and sound are elements of mental health I hadn’t really considered before. I found my own senses appreciating Abby’s fully.

Other than a couple of startling episodes, the plot is relatively simple and straightforward and I suspect that is a deliberate effect to mirror the way lives of those with a bipolar disorder often live. This simplicity serves to exemplify how ‘ordinary’ life is a struggle for those with mental health issues. The book also questions quite where we draw the line between sanity and insanity and it made me wonder who we are to judge. I’m sure we all could inhabit the mirror world suggested by Jocelyn.

It sounds, from what I’ve said, as if The Mirror World of Melody Black is pessimistic and bleak but not a bit of it. It is thought provoking and disturbing in many respects but there is love and humour too. There’s great wit, particularly in the conversations Abby has. Whilst I didn’t laugh out loud I found myself smiling frequently as I read. Gavin Extence uses pithy one line sentences that manage to convey a whole world of information and understanding to the reader.

I’m not sure if I enjoyed reading The Mirror World of Melody Black. I thought it was interesting and compelling. I found it unsentimental and intelligent. I found it both uncomfortable and moving. More to the point, I had to carry on reading – almost against my will.

The Mirror World of Melody Black is a novel that will make readers think, and that is no bad thing.

You can find out more about Gavin on his web site and follow him on Twitter.

I’m thrilled to be part of the launch celebrations for The Mirror World of Melody Black by Gavin Extence and published by Hodder in paperback on 10th March 2016. I’ll be posting my review tomorrow, 12th March, but in the mean time I’m excited that Gavin agreed to answer three eclectic questions I had. You can read the answers below.

The Mirror World of Melody Black is available in paperback, hardback and e-book from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Hodder, Waterstones and all good bookshops.

The Mirror World of Melody Black

Life has its ups and downs.

‘You’re going to find some of my actions frustrating. I’m hard to live with, maddening, uneven – I get that. But I can’t stand around listing my faults or we’ll be here for ever. All I ask right now is that you indulge me. For as long as it lasts, this is going to be one hell of a ride.’

Abby is an aspiring journalist, an indifferent daughter, a cohabiting girlfriend; a ‘normal’ woman in her mid-twenties. But something sets her apart from everyone else. It allows her to achieve complete truth and clarity. Something that no one else could ever understand. But the very thing that sets Abby apart could destroy her.

And then she meets Melody Black.

In The Mirror World of Melody Black, Gavin draws upon his own experiences to depict an unsettling, at times hilarious, but most of all truthful account of what it’s like to live with bipolar disorder. He brings to the fore questions like where is the line between sanity and insanity? At what point has someone gone off the rails? And what is the difference between passion and mania?

Praise for The Mirror World of Melody Black

‘[Extence] captures how the illness feels from the inside with sensitivity and sparkling humour. In Abby he has created a warm, funny and relatable heroine’ Daily Express

‘Extence really brings Abby to life in this honest, unequivocal narrative…There is something curiously cathartic about this book, as well as having the bravery, touching honesty and memorable protagonist that Extence is making his trademark’ Heat

‘Insightful and sensitive, Extence describes with the lightest of touches what it’s like to live with bipolar’ Sunday Express

‘[Abby’s] at the heart of Gavin Extence’s sensitive, witty second novel. The immediacy of his writing draws you into Abby’s world, and cleverly shows how fine the line is that separates what we call ‘normal’ from not’ Psychologies.

An Interview with Gavin Extence

What were the challenges of writing from a female perspective?

I’d be the first to admit that I’m not the most manly of men, and to be honest, I never found the idea of writing as a woman particularly daunting. I always felt confident that I could write a female narrator and make her voice feel authentic. But there were still lots of creative challenges that I hadn’t really anticipated. Women’s clothing was the big one. Abby, the narrator has a lot of hang-ups about how she looks – her weight, her height, the size of her breasts. She spends a lot of time thinking about how she looks, and how she appears to other people, so I had to spend a lot of time thinking about these things too. I had to do a lot of research. I learnt about necklines and hemlines and colour coordination. I watched vlogs about matching makeup with hair and skin tone. There were instances when I spent literally hours deciding what Abby was going to wear. My wife tells me that I became noticeably better at dressing our daughter during this period!

How does society view ‘normality’ and why did you want to explore this in your novel?

For me, normality and abnormality are really interesting and difficult concepts, and they’re always tied to the wider context of society. Human beings are social animals; we’ve evolved to live together and cooperate, and so there are big psychological pressures that make most of us want to conform – and that perhaps make us suspicious of anything different or abnormal. But normality isn’t always a good thing, just as abnormality isn’t always bad. Abraham Lincoln’s views on slavery were abnormal for the times he was living in. Albert Einstein’s mind wasn’t normal. I read somewhere that Beethoven’s personal hygiene was abnormally bad (even by nineteenth century standards). He frequently forgot to wash because he was too busy composing. But I think most of us would be willing to forgive this in Beethoven’s case.  If the price of the Moonlight Sonata was Beethoven not washing his hair, then that’s fine by me.  Abnormality can in many instances be a problem, and it can be difficult to live with, but it also enriches our culture to remarkable degree, and that’s worth celebrating.

What was it like to be featured on the Simon Mayo book club?

My debut also featured on the Simon Mayo book club, so I didn’t think they’d even consider Melody Black. I assumed it would be ruled out by default. So it came as a very pleasant surprise. It’s a nervy experience having a new book out, and it was a big confidence boost to have that kind of endorsement. It’s also great to get that first feedback from the listeners who have read the book. That’s a bit scary too because you get to hear what people thought of your novel live on air. But when the feedback’s good, there aren’t many better feelings. The feedback I got on Simon Mayo was very good, and hugely encouraging.

(And well deserved I think!)

Photo courtesy of Alix Extence

Gavin Extence lives in Sheffield with his wife, children and cat. He has written two novels, The Universe Versus Alex Woods and The Mirror World of Melody Black.

Both have featured on BBC Radio 2’s Book Club with Simon Mayo. The Universe Versus Alex Woods, which tackled the big issue of assisted dying with humour and a lightness of touch, won the Writer’s Guide Best Book 2013, was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize, selected as a Richard and Judy Summer Book Club Read, and was a Top Ten Amazon Best Book of 2013.

Look out for Gavin’s new novel, The Empathy Problem, coming in August 2016.

You can follow Gavin on Twitter or find out more about Gavin on his web site, and with these other bloggers: