Everyone who regularly visits Linda’s Book Bag knows I love to travel. Consequently, I’m delighted to welcome Fay Henson to the blog today to stay in with me and tell me about one of her books as I have a feeling Fay is going to get me wanting to pack my case once again!

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Fay Henson

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Fay. 

The pleasure’s mine Linda, I’ve been looking forward to joining you.

I’m sorry it’s taken so long! Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

Well, I’ve brought my debut book, a New Adult Romance called Tuscany – a novel, which I think will be perfect to transport us away this evening from our usual climate and put us in the mood for an Italian summer holiday.

(I’m sure it will, Fay. Tuscany is an area I haven’t been to much except Florence and Pisa so I’d love to travel further.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Tuscany – a novel?

Tuscany – a novel is told through the eyes of a strong-minded seventeen-year-old girl Caylin from Bristol.  I know you’ll want to follow Caylin and to stand right behind her as she abandons her parents in her plight to find fun and friendship whilst on holiday. During her turbulent story we’ll soon discover exactly what she gets up to, but until then, here’s a piece when she finally returns to the hotel to face her parents.

“There they were, my mum and dad were standing with their backs to the hotel building and looking out over the views of olive trees and grape vines. I wondered if they weren’t looking forward to returning to Bristol as well; that they’d had a great time together and they were taking their last glimpses of the pretty surroundings just like we did in Siena. They looked lovely together, Dad, just a bit taller than Mum and I could see they’d caught a lot of sun. I was sure they didn’t realise we were standing a short distance behind them.

I let Joe’s hand go free as I walked slowly up to them, keeping my tattooed wrist facing inwards towards my body. ‘Mum, Dad,’ I said. My voice sounded nervous.”

(Woohoo! I think we have all had similar moments to Caylin. Of course, I now want to know what happens next!)

You might like to know what one reader said about it too Linda:

‘I really enjoyed it! I’m sure that the character of Caylin is one that a lot of teenagers will be able to relate to. I found the descriptions of the Italian landscape and Siena itself to be very accurate. I hope there’s going to be a sequel. I’d recommend it to everyone, particularly teenagers.’

(What a smashing endorsement.)

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I thought it would be appropriate to bring along my cocktail making kit and prepare us a Mojito, the drink Caylin tries (a little too much of) in Siena, and I’ve ordered us pizza from the Italian restaurant to wet out appetites before we head to Siena in Tuscany – a novel buon appetito!

(I have a cocktail shaker in the kitchen cupboard as I’m rather fond of the occasional cocktail. This will set us up perfectly for our pizzas.) 

Oh yes, I thought you’d like to see a photo of the book in Siena’s main square called Piazza del Campo, where Caylin first meets Stefania.

That’s brilliant. What a perfect place for Tuscany – a novel to be positioned.

Thanks so much for staying in with me Fay, to introduce Tuscany – a novel. You’ve made me want to visit the area. I think the best way to do that would be by reading your book first.

Thanks very much for inviting me over Linda, you’ve been a wonderful host.

(Thanks Fay – though you did bring the food and drink so I can’t take any credit!)

Tuscany – a novel

Caylin agrees to go away on holiday to Italy with her parents but she soon wishes she could be spending it with people her own age.  On reaching the point of desperation, Caylin sneaks away from the hotel and hitchhikes alone to the city of Siena where her stay becomes a fusion of love, sadness, hate and new experiences.  And being branded a thief, isn’t what she bargained for either!

Tuscany – a novel can be purchased here.

About Fay Henson

A few years ago, Fay and husband made the ‘now or never’ decision to relocate with their three children from the UK to Tuscany.  She soon discovered that she was in the perfect place for writing, and commenced with travel articles until moving on to fulfilling her passion for novel writing.  Inspired by the very appealing surroundings and tourists who visit, Fay says that it would  have been difficult not to write a story based in Italy.  As well as writing, she loves to take their fox terrier Bobby for walks whilst mulling over a plot, drinking coffee in the traditional Italian bars, wine and pizza!

You can find Fay’s book on Facebook and can follow her on Twitter @FayHenson_.

Since I began this Staying in with… feature on Linda’s Book Bag I’ve chatted to many, many authors about their books. Today, I welcome Mary Monro whose story has an added extra as I think you’ll agree.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Mary Monro

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Mary. Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

I’ve brought Stranger In My Heart, my book about my quest to explore the stranger I called Dad, 30 years after he died. I want to inspire people to explore their own family histories, because so often we don’t really know our parents and grandparents, other than title and role, and they have much to teach us about who we are. The theme of my Dad’s life is resilience, and it reverberates through his whole story. The Chinese are an extraordinarily resilient people and I have been inspired by my travels in China, retracing Dad’s wartime exploits, as well as by learning how he coped – thrived even – in adversity.

(You’re absolutely right Mary. So many people I know wish they had asked more when parents and grandparents were alive. I’m so glad I had time to talk with my Dad before he died.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Stranger In My Heart? 

It’s a mixture of Second World War adventure, with a daring escape from a Japanese PoW camp in Hong Kong across 1200 miles of war torn China; a biography of one of the many unsung heroes of the Greatest Generation; and my own journey of discovery, retracing Dad’s escape route across modern China and researching the context of his story and how it fitted in with the Far East war strategy. Along the way I discovered Dad’s connection to the creator of King Kong (Merian Cooper – who also flew the plane in the finale – see https://youtu.be/NOq8IjDMKIw), how he went climbing with Sherpa Tenzing in 1946 and how he was a founder of the Riding for the Disabled Association in the 1960s!

Dad (Left), Tenzing Norgay (middle), another Sherpa

(Wow! What a life he led Mary. You must be so proud of your Dad.)

Damien Lewis, author of Hunting The Nazi Bomb says of the book “A well-written and deeply satisfying book, packed with information and adventure, as Mary Monro struggles to understand her WWII hero father, her inheritance, and herself. Above all, a damn good read!”

(What a lovely response.)

What else have you brought along and why?

 

I have a folder full of Dad’s papers from WWII – his travel pass for China, a report on conditions in the PoW camp in Hong Kong, a letter from General Wavell congratulating him on his escape, letters to family, old photographs etc.

(These are absolutely fabulous documents Mary. Thank you so much for sharing them with Linda’s Book Bag readers.)

We could drink Chinese tea and look at my photos from when I retraced his escape route across China!

(I’m always up for a cup of tea and a nose through other people’s photos Mary. I’ll put the kettle on!)

 

Guiyang, Guizhou and Rice Terraces, Guangzi

(You can see all my photos and blog about my travels here.) I met many amazing people along the way and fell in love with China and its fascinating culture and history. China and Dad were both undiscovered countries to me and both needed a lot of time and effort to explore, both preserve a few secrets, but both rewarded me with an enormously enriching experience.

Karst landscape Guangxi

Linda’s Book Bag readers might like to know that there is a Spotify playlist for Stranger In My Heart here and that it will be released on 9th June – my father’s birthday!

What brilliant timing! Thank you so much for staying in with me Mary, to introduce Stranger In My Heart. I feel very privileged to have found out about your Dad and your travels tracing his steps. What a wonderful way to preserve his memory. I’m sure he would be touched and delighted to see what you have done.

Stranger in My Heart

Stranger in My Heart describes the transformation of a stranger called ‘Dad’, who died in 1981, into someone the author knows and honours, while expanding her own sense of self and enriching her life. It began at her mother’s 80th birthday party in 2007 when a friend described her father as a ‘20th Century Great’. Mary Monro already knew her Dad had fought in Hong Kong in 1941, had been imprisoned by the Japanese and had escaped across China. She didn’t know that he had been Assistant Military Attaché in China 1942-43 and had hatched a plan to evacuate all the PoWs he’d left behind in Hong Kong; or that he’d fought in the blood and sweat stained hell of Burma 1944-45.

Published by Unbound on 9th June, Stranger in My Heart is available for purchase here. You can also pre-order Stranger In My Heart here.

About Mary Monro

Mary lives in Bath with her husband. She practises as an osteopath in the picturesque Wiltshire town of Bradford on Avon, treating people three days a week and horses and dogs one day a week.

Mary is a Trustee of the Sutherland Cranial College of Osteopathy and Member of the Royal Society of Medicine and Association of Animal Osteopaths. She was formerly a marketing consultant, with 5 years experience at what is now PricewaterhouseCoopers, and three years with strategy consultancy, P.Four (now part of WPP). She began her marketing career with Cadbury’s confectionery.

You can visit Mary’s blog for more information and follow her on Twitter @monro_m276.

When fellow book lover and blogger Sharon asked if there were any bloggers willing to take part in a blog tour for I Am… I wasn’t actually taking on more blog tours because I was about to go away, I’m inundated with books and my mother has been so ill I didn’t have a minute to spare. However, when I discovered what had led to the creation of the I Am… anthology I couldn’t resist. I’m so glad I agreed to participate.

I Am… isn’t for sale conventionally, but copies can be obtained via donation to Ceartas by contacting them through their website.

I Am…

I Am… an anthology of the work created by some of the individuals who use Ceartas’ services.

Ceartas provide independent advocacy to people over the age of 16 living in East Dunbartonshire. Thanks to generous funding from Big Lottery Scotland, Investing in Ideas, they were able to employ a Writer in Residence to facilitate an 8 week programme for people who have used the services of Ceartas.

Many individuals who seek advocacy only do so when all other routes have been exhausted. Many feel disempowered, voiceless and personally deconstructed. Using your voice and telling your story is the antithesis to being recognised only by a label.

Independent advocacy is about ensuring individuals have a voice and what better way to assist that process than using creative writing as a means of providing an outlet for that voice. There are so many labels attached and assumptions made about people living with long term conditions;  many face stigma and discrimination as part of their daily lives; they are often denied a voice or lack the confidence to use their voice and speak up for themselves.

Writer in Residence, Donna Moore from Glasgow Women’s Library, worked with the group over a period of eight weeks to create a portfolio of participant’s work to include in the anthology.

My Review of I Am…

I Am… is a collection of writings from staff and clients of the Creatas Advocacy Service.

I Am… is a little gem of a book. Firstly, it is the result of a very worthwhile project that aimed to provide an outlet and voice to often disempowered individuals and that is hugely worthy and would be worth reading just to make the reader feel they are supporting others. I loved the way the sections are divided and entitled so that they almost become a poem in their own right at the start of the book as participants adapt and respond to the course.

Secondly, however, it’s a little cracker of a book regardless of its origin. I Am… is a real smorgasboard of delights so that there is something for every reader. I thoroughly enjoyed all the entries, feeling that the introductory I Am poems gave me an insight into the people behind the writing. I really hope they will all go on to develop stories around the characters they created in the CharacterBuilding exercise too. The group short stories carried out in a similar format to playing consequences were enormously entertaining and I especially liked Story 10. But right the way through this uplifting and engaging anthology are delights of all kinds. I think the piece I liked the most was Helen’s response to Imagine, based on an image. I found her piece enigmatic, intriguing and so revealing of character in just 25 words over 5 lines.

Finally too, I Am… isn’t just a book for readers as there is so much inspiration for writers to enjoy. Many of the pieces would lend themselves to continuation or adaptation by anyone looking to enhance their own creative writing – such as George’s response to In The Picture (I’d certainly love to know what happened next). In addition, Donna Moore’s introduction to each section over the eight weeks gives brilliant stimuli so that anyone can have a go at the exercises she has used with the group.

I Am… is a highly entertaining, stimulating and interesting anthology and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every word.

About Ceartas

Ceartas provides an advocacy service for people in East Dunbartonshire irrespective of their cultural background, gender, beliefs or sexuality.

Ceartas employees are committed to providing a service based on the principles of equality, fairness and justice, striving to ensure that the views and opinions of individuals are heard and respected, affecting in a positive way the lives of people using the service.

You can find out more about Ceartas by visiting their website and following them on Twitter @CeartasAdvocacy. You’ll also find them on Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I can’t believe it’s almost exactly three years since one of my very first blog posts was a review of Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton. You can see that review (and how Linda’s Book Bag has changed) here.

Today I’m thrilled to be part of the launch celebrations for Sharon Bolton’s latest book, The Craftsman, and would like to thank fellow blogger Tracy Fenton and LeanneOliver from Orion for inviting me to participate.

Published by Trapeze, an imprint of Orion, The Craftsman is available for purchase through the publisher links here.

The Craftsman

Devoted father or merciless killer?

His secrets are buried with him.

Florence Lovelady’s career was made when she convicted coffin-maker Larry Glassbrook of a series of child murders 30 years ago. Like something from our worst nightmares the victims were buried…ALIVE.

Larry confessed to the crimes; it was an open and shut case. But now he’s dead, and events from the past start to repeat themselves.

Did she get it wrong all those years ago?
Or is there something much darker at play?

My Review of The Craftsman

As a young inexperienced policewoman, Florence Lovelady finds herself an outsider in a community where children are going missing.

I really, really enjoyed The Craftsman. Sharon Bolton has such assurance in her writing that it feels a total pleasure to immerse yourself as a reader in her narrative. The first person approach means that Florence has a clear and striking voice making every element of the story absorbing and plausible. Normally I prefer stories that remain in one time frame, but The Craftsman is written with such skill that the two eras, whilst distinct and evocative in their own right, are so well linked and so perfectly balanced that I loved the approach here.

The plot races along. Although some elements are fairly easily guessed, this doesn’t detract from the story but rather gives a sense of satisfaction. I loved the analogous use of quotation from Shakespeare, and both the obvious and implied links with Macbeth that weave through the text especially, because they gave an added depth to an already engrossing and captivating read and hinted at a world beyond just the corporeal. Much of the time when I was reading I experienced an unnerving frisson of fear and, indeed, of plausibility so that reading The Craftsman has left me unsure of my own beliefs. On occasion it is incredibly creepy. There’s a seamless blend of the prosaic and the mystical as well as a clear insight into old fashioned chauvinistic policing that I thought was completely compelling. This is such well balanced writing.

I thought the creation of character was outstanding. Each individual is so complex and flawed and yet utterly believable that they hold a fascination for the reader. I can’t say too much without revealing parts of the story which would spoil the read, but there are still those about whom I am undecided; Florence, Tom and Dwayne especially, even having read the climax to the story, so that there are multiple ways of enjoying this book.

The Craftsman is a cracking crime thriller, but it is so much more besides. It is an exploration of the world we inhabit and the world we don’t. Sharon Bolton challenges our thinking of how patriarchal society and mystical belief works. Reading The Craftsman has left me enormously entertained and really quite unsettled. I recommend it without hesitation as a cracker of a read.

About Sharon Bolton

Sharon (formerly S J) Bolton grew up in a cotton-mill town in Lancashire and had an eclectic early career in marketing and public relations. She gave it up in 2000 to become a mother and a writer.

Her first novel, Sacrifice, was voted Best New Read by Amazon.uk, whilst her second, Awakening, won the 2010 Mary Higgins Clark Award (part of the prestigious Edgars) in the US. In 2014, Lost, (UK title, Like This, For Ever) was named RT Magazine’s Best Contemporary Thriller in the US, and in France, Now You See Me won the Plume de Bronze. That same year, Sharon was awarded the CWA Dagger in the Library, for her entire body of work. In 2016, Little Black Lies won the Dead Good award for the best twist.

She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger, the Theakston’s Prize for Best Thriller, the International Thriller Writers’ Best First Novel award, the Prix Du Polar in France and the Martin Beck award in Sweden.

With ten books to her name, Sharon is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has been described by a reviewer for that newspaper as being ‘unable to write a sentence not suffused with menace.’

Sacrifice has been made into a Hollywood film starring Radha Mitchell, Rupert Graves and David Robb. Little Black Lies and the Lacey Flint series have been optioned for TV.

Sharon lives with her family of four, one of whom is a food-stealing, rabbit-chasing lurcher, in the Chiltern Hills, not far from Oxford.

You can follow Sharon on Twitter @AuthorSJBolton, and visit her website. You’ll also find Sharon on Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I’ve long been a fan of Urbane Publications as they have such an eclectic and rich mix of authors. Today I’m thrilled to welcome one of these authors to stay in with me, Cherry Radford.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Cherry Radford

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Cherry. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. 

Hi Linda, where shall I sit?

(Sit wherever you like. Now we no longer have four cats to shove out of the way there’s plenty of room! Fancy a cuppa?)

Aha. Yes, half a sugar in an Earl Grey please.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

I’ve brought along The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter, because it’s new. Lighthouse keepers drank a lot of tea.

(In that case lighthouse keepers would be my kind of people. I drink copious amounts of tea!)

What can we expect from an evening in with The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter?

Beachy Head lighthouse (photo: Juan del Pozo), and the Metropolis, Madrid

Well, lighthouses obviously – you get to go inside three. You’re also going to have romance, but I like to think of it as People Fiction rather than Women’s Fiction, as it has plenty of male viewpoint.

(I love the idea of People Fiction. I’m adopting that genre for my reviews. Thanks Cherry.)

After the breakup of her marriage, Imogen escapes to Beachy Head to be alone and to find out more about her lighthouse keeper father who mysteriously drowned there back in 1982. She starts to see similarities in their lives – especially in the way he was intensely corresponding with a female penfriend, just like she’s Tweeting with Santi, a Spanish actor-musician in Madrid…

(Ooo. I like the sound of that VERY much – and I have a copy of The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter on my TBR so I’m going to have to bump it up the pile…)

What else have you brought along and why? 

Imogen gave me some home-made fudge to bring along from the Beachy Head Countryside Centre where she works (and where I volunteered when doing my research!). Mm… have some!

(What do you mean have ‘some‘ fudge? I think you meant to say, ‘Have it all!’ I genuinely think I might kill for fudge – or at least put up a good fight for it!)

Santi has a gig tonight and couldn’t make it, so I’ve brought flamenco guitarist Josemi Carmona with me. My unexpected friendship with him – that all started with me Tweeting to find out where I could buy his new album – was one of the inspirations for the story. I did ask him to show off some of the English I’ve taught him, but he’s in one of his no-no-no, no Engleesh moods. Ah, but he’s picking up his guitar and going to play along with his track on the novel’s Spotify list…

(Here‘s the Spotify link if readers would like to have a listen too.)

Thanks so much for staying in with me Cherry, to introduce The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter. I’ve loved hearing about it (and eating the fudge) and look forward to reading it very soon. 

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter

After the break-up of her marriage, Imogen escapes to her aunt’s converted lighthouse on Beachy Head. Writing for a tedious online magazine but hoping to starting a novel, she wants to be alone – until she finds an entrancing flamenco CD in her borrowed car and contacts the artist via Twitter. It turns out that actor-musician Santiago needs help with English, and is soon calling her profesora.

Through her window, the other lighthouse winks at her across the sea. The one where her father was a keeper, until he mysteriously drowned there in 1982. Her aunt is sending extracts from his diary, and Imogen is intrigued to learn that, like her and Santi, her father had a penfriend.

Meanwhile, despite their differences – Imogen is surrounded by emotional and geographical barriers, Santi surrounded by family and land-locked Madrid – their friendship develops. So, she reads, did her father’s – but shocking revelations cause Imogen to question whether she ever really knew him.

Two stories of communication: the hilarious mistakes, the painful misunderstandings, and the miracle – or tragedy – of finding someone out there with whom you have an unforeseen, irresistible connection.

‘A fresh new voice telling a charming and moving story of love, loss, loneliness, Twitter and Spanish lessons. An absolute delight.’ Bestselling author Louise Douglas

‘A story so full of music it sings. If you love lighthouses, music and all things Spanish this is the book for you. It even has a Spotify playlist at the beginning – a great touch. Radford creates rich and believable characters (I especially love Santi). This is a classy romance, dealing in communication and miscommunication, where the past is deftly woven into to the present. Where there are twists, turns and surprises to keep you guessing and hanging on until the last – and all beautifully produced by Urbane Publications.’ Avril Joy, author of Sometimes A River Song, and Costa Short Story award winner

Published by Urbane Publications, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter is available for purchase here.

About Cherry Radford

Cherry Radford was a keyboard player in a band, a piano teacher at the Royal Ballet School and an optometrist/post-doctoral researcher at Moorfields Eye Hospital before suddenly starting her first novel in the middle of a scientific conference in 2009. Following the publication of Men Dancing (2011) and Flamenco Baby (2013) by a small Brighton-based independent, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter is her first novel with Urbane Publications. Cherry lives in Eastbourne and Almería (Spain).

She chats about writing and other passions on her BLA BLA LAND blog and can be followed on Twitter @CherryRad, Instagram and Facebook and there’s more on her website.

It’s a slightly different post on Linda’s Book Bag today as I welcome a kind of BOGOF author in S.T. Young, because S.T. is not one, but two writers and a sister and brother to boot! Add in a psychological thriller in their first joint book, Girl in the Mist, and you can see why I invited them along!

Out now from Entangled Publishing, Girl in the Mist is available for purchase from all the usual places by following the publisher links.

Girl in the Mist

Infamous for infiltration and becoming her undercover identities, Nina Hernandez disappeared without a trace. Three years later, Naval Intelligence agent Rory O’Donnell finds her in a tortuous mental hospital. He’s unsure if it’s really Nina, or if she’s undercover and faking it. Either way, he’s pretty sure something sinister is going on…

Rory springs Nina, and together they elude their determined pursuers. He needs to get her to safety…all while keeping his hands off the beautiful, mysterious young woman. As he works to convince her to trust him and share her darkest secrets, he wonders if he can trust her not to betray his…

Between her mercurial changes, sexy come-ons, and her exasperating independence, a protection assignment has never been so hard. On a dangerous trek across the country as they tumble from one danger into the next, Rory finds that resisting Nina might just be his toughest task yet.

The plot

A Guest Post by S.T. Young

Most times the plot is a mean son of a gun. It’ll take you places you never wanted to go, throw you on your bum when you least expect it, and send you careening into that rock-face called plot-bogged if you’re not careful. Seriously, there are times you just want to grab that thing and exorcise it from your psyche to never be seen again…

But you can’t. It’s your demon plot after all, and somehow, some way it has to be written.

For us the average plot will start, quite predictably, with two points. A beginning—an idea that started to fester and tug at some point and needed to come out. And an ending—that goal you have to achieve to get the final scene for your characters that will satisfy each and everyone involved, writer, character and reader alike.

What happens in-between…well, at times, it is up for grabs. Frustrating, right? There will be points, plot beats if you will, to be reached, thought of ahead of time, but they don’t always work out the way you planned them.

Perfect example: A hero and a heroine are supposed to meet in chapter one.

We planned it all out, set the scene just the way we wanted it, and then while writing…it. Just. Wouldn’t. Happen! First a friend arrived and interrupted. Grrr.  Friend dealt with, hero turns to the heroine, is about to speak, and a customer comes in. Darn it! Not the plan! And yet it somehow worked.

Truth is, some things just won’t be forced.

How it turned out: hero and heroine actually didn’t speak a word until chapter two, when finally, all the hassle was dealt with and they came face to face. The rest, as they say, is history.

The point of this example? You can plot everything to the minor details, and sometimes you do, but there still is a certain flow, a character driven, natural arc of events that you just didn’t, and can’t see coming…and shouldn’t. Usually, what for you, the writer, comes as a complete, sometimes funny, sometimes scary surprise, will be just that for the reader as well.

To us this is the most fascinating bit of writing, especially in such a plot-driven story like Girl in the Mist. Those little surprises that you didn’t see coming. The heroine starting to strip, just to get the hero’s hackles up, only to end up freezing cold…You can plan those things, sure, but if they just “happen” they’re usually amazingly genuine, and that is the thing that will make your manuscript one-of-a-kind.

Lastly there is the problem of plot holes and plot beats that just won’t work in the bigger scheme of things. Those are amazingly frustrating, especially if you’re particularly fond of said beat. Usually this requires severe brainstorming between the two of us, and those sessions can become mighty noisy in the heat of the discussion. Most times we end up compromising, or one of us backing down (for the time being anyway) until either one of us will come up with something…usually something particularly convoluting, to solve the problem at hand.

What it comes down to: For us the plot is a basic line from A to B that will get stretched and torqued along the way until it becomes a working whole and gives us the end result we’re striving for.

Whether that ending will surprise us in the end, or be exactly as we planned it, doesn’t really matter: It’s the thrilling ride that gets you there that counts.

(And I think Girl in the Mist sounds a thrilling ride. Thanks both!)

About S.T. Young

Siblings Samaya and Taffin grew up in a somewhat unorthodox family. Born in the Netherlands, their early childhood was a relatively normal one, but their teens were spent traveling through Europe with their mother and siblings before they settled down in Southern Spain to build their home from scratch. In 2015 they returned to their country of birth.

Though different in character, brother and sister shared a love for strong, character driven stories with one recurring element they both needed in all their reading—romance. Though Samaya can get side-tracked by horror, and Taffin can get lost in sci-fi from time to time, they always return to the genre that never fails to draw them into any plot—romantic fiction.

In 2008 they started working together, first on Samaya’s earlier manuscripts, but other, newer stories, too, to see if they could find an audience for the work they’d put their hearts and souls into.. In the process of learning to work together, many fierce discussions followed as they argued grammar, plot, and even something as simple as comma placement (doesn’t everyone?). Girl in the Mist, a taut psychological thriller, was their first joint effort, but there are many more on the way.

You can find out more by following Samaya on Twitter @samayayoung, finding them both on Facebook and visiting Samaya’s website.

If you pop by Linda’s Book Bag on a regular basis you’ll know how much I am enjoying staying in with authors who ‘bring’ food along as they stay in to tell me about their books. Today, lovely Harriet Steel has brought some smashing food to share as she introduces one of her books!

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Harriet Steel

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Harriet. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. Which of your books have you brought along this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought along Trouble in Nuala, the first book in my Inspector de Silva Mysteries series. I’ve chosen it because the series has received the most enthusiastic response of all my books so far. It’s set in Ceylon in the 1930s. (As I expect you know, Ceylon was still a British colony at the time but after independence, changed its name to Sri Lanka.) The tone of the book is essentially light- hearted, but I do touch on issues raised by colonialism and differences in culture, so I hope we’ll find plenty to talk about.

(How brilliant. I’ve just come back from India, love to travel and Sri Lanka is on my wish list. With Trouble in Nuala I can travel vicariously until I get chance to go there.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Trouble in Nuala?

The 1930s were part of the period now recognised as a golden age of British crime fiction. Writers like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers made the detective story, up until then rather looked down upon, into a respectable and popular form of literature. In Trouble in Nuala and the rest of the series, I’ve aimed to create absorbing stories in that style: stories that don’t rely on a lot of violence for their impact. These days, the news is so full of horrors, I don’t want that when I escape into the world of literature, and I think many readers feel the same way.

(I certainly do. I have to confess to avoiding the news at all costs these days because it’s so depressing so Trouble in Nuala sounds exactly my kind of book.)

What really makes or breaks a book for me is the characters and the setting, so I’ve tried to create characters that readers will find engaging. Inspector Shanti de Silva, my Sinhalese detective, doesn’t have a messy private life or an alcohol problem. He’s a happily married man who loves gardening and reading when he’s not solving crimes. His personal life isn’t entirely straightforward though. He and his British wife, Jane, have had to learn to deal with the problems of a mixed marriage. In his working life, de Silva’s principled but pragmatic and occasionally a rebel when exasperated by having to deal with his British superiors.

As far as the location is concerned, when I visited Sri Lanka a couple of years ago, I was captivated by the country straight away and realised that it’s an absolute gift to a writer looking for a fascinating and exotic setting. I couldn’t wait to begin writing the mystery series that had been in the back of my mind for some time.

It’s for readers to judge whether I’ve succeeded in my aim of creating entertaining, relaxing and colourful reads, so I’ve been delighted to find that the series has received many appreciative reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

This is one of my favourites:

A Paradise Visited – 5*

A most satisfying read. Inspector Silva and his Jane are a lovely couple, in a well-written, interesting tale that held my attention until the end. An exotic setting just adds to the story. I’m looking forward to reading future books about this attractive duo and their friends.

(What a lovely review. You must be delighted Harriet.)

What else have you brought and why have you brought it?

Curry of course! Sri Lankan meals tend to be banquets, so I’ve brought a selection. I hope you’ll enjoy Shanti de Silva’s favourite pea and cashew nut, then there’s brinjal which is a special dish of spiced aubergines; curried cauliflower, and lamb in a rich tomato sauce. I’m serving them with string hoppers (noodles), fluffy rice, crisp rounds of roti bread, and some creamy yoghurt to cool us off. (Sri Lankan food is hot.)

(Now you’re talking. This is just the kind of food I love. You can come again if you’re going to bring such gorgeous provisions.)

To wash our meal down, I have local beer, but if you don’t feel like drinking anything alcoholic, the cutely named Elephant ginger beer is excellent. Sri Lankan puddings are too sweet for many people, but there’s lots of gorgeous fruit available. I’ve brought pineapples, pomegranates and mangoes. The latter are often served with a little lime juice and chilli, but you may have had enough of chilli by then!

(So tasty and I love that Elephant ginger beer! Thanks Harriet.)

I’ve also brought along a few photographs of sights that inspired me.

(Wonderful photos. They make me want to pack my bag and head off straight away.)

Some soothing background music might be nice too. As Inspector de Silva has started to explore Western music, I thought I’d chose something quintessentially English, so I’ve brought along The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams.

(I love that piece of music, Harriet.)

It’s been an absolute pleasure to stay in with you and hear all about Trouble in Nuala. It’s a book I definitely need to add to my TBR. Thanks so much for telling me all about it Harriet.

Trouble in Nuala

When Inspector Shanti de Silva moves with his English wife, Jane, to his new post in the sleepy hill town of Nuala he anticipates a more restful life than police work in the big city entails.

However, an arrogant plantation owner with a lonely wife, a crusading lawyer, and a death in suspicious circumstances present him with a riddle that he will need all his experience to solve.

Set on the exotic island of Ceylon in the 1930s, Trouble in Nuala is an entertaining and relaxing mystery spiced with humour and a colourful cast of characters.

Trouble in Nuala is available for purchase here.

About Harriet Steel

Harriet Steel grew up in London and Wiltshire but now lives in Surrey. Married with two daughters, she has worked in fields from law to libraries. Her interests are travel, history and art, all of which have inspired the four historical novels she wrote before turning to crime with The Inspector de Silva Mysteries. She reads widely, but in the mystery genre is particularly fond of vintage mysteries. She would love to go back in time for a day and have lunch with Hercule Poirot, tea with Miss Marple, and dinner at the Ritz with Lord Peter Wimsey.

You can find Harriet on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @harrietsteel1 and visit her blog.

It’s publication day for The Cornish Dressmaker by Nicola Pryce and I arrived home from my trip to India earlier this week to find a lovely copy had arrived whilst I’d been away. Consequently I haven’t had chance to read it yet but I have been lucky enough to stay in with one of the characters from the book, Gwen, to find out more about it!

The Cornish Dressmaker is published today, 3rd May 2018, by Corvus Books and is available for purchase here.

Staying in with Gwen

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Gwen. It’s a first for me to stay in with a character from a book and not an author.

Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be here. I’m Gwen, by the way. I’m married to Elowyn’s brother. I’m her best friend.

Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Oh, I’d much rather be here. Far safer to be here with you than out on the quayside – there’s no moon outside and it’s very dark.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought you The Cornish Dressmaker by Nicola Pryce. It’s her third book and it’s about my friend Elowyn Liddicot who runs the dressmaker’s shop above Pengelly’s Yard. You might have met her in Pengelly’s Daughter or The Captain’s Girl.

(These look wonderful books for your friend Elowyn to feature in Gwen.)

Time’s passing, it’s now 1796 and Sir James is thrilled his clay mines are beginning to show profit. The new sea lock’s working well and his clay’s getting shipped faster than ever – but are we alone, Linda? May I talk freely?

(Of course you may Gwen. What’s the problem?)

Only, I’m that concerned about Elowyn. Two men are vying for her attention and she doesn’t know who to choose. She says, why marry at all? Her dressmaking business is doing well and she’s got savings under the floor boards. Between you and me, I think she’s making a big mistake.

(Hmm. I’ll have to read The Cornish Dressmaker and then get back to you Gwen to see if I agree.)

What can we expect from an evening in with The Cornish Dressmaker?

Well, there’ll be Mrs Munroe’s pies for a start!

(Ah – I might have started on Mrs Munroe’s pie without you…)

And there’ll be Mr Pitt licking his paws in his basket. We’ll sit round the kitchen table in Mrs Pengelly’s beautiful house and we’ll watch Billy mend the spit. She’ll pour us a glass of Madeira and we’ll sit sewing and laughing. We can talk about the opening of the new lock, the beautiful pier houses – the way that man swept her up in his arms. Bold as brass he was, just swept her up and kissed her like … well, never you mind what like. But if Billy gets his way, we’ll talk of nothing but waterwheels and water courses and how the lock stays full.

(Now, you can’t just tell me that about the kiss. I need to know more!)

What else have you brought along and why?

I’ve brought you tickets, Linda. You’re to put on your sailing gear and join me on a tall ship. Sir James says I’m to show you his lock and how it works. We’re to go to Charlestown and board The Phoenix. The men will haul us out to the outer lock then the wind will catch our sails. Wrap up, mind, those sea frets come in thick and fast; soon as you look round, there’s nothing but mist and dark alleys. But if the weather’s kind, we’ll sail from the harbour so you can see how the lock gates open and shut. Then we’ll walk round the harbour and I can show you the pier houses that Nathan built. Now there’s a man – Nathan Cardew – and me, a married woman!

(That sounds a real adventure. And I’d like to meet Nathan too whilst we’re out if possible.)

After our sail, we’re to go to work – not sewing this time, but scraping the sand and grit off the dried blocks of clay. Be warned, though, it’s hard work and your fingertips will crack. You’ll get dust in your eyes and down your throat. We’ll be under the thatch but exposed to the wind. Here, I’ve brought you a picture. It’s a hundred years from now, but they look just the same. See those pretty bonnets? They’re the ones Elowyn designed. Once we’ve scraped off all the impurities, they’ll pack them in the carts and take them to the harbour. Then off up to the potteries – did I tell you, Mr Sellick won the Wedgewood contract? Sir James is that chuffed.

(I’m not so sure I like the sound of that task Gwen.)

We’ll be tired after that, I can tell you – so we’ll put our feet up by the hearth, but I’ve brought you something else. Here, shut the door, I shouldn’t really have this. Look, a love token. See how he’s rubbed it free of all markings before he engraved it? Mind you, coins are hard to come by, the shortage is getting worse. Still, she loves this token. Quick, put it away, I hear my Tom coming.

Oo. How romantic. Thanks so much for staying in with me Gwen to tell me all about Elowyn and Nicola Pryce’s books. I’ve really enjoyed it. If you see Nicola, wish her a happy publication day from me please.

I will Linda and thank you for having me.

The Cornish Dressmaker

Cornwall, 1796.
Seamstress Elowyn Liddicot’s family believe they’ve secured the perfect future for her, in the arms of Nathan Cardew. But then one evening, Elowyn helps to rescue a dying man from the sea, and everything changes. William Cotterell, wild and self-assured, refuses to leave her thoughts or her side – but surely she can’t love someone so unlike herself?

With Elowyn’s dressmaking business suddenly under threat, her family’s pressure to marry Nathan increasing, and her heart decidedly at odds with her head, Elowyn doesn’t know who to trust any more. And when William uncovers a sinister conspiracy that affects her whole world, can Elowyn find the courage to support the people she loves in the face of all opposition?

Out today you can buy The Cornish Dressmaker here.

About Nicola Pryce

Nicola Pryce trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. She has always loved literature and completed an Open University degree in Humanities. She is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. She and her husband love sailing and together they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure.

Pengelly’s Daughter was the first novel in her new Cornish saga. Her second novel, The Captain’s Girl was published last July and The Cornish Dressmaker in May 2018.

Nicola is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Historical Writers Association.

You can follow Nicola on Twitter @NPryce_Author and visit her website. You’ll also find her on Facebook.

I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to any kind of fantasy fiction, but even I have heard of Nancy Springer and I am thrilled that she has agreed to stay in with me to tell me about one of her books today.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Nancy Springer

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag, Nancy. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I’ve brought The Oddling Prince because I am so glad it has finally found a home. I wrote it with all my heart, but then it struggled for years to find publication.  I was told “that kind of fantasy” wasn’t popular anymore.  Ouch, because “That kind of fantasy” was a return to my roots, the first fantasy novel I wrote, The Silver Sun, in which two warrior comrades love each other with all loyalty and eventually discover they are brothers. The Oddling Prince is like the captured essence of much of my previous mythic fantasy to me.  It had to be published.  And now, finally, it is, by Tachyon.

(Ouch indeed Nancy. I think it’s interesting that so many writers struggle to find a home for their books because they don’t fit a prescribed genre or perceived niche in the market. We readers want a range of books otherwise it’s like eating the same meal every day!)

What can we expect from an evening in with The Oddling Prince?

Let me read you a  brief excerpt:

In the benighted courtyard, the rider and his horse stood like a great alabaster statue surrounded by a multitude of pale ovals, the frightened faces of guards and soldiers with their swords out, or their pikes raised, or their bows with arrows nocked to the drawn strings.  Yet he, the horseback rider, sat at ease among them as if on a coracle floating amid water lilies.

A slim youth.  Perhaps no older than I.

He drew no weapon.

His hands stirred not from the reins.

He gazed straight ahead of him as if in a dream.

He and his milk-white steed, both horse and rider far too beautiful to belong to this mortal world, shone in the night.  They glimmered head to foot as if they carried moonlight within them.

My neck hairs prickled at the sight.  My heart halted like my feet, like my staring face, and for a moment I felt as if it might stop entirely.  But I could not weaken; a king’s son is not permitted to weaken, ever.

(This is a great hook for the reader Nancy.)

The narrator is only seventeen years old, but he must take charge. He orders the men to lower their weapons, and he welcomes the eerie stranger, and that is how Prince Aric of Calidon meets the oddling prince.

So The Oddling Prince is a book about two princes.  The Brian Giberson cover symbolizes its theme perfectly:  two swords for two heroes, and a heart joining them in troth.

(It’s a really attractive cover too.)

I’ve written so many other fantasy novels with paired heroes that I have to wonder why.  In my early novels, I see in hindsight, the yin-yang heroes were me trying to accept and love me, trying to get my messed up-self together.  (I’d had an incredibly repressed childhood.)  But in The Oddling Prince , the two heroes are no longer dark and light, moody and sunny, night and day to each other,  Instead, they are like two sides of the same golden coin.  I’m not sure why they mean so very much to me.  Perhaps I am envisioning another sort of wholeness?

(Perhaps so. And I think that is what makes writers and their books so intriguing. I love finding out why writers write as much as how and what they write.)

What else have you brought along and why?  

May I introduce the ghost of my Aunt Nancy, after whom I was named?

(Erm, I’m having trouble getting a fix on her.)

You can’t see her?

(Sadly not, but do tell me more.)

I met her only a few times, because she lived in Ireland, but let me describe her: short, thin, elderly, and I’ve never met anyone who looks more like a benevolent witch.  Her nose and chin very nearly meet to embrace her dried-up apple face. In her high-necked long-sleeved starchy white blouse, brown woollen skirt nearly touching her sensible brogues, and with  a scarf on her head, tied under her jutting chin, she dresses like the strict headmistress of a girl’s boarding school, which is exactly who she is.  According to my father, she is a scholar who speaks seven languages and never married.  Older than him, she was born around 1900 and written down by the parish priest as Anna Hadassah O’Connor.  Nancy was her nickname. Despite her fearsome features, she is smiling at me, her niece and namesake.

(She sounds quite a lady! Why did you invite her along?)

Why is she here?  Because I need to give her credit.  I had no godparents or grandparents, but I had Aunt Nancy.  Every Christmas and birthday she sent me a present, always a book, often one about the Little Good People or folk tales or National Velvet, something British.   Moreover, once I reached school age, several times a year she sent me letters, written very correctly and in exquisite detail, about commonplaces: seasonal changes, holidays, lambing, harvesting. Because she shared her thoughts without condescension, I would try to write back to her the same way, so I grew up loving eloquent prose and everyday beauties.  She did something amazing:  while I was raised as an American kid, she gave me roots as a British writer.  The prose, the mythos.

If Aunt Nancy hadn’t stuck her long nose into my childhood, I might have had a very different outcome.  I think I ought to give her at least partial thanks for The Oddling Prince and all my Celtic fantasy novels.

(What a fabulous guest to bring along. I’m so glad she inspired you to write Nancy.)

Thank you so much, Nancy, for staying in with me to introduce The Oddling Prince. I know some Linda’s Book Bag readers in particular will love it and I wish you every success.

The Oddling Prince

In the ancient moors of Scotland, the king of Calidon lies on his deathbed, cursed by a ring that cannot be removed from his finger. When a mysterious fey stranger appears to save the king, he also carries a secret that could tear the royal family apart.

The kingdom’s only hope will lie with two young men raised worlds apart. Aric is the beloved heir to the throne of Calidon; Albaric is clearly of noble origin yet strangely out of place.

The Oddling Prince is a tale of brothers whose love and loyalty to each other is such that it defies impending warfare, sundering seas, fated hatred, and the very course of time itself. In her long-awaited new fantasy novel, Nancy Springer (the Books of Isle series) explores the darkness of the human heart as well as its unceasing capacity for love.

The Oddling Prince is published by Tachyon and is available for purchase here.

About Nancy Springer

Nancy Springer is the award-winning author of more than fifty novels, including the Books of Isle fantasy series, the Enola Holmes mystery series and a plethora of magical realism, women’s fiction, contemporary young adult and other titles. She received the James Tiptree Jr. Award for Larque on the Wing, the Edgar Allan Poe Award for her juvenile mysteries Toughing It and Looking for Jamie Bridger, and has been a frequent nominee for the Nebula and World Fantasy awards.

Forthcoming from Tachyon Publishing, The Oddling Prince is a heartfelt return to her beginnings, forty years ago, in the fantasy genre. She currently lives in the Florida Panhandle, where she rescues feral cats and enjoys the vibrant wildlife of the wetlands.

You can follow Nancy on Twitter @NancySpringer, and visit her website.

My enormous thanks to Liz Shand at Wisdom House Books for a copy of Emma’s Book of Courage by Emma Lindberg and illustrated by Krystal Smith in return for an honest review. I’ve reviewed several children’s books on Linda’s Book Bag in the past but never one written by a six year old before and I’m delighted to feature it, especially as it is the USA National Children’s Book Week this week.

Emma’s Book of Courage is available for purchase here.

Emma’s Book of Courage

Six-year-old Emma knows that it can be hard to be courageous – but thinks you should try! Courageous means having courage, which is when you’re really, really afraid to try something, but you do it anyway.

Emma shares moments when she’s needed courage, like when she did a backflip for the first time! It was scary, but she’s SO glad she did it. Now, she can’t wait to try new things and wants to help you be more courageous, too! What might take some courage for you to try?

My Review of Emma’s Book of Courage

Emma can be scared, but she has learnt to overcome her fears and have courage.

Before I write my review proper, I had one miniscule concern. When Emma says she’d be willing to go out into the scary woods at night again, it must be made absolutely clear that this will be with an adult!

Emma’s Book of Courage is a lovely children’s book.  Krystal Smith’s illustrations are exquisitely beautiful and thoroughly enhance the writing, making this a visual pleasure as well as a super children’s book.

The writing itself is, unsurprisingly given the age of the author, perfect for the 3-6 age group of children, with a perfect balance of text to illustration so that children can feel a real sense of satisfaction in reading the book independently as well as sharing it with an adult for bedtime reading. I thought the direct question to readers about what scares them could be a fabulous way for discussions to begin so that a scared child wasn’t made to feel inadequate if they had concerns.

I love the range of experiences that Emma’s Book of Courage explores. Emma is willing to try different activities such as rock climbing that children might find challenging, as well as eat new and different healthy foods – a subject that can be tricky for young children so that the book models excellent behaviours. However, what I found most effective was the lovely way in which emotions are explored. Emma’s Book of Courage shows that it isn’t just activities where we need courage, but in our emotions too, being prepared to say sorry, to ask for help, to be nice to others and to respect what our parents tell us.

Emma’s Book of Courage is a smashing children’s book that instills positivity without preachiness in an engaging and entertaining way. I think children and adults alike will be captivated by it.

About Emma Lindberg

Emma Lindberg is six years old and lives in North Carolina. She likes to play tennis and
play with her dogs. Her favorite food is mussels. She has an older brother and older sister. When she grows up, Emma wants to be a dentist.