It’s a little while since I was privileged to ‘stay in’ with Tony J. Forder to discuss his novel Scream Blue Murder in a post you can read here. I always love featuring Tony on Linda’s Book Bag because he’s such a generous and warm hearted man whom I’ve met several times, and am thrilled to welcome him back again. I’m also really looking forward to Tony being part of the Deepings Literary Festival where I live next May.

Tony always provides really fabulous guest posts and today is no exception as he celebrates his latest novel Cold Winter Sun.

When Bad to the Bone was published, Tony wrote an inspirational post about becoming a writer here.

Tony also wrote about writing outside his comfort zone here and he allowed his characters Bliss and Chandler from The Scent of Guilt to introduce one another here.

Published by Bloodhound on 1st November 2018, Cold Winter Sun is available for purchase here.

Cold Winter Sun

A missing man. A determined hunter. A deadly case.

When Mike Lynch is contacted by his ex-wife about the missing nephew of her new husband, he offers to help find the young man with the help of his friend Terry Cochran.

Arriving in LA to try and track down the young man, the pair are immediately torn away when the missing man’s car shows up, abandoned on the side of a deserted road in New Mexico.

When two fake police officers cross their path, Terry and Mike know there is more to the case than meets the eye, and soon they find themselves asking exactly who it is they are really looking for…

The Cold Winter Sun Imperative

In my previous offering to Linda’s wonderful blog, I mentioned how my 2017 book, Scream Blue Murder, began life as a stand-alone novel. I’d had the idea for the first part of the story several years before completing it, cobbling together the first third in fits and starts before setting it aside as everyday events took over. Having eventually returned to the piece and blown the metaphorical dust off it, however, by the time two-thirds of the book had been written I knew I was going to have to write a sequel. And long before I had written the final words, I had already started working on the first few chapters of the follow-up, unable to ignore the storyline which had been rattling around inside my head – where there’s plenty of space for it to take root.

Scream Blue Murder was an important book to me personally, but I also realised that its lead character, Mike Lynch, had wormed his way beneath my skin to the point where I felt I had to write about the next stage of his development. In that first book, the reader comes to Mike at a bad time in his life, and it quickly gets even worse for him. Across the length and breadth of the story, Mike slowly but surely becomes the man he once was and yearned to be again. Even so, while the book does stand on its own, I felt Mike’s character had more mileage in him.

There was also another reason why I wanted to revisit Mike: quite simply, writing Cold Winter Sun was the most fun I’ve had writing. Putting together an action thriller, and taking it on mainly from my lead character’s point of view, was such a dramatic change (and challenge) for me as a writer, that I felt an adrenaline rush every day that I sat down to write another scene. I confess that I felt sad when the ride was over, and I wanted to go back around and enjoy it all over again.

Don’t get me wrong, I get an enormous thrill out of writing my DI Bliss series, and I got a real buzz out of my stand-alone, Cold Winter Sun. But with Cold Winter Sun I felt the thrill of the roller-coaster I was trying to create on the page. The challenge, the different POV, the change in pace, all added to the sense of freedom I felt in just letting the characters blossom and take charge of where we were headed. Essentially, they wrote it by their actions, and I hung on for dear life.

Although I had a decent amount of the plot in my head when I began writing its sequel, Cold Winter Sun, I also had some choices to make. The first was whether or not to go for another fuel-injected thriller, or to reign it back in a little. The second was how many characters to carry over into the second book. And the third was where to set the book.

The first decision was dictated by the storyline, in which I pull on those reigns a little, creating a mystery, throwing in some thrills and spills, a tablespoon of action, a pinch of fun, a soupcon of humour, grate a little conspiracy over the top, garnish with complexities, and carefully fold it all into the mix. The second decision: Mike was involved, so I simply had to have his friend, Terry Cochran. I also included Mike’s ex-wife and his daughter, Wendy. The inclusion of them largely indicated to me what my answer to the third question would be: I had to set the book in the US, and almost as soon as I knew that, I decided the right place was the New Mexico desert that I had seen so much of when watching the great TV series, Breaking Bad.

In Cold Winter Sun, Mike’s story is not about damsels in distress as it was in the first book – but it does arise because his ex-wife asks him for a favour. Her new husband’s nephew has gone missing, the cops are not overly interested, and Mike reacts instinctively. The search for the missing young man takes Mike and Terry to some extremely interesting places, where they encounter some extremely interesting characters and situations. As the mystery unravels, so the danger levels increase, and in the unfamiliar New Mexico landscape, neither Mike nor Terry are on certain ground. With a wily county sheriff on the prowl, plus a determined Native American ‘fixer’ and a bunch of gangsters also hunting for the nephew, the intrigue of a seventy-one-year-old mystery muddying already murky waters is not what Mike and Terry need. The pair are good at what they do, but last time out they both ended up getting wounded. Will this time be any different, given the odds seem so stacked against them?

This is a sequel because it features the same main characters from the previous book. But I hope that people don’t expect a Scream Blue Murder II, with a foot-to-the-floor, high-octane ride from one skirmish to another. I’ve throttled back a little this time around, but I hope that the unfolding story is intriguing enough for readers to be drawn along by characters who came to mean a lot to me. There is action along the way – you can be sure of that. There is danger, too. Thrills? I certainly hope so. This is the same flint-edged Terry Cochran, but a different Mike Lynch. This book sees a continuation of his development, and his relationship with everybody changes for the better because of it.

At least, that’s the way I see it all in my head. Other people may take different things from it – that’s the nature of the beast. Cold Winter Sun is a book I simply had to write. For me it is pure escapism. I had to get these characters out of my system. You’ll have to read the book to know whether I closed the door on any future Mike Lynch stories, or kept it ajar. Either way, it was great fun to write, gut-wrenching to edit when I had to prune back the parts many of the characters had to play in the story, and I hope people will enjoy reading the book as much as I did writing it. With Cold Winter Sun I got my fix, so for the time being it’s back to DI Bliss and finishing up his fourth outing, plus the odd stand-alone, the first of which will hopefully be the one I am currently working on: FIFTEEN COFFINS.

The first of November 2018 sees the release of Cold Winter Sun – the book I was unable not to write…

Enjoy…

(My goodness Tony. I love the sound of Cold Winter Sun. I’m looking forward to seeing if I agree with what you’ve told us about it.)

About Tony J Forder

Tony J Forder is the author of the critically acclaimed, best-selling crime thriller series featuring detectives Jimmy Bliss and Penny Chandler. The first three books, Bad to the Bone, The Scent of Guilt, and If Fear Wins will be joined by a fourth in the series in 2019.

Tony’s dark, psychological crime thriller, Degrees of Darkness, featuring ex-detective Frank Rogers, was also published by Bloodhound Books. This is a stand-alone novel. Another book that was written as a stand-alone was Scream Blue Murder. This was published in November 2017, and received praise from many, including fellow authors Mason Cross, Matt Hilton and Anita Waller. Before it had even been published, Tony had decided to write a sequel, and Cold Winter Sun will be published in November 2018.

Tony lives with his wife in Peterborough, UK, and is now a full-time author.

You can follow Tony on Twitter @TonyJForder, visit his website and find him on Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

 

Normally I just give a brief introduction to a blog post but please bear with me if this one is slightly longer than usual.

Firstly, I would like to thank Joe Thomas at Harper Collins for sending me two copies of Miss Marley, the first having gone astray without my knowledge until lovely Rebecca Mascull contacted me to see if I had received it. If I say that I feel touched and privileged to have the opportunity to read and review the wonderful Vanessa Lafaye’s last writing, those of you who knew her will understand completely.

On the couple of occasions I met Vanessa I found her to be one of the most warm and genuine people I have ever encountered. I was delighted to read and review her novel At First Light here and it was one of my books of the year in 2017. Even better, I was thrilled to host an interview between Vanessa and her fellow Prime Writer, Jason Hewitt on At First Light publication day in a post you can read here.

To receive a book begun by Vanessa and completed by Rebecca Mascull feels very special indeed. Rebecca Mascull holds a very important place in my blogging heart too as her Song of the Sea Maid was one of the first books I reviewed here on the blog and was a book of the year in 2015 (so too was Jason Hewitt’s Devastation Road and you can see my review of that book here). The image of me that I use for my blog was taken at Rebecca’s Song of the Sea Maid launch party (you can read more about that here) and I was lucky enough to interview Rebecca about her book here.

All these elements combined, aside from the fact my sister-in-law is currently undergoing treatment for the cancer that robbed us of Vanessa, mean that Miss Marley is a special and emotional read for me.

Published by Harper Collins’ HQ imprint on 1st November 2018, Miss Marley is available for purchase through these links.

Miss Marley

Before A Christmas Carol there was…Miss Marley

A seasonal tale of kindness and goodwill

Orphans Clara and Jacob Marley live by their wits, scavenging for scraps in the poorest alleyways of London, in the shadow of the workhouse. Every night, Jake promises his little sister ‘tomorrow will be better’ and when the chance to escape poverty comes their way, he seizes it despite the terrible price.

And so Jacob Marley is set on a path that leads to his infamous partnership with Ebenezer Scrooge. As Jacob builds a fortress of wealth to keep the world out, only Clara can warn him of the hideous fate that awaits him if he refuses to let love and kindness into his heart…

In Miss Marley, Vanessa Lafaye weaves a spellbinding Dickensian tale of ghosts, goodwill and hope – a perfect prequel to A Christmas Carol.

My Review of Miss Marley

What did happen prior to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol?

I have to admit that I was concerned I may not be able to dissociate my emotions from my reading with Miss Marley, but if I’m honest, I soon forgot the circumstances that have led to this book appearing and was so wrapped up in the storytelling I forgot who had actually written it.

Miss Marley is a glorious story. It’s modern and accessible whist at the same time feeling traditional and creating a Dickensian atmosphere that is completely authentic. The use of the senses and the cinematic scene painting transport the reader to the era so that it is as if you’re watching the action rather than reading about it. I loved the creation of setting. I had no idea which of the two authors had written which parts and it was not until I read the Afterward by Rebecca Mascull that I knew, because the writing is seamless, eloquent and flowing.

What both Vanessa Lafaye and Rebecca Mascull do so well is uncover the emotional and psychological reasons behind Jacob Marley becoming the man he is so that Miss Marley actually enhances Dickens’ A Christmas Carol because the reader has a greater understanding of why he visits Scrooge. However, it is Clara who is the star. There’s a perfect balance of the reality of a woman’s historical place in the world alongside a warm, vivid and feisty individual who becomes very real to the reader. I was with Clara in every one of her thoughts and actions. Her compassion, her love and her stoicism make her a character I won’t forget in a hurry.

The plot of Miss Marley is inspired. I loved the way the story is divided into what are almost three classical acts. Whilst there are elements that link with, and draw on, A Christmas Carol, the reader needs no knowledge of that book in order to enjoy Miss Marley. This is a Christmas story that will become part of the festive reading lexicon in its own right. It has everything a reader needs with twists and turns, triumph and disaster and love and passion – in both positive and negative forms – so that it captivates the reader and enthralls them. There are elements of social history, romance, the supernatural and psychology that give Miss Marley something for every reader.

I think Miss Marley is the perfect book for a cold winter’s afternoon. It is perfect for those who love or who are yet to discover Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I also think it is the perfect reminder of the talent and human warmth we have lost in Vanessa Lafaye. I loved it.

About Vanessa Lafaye

Vanessa Lafaye was born in Florida and studied in North Carolina. She moved to the UK in 1999 (having been deported once). She is the author of two previous novels, her first book Summertime, was chosen for Richard and Judy in 2015 and was shortlisted for the Historical Writers Award.

Vanessa passed away in February 2018.

You can still visit Vanessa’s wonderful website.

About Rebecca Mascull

Rebecca Mascull is the author of three historical novels and also writes saga fiction under the pen-name Mollie Walton.

She is currently hard at work on her next trilogy of historical fiction, with the first novel coming in spring 2019 to be published by Bonnier Zaffre as The Ironbridge Saga. These will be published under the name of Mollie Walton and the first book in the series is set in the dangerous world of the iron industry: The Daughters Of Ironbridge.

Rebecca’s novels The Visitors (2014), Song of the Sea Maid (2015) The Wild Air (2017) are all published by Hodder and Stoughton.

You can follow Rebecca on Twitter @rebeccamascull and find her on Facebook. Visit her Rebecca Mascull website here and her Mollie Walton website here.

My enormous gratitude to the folk at Bookends for sending me a copy of When All Is Said by Anne Griffin in return for an honest review.

Published by Hodder imprint Sceptre on 24th January 2019, When All Is Said is available for pre-order through the links here.

When All Is Said

‘I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.’

At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual – though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.

Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.

Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.

My Review of When All Is Said

Maurice Hannigan is about to share a few toasts to absent family as he sits in the bar.

Yes, well. I saw the publicity for When All Is Said and thought it might be my kind of read. I hadn’t expected quite such an emotional punch so early. I certainly didn’t expect to be in tears by page 9. What a book! It’s going to be tricky to review without recourse to overused superlatives, but When All Is Said deserves them all.

Anne Griffin has such an immaculate turn of phrase that her writing is just gorgeous. The balance of her sentences, the convincing direct speech and the apposite use of a single word in contrast to other, more lengthy, prose is perfect. I felt her style was as rich as the Midleton Whiskey Maurice drinks. There’s an almost Shakespearean light relief through Svetlana and some of the direct speech that balances beautifully the intensity of the rest of the text.

In a sense, there is very little plot as Maurice talks in his head to his son whilst sitting in a bar over the course of an evening, but this simply doesn’t convey what fabulous plotting and storytelling is here. I lost sight of the author completely as I was so convinced by Maurice’s voice. He broke my heart and then shattered the pieces further because the raw honesty of his narrative was almost too much to bear. His memories are vivid and devastating, covering grief, love, regret, pride and anger. His searing loneliness leaps from the page with an impact on the reader that is actually physical.

I loved everything about When All Is Said. I loved the poetic quality of the writing. I loved the iterative appearance of the gold coin. I loved the raw emotion that resonates behind every perfectly selected word. But most of all I adored the portrayal of Maurice. I didn’t so much read a book in When All Is Said as find myself seated with a much loved friend, Maurice, and listening, mesmerised, to his life story.

When All Is Said is a poignant, emotional and utterly brilliant tour de force and I can’t recommend it highly enough. I simply feel I haven’t done it justice in my review, but all I can say is it really is utterly magnificent.

About Anne Griffin

Anne Griffin is an Irish novelist living in Ireland. Anne was awarded the John McGahern Award for Literature, recognising previous and current works. Amongst others, she has been shortlisted for the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award and the Sunday Business Post Short Story Award.

Anne’s debut novel When All Is Said will be published by Sceptre in the UK and Ireland in January, 2019 and by Thomas Dunne Books in the US and Canada in March, 2019. It will also be published by Rowohlt Verlag in Germany, Delcourt in France, by Harper Collins Holland in the Netherlands, by Wydawnictwo Czarna in Poland, and by Tyto Alba in Lithuania.

You can find Anne on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @AnneGriffin_ and visit her website for more detail.

It gives me great pleasure to feature Claire Cock-Starkey again on Linda’s Book Bag, this time with an extract from The Real McCoy. I have previously reviewed Claire’s The Book Lover’s Miscellany here and A Library Miscellany here.

Published by the Bodleian Library on 12th October 2018, The Real McCoy is available for purchase here.

The Real McCoy

The English language is rich with eponyms – words that are named after an individual – some better known than others. This book features 150 of the most interesting and enlightening specimens, delving into the origins of the words and describing the fascinating people after whom they were named.

Eponyms are derived from numerous sources. Some are named in honour of a style icon, inventor or explorer, such as pompadour, Kalashnikov and Cadillac. Others have their roots in Greek or Roman mythology, such as panic and tantalise. A number of eponyms, however, are far from celebratory and were created to indicate a rather less positive association – into this category can be filed boycott, Molotov cocktail and sadist.

Encompassing eponyms from medicine, botany, invention, science, fashion, food and literature, this book uncovers the intriguing tales of discovery, mythology, innovation and infamy behind the eponyms we use every day.

The perfect addition to any wordsmith’s bookshelf.

An Extract from The Real McCoy

My review of The Real McCoy

A wonderful selection of word and phrase origins.

As with all Claire Cock-Starkey’s books, The Real McCoy is perfect for readers and writers alike as it delves into the origins of some of our best known sayings. I think it should come with a bit of a warning though. I fear it may set off an obsession in wanting to know more of this kind of information!

Brilliantly researched and organised alphabetically, The Real McCoy can be read in order, but I really enjoyed dipping in at random to see what came up. I love the fact that there is everything from Earl Grey Tea to Masochism between the pages of this volume – there really is something for everyone.

Whilst I knew some of the phrase origins, much of the information provided by Claire Cock-Starkey was at least enlightening and at times quite shocking. What I found out about Asperger made my blood run cold.

Once again Claire Cock-Starkey has produced a treasure trove of erudite, accessible, entertaining and interesting material. The Real McCoy is a gem of a book.

About Claire Cock-Starkey

Claire Cock-Starkey started out in media, working at BBC Radio Four and Five Live before going on to work at LBC. Having had a family, Claire is now a writer and freelance copy editor always keen to work on new projects.

You can find out more by visiting Claire’s website and following her on Twitter @NonFictioness.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

I’m enormously grateful to Emilie Chambeyron at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of Roar by Cecelia Ahern in return for an honest review and for inviting me to be part of Roar‘s launch celebrations.

Published yesterday, 1st November 2018, by Harper Collins Roar is available for purchase through these links.

Roar

I am woman. Hear me roar.

Have you ever imagined a different life?
Have you ever stood at a crossroads, undecided?
Have you ever had a moment when you wanted to roar?

The women in these startlingly original stories are all of us: the women who befriend us, the women who encourage us, the women who make us brave. From The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared to The Woman Who Was Kept on the Shelf and The Woman Who Returned and Exchanged her Husband, discover thirty touching, often hilarious, stories and meet thirty very different women. Each discovers her strength; each realizes she holds the power to make a change.

Witty, tender, surprising, these keenly observed tales speak to us all, and capture the moment when we all want to roar.

My Review of Roar

Roar is an eclectic mix of thirty short stories about women.

What an intelligent, sensitive and thought provoking collection Cecelia Ahern has produced in Roar. Each of these thirty stories is a little triumph that is so satisfying to read. I did wonder if being an ‘older’ reader made me appreciate them more than I might have done had I been thirty years younger and with fewer similar experiences to the women in Roar, but for me there was much to relate to and identify with making me feel a real kinship with the women presented. Not every story will resonate with every reader (I actually liked the final title story the least!) and I think this is what is so important about a volume like Roar. Cecelia Ahern has provided thirty very individual stories that will be read differently depending on the experiences and emotions of the reader. I have a feeling that next time I pick up this collection I may very well find something different to identify with.

Although each story is unique, with many varied genres from romance to fantasy, they all have many elements in common. Most strikingly is the fact that none of the women is named so that they could be any one of us, creating an affinity that is very powerful indeed. I most identified with The Woman Who Thought Her Mirror Was Broken, but I found them all uplifting and positive, even to the extent of restoring my faith in some elements of my life. I found every story had a distinct identity and a deep feeling of the author caring not only about her characters, but her readers too.

Quite feminist in flavour, once or twice I wondered whether the stories were edging towards misandry, but then realised that what Cecelia Ahern is doing, is not vilifying men (such as some of those who may mock a waitress with a lisp perhaps), but is providing powerful, salient lessons so that women can see that they have control over their lives and do not need others to define them or create their happiness and well-being for them. This is very powerful indeed.

Incredibly well crafted, the stories in Roar have humour and pathos, sadness and joy so that there is an emotion to suit any mood. I found this collection an enormously entertaining celebration of women. It made me think and it actually empowered me in many ways. Roar is a collection to be roared about!

About Cecelia Ahern

(Image courtesy of Matthew Thompson)

Cecelia Ahern is one of the biggest selling authors to emerge in the past fifteen years. Her novels have been translated into thirty languages and have sold more than twenty-five million copies in over forty countries. Two of her books have been adapted as major films and she has created several TV series in the US and Germany.  She and her books have won numerous awards, including the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction for The Year I Met You in 2014. PS I Love You was awarded two Platinum Awards at the 2018 Specsavers Bestsellers Awards, for UK and Ireland.

Cecelia lives in Dublin with her family.

You can find out more by following Cecelia on Twitter @Cecelia_Ahern, visiting her website and finding her on Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

One of the frustrations I occasionally have as a reader is that books often don’t feature women over 40 as their protagonists. With that in mind, I am delighted to welcome Bonnie McCune to Linda’s Book Bag to tell me about one of her books.

Staying in with Bonnie McCune

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Bonnie. 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 my latest, Never Retreat. Like all my books, it features a real woman (not a teenager or an empty-headed flirt), and is set in my home state of Colorado. Her life’s complicated by challenges—money problems, a teenaged son, tension at work. The hero, too, has his share of trials—a pressing need for funds, a job transfer at the telecommunications firm where both he and the heroine work.

(I’m always eager to read about more mature women Bonnie. Sounds good!)

Still the book’s breaking some new territory for me. The story is more substantive than earlier novels. Raye and Des face more difficulties than usual. In addition to the push-pull of the possible relationship, the two and their co-workers are trapped by a massive summer storm and flash flood in the mountains.

What can we expect from an evening in with Never Retreat?

A healthy dose of believable characters who learn from their challenges and struggles, just as we all do. Like my characters, I believe in equal opportunities at home as well as work, in relationships as well as employment.

(Now, that’s a philosophy I strongly agree with!)

The story follows Raye and Des as they discover to overcome assumptions about each other and value the viewpoint, the history, and the strengths of their opposite. No losers in this struggle. Still, some troubles are too huge to solve easily or alone. A mere life-threatening deluge can be over in a matter of hours, but tangles between personalities last far longer. I think readers will enjoy how the two may tussle and argue but eventually find they’re much better with one another than apart.

(That sounds like real life to me.)

One reviewer said about Never Retreat: “More than a love story, Bonnie McCune has created a tale of partnership and equality, sure to remind us of both contemporary gender struggles and hope for the future of men and women as a united, beneficial partnership. . .an intelligent love story.”

Another said, “Clashing characters early on turns into a nice dose of chemistry between the pair. Strong well-written characters with a fleshed- out background for each of them makes this an enjoyable read. An imaginative storyline that hasn’t been overdone.

(Those are wonderful responses. It sounds as if you’ve achieved perfectly what you set out to do in Never Retreat.)

What else have you brought along and why? 

I thought I’d tell you a little more about the impetus for my writing.

(Please do. I love hearing why and how authors gain their inspiration.)

I’ve found I often use major catastrophes in writing.  My work is replete with floods, fires, blizzards, and disasters. One reason I use them is because everyday life can sound boring, and people often read fiction to escape. Because my work avoids rich or famous characters to favor everyday people, I find calamities can show there’s no such thing as a “normal” human. Everyone’s different, everyone has strengths, weaknesses, loves, interests. A crisis simply brings these to the fore and allows me to parade the character in all her wonderful strengths. So Never Retreat incorporates one of the flash floods notorious in this state and asks, “What if?”, the basis of all creative thought.

The second reason, I admit, is I’m a coward. I’m afraid of nearly everything, whether it’s getting fired (one of Raye’s fears), facing a flood, having a child in a car accident, or being broke (another of Raye’s fears). Writing novels allows me to consider these and come to grips with them, which defuses the fear.

(I’d never really thought of the author’s personal responses to the ‘What if?’ scenarios they create. How interesting Bonnie.)

Bits and pieces of my life seem to show up in my writing. The episode in which Raye reveals her skill at roping was based on my awe when my older sister, then age ten, taught herself to lasso. The lodge is similar to one I stayed in for a work conference and impressed me with its opulence. The teen’s confidence mimics that of my grandson’s. As a writer friend of mine said, “Everything’s material for writing.”

(Now THAT I am familiar with. Authors are real magpies when it comes to finding material to write about.) 

Thank you so much for staying in with me to tell us all about Never Retreat, Bonnie. I think it sounds a brilliant story. 

Never Retreat

A feisty single mom clashes with an ex-military, sexist, corporate star at a business retreat in the Colorado mountains…

Years ago, Ramona (“Raye”) Soto faced harsh reality when a roving conman knocked her up. Now, at thirty-something, she’s concentrating on her career with a major telecommunications firm and funding college for her teenaged son. Enter Desmond Emmett—a fast talker and smooth operator. New to the office, the ex-serviceman possesses every negative quality in a guy Raye should avoid.

Thrown together at a corporate retreat in the wilderness, the reluctant duo struggles to complete management’s extreme mental and physical tests for a huge reward. But only one can win the prize, and Des needs the money to underwrite medical treatments for his adored younger sister.

See-sawing between attraction and antagonism, the mismatched couple faces their biggest challenge: learning the meaning of true partnership. When a massive flash flood sweeps down the rocky canyon and threatens their love and survival, they must put aside their differences to rescue their colleagues—and their future as a couple.

Never Retreat is available for purchase here.

About Bonnie McClune

Bonnie McCune has been writing since age ten, when she submitted a poem about rain rushing down the gutter to the Saturday Evening Post (it was rejected). Her interest in the written word facilitated her career in nonprofits where she concentrated on public and community relations and marketing. She’s worked for libraries, directed a small arts organization, and managed Denver’s beautification program. Simultaneously, she’s been a free lance writer with articles in local, regional, and specialty publications.  Now her true passion is fiction, and her stories have won several awards. Never Retreat is her third novel and her fifth book of fiction.

To find out more visit Bonnie at www.BonnieMcCune.com, where you also can read her blog “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives.” You can also follow Bonnie on Twitter @bonniemccune and find her on Facebook.

I adore Tracy Rees’s writing as you’ll see in my reviews of her previous books. Amy Snow was one of the first books I ever reviewed on Linda’s Book Bag here. I reviewed Florence Grace here and had a wonderful guest post from Tracy about the appeal of the C19th that you can read here. Florence Grace was one of my Books of the Year and you’ll see it featured here. I also reviewed Tracy’s The Hourglass here.

Having met Tracy on a few occasions I have found her to be as wonderful as her writing so I’m thrilled to welcome her back to the blog today to celebrate her latest book Darling Blue. Tracy has written a smashing post all about Richmond. If you’re unfamiliar with Tracy’s writing, this post will give you a perfect flavour of how good it is.

Darling Blue is published today by Quercus and is available for purchase through the links here.

Darling Blue

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

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

My Memories of Richmond

A Guest Post by Tracy Rees

I’ll always remember the day I fell in love with Richmond. I was a publishing junior, out for a day work-shadowing a sales rep. While we talked to the manager of Waterstone’s (still there on the corner of Red Lion Street, still one of my favourite bookshops) Jerry Hall came in, looking ethereal in lavender, looking for Tennessee Williams (or his plays at any rate). I thought that was just perfect.

Later, heading home, we drove up Richmond Hill and my companion pointed out various celebrity homes among the beautiful townhouses on the left. But what drew my gaze and captured my heart was the view to the right, out over Petersham meadows. It’s the view that Blue and Barnaby enjoy together in Darling Blue when they have a drink in the Roebuck. To quote from my own book… “The view certainly was spectacular: an expanse of meadows far below; the bow and bend of the silver river, thick at the edges with willow and oak.” I saw it and I knew I had to live there. In fact, with my slightly prescient tendencies, I knew I would live there. (I was living in Croydon at the time – enough said.)

I was about 23 when I moved to Richmond but I’ll always think of it as the place I grew up. While I was there, my then-partner and I broke up. The ordered life I’d known fell away and I started creating my life, rather than simply ticking along. I conquered my fear of spiders. I went to work in a cocktail bar and earned the right to hum The Human League whenever I want. I learned for the first time that work didn’t have to be sitting in an office wearing a suit but could be sociable and fun (“Flirting for a living” my boss called it! I was ok with that.) I remember polishing the beer taps on quiet days and gazing out at the willow trees dreaming over the tranquil green water. I would dream and feel tranquil too. I remember hosing down the heavy rubber bar mats in the cellar in the small hours, feeling oddly content. I remember countless nights out dancing, volunteering in a soup kitchen, learning to cook Thai food. I started travelling, studying psychology and making so many friends.

I used to love walking along the river, in all seasons (that’s why Darling Blue is structured in five parts – seasons – summer through to the following summer). I used to heron-spot religiously. I’d see them fishing or flying or standing on one leg thinking deep thoughts. One day a heron lifted into the air from the path right in front of me; I saw those huge wings spreading at close quarters, looked right into its eye, felt the brush of air and the power of its flight. I couldn’t have been more awed if I’d seen an angel.

Another bird memory: seeing a swan walking into a pub! Yes, really. The men who were leaving just then stood aside to let it pass. They were actually trying not to get pecked but it looked for all the world as though they were saying, “after you Sir”.

I remember arriving back at the tube station after a night out in London and stumbling into a midnight fashion shoot in the middle of the street. The topless male model was spotlit, the photographer was shooting and the makeup girls were poised with brushes… that’s not something you see every day.

I have about a billion memories of Richmond. Some are hilarious, some profound and some are just beautiful snapshots in my mind. They’re all precious, and I hope that the great love I feel for that place has spilled onto the pages of Darling Blue.

(Wonderful memories Tracy. I’m looking forward to seeing how they weave into Darling Blue.)

About Tracy Rees

Born in Wales, Tracy Rees has been called “the most outstanding new voice in historical fiction” by Lucinda Riley and her books are paperback and kindle bestsellers. She was the winner of the Richard and Judy ‘Search for a Bestseller’ Competition. A Cambridge graduate, she had a successful eight-year career in nonfiction publishing and a second career practising and teaching humanistic counselling before becoming a writer.

You can follow Tracy on Twitter @AuthorTracyRees.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

One of the aspects I enjoy most about blogging is meeting authors in real life and Eva Jordan is one of the loveliest ones I have come across. Eva doesn’t live a million miles away from me and I count her as a friend. I’m really looking forward to her being part of the Deepings Literary Festival in May next year. Consequently, I’m absolutely honoured to have been asked to reveal Eva’s new book Time Will Tell for the very first time.

Eva has appeared on Linda’s Book Bag in the past with a wonderful guest post about female friendships to celebrate her novel 183 Times a Year that you can read here and another, that was part of the launch celebrations for All The Colours In Between, about the need for older protagonists here.

Today I’m absolutely thrilled to be helping to launch the next of Eva’s novels, Time Will Tell, with a cover reveal and details about the book.

Time Will Tell will be published by Urbane Publications on 14th February 2019 and is available for pre-order here.

So, without further ado – here is all you need to know about Time Will Tell:

Time Will Tell

Writer, Lizzie Lemalf, and her loving but somewhat dysfunctional family are still grieving over the loss of a much-loved family member. Lizzie is doing her best to keep her family together but why does the recent death of a well-known celebrity have them all in a spin?

The police suspect foul play; Lizzie and other family members suspect one another.

Lizzie begins searching for answers only to find herself being dragged back to the past, to 1960’s London to be exact, and to the former life of her father, that up until now she has never been privy to.

Every family has its secrets but how can the past hold the key to a present day celebrity death? They say the past comes back to haunt you. Surely the truth will out?

Maybe, but only time will tell…

Now doesn’t that sound absolutely wonderful? I love the way the colours of Eva’s books are harmoniously picked up in each cover design.

Make sure you pre-order Time Will Tell here.

About Eva Jordan

Eva Jordan, born in Kent but living most of her life in a small Cambridgeshire town, describes herself as a lover of words, books, travel and chocolate.

Eva is a published writer of several short stories and debut novel 183 Times A Year. Eva has always had a love of books and reading and really got the writing bug when she received a first for her dissertation, which looked at The People’s War during World War II, whilst studying for a degree in English and History.

Eva’s career has been varied, including working in a Women’s Refuge and more recently at the city library. However, storytelling through the art of writing is her true passion. Eva enjoys stories that force the reader to observe the daily interactions of people with one another set against the social complexities of everyday life, be that through crime, love or comedy.

Time Will Tell is Eva’s third novel.

You can find Eva on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @EvaJordanWriter and visit her website.