Hello, Sue. Thank you for inviting me here today to share a little about Before Beltane, a prequel to my highly-acclaimed Celtic Fervour series. Before Beltane officially launched on 29 April 2022 with Ocelot Press, and is available in e-book and paperback formats from Amazon. The paperback can also be ordered from bookshops, and is available for library ordering on request.
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Saturday, 30 April 2022
BEFORE BELTANE - a guest post by Nancy Jardine
Hello, Sue. Thank you for inviting me here today to share a little about Before Beltane, a prequel to my highly-acclaimed Celtic Fervour series. Before Beltane officially launched on 29 April 2022 with Ocelot Press, and is available in e-book and paperback formats from Amazon. The paperback can also be ordered from bookshops, and is available for library ordering on request.
Monday, 28 March 2022
THE GIRL IN THE VAN - an interview with Helen Matthews
What prompted you to first start writing? What was the first thing you wrote?
There’s a quote I especially like from author, Neil Gaiman. Apparently, someone asked him: I want to be an author when I grow up, am I insane?
To which Gaiman is reported to have
replied: Growing up is highly
over-rated. Just be an author.
I’m someone who has achieved my author dream after serving a ridiculously long apprenticeship. Many of us say we’ve been writing from the moment we picked up a pen, and I’m one of them. In childhood, I had some successes in competitions and fillers published in teen magazines. Then I went on to study English at university and was a bit overwhelmed by reading the works of great literary masters. In the early days of my business career, I wrote late at night with a glass of wine by my side, mainly short stories that were judged ‘too dark for our readers’ by the magazine editors I submitted to.
As the family’s main breadwinner, after my children were born I continued working full-time in a career that used the analytical side of my brain. I noticed my writing was deteriorating – impacted by turgid quasi-legal and financial business speak I had to use in reports and documents. The creative spark left me. Writing fiction was hard, so I began dabbling in freelance journalism and had some articles published in family and lifestyle magazines. Ironically, in the late 1990s and early 2000s before the internet expected content for free, even hobbyists like me were well-paid, typically £70-£200 and once as much as £1,000. My highlight was pieces published in The Guardian and broadcast on BBC Radio (in a programme called Home Truths presented by the late and lovely John Peel).
During those wilderness years, I wrote a couple of deeply-flawed novels and put them in a drawer. Finally, when my children were heading for university, I decided I’d never be happy if I stayed on the treadmill of my well-paid career. I fled corporate life, putting our family finances at risk, and went back to university to do an MA in Creative Writing. You absolutely don’t have to do an MA, or any qualification, to become a novelist. I did it because I needed to make a break from the business world and rediscover my creativity. For my dissertation, I wrote another novel. It can’t have been too terrible because I did pass my MA, but I knew it wasn’t good enough so it went into the drawer with the others.
My breakthrough novel was After Leaving the Village. The opening pages won first prize at Winchester Writers’ Festival and I spent two years querying. Five agents requested the full manuscript; many gave positive, personalised feedback but didn’t make an offer. In the end I signed a deal with a small indie publisher and the book came out in 2017.
It’s been a long journey to becoming a published author, but I’m sure Neil Gaiman would be pleased to hear I still haven’t grown up.
Can you summarise your latest work in just
a few words?
The strapline does quite a good job: A tormented mother, an abandoned girl, a deadly game of survival.
One of the problems with writing suspense is trying to entice the right readers in without giving too much away.
What was the inspiration for this book?
Inspiration for each novel comes in different ways. It could be a snatch of overheard conversation, an incident that happened to someone else or a random ‘what if?’ idea. For this book, the inspiration arrived in visual form. I had an image of a frightened girl, who turned into Miriana, hiding in the back of a campervan. The mental picture was so vivid if felt as if she’d tapped me on the arm and asked me to tell her story. Immediately I wanted to know what that story was. Why was she hiding? What had happened to her? And how was this stranger linked to the central character, Laura.
What’s your writing process? Did you do any
research for the book?
Authors are often asked, ‘Are you a plotter or a pantser?’ Due to my long years in management, my planning skills are over-developed so I’m about seventy percent plotter; twenty per cent pantser, and the other ten per cent is just generally confused.
My starting point for a novel is a broad plot outline and some ideas about my main characters. I do some initial research, then write a few chapters to test out whether the characters will live and breathe on the page. Not all stories have legs and some plots fizzle out. Once I’m confident an idea will work, I get stuck into more extensive research. For The Girl in the Van, I had to research, among other things, an aspect of modern slavery known as ‘county lines’ where young people are lured by criminal gangs into transporting drugs from cities into rural areas. I’m an ambassador for the anti-slavery charity Unseen so I’m lucky to have access to their materials and resources. I can also ask my contacts questions about anything I’m not sure of. There’s quite a bit of police involvement in this book, and for that I used the services of Graham Bartlett, a former senior police officer who offers a consultancy service to authors.
As I’m originally from Wales and many scenes in the book are set in Cardiff, Penarth, and Tenby, this was a great excuse to return to some fabulous places to research the book and take photos to illustrate future blogs.
What does a typical writing day involve for
you?
Alongside writing fiction, I’m an occasional freelance copywriter though I’m turning down most commissions just now – mainly because the agencies and contacts I work with want me to do project management as well as the writing and this sucks up too much time. Self-employment is a joy. If you meet deadlines, you can work whenever and wherever you please. Unless I have a conference call or Zoom meeting, I set my alarm for a very civilised 8.15 am. My lovely husband, an early riser, brings me a cup of tea. If he forgets, I might send him a WhatsApp message: Tea, please. I once sent the Tea, please message, in error, to my daughter’s partner – presumably, the last person I’d messaged the night before. This caused some consternation as they live half an hour’s drive away and the tea would have been cold before it reached me.
Enough confessions. You probably think I’m slothful, but this working-from-home life became the norm for many of us in lockdown. I shovel down a bowl of cereal and I can be at my computer soon after nine.
I wish I could devote my whole working day to novel writing but the demands of social media, writing newsletter and blog content and searching out new promotional opportunities take time. I do talks for book clubs and women’s groups, and occasional library or literary festival events. All of these I really enjoy but they need planning. For example, yesterday I spent the morning with an author I’m due to interview at a local literary festival soon. We met over coffee in an indie bookshop, worked out the structure of the event, brainstormed the questions, answers and the messages she wants to give. I still need to write up the interview brief and we’ll discuss it again. All this preparation work is for a one-hour event.
Once I’ve cleared the business end of my inbox, I’m back to work on my novel-in-progress. Late morning, I take Homer, our rescue dog out for a short walk then have a fifteen-minute lunch break. I write through the afternoon with Homer snoozing at my feet. Around four, he’ll start pestering me for another walk and we’ll go for a long one. I’m trying to average three miles a day to get a proper break from the keyboard.
In the evenings I’m often out. I belong to two book clubs and a choir. I meet friends or family for a film or a meal. If I’m in, I might carry on writing until 10 pm then watch the News and maybe a film or read and do a Sudoku or Wordle. I’m rarely in bed before twelve-thirty.
Writing can be solitary, but I take days off when I need to. You can never spend too much time with fellow writers. I belong to three critique groups. I call them my Hotel California – you can go there, but you can never leave.
Which writers have influenced your own
writing?
Two authors at the literary end of my psychological suspense genre, who I hugely admire are Louise Doughty (Platform Seven and Appletree Yard) and Emma Donoghue (Room). I would love to write like them, but my books aren’t written with literary prizes in mind. I’m targeting high-end commercial/book club crossover, and I think I’ve got this right as one book club has already hosted me twice and has already invited me back in June to talk about The Girl in the Van. The invitation came in as soon as they saw the cover reveal for the book, and I was so surprised I asked the organiser: Are you sure they really want to hear me again?
In psychological suspense and thrillers, I enjoy Lisa Jewell (The Family Upstairs) Gillian McAllister (How to Disappear), Clare Mackintosh (I Let You Go), Louise Candlish (Our House), Emma Curtis (That Night), and Katharine Johnson (The Suspects). The list is endless.
Does your new book have a message for the
reader?
I’ve already mentioned the modern slavery ‘county lines’ theme in the book.
This is the second time I’ve written about
human trafficking and I’ve become dedicated to the anti-slavery cause and
raising awareness of this hideous crime. Once lured into ‘county lines’ gangs
it can be very hard for victims to break free. Recent survey research shows
public awareness of this crime is lower than of other forms of human
trafficking and slavery. Sometimes parents don’t realise their own child is
involved because they don’t spot the signs. So as well as writing a gripping
page-turner, I wanted to bring the plight of these young people to wider
attention.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Find your writer tribe. Writing can be lonely, so writers’ groups – local ones that meet in person and online groups on Facebook – can give us the support we need.
You don’t have to write what you know. Draw on it, by all means, but give your imagination a free rein to be creative. Books would be very boring if we only wrote about our lives.
Read, read, read – sounds obvious, doesn’t it, especially if you’ve been a reader all your life. But I’ve been surprised to learn (from a friend who lectures on a creative writing degree course) that many of her writing students don’t read! I once heard a quote (and I’ve searched online but couldn't find who said it), something like:
If you have the arrogance to write, have
the humility to read.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I think the above quote about reading just about sums it up. We’re nothing without readers.
MORE ABOUT THE GIRL IN THE VAN:
A tormented mother. An abandoned girl. A deadly game of survival.
What happened to Ellie?
Traumatised by events, Ellie's mother Laura can't bear to stay in the Welsh seaside town where she lives with her partner Gareth. She escapes to London, breaking all ties with him and refusing to tell anyone her new address.
After two years of living alone and working in a mundane job, Laura buys an old campervan and joins a singles holiday. Here she meets Miriana, a teenage girl who bears a chilling resemblance to Ellie. As Laura uncovers Miriana's story, she's shocked by the parallels to her own life.
But stories can be dangerous, and someone out there will stop at nothing to prevent the truth about Ellie from coming out...
MORE ABOUT HELEN:
Helen Matthews writes page-turning psychological suspense novels and is fascinated by the darker side of human nature and how a life can change in an instant. Her latest novel The Girl in the Van was published on 17 March 2022 by Darkstroke Books. Previous novels include suspense thriller After Leaving the Village, which won first prize in the Opening Pages Category at Winchester Writers' Festival. This was followed by Lies Behind the Ruin, a domestic noir set in France, published by Hashtag Press. Her third novel Façade was published by Darkstroke Books in 2020.
Born in Cardiff, Helen read English at the University of Liverpool and worked in international development, consultancy, human resources and pensions management. She fled corporate life to work freelance while studying for a Creative Writing MA at Oxford Brookes University. Her stories and flash fiction have been shortlisted and published by Flas 500, 1000K Story, Reflex Press, Artificium and Love Sunday Magazine.
She is a keen cyclist, covering long distances if there aren't any hills, sings in a choir, and once appeared on stage at Carnegie Hall, New York, in a multi-choir performance. She loves spending time in France. Helen is an ambassador for the charity Unseen, which works towards a world without slavery, and donates her author talk fees and a percentage of her royalties to the charity.
Find out more at:
https://www.helenmatthewswriter.com
https:www.twitter.com/HelenMK7
https://www.Instagram.com/helen.matthews7
https://facebook.com/HelenMK7Writer
Sincere thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour. Do check out the other stops!
Friday, 18 March 2022
WHY I CARE ABOUT MODERN SLAVERY - a guest post by Helen Matthews
Today I'm delighted to welcome my friend and fellow-author Helen Matthews, whose psychological suspense novel The Girl in the Van was published yesterday by Darkstroke Books. I had the pleasure of working with Helen as editor of this novel (not that it needed very much editing!), and I can honestly say it was one of the most gripping stories I have ever read.
Helen is an
ambassador for the anti-slavery charity Unseen UK. She has written about modern
slavery and human trafficking in a previous novel, and returns to this topic in The Girl
in the Van. In this article, Helen explains why
she’s passionate about raising awareness of slavery-related crimes, and why she
thinks fiction has a role to play in building empathy for victims and
survivors.
Welcome, Helen! Please tell us more...
Thank you, Sue!
When you look at the statistics of human trafficking on an international level, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless at the sheer scale of the numbers. According to figures from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), trafficking is second only to the drug business in scale and the amount of profit it generates for criminals.
It’s thought there are almost 45.8 million slaves worldwide. Forced labour in the private economy generates US$150 billion in illegal profits each year.
This hideous crime affects not only vulnerable women and
girls from impoverished parts of the world, but also men, boys and UK citizens. It
takes place in our own towns, cities and rural areas, and maybe on your street
or mine. For a modern slavery crime to be classed as human trafficking it needs
to include an element of movement, but that doesn’t need to involve crossing
international borders – it can be as simple as moving a victim from street to
street. The crime I’m highlighting in The Girl in the Van is known as ‘county
lines’ - about which more in a minute.
To put this in context of the bigger picture, let’s rewind and talk about trafficking more generally.
When I’m giving talks to raise money for the charity Unseen UK,
audiences tell me the image that springs to their minds when they hear ‘human
trafficking’ is those shocking scenes we see on TV News: flimsy inflatable
boats packed with people in orange life jackets. At one time we focussed on
the terrible loss of life on routes from North Africa to Italy, Malta and
Spain. Now it’s on our doorstep, with boats crossing the English Channel from
France to Kent.
So you might be surprised to know that according to the strict definition, this isn’t human trafficking. The unfortunate people on those boats are migrants or refugees, and they have paid for their passage. That specific crime is ‘people-smuggling’ and is an immigration crime – a crime against the state.
Human trafficking, on the other hand, is a crime against the person or
individual. It’s a form of modern slavery. But people-smuggling can easily turn
into human trafficking or slavery, because the passengers have put themselves at
the mercy of criminals, who don’t care if they live or drown. Let’s say a man called
Mahmood (we’ll give him a name because he’s human and we’re not going to talk
about him as a commodity, as a smuggler would do) has paid $3,000 for the
journey in one of those small boats from a Normandy beach across the English Channel. Mahmood has made himself vulnerable by relying on a callous criminal to
arrange his passage. When he reaches the UK, the smuggler might say to him, "Mahmood,
you’ve paid me $3,000 for your journey but that’s not enough. You should have
paid $6,000 or $10,000 or whatever. So now you’re in debt, and you’ll have to
work for me until this debt is paid off."
This is known as ‘debt bondage’ – another form of modern
slavery. My example shows just one of the ways in which a man like Mahmood might become trapped
into forced labour. In the UK, he could find himself working in a real job (say, in agriculture or a chicken factory), but he wouldn’t get paid. His
earnings would be credited to the bank account of the smuggler or gangmaster
who controls him. Mahmood would be told he has to work for free to pay off the
debt for his travel and his accommodation in the UK. This mythical debt would
grow ever-larger.
So why doesn’t Mahmood tell someone? His employer? The
police? There are multiple reasons, and every case is different. It might be
that he’s suffered actual violence or is threatened with abuse. The people-smuggler might be someone from his own village in Sudan, and will tell him that his elderly
parents or wife or child back home will be killed if he doesn’t do as he’s
ordered. Mahmood might speak poor English. He’s likely to be here illegally, though
the criminals might have arranged a fake work permit, so he knows that if he goes to the
police he’ll be deported. Perhaps he comes from a country where people don’t
trust the police (or any authorities), and would never think of complaining to
them. And so on.
My debut novel After Leaving the Village was about a young
Albanian woman, Odeta, who was trafficked to the UK, on the promise of a
well-paid career, by a man she thought was her boyfriend. Instead, she finds
herself forced into sex work. This is a vicious kind of trafficking most of us
are familiar with. That novel won first prize in its category at Winchester
Writers’ Festival and was well-received by book clubs, because as well as being
a gripping suspense read, there was enough discussion material to fill a whole
evening.
And that’s what I want to see – people buying my books to
read as page-turners and then discovering dark contemporary storylines they
might not be aware of.
In my latest novel The Girl in the Van, published on 17 March 2022 by Darkstroke Books, I’m highlighting a pernicious aspect of modern slavery known as ‘county lines.’ This crime has grown rapidly in the UK in recent years - though while doing my research I discovered it’s been happening for a couple of decades.
‘County lines’ is where vulnerable children and teens
are groomed by gangs, and used to carry drugs from big cities out to smaller towns
or rural areas. Once lured in, it can be very hard for victims to break free.
Recent survey research shows that public awareness of this crime is lower than of
other forms of human trafficking and slavery, and up to a third of people have
never heard of it. Sometimes parents don’t even realise their own child has been
groomed because they don’t spot the signs. Around 38 per cent of parents said
they wouldn’t know what to do if their child was involved. Imagine the terrible
dilemma if you’re that parent. Do you go to the police and risk your child
ending up with a criminal record?
Fortunately, the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline,
run by Unseen, provides expert advice and operates 24/7 on this number: 08000 121 700. Another source of help is The
Children’s Society. Click here for more information.
Miriana, one of the main characters in my novel The Girl in
the Van, becomes homeless and without family support. She falls under the power
of a drug dealer based in Croydon, south of London. He has plans to expand his
territory, and forces her to carry drugs to a rundown town in South Wales. What will
happen to Miriana, and how does her experience intersect with the other
characters in the story? If you read my book, you’ll discover how her story
unfolds.
Why would an author give away such a major plot spoiler at this stage, rather than reveal it as a twist in the story? Good question. Fortunately this
isn’t the only storyline in the novel, which encompasses family relationships,
secrets, violence, loss, grief, danger and recovery. Miriana’s story is integral
to the plot, but there are several others. Either way, it’s important to me to catch
readers’ attention and show them the desolation of a young person who finds herself
exploited, and what might happen next. As I mentioned earlier, it isn’t only
unfortunate people from impoverished or war-torn countries who are impacted. It
could happen to someone you know, perhaps even someone in your family. Revealing it
here is part of my mission to make more people aware of ‘county lines’ and
other kinds of modern slavery.
The Girl in the Van is out now in eBook and paperback. You can order your copy by clicking here.
MORE ABOUT THE GIRL IN THE VAN:
A tormented mother. An abandoned girl. A deadly game of survival.
What happened to Ellie?
Traumatised by events, Ellie's mother Laura can't bear to stay in the Welsh seaside town where she lives with her partner Gareth. She escapes to London, breaking all ties with him and refusing to tell anyone her new address.
After two years of living alone and working in a mundane job, Laura buys an old campervan and joins a singles holiday. Here she meets Miriana, a teenage girl who bears a chilling resemblance to Ellie. As Laura uncovers Miriana's story, she's shocked by the parallels to her own life.
But stories can be dangerous, and someone out there will stop at nothing to prevent the truth about Ellie from coming out...
MORE ABOUT HELEN:
Helen Matthews writes page-turning psychological suspense novels and is fascinated by the darker side of human nature and how a life can change in an instant. Her latest novel The Girl in the Van was published on 17 March 2022 by Darkstroke Books. Previous novels include suspense thriller After Leaving the Village, which won first prize in the Opening Pages Category at Winchester Writers' Festival. This was followed by Lies Behind the Ruin, a domestic noir set in France, published by Hashtag Press. Her third novel Façade was published by Darkstroke Books in 2020.
Born in Cardiff, Helen read English at the University of Liverpool and worked in international development, consultancy, human resources and pensions management. She fled corporate life to work freelance while studying for a Creative Writing MA at Oxford Brookes University. Her stories and flash fiction have been shortlisted and published by Flas 500, 1000K Story, Reflex Press, Artificium and Love Sunday Magazine.
She is a keen cyclist, covering long distances if there aren't any hills, sings in a choir, and once appeared on stage at Carnegie Hall, New York, in a multi-choir performance. She loves spending time in France. Helen is an ambassador for the charity Unseen, which works towards a world without slavery, and donates her author talk fees and a percentage of her royalties to the charity.
Find out more at:
https://www.helenmatthewswriter.com
https:www.twitter.com/HelenMK7
https://www.Instagram.com/helen.matthews7
https://facebook.com/HelenMK7Writer
Tuesday, 7 December 2021
NEW YEAR, NEW BOOK - a guest post by Val Penny
Today I'm delighted to welcome back my friend and fellow-author Val Penny, whose latest book, Hunter’s Rules, will be released on New Year's Day and is already available for pre-order. And it sounds like an absolute cracker.
Welcome, Val. Please tell us more!
Thank you, Sue, for hosting me on your blog today. It is always a
pleasure to visit.
I write crime thrillers and started writing in this genre because that is what I enjoy reading. I firmly believe that to be a good author you must first be an avid reader, and it is due to my love of reading and story-telling that I began to write novels.
Hunter’s Rules is the sixth book in my Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series, and there are many more to come! Although the books form a series, each works as a standalone novel, so readers can join the stories at any point.
The books are set in the beautiful city of Edinburgh which is the capital of Scotland. I chose it because it is a relatively small city, and people from different walks of life and backgrounds are known to one another. That allows me to have some fun with my characters and storylines.
I am particularly proud of this book, because although the story is complete within itself, the concept follows on from a short story that I contributed to a charity anthology, Dark Scotland. The story, which is again a standalone piece, is the prequel to the novel. I hope those who read both will enjoy the conceit and those who read either will be absorbed by them.
And here, to whet your appetite, is how the story starts:
“Well, I have just one more surprise for you.”
“Another one? Oh, Hunter,” she said.
“I’ve booked the honeymoon suite here for us tonight, and if
everything has gone according to plan there should be a bottle of champagne chilling
there for us. Shall we go upstairs and check?”
Hunter and Meera continued walking towards the elevators,
and he pressed the button indicating they would be going up. They stood close
together, gazing into each other’s eyes, but it was not long until the furthest
lift arrived. They shifted slightly towards those doors and made room for
anybody getting out.
Nobody got out.
A young woman lay motionless on the floor, and the inside of
the car was drenched with blood.
“Oh God, not another one,” Hunter said. He stared at the raw
flesh in the sockets where the girl’s eyes should have been. What kind of
monster would choose to murder someone this way? He turned away from the
horrific sight of the young woman’s butchered face. He gagged. Then swallowed
the bile. He daren’t contaminate the crime scene with his own vomit.
Meera knelt beside the victim and felt her wrist. “Hunter,
this one is still alive. Call an ambulance. Do it now!”
Hunter immediately went into professional mode. He stepped a
few yards away from the scene and called the ambulance. The soles of his shoes
were covered in blood. Then he phoned Fettes police station. Desk Sergeant
Charlie Middleton answered.
“Police Scotland, how can I help?”
“Charlie, the eye thief has struck again.”
“Fuck.”
Hunter's Rules
A bloody scene brings Hunter and Meera’s romantic plans to an
abrupt end.
A young woman was attacked in a hotel lift. She has life-changing injuries, but she is alive. Hunter notes that her wounds are like those inflicted on two women who previously died.
Can Meera keep the injured woman alive long enough for her to identify her assailant? Is the same person responsible for all three crimes? When Hunter is identified as a suspect in the crime, can he establish his innocence and lead his team to solve the crime and keep Edinburgh safe?
Hunter’s Rules is the sixth book in The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series of novels. Val Penny’s other crime novels – Hunter’s Chase, Hunter’s Revenge, Hunter’s Force, Hunter’s Blood and Hunter’s Secret – form the rest of this bestselling series set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by darkstroke.
You can also start at the beginning of The Jane Renwick Thrillers with The First Cut.
Val’s first non-fiction book, Let’s Get Published, is also available now and she has most recently contributed her short story Cats and Dogs to a charity anthology, Dark Scotland.
Val is an American author living in SW Scotland with her husband and their cat.
Author Contact Details and Buy Links
https://www.facebook.com/Authorvalpenny
www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739
www.facebook.com/groups/296295777444303
https://www.facebook.com/groups/167248300537409
https://twitter.com/valeriepenny
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17300087.Val_Penny
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/val-penny
Tuesday, 23 November 2021
THE WOMAN WHO FELT INVISIBLE - a guest post by Lizzie Chantree
OUT TODAY:
The Woman Who Felt Invisible is a gorgeous romantic story of love and new beginnings. Learning to love herself and be content on her own is the first step. But will Olivia be able to leave her past behind, follow her heart and find lasting happiness? A read full of humour, romance and tear-jerking reality, from international bestselling author, Lizzie Chantree.
Have
you ever felt invisible?
Working
as a stationery supervisor and a sitter to a pair of internet famous,
delinquent dogs, wasn’t how former cyber-specialist, Olivia, imagined her life
turning out.
Working
in a tiny cubicle with a decrepit computer and being overlooked had suited her
for a while, but now she’s fed up, lonely and determined to make the world
‘see’ her again.
Old
school friend, Darius, wants to fill Olivia’s days with romance, but their love
of technology has taken them on very different paths.
Gorgeous
undercover policeman Gabe, is steadfast in finding out if Olivia was part of an
online scam, but something doesn’t feel right and he suspects someone else was
manipulating her life.
Can love blossom from the most deceptive
of starts? And can someone who feels lost, find a way to flourish against all
odds?
International bestselling author and award-winning inventor,
Lizzie Chantree, started her own business at the age of 18 and became one of
Fair Play London and The Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year
in 2000. She discovered her love of writing fiction when her children were
little and now works as a business mentor and runs a popular networking hour on
social media, where creatives can support to each other. She writes books full
of friendship and laughter, that are about women with unusual and adventurous
businesses, who are far stronger than they realise. She lives with her family
on the coast in Essex. Visit her website at www.lizziechantree.com or follow
her on Twitter @Lizzie_Chantree https://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree.
MORE ABOUT LIZZIE
International bestselling author Lizzie Chantree started
her own business at the age of 18, and became one of Fair Play London and The
Patent Office’s British Female Inventors of the Year. She writes books full of
friendship and laughter, about women with unusual businesses, who are stronger
than they realise.
Book links: Lizzie Chantree.
Universal book buy link: The little ice cream shop: viewbook.at/IceCreamShopByTheSea
Universal book buy link: Networking for writers: viewbook.at/NetworkingForWriters
Universal book buy link: If you love me, I’m yours: viewbook.at/IfYouLoveMe-ImYours
Universal book buy link: Ninja School Mum: viewbook.at/NinjaSchoolMumRomance
Universal book buy link: Babe Driven: viewbook.at/BabeDriven
Universal book buy link: Love’s Child: viewBook.at/Amazon-LovesChild
Universal book buy link: Finding Gina: viewbook.at/FindingGina
Shh… It’s Our Secret: https://www.bhcpress.com/Books_Chantree_Shh_Its_Our_Secret.html
The woman who felt invisible: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09J98F32J
Social media links:
Website: www.lizziechantree.com
Author page: https://www.viewAuthor.at/LizzieChantree
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizzie_Chantree
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizzieChantree/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7391757.Lizzie_Chantree
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Wednesday, 27 October 2021
THE HIDDEN - a guest post by Alison Knight
Today I'm delighted to welcome back my dear friend and fellow-author Alison Knight, whose latest novel The Hidden has just been released. I had the honour of working with Alison as her editor (not that her work has ever needed much editing!), and I can thoroughly recommend this excellent story.
Welcome, Alison! Please, tell us more!
AN EXTRACT FROM THE
HIDDEN
Background: New York,
1973. Faye has been in hiding in America since something terrible happened to
her, her boyfriend James and her brother Percy in London in 1969. She is
currently living in a cabin in Montana. She receives news that her father has
died and her mother, Elizabeth, wants to see her. They meet in the restaurant
of the Waldorf Hotel in New York.
“I must
say, you’re looking well. Life in America must suit you.”
“Who
says I live in America?” Faye smiled. “I might have popped over the border from
Canada, or hitch-hiked up from Mexico.”
“And
did you do either of those things?”
“I’m
afraid I can’t say.”
“Oh,
Felicity, really.”
Faye leaned
forward, her hands on the table. “Call me that just one more time, and I walk,”
she hissed. “I am not Felicity. I never will be again. Accept it.”
Elizabeth
leaned back, her lips thinned.
“You
always were a dramatic child. I’m your mother, for goodness’ sake. Surely it’s
not too much to ask to know your new name and where you live?”
“It was
explained to you at the time. The less you know, the better. It wouldn’t be
safe for either of us. I’m actually trying to protect you. Can’t you accept
that?”
“But
it’s all over and done with now, isn’t it? You’re halfway around the world.
Can’t we just be mother and daughter for a little while?”
Faye
sat back and took a sip of her drink. She was stunned. In all her twenty-eight
years, this was the first time Elizabeth had ever said anything like that to
her. Her memories were of being told: Don’t do that, or Be quiet, or What have
you done now, you bloody child? “Why change the habit of a lifetime?” she
asked, her tone bitter.
She
expected her mother to snarl back at her, but Elizabeth closed her eyes as
though in pain.
“I know
I haven’t been the best mother,” she said after a few moments. She took a sip
of her martini and put the glass back on the table before going on. “We’ve all
made mistakes. I just don’t want it to be too late before we do something about
it. With your father and Percy both gone now…”
This
time it was Faye who closed her eyes. “So you’re not here to blame me for
Daddy’s demise as well as Percy’s?” she asked.
“Oh,
darling, of course not. I know we blamed you initially over Percy, but well,
while you were in hospital for all those months, it became quite clear with all
the terrible things they said in the papers that your brother was the one who
led you into the situation, and not the other way around.”
Faye
felt her mouth drop open in surprise. Had she spent years broken under the
burden of her guilt, while her parents had actually forgiven her?
The
waiter arrived with their meals. A steak for Faye and a salad for her mother.
Elizabeth couldn’t help raising her eyebrows as her daughter sliced into the
meat and ate it with gusto. Faye wasn’t about to tell her mother that she’d
been travelling for three days, had hardly slept, and had survived on snacks
from bus stations and airports along the way.
They
ate in silence for a few minutes until Faye felt human again.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her tone mild. “Why
wait nearly four years before saying this?”
Her
mother put down her fork and picked up her napkin, blotting at her lips in
order to preserve her carefully-applied lipstick. “We didn’t get a chance,
darling. You were whisked away and we weren’t allowed to see you. They said we
had to keep up the pretence that you were dead in order to keep you alive. Then
they moved you on and that was that.”
She
made it sound so uncomplicated, but it had been far from simple. Faye realised
her mother hadn’t known how long she been in hospital, or the full extent of
both her physical and mental injuries. It had been decided that she needed a
complete break from her past, including what was left of her family, if they
were to convince her assassins that she really was dead. Even now, she couldn’t
tell her mother the real reason why she was moved on after a couple of months
in hospital recovering from her physical injuries. She probably thinks I was
rushed out of the country just to spite her, when in fact I was in an asylum
going through a nervous breakdown.
“You
could have asked to send a message,” she said, stabbing at her steak. She carried
on eating steadily, even though she’d lost her appetite.
“I
know. But we didn’t know what to say.”
Faye
looked up. Her mother looked genuinely sad for a moment, but then, in true
Broughton family tradition, she rallied, pasting a smile on her face. “But
that’s in the past, all of it. I’m here now, darling, and I have a marvellous
idea. I’m booked on a Caribbean cruise, starting on Sunday. I’ve got a suite
which has two bedrooms. Why don’t you come with me? We could spend the next
couple of days shopping, my treat. Wouldn’t it be lovely to relax and explore
the islands together?”
“I
can’t.”
“Oh.
Why not? Have you got a job?”
She
wanted to lie, but what was the point? “No. But I have animals and people
depending on me. I need to get back.”
“But
where to?”
She
shook her head. “I’m not going to tell you, so please stop asking.” She held up
a hand when her mother would have argued with her. “I know you think I’m making
excuses, but I’m not. The people Percy and I got involved with weren’t some
tinpot gang of thugs. They were organized, brutal and evil. There were far more
of them than went to prison, and they never ever forgot. If they had just a
hint that I’m still alive, they’d hunt me down. If they thought you knew where
I was, they’d make you talk – and it wouldn’t be pretty. God, when one of them
paid James a visit, he nearly wet himself.”
“Of
course he did. That boy was an arse,” snapped his mother. “He had no backbone.”
MORE ABOUT THE HIDDEN
Secrets, nightmares, and a big black dog…
Montana, 1973.
Faye has found sanctuary in a simple cabin in the wilds of
the Crazy Mountains in Montana with a dog called Bear. She’s a long way from
her old life in England. But she knows that one day her peaceful life could be
invaded by her enemies, and she keeps her guard up at all times.
Jeff returns home from Vietnam, a wounded, damaged hero,
just weeks after his father’s sudden death. He finds hostile, secretive Faye
living in his cabin and refusing to leave. The reading of his father’s will
adds another layer of mystery to this woman’s presence.
The tension between them grows as Jeff tries to overcome his
nightmares and expose Faye’s scars and secrets. The more he learns about her,
the more enigmatic she seems.
When her enemies come calling, she needs Jeff to protect
her. Can they learn to trust each other? And will Faye ever be safe?
BUY LINK FOR THE
HIDDEN: https://mybook.to/thehidden
MORE ABOUT ALISON KNIGHT
In her mid-forties,
Alison went to university part-time and gained a first-class degree in Creative
Writing at Bath Spa University and an MA in the same subject from Oxford
Brookes University, both while still working full-time. Her first book was
published a year after she completed her master’s degree.
Alison currently has
a trio of novels published by Darkstroke. The first, Mine, is a domestic drama set in 1960s London based on real
events in her family. She is the only person who can tell this particular
story. Exploring themes of class, ambition and sexual politics, Mine shows how ordinary people can
make choices that lead them into extraordinary situations.
The Legacy, a drama set in London in 1969, was inspired by a scene
in Mine, and explores how an
unexpected legacy can be both a blessing and a curse. The Legacy looks at themes of greed and expectations, and the
lengths people will go to when they are desperate.
The Hidden, available from September 2021, is a romantic suspense
that picks up the story of one of the characters in The Legacy. Set in Montana in 1973, two wounded, damaged people are
forced together, each guarding their secrets. Can they learn to trust each
other? And will their nightmares ever end?
Alison teaches creative
and life-writing, runs workshops and retreats with Imagine Creative
Writing Workshops (www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk)
as well as working as a freelance editor. She is a member of the Society of
Authors and the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
She lives in
Somerset, within sight of Glastonbury Tor.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS – ALISON KNIGHT
www.facebook.com/alison.knight.942
@Alison_Knight59 on Twitter
www.imaginecreativewriting.co.uk
www.darkstroke.com/dark-stroke/alison-knight/