Review: THE CONTRABAND KILLINGS by Lucienne Boyce

London and North Wales, 1799

Principal Officer Dan Foster of the Bow Street Runners is sent to collect smuggler Watcyn Jones from Beaumaris Gaol on Anglesey, and bring him back to London for trial at the Old Bailey. As if having to travel to the wilds of North Wales isn’t bad enough, Dan is saddled with an inexperienced constable as his interpreter and assistant. At least it’s a routine assignment and shouldn’t take more than a few days. 

But when the prison escort is ambushed and Watcyn Jones escapes, a straightforward transfer turns into a desperate manhunt. And as Jones’s enemies start to die, the chase becomes more urgent than ever. Dan’s search for the killer brings him up against a ruthless smuggling gang – and his chances of getting off the island alive begin to look far from promising.

 

Purchase Links 

US - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BFRRSD72

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BFRRSD72

  

As a frequent visitor to the Isle of Anglesey and the area around Beaumaris, I was particularly keen to read this novel.  It did not disappoint.  The characters are very well drawn, and the setting and the era really come to life on the page.  The author has clearly done her research meticulously – both about the practice of smuggling and about the history of Beaumaris.  And the plot is a real page-turner; I stayed up well past my normal bedtime to finish the book and was genuinely sorry when I reached the last page.  

 

Although this is the fourth book in a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel.  Having said that, I’m now keen to read the earlier books to find out more about the characters’ intriguing backstories.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lucienne Boyce writes historical fiction, non-fiction and biography. After gaining an MA in English Literature, specialising in eighteenth-century fiction, she published her first historical novel, To The Fair Land (2012, reissued 2021), an eighteenth-century thriller set in Bristol and the South Seas.

Her second historical novel, Bloodie Bones: A Dan Foster Mystery (2015, reissued 2022) is the first of the Dan Foster Mysteries and follows the fortunes of a Bow Street Runner who is also an amateur pugilist. Bloodie Bones was joint winner of the Historical Novel Society Indie Award 2016, and was also a semi-finalist for the M M Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction 2016. The second Dan Foster Mystery, The Butcher’s Block (2017, reissued 2022), was awarded an IndieBrag Medallion in 2018. The third in the series, Death Makes No Distinction (2019, reissued 2022), is also an IndieBrag Medallion honoree, recipient of Chill With a Book Premium Readers’ Award, and a joint Discovering Diamonds book of the month. In 2017 an e-book Dan Foster novella, The Fatal Coin, was published by S-Books. The Fatal Coin is now available in paperback.

The Bristol Suffragettes, a history of the suffragette campaign in Bristol and the South West of England, was published in 2013. In 2017 Lucienne published a collection of short essays, The Road to Representation: Essays on the Women’s Suffrage Campaign. 

 

Other Publications

Not So Militant Browne in Suffrage Stories: Tales from Knebworth, Stevenage, Hitchin and Letchworth (Stevenage Museum, 2019)

Victoria Lidiard in The Women Who Built Bristol, Jane Duffus (Tangent Books, 2018)

Tramgirls, Tommies and the Vote in Bristol and the First World War: The Great Reading Adventure 2014 (Bristol Cultural Development Partnership/Bristol Festival of Ideas, 2014)

 

Social Media

Website: www.lucienneboyce.com

Blog: https://francesca-scriblerus.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @LucienneWrite

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/LucienneBoyceWriter/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6437832.Lucienne_Boyce

 

Huge thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour.  Do check out the other posts – details are on the banner above.

COVER REVEAL: THE VENICE SECRET by Anita Chapman

I'm delighted to be part of the cover reveal event today for the lovely Anita Chapman's debut novel: The Venice Secret.

One hidden painting.  Two women born centuries apart.  A secret uncovered.

in 2019, Rachel is stuck in a rut when she discovers what appears to be a Canaletto painting in her grandmother's loft, along with a note addressed to Philippa in 1782.  With help from Jake at the local art gallery, Rachel endeavours to find out if the painting is an original - and uncovers a secret from the past.

In 1780, governess at Chipford Hall, Philippa is offered the role of mistress by Earl Rupert.  She escapes to Venice as companion to bluestocking Lady Cordelia, who reveals a secret that changes both their lives.  They do their best to keep the secret from Lady Cordelia's social circle, but their nemesis is determined to reveal all - and ruin them.

The Venice Secret will be published on 7 March 2023, but is already available for pre-order by clicking here.

And now - drum roll please - here is the cover!

Anita Chapman enjoyed writing stories from a young age, and won a local writing competition when she was nine years old.  Encouraged by this, she typed up a series of stories about a mouse on her mum's typewriter and sent them to Ladybird.  She received a polite rejection letter, her first.  

Many of Anita’s summers growing up were spent with her family driving to Italy, and she went on to study French and Italian at university. As part of her degree, Anita lived in Siena for several months where she studied and au paired, and she spent a lot of time travelling around Italy in her twenties. 

Anita likes to read journals and diaries from the past, and one of her favourite pastimes is visiting art galleries and country houses. Her first published novel, The Venice Secret, is inspired by her mother taking her to see the Canalettos at The National Gallery in London as a child. 

Since 2015, Anita has worked as a social media manager, training authors on social media, and helping to promote their books. She’s run several courses in London and York, and has worked as a tutor at Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College.

Social Media Links – 

Website https://neetsmarketing.com/

Twitter: @neetschapman https://twitter.com/neetschapman

Facebook Page: Anita Chapman Author https://www.facebook.com/neetschapman

Instagram: @neetschapman https://www.instagram.com/neetschapman

Tik Tok: @neetschapman https://www.tiktok.com/@neetschapman

Huge thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to take part in this event.

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS - an interview with Val Penny

Today my blog guest is my friend and fellow-author Val Penny, who is here to chat about life, books, and anything else that springs to mind. The new edition of Val's novel Hunter's Revenge is released today.

Welcome back to Broad Thoughts, Val. 

Thank you for inviting me to your blog today, Sue. It is always lovely to have a chance to chat with you.

 

For the benefit of those who are new to your books, please can you tell us a little about yourself?

 

I have been writing and telling stories all my life. When I was a child, I used to make up stories for my little sister after our Mum put the light out and told us to go to sleep. 

Much later in life, I took early retirement when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and there were times when I suffered severe side effects from my treatment. I could not go out, spend time with friends or indulge in many of my favourite hobbies, but watching daytime television got very old very fast, so I turned to reading, but even that lost its lustre after a while. My husband jokingly suggested that I write a book – and here we are!

Your books have a wonderfully diverse cast of characters.  What gave you the inspiration for them?

 

Some of my characters are based on people I have come across in real life, but most of them are figments of my rather over-active imagination. I created each of them considering what I wanted them to portray and the gaps in stories that I wanted them to fill. Not every character appears in each book; however, many of them are recurring characters.

 

Do you have a favourite character?

 

Many of my readers are in love with Hunter or his DC Tim Myerscough, but my favourite character is Jamie Thomson. He is the most unsuccessful villain but has a good heart. Even when he attempts a housebreaking or a theft, it is with providing for his family in mind.

 

How important is setting in your novels?

 

The DI Hunter Wilson Thrillers are set in Edinburgh. This was a fundamental decision because so many people have visited it and it is a beautiful place. It is also small by city standards which makes it easy for my characters to navigate and plausible that they will know each other. Edinburgh is almost as important a character as Hunter Wilson.

 

To what extent are your plots influenced by the setting?

 

Edinburgh is a vibrant multicultural city so my plots could as easily be set in any similar city in the world, but I know Edinburgh well, and know how its people think and react. To that extent the setting does influence the stories.

 

What are you working on at the moment?

 

My new publishers, SpellBound Books, are publishing new editions of my back catalogue, which is an exciting diversion for me. This gives me lots of time to work on the next book in the DI Hunter Wilson Thrillers, Hunter’s Force, which will be published early in 2023, and the next book in the series of Jane Renwick Thrillers, A Fighting Chance.

 

 

Finally:  Is there a question that you wish I’d asked…?

You write a blog and keep a social media presence, as well as writing books. From an author’s perspective, how does this benefit both you and your readers?

 

… and how would you answer it?

 

I like to keep in touch with my readers and to hear from them through my website  (www.valpenny.com), my blog, and on social media. It is always lovely to keep in touch.

MORE ABOUT VAL:

Val Penny has a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University.  She has had many jobs, including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer, but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store.  Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, non-fiction and novels.

Val is an American author living in SW Scotland.  She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud, and lives with her husband and their cat.

MORE ABOUT HUNTER WILSON:

Hunter by name – Hunter by nature.

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is a loyal friend and a fair leader.  He is called to the scene of a murder in Edinburgh where the corpse has been fatally shot.  He is dismayed to find the victim is his friend and colleague, George Reinbold.  Hunter must investigate Reinhold's murky past in Germany to identify George's killer.

At the same time, Hunter is tasked with looking into a previously-undetected criminal gang supplying drugs from Peru.  There seems to be no connection between the murder and the drug supply, until Hunter unexpectedly secures help from inmates of the local jail.

Hunter's investigations are hampered by distracted members of his team and unobservant witnesses.

Reinbold was not the quiet old man Hunter believed him to be, and his killer bore their grudge for a lifetime.

To order your copy of Hunter's Revenge, click here.

 

REVIEW: THE NO-HOPERS' CHRISTMAS CLUB by Geraldine Ryan

In the run-up to Christmas, we’re often far too busy to sit down and read a full-length novel (tempting though it might be). But a collection of festive short stories, one or two of which can be read as time permits, is ideal for a few minutes of self-indulgent relaxation amidst the chaos.

Each of the eighteen stories in this anthology has Christmas or New Year at its heart, but all are touchingly different in content - and all are uplifting and thought-provoking at the same time. The anthology can be enjoyed by anyone, of any age, who needs a feel-good Christmas treat. Highly recommended.

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:

As warming as a mince pie and a glass of sherry, these eighteen festive-themed shorts are just waiting to be unwrapped. 

- A lonely dog shelter volunteer battles to find new homes for her long-time canine residents while realising her own future is just as uncertain. As the new year approaches, can a fellow animal lover give her the fresh start she so wants for her dogs?

- A widowed grandmother prepares to reunite with her forbidden first love, only to discover the grand country pile from where he’s sent her a Christmas card isn’t quite what it seems.

- A single woman finally meets a man to couple up with over the festive season, but will the eccentric mistress of her late father destroy her plans?

- An ambitious 20-something attends a lavish Christmas party with only one aim – to bag a rich husband. But her plans are derailed when a troubling connection with the aristocrat she’s set her sights on is revealed.

Geraldine Ryan is a prolific short-story writer whose work has appeared in Woman’s Weekly and Take a Break’s Fiction Feast magazines. This yuletide collection follows hot on the heels of her first published anthology Riding Pillion with George Clooney. While Christmas comes but once a year, these moving and humorous tales will stay with you for a lifetime.

Purchase Links: 

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Hopers-Christmas-Club-Geraldine-Ryan-ebook/dp/B0BMJST5H8/

US - https://www.amazon.com/No-Hopers-Christmas-Club-Geraldine-Ryan-ebook/dp/B0BMJST5H8/

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Geraldine Ryan is a proud Northerner who has spent most of her life in Cambridge – the one with the punts. She holds a degree in Scandinavian Studies, but these days only puts it to use when identifying which language is being spoken among the characters of whatever Scandi drama is currently showing on TV. For many years, she worked as a teacher of English and of English as a second or foreign language, in combination with rearing her four children, all of whom are now grown-up, responsible citizens. Her first published story appeared in My Weekly in 1993. Since then, her stories have appeared in Take a Break, Fiction Feast and Woman’s Weekly, as well as in women’s magazines abroad. She has also written two young adult novels – Model Behaviour (published by Scholastic) and The Lies and Loves of Finn (Channel 4 Books.) She plans for Riding Pillion with George Clooney to be the first of several short story anthologies. 

Keep up to date with Geraldine’s news, be the first to hear about her new releases and read exclusive content by signing up to her monthly newsletter Turning the Page. By adding your details, you’ll also receive a free short story. Use this link to subscribe: https://bit.ly/Turningthepage   

Social Media Links – https://twitter.com/GeraldineRyan

https://www.facebook.com/geraldineryanwriter

Huge thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour.  Do check out the other posts - details are on the banner above.

 

WHY I TURNED TO CRIME - a guest post by Miriam Drori

Today I'm thrilled to welcome back to Broad Thoughts my dear friend, fellow-author and all-round lovely person Miriam Drori. Miriam and I started our writing careers at around the same time and have been friends for more than ten years - first online and later in person. Miriam has recently become the newest member of Ocelot Press (a co-operative of independent authors publishing together) and her first Ocelot Press title, Style and the Solitary, was officially released yesterday. This novel, which was originally published by Darkstroke Books, is also her first venture into writing in a different genre, and she's here to tell us a bit more about it.

Welcome, Miriam!

Thank you, Sue.  It's good to be back.

Growing up, I never dreamed of a life of crime. I didn’t even dream of becoming an author at all. My reading experience, while fairly sparse, wasn’t limited to a particular genre. Yes, I liked books by Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, but they weren’t the only books I read.

Decades later, when I decided to turn my hand to writing books (as opposed to the technical documents that had kept me busy for many years), crime wasn’t the first genre that jumped into my brain. I began with non-fiction, which was all I felt capable of writing, certain that creativity wasn’t one of my abilities. The book was about social anxiety, an outcome of a growing passion to raise awareness of that disorder.

At some point, I began to think that fiction might be a better way of getting my message out. In fiction, you can drill inside a character’s head (metaphorically, of course) in a way you can’t in non-fiction. But I didn’t know how to write fiction and I wasn’t creative.

The first problem was alleviated by extensive reading about the craft. The second? I used settings I was familiar with and real stories of people I’d ‘met’ online. My main character was based on several of those people. I wrote my novel, worked on it with a writing group and then sent it to be professionally critiqued. Finally, I understood its main flaw: nothing happened in the story – nothing exciting, anyway.

My next task, after writing a romance and having it accepted for publication, was to find something exciting that would affect my character and become the basis of the story. A murder was my first what-if: What if my socially anxious character was accused of murder? How would he be able to stand up for himself and explain the truth to people in authority, especially in a court of law?

But then I had a different idea, planted just before an amazing trip and sprouting after it. What if my character was sent to Japan on work? How would he manage there, and how would that affect his life on returning home? These were the questions that nagged at me until I turned my thoughts into the novel, Cultivating a Fuji. 

It was only when I finished it that murderous tendencies returned. The only time I had to testify from a witness stand, my performance was dismal. I also heard about a woman who wanted to testify against her rapist but found herself struck dumb in the event. How would my character manage?

When I say “my character,” I don’t mean the same character from Cultivating a Fuji. That one managed to live his whole life without being accused of murder. No, I created a new character with a new name, nationality and profession. The characters around him are different, as are the settings. And I based the story, loosely, on Beauty and the Beast, giving it a similar title: Style and the Solitary.

After the novel was accepted by Darkstroke and people began to talk about it, they mentioned the crime genre, and I suddenly realised I’d joined a vast pool of crime novelists. Up to then, I’d thought of my story as one that happened to contain a murder. I suppose I didn’t really turn to crime at all; it was more a case of crime finding me.

This whole process has taught me something else. It seems I do have an imagination and therefore an ability to be creative. I expect we all do if we put our minds to it.

Edition 2 of Style and the Solitary is now available from Ocelot Press.

An unexpected murder. A suspect with a motive. The power of unwavering belief.

A murder has been committed in an office in Jerusalem. Asaf, who works there, is the suspect. But is the case as clear-cut as it seems?

Asaf is locked in a cell and in his own protective wall, unable to tell his story even to himself. How can he tell it to a chief inspector or a judge? The fear would paralyse him.

His colleague, Nathalie, has studied Beauty and the Beast. She understands that staunch belief can effect change. As the only one who believes in Asaf’s innocence, she’s motivated to act on his behalf. But she’s new in the company – and in the country. Who will take her seriously?

She cajoles her two flatmates into helping her investigate. As they uncover new trails, will they be able to change people's minds about Asaf?

Will Nathalie’s belief in Asaf impel him to defeat his own demons and clear his name?

Style and the Solitary was released through Ocelot Press on 27th October 2022.

Miriam Drori

Miriam Drori, author, editor and social anxiety warrior, worked as a computer programmer and a technical writer before turning her attention to full-time writing. Her novels and short stories cover several genres, including crime, romance and uplifting fiction. She has also written a non-fiction book about social anxiety.

Born and raised in London, Miriam now lives in Jerusalem. She has travelled widely, putting her discoveries to good use as settings in her writing. Her characters are not based on real people, but rather are formed from an amalgam of the many and varied individuals who have embellished her life.

When not writing, she likes reading, hiking, dancing and touring.

You can find Miriam at her website, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and elsewhere.

Review: GERALD PHILEY'S EURO-DIARY by Brendan James

"Could there be a world of interest and adventure beyond the Midlands?  A world of confidence, sex and excitement?  A better life - a better me?"

These are the questions Gerard Philey grapples with over New Year, 1995. Sitting in his rented Black Country room, reflecting on his thankless teaching job and miserable love life, he courageously decides to abandon his humdrum existence and embark on a quest for Euro-fulfilment, fun and fitness on the Continent.

After a shaky start in Brussels, events manoeuvre him to Amsterdam where chance encounters shift his world well and truly into fifth gear. He samples the trials and tribulations of new relationships, alongside managing a sex shop in the city’s Red Light Area – on top of the challenges of fat-free living and international travel!

Through his bittersweet diary, we see how Gerard steers a laugh-out-loud course through farcical episodes and fanciful characters...and how entanglements from past and present draw him unwittingly into a criminal underworld where events ultimately take their toll.

It has been a pleasure to read and review this light-hearted page-turner, in which a stuck-in-a-rut schoolteacher makes a snap decision to leave his life of drudgery in the Midlands and take full advantage of the new-found freedoms offered by the Maastricht Treaty.  He sets off on a new adventure which takes him to a new and exciting life in the buzzing heart of Amsterdam.

It's difficult to say too much about this highly enjoyable book without giving away the plot.  But suffice it to say that the author brings the Dutch capital vividly to life through the eyes of the hapless and naïf protagonist, who comes across as a lovable adult version of Adrian Mole.

The book gives a lovely insight into life in Amsterdam in the mid-1990s - and is a poignant and bitter-sweet reminder of what was subsequently stolen from the British people by the disaster that is Brexit.

Purchase Link -  https://amzn.to/3spEKZ9

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brendan James is the author of the new comedy novel Gerard Philey’s Euro-Diary: Quest for a Life. Though this is his first novel, he has a large number of non-fiction publications (under the name Brendan Bartram) as a former university lecturer and researcher. A passionate linguist and Europhile, he spent a number of years working in the Netherlands, France and Germany. He lives in the West Midlands with his husband.

Social Media Links – 

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/450811.Brendan_James

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendan-james-4343a8237/

Twitter - @Brendan23015569

Huge thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour.  Do check out the other posts (details below).

KINDRED SPIRITS: REGAL RETRIBUTION - a guest post by Jennifer C Wilson

Today I'm delighted to welcome back my friend and fellow-author Jennifer C Wilson, whose latest novel in the acclaimed Kindred Spirits series was released a couple of weeks ago.  I had the pleasure of working with Jen as editor of this book (not that it needed very much editing), and believe me, it's an absolute cracker.

Here, Jen shares a key scene from the novel:

Across London, ghosts are being targeted, haunted – not an easy thing to reconcile, being a spirit. Because spirits can be faded: forcibly moved on to, frankly, nobody knows where. And nobody wants to find out. Here, what starts as a perfectly pleasant day in the Tower of London suddenly turns sour for Katherine Howard. 

Chapter Twenty-Four

With so many incidents happening around the capital, the soldiers who haunted the city’s palaces, stately homes and other residences had been pressed into guard duty more than ever. They had always taken a security role of sorts, keeping an eye on the monarchs who inhabited their mini-realms, but with attacks increasing in frequency, most had upped their game even before they were asked. 

Now, every building of historical significance had a guard either permanently positioned outside, or had a rota of regular patrols keeping watch. The majority of their efforts still centred around the queens, together with others who had a strong link to Henry VIII, but nobody wanted to take a risk. The ghosts’ council of Westminster Abbey had taken a lead role in the main coordination, with Richard [III] and the Georges [Boleyn and Clarence] taking charge in the Tower, refusing to give anyone else power in what they saw as their domain. Nobody bothered to challenge them, in view of the mood Boleyn and Clarence had been in since word of Henry’s activities had got out. 

The pair had been so determined not to be blamed for either the main attacks, or any of the copycat efforts, that neither Boleyn nor Clarence had taken part in a single haunting for weeks. Not even their usual ‘rising from the fake barrel of malmsey’ trick had been spotted, by the living or the dead. Frankly, the spirits of the Tower were finding the new, serious attitude of their usually jovial neighbours almost as disturbing as the ghost-on-ghost hauntings. 

“Please, brother, Clarence, it’s been weeks, we are all glum; we urgently need some cheer in our lives.” Anne [Boleyn] begged Boleyn and his partner-in-crime to do something, anything, to entertain her, as the trio stood at the top of the White Tower looking down on their home. They weren’t officially keeping watch, but more often than not the days would find at least two spirits up on the rooftop, keeping a vague eye on what was happening below. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but if anything happened in the Tower’s confines, it was one of the better spots to be amongst the first to hear of it. 

As it happened, they got a much closer view of things than they’d anticipated.  Katherine Howard practically bounced out of the entrance to the roof, a smile on her face and a spring in her step. 

“Morning! Isn’t it a lovely day!” she exclaimed, moving over to join them at the balustrade. 

“You’re in a good mood,” Boleyn said, knocking his shoulder against hers. 

“I am indeed. The sun is shining, there’s a steel band setting up out on the riverside, and even Richard smiled at me earlier.”

“Richard smiled? A positive change for sure,” said Clarence, leaning over the edge. “Where is he?” 

Only Anne narrowed her eyes. “I wonder what’s put him in a good mood. He’d have told us, surely?”

“Oh, sister, are you jealous for not knowing our mighty leader’s inner thoughts first?” joked Boleyn, sticking his tongue between his teeth and wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Anne opened her mouth to reply, but Katherine’s cry froze the words on her tongue. 

“Clarence! Stop it!”

Three pairs of eyes were suddenly focused on the young former queen – including, Anne noticed, Clarence’s. He was nowhere near close enough to have been doing anything to her cousin. 

“Katherine?” Anne looked around the rooftop, still seemingly empty other than the four of them. “Katherine, what is it?”

“Th-there was a hand on my neck. I swear there was,” Katherine replied, looking around wildly, her eyes wide with terror. “No!” she shrieked, batting away an invisible attacker. “No, please, leave me alone!”

To their credit, in a heartbeat, both Georges reached for where their swords would have been, moving forward in unison to try and help their friend and cousin. They were halted only for a moment by Anne putting her hands out in front of them. 

“Wait, how can you attack what we cannot even see?”

“We have to try,” called Boleyn, as he rushed to Katherine’s side, trying to move his own body in between her and the direction the attack appeared to be coming from. Clarence appeared to take the hint and covered her other side, the two men effectively forming a human cage around Katherine. 

It worked for a moment, until a flash of green materialised, at knee-height, and barrelled at the small group. The Georges were steady enough on their feet to remain standing, but Katherine, unnerved and anxious, stumbled backwards out of the protective ring and fell hard against the floor, unable to prevent herself vanishing through into the space below. 

“Katherine!” cried Anne, following downward in a more controlled manner, hoping whoever was attacking would remain on the roof, distracted by the Georges. 

No such luck. 

Distracted by the fall, and still in a state of shock, Katherine had slipped into full visibility for a moment. This also made her fully tangible – which put her at risk. 

Too late, Anne saw the great bulk of their ex-husband at Katherine’s side, knife drawn. There was a flash of silver, followed by two screams, then he was gone as quickly as he’d appeared. 

It took a moment for Anne to realise one of the screams had been her own. She dashed to her cousin’s side, pulling her into a tight hug as the younger woman simply stared down at her hand. 

“Kat, Kat, come on, you have to vanish. Now, before somebody comes. Katherine!”

The use of her full name seemed to pull Katherine back into herself, and in a moment, both women were once again visible only to other spirits. Or at least, most of them were. 

“My hand… Look at my hand,” whispered Katherine, her voice shaking with fear. 

Anne looked down. To her horror, Katherine’s hand was flickering, the pattern of her gown visible as it flashed briefly into transparency. 

Katherine was fading. 

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:

Kindred Spirits: Regal Retribution

A visit to London’s West End sends an already angry ghost into a fury, vowing revenge on those he believes have wronged him in life (and in death). 

Soon, the attacks begin – across the city and beyond – revealing that rarest of beings: haunted ghosts!

When a pattern starts to emerge, a council is established to formulate a plan, but can they work out who is behind the hauntings? As the severity escalates, can the combined force stop the avenging spirit, before the worst happens?

Bringing together the ghostly communities of the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and other places, discover friendships and feuding in the race to retaliation…

Purchase Links 

US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3238S5Y/

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B3238S5Y/

MORE ABOUT JEN:

Jennifer has been stalking dead monarchs since she was a child. It started with Mary, Queen of Scots, then moved onto Richard III. At least now it results in a story!

She won North Tyneside Libraries' Story Tyne short story competition in 2014 (no dead monarchs, but still not a cheerful read), and has been filling notebooks and hard-drives ever since. Her Kindred Spirits series, following the 'lives' of some very interesting ghostly communities, is published by Darkstroke, and her historical romances by Ocelot Press.

Jennifer is currently exploring some new ideas for historical romance, and hoping to visit Kindred Spirit friends old and new, north of the border...

Social Media Links – 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/inkjunkie1984

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifercwilsonwriter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifercwilsonwriter/

Blog: https://jennifercwilsonwriter.wordpress.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jennifer-C-Wilson/e/B018UBP1ZO/

Huge thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour.  

Do check out the other stops on the tour - details below.

A MAN IN PIECES - an interview with Henry Corrigan

Today I'm delighted to welcome my fellow-author Henry Corrigan, whose novel A Man in Pieces is published today by Darkstroke Books.

Welcome, Henry!

 

What was the first thing you wrote?

The first thing I can remember writing is a Voltron comic book. I was, and still am, a huge Voltron fan and while I can’t remember how old I was, I can remember that trying to draw and write at the same time was really hard, especially when it came to squeezing what I’m sure was pithy dialogue into all those word bubbles. 😊

 

Can you summarize your latest work in just a few words?

Just a few words? Oh, good God, no. How about a blurb? Does a blurb work? A blurb will work. 😊

Driven by bad choices and worse options, a desperate father-to-be must battle his abusive boss for the last slot at a dead-end job, but the fight may lead one of them to murder.

 

 

What was the inspiration for this book?

My nightmares. I was having nightmares every other day about what some would consider to be very mundane things. Paying the bills, letting people down, dealing with a hellish job and worse co-workers, dreading something bad happening to the people I loved. I started writing the book as a way to get the nightmares out, and it wasn’t until I finished that I realised I had a story that would resonate with a lot of people. Just because something is mundane doesn’t mean it’s not malevolent. That’s the very definition of the banality of evil. 

 

Did you do any research for the book? 

Most of my research was confined to one character, my deeply-closeted, self-hating antagonist Tom. He’s a veteran, and while I grew up around veterans (my father, grandfather and step-father), and even worked with veterans for ten years, I had no actual experience of the military. (I’m a hundred-and-sixty-pound nerd with terrible eyesight. It would’ve been a poor military that accepted me.) So I did some research in regard to military bases and certain time periods so as to make things as accurate as possible. Any inconsistencies readers may find are the fault of the research, not the author. 😊

 

What does a typical writing day involve for you?

Late nights and early mornings. I have a hellish day job and a lovely wife and daughter I’d actually like to see, so in those moments when I’m not too tired, I write in little speed bursts. 15-20 minute stretches where I get something down, no matter how choppy it might be. 

 

How do you decide on the names for your characters?

I had the names of a number of my characters in mind from the very beginning, especially Claire, Mike and Tom. I’d wanted names that were short, sharp, and powerful: names that might be banal on the surface but would hit over time. 

 

Do you plot your novels in advance, or allow them to develop as you write?

I tell everybody that I always know how a story begins and how it ends and it’s always when I get to the middle that things go wrong. Uncovering the details of the story always ends up determining where the story will go. So it’s kind of like what they say in the military: A plan always holds up until it encounters the enemy. 

 

Which writers have influenced your own writing?

Stephen King most definitely, though RL Stine started me off; I’ve got dozens of Goosebumps books at home. Anne Rice taught me how to draw people into a world. Kurt Vonnegut taught me to make people laugh, even if you’ve got to make them cry first. 

 

What has been the best part of the writing process…and the worst?

The best part of the process is a toss-up between the actual writing, having a story come together in ways that surprise you, and getting to know readers and other authors. Having others tell you they love what you create is such an awesome feeling, I can’t properly express it in words. 

The worst part of the process is definitely the silence. It took a couple of years to write the book and then another seven years pitching it, and the worst part wasn’t being told No, but hearing nothing at all. After a while, I began to feel like the proverbial tree that fell in the forest. Regardless of whether I made a sound or not, nobody cared. 

 

Now the book is published and ‘out there’ how do you feel?

Better. Still anxious, I mean, I want to make a career out of this after all, but better. Knowing the book is out there, seeing the presale figures, knowing that someone has an interest in it is a huge deal for me, and I will probably cry the day I hold my book in my hands. 

 

Is there a message for the reader?

My book is bleak. Full stop. I’m not going to sugarcoat this, because bleak was what I was going for. My fears of What if the worst should happen? were what was keeping me up at night, so I wanted to showcase the worst. To give it life and let it breathe. But despite how dark things get, I want the reader to know that it is possible to turn away from our own worst selves. In fact, being able to do that is often the only thing that saves us. 

 

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Get used to silence, but keep pushing. By and large, the writing community is a wonderful place, full of people looking to support you and connect with your work. They will praise you, push you and challenge you, and while that might not always be comfortable, it can still help you get to where you need to go. 

 

What can we expect from you in the future?

A lot, God willing. 😊 I’m actually at work on the first book in a new sci-fi series, I’ve got a new horror novella I’m editing and a couple of children’s books I’m hoping to shop around in the near future. 

 

Good luck with those, Henry, and thank you for being my guest today! 

MORE ABOUT HENRY:

Henry Corrigan is a bisexual, omnivore author, poet and playwright who writes every kind of story. Whether it’s horror or science fiction, erotica or poetry, high fantasy or children’s books, he writes it all because every story matters to him. They’re what keeps him going. Always an avid reader, Henry started writing poetry in middle school but it wasn’t until he started writing erotica in high school that he really learned the mechanics of writing. What started out as private stories and love letters, soon became publications in anthologies.

To date, he has the rough drafts of two science fiction books, one horror novella, one play, four children’s books, numerous poems and several song lyrics waiting in the wings. Above all, he wants to be known for not staying where he’s been put. To always surprise people, especially himself. Because that’s what makes it fun. The feeling that even he doesn’t know what he’s going to do next.

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:

Driven by bad choices and worse options, a desperate father-to-be must battle his abusive boss for the last slot at a dead-end job, but the fight may lead one of them to murder.

Mike Harper would like nothing more than to burn his dead-end job to the ground. But with a wife on bed-rest and a son on the way, discovering that the company is downsizing couldn’t come at a worse time.  Now, struggling to stay afloat, Mike is forced to fight for the last remaining spot to secure his family’s future. It’s too bad that Tom, his obnoxious boss, is in the same boat.

Tom Downes is a man with few friends and even fewer prospects, but the aging veteran has never gone down without a fight. Now, with his health failing and his marriage falling apart, Tom is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his job.

With a blinding snowstorm closing in, these two desperate men will battle each other on a long and twisted road fraught with heartbreaking losses – and murder.

For when it comes to staying afloat, the American Dream can break anyone…

 
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